In Memoriam ...
In commemoration of the celebration for our dearly departed, I have decided to give a tribute to seven 'people' who have had a great influence in my life. If the temperature in where they are is lower than where I am now, then they must be in a good place.
1. Brewster - it may be quite odd to start my list with a non human since Brewster was our dog during my early teen years. Of all the pets we had, he was clearly the best one. Brewster was not just a fluffy canine, he was family. He shared with all our meals, slept in our room and even included himself in our family pictorial sessions. He joined the dog-Gods in 1994 and was buried in the left side of the Magallanes Fly-over fronting Caltex Oil Station where the MRT now lies.
2. Kuya Boy Stomach - a distant relative and former caretaker of our photocopier business. When my father left to try his luck overseas, we practically became inseparable. He was my billiards buddy, watching-PBA-in-Ultra companion, "sakla" partner and my representative during PTA meetings in high school. We were so close those times that we sleep in a 90-degree-angle side- to-side position in our shop since we only have about 2 feet of space to squeeze ourselves in. He was always there when I needed him, while I was not when he needed help the most. He died June 15th last year from an ear infection. I wasn't even able to say goodbye.
3. Mang Boy Tiedra - he was my childhood buddy's father. We were not really in speaking terms aside from his occasional reply "andyan sa loob" whenever I ask him about where his son is. Despite this non-connection between us, Mang Boy influenced my life more than his son will ever have. Why? It is because it was in him that I witnessed a real-life suicide. The Ta-tsak!Bang!-Dead! suicide type. The date was the evening of June 22, 1995. A series of long standing relative-related feud led to Mang Boy shooting himself in the head in public while I was standing several meters in front of him. The picture of the thick red blood slowly coming towards our way when we tried to rescue him haunts me until now.
4. Jayson Suyat - my high school friend. We became close due to of our common passion in writing (though he has the talent while I only have the passion) and pissing our school officials. We were part of the group that launched a high school underground newspaper that made a mockery of some administration personnel as well as some of our weird-looking and weider-thinking batchmates. It really shocked me when I learned that Jayson took his life by strangling himself in 2001. I thought that his depression-filled, full-of-wrath way of writing was enough to vent his anger away from destroying him inside. He was a prisoner of the highly-expecting-non-satisying-environment and decided to let himself free. He even left a letter to inform everyone about how he belittled death's consequence as opposed to life's torments. That's very Jayson-like.
5. Ms. Rodil - my math olympiad adviser. I will always remember Ma'am Rodil not only because of her teachings but due to her uncanny belief of wearing that same all-violet dress whenever I compete in the Math Quiz Bee. It may have worked for me, but unfortunately not for her since she died at a considerable young age and without a husband. It must be due to that violet dress.
6. Ruben - my billiard "spotter" partner during the early nineties. Ruben cannot even shoot straight in billiards but he was well adept in the business of the sport. Together with another friend, we ventured some of the nearby billiard places spotting for potential victims. He showed me the way to handle the game, when to win and when to lose ... only to win in the end. In him, I saw a gambler that can win even if his bet loses... a very good lesson I have kept in my life. I heard he died in Ilo-ilo about a few years back. He must be making fools around the people from where he is now.
7. Fernando Poe, Jr. - of course! You really didn't expect that I will end my list without somebody whom you can relate, didn't you? Being branded as a loyal follower may be an understatement to someone who has watched, memorized lines, and recorded close to 100 movies from the 'FPJ sa GMA' saga. He typified his unchanging story line of a common man that would be beaten in the start only to win in the end. His "loss" in politics staged the biggest farewell plan that he can ever imagine - it was magnificent I started thinking maybe he planned it already. Unfortunately for us left here, we won't be able to witness his return bout with Lizardo.
1. Brewster - it may be quite odd to start my list with a non human since Brewster was our dog during my early teen years. Of all the pets we had, he was clearly the best one. Brewster was not just a fluffy canine, he was family. He shared with all our meals, slept in our room and even included himself in our family pictorial sessions. He joined the dog-Gods in 1994 and was buried in the left side of the Magallanes Fly-over fronting Caltex Oil Station where the MRT now lies.
2. Kuya Boy Stomach - a distant relative and former caretaker of our photocopier business. When my father left to try his luck overseas, we practically became inseparable. He was my billiards buddy, watching-PBA-in-Ultra companion, "sakla" partner and my representative during PTA meetings in high school. We were so close those times that we sleep in a 90-degree-angle side- to-side position in our shop since we only have about 2 feet of space to squeeze ourselves in. He was always there when I needed him, while I was not when he needed help the most. He died June 15th last year from an ear infection. I wasn't even able to say goodbye.
3. Mang Boy Tiedra - he was my childhood buddy's father. We were not really in speaking terms aside from his occasional reply "andyan sa loob" whenever I ask him about where his son is. Despite this non-connection between us, Mang Boy influenced my life more than his son will ever have. Why? It is because it was in him that I witnessed a real-life suicide. The Ta-tsak!Bang!-Dead! suicide type. The date was the evening of June 22, 1995. A series of long standing relative-related feud led to Mang Boy shooting himself in the head in public while I was standing several meters in front of him. The picture of the thick red blood slowly coming towards our way when we tried to rescue him haunts me until now.
4. Jayson Suyat - my high school friend. We became close due to of our common passion in writing (though he has the talent while I only have the passion) and pissing our school officials. We were part of the group that launched a high school underground newspaper that made a mockery of some administration personnel as well as some of our weird-looking and weider-thinking batchmates. It really shocked me when I learned that Jayson took his life by strangling himself in 2001. I thought that his depression-filled, full-of-wrath way of writing was enough to vent his anger away from destroying him inside. He was a prisoner of the highly-expecting-non-satisying-environment and decided to let himself free. He even left a letter to inform everyone about how he belittled death's consequence as opposed to life's torments. That's very Jayson-like.
5. Ms. Rodil - my math olympiad adviser. I will always remember Ma'am Rodil not only because of her teachings but due to her uncanny belief of wearing that same all-violet dress whenever I compete in the Math Quiz Bee. It may have worked for me, but unfortunately not for her since she died at a considerable young age and without a husband. It must be due to that violet dress.
6. Ruben - my billiard "spotter" partner during the early nineties. Ruben cannot even shoot straight in billiards but he was well adept in the business of the sport. Together with another friend, we ventured some of the nearby billiard places spotting for potential victims. He showed me the way to handle the game, when to win and when to lose ... only to win in the end. In him, I saw a gambler that can win even if his bet loses... a very good lesson I have kept in my life. I heard he died in Ilo-ilo about a few years back. He must be making fools around the people from where he is now.
7. Fernando Poe, Jr. - of course! You really didn't expect that I will end my list without somebody whom you can relate, didn't you? Being branded as a loyal follower may be an understatement to someone who has watched, memorized lines, and recorded close to 100 movies from the 'FPJ sa GMA' saga. He typified his unchanging story line of a common man that would be beaten in the start only to win in the end. His "loss" in politics staged the biggest farewell plan that he can ever imagine - it was magnificent I started thinking maybe he planned it already. Unfortunately for us left here, we won't be able to witness his return bout with Lizardo.
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