Blockmates and The Big Family

Elinore Perez-Currington, my blockmate from UP College of Baguio way back 1992 and my “anak” in the Big Family, arrived from the United Kingdom last week for a month long holiday. She is married to a half Pinoy-half Brit based in Derbyshire and has been going home once a year in Manila.

This time around, before she left for Manila, we planned a get together with our blockmates and the members of the Big Family. I immediately sent an email and SMS to all and everyone was excited.

We really wanted to see each other because it has been awhile since our group last met. I cannot even remember the last time I saw Nhore personally. However, we continue to chat and exchange emails, I still long for the human factor of meeting up.

It was sad that she could only make it on a Sunday night and at the start of the Holy Week. A number of our blockmates wanted to go but since most of them are already married and have kids, they had a hard time going out on weekends.

We had dinner at Saisaki Glorietta 3 and drinks at Pier One at The Fort. Dinner was great and even the drinks went okay. Most of us haven’t seen each other in a long time and yet it was like we never really parted. We could still remember our Freshman Days, our first professors, the original love teams and the tons of laughter we all shared that year at UP College of Baguio.

Though most of us (Oli, Joseph, Peter and Moi) left UPCB and transferred to Diliman after a year, we still have the bond that certainly tied us for good.

I had a blast with the conversations and the laughter and reminiscing the carefree days. How I wish that we were still Freshmen and still competing for the Freshmen Night. It would be a blast if we could perform once again and compete with the rest of the Freshman Blocks. I can still hear Kuya Aldrin telling us what to do and what not to do. So much fun!

Nhore is still childless; however, she is busy with her career in UK and now sporting long locks. One of us has gotten his marriage annulled and now on with his third wife; yet he is successful with his own business. One has created a mark in the advertising world and is still sweet as ever. One is busy with corporate matters at a Vet Med firm and will forever be the “kilabot” of the block. One is busy with managing a Chinese restaurant in Binondo and very much good looking as before. One is still the Big Sister for everyone and still reminds me of the girl version of Erap. One is still the ever-quiet person but when he talks he could turn the house down and I know they still have the magic with my “anak”.

A number of our blockmates and Big Family members are still based in Baguio City. We wanted to meet with them but due to our own hectic schedules, we cannot afford to go back to Baguio. I wish that one day; we could all see each other again and enjoy the good company.

Given the span of years of not seeing each other and just having a few emails/chats over the years, I am very much delighted that we still have the ties that bind us together. The friendship that we’ve created in 1992 still lingers and will continue wherever we are.

Pocs and Nhore

Oli, Jojo, Jane, Nhore, Rallsh, Joseph and Peter