Last Friday, I met up with some of my Manila-based High School batchmates. It is my first time to see some of them since graduation day. The main agenda of the meet-up? Our HS Yearbook.

Yes, our High School Yearbook! I am not sure if I am authorized to disclose the main reason why it took THAT long before the memorabilia was released, but at least it is now up for grabs, right? The only sad thing there is hindi man lang siya na-bind. Uh oh.

Well, that is not really important IMO. I was looking forward to reading some of the write-ups written by the people behind the yearbook project.

I was surprised upon seeing the alloted page for me. My graduation and casual photo was there. My e-mail address is a combination of my nickname+my celebrity crush. My home address is similar to my school address. My motto is “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!” and my ambition was “to be successful in the entertainment industry”. Wow. And it is nice to know that in a way, i am making that dream come true step by step 🙂

What made me really giggle like a sixteen year old teen again is the write-up written by the person whom i truly admire way back. No need to mention his name and i hope he won’t be able to think of something negative upon reading this if ever. Well… here it is!

“Mica? As in Make It Conquer All..? You bet… That’s Mica – the perfect epitome of poise and confidence with a twist of talents. You may see her in simple clothes walking around the school’s vicinity (siyempre, taga-doon lang naman siya!) but her height makes everyone turn their eyes on her (…naka-high-heels pa ‘to, ha!)

A model as they say, walks with pride with a touch of poise, and that’s what the Kepfordz ’04 has – it’s very own model!!! But the girl isn’t just a model of beauty and body, she’s also a model of character. This girl, as far as Kepfordz know her, values friendship very much. She makes sure that a friendship she makes shall be forever a fortress – unconquerable! She cries everytime a friend leaves… This girl is really commendable when it comes to valuing friends. Once you establish a bond with her, consider it as you own, simple opulence!

Who’s gonna forget a Sophomore student dominating the world of Sing and Dance? Nobody, for this girl proved her relish and skills in these aspects. She seems to have monikers like “Sing and Dance Queen”? No… maybe “Pop Princess”? I guess not too… Maybe both! Yeah, perfect! There’s nobody like Mica who can sing pop while grooving to the beat of dancy music…

Oh, by the way, she doesn’t only have the magic of music, she is also one of the best computer manipulators. She was the first among our batch to launch a website (She had her first site at the age of twelve! Kaya niyo ‘yun?!) See how great chips work? Well, that’s Mica… no doubt about it!

I can’t help but smile upon reading it while i was lying in my bed that night. Suddenly, a quick flashback popped out of my mind. It contained a lot of happy and sad memories.

Epitome of Poise and Confidence – For some reason, I re-read this part a lot of times. When I was in high school, I had a lot of insecurities. Studying in a special science high school where the DL students are the priority of the teachers made me want to simply concentrate on the field where i thought i really excelled – Singing and Dancing. I was a part of the school dance troupe and choir. I’d rather win in a cultural contest than get a high score in my exam. I almost failed in Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus. It is actually the reason why I stopped dreaming of becoming a part of the Top 10 in class. I think I only placed 7th in I-Einstein’s Classroom standing. On the succeeding years, I didn’t care much about the honor roll.

Poise and Confidence? I was insecure way back. See, I am too thin and the shape of my face somewhat made me feel a bit more sad about myself. There was even a time wherein some of my classmates called me names and made fun of me. I was deeply hurt. One incident even resulted to my mom going to school and confronting some of them. I did really lack self-confidence.

Another factor to that loss is the constant push of some of my friends that having a boyfriend is a sign of ‘maturity’. I do envy some of my classmates who had their boyfriends beside them. It made me questioned my looks and capabilities.

But instead of sitting and crying in the corner, I diverted my attention into writing and performing. I did maintain my very own column for three straight years at the school paper and I am always competing in sing and dance contests. I’m also proud to say that i, or our group won in most of them 😛
Now let’s talk about Friendship. Let’s admit that all of us long to fit and be accepted in a barkada. I had my first traumatic experience about peers during our freshmen days. I don’t want to elaborate further, but it was then that I realized that I can never be one of them. I don’t want to pretend that i enjoy doing something or  be like someone just to get into a circle. I was misunderstood by others. I guess it is a blessing in disguise because I had a number of friends from different groups and I can say that out of the 70+ students in our batch, I can pinpoint five whom I can truly call my real friends up to this day. It’s not just for the fame or the company. It’s about the loyalty and trust.

Like what I mentioned somewhere above this paragraph, I focused more on performing rather than studying. I excelled more in my extra-curricular activities rather than my academics. I wanted to be a part of the school play when I was in second year, but I ended up at the props area. Heartbroken, I promised myself that I will do better in singing and dancing.

And so I did.

Won in a number of modern dance contests, became the first Sing and Dance Champion (So, you are a rocket scientist? That don’t impress me much 😛 ), MTV grandslam (Lady Marmalade, Ain’t That Funny, Dirrty), became a sexbomb dancer for a day (errrr… let’s stop now LOL) and many, many more. Performed solo in a number of events and more. Total performer kung total performer. I’d rather rehearse than study my notes. I’d rather memorize a song lyrics that memorize some formulas and codes. I’d rather dance and groove than conduct an experiment. Buti na lang ‘di ako na-kickout! 😛 I was an average student. Didn’t fail (almost in my math subjects) and I am proud of it 😛

Computers. Did you know that I don’t own a computer or laptop at home way back? But I was online for at least 8 hours a day. I usually spend 20 minutes of my recess at the school internet laboratory or my lunch breaks at my grandfather’s office. I would ask for a favor from some college departments (naaaliw ang mga instructors sa kakulitan ko) if i can update my websites, forums etc. In short, I was a geek na madiskarte. It eventually led me to my chosen field of study for college: Information Technology (/wrist)

Reading the whole write-up about me made me really smile. The person who wrote it is the person whom I consider as my ‘first love’ even if it was only one-sided. That person was my inspiration on why I want to succeed during my high school years. He inspired me to study, to sing, to dance and yes, to write. I wrote a lot of love poems and short stories because of him. Even my mom and family loves him not because of the idea that something romantic might happen between us, but mainly because he is amazingly wonderful (amazing na nga wonderful pa LOL). He is an ideal guy – intelligent, talented, nice, tall, fun to be with, creative, understanding and Carlo loves him – which is the most important factor.

To be honest, I don’t feel anything romantic about the whole thing anymore. Napapa-smile na lang ako sa tuwa. The feeling might have fade away, but the memories don’t. Did you know that way back in high school, all I wanted was him to appreciate me? My efforts, my talents, my everything. Reading this yearbook article after six years of waiting made it worth the wait. All the while pala, naaa-appreciate mo rin pala ako. Ang tagal mo akong pinaghintay! 😛

I am not really sure on how my high school classmates would react upon reading this, but hey, it feels great to reminisce about the good things, right? The last time I really fell in love was in college. I wonder when will I ever fall in love again… and i am hoping it won’t be one-sided this time LOL.

PS: I feel bad that I wasn’t able to save all high school-related photos which was uploaded at my Geocities account way back.

Wonder why I posted our first and third year class photos above? Try to analyze basta dati, kinikilig ako LOLOLOL