I was so angry at my mother when she decided to pull me out of Women’s Dorm at UPLB at that time. I liked it there… no hassles, you don’t share things… you just slump to your bed and read all day long and no one will bother you… They say I’m autistic with the things I want… like being alone… passive at times… disoriented…
My dormmates used to say that to me. Even Laarni. I maybe all that they said I was… but nothing prepared me of what was about to happen. I WILL NO LONGER BE IN A DORMITORY. My mother has found someone to entrust her daughter to… and that would be no other than Ms. Liza Palma and her little sister Laarni (my batchmate). And my plans to being alone for my entire college life was about to be shattered…
At first I was reluctant. I didn’t knew who my housemates were… we used to lived in this Raymundo Apartment near the Raymundo Gate. It’s a neighborhood of many things… from spoiled unica hijas in their private air-conditioned dormitories… and lair of independent gals and guys who wants to be free the whole time… LIKE US I would say.
So anyway, the first time I got a glimpse on my housemates, got a little nervous. I’m going to live with them for years and first impressions last… I met Ate Nalce, Ate Joy, Ate Irene, Ate Icar, Ate Liza, Ate Princess, Ate Angeli and Ate Lani (Laarni).
The rest is history. I’m not about to blabber on pretty normal things that has happened to this group girls… I’m going to just enumerate the things that I remember about them… and so badly want to linger on nice things that has a HUGE difference on what I am right now… thanks to these Ates who took care of the autistic, lonesome, odd girl who needed someone to look up to… and believe me girls… I did. No, let me rephrase that… I still do look up to all of you.
Girls, do you remember August 7, 2000? or maybe the year earlier? You used to joke me… "oh Ga, bertday mo na ha… may surprise kami sa’yo ha… masurprise ka ha?" Pag-naalala ko yun? I always smile… minsan… tawa pa nga malakas… how was I know that they would really surprise me in the middle of the night with matching Mernel’s Cake and a whole lot of food in the table that they have prepared while I was in class or whatever?
Do you remember Christmas Party? Ang daming tao nun… some people from Women’s Dorm… o kaya Coed Dorm were there para MAKISALI… Ang saya… puno ang bahay… nakakaaliw… I remember Ate Ayrin refusing to dance… "ayokong sumayaw" (sabay dikit sa wall at giling…) Nyahahaha! ANg kulit!Grabe
I remember us organizing sino magluluto… sino maglilinis ng Cr… magwawalis… Sino maghuhugas… Ang galing talaga ni Ate Liza… Wife-material. Kami pa ni Lani nun magkasama… palibhasa 1st year pa kami, so wala pang alam sa pagluluto… dun.. dun ako natuto. Laking pasasalamat ko…
Friday Night na. Lahat ng walang dyowa magkasama… Si Lani minsan ang absent… kasi kasama nya BF nya. Hehe… kami? Syempre… MOVIE NIGHT namin yun… nakahilira pa kami sa sinehan… buong grupo… mga 8 or 10 of us… Kasama pa namin sila Ate Cha nun… and Verl. Tsk tsk tsk… Lalo akong nalulong sa movies… even now… they tend to watch CHICK FLICKS as what we called them today…
Kung hindi naman sine… Rent sa Video City, alam ko ACA Video pa meron nun… List ng movies? From Julia Roberts to Sandra Bullock… I remember Ate Ayrin crying while watching "Simon Birch" and of course… sino makakalimot sa "Patch Adams"?
Kung sa tingin n’yo yun lang kayang gawin ng mga babaeng ‘to… nagkakamali kayo… Nung nagkaroon kami ng TV, Naks… nahaling din ako sa TV. Naaalala ko yung time na pagkatapos ng dinner, some of us… no, all of us ay mag-sta stay sa table… mag-uusap ng mga bagay bagay… politics… celibacy… sex… love… current events… haay… nakakamiss magkaroon ng ganung usapan… yung mga intellectually stimulating…
Oh… paano ko makakalimutan ang gabUNDOK na pocketbooks ni Ate Liza… authored ni Ariel of kaya ni Hilda Olvidado… O kaya yung mga makakapal na Romance Books naman ni Ate Joy na authored ni Judith McNaught and Jude Deveraux?
Sheeksss…. Makakalimutan ko ba si Ate Princess na syang nag-turo sa’kin paano gitarahin ang "Kanlungan" ni Noel Cabangon? I remember the Buklod album she lent me… syempre sinoli ko na… hehehe.
Sino pa makakalimot kay Ate Icar with her romance kay Kuya Maui? This voluptuous girl is the pinakaATE sa’ming lahat… Naalala ko ang winning moments nyo last PaTiVayan… I was proud na nanalo kayo… sa dami ba naman ng babad nyo sa TV? Hehehe…
Syempre, punta naman tayo kay Ate Angeli na idol ko. Kahit ngayon… Si Eiman na manliligaw nya nun… hinarana pa siya ng buong UPCES gang… Nyahaha! Quiet pero matalas ang dila… umiilag ako nyan… sa tuwing kinakausap ako. Hehehe, peace Ate Angz! Ako ata nagpangalan sa kanyang… Jelski. GElski… Gelai kasi yan…
Lani, the always busy girl. ANg cute cute… kamukha daw si Rachel Leigh Cook (She’s All That) hmm… magbababad yan sa computer… makikikanta ka Sarah McLachlan… Naks!
Makakalimutan ko ba naman yung Maxis? Yung SIMS at Lara Croft na laro? na halos inuumaga ang mga tao sa kakalaro sa computer nina Ate Liza? Sabagay, mura lang naman ang bayad sa computer… pwede ka pang mag-print… for funding lang kasi… para sa kuryente naming suppperrrrr mahal na ang inabot!
The later members of the Raymundo Girls were Joan (Sis ko yan!) na sexy parati… Si Jomz na mumble talaga ng mumble about things… ang sayang makinig… Si Ate Mina din ay nakisali na… tahimik na madaldal… meron ba nun?
Tama na… ulitin na lang natin ang inuman ng JOSE CUERVO nun… 750 pa din ang price ng 500ml. "Class what is the…" sabi ni Ate Nalce na lasing na… Kaya get together tayo… kasi miss ko na kayo… At naalala ko kayo sa tuwing umiinom ako ng tequilla, at ang grade ko sa Math exam kinabukasan… tumatalino pala ako pag-nakainom… Ang saya natin noon…
Salamat. Kung ano ako ngayon… malaking bagay na nakasama ko kayo… HINDI NA AKO AUTISTIC… Schizo na… Hahaha! Ingatz kayo Raymundo Girls…
Babalik ako next week sa UP Los Banos… sisiguraduhin kong dadaan ako sa Raymundo Gate… Kakain ako sa Sizzlers… Bibili ako ng Mernel’s na Cake… at higit sa lahat… AALALAHANIN ko kayo… at lahat ng kabalbalan… kakulitan at kahalagahan ng lahat ng TINURO nyo sa’kin…
