Monday, June 28, 2004

maramag in the still

woke up saturday morning in a rush. we were supposed to meet up at 6:30 am with nong maeng at nccc mall. and i freaking woke up at 6:30 am. pre-gimik stress that's what i call it.

rhea, orland, beth, divine, agnes and me are off to maramag, bukidnon to attend jon-jon's birthday bash. jon-jon is nong roning's first born, 9 years old and running, the kid has simply grown. we would eat lechon and take a dip probably at the edlimar resort thereafter.

as we emerged from a foggy traverse of buda, and the tempretature got warmer, images of places and people seem to widen my lips to a grin. two years ago this has been my playground.

the terminal didn't change much. pugo is still being sold at 10 pesos per bunch of five. nowhere else have i seen pugo trade so vibrant. the town site is still slow, with the bustle of energy concentrated in the market place. smiling vendors still line the streets.

riding towards the north, we passed by my old boarding house. my first home away from home. it looks pretty much the same. my door in the second floor veranda still looks like the prime spot of the the lomod compound.

my room was simple, just a bed, a mosquito net (moskit), a table that double as a cabinet for my clothes, and a monoblock chair. that is all to it. its best feature was its veranda that opens out to the national highway. it has become the favorite tambayan of the boarders. songs of life were sung there with the kid from next door. and of course tapis girl...

tapis girl (damn, i forgot her name already) was a teacher then, charming and sexy. we talked a lot about her being a new teacher and me being a new student of life. i heard her stories of wanting to pass the LET, and her disappointments of not doing so. on occassions, she cared to hear about my day in kadingilan or in pangantucan, talking with farmers and coop leaders. only thing is she has a thing for air supply, which i think is quite mushy for me. last time i saw her was on the christmas party of the boarders with tatay lomod. somehow i just know that she and i can be quite close... still no words were spoken.

many things, amusing and memorable things transpired during my stay there. the generosity of the people and the lomod clan were quite overwhelming. the place was a living proof of how one can grow, though quite momentarily and see different aspects of life, or hear about the stories and dreams of people who have walked the earth with me.

hmmm... maramag. ;j

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