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| Blogs > bebong2005 > MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO |
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Monday I was in the Philippines visiting my mother when I first heard him.(yes heard him) we went to some kind of resort( very near where my mother was staying) with this gorgeous natural spring water pools, trails to hike, beautiful falls and lots of nature's best keep secrets. I was about to hit the water when suddenly I heard MY WAY floating in the air from some unseen speaker somewhere. I always admired people who can sing convincingly; so I decided to look for the origin of the sound. My curiosity brought me on the top of a hill next to the pools. There stood a half-open picnic cottage and the sound was indeed coming from the inside. I was amazed to find out that the owner of the voice was a very small boy of about 12 years old. He glanced at me once and that's all. I can hardly believe it. The voice and the boy didn't go together. (And it will always be like that) I saw him again the next year and the year after that. He was one of the boarders of my godmother, and it happened that our place was next to hers. There were lots of boarding houses in that area, since most of the were from the mountains and only comes home in the weekends. When I look at the old holidays photographs, I am a bit surprised to find him almost in every each of the snapshots. I didn't notice him around that much. He just a my niece had a crush on. And I’m a grown up doing grown up things. Only much, much later that I spoke to him; and only by coincidence. I'm a homebody type. When I am in the Philippines I stayed at home with my mother. Never been to a disco or things like that. I read mostly. That time it became a habit of me to spend an afternoon till late at night at the boarding house. Mainly because I became very fond of a new born baby(who will later became my godson) whom I baptized Ngit-pa( and ngit-pa he stayed till this very day. Only few people remember his real name. I’m not one of them)because he really is a ngit-pa in a very adorable way. One time I was alone gazing outside the window at groups of students coming out of the local high school just across the street when he came in. When I first heard his name I thought it was MANDY short for ARMANDO. Only when he said it to me personally and I grabbed his school ID for confirmation that I found out it was really MONDAY. MONDAY as in the first working day of the week. What an unusual name; especially for a boy... I don't know anymore why and what we talked about; only I know that it lasted till 1:00 in the morning, ending up in him saying to me that he thought it was boring to talk to old people, now he knows he was wrong. I wonder if it was a compliment or the opposite. Anyway, the talk became a habit. I often avoiding going to the boarding house early in the morning (because guarantee he will be late) or in the evening (because he will stay up and will be late the next morning) He taught me to strum guitar, I wrote letters for him (even provided the stationery) to his one and only greatest love Tracy Ann.(the most prettiest girl in the neighbourhood!)We had a lot of fun together with other in the boarding house, Playing cards, singing in videoke, going picnics, climbing over the fence of the school just to sit on the roof watching the full moon. MONDAY was a very handsome . I do not know any girl in town who didn't have a crush on him at some point in their academic year. He's in a pilot class and always in top 5, a campus personality, a dancer, a singer and captain of CAT. If look at him, talk to him; NO ONE WILL SUSPECT what really lies beneath. Nobody would ever guessed that his father drinks too much, his mother working out of town God knows where, that MONDAY had to stretch 100 pesos the whole week sometimes 2weeks. Depends on how fast his mother could send his allowance. That he owes my godmother more than 3 months rent. That he eats his portion of rice in his room because he's ashamed for other boarders to see that he eats it with tsicharon or cornbits or what ever 1 peso could buy. That he's washing buses till late at night to earn pocket money. Or he was forced to play cards till 4:00a.m to pay for his projects. I offered money to him several times and said i am going to talk to his mother but he refused both flat out. He never tells me the reason why. I was worried about him. He’s almost as old as my . If only my niece was as dedicated as he was regarding her studies. No, my niece thinks she was born an Onassis or a Trump. The last time I saw MONDAY, I hardly recognize him. I knew right away that he jumped over the line. He crossed it. I first heard it from my hairdresser and Monday confirmed it. He said: ‘It’s hard not to have money in my pocket. Besides, they do IT to me, never ME DO IT to them.' I told him if he thinks there is a difference. HE said:' believe me or not, I do not sink that low yet.' My heart bleeds. I cannot understand his parents. MONDAY was an only . IF I have him as mine, I will do anything to be sure that he got the best. But then again, I do not know what is the real reasons behind; and probably, I will never know. The last thing I heard about him was from my mother. She told me MONDAY didn't go to college and he's working somewhere in LAGUNA. I can't help it, but I find it a waste. A waste of a bright mind, and a wonderful .  ~ Jolielaide  |
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repost. being nostalgic ~ Jolielaide
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Monday sung this song from masculado at my despedida party that was the last time i saw him bold, quite drunk, makulit and probably telling the truth Wow, swabe talaga Sobra, nakaka 'Di mo alam Miss, kami'y nababaliw sa 'yo Kami'y nanggigigil lahat sa 'yong labi Sa hita mo na kay puti 'Di na alam Kung ano ang aming gagawin Kapag nakikita mukha mong kay ganda Sumasaya ang tanawin (hoo) CHORUS Nakakabaliw ka, nakakaaliw Nakakakilig, nakakagigil Nakakagutom ang 'sang tulad mo Nakakauhaw ka, nakakadala Nakakasabik, nakakakaba Nakakapagod ang isipin ka 'Di mo ('di mo) alam (alam) O baka nang-iinis ka lang (hindi a) Kapag lumalapit, biglang sumusungit Bakit ka nagagalit In love (in love) ka ba (ka ba) O iniwan ka ng boyfriend mo Kami'y humahanga at 'di magsasawa Na ito'y sabihin sa 'yo [Repeat CHORUS] [Repeat 1st and 2nd Stanzas] [Repeat CHORUS thrice] ~ Jolielaide
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i will forever associate him with the song every woman in the world by air supply ~ Jolielaide
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i remember one night he was teaching me to strum guitar and oni told him that tracy ann was downstairs (there was a small sari-sari store at the ground floor of the boarding house. we always peek through the splits between the wooden floors if we want to spy on someone buying something) normally, that was the cue for Monday to drop everything and hurry down but i was speechless when he saidquot; let her be. this is more important" he was singing ordinary song by mark velasco later that evening (around midnight) he realized he had to submit the next day an essay about el fili and he supposed to have borrow a book from one of his classmates but he totally forgotten it. what we did was, went to town and knocked to all boarding houses hoping somebody is still awake to lend him the book. around one o'clock, we did get lucky. i can still see him dancing on the streets holding the book singing all kinds of songs laughing madly. ~ Jolielaide
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he instructed everyone not to tell me he was washing buses late at night i asked him why? he told me coz maybe i would think low of him and i said: on the contrary, it's a plus point ~ Jolielaide
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yes it is very dear to me what set this off was finding his ID picture in one of my old wallets lots of those pictures scattered around and poems/letters written by them want to post it sometimes but.... it will reveal the 99 percent i am hiding in the closet ha ha ~ Jolielaide
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update!!! update!!! been taking to Monday on the phone few minutes ago. he said he's not a baby anymore just one year more to wristle and he will be a civil engineer i'm happy for him ~ Jolielaide
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4/23/2009 12:46 pm |
Great update to an almost sad ending.   within each one of us, and let it begin with me (and each one of us)..one breath at a time.
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yeah, we had a long talk he told me all his dreams and fear as if 5 years never happened he still as open to me as before no hang ups no inhibition he told me how to find him there is only one thing i'm puzzled about... he kept telling/convincing me he's not a baby anymore  i'm not even askingwonder where that's coming from... ~ Jolielaide
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