My Top 10 List of Friends I Miss the Most

1. Quirky 5: My quirky friends – Justine, Candy, Chapi, and Mae – and I have been together for 9 years, but we have been classmates since Kindergarten (Candy and Mae) and High School (Justine and Chapi). Since our graduation, we have been going out and communicating a lot despite the distance between each of us. Candy, who is with a well-known global bank, is already based in Makati, far away from where she grew up as daddy’s princess. Justine, an international law student at Stockholm University, is exploring the freedom of living independently in Sweden. Mae, our “no-collar, no-charger” pharmacist travels all over the Philippines to pursue love. And Chapi, my namesake who also studies law, watches over Cebu for us. I am, of course, still a few hundred nautical miles away from home. My Kwerkes have been with me through thick and thin. We’ve been through misunderstandings, silly adventures, countless food trips, embarrassing situations, love-lost-then-found-then-lost-again and love-still-not-found moments, sleepless nights, scores of laughter and giggles over ourselves and others. We’ve been through A LOT. And we still want more of it all. What makes me miss them the most, though, is having them with me physically – watching Candy pose sideways when her picture is taken because it makes her look slimmer daw, seeing Justine wear the most fashionable clothes and still hang out with ordinary, unadorned me, hearing Mae talk about the loves of her life, and eating over at Chapi’s where heavenly dishes are served endlessly and where every member of her family is always ready to give a tight hug.



1. Gloria and Rams: These two are late-bloomers in my book. They weren’t close to me before. In fact, we did not belong in the same circle ever. We only got to hang out after we graduated college, and it was only then that I discovered how much I enjoyed being with them as much as Quirky 5. Gloria makes me laugh uncontrollably, and Rams sees and experiences love the way I almost always do. I haven’t laughed ‘til I cried and felt kilig in a very long time. Not since I last saw these two.


1. Joanne, Cristine, Miyen: “Naa kay corned beef? Magluto tag pancit canton ug popcorn sa inyo!” My summers were spent hearing Cristine say that almost every weekend, playing luto-luto, then biking around the village under the heat of the sun (we couldn’t care less, we were dark as hell back then!), skinning knees and elbows while playing tubig-tubig, shatong, and onse-onse, taking a bath in Cristine’s pasong or our poso, and staying out ‘til 11PM sharing stories with these three and our other Favihomas Youth friends. I never thought I’d miss getting scrapes and cuts so much.


1. Nats: I have never met a more unpredictable, supah-fun, supah-kalog, and caring OLD KUYA BODJI in my life! Nuts – oops! Nats – worked with me for 13 months (lucky 13) before moving on to greener, tax-free pastures. He was the type of guy who didn’t mind spending a lot of money on food just to see his friends – Cindy, me, and the others (emphasis on the Cindy and me. We just love food!) – happy. He was kulit most times (running around mimicking Ogie Alcasid as Baby Angelina and saying “Yaya, you’re such a loser!”), acted nonchalantly sometimes (when we want him to be funny and he decides to be a spoilsport and not join us at all), but always lambing and caring (like when I got sick and he bought me fruits, awwwwww). How can I not miss a nutty Nats? I’m left struggling with his share of the workload! He he he!


1. Ghabbie, Steph, Lowee, Laput, Marietone: They are actually my Kuya’s barkada. But friendly me found my way into their hearts and homes when I shared stories and siomai with them. They’re family. And you always miss family.


1. Adonis: He/Shwe (get it?) was always the life of my Kuya’s barkada, that’s why he has his own spot in my list. How can you not miss an Adonis? He always made us laugh, intentionally or otherwise, at him and with him. He who got weekly stipends from boyfriends across the globe and spent some of it on us (trips to Kawasan falls, lunches in McDo, siomai from Tisa, thingamajigs from wherever). He who built a life and a home from a love he found in Denmark. He whom we never thought would get married. He who gave hope to all those like him.


1. Mongee: I hated Mongee when I was still in sophomore year at SH. She was judgmental, controlling, snob and a half, maldita! She was too much like me. When we both realized how much alike we were, though, we clicked. I discovered how fun Mongee actually was and how sweet and thoughtful a friend she can be. She can’t be trusted with pasalubongs, though, because she eats the chocolate-covered Kiwi she supposedly wants to give me if I don’t get it from her on time. Still, I love Mongee and just how simang she can be. I think life would be bland without her. I think the world will not be the same without someone like her.


1. Pasarstruck 4: If we were placed in Big Brother’s house, I’m sure the audience would never be bored! What with the carefree, juvenile antics we all share. Like my Kwerke friends, I have shared heartaches and laughter with these people. We see each other almost everyday, we work in the same company, some of us even live in the same compound, but I still miss them. I miss how we used to talk about going places we’ve never been too. I miss how we would work late at night to finish projects our trainer expects us to present in the morning. I miss barbecuing pork belly and cooking calamares with them. I miss fighting them. I miss crying and being frustrated with them. I miss the completeness, and the bonding, and the METP saga with them.


1. Hearter Mentors Ms. Aligno, Sr. Cathy, Sr. Yang, Ms. Pepito: No, they were not just my teachers. They were my mentors. They did not only teach me Economics, Religion, Chinese, and Trigonometry, they taught me values, ethics. They taught me life lessons. They taught me to think and to make something out of myself. At times, I forget what I previously learned in SH. But the lessons I learned from my mentors are here, nakatatak at nakaukit sa bawat sulok ng aking (seksing) katawan. I enjoyed High School a lot more because they were there.


1. Batchmates Lalak, Melvic, Marissa, Yenyen, Osh, Harold, Geb, Taboy, Jessie, Andoy, Joco, Cindy, Renan, TJ, Ody: Of the 60-something students who enrolled during the first year of college with me, I will surely (mostly) miss these people. My college days were fun because of them. I remember attending group studies with them, sometimes even hosting these events with my then roommate Osh. I enjoyed staying over at Joco’s, despite getting spanked by a broken antenna for playing too much Twin Bee and not studying enough. I loved playing Dance, Dance Revolution with them on Monday nights and watching last full shows. I laugh everytime I see someone climb coconut trees because I can always imagine the boys do that everytime we cut class and go to Melvic’s place on the other island. I wonder where they are and how they are all doing and if they still think our degree was worth it. I wonder if they miss me as much as I miss them. Oh! And Happy Birthday, TJ!


There.. I am done with my list.. but..



I cheated. I couldn’t make a Top 10 list. There are too many people I miss and they all rank # 1! These friends, who are from all walks of life, who are as diverse as the flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, have all made an impact in my life. So aside from I MISS YOU, I also want to say THANK YOU, friends, for making my life extra special! I hope to bump into all of you again someday.