Last Friday, my officemates played an Eraserheads song, Minsan, together with their usual fave Sugarfree songs. Funny how that song triggered a lot of memories – some happy ones, others bittersweet.

I remember being an usherette to batch 2001’s graduation. They used the song as their grad song, and I couldn’t help but think, what an apt song. Sayang di namin ito naging grad song, hehe.

Minsan sa may kalayaan tayo'y nagkatagpuan
may mga sariling gimik
at kaya-kanyang hangad sa buhay
sa ilalim ng iisang bubong
mga sekretong ibinubulong
kahit na anong mangyari
kahit na saan ka man patungo

ngunit ngayon
kay bilis maglaho ng kahapon
sana'y huwag kalimutan
ang ating mga pinagsamahan

at kung sakaling gipitin
ay laging iisipin
na minsan tayo ay naging
tunay na magkaibigan

minsan ay parang wala nang bukas sa buhay natin
inuman sa magdamag
na para bang tayo'y mauubusan
sa ilalim ng bilog na buwan
mga tiyan nati'y walang laman
ngunit kahit na walang pera
ang bawat gabi'y anong saya

ngunit ngayon
kay bilis maglaho ng kahapon
sana'y huwag kalimutan
ang ating mga pinagsamahan

at kung sakaling gipitin
ay laging iisipin
na minsan tayo ay naging
tunay na magkaibigan


minsan ay hindi ko na alam ang nangyayari
kahit na anong gawin
lahat ng bagay ay merong hangganan
dahil ngayon
tayo ay nilimot ng kahapon
di na mapipilitang
buhayin ang ating pinagsamahan
ngunit kung sakaling mapadaan baka
ikaw ay aking tawagan
dahil minsan tayo ay naging
tunay na magkaibigan

How it brings back memories.

I’ve never been a Kalayaan dormer when I was a freshman in UP, but I lived in a boarding house inside UP for the first two years of my stay in college. The house I stayed in stood on a corner lot. It was a semi-dilapidated structure that was typical of most of the rowhouse units in the area. Anyway, I met and bonded with some girls when I was a boarder in G. Bernardo. We lived under one roof, and slept in the same room – the room directly facing the street. We shared stories, the same bathroom, and the irk of the landlady who slept in the room next to ours. We had our cd player, computer, and ‘secret’ tv. And as icing to the cake, Britney Spears and the Carpenters made our room home sweet home.

I also remember those days when instant pancit canton was one of our staples in the boarding house. It was tasty, and it was a way to save on a few bucks. At the height of the pancit canton mania, one of my boardmates practically subsisted on pancit canton noodles (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for the entire week. Hehe. And we actually offered pancit canton noodles to any visitor to our small but happy home!

***
I have been to a Kalayaan dorm party. One of my blockmates had her debut, and I met a lot of dormers, mostly Cebuano ones. They were all nice, decent people. One boy even escorted me home. He was courteous. He even offered to draw my portrait.

***
I never saw the stars at the observatory, but I was able to experience some stargazing. One was with my friends from the org. We brought carton boxes and laid them out on one spot in the Sunken Garden. There we lay down, content in watching the vast sky in front of us.

Another time was underneath the ‘stars’ in our room. We had a lot of small glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling of our room, so much that they already formed constellations on our ceiling. My roommate and I joined our mattresses together and lay down, staring at the ‘stars’, and talking about our troubles over Math 53. Pass or fail. Delayed or not delayed.

***
I remember those days when I was able to watch the sun rise over the Sunken Garden with a friend, with him offering consoling words while I cried on his shoulder, weeping over some boy who broke my heart.

It’s nice to think of that moment. I’d like to think that that instance was one of those moments that helped in solidifying my friendship with this particular friend. He truly was my kuya in arki, seeing me through ups and downs, acting as confidant and advisor in many of my seemingly “monumental” problems in life.

>>FAST FORWARD

And suddenly I’m transported back in front of the "touch screen” monitor, pondering over places and people that have been long stored away in some portion of my heart.