This is where the party ends and the great hangover begins.
Last night, I went out of my routine to attend two big gatherings. Both of them have deep connections to my roots, and also, both of them are my two distinct PLU circles which I am affiliated with.
My night began shortly after I arrived home from the gym. To catch up with my school requirement, I lied in my bed and continued reading the novel Fistful of Colors, which we will discuss on Monday. Ever since Dr. Tope required us to read a different novel every week, I have forced myself to read diligently and often cram my long readings so that I would never show up to class unprepared. I only got the book last Friday, courtesy of a classmate who lent it to me. Naubusan kasi ako ng stock, so I had to improvise unless I'd call in sick this Monday.
Anyway, I received an invitation last Thursday. It was from Kirsh, my Odder brother and he was inviting me for his 24th birthday celebration which he will hold in his apartment last night. This guy was one of the first PLUs I met. Imagine, I went all the way to UP (I was a yellow- blooded Tiger back then) just to see him and officially usher him to my first group in Pinoyexchange. However, I found him too masculine for my effeminate dominated circle. I was worried that since he still classified himself as a "discreet tripper" and that, he may not cope up with the fabulousity of my first barkada, I introduced him instead to Papu and Roy, which were in the process of creating a small subgroup within the budding Alien Nation thread.
Fast forward six years later. Kirsh is a career-oriented PLU with a househusband for a buddy and two dogs which they claim as their "children." He works for a beer company and is in fact, one of the more successful and financially stable guys in the group.
Roy and I arrived at past 10 pm in his apartment. As a tradition, the guys would never confirm their attendance up until the last minute of the gathering. Such habit, which I still carry wherever group I show up. Nevertheless, when we showed up last night, I was surprised at the people who were there: Kapatid na Dodong with his new partner; his ex buddy with his old partner; friends who were taken the last time I saw them and friends who were single the last time we met. In fact, I think the ratio of those who were taken to the ones who were single was two to one. Nainggit tuloy ako. If I was not with Roy last night, I would have bought Phanks instead.
After the exchange of pleasantries with the people I attempted to distance myself from several months ago, I felt a surge of genuine warmness overpowering me. The last time I showed up in a Contingent, I almost felt like an outsider. I don't know, maybe it was because of mental conditioning. Perhaps, I was so eager to be disconnected and reinvent myself anew that I completely shunned the people I've been with for the last five years of my PLU life.
Such feelings already belong to my past. For the first time in recent months, I really felt that I still belong and ties, which I thought to be in tatters already were completely restored in just a matter of hours. I approached Kapatid na Dodong who was seated near the window, since aside from Roy, he is one of the guys I am very close to. After a brief tight hug, I went to his partner to acknowledge his presence. Dodong and I were talking about this common girl friend of ours who broke up with her boyfriend of four years. He said that in almost a decade of knowing her, this is the first time he saw her very devastated. In the end, we resolved to see each other more often just to be with this girl. I also warned Dodong not to check my blog unless he wants to get the shock of his life.
Before I could continue what I was saying, he immediately cut me by responding, "honga joms, ano yung mga nababasa ko dun?"
You see, a few years ago, I was the most conservative (if not decent) guys among my tropa. I stood up alone at the height of the Paragon Self Destruction Nights, thus earning me the nickname "Pulis Pangkalawakan" whenever Dodong would hold a house party in his pad, which happens every week. Except for Dodong, who had silently witnessed my notoriety when taken over by Darkstar during my singlehood days, nobody would ever thought that I am capable of doing things that my blog had revealed lately. In fact, exactly a year ago, I would still go at great lengths to let my two personalities clash over what actions to take whenever I feel compelled to unleash my frustrations elsewhere.
Today, the debate rarely happens anymore. I would simply let my boner bring me to places and events that I would never dare to tread before.
As for Dodong, I never gave him a clear answer to his question. I felt that it was not the right time for me to explain my activities, and besides, I was never proud of them. Instead, I grabbed a beer and went to mingle with the other guys who were present at the party.
---Last night, I went out of my routine to attend two big gatherings. Both of them have deep connections to my roots, and also, both of them are my two distinct PLU circles which I am affiliated with.
My night began shortly after I arrived home from the gym. To catch up with my school requirement, I lied in my bed and continued reading the novel Fistful of Colors, which we will discuss on Monday. Ever since Dr. Tope required us to read a different novel every week, I have forced myself to read diligently and often cram my long readings so that I would never show up to class unprepared. I only got the book last Friday, courtesy of a classmate who lent it to me. Naubusan kasi ako ng stock, so I had to improvise unless I'd call in sick this Monday.
Anyway, I received an invitation last Thursday. It was from Kirsh, my Odder brother and he was inviting me for his 24th birthday celebration which he will hold in his apartment last night. This guy was one of the first PLUs I met. Imagine, I went all the way to UP (I was a yellow- blooded Tiger back then) just to see him and officially usher him to my first group in Pinoyexchange. However, I found him too masculine for my effeminate dominated circle. I was worried that since he still classified himself as a "discreet tripper" and that, he may not cope up with the fabulousity of my first barkada, I introduced him instead to Papu and Roy, which were in the process of creating a small subgroup within the budding Alien Nation thread.
Fast forward six years later. Kirsh is a career-oriented PLU with a househusband for a buddy and two dogs which they claim as their "children." He works for a beer company and is in fact, one of the more successful and financially stable guys in the group.
Roy and I arrived at past 10 pm in his apartment. As a tradition, the guys would never confirm their attendance up until the last minute of the gathering. Such habit, which I still carry wherever group I show up. Nevertheless, when we showed up last night, I was surprised at the people who were there: Kapatid na Dodong with his new partner; his ex buddy with his old partner; friends who were taken the last time I saw them and friends who were single the last time we met. In fact, I think the ratio of those who were taken to the ones who were single was two to one. Nainggit tuloy ako. If I was not with Roy last night, I would have bought Phanks instead.
After the exchange of pleasantries with the people I attempted to distance myself from several months ago, I felt a surge of genuine warmness overpowering me. The last time I showed up in a Contingent, I almost felt like an outsider. I don't know, maybe it was because of mental conditioning. Perhaps, I was so eager to be disconnected and reinvent myself anew that I completely shunned the people I've been with for the last five years of my PLU life.
Such feelings already belong to my past. For the first time in recent months, I really felt that I still belong and ties, which I thought to be in tatters already were completely restored in just a matter of hours. I approached Kapatid na Dodong who was seated near the window, since aside from Roy, he is one of the guys I am very close to. After a brief tight hug, I went to his partner to acknowledge his presence. Dodong and I were talking about this common girl friend of ours who broke up with her boyfriend of four years. He said that in almost a decade of knowing her, this is the first time he saw her very devastated. In the end, we resolved to see each other more often just to be with this girl. I also warned Dodong not to check my blog unless he wants to get the shock of his life.
Before I could continue what I was saying, he immediately cut me by responding, "honga joms, ano yung mga nababasa ko dun?"
You see, a few years ago, I was the most conservative (if not decent) guys among my tropa. I stood up alone at the height of the Paragon Self Destruction Nights, thus earning me the nickname "Pulis Pangkalawakan" whenever Dodong would hold a house party in his pad, which happens every week. Except for Dodong, who had silently witnessed my notoriety when taken over by Darkstar during my singlehood days, nobody would ever thought that I am capable of doing things that my blog had revealed lately. In fact, exactly a year ago, I would still go at great lengths to let my two personalities clash over what actions to take whenever I feel compelled to unleash my frustrations elsewhere.
Today, the debate rarely happens anymore. I would simply let my boner bring me to places and events that I would never dare to tread before.
As for Dodong, I never gave him a clear answer to his question. I felt that it was not the right time for me to explain my activities, and besides, I was never proud of them. Instead, I grabbed a beer and went to mingle with the other guys who were present at the party.
-tobecontinued-
No comments:
Post a Comment