Bunny Interludes Twenty Two (A Ballad For XP)

uy joms kamusta ka na? sexiness first ka na ngayon hahaha baligtad na tayo.
I admire your discipline and dedication.. way to go man

- XP posted on cbox

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A few years back and our roles were the opposite.

I remember before, you started your fitness journey by drinking slimming tea before meals. You said it worked so I followed suit. I would secretly drink the tea in the morning. Miss Team Leader would laugh at my attempts, followed by a warning about its effects to my tummy after. I remember how it felt after: my stomach contracts and my visitations in the bathroom becomes more frequent than it used to be. I remember how my shit appears like. It was moldy green and had a dried leaf odor. I do not know what stopped me from drinking the concoction, but by then you said that you have already shed around 20 lbs from your 210+ weight.

Then you enrolled yourself in the gym. That was around mid-summer if I am not mistaken. Your aim was to get fitter come White Party. Three months into your workout and your gamble paid off. You were the star of the crowd and I was left there, in all my chubbiness admiring your physique.

Things drastically changed after Naught told me how hopeless my dream to get fit is. It was during your birthday in Pampanga and Benchboy even fanned the flames of my frustration by constantly calling me "Krystala" the whole time. I have never forgiven Naught for his insults, but my thoughts were focused on you. Among all of them who were around, you were the only one who was sympathetic to me.

Perhaps because you were in my shoes before you took a vow to change yourself and humiliate your detractors. Remember how Sonja lambasted you with his hurtful remarks? We healed ourselves until the time came when we were able to get back at them.

And you succeeded.

My own journey was long and often very frustrating. Contrary to what you said, I was never zealous when it comes to my diet despite your constant reminder that "abs does not develop in the gym but in the kitchen." I remember exchanging SMS messages with you about dieting tips while walking the whole stretch of UN Avenue on my way home. It was then that I finally realized how much your advices and encouragement meant to me.

And so begins my own work-out routine.

Twenty two interludes later, I am still struggling to achieve what you have achieved in two years of non-stop going to the gym. While you were already resting on your laurels, I was plotting my course to follow your footsteps. The humiliations and rejections that followed had driven me to ceaselessly hit my target.

But you know what, even amidst the fact that I have already transformed myself close to what is our ideal,

I never forget to look back from where I started.

I'm known in the gym as the encourager; the member who would always tell a newbie that goals can be achieved depending on how willing you are to commit yourself to a ceaseless muscle beating. I never put anyone down and even if I am tempted to laugh at how a chubby guy pathetically attempts to lift a 80 lbs barbell to do a Benchpress, I always remind myself that for a time, it was me who was in his place.

Think of your temporary set-back as your off-season bud. They say in the gym that even the fittest and the buffest has one.

Like what I have always told you, the moment you start pumping iron once again, I will be the first one to cheer your every step. If it wasn't for you, I would not get close even to a fraction of my dream. In fact, I can never match your own gains simply because your determination is something I may never have. You have gone extremes just to ensure that you're on target.

I maybe a hunk - like what the guys in G4M or Club Bath would often complement just to catch my attention, but in your presence,

I would always remain an apprentice.

You will always be the master that I would try and constantly emulate.

So do not admire me bud, for the drive to get back on track always remain with you. We don't talk that much anymore, I know. But every time I groan from pain whenever I lift some heavy weights in the gym;

Whenever the word jubesity is mentioned by someone during a conversation and whenever the thought of Pampanga comes across my mind,

I still remember bud. There are so many cherishing things that are not easy to forget.

The gym is calling. Eclipse and Fitness First are just a ride away from your office. Wherever gym you will find yourself into, always remember that someone follows you.

You have always been a champ to me.