“A photograph is a pause button of life.”
Dress: STRADIVARIUS; Sandals: RENEGADE FOLK
Parang ito lang. I remember this moment very clearly. We were at the mall. I was asking Anika to take photos of me for my OOTD that day.
ME: Anika, please take a photo of me.
ANIKA: Okayyyyy..
ME: Ayusin mo ha? Dapat yung maganda.
ANIKA: Nanay, simpleng bata lang ako. You need a magician.
Hindot na bata to. Manang mana sa tatay, amp.
I laughed and then she took a photo. This is why albeit grainy, I saved it. It will remind me of this day. This day kung kelan napaka-pilosopo ng junakis ko.
Speaking of memories, while watching “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?”, there were scenes there na may mga blind dates. Naalala ko tuloy yung loka loka days ko nung bata pa ako. Have you guys gone on blind dates? Me, sorta yes and it never was successful for me. As bad as it sounds, dahil napaka-babaw and immature kong tao back then, it was all about the physical appearance. Yun ang basis if I will push with the friendship or not.
Ito, ikwento ko na.
BOY #1
Dati, uso pa yung phone pal. Nakukuha yung kausap sa phone via party line sa landline. OMG, do you remember that?! My friends were into it and they gave me someone to talk to. Ako naman kinausap ko. We’d talk for hours. Ang ganda ng boses, men (later on though, madidiscover ko na pagpogi ang boses sa phone, wag ka na umasa sa true to life na hitsura). He sounded amazing over the phone. He sounded tall, dark and handsome. Crush ko na teh kahit sa phone pa lang. I asked him to describe himself. Sabi niya, katamtaman ang height. May hitsura naman daw. Sabi ko, naku, humble ito. Dina-down play yung hitsura niya! So after a couple of days of talking, I agreed to meet up pero kako dito sa bahay. I figured that when he arrives tapos mukhang hindi gagawa ng mabuti, hindi ko na lang lalabasin. On the day, LT was with me at home. Kwinento ko na may kausap ako na ang pogi ang boses. Sabi ko sounds like tall, dark and handsome! Curious na curious din ang lola niyo makita sino.
Eto na. May nagpark na Pajero na black sa labas namin. Hindi pa uso Pajero nun. I mean, big deal na big deal pag may Pajero ka. Binaba yung window. Naka-shades yung guy. Sabi ko, aba, may hitura. Maputi nga lang, pero may hitsura.
Binuksan yung door.
Nilabas yung paa.
Lumabas ako sa may gate.
Bumaba si boy.
Nagulat ako.
Bakit magka-sing height lang kami?!
For everyone’s info, my height is 4′ 11”. As in magka-height kami. He was so short!
Kung may sound effects lang talaga ang buhay, may maririnig ako sa background for sure.
BOY: Hi, Nana.
Me: Ummm.. Hi.
Hindi naman katamtaman yung height. Maliit talaga.
Mabuting tao naman and LT was home with me, so out of politeness, I invited him inside. Nagserve ako ng juice. Kwentuhan konti then umalis na din. Hindi na kami nagusap masyado after nun. Nilamig na ako eh at saka hindi ko type. Ayoko na aksayahin oras namin. Di ba?
BOY #2
Ito, I “met” sa chatroom naman. Dial up ang internet that time kaya pahirapan magconnect pero tiyagaan ang peg. If nowadays people meet through social media, back in the days, ganun din pero chat. Nakaka-addict magchat before. Inaabot ako ng 4am. Anyway, there was this boy who I met there. He seemed super nice. Sinabi din niya na hindi siya kagwapuhan which I appreciated. One time, we decided to meet up to have dinner. Men, ang laki naman niya! Like horizontally ha, hindi vertically. He was really fat. However, he was very charming and mabait. Ang bait talaga kausap and may sense yung mga sinasabi. Ang dami kong natututunan sa kanya kasi parang intelehente. Hindi siya pangit pero ang laki niya talaga. When he took me home, halos hindi siya kasya dun sa driver’s seat. Malaki talaga. But he was nice so I decided to keep him as a friend. Akala ko hindi niya ako pagtiyatiyagaan maging friend because it was clear that it was platonic for me. But no. This was tested when I visited Janis in her college. We went to a bar near their school. When it was time to leave, nagkaron ng away sa labas. Uso ata yun dun sa school niya that time. So nagkakagulo na. Wala din maghatid sa akin pauwi. Walang taxi. Nasa loob ng Intramuros yung bar so mahirap umuwi. Technically also because hindi ako marunong magcommute so naka-rely ako sa taxi. Anyway, I called boy #2. You know what? He came right away in his car to pick me up. When he arrived, I told Janis na may ride na ako. Tiningnan ako ng lola mo. Pumunta dun sa car. Sinilip yung driver. I introduced them. Sabi ni Janis, sure ka sasama ka diyan? I told her yes kasi naging friend ko na. Tiningnan ulit ni Janis yung driver then tumingin sa akin. Parang nag-assess.
JANIS: Osige, sumakay ka na.
Sabay beso.
I am not sure if this is exactly what happened but this is how I remembered it. Nakita ata ni Janis na hindi ako gagawan ng masama nung tao kaya pinayagan niya na ako. Eh magaling magjudge si Janis ng tao. Hahahaha!
I am not sure bakit hindi ko na friend si Boy #2 ngayon. Parang nagka-boyfriend na ako ulit and bawal na siya. Something like that.
BOY #3
Boy #3 I met through a friend of a friend. We were set up in a blind date. He arrived first in the restaurant. Malayo pa lang, nag-aassess na ako. When I sat down, confirmed ko na hindi ko siya type. I mean, hindi siya pangit ha pero he looked too goody goody for me. Alam niyo naman my type. Yung hitsurang parang sasalbahihin ka pero mabait naman pala. Yung snob na masungit na pa-hard to get. Rugged. Ganun. Yan ang type ko.
But he was nice. Tama nga ako. Goody goody. Mahinhin.
And wala kaming romantic chemistry.
At least for me kasi after dinner, he told me, “Fleur, I’d really want to see you again.”
Natuwa daw siya sa akin kasi ma-kwento daw ako.
I smiled. I told him sure pero wala kasi chemistry so we can still meet up as friends na lang.
I felt that it was important to be honest with him. Pinaka-ayaw ko is yung pa-asa and yung masasayang yung oras. I didn’t want to waste both our time.
Hindi na ako tinawagan ng lolo niyo after nun.
Those are the blind dates I went to. If you’re going to ask me if may pogi ba ako naka-blind date, meron, isa. Siya si BOY #4.
I will not dwell on Boy #4 that much. Ang masasabi ko lang is ang pogi niya. Ang sarap din kausap sa phone. I thought nga naka-chamba ako eh kasi ang tiyaga niya kausapin ako sa phone. Ang sweet. However when we met, ang gusto eh makipag-sex. Neknek niya. After kumain, umuwi na ako. Again out of politeness, I still talked to him on the phone after that date. Nalaman ko may girlfriend pala. Flight stewardess. Kita mo tong gagong to, idadamay pa ako sa kalokohan. I didn’t talk to him na after that.
So there. Those are my not so memorable blind dates. Tinigilan ko na ang blind dates after Boy #4. I told myself, the probability of meeting someone special through blind dates is very slim for me. Hindi ako pangganun. Wala akong patience sa blind dates.
Thinking about it now, susmaryosep if gumaya si Anika sa akin. Ang delikado ng panahon ngayon! Di bale, I will pray na sana mabantayan ko ito ng wagas. Sana wag ako masalisihan. Ano nga ulit yung laging sinasabi ng mga matatanda?
“Papunta ka pa lang, pabalik na ako.”
Alam ko na lahat ng styles.
Ha!
Wag lang ako gagamit ng mga techniques na technical masyado like sa social media or cellphone. Yan ang magiging challenge! Good thing I have friends na may mga dalaga na na anak. I will get all the tips that they can give!