Happy Birthday. :)

I miss my friends.

But I miss them more so this day.

Jiamerah. Jam. She's the brainy one in the group. She makes math seem like a breeze while the rest of us scratch our heads trying to figure out the problem. I miss how she talks with her hand covering her mouth... She laughs like that too. I didn't get it then and still don't get it now. Why do you cover your mouth so? Miss walking home from school with her, we had time to chat over girly things just by ourselves. I miss her air of seriousness for her studies, how determined she was to be on top and keep it that way. But she wasn't serious all the time. I miss her bouts of craziness also. For someone so smart with school stuff, it was weird to see her agonize over problems of the heart.

Rasliah. Rush. That's what she's called, but to family and close friends she is Khuna. What do I miss about her? Her chinky eyes that get more chinkier by the second when she and Leah are laughing over something (not at someone). One part of the jesters in the group, Khuna always manages to take things lightly; she finds humor in the things that happen around us, no matter how dreary it may seem. I miss her hearty laugh, and her kind ways. i miss driving all the way to Marantao to pick her up with the rest of the batch just to joyride and drive back there late at night. A pick-up full of kids. And to think I was only learning to drive.

Emily Azalea. Leah. The life of the party. I miss seeing her rush to the front of Laubach Hall for the flag ceremony. I miss her seeing the tandem Rush-Leah, wreaking havoc on anyone who crossed their path with their friendly-slash-merciless "banter" with whoever whenever someone's crush was around. I miss her making noise even when her voice is soft. Maingay na soft. Peace, Minangowao. I miss having to go to her house in Marinaut, buying all the bananacue on the way to her place, eating it all there and exchanging girly stories about school, friends, crushes and family. I miss seeing her mom, Tita Babie and her kindness. Reminds me of my mom. They both rock.

Aniraida. Anie. The baby in the group who got married two weeks after our high school graduation. The girl with the softest hands that I know. They're like a baby's butt. Yes, they were that soft. hehe. I miss her laugh. Really loud laughter. I miss her child-like (or childish?) ways, how she jokes around and laughs until tears roll down from her eyes. I miss her handwriting too; cursive, very feminine. But she writes slow too. I remember Ma'am Aman getting irritated at times because we, particularly she, wasn't done copying whatever was written on the board yet.

Julieta. Doyette. I miss her laugh as well. Not that it was loud or anything. She's probably the only person I know who can "laugh out loud" inside a library because she doesn't make a sound. You'll just see her shoulders violently shaking like so, and you'll know she's laughing he hiney off. I miss having to go to her place on weekends for serious one-on-ones. To talk about problems bugging me or about hers, just random stuff we can think and talk about.

Noroden. Dino. The rose among the thorns. I don't remember how he became part of us, but he did. He's one hell of a serious guy (he was the SGO President in our Senior year) and was very involved in school activities. I miss how serious he looks one minute and gets all funky when we tease him to one of the girls (Hanipha Madale). He gets all red and acts funny, but I don't think there was really any romantic inclinations going on between the two. I miss his witty remarks, and his antics too.

Funny how I miss how they all laugh--that was probably all we did. We rarely fought, but that doesn't say we're not sincere with each other. We just all fit in nicely, us seven. We just clicked.

That friendship started way back in 1992.

We now all have lives of our own, families and careers to tend to.

But even though miles, longitudes, latitudes, and time zones separates us.

We're still friends.

And will remain so, until the end.

Thanks for all the good memories, and the few rough patches that we had, too. I will forever treasure them. Best days of my once young life. Glad to have spent it with you.

Happy Birthday to us!

I love you!

Inday, Inday!

Dahil sa tindi ng kahirapan sa probinsya, namasukan si Inday bilang katulong sa Maynila. Habang ini-interview ng amo…

Amo: Kelangan namin ng katulong para mag ayos ng bahay, magluto, maglaba, magplantsa, mamalengke, at magbantay ng mga bata. Kaya mo ba ang lahat ng ito?

Inday: I believe that my trained skills and expertise in management with the use of standard tools, and my discipline and experience will contribute significantly to the value of the work that you want, my creativity, productivity and work-efficiency and the high quality of outcomes I can offer will boost the work progress.

Amo: [nosebleed]

Kinabukasan, habang nasa opisina ang amo, may tumawag sa telepono.

Inday: Hi, you are calling in the midst of me cooking our lunch, my superiors aren't around. I'm the immediate person in support. How may i help you? If you wish to leave a message, an abrupt tone means your diverted to our voicemail.

Caller: [Ibinaba ang telepono]

Nakaraan ang dalawang araw, umuwi ang amo, nakitang me bukol si junior.

Amo: Bakit me bukol si junior?

Inday: Compromising safety with useless aesthetics, the not-so-well engineered architectural design of our kitchen lavatory affected the boy's cranium with a slight boil at the left temple near the auditory organ.

Amo: [nosebleed ulit]

Kinagabihan, habang naghahapunan.

Amo: Bakit maalat ang ulam?

Inday: The consistency was fine. But you see, it seems that the increased amount of sodium chloride (NaCl) affected the taste drastically and those actions are irreversible. I do apologize.

Amo: [nosebleed na naman]

Tapos, sabi pa...

Amo: Bakit tuwing paguwi ko, nadadatnan kitang nanunuod ng tv?!

Inday: Because I don't want you to see me doing absolutely nothing.

Amo: [hinimatay]

Kinabukasan, sinamahan ni Inday si junior sa principal's office dahil di makapunta ang amo at donya.

Principal: Sinuntok ni junior ang kanyang kaklase.

Inday: It's absurd! It was never a fact that he will inflict a fight. I can only imagine how you handle schizophrenic kids on this educational institution. Revise your policies because they suck!

Principal: [nag resign]

Pagdating sa bahay, nandun na ang amo, galit na galit.

Amo: Inday, bakit nagkalat ang basura sa likod ng bahay?!

Inday: A change in the weather patterns might have occurred wrecking havoc to the surroundings. The way the debris are scattered indicates that the gust of wind was going northeast causing damage to the path it was heading for.

Amo: [nosebleed ulit]

Habang nagluluto si Inday ng hapunan, malikot si junior.

Inday: Stop your raucous behavior. It is bound to result in property damages and if that happens there will be corresponding punishment to be inflicted upon you!

Junior: [takbo sa CR, punasan ang nagdudugong ilong]

Pagkatapos magluto, nanood na ng TV si Inday. Nabalitaan nya umalis si Angel Locsin sa GMA 7.

Junior: Bakit kaya sya umalis?

Inday: Sometimes, people choose to leave not because of selfish reasons but because they just know that things will get worse if they'll stay. Leaving can be a tough act, and it's harder when people can't understand you for doing so.

Junior: [tuloy ang pagdugo ng ilong]

Dumating ang amo bago maghapunan.

Amo: Day! Bakit may rashes si Junjun?

Inday: Allergens triggered the immune response. Eosinophillic migratin occurs to the reaction site and release of chemotactic and anaphylotoxin including histamine and protaglandins. These substance results to increased circulation to the site promoting redness.

Amo: Sori?

Nung gabing yon, me nag text ke Inday. Si Dodong, ang driver ng kapitbahay, gusto maki pag text-mate.

Inday: To forestall further hopes of acquaintance, my unfathomable statement to the denial of your request - Petition denied.

Di nagla-on, dahil sa tyaga ni Dodong, nagging syota nya rin si Inday. Pero di tumagal ang kanilang relasyon, at nakipag-break si Inday ke Dodong.

Inday: The statute restricts me to love you but you have the provocations. The way you smile is the proximate cause why I love you. We have some rules to think of. We have no vested rights to love each other because the upper household dismissed my petition!

Dodong: Perhaps you are mistaken, what you seem to contrive as any affections for you are somewhat half-hearted. I was merely attempting to expand my network of interests by involving you in my daily recreation. Heretofor, you can expect an end to any verbal articulation from myself

Me dumaan na mamang basurero, at narinig ang usapan ni Inday at Dodong.

Basurero (sabi ke Inday): Be careful in letting go of the things you thought are just nothing because maybe someday you'll realize that the one you gave away is the very thing you've been wishing for to stay.

Kinagabihan, kinausap si Inday ng kanyang amo...

Inday: Being a third party doesn't mean that you're destroying a relationship. It only means that you make two souls realize that they are not meant to be!


More Inday Quotes:

I pity you for you have degraded your very own pride and dignity by resorting to this despicable behavior just for the sake of having something to feed your fetish appetite for wealth and i hope that one day you'll be rational enough to realize that you should not use other humans as means in the attainment of your ends. As what the great philosopher Kant uttered, 'treat a man as an end in himself'.
- sagot ni inday sa dugu-dugu gang na tumawag sa bahay ng amo nya

~*~*~*~*~*~

Attached herewith is a list of proposed acquisition in line with my proposal to upgrade your household facilities. I have already made initial survey of current market prices. Note however that prices could vary depending on the prevailing exchange rate and aggregate supply and demand which we also monitor on an hourly basis.
- si inday, nagpapaalam para mamalengke

~*~*~*~*~*~

The dwindling resource of hydrogen2 and oxygen present, coupled with the stabile amount of precise heat in the thermal environ of the vessel, resulted in the premature hydration of the 'Oryza Sativa', hence the calefaction factor was rendered lost and wandering when the algid formation came about.
- sagot ni inday kung bakit HILAW ang kanin

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ipomea aquatica has become the constant ingredient to this filipino delicacy which is very helpful in the digestion during the peristaltic process of the food we intake. Due to the continuous rains and floods, the harvest of the said vegetables has lessen the production in the market.
- banat pa ni inday sa amin kung bakit walang kangkong sa nilutong sinigang

~*~*~*~*~*~

Drunken tiger shrimp and blue lobster meat, cut diagonally and caviar served with milagrosa rice (red variety) and apricot sauce. Vegetables in balsamic vinegar splashed with extra virgin olive oil garnished with mint leaves. Lychee and peach salad
- inihanda ni inday para ibaon ni jun-jun sa daycare

~*~*~*~*~*~

Physical stress and excessive work may result to serious damage to one's body. It is therefore essential that once in a while, we take a break from our usual routine to replenish our lost energy.
- sagot ni inday sa amo niya ng ayaw syang payagan mag day-off

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borrowed it from my multiply business contact..i was only gonna put a link but there seems to be a prblem with mine (yes, i allowed pop-ups for this window temporarily). anyway, i hope you found it amusing as well. :)