Laong nila an taga Tago kuno para-away pero hanugay. Mamingawuni naman ganahani mandahap-dahap nan notisya. Naman ini na pabyon inhimo para kita na mga Tagon-on magkasinusihay, magka-binayluay nan mga gilaong, nan notisya, nan kaayuhan.
As the cliché says “I’m happy to be back”. Though it maybe intermittent but I’m glad I’m back to my home.
I have been out of the loop and put aside blogging for almost 6 months due to call of circumstance. While away I was able to do things I have longed to do. I would say, my absence put me in isolation from my comrades in this virtual community and felt like truant from school. This experience has proved me one thing: blogging in Tago website is like an addiction, it’s hard to resist!
Then a surprise struck!........
After high school this classmate of mine incessantly made an effort to keep in touch, though at times his efforts were in vain caused by distance. Whatever, this time, this bloke doesn’t further allow distance deter him from continuing to do so. One day he visited our Tago site. He explored it curious of what the site could offer him. To quote his words “I was captivated by the assortment of mouth-watering Tagon-on foods featured”. His curiosity then got the better of him and led him to a good find when he found my old e-amail address and started sending me 2 e-mails which expectedly bounced back to him. He went on and found Manday’s post at the main page of the site and unearthed the latter’s identity and sent her an e-mail. Eventually he discovered that Sapaalaska & Judstump were bloggers of Tago site too.
The 28th of September, 2009, astounded when Sapa’s e-mail hit my Inbox inquiring if it was ok with me for her to have given to this bloke my current e-mail add. With pounding heart “certainly by all means” I said to Sapa. AND THE EPIC BEGAN…..
Thanks to Manday and Sapa for being so instrumental for this virtual reunion. Indeed Tago site never stops bring wonders to us all.
Hint: This person has the natural dexterity in calligraphy that I haven’t seen in other people I’ve known. LIke others, he's one successful guy, has been away from Tago and whose achievements are wrong not to be recognized. Married to a nurse from Butuan, he and family now resides in the US. Radicals are proud of him and so Tago should.
Insomada wrote:Hint: This person has the natural dexterity in calligraphy that I haven’t seen in other people I’ve known.
HI, INSOMS, welcome back!
let me wager a guess by dissecting your very sketchy hint. because our batch was next to yours, i should know who, from among your batchmates, had the gift for drawing and lettering. way back in high school, i was the resident artist of our batch and i had joined a lot of art contests inside and outside of purisima school. as competitors, all i could remember were vicente quico and dodoy adorico from the younger batches. but i simply couldn't remember somebody from your batch who had the skill (dexterity's the word!) you mentioned. please don't get me wrong.
but i had taken your word for it and so i had to wrack my brains (assuming i have some. hahaha) then voila! i remember.
if i'm not mistaken, this person did not go to purisima school because he spent his high school days in manila. and if the person i'm thinking right now is the same person you mentioned, then he's probably smiling from his perch somewhere in the US.
of course, being a radical, he was one year ahead of me at falcon memorial elementary school. like his sister who was our batchmate (she died of leukemia when we were in 4th or 5th grade), he was fat and i must've teased him because he picked on me for the rest of my elementary days. if there's one person who will go down my personal history as a bully, he's it. after so much running and chasing, he would corner me under the old library, by the swing, at the back of mr. illego ibanez's practical arts building where sometimes he would give me a punch in the arm or in the gut. i never told my brothers and parents about this, living through it alone.
he wouldn't admit this now, of course. and i don't mind because looking back, it was all part of the folly of childhood.
is this person JESUS CURADA?
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
It would have been a reminiscence in futility had I not conformed to your post below. This is, as I often emphasize blogging during office hours stealthily ha ha ha. I should have said “schoolmate”, not “classmate”. I wanted to edit my post but doing so would have yours incongruent to mine.
Yes, JC wasn’t my classmate but schoolmate. Though he did most of his high school in Manila but at one point he was enrolled in Purisima, I’m pretty sure during our second year. Him and anhin Oma Casio and Yoyoy Capinpin were good buddies and very well ubiquitous in the Tago streets on their bikes during that time. I could very well remember I had the chance to check his Social Studies test paper. You know when after the major exam the late Mrs. Bening Espinoza would give the responsibility of having test papers checked by someone who garnered the highest score. Social studies happened to be one of my favourite subjects.
In High School my eyes were glued on you as you were one great achiever in your batch and knew you participated in all art competitions. Back then, you were already showing signs of a person you would become as what you are today. Regrettably I never had the chance to take a closer look at your masterpieces. My being standoffish is purely the reason why I was ashamed to go close to you.
I was surprised for you to have experienced bullying as I did too. Needless to mention who the person is as he was so famous for this during our time. I remember he would come near me during “panguma session” and would have his sight directed straight to my “most precious part” and shout “mamang galipit”. I was so powerless to retaliate. One time I had Papa reprimand him but just the same he continued to do so. But as you said we shouldn’t mind it now as it was part of the folly of childhood, and I may add, now part of our reminiscences.
I STAND CORRECTED! it's all coming back to me now.
September 1977; Intramurals at Purisima School.
We were freshmen and you were sophomores. The drawing contest was held in our classroom, First Year-Pearl, the one immediately next to the main door made of rickety iron bars. Among my three opponents (I forgot the other contestants from the batch of Maruya and Analyn Corpus), it was Jesus who intimidated me most because I knew that artistry ran in his family's blood. Can you still remember their well-decorated tricycles? Paul-Jess I think they were called!
When we entered the room, we realized it was not the usual drawing contest. on the board was drawn a figure of a tail-less cat. Using a chalk, we were to draw the tail on the cat blindfolded.
Jesus let out a sigh of disappointment, I could still remember.
And so like Aesop's blind men poised to touch an elephant, we went to the board to attach the cat's tail while our respective batchmates shrieked from excitement.
I won the "drawing" contest.
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
Well now we have it very clear! Ni kaw haw yakadomdom pa ako nan ini na contest niyo. As the proverbial adage says "Better late than never, my belated felicitations to you!
Amo kay agaw adto Paul-Jess or John Paul?
Sapa Manday & Judstump hain kamo tabangi ako pagdomdom! Kamps' memory is amazing! Unhon kadoha sa lagi inin tiyan ko tabasa na cesaerian operation kaya kalimtunon na.
e kabara kamo da dili ako moentra. iton iyo mga iningles kalawomirs magpakita magbuklat nan dictionary. hain anhin si manday kay yadto isab karabiti nan iningles. inday anhin si judstump kon mosugal pero duda ko yagkabutabuta na abay binasahay nan libro sa iya distant schooling. Jesz hain na kaw ikaw day dependehi sa imo karabiti sa kaw sab....
Remember, each of us is a vital thread in another person’s tapestry; our lives are woven together for a reason. One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend.
