Spooked by Carrie and other high school stuff

Just got back from a workshop that totally drained my batteries. Ever been on one of those gigs that left you emotionally, mentally, creatively...wasted? This was one of those, but multiplied ten fold. Anyway.

I had a few minutes between meetings and decided to check my friend's blogs. Jerome's blog had this short entry reminiscing about his high school days which, true to the spirit of blogging, was inspired by another blog (tin's). These got me into thinking about my own high school days.

Let's cue in Sharon Cuneta's "high school days, oh my high school days how exciting kay ganda..." Yup, I was in high school when Sharon hit national prominence courtesy of that song Mr. DJ. So here are the things I remember most about my high school days.

1. I played xylophone in the school band. I was a freshman when I was picked to be the xylophone player - mainly because I could read notes and played the piano although how this was related to playing the xylophone was a bit stretched. Silly me, I actually thought it was an honor - but a year after, I realized it was such a burden. The darn thing was heavy and I was this thin, gawking geek. That stint probably accounts for my hunched posture today.

2. For some strange reason, I was the school's pambato in the declamation and oratorical contests. My older sister was better at it, but somehow, they thought it was something in the genes. So I got drafted and trundled around reciting "Oh Captain My Captain our fearful trip is done!" I won some, but also lost some. I refused to memorize a male version of "Vengeance is Mine" (yup, that piece that begins with alms...alms... spare me a piece of bread...give me your mercy") which got the ire of our principal and thus ended my career as an orator.

3. I fell in love big time! hahaha. (Writing this one actually sends goose pimples all over my body and am grinning like an idiot while I write this). My first love was this girl who was a transferee to our school. I was late by a week that school year and I was the last to meet her. We ignored each other for the first four months, became kulitan partners in the next four months, and fell in love right at the end of the school year. Waaahhh! We did have a theme song (give me a break, Jerome, I was a kid then!) and she was the one who picked it... it was Morning, Noon and Nighttime (morning noon and nighttime i still think of you...morning noon and nightime wanna be with you...). I met her again a few years ago...and we had a blast reminiscing our kulitan blues. hahaha.

4. The swing was the in-thing at that time. Too bad I had two left feet even then so that was one activity I was terrible at. But I did try to learn how to dance "Rock Baby Rock."

5. The movies that defined my high school life were Carrie (with Sissy Spacek in it), Saturday Night Fever, Voices, Star Wars. I distinctly remember Carrie for two reasons. One, it's theme song was this haunting love song (I Never Dreamed Someone Like You Could Want Someone Like Me) that everybody was singing at school "could it be...that the lady is me in that photograph...I'm not sure cause it feels so wrong and I want it so bad..." I even pestered an older cousin to teach me how to play the chords in the guitar so I could show off to my friends. The second reason was that we were on a group date when we watched it...and everyone pretended to be spooked like crazy at that last scene when a hand from the grave suddenly came out. It was a perfect excuse to hug the person next to you.

6. We actually had a blast in scouting and CAT training. We took long walks, camped in the hills, cooked our own food, and did all sorts of supposed character building things. Yup, I heard that there were lots of sex activities going on too.


To be continued someday....