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CHRISTMAS 2004
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March 2, 2005HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GRAND REUNION!
Dear Batchmates:
For my next email, allow me to give you a vivid description of what happened that night, so that you can somehow relive the moment or for those who were not able to go, feel that you were there kahit sa imagination man lang. I already started yesterday with my thanking everyone who contributed to the grand success of our reunion, ngayon naman pagusapan natin ang mga nangyari! I will try my best to give you a blow by blow account of what happened, but you have to remember, I was also busy in front so dapat talaga may mga iba pang magkuwento ng detailed. I will just tell you what I remember based on the program flow.
It was such a beautiful night! Some were wearing their most beautiful gowns and dresses and some were wearing whatever outfits they were comfortable with, but people looked so good no matter what they were wearing, and most especially, they were wearing their most beautiful smiles to everyone and anyone! From the many times I had to rush to the restroom, running from end to end of the ballroom, (unfortunately, sakit ko na talaga ang mag-CR every 10 minutes, it was such a sacrifice to run back and forth just to relieve my bladder call, para akong nagfafashion show ng marathon style nga lang), anyway, I saw so many batchmates judging from the batch 80 na nakalagay sa ibabaw ng mga lamesa. Hindi ko man nakilala ang karamihan, ang gaganda talaga ng mga ngiti, lahat na yata ng bumati sa akin, nayakap at nahalikan ko, talagang parang dating magkakaibigan na tuwang tuwang nagkita ulit. No exaggeration, ganon talaga ang atmosphere. The feeling was so nice, iba talaga, people were just happy to be there and be with everyone. I didn’t get to stay much with the crowd but the few times I got to mingle, you can feel the warmth from everyone.
We had the mass at 6:00 pm. Siyempre si Fr. Lito Jopson ang nagmisa, together with the USTHS Regent Fr. Funelas. Nakakatuwa ang sermon ni Fr. Lito, puro about sa HS days and mga email na nababasa niya. It was a very good start for people to start reminiscing about their HS days. Beautifull mass, Fr. Lito!
Then we had the parade of colors by the UST cadets, ang galing din. Tapos ayan na naglabasan na ang dinner, during that time, dun na rin nagwelcome address si Atty. Sison. Tapos sabi nga ni Jun, nahuli ng kunti yung prayer over meals ni Fr. Funelas, pero okay pa rin. During dinner time, Stiletto, our event organizer, showed pictures ng mga behind the scenes, yung mga rehearsals, meetings, etc. From the mass, till the very end, there is not supposed to be a lull moment. Dapat laging may nangyayari sa wide screen.
Right before the opening number, may AVP pala na pinakita sa wide screen, yung gawa ni Leo and Yna. Pictures during high school days ng lahat ng nagbigay ng pictures. Nasa likod ako, hindi ko nakita, pero naririnig mo ang sigawan ng mga tao. I finally got to see it sa USTHS Silver Trek na. Napakaganda nga!
Ayan na, opening bulaga number by batch 55. It’s their dance medley. Ang gagaling ng mga nanay at tatay ko. Akalain mo, sa practices hindi nila matama-tama, pero that night, ang ganda ng sayaw at talagang they were giving their all and looked like they were having a grand time! I was so happy kasi 4 songs yun na minedley but it didn’t seem long at all, because they did a great job. The dance lasted 4 and a half minutes.
At nagpasukan na kaming 3 nila Gina and Rene for the welcome remarks! My God, ang daming tao. I was so pleased at the same time, lalong kumakabog ang dibdib ko kasi nakakanerbyos. Buti na lang, I was with 2 napakabait at napakagaling na sila Gina at Rene. A few minutes after, Jun joined us already kasi he was doing all the voice-over in the beginning. Then Gina left to change to her dance costume, so the 3 of us did the roll call of all batches. We had to stretch to make sure that Gina will be back in time for their dance number. It was fun doing the roll call, kasi naman siyempre everyone wants to be acknowledged, and we had an award for the most senior batch attendee, and can you believe it, may nagattend na batch 40!!! Maganda sa program natin kasi we added some special awards. Natsugi na nga lang yung best dressed male and female. During the roll call, natukso ko ng konti ang batch 77 kasi sabi nila record to beat daw sila dahil sila nga ang may pinakamaraming nagattend ng reunion nila. They were 192 yata, I’m not sure. So sabi ko, “pano ba yan, parang tapos na ang competition!” Kasi ang dami talaga natin non. The last I heard was we had 24 tables with 10 per table so 240 na. I just didn’t know ilan dun ang guests. But also, may mga dumating pa na nalate. And then pumasok na si Ms. Wilma, the other host from Batch 55. So there were actually 5 of us emcees alternating on stage, sa podium and Jun sa audience.
Heto na, batch 80 dance number na!! Yeheyy, ang lakas ng hiyawan kamo, parang dumagundong ang buong ballroom sa lakas ng sigawan! Nakita ba naman ang mga beauties na sila Gina, Yna, Dha, Nina, Jojo Grace, Fides at nagulat sila kay Noel M. and Anthony. Eto na, “why do you build me up buttercup, baby … ang sarap lalo, lalong nagkasigawan…bawat “hey hey hey.. hoo hoo hoo” tapos sumunod ang “just got lucky” …. Parang sinisilaban ang buldit ng mga tao, nagkatayuan na at napasayaw na rin .. “.. coz I never felt this was befoooooreeee….” At sinundan pa ng “been running so long, I’ve nearly lost all track of time…. Yan po ang “Head over heels”… can you just imagine, sarap na sarap ang mga kabatch sa mga kanta ng panahon natin … walang tigil ang palakpakan, kantahan… pasok naman ang “I used to think maybe you love me, now baby I’m sure…. I’m walking on sunshine, woohhh”… hayyy, please don’t ever end, ang sarap sabayan, kahit nakagown yung iba, hala talon.. “and don’t you feel GOOOD!!”… and then “oh mickey, you’re so fine, you’re so fine, you blow my mind, hey Mickey!” …. “guys like you Mickeee!” …. Andun ang mga dancer, nagaasta rocker pa, at may hawak kunwaring gitara …. May step na parang naglilinis ng tenga o nababaliw… tapos may travolta, oishi, may nag sta-statue of liberty, tapos… ayyy bakit natapos na? That’s it? Gusto pa naming lahat, bakit 5 songs lang, ang iikli pa! Total of 5 and a half minutes and 62 STEPS, but it wasn’t enough, gusto pa namin!!! Wahhh, ang lungkot, it was so good, we didn’t want it to end! Sabi ng emcee na naka “mulawin” costume daw, “IYAN ang batch 80”, in other words, ibang klase!
O di sige, nagising na lahat, at halata mong alumpihit na mga tao dahil natuwa sila at mukhang talagang may promise ang palabas ng gabing yon. So far, after 2 dance numbers, they were very well rehearsed and the music were very carefully chosen at talagang you can’t help it, whether yung sa batch 55 o 80, parehong gusto mong sabayan! Congratulations dancers, you did a marvelous job! I’ve been telling you since before, no BS, your number will be such a big hit! Hay, nakakapagod, o tama na, next time na yung kasunod, joke! So after that, raffle ulit, balik kami ulit ni Rene, ay may nahulog… Rene, what happened? Ikaw naman kasi Rene, nasilaw ka yata sa dami ng bubog ng baso sa damit ko nalaglag mo na yung script mo, buti na lang wala sa video ko. Don’t worry, nandun yun sa video ng nagcover ng event. Ha ha ha! Alam ninyo, us emcees, yung raffle ang pinakaleast favorite namin. Okay naman yata, kaya lang medyo napatagal ang mga raffle but it’s usually what happens anyway.
Okay natapos na raffle Set A, tawagin na natin ang “Homecoming King and Queen”, ito ang longest married couple from the same batch, at ang nanalo ay walang iba kundi si “Gerald and Ping Nalagan” - please accent on the 1st syllable, ha ha ha! They were so surprised, hindi nila alam may ganito pa. At sumingit na naman yung isang emcee na may bubog sa damit, ang sabi “yan yung nagligawan na lang sa school”, hay I’m sorry, pagpasensiyahan niyo na siya kasi minsan hindi mapigilan ang bibig niya! Anyway, nakakatuwa kasi they came all the way from the US to come home to attend this homecoming, and then nanalo pa sila as homecoming king and queen. Ang sarap di ba? Congrats to both of you.
Raffle set B, and then it’s time for batch 55’s song medley. This is a medley of Kumusta ka, Kahit konting pagtingin, Those were the days, and I think one more song. Pinarecord ito sa professional singers, at sinabayan at inakting na lang ng batch 55. Okay naman yata, I’m not sure. But during practices, they looked fine naman. Yun nga lang, talagang hindi na namemorize. Kasi at that point, hindi na ako mapakali. Kasi malapit na kaming kumanta. Tapos sumunod na ang raffle C.
Habang may nangyayari sa stage, andun kaming broadway singers sa likod, grinupo na ng director (na cute!!!), naku, galit na si direk, “bakit kulang ako ng singer dito” “hanapin ninyo dali”, asus, ang Lynn Figueroa – Norris, nagmi-missing in action! Where art thou, Lynn, bakit nawawala ka? Mayamaya, sigaw ulit si direk, “5 minutes na, wala pa, nasaan na” at pasigaw na po. Kami naman sa backstage, kanya-kanyang emote, pero hindi makaconcentrate, kasi nga galit na si direk! Si Chie at Nonoy, nagbubulungan kung ano pa gagawin sa blocking nila. Si Vita, naku halatang naninigas na yata at ninenerbiyos, aba, etong si Anthony, parang wala lang, wala lang talaga, relaks na relaks ang ‘langya. Nakakainis! Si Rene at Ibe, nagpapraktis din, meantime, ako, wahhh, wala akong kapraktis at nawawala nga ang partner ko! Parang kulang pa ang margarita ko, pero too late na for me to order. Hayy,help! Parang puwede magbackout? Ayun dumating na si Lynn ko. At itong si direk, may sasabihin pa daw sana, pero huwag na dahil late na. Hala, Ibe, Happy, Anthony, punta na sa kaliwa, Lynn, Rene and Vita, punta na sa kanan, at ang Chie at Nonoy, isfeycial, manggagaling sa harap!
Heto na, “dan da dan da dan da da dan… summer loving … ay bakit inulit?.. o sige rewind, “dan da dan…… pasok ang Anthony, na super confident po … ayun na, ang galing nila, parang hindi ninenerbiyos… sigawan mga tao kasi ba naman, ang Anthony parang macho dancer at maskulado member kung gumiling, ikot na ikot kamo ang butt pag sumasayaw, lalo na pag “tell me more, tell me more…” ano ba yan, magsabi ka ng totoo, ano ba talaga trabaho mo sa gabi? Ha ha. At si Vita, wow, what a revelation. During practices, ayaw sumayaw at magemote ng husto at hindi daw dapat kasi mahiyain daw si Olivia, hindi malandi! Oo nga naman, pero nung nasa actual performance na, ayun, todo action na rin. Theirs was a real fun number too. Galing!!!
Ooops, biglang quiet… dim lights, eto na ang Chie, umaakyat sa harap at nagmamadali kasi papasok na ang linya niya.. “on my own, pretending he’s beside me…”, woohh, nakakakilabot, ganda ng pasok. Tapos pasok na rin ang nonoy, bagay na bagay sila, lalo na sa height! I was so afraid baka yung him and her magkapalit palit, kasi ginawa naming duet yung “on my own”, pero ang galing. Sabi nga ng sister kong si Leebai, she became a fan daw of Chie! Ang galing mo Chie lalo na dun sa “that I have never knowwwwnnnn”, my gosh, san galing yung boses na yon? Sa liit mo, ang galing ng range mann!! At ang Nonoy, pasok na pasok na ang blending ninyong dalawa. Buti na lang hindi nila kailangang mag eye-to-eye contact kasi hindi magaabot ang mga mata! Patingin-tingin sa langit ang ginagawa nila! You two did great! Lalo na yung “I love him… I love her..but only on my own”!!! Hayy, ang sarap sarap nung song. And it was a well-applauded number too, of course!
Meanwhile, habang kumakanta sila Chie and Nonoy, kami naman ni Ibe sa baba, naghahawakan ng mukha, nagyayakapan, and I kept reassuring Ibe “you are a great singer, you can do it, I have great faith in you, I put you there because I know you can sing so well, don’t doubt yourself, kayang kaya mo yan, this is your 3 minutes of fame, don’t let anything go wrong, basta lahat na yata ng puwede kong sabihin, sinabi ko na because Ibe was so nervous! Hindi niya alam, I was close to exploding, because I was so scared myself! I was telling myself, hala ka, you kept on pushing everyone that they can do it, tapos ikaw, hindi pala kaya!!!!
And so, eto na, umakyat na ang Ibe and Rene. My God, Rene, you are a gifted singer. Hayop sa galing ang boses mo. Kahit ako, kinikilig when I hear you sing! Voice lang, ha!!! I love your singing voice! “No more talk of darkness, forget….”, wohh sigawan ulit mga tao. Pasok ang Ibe “Say you love me every winter morning…..” ang galing galing ng blending ninyong dalawa. Beautiful! Magnifico! Fettucine! Ang taray ng mata ni Ibe, na parang hindi ninenerbiyos, siyempre ang Rene, parang walang puso at hindi man lang nakitaan ng nerbyos! Parang propeysional! Ang sweet sweet pa ng number nila kasi sila lang yung may yakapan at titigan, dapat nga may part na they will just share one mic, kaso nagbago ang isip, “that’s all I ask of you”….natapos na! Ang sweet ng song, sabi nga ni Ibe, kahit nung Lunes na sa Silver Trek, “isa pa, isa pa”! Sabi ko na nga ba, hindi na dapat ninerbiyos ang Ibe, dahil ang ganda ganda ng number nila at siyempre kaduet si Rene! Yahoo!
Naku kami na, akyat ang Happy. Parang muntik pang madapa kasi, linchak na damit, ang haba, hindi ko alam kung ano ang itataas ko. So kuntodo alalay paakyat, hayyy, hingang malalim, stomach in, chest out, “ Last night I watched him sleeping….”, wow, may dalawang pumalakpak, okay na to, puwede ng ituloy, and so I did. I prayed to God that I wouldn’t forget any of the words, I was so scared of that. Siyempre, I almost forgot to tell you what was happening while Ibe and Rene were singing. Ako naman, halos paulit-ulit kay Gina, please look at me, if I look at you, that means, I forgot my words, Gina please, %$#&(, ayoko na, &*($#, in other words, I was saying some bad words, kasi I was panicking! Gina and Jun were laughing at me! Mga walanghiya kayo, pagtawanan ba ako, eh heto I was hyperventilating! OA talaga ako noh? Ha ha.
Anyway, so yun na, sa awa ng Diyos, I finished my part and more clapped after my part, so thank God, I did fine! Pasok na ang Lynn, ganda ng pasok, may konti nakalimutan, pero banat ulit, and my God, pagpasok dun sa “Chris, what’s haunting you!!””, asus palakpakan ang mga tao, ang galing! Operatic na po! Tapos, nagaway na kami, ang pilit kasi, sinabi ng akin si Chris! May dyunakis na kami noh! He’s mine! And that ends our broadway musical medley! I am very very very proud to say that that was a much applauded number! Salamat naman, kasi ilang litid rin ang mga napatid sa amin dito. Seriously now, I know that this was one of the favorite parts ng mga nanood! I am so proud and thankful to the singers here! Ang hirap purihin, kasi kasali ako dito.
Anyway, tuloy na natin ang program. Then we had the long playing announcement of the Thomasian Achiever. And sinundan ng pagkahaba-habang speech ng nanalo. The winner is Mr. Carlos Salinas. Sorry, I didn’t hear kung ano mga achievements niya. I just know the speech was so long, I took the time to say hi to some batchmates. Then raffle set D. At sumunod na ang Male and Female Star of the Night. Tinawag na ang Male star, at ang nanalo ay si Mr. Jack Uy. Batchmates na hindi pa siya kilala, siya po ang presidente ng USTHS Alumni Association. He is the one who approved the budget I asked for for the program which was more than P200,000. He approved it himself, because the Board wouldn’t, and he paid for it from his very own pocket! He is also the reason why the ticket was down to P500. Normally, the tickets cost P900 – P1000. He also was the one who decided the souvenir program should be free to all those who will attend. Marami pa, pero yan ang Mr. Jack Uy. A very generous man. We should be very thankful to his faith and trust in us batch 80, and he gave us everything we asked for! And then, tinawag na ang female star of the night, oh no, oh my God!!! ME? Oh no, I’m so embarrassed! Nahihiya ako kasi there were a few times that the special awards were questioned, and I kept on fighting for them. I didn’t want to take them out. Up to the very last meeting Feb. 19th, this was the time when I had to be defended by Leo and Teng kasi I got so mad and emotional, so I couldn’t speak anymore. It is a long story, basta it all started with the awards! There were other issues involved. So nakakahiya kasi ako pala mananalo ng Female Star of the Night. You know what I mean? Anyway, I will tell you in all honesty, I felt so proud when I got it! I didn’t take it as just something to spice up the program, I took it like it was the most valuable thing that night! Yun lang. Thank you very much to the board of JORORS!
O sige, back to reality na, then we had the awarding of medals to batch 55 and certificate to batch 80. The USTHS represented by Mrs. Roda, the principal, and the Regent, Fr. Funelas awarded our batch a certificate of recognition, to follow na lang daw yung for everyone. Isa na lang muna, yung ibibigay kay Teng. Teng gave a wonderful acceptance speech, as expected. And then si Mr. Uy naman accepted their medal of recognition. This was the part where he was supposed to give the President’s message, but he didn’t.
Tapos we had the tribute to faculty. The faculty members were asked to go up on stage. It was so nice to see all of our teachers up there on stage. Tapos pinakita na yung AVP ni Leo and Yna. Started with pictures ng teachers from the yearbook then yung talagang pictures nila, then USTHS. It was a very touching moment for the faculty kasi the AVP was so beautifully done. Ang ganda talaga. You’ll see it when you get the video batchmates. You got to see it to know what I’m talking about. Suffice it to say, that even until Monday, the teachers were raving how it was the best reunion they’ve ever attended. They were given so much importance, etc. Talagang honored daw sila.
And then right after that, the song “That’s what friends are for”. This is the part where the Board of Directors were asked to come up on stage to sing, and everybody was asked to stand up and sing, and light their candles. Eto yung part where we said “occasions like tonight are what happy memories are made of, in the company of great friends… through the candlelight, let us all be reminded that we are all a part of the great University tradition … “ this is another touching moment. I was up on stage and I could see the people even holding hands, or putting their arms around the person beside them, singing together. Ang ganda ganda tingnan.
Finally, it’s now time for the finale production numbers by batch 80. Naku po hindi ako makasingit kay Ms. Wilma, pinasalamatan na yata lahat. And I could tell, the crowd was starting to get restless, parang gusto ng magsayaw. But of course, they didn’t know may 2 production numbers pa. At last, nakasingit rin ako, “that’s right Ms. Wilma, and now ….” Pumasok si Teng “Rivers belong where they can ramble”… ang Rene “Eagles belong where they can fly”… si Noel “I’ve got to be where my spirit can run free”… at ang super galing na si Jun “gotta find my corner of the sky.”… galing silang lahat sa baba, tapos akyatan na sa taas ng stage. Ang galing ng pa-epek ano? Hindi pa nagumpisa sa taas. Tapos ayan na “everything has it’s season” as started by Jun. Aba siyempre palakpakan ulit mga tao ng malakas, kasi ang gagaling ng mga boys! There were 6 of them who sang that song. Si Jun, Teng, Rene, Hans, Noel and Romuald! Beautiful! Ang galing galing ng pagkakakanta! Ang Hans, parang high school boy, may codigo sa left hand! Kala mo chong, di ko nakita ano? Ha ha ha! But you sang very well din ha? Ang Noel, aba biglang nagtaasan ang mga buhok. Kala mo lagging Mr. Conservative, isang garapon atang gel ang ginamit, ang guwaping!
Then, right after corner, alis lahat except for Teng, at akyat naman ang Jojo Medina- Manalad. “Think about the sun, Pippin…” ang galing galing mo Teng. Bagay na bagay sa iyo. So nag solo ang presidente natin, at may konting duet part with Jojo na tingin ng tingin sa akin sa ibaba, oo, don’t worry, papasok din ako kahit na kayang kaya mo yan! After their part, akyatan na lahat ng performers to sing with them “Pippin”. Can you just imagine, ang dami naming batch 80 performers na nasa taas, all singing “Pippin”. It was beautiful. The audience were all clapping, kasi maganda talaga ang kanta. It was just a befitting finale number. Ang galing ng suggestion mo Nonoy Ruda that we do Pippin sa program! Dun na po nagtapos ang program! Pagkatapos na pagkatapos ng song, may confetti pa, ang dami, ang galing, parang showbiz!!! Tapos pasok ang live band ng “PANAHON NA PARA MAGSAYA….”
Well, folks, that was it! Did you enjoy that? Ang haba noh? I’m sure kulang pa yon, kasi nga nasa likod ako lagi non. Iba naman. Kuwento naman kayo from your point of view. Pagurin natin lahat ng mga gustong magbasa. Of course instead of dancing time, nagpicturan na mga tao ng walang katapusan. Ako naman, sinayaw ko lang si Mr. Jack Uy, para konting sipsip, ha ha. And then, I had to sit down na, I felt so drained of energy. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t want to ruin my make-up! I felt so sad because it was all over! Okay stop, Happy. So you all know after the party, we proceeded to Pidot’s for a post-party. More drinking, kantahan, kuwentuhan. It was a great night! I’m tired na. That’s it. Hope I was able to entertain the people who didn’t get to go. Sana you just use your imagination para mas lalong mabuhay ang mga kuwento ko. I’m sorry, I’m really bad with names, can’t remember the people I saw. Siyempre nandun ang WOG boys, ang mga kaibigan ko, especially si Onald Lopez who came home from the US just to attend the reunion. I met Andy Alviz, Leonard Lacanienta, I saw Rowena Roman, I met Titoy who is very funny, Bernie Ponce made it at 9:30, at least nakaabot, maraming marami pa. Thank you for your patience in reading this very very long kuwento.
Happy
© COPYRIGHT 2005 LEO RIINGEN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
