Reunited, And It Feels So Good

(A late post)

It’s been more than half a century ago. I can’t even recall the exact date. But sometime in 1968, a hundred or so elementary graduates would troop to the Philippine Science High School in Quezon City; wide-eyed, innocent-looking, energetic young kids, not really knowing – and for some, not even caring – what this new world they were embarking on would have in store for them. I was one of those lucky handful who had made it to this prestigious school they fondly called ‘Pisay’, and I didn’t know it then, but Pisay would leave an indelible mark that I would proudly carry with me in the years and decades to come.

I shall forever be grateful for the education, the broad strokes in science, the technology skills, but most significant of all, the social awareness that Pisay would nurture in me. Indeed, apart from the high standards of education that Pisay would lavish on its students, what I would imbibe – and truly appreciate in my stint in Pisay – was that healthy dose of political activism that would keep me well-grounded. This would somehow provide me with a great humanizing influence, one that would serve as a humble guide as I pursued a career in the military service.

Fast forward to 55 years later, and those young ones have long joined the ranks of the ‘young once’. Some have since started to sport greying hair, some now flaunt their new-era bald look, while others have proudly developed that healthy paunch in the middle as a sign of definite progress. Some, unfortunately, have passed ahead of us.

But despite the passage of years, and the different paths we took, and the diverse views we may have developed through the years, there remain among us that special bond that brought us together during our early teenage years. It is an amazing glue that has kept us close. Even for those who have found a better life for themselves and their families in other countries, I could see that there still remained that yearning to reconnect and reminisce those beautiful memories of our high school days.

Who can ever forget the experience of living in the Boys’ and the Girls’ Dorms? For many of us, it would be the first time to be fully independent, to be fully detached from our parents. For some, it would be the first time to try smoking and drinking. For some of the boys, their first time to mingle with girls, their first time dealing with a secret crush. And the same with the girls as well. So many of our best memories, of our first experiences, of adolescent triumphs and pains. All these during our high school days.

It has been 55 years since we first set foot on the hallowed grounds of Pisay. We have all grown older, and wiser. More mellow, more patient and more kind. But the sparkle of our youth still remains. I see it in the joy in seeing old section-mates, old dormmates, old friends. I see it in the laughter, in the joy of reminiscing our naughty antics and old corny jokes. And I have to say I admire some of my classmates who have learned to dismiss the passing of the years, and instead have been able to stay young at heart.

Youth, indeed, is a state of mind. I see that in Winnie’s countless ballroom dancing trophies; in Alma and Marichi, and that tireless couple, Elise and Bing, with their sprightly dance moves. I see that in Jojet who could give those stand-up comedians a run for their money; in Cir, Mar and Jobart who could belt their songs with wild abandon.

We witnessed all these at our last fun get-together at Winnie’s. Everyone had a good time. Everyone felt young again. For once, we forgot about our aches and pains; we set aside the problems, the worries. By the sheer force of our imagination, we turned back those years for a while. To remember, to rekindle old bonds. And to savor the vigor, the child-like energy, the exhilarating feeling of being forever young.

Video courtesy of Instudio, photos courtesy of the jolly members of Pisay 72. For a closer look, just click on the pics.