I Think I’ll Call It Morning From Now On
23,
Do you remember yesterday when I stayed up until
midnight just to watch you go? It reminded me of the poignant airport
scene where two friends wave goodbyes to each other before going their
separate ways, uncertain if they will ever see each other again. In our
case, we won’t, and this is a hard goodbye. That’s why I’m writing to
you to mark the occasion.
Oftentimes when two friends know that it’s their
last day together, they would try their best to make it a memorable
one. One way they do this is by going to places that meant something to
them. Another way is to go somewhere they’ve never been to before so
that they can for one last day savor the joy of discovery.
Unfortunately for yesterday, none of this was possible. We had to
attend someone’s wedding, and you know very well that that’s an
experience I don’t enjoy (except if it’s MY wedding, which you did not
bless me with, but that’s okay).
You also know that I don’t like it, not because I
am jealous of other’s successes, and not because I hate mushy
whatever-there-is’s (though I tolerate only certain extents of it). I
like seeing people at peace and in love with each other, and what has
happened is indeed a blessing for yesterday’s bride and groom. I don’t
like attending weddings because, specifically, I don’t like the
traditional wedding banquets. Yesterday’s was no exception.
Remember that? Looking back, a lot of
unintentionally funny things happened, although they’re the kind of
"funny" that infuriates more than amuses. Let’s start with the edible
stuff they’re trying to pass off as food. 23, if it won’t burden you
much, please pass a message to people who you are connected to. If
they’re non-vegetarians, ask them to be vegetarians. And if they’re
already vegetarians, tell them to avoid asking seafood restaurant chefs
to prepare foods for them. We vegetarians don’t eat meat because of
health issues and/or animal compassion. Just because we have an extent
of asceticism does not mean that we don’t enjoy great-tasting foods.
For some reasons, chefs of seafood restaurants
believe that vegetarians enjoy gastronomic torture. And so what they do
every time - believe me, it’s not just today - is they just sauté
vegetables that do not even go well with one another, and then cram
overwhelming number of mushrooms to hide just how bland-tasting their
preparations are. I must’ve eaten more mushrooms today than the Super
Mario Brothers do in all their games. Eating these foods is like
cramming your stomach with the residual "soup" from Del Monte’s canned
fruits. Needless to say, that does not feel so good.
Oh, and what’s a wedding banquet without the
generic schmaltzy "love ballads" from Jim Brickman, David Pomeranz, or
Barry Manilow? Good thing only a few of them were played today, and we
didn’t have to endure some lazy ass "jazz" of "Careless Whispers", "It
Might Be You" or "My Heart Will Go On" with soprano sax’s overdubbing
the original instrumentations. So what do we get instead? Some kitschy
"Bossa Nova" renditions of "I Didn’t Know I Was Looking For Love" (and
similar songs) sung by fastfood divas who "honor" Astrud Gilberto in
their liner notes but don’t know how to sing like her (and if you’ve
ever seen them live, watch out for those trumpeters or saxophonists who
tilt their hat, slick back their hair and wear smug expressions to look
like Frank Sinatra. Ugh). Bland music gives bland foods added depths of
blandness.
And was it noisy! Gee, we must’ve been in a room
with a lot of frustrated percussionists, what with all the
spoon-to-glass banging that happens every 5 seconds. And how could we
forget the SUCKAZ EMCEE, who cannot deliver a speech without being
trite, evidenced from his lame-o Romeo and Juliet to his
Ivanhoe-found-his-love (!) analogy. How come none of these zzz-rate
wedding emcees realizes that Romeo and Juliet died an untimely death?
Talk about trying to deliver a good omen. I’m also very curious about
what particular girl Ivanhoe "married". If only the emcee tried even
harder to sound literate, perhaps he may claim that Ivanhoe’s "damsel"
is, who, Dulcinea? Remember that time, 23? We were so embarrassed, that
we left the room for 20 full minutes.
Although the banquet was mediocre, we were happy
about the newlyweds. They are terrific, and they deserve each other.
Yesterday began a new phase of their lives, and though I won’t claim
this event to be as grand as theirs, 24’s arrival today also begins a
new phase for me.
23, we had a lot of good times. We went to
Boracay. We took up web design. We saved money. We read a lot of great
books. We created a new blog and earned a few new readers. We solved
cases with Phoenix Wright (Do I hear you saying "Just what the hell are
Harry Potter, Star Wars and Transformers"?). We met new friends. We
learned of who cherishes us and who doesn’t. We watched Death Note. We
saw Riza Santos and drooled. We listened to Gil Scott-Heron and cried.
We contributed to the society the best we can. We gave gifts and
learned what a wonderful deed that is. And I’m sure we did a lot of
things I haven’t enumerated here.
So I will miss you. I only hope that you can also
grace other’s lives with your presence, and grant them an important
year. I will remember the important lessons you and all that came
before you have taught, as I embrace 24 in hopes of growing wiser and
living younger.
