BOTE

This year has been a lot meaningful to me, not only with the blessings that have been given, but also because I have found new good friends along the way....and one of them is Archie.

I never really thought that we would hit off as friends. Never in my mind it (ever) crossed that I would found a good friend in Chie. Hindi dahil sa Aries sya at Taurus ako hahahaha...(coz napakaseldom na may nakakasundo akong Aries for some reason which I myself do not understand as well)...well maybe because I just thought we were different in sooo many ways. But then, I thought wrong!!!
We may not be completely the same...but hey! in some point and for some reason we can relate to each other very WELL (...good or bad; weird or normal; sane or insane).

We were schoolmates since gradeschool (to highschool) but just to note-we were never classmates.
I remember that we never even had the chance to have even just a small talk through all those years....and yeah that's all I remember, aside from the fact that I never had any fond memories of my highschool or gradeschool years...really(with emphasis on that point).
I must admit that I was the geek type, if not someone who has her own world and doesn't want anybody to meddle with it...otherwise "sasamain talaga!"- especially boys!
Mataray...masungit...may sariling mundo - to perfectly describe it!
Well perhaps because I was going through a lot during those times...
Chie, on the other hand, belongs to a popular group that time.
Sila yung mga tipo ng student na palaging nakikita sa prefect of discipline...
yung mga nagcucutting classes..
tumatawid sa simbahan...para makatakas
nagtatago sa rooftop...at kung anu anung ginagawa
yung palaging laman ng mga "contest"....sayaw, laro or even Mr & Ms. Something....
yung puro ligaw at barkada at kalokohan....
(hahahaha...sobrang paninira na ito ah)

But I've realized...we have to know where everyone is coming from para makilala natin tlaga ang isang tao..
We have to atleast open their closet(with their permission at least) or just to know them personally...before we can even say A WORD about a person...
But come to think of it...we still have no right...to judge.
I bet no one wants to be judged as well..

Just to recall how it all started, us being friends, it's started with YM's technology.
Yeah chat! Then we met up over lunch with another friend (Roche).
Then we had a drinking spree after office.
and minsan mga one-on-one...
(Something I miss doing now!)

Chie, is one of the very few people who is not afraid to be himself.
Isa siya sa mga lalaking masasabi kong walang "pretention"...
He is not afraid to ask for help...he is not afraid to show his weaknesses...and I guess that's one true measure of being a "MAN"....and indeed I find it very COOL.
One thing I admire him is how he values his family....
He has a good and open relationship with his parents (unico ijo) and his own family.
He became a father at an early age but he didn't make it as an excuse not to be a good "Padre de Pamilya"...coz I tell you...He is a responsible one.
He remains to be a loyal husband....and a very loving father to his two beautiful kids.
alam kung maraming temptation itong kaibigan kung ito...(di natin masisisi may itsura eh!)
but one thing good about him...he knows how to handle such.
He knows his way "HOME"...literally and figuratively as he is not the type who would sacrifice it just for wordly or damn senseless reasons...and I really admire him for that.
He is not the "stereotype" kind....he may look like someone who will not do any good but hey! I dissent!...he is one gentleman and a true bro! One True Friend...
Masarap ibestfriend 'tong taong ito kasi he's not the type who would befriend you for some vested interest or selfish reason...papakisamahan ka nya...regardless of anything else.
He is very reliable...if he has nothing to give, he'll sure find a way to help you in your need.
Some would comment negative against him...but the hell I care. He is one friend worth keeping!
He's someone who can give you an insane advice...that will somehow make you sane (very oxymoron...but it's true!) ...may mga point sa mga pajoke na payo nya...
may mga sense sa akala mong walang kwentang ideas nya...
no sugar coating...
straight to the point...
blunt but true...
daring but mapapaisip ka...that's really a way to happiness...
simple yet practical...
This man is profound in some ways...
Rational on the other side.
One thing nice about him ay hindi sya nagsasawa sa pakikinig. He never get tired of his friend's whines and complains about everything and anything...kinig lang yan...and payo kit paulit ulit nalang kayo. He has that much patience, to begin with.
Magugulat ka nalang you're laughing in the middle of your conversation...kahit na nga ba nakamind set ka ng "emote mode".

In one way or another...I feel that he was God's way of helping me to get out from a certain situation, which I shouldn't be in to.
I feel that our meeting has a certain purpose...
Perhaps, Chie was just used by God as an instrument for me to learn a lesson - saving me from learning it the harder way...
I will never forget the time we were in Starbucks(that was few hours after we had lunch..on our first meeting after ten years) yung nagopen sya ng story nya...and I feel wow parang isang maingay na alarm clock na gumising sa aking pagkakatulog.
It's as if his story fitted what I was going through (some sort of dark clouds) that time....
Thereafter, I've realized ..."this is a clear message -what God wanted me to do".
and I'm proud of myself to have followed it...

I always believe that....everyone has their own stories to tell...and every story that each one has...is meant to move, if not teach, someone else's life.
and I guess, in someway...his story has in a way taught me something...


Time indeed is not a measure of a true, strong and lasting friendship...
and I've learned that further when I've met Chie.


Truly our friendship is way beyond cases of beer... :)