As it turned out, Daisy was still tied up at the meeting when I got to Dau. I decided to go ahead and just wait for her at Josie's because it seemed that the meeting would end much later than she expected. I was confident I could manage to bring myself to Villa Teresa. After all, her family's house (which is technically just beside her current house) sort of became my second home in college. I used to spend almost every weekend and semester breaks there so I was sure it would not be much of a challenge.
It was quite a surprise therefore to see that a lot, as in A LOT, has changed since then. I almost got lost if not for that distinctive dome of the big church that I knew was just a stone throw's away from Tollhouse (their restaurant which serves the best baked mac this side of the earth). My plan B was to proceed to Tollhouse and just call Josie to pick me up from there or ask one of their crews to point me to the right direction so I can find the house on my own.
Josie had other plans though and she would pick me up at Nepo Mall, which she did. A few minutes drive and we were already at her place. And this is when all the eating I did began. I knew that I would not even have a small chance of following my diet/eating routine once I got there. Resisting food in Pampanga is futile and it is almost impossible when I am in a company of a chef whose career revolves around food.
And so it was pretty much lazing around in the house where reading, poring over old photo albums of UP days, eating, drinking coffee, Internet surfing, chatting, eating, eating, and more eating were the chosen activities of the day.
Daisy joined us after her meeting. She arrived with brod Russell who picked her up from her meeting and gamely shared that he always end up as a designated driver for Daisy and sometimes, sis Ann. It was fun talking with him since I did not have that much interaction with him at our tambayan before.
Yasmin, who just got in from a biking trip in Subic, came as well. And then Danvic with her wife Melissa dropped by. They arrived for the weekend from Manila and just dropped off their daughter Kiara and some other relatives then went straight to Josie's place.All in all it was like the old days. The same people, quirks, and humor that always end up in easy conversations and laughter. Of course, Danvic was still typically mapang-asar with his quick wit and sarcastic comments. He regaled us with stories of his experiences teaching multi-media arts at one of Manila's well-known and amazingly expensive colleges where he realized how distinctly different are today's generation from ours.
It was an interesting conversation that touched on the nuances of generation gaps. It was about the advances of technology that contributed to the differences that define each generation. It was about the futility of resisting the change and the constant challenge of crossing the bridges between gaps.
The half-day visit ended up to be an overnight stay. We realized that nothing much has changed since college. We could still make unplanned and spontaneous decisions regardless of whatever previous plans we have made.++++
Things picked up from Danvic:
Nag-hang ka no? - is what he jokingly tells his student(s) who didn't understand anything of what he said
------
While talking to an older colleague:
Danvic: Ano balita?
Older colleague: Bakit mo sa akin tinatanong, mukha ba akong dyaryo?
Danvic: Oo, luma.
------
Danvic: Class, kilala nyo ba si Copernicus?
Student1: Kilala ba namin si Copernicus?
Danvic: You do realize na inulit mo lang yung sinabi ko ano?
Class: Silence and blank stares.
Danvic: Close friend ko si Copernicus.
(Yet more silence and blank stares....)
No comments:
Post a Comment