Happy Birthday to me :) - Guest Post: Rafaelle

 

So yeah, it's my 21st birthday and it's time for show off :) I thought since it's my birthday, I'd rest on writing/updating first. I'm very happy to introduce a guest post from my one and only super duper close friend for nearly 12 years now - Rafaelle.

 

 

So here is my first take on writing this long post for my one and only Roxy. Of course, as much as I try to be perfect on everything that I do ( Yes, I am OC like that and I could care less about what anyone thinks at this point) I make despisable errors sometimes. But enough about me, this is about Roxy. I do not want to write something that is filled with cliché’s all throughout this whole process of making Roxy happy (she asked me to write this because it will make her happy), so being the good friend that I am, I want almost everything here to be about her -- notice the "almost" meaning that I will still battle for some attention here and there. This is probably the only time that I will write something on a blog. I am never the blog writer like many of you who are reading this, so I do not really know exactly how I should start this guest post, but since Roxy said to me that I should just write whatever is in my heart at the moment, then I will write whatever it is that I have at this time.

I have not seen Roxy in over five years, but we have been friends since 5th grade, so it all started when we were 9 or 10 years old. And over the course of time things just evolved into a great friendship that has a dynamic relationship -- which is insurmountable by anything else that I personally had. We have this form of communication that I know I have never had with anyone else, even with some of my so-called "friends." This form of communication that I am referring is based on the conversations that we have every time we speak with each other on any given occasion. We talk about a lot of things that I would not like to delve into, because only her and I could understand them. Maybe if you become one of our friends then you would have a hint or some kind of idea on just how much me and Roxy have fun in our own small or big ways by just talking and keeping each other company. I have observed and now actually just comprehending the fact that Roxy and I have had friends that became parts of our lives for a few years, and mind you, they have only been around for just a matter of time. I would not name names because it would not be fair to them, and I kind of also would like to keep this post diplomatic. However, this will be a long post so we will see how far it gets me from being diplomatic to just plain old blunt. This is only a warm up, just to get you bloggers (I just realized I may have used the proper term to describe you) interested, or not, whichever I really do not have any description for it. This is for Roxy anyway, so as long as I keep this post interesting and substantial for her, I'm all set. :)

Going back to saying why I am writing this "guest post" is because Roxy, again, have sugarcoated a lot of the things she said to me just so I would write this. It worked. I am now on my third paragraph, hurray! Man, how long does this post have to be? You know, it is a lot of pressure if you think of it. So basically I am just babbling about how everything came about for me to write this post, but I assure you, the best is yet to come (or something). Roxy, you know that I only write long letters when I know or have an idea that only one person or two will be reading them, not when it is for everyone in the world to see. Just so we are all clear, when I am referring to you bloggers, I do not mean any harm. I like bloggers, I think you guys can change the course of history for the better. I raise a glass to you.

Ok, Roxy, Roxy, Roxy, what the hell am I doing here? I really do not know how I am supposed to express myself here -- how candid I should be and/or how authentic this post should be. But in all cases, here is a toast to you, for being the person that is you. For making many people that have had the chance to be in your presence learn how great of a person you are. I do not think people really know how genuine a day become when you are around. Roxy is a type of person that really care about the people that she adores and love (could be temporarily or permanent) so she always makes every minute, hour, or day somewhat interesting and something that you would think is not wasted. I remember during High School, our rebellious years where we would just cut class and spend the afternoon at my house (literally 40 steps away from our school so it is very convenient and smart) and just do things that are merely academic. Nonetheless, I would not say it was unproductive because this was the time where we were just carefree, testing the waters (muddy or clear if you know what I mean), and identifying with everything that surrounded us whether it is family, friends, and philanthropic work. Yes, I consider lending money to the ones that needed it for the consumption of goods as a noble work during that time -- and maybe this time too, who knows? So this one time that I think, if I could remember correctly, I was on the phone in our living room and Roxy was sitting on the floor (the Indian seat) and I was eating some pan cakes, with Roxy being the food lover that she is, and me being the greedy-when-it-comes-to-food-with-Roxy that I am, I would not share it with her. So here I go forking the last piece of the pancake with a few inches away from my mouth and out came what seemed like the character flash with a hand so quick grabbed the pancake in one svelte move and shoved it in her mouth. I remember biting air and how delicious it was that it almost chipped my front tooth. I am not kidding. Of course, we laughed it off and did my complaining about how I wanted that last piece of pancake so bad, but then Roxy would just look at you and smile and laugh. So that was just one moment that I am pretty sure Roxy still remembers. We even talked about in our conversations just to think about those good times. Ok, I guess I am now getting the hang of this whole guest post writing, so maybe I will share another story that every time I think about it, it never fails to put a smile on my face. This was freshmen year of High School in the Philippines, it was the afternoon classes, and this was the year when hand sanitizers were just becoming popular, the alco-gels and the like. So I remember a classmate of ours brought a small bottle of VitaSoft Hand Sanitizer w/ Fragrance. I asked for a test and put a small amount on my hand, Of course I smelled it and even the rest all over my hands. Now Roxy came over and said "Huy, ano yan!? Patingin naman"(What’s that? Can I see?) So our classmate put some on Roxy's hand. I noticed that she had a lot on her hand, then she smelled it as usual, so me being in front of Roxy, and me, being the playful person that I am, hit the back of her hand where she had the VitaSoft Alco-Gel. At this point, I did not know what happened with the alco-gel, if Roxy had accidentally snorted some of them or it had went to her mouth because Roxy kept her hand on her face, well, her nose and mouth were covered. Then she took her hand off and her was face so red, so I chuckled, and then I think I ran and Roxy chased me while blurting obscene words. Here, let me visualize it for you, I was running out of the classroom and roxy was chasing me cursing the words "Putangina mo!" (You son of a bitch!) Wow, that was so funny. I think we were 11 years old during that time right Roxy? It was during our 1st year of High School. That was a lot of fun. I remember during that time when I would not come to school in the morning and just show up in the afternoon or not even show up to school at all, I would get a phone call from this PT&T phone booth in school and I would instantly know who it is, Roxy would just tell me "Lanz! Pupunta ako jan!"(Lanz! I will go there!) and she would just come over to my house, it would be around 10AM during recess time and she would just not come back to school after that. She would then see me at my house watching TV in my parents room that became my room, and with the PC left on, and the AC turned on as well. She was in heaven because that is basically what she came over to my house for; if the AC was turned off Roxy would then say "Huy, buksan naman natin yung aircon." (Hey, let's turn on the AC) And of course, she does not wait for my approval; she would just reach for it and turn it to the coldest temperature. We would just stay in my house for the rest of the day, the normal routine would be me sleeping in the afternoon (Man, what a mess of a child I was back then) and she would be on the internet surfing or playing the Sims game on my PC, we have this cheer when we're playing the Sims or anything referring to the Sims game, we would go " one, two, three, the Sims!" Man, that was so funny, and if you are interested to know, it is not yelled normally, we enunciate these words in a way that is ours. So when evening comes that's when she would still stay at my house but leave late when the coast is clear. She would even have an accomplice to bring her book bag to my house in the afternoon when school was over. I would come up with brilliant ideas like that being the mastermind and Roxy being my partner in crime. Everything was a blast and a half whenever Roxy and me are together. She loves the song “Crave” by Marc Dorsey, so we came up, well, I came up with the subject on our emails one time with this word “Ichurlovdetaistylcreifv,”(It’s your love that I still crave) because this was part of the song that had seven words that when put together in one word, this is what it would be spelled and sound like.

What else do I remember that is worth sharing to the world? Hmm... You see, I do not know how I will be conveyed after I finish this post, but feel free to share your thoughts with Roxy. It's all good. I know she will communicate this with me. Maybe you would like to become our friend, meaning, you can fill in with those people that became our gimik buddies, but then later on would be replaced by someone else. I would say that a person is lucky if they stick around and just be our friend. Roxy and I have the same personality, I think we are the type-C personalities where we are a combination of the type-A and the type-B, it is a good balance if you think of it. People come and go into our lives, she has her friends, and I have mine but we have this friendship that an individual or a group would like to join. I do not really want to tooth my own horn here, but I have to admit, all the things that Roxy and I do are so cool that an outsider would want to join the fun with us. It just seemed that when we are together possibilities are endless, fun times are endless, a great roller coaster ride for the ages is always ready, and things are just better. It is always nice to share goals, accomplishments, dreams with someone that you know will be there to support you, and by "supporting" you, meaning telling you the truth whether it be in the category of rash decision making or a brilliant idea -- honesty was always there. And with that, this means that our personalities also clash, so it is not always just good things and having a fun time with one another. Roxy and I also fight, but now that I am just thinking of it, our fights never last very long. And usually our fights were based on petty and superficial things that if brought up today would not even be an issue anymore, just to give you an example, one fight would be if she does not do what I ask (Ok, maybe that's a pretty harsh description of it) but mainly if she doesn't believe in what I say. Wow! Ok, this post is becoming somewhat of a therapy for me now, a revelation perhaps? I am getting a sense that I am learning about myself throughout this whole process as well. Ok, so maybe I was an evil kid back in the day, I am not so much of an evil kid now. I just now realize that Roxy truly is a great person because it actually took me a minute or two to write and think of something that she had done that we had an argument about, and all I could think about is because I always want to get my way. Hmmm... That’s pretty interesting. Ok bloggers, time for an intermission, I am going to start rambling again about how this is my first post and that I am an amateur blogger. Maybe you noticed that I start writing "hmmm..." now and maybe that's a good sign that I am starting to get a little bit comfortable with this. I kind of had to push myself to do this because I promised Roxy that I would write her this for her birthday. Earlier I felt like this post was homework from school so I was slacking off for a bit. But hey, I got to this point so there's no turning back now. Ok, bloggers, so here is another round of what is going on in my mind at this point.

Here is an email from Roxy from 2002, I was already living far far from the Philippines and this is the kind of email that Roxy would send me; this should set the tone on how much we understand each other:

Monday, April 1, 2002 1:35 AM From:Roxy@Roxy.com To:Rafaelle@rafaelle.com

Subject: Tanginamo!!!

hoy,!!!!

tang ina mo!!!! at ano nanamang katangahan sa buhay ang ginagawa mo at hindi ka man lang natawag sakin!!!???? ha?! anong problema mo!!!!!???? mas nakuha mo pang tawagan si ******!!!???? BAHALA KA NGA!!!!! BAHALA KA SA BUHAY MO.........

(Translation: Motherfucker! What is this stupidity that you're doing in your life that you are not calling me???? Huh?! What is your problem!!!!??? You would much rather call *******!!!??? Do whatever you want!! Do whatever you want in your life.....<There's more but this should be enough>)

(Roxy : Oh my god! Who is that I’m getting jealous about!?)

So there you go, that should set the mood. That's just one example; of course, I would not want to post our correspondence with each other here because there are a lot of things on our emails that only her and I would understand. Because clearly, if you were an outsider, which technically you are, you would have your pre-conceived notion about how we are. Well, if you're interested, again, just talk to Roxy I guess.

Oh! I remember the time when we went to Alabang. We were sophomores in High School and 12 at the time. Now, mind you, it is a big deal just going to Sta. Rosa (a city in Laguna which is an hour away from San Pablo) but going to Alabang at our age? Man, we were trendsetters. We are pioneers at our school when it comes to going to places that not any of our schoolmates have ever been before, so when we actually see some of our schoolmates going to these places, we just stop going there and just venture out on other places because that, to us, is an indication that it has become mainstream and have lost its exclusivity (Yep, sorry mga jologs! lol). So going back to my story of our trip to Alabang, I borrowed my Dad's car and we had the driver drive us anywhere we wanted to go. I am just now recollecting some of the things we did there. We went to the Festival Mall and afterwards, at the Alabang Town Center. I am trying to remember what we did there, but all I can remember was our way back to San Pablo, we stopped by at Treats in Petron at the South Expressway (which I recently found out is no longer around, other establishments have now followed the trend) and just hung out there for a bit, we talked we laughed, we chilled, and we ate a lot. One of our buddies said a joke about the juice that he was drinking, it was Plus+ King size orange juice (Like Zesto for any of you who knows) and we just laughed. It was funny, and yes, Roxy was eating. We had such a great time, I think we got home at a decent time a little bit after 12, but hey, that was a decent time for us. Everything back in those days just leaves a mark to my core that I will always cherish. Those were the good old days, but it is not the end of the good times. If you noticed, I've only described these incidences as "good," meaning the great times are yet to come! I am so looking forward to that because I know that it is not just going to places by land anymore with us this time. We are going to places by air. This is one of those things that Roxy and I share, we love travelling and seeing the world, learning about different cultures and cavorting different values. Again, just so we're clear, we are well-mannered people when we have to be, just not with each other, and I think you can only have that characteristic with someone when they are your true friend; that is what I found in Roxy. She truly is a great friend no doubt about it.

One post is not enough to depict and celebrate Roxy on her 21st birthday. I wish that I could be there with her celebrating and toasting for a new chapter in her life, and in our lives altogether. These are the chapters in our lives where we are now becoming contributors to society. Her generosity and kindness are often mistaken as weakness, but rest assured she is the most authentic and warm-hearted person that I know. We have evolved from being the easy-go-lucky-smart-slackers in High School solely dependent on our parent’s income to the well-mannered, well-educated, easy-go-lucky-smart-professionals solely dependent on our own income. It truly is amazing how far we have become, but Roxy and I know that we are only getting started, because having goals and dreams, for us at least, knows when to act to make it the proper and right time. Roxanne, thanks for being the most genuine person that you are, you are loved by many including me, especially, because you have contributed major things in my life that helped establish where I am today. Happy Birthday.

Rafaelle