Thursday, July 17, 2008

outside the circle (part1)

someone once told me that no matter how old you are, how vast your experiences and how fascinating the conversations you may have been, the greatest stories in life are still yet to come. and most of us fail to witness these, because such usually happen outside our circle and many of us tend not to go outside of it.

i always wondered how is it like to have someone or a friend that is completely different from the ones you currently have. but don't get me wrong. for i am very and ever be grateful with the friends that i have at present. we may have our own litny versions on how lucky we are to have our friends. but probably mine would be the quote from claudine barreto (or whoever she may have quoted this line) which was, "i don't know how good i was in my past life to deserve them in this life time." nonetheless, these are just thoughts that usually pass by once in a while. just like now.

believe it or not, when i was in college, i had an actual list of people which i want to have as friends. these people vary in terms of personalities, class, lifestyles and most of all, life stories. for i rather listen than talk when it comes to conversations different from my usual.

but i almost forgot all about it. until tonight when i tried reorganizing some of my archives in my room and found the actual list. the feeling while i was reading that piece of paper was unexplainable. there were so many memories that popped out in my head that my system got confused and didn't know what emotion/s it needed to trigger up. nonetheless, one thing is for sure. it really made me smile and completed my day.

basically, the list includes a prostitute, a priest, an abortionist, a farmer, a cross dresser, a skyscrapper, an embalmer or coroner, a sexy starlet, a clown, a prisoner, an asylum patient and someone with a terminal ailment such as an AIDS victim. after reading it, i tried checking which among the items in the list can i already put a name into.

first, i have maco, a prostitute that me and jamie met in burnham park when we were in college. he became a respondent for our case studies in separate classes. i remember that during that conversation, i have realized that i am actually hearing a different story from the ones me and jamie were actually expecting. there i have learned to never speculate what your respondent will answer in a research.

maco was actually a boatman before becoming a callboy. surprisingly, he confessed to us that it was not really money that drove him to enter the business. at first, it was peer pressure. a couple of his friends, who were also male prositutes, invited him to try it atleast just for one night and out of curiousity, he did. he told us that it wasn't really what he expected. there were no regrets nor guilt eating up his dignity: that he actually liked it: that it didn't really matter to him if he was doing it to a man or a woman: that probably he might be a pervert but atleast he was acting on what he believes would satisfy him. thus, he stayed and continued doing it.

it was already in my senior year when i came across with him again while walking in session road. probably after more than a year or so, i was still able to recognize him. he was with a group of 5 or more men. and in a way, i know that he still recognizes me judging by the way he looked at me during that time. i also remember that i was shouting and looking for jamie's name in my head. then we were about to pass each other he smiled and raised his brows at me. and yes, i raised my brows too as a response. then smiled after he passed by my side.


to be continued...

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

so will this series include how you met a sexy starlet? hehe

mikel said...

[continued from jericho]

...or a clown? [spooky]

Julienne said...

"i rather listen than talk when it comes to conversations different from my usual."

me too.

looking forward to the priest and the prisoner, kung meron.

aayy gusto ko na ring gumawa ng listahan.

Niel said...

taga Baguio sya tapos boatman sya dati? hindi nga sya kikita doon.

. said...

Ano pa kaya ang mga na meet mong tao. Btw, that's what I enjoyed in Journalism, you really get to meet different people. It's in my major where I realize how to be alive. Ehehe.

Seriously, I let people come into my life. Hindi natin alam kung sino ang matitira at mawawala. It's one of the avenues where I let fate decide who stays in my life.

Anonymous said...

hey wanderer, dapat you tagged bloggers na lang. This would be an interesting post and sharing for everyone. I had a couple of encounters na nsa list mo at may dagdag pa. :P

loooking forward sa next post mo.

[chocoley] said...

It's great to see that yew have tht countless good friends along with yew.

I'm excited to read the continuation. :)

KRIS JASPER said...

cant wait for the next part....

N said...

this is excitingly interesting and very informative.

hmnnn, this made me remember (again, makakalimutin ako hehe)those friends listed in my palm pda.

but would it be more proactive to engage in conversations "other than the usual" actively? it's a risk but it's an insightful immersion.

another good entry there, ewik :)

Anonymous said...

Waw. Saya saya naman. Hehe. Hmmm.. Magkita kaya tayo sa recto? Hehe.

escape said...

i was surprise that you actually did a list. that's unusual.

taga Baguio ka ba? ill be there today till the weekend.

Chyng said...

@neil camhalla,
if he's a boatman, then probably he has a yummy biceps too! ;)

Kape Kanlaon\ said...

i'd love to read (or hear) more stories about them.. why don't you make a podcast? hehehe

... said...

sa finale na ako magco-comment.

... said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joaqui said...

The list is very interesting. Hmmm.. maybe I'll come up with my own list together with things I want to do/experience before the year ends.

Thanks for the idea. :)

♥ N o v a said...

The world is populated with billions of people, all with a story or tale to tell of their life. I've met and come across so many different people, from all walks of life, and one day, hopefully, I can write my memoirs and experiences of having met all these unique and extraordinary individuals.

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Ely said...

Niel Camhalla, baka boatman siya sa Burnham lake, hehehe

wanderingcommuter said...

ely:
opo, boatman nga talaga siya sa burnham lake... hehehe

nova: exactly, and hopefully i'll be able to be the first person to read that.

joaqui: yupyup! why not post it as well. share mo, it is actually good na gumawa ka ng list ng mga bagay na gusto mong gawin. so that you'll be able to keep track.

mel: may palagay ako aabot ako ng seven part dito eh... seriously. hehehe.

lance: podcast? hmmm... *mouth bubbling*. hahaha... i am not that techie... wait! is this treh voice recording thing?! hahaha..

chyng: probable he has.. unfortunately, that i didn't check...hehehe...

dong: nop. i just stayed there for more than four years for college... my suggestions to visit would include: vocas in la azotea building, cafe by the ruins near PIA and pet and negativity cemetery in camp john hay... just to get out from the typical tourist spot in the place.
anonymous: hey thanks for updating. i think the jollyjeep makes sense than the jollijeep. well, one thing among the many things that i find very impressing about makati is that they really implement what ordinance they create. the essence of professionalism and public service are indeed present.
bino: hahaha. i seldom go in recto na. because as of the moment, my work schedule is conflicting my classes. i am actually considering filing a LOA. but who knows we still might bump into each other...
white: hey, thanks, white! why not share that list as well? i bet its more interesting than mine. hehehe.
i think everything is a risk... its just that you'll never know unless you try it.

kj: hehehe. thanks! so far, so good. but let see once i get outside training. hehehe.

dazedblu: yeah you bet! sure, as ive mention a while ago. probably this post might be a 7 part long entry... hehehe

khentutz: actually that a nice idea, khen... i don't know if i'll be able to catch this entry up to the idea. nonetheless, i will defintiely consider that for the next entry.

mugen: kuya joms, ang saya ng course mo... yup! this are the things that make us alive. hearing stories from different people. probably because we are moved, inspired and learned lesson from them... haaay

niel: mahirap na talaga ang buhay ngayon. at pansin ko din kapag nagiging tourist spot ang isang lugar, tumataas din ang prostitution rate...

aracir: spoiler ako kung sasagotin ko yan. but para sa iyo, sadly, wala pa po ako.. pero kung may irerecommend kang penpal na prisoner. go! hahaha...
sige gawa ka din tapos share mo ha?!

amicus: although i fear them. sometime syou just have to face it. as the great tzu said, the best way to defeat an enemy is to befriend the, hehehe.

jericho: abangan... hehehe. dagdag excitement.

xxxborgexxx said...

Hold a priceless glass. Then drop it. Then it becomes interesting. This one is. A good read. Keep it up.