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naisin ko mang panindigan ang pagsusulat dito sa filipino mula ngayon, alam kong di ko magagawa. inaasam ko ang panahon nuong ako ay nasa elementarya, nuong madalas kaming magsulat sa filipino, at doon nahasa ang aking pagsusulat sa ating sariling wika.
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so anyway, the other week, i hung out with college kids. quite by happenstance. serendipity, i guess you could say. (not the movie though, mind you)
i was assigned to write about this local band for the local paper. i tried to find someone who knew them, and somehow was able to contact a former student of mine who has a band. and baguio being the small community it is, all "bandistas" are friends. well, in general.
so i met with her and her bandmates at this bar/billiards/RPG place. it was a scene straight out of "pare ko" (for the older generation: think brat pack or bagets). they were talking about riffs, and bands i've never heard of, and they were playing these songs that were completely unfamiliar to my ears. but it was fun watching them drink red horse, eat chips, and smoke (careful not to breath any in my direction, of course) while complaining about having no money and blabbing about their dreams.
when i was introduced as someone who "writes for cosmo", i was baffled at how they could discuss the variety (or lack thereof) of topics, the quality (or lack thereof) of bachelors, and how they preferred this issue over the last one. what really blew me away was how, when i mentioned i had a piece in this month's issue about baguio, they practically quoted it back to me verbatim. *i* don't even have my pieces memorized!
i felt like i was watching a movie, being part, but not quite, of their discussion. the band, hardboiledeggz, had just arrived from manila, i was told, and would be swinging by. they even told me: "maybe you can interview them now". well, i wasn't really up to interviewing a bunch of tired guys who just wanted to drink and hang out. besides, i'm not one to do interviews without prior notice. so i decided i would just wait for them to come by and fix on a specific time when they were available the next day. i met one of their bandmembers and their "manager" and fixed a time for the next afternoon. then, though it was only 8, i thought it was time to make my exit. the kids didn't want me to leave yet, but i thought it was more appropriate to let them enjoy the rest of their night, oldie-free. so they went with me to get a cab (who knows why they would think i needed them to escort me!), before going back and resuming their inuman.
i have to say, it was a refreshing and interesting experience.