scintillate, scintillate, globule vivific

I’ve always been a curious person. When something interests me, I tend to ask a gazillion (annoying) questions. I also tend to want to experience something first hand before forming an opinion. I ask for other people’s opinions, and if their responses 1) don’t satisfy me, or 2) fill me with even more curiosity, I plunge in. This curiosity has more than once brought me trouble. But hey, experience is supposed to be the best teacher and all that cliched shit, right? Right.

Back when I was younger (tongue in cheek lol), I always wondered how Greek-lettered societies yfor females did their recruitment and hazing. Having been burned by past experiences because of my curiosity, I decided to weigh the pros and cons of actively seeking the answer to my latest mind boggling issue. My former dormitory roommate was a member of one of those college-based sororities, and she confided that she was on the receiving end of a paddle only once, during the final rites. After which, she was a one with the rest of the one-paddle females. Sisters. Aside from the fact that I have an aversion to physical pain, I didn’t think I wanted to call someone who has just hit the back of my thighs a friend, much less a sister.

Screw my curiosity, I thought. I was taking Bio 12 then, and my lab partner was this adorable premed who reminded me of my first year high school best friend, Len Celeste. She’s petite, kind and sweet, sort of like the Kimmie character in My Best Friend’s Wedding. She looked so fragile that I didn’t believe it when she told me she belonged to a Greek-lettered society. Right, me and my stereotypes. Hurr. She invited me to join. I told her straight out that I wouldn’t be able to stand the paddling. She told me that there was no physical hazing involved. I believed her. I’m gullible, sue me. It was one of the 2 more respected sororities in the University, and I became one of its neophytes.

I quit before the final rites. Yes, I will never know if any physical hazing happened during the last rites, and by that time, I didn’t want to know. My curiosity was sated. It was a tiring phase because they wanted every free moment of your life, short of the time you have to go to sleep, devoted to them. This I had an issue with. I am a control freak. I want to be able to control my time. The actual hazing was more of a psychological attack. Thanks to that theater group I joined in high school and TCOCCO training, I was used to the shouting, the emotional blackmail. It’s all an act, with some lessons about sisterhood and the whole enchilada thrown in for good measure. By the time I quit, I was too tired and sleepy to care about the quitter horror stories/ urban legends. I thought, what was the worst they could do? Individually, they were well-bred, educated people. Why would they waste their time making some college junior’s life miserable, right? So I quit. My only regret was losing touch with 2 or 3 members I got along with pretty well.

Until a few days ago when I ran into one of them at the F Salon in Greenbelt. She was occupying the area next to mine, and she said that when Jeff (the guy who hot oiled my hair) mentioned my name, she remembered it from my neophyte days. She didn’t actually say that out loud, of course. Just introduced herself and gave the sorority’s acronym. I had totally forgotten about this whole sorority thing, and the first thing that came to mind was this university that had a similar acronym. I was weirded out because the only people I know from that school are my guildies, and I’m sure she isn’t one of them. She prolly mistook my poker face for, I dunno, apprehension? Because she said that it’s okay, something about college being college, and even hinted that I don’t have to be afraid she’ll harrass me or something. We exchanged pleasantries, some small talk about work, and got each other’s contact numbers. She asked for mine first. Hmm, should I be scared? Heehee.

I went to my first Parokya gig in 2 years last night at 70′s Bistro. I like the Bistro gigs because of the intimate ambiance. Aside from Mayric’s, this is the only place where you can ask Chito to sing covers like Crazy for You. Or ask Darius to sing, which he did. I was hoping to go with Jane, but the biatch wasn’t allowed by her mom to go. Rochelle couldn’t go either, so I hitched with Zsa, Jen, Queenie, and Len. You know that movie Almost Famous with Kate Hudson as the band aid slash groupie Penny Lane? Well, 2 years ago, I was a Penny Lane (sans the sex) for Parokya Ni Edgar. When I stopped going to the gigs, they would ask Rochelle and Dhonna where I was.

Gab was the first one to see me last night, and he smiled and waved from across the room. Zsa called Chito’s attention and nodded her head in my direction. Chito came over and shook my hand, saying “Tagal na nating di nagkikita ah. Nagwo-work ka na?” Then he made this “mano po” gesture with my hand.

They started the set with Sampip followed by Maniwala Ka Sana. They covered Hale’s The Day You Said Goodnight, Rivermaya’s Himala, and that Bamboo song, Noypi was it? Except it was “Hoy, Chino ako!” Mark Escueta of Rivermaya was there and subbed for drummer Dindin during Yes Yes Show. They sang I’ll Be There for You, complete with finger acrobatics by Chito, and even Kazee’s Narda. They made Darius sing Wonderful Tonight (“Yan ang lagi nyang kinakanta sa karaoke bar.”) and Birdie:

“Ang birdie ko ay medyo matulis
Konting hawak lang
Kahit walang pulutan”

Hahahaha! Way to go, Darius! My night was complete. They sang Gitara, my absolute favorite song of theirs. The gig ended at around 1am. Before leaving I gave each of them their usual chocolate stash. It was heartwarming that they still remembered me. When I approached Chito, he was about to high five me and I put the Ferrerro in his hand. Hahaha, he looked like a kid with his candy. He mussed my hair while I was leaving.

Some pichoors: 1) Alarius Eversor at the Toycon: with guildmate Syl who cosplayed as a Sin X 2) Alexander, Bax, Mami Jen, Ekoi and me 3) with Chito 4) with Buwi