This is your life

I was flipping through channels one Saturday morning and I chanced upon this familiar segment in Sesame Street hosted by muppet Guy Smiley called, "This Is Your Life!" Anyway for those of you too young (or too old) to remember this segment, Guy Smiley would interview an unsuspecting "thing" and help that thing appreciate its life by calling on important "personalities" who helped shape the thing into what it has eventually become...

The one episode I particularly remember is when he interviewed a tree. Guy Smiley started asking the tree some questions on how it came about. The tree didn’t feel particularly special. It felt it was just one of the trees in the woods. But Guy was out to prove the tree wrong. He wanted to show the tree that it is special, and that it took a lot of people and things to make it what it was.

Guy first showed the tree a picture of itself when it was but a cute little seed. And the tree got oh-so emotional and remembered how it was planted in the ground by this nice couple. All of a sudden, Guy Smiley (in his usual hyperactive manner) shouted something like, "And now straight from the countryside, Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So – the couple who planted you into the ground! Let’s give them a round of applause!" And lo and behold, an elderly couple suddenly walks in to the sound of canned cheers.

The tree, upon seeing the couple, was filled with emotion and started crying, "Oh, I can’t believe this is happening…" Guy wasn’t finished, though. He then introduced Sun and Rain who nourished the tree from its seedling days up to the time when it grew up. Then he brought in a wooden chair and a table, apparently made from another tree, whom the tree grew up with. An emotional reunion ensued, with the tree hugging Sun and Rain, the elderly couple, as well as the wooden chair and table. It was certainly one big tearjerker. That is, if you were a tree. But for a 6-year-old kid like me back then, I though it was pretty lame – "OK, enough with the senti stuff – bring on Ernie and Bert will ya!"

This Is Your Life – Part 2

Recently, I attended an alumni homecoming in Lourdes School of Mandaluyong (LSM) where I studied elementary and high school and I felt like that tree that Guy Smiley interviewed. All of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, I saw many of the "personalities" in my past.

My teachers from grade 3 were there. My old nerdy classmates were still pretty nerdy. And then there were the class bullies. You know, the ones who failed constantly, the ones who had to repeat several times and who remained in grade 3, despite the growth of facial hair. Surprisingly, most of those guys have changed. Some of my bully classmates, believe it or not, are now pastors!

While I was there in the reunion, a thousand memories suddenly flooded my mind. I remember the football games under the noontime sun. We played in our uniforms and returned to our classrooms soaked with sweat. We played football with our bully classmates, and by the time we were done, the smaller kids had to be scraped off the football field.

And man, I suddenly recalled all those hilarious song-and-dance routines during school anniversaries. We sang "Magtanim ay di biro…" Man, I can still see me in that stupid camisa de chino and red pajama pants. Yikes! Then, memories of those long hours under the sun during cadet training started coming in. "Pulutong...Da!" To this very day, I still don’t know what the heck that means. Did we need that training at all – especially if we could all be annihilated with a single A-bomb?

There are gazillion reasons why we shouldn’t be too excited about homecomings and reunions. Personally, I get this "squirmy" feeling when I think about all those embarrassing and fearful moments back when I was a kid. The moment I stepped in the school grounds, I felt that I traveled back in time. I was a kid again. I looked at the campus, the buildings, the corridors, the basketball court, the hallways, the classrooms, and they still looked the same. Sure, the skyline around our football field is now filled with buildings like Edsa Shangri-La, Richmonde Hotel and the Jollibee Center. But it was still basically the same school.

I went to the bathroom and it was the same – the sink, the urinal and the tiles. Even the "interesting" smell was the same. I had a tear in my eye. Well, it was partly because of the smell, but I must admit, I became emotional.

I walked around and saw a lot of familiar faces.

"Hey, there’s Maryanne Francisco, the secretary of the principal who was the crush of virtually everyone! Hey, there’s Mr. Dayo, our principal! Wow, he dyed his hair white? Cool! Oh, it’s really white now? Oops. Hey, Mr. De Guzman! How are you, sir? Man, you scared the wits out of us back then! Sir, you haven’t changed – you still look mean! Just kidding, sir! Hey, it’s Father Tiamson. Father, how are you? Hey, remember what I confessed before? Actually, there’s more, Father...remember when you had a flat and I said it was the janitor who did it?"

Then, of course, I saw a bunch of my former classmates – balding, beer-bellied and all. But still the best looking bunch among all the alumni. And it was really interesting to know what they were all up to now. There’s Dante who is now the GM of Nissan Gallery in Ortigas, and from whom I bought my car. Then there’s Daio who is GM of Toyota Pasong Tamo. Daio told me, "You should have bought a Toyota!" Dante disagreed and insisted I made a good choice. And a rumble nearly ensued.

Ahh, the good old days…we shared stories and anecdotes over bottles of beer. I couldn’t believe it actually: We were actually drinking beer in campus! We updated each other on how our other classmates were doing, both here and abroad, and I had this warm, comforting feeling – the feeling of true friendship, the one that lasts a lifetime because we shared so much.

In a sense, I had my own "This Is Your Life" segment that night, and I felt like the tree Guy Smiley interviewed. I began to appreciate life more. It’s interesting how one never really appreciates people, things, and times in one’s life until they’re gone. Those elementary and high school days in LSM are certainly some of the best times of my life. Sure, there were hard times, and I hated wearing a uniform everyday. And puberty was a crazy time, if you know what I mean. But looking back, I only have fond memories. I cherish every moment I spent there, even the scary, not-so-pleasant times, because everything turned out OK. And I would give anything just to go back, even for just a moment.

The reunion reminded me that every moment counts, even the bad ones. So, I resolved to cherish every moment, whether I’m going through a tight business fix, a boring day, or a pleasant experience. I will cherish it now, rather than look back fondly upon it 40 years later. And if Guy Smiley interviews me in the future, at least I can tell him, "No need for this senti stuff. I had a good life and the best people to spend it with, and yes, I was able to show them how much I appreciated them."

To the people who were part of my Lourdes days, let me tell you I appreciate every moment we had together and I look forward to more. And to the people I’m currently dealing with (in business or on a personal level), I hope I’m somehow contributing in making your life worth living.

If not, just give me a holler and remind me – "Hey, this is your life!"

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Thanks for your letter, folks! You may e-mail me at nepomucenor@mtv-asia.com.