of proms and barbecues

disclaimer: no sleep + project 8 rendezvous + brainstorming + coffee = non-sensical thinking

if i am now in high school, on my third or fourth year, last night would have been our juniors and seniors prom.

it's not that we were not able to hold one a decade ago [ay, napaghahalata], it's just that this feb thing has been like one LSS [read: last song syndrome] that keeps on sticking in my mind and has brought so many eerie ghosts from the past.

it would be gory to go over the details of how our prom went. but i will! only to veer away from the debasing almost-legal-holiday-ish v-day that most filipinos fuss about... not to mention the fun of it all! so, join me as i reminisce! hey, niq, demz, jayr, gen and cleo, let's get it on!

our third year in high school. syempre, most, if not, all of us are sorta thrilled with what happens during the prom night. you know, crushes plus dances is equivalent to one splendid anticipation [o ako lang? hehe]. first timers, eh. of course, add to that the fact that it is one night when girls are supposed to do the works, make-up, outfit, poise! pretty exciting for the boys, too. it is one grand excuse to talk to a crush, dance with her and hold her hand! hehehe...

ours was not as impressive as most proms in other schools are. not even close. venue pa lang, walang ka-impre-impression! JS proms in our school are always held within the confines of our quadrangle [as in apat na sulok talaga, literally!]. it usually commences with the "march" or "parade", whatever you call it, of all the third year and fourth year students towards their 'places.' then the ceremonies start, usually prepared by monique's favorite teacher, hehe. turnover of key [susi ata ni san pedro tinuturn over! ang laki sobra! as in exag!], exchange of candles [exag, aakyat ka sa stage para lang makipagpalit ng rose sa fourth year for a candle], reading of the last will [notarial o holographic? hehehe... it's the school paper ed-in-chief with the bequests, legacies and devises...exciting on my part, akala ko nun ako na yung maria clara, hehe], and then the cotillon de honor [i was then the oh-so-unfortunate "debutant" who has to sashay with a pink gown, dancing opposite a guy monique fondly knew, tapos nag-brownout! bwahahaha!]. i believe the latter was my class adviser's way of taking her sweet, sweet revenge [love nya kasi ako, hehe!]. the experience was so horrible. add to that the "menu" of what is supposed-to-be an elegant night - barbecue, sandwich, zesto, and a piece of mentos. swak di ba! hehehe... and mind you, despite donning formal attires, the class presidents have to go to the newsroom to get the food and deliver them to their classmates. eto pa, all "prom-mers" have to eat without any table at all [lap na lang]. how classy, ei! =D

despite and in spite of all these inconveniences [a.k.a. 'sana di na lang nag-prom'], i believe that each of us still has his or her own wonderful story to tell. something that they will treasure for the rest of their lives. mine was as simple as being able to dance with a person whom at that time i loved so much, notwithstanding the fact that we have just called it off three months before the prom. the happiness was inexplicable, perhaps, it was like having a night as cinderella had.

fourth year was a whole lot different. kasi ba naman, kayo na ang siga. =) the ambiance [or the lack of it] was still very much the same [we were seated kasi on the same side as in third year]. the food that was served did not change at all, if i remember it correctly. and the music? i can still recall mariah carey and boyzIImen's voices[one sweet day non-stop] as if it was just yesterday. then there are male classmates who kept their vows to dance with all their girl classmates. nakakatuwa. but, my excitement was much bigger than the previous year. iba na po nagagawa ng may boyfriend [guaranteed dance! hehehe]. it was so magical. i don't know. i danced with the same person the previous year and yet, i was more ecstatic. =D

summing it all up, my fourth year prom has lifted my spirits way above the first one. highly inconceivable as most 'firsts' are considered better than the succeeding ones. maybe because it wasn't just cinderella's night. it was my night.

i am of the opinion that indeed, proms are one of the girls' sweetest memories in life. it is like one enchanted evening that she is bound to look back at eternally. i know not of the reason. the lovely dress? perhaps. or it was a grand excusable excuse to be intimate with thy beloved? could be. or the fun spent with friends? probably. all i know is that it is something to be treasured forever. i know. because i still do.