Ten years ago (1998), I…

1. Almost got sued in juvenile court for breaking somebody’s arm using a door, an armchair, and a well-placed dropkick.  So I got kicked out from my section.
2. Found out that people found me “extremely weird” because I was talking to plants.
3. Realized that I’ve been missing out on the pleasures of eating cheese-flavored popcorn and melon-flavored snow cream.
4. Played the first computer game I was legitimately addicted to, and that game was StarCraft.
5. Was introduced by my own parents into politics by asking me what I thought of them voting for Jose de Venecia instead of Erap Estrada… and the Sunday night political roundtable over dinner began.

Five years ago (2003), I… 

1. Was in my sophomore year and was introduced to left-wing activism through the campus press.
2. Was the first student in my batch to consciously use a curse word (”fuck”) to emphasize a point in graded recitation.
3. Found out that the best way to kill seven minutes and spend two bucks is to smoke a cigarette.
4. Found out that the best way to kill five minutes and spend ten bucks was to buy “manggang international” from Manang Mani (mango, chili-flavored salt, bagoong, vinegar, and topped with a small amount of peanuts).
5. Started The Marocharim Experiment, and things will never, ever, be the same again.

Three years ago (2005), I…

1. Had my first legitimate, recognized and highly-publicized relationship that ended up on the kind of sour note that cemented the saga of it on the annals of campus history.
2. Had my first legitimate, recognized and highly-publicized romantic relationship that ended up on the kind of bitter note that cemented the saga of it on the annals of The Marocharim Experiment.
3. Realized that fighting for the one you love, and for causes you believe, in takes a lot out of you, and you start questioning things one by one.
4. Made friendships I never thought existed for me, or would last so long.
5. Entered phase one of my quarter-life crisis by hitting the big Two-Oh.

A year ago (2007), I…

1. Embarked on the thesis project that would have my very name etched in stone.
2. Realized that having a neurochemical imbalance isn’t all that bad, except that people want you to talk about it openly so that they can talk about it behind your back.
3. Realized that I don’t really have to put up with things I can’t do, or things I don’t like, so maybe I should start making myself happy for once.
4. Met the biggest group of hemorrhoidal, diarrheal, constipated, fistulated assholes in the world that to call them mere “assholes” is to dignify their statuses as such.
5. Finally got over my anger issues and began to deal with my inner self.

Yesterday, I…

1. Got to talk with my dentist, who says that I’m better off allowing my mild tooth-root abcess to go away on its own because no man can stand the pain of extraction sans anaesthesia.
2. Was watching the news and was sold on the genuineness of Jun Lozada, and that Gloria Arroyo should take the high road and resign.
3. Started familiarizing myself with the taste of Pepsi and RC Cola, because Manila is not the land of Coke.
4. Heard of what happened in UP Baguio’s miting de avance and resolved not to write about it because I don’t have actual evidence to start ranting.
5. Played the 20th loop of “Uninvited” on my phone, so I resolved to buy a bigger memory card with my first salary.

 Today, I…

1. Explained to my mom that Chucks are perfectly suitable for my work attire.
2. Opened a bank account, but my mom and the teller were kind of surprised that I don’t know how to count money fast.
3. Helped a neighbor out by loaning out one of my suits for his high school prom.
4. Am planning on watching a “Maalaala Mo Kaya” episode.
5. Developed a celebrity crush on KC Concepcion (I don’t know who I’m crushing on anymore: Anne Curtis, Shaina Magdayao, or KC)

Tomorrow, I will…

1. Never know.

* - grabbed from Erik

   Tomorrow is the beginning of a whole new chapter of my life: I’m leaving Baguio - my home for all my 22 years - and I’m moving to Metro Manila.  I’ve never been so prepared for a big move.  I’ve just opened my own bank account, bought myself a new pair of red-and-black Chucks, and even went so far as to pay my last cedula (community tax) in Baguio for quite a while.

   But still, I can’t help but feel a bit sentimental.  Sure, signing a tax identification number that makes me an official taxpayer for Pasig City doesn’t mean much, but it struck into me a sort of epiphany: everytime I’ll come back to Baguio, I would be no different from a tourist.  I would probably find myself in the pasalubong sections of the City Market buying peanut brittle and strawberry jam for friends and family in Manila, and the Baguio brooms I have grown so accustomed to would all of a sudden become novel.  Somehow, I hate the thought of leaving, but we all can’t have our cakes and eat them too.

   The Big Move will mark the beginning of my personal and financial independence, but I will miss a hell of a lot of things about being dependent.  With great personal and financial power comes great personal and financial responsibility.  Now that I’m “free,” it doesn’t sound as good as I always thought.  My daily allowance is now at the palm of my hand, and the same goes with rent, food, and other expenses.  I can’t ask for my mom to give me another hundred bucks to tide me over for prepaid load and for snackage.

   I made my own bed when I told my parents I’m off to find my fortune, and to fend off for myself.  Now, I have to sleep in it.  Not just for a six-hour bus trip to Cubao, but for the rest of my life.  The Big Move marks the beginning of my freedom, but it also marks the end of my life as a tax dependent.  It marks the end of my life as a kid, and the beginning of my life as a man.