#journal entry: thoughts in idleness

Namaluskay duman ako ka mga ginpang-gamos ko nga kapapelan... kag nagkitaay duman kami kang mga kinurisan ko ka una. Basta gani super English pa sinulat ko, sayuron super daan dun dya nga pinanid kang akon journal...

some time in 2005...

Cafe Bob's is not so crowded when we walked... It's a perfect haven for intimate conversations and ruminations of life...

Jing and I did not draw much attention with the bulky bags we carry or the ragged outfit (an obvious indicator of our Ilonggo roots, and a resistance to new trends). But when we started measuring the circumference of each table, in search for the one that meets our need to be exclusive, we not only catch people's attention but their amused interest as well.

Then we started talking and the world fades around us...

It's always like this with friends. No matter where we are, as long as we're together, all is all right in the world. Time fades, even age. It doesn't even matter that we talk about the same things over and over again. Or that we see the same faces over the years. It's the company we keep. The feelings and sentiments we share. The sense of affirmation and acceptance. We are secures that no matter what our opinions may be or how weird we could be sometimes, we are always listened to and respected.

There was a time when we dined out that we overheard a discussion so like the discussions we have... when we turned around to look and see who they might be... we saw four respectable women in their 40s talking about the very same things, my friends and I would like to dissect, analyze or reflect... So we are that "old" already. It's either these women are late bloomers, or we were not born in our time.

It's interesting how topics or conversations change among friends with the onset of age. It seems that the older you get, the more talkative you become. Perhaps this is because less effort is exerted in physical activities (thus the phrase, "mellow down with age") so the excess energy is spent in exercising the jaw.

In our early twenties, right after college graduation, our talks are mostly about the path we're going to lead. Questions like, "What is the meaning of life, my purpose in this world, where am I going to, what now", the rat race are discussed over cups of coffee or greasy fast food fries and iced tea.

Mid 20's to early 30's... some of us are already in our 2nd or 3rd jobs or in between employment. Talks would revolve around work, advocacies, family life (for those who are married). love, sex and relationships, what we have done, what we have missed. what we want to do... plans, plans, plans..

For mid 30's to late 40's -- more on home life, raising children, educational plans, insurances, health and stress, midlife crisis, achievements/failures, retirement plans...

For 50s and beyond (if we get lucky), then it will be about retirement, what now, health and arthritis, rheumatism, grandchildren, what's up with who, who had gone ahead, who are still alive, who is going to be next... reminiscing, reminiscing, reminiscing...

"I hate to think that all my current experiences will someday become stories with no point." - Calvin & Hobbes

---

Obviously, ginsulat ko dya in my mid20s... hah! Ano ang topic kun early 40s dun kamo? Fangirling & menopause 🤣😏