"WALKING MILESTONES"
Everybody must've a milestone in their lives-- a certain kind of experience or person that one meets, the same kind of experience and person that changes your life forever.
Apparently, I guess my milestones would have to be last year and this year. I've met so many people that have changed my entire way of thinking, and my general view of life.
Last year,I met Allan. Another one of those gym buffs that I noticed because of his talkative nature. Sometimes I got annoyed by him (basically because he talked a lot with his other gym friends).
After a few months, God must've spun my life around. Allan eventually became one of the few people who are close to me. Sometimes he still annoys me, whenever he picks on me for wearing high heels or trendy clothes. A lot of times, I also get irritated by the way he grins whenever he chuckles. (I never told him about my annoyance though..hehehe)
But anyway, despite all that, Allan is the one who taught me the purpose of failure and the importance of taking risks. I remember the time we were discussing about success and failure. I argued quite stubbornly that plans are better than sponteneity. He, on the other hand, listened quietly and told me how successful people got to where they are. Taking risks, he said, is the only way to find one's way to success. A life of rigid plans is bound to fail, basically because in life, there is no sure thing. Even if a person plans, there is no assurance that things may go well in the end. That is why, according to him, one must take risks--and most of the time, huge risks.
And for every 100 failures or mistakes that one commits, there are also 100 lessons that one gains from them. (well, I got this from my art teacher)
He was right when he told me that I would remember him for what he said... because I did remember him for that. Fear of taking risks has always been my flaw. A lot of people had always expected me to achieve big things all the time, and those expectations have put too much pressure on me lately. Because I didn't want to disappoint those expectations, I have become afraid of making mistakes, or failing. In the long run, I have become afraid of taking risks.
What Allan told me that day has moved me completely. Then I realized that I was talking to someone who has learned from experience. And I could trust his words because he has become a wiser man...
I will always carry those words with me.
Last year also, I have become closer to one of my brads in an organization. I never expected to be close to the guy, because a lot of my friends thought that he was weird. He was known to be schizophrenic, and many of my friends have discriminated him.
Christian has always been the bubbly fellow. He was annoying sometimes too. Most of the time, I feel as though I've been taking care of a five year old brat. He just never seemed to be able to contain himself. I rarely see him in his best (physically), and he's very flakey.
But beyond that exterior, I found one of the most brilliant people that I have ever known in my entire life. Christian and I have quite different beliefs. I love talking about the purpose of life, while he loves talking about death. I am more protestant than catholic, while he was more catholic than protestant. In certain aspects where I can be quite pessimistic, he shows a more optimistic attitude, and vise versa.
I remember the time when it was raining hard, and we took shelter at the Registrar's office. I was telling him how intimidated I was by a particular blocmate. I told him that when I meet someone whom I believe may be smarter than me, I always feel a bit inferior. What he told me was wonderful:
"Alam mo, wag ka matakot sa mga katulad nya.Naiinis ako kapag natatakot ka sa mga kagaya nya..Alam mo kasi,ako, hindi ako natatakot sa mga matatalino,kasi alam ko na kung gugustuhin ko lang,e kayang kaya kong maging katulad nya. I've been there,and I've done that. Ngayon,I choose to be average. E kung pinili ko din umangat,e mas mahihigitan ko pa siya. Kaya wag kang matakot o kabahan,kasi wala kang pagkakaiba sa kanya."
When he told me that, I simply smiled back.For one,I couldn't believe that the words were coming from his mouth; for another,I admired his wisdom.
We don't always talk about things like this. A lot of times, we talk about stupid things-- things like the annoying faces of the people that we don't like, or the perverted ideas boggling inside his head (Christian is fond of talking about topics that a lot of us would consider "sensitive").
Anyway,I have always thought of Christian as a wonderful friend. He has become one of my favourite companions, basically because his mind jives well with mine, and because of his sense of sponteneity and adventure.
Christian is one of those people that do not boast about themselves. No one really knows how smart he actually is, until they get to know him better. He defintely isn't what he appears to be.
Sir Christian Narito has also become one of my favourite people. He is my friends' teacher in History and P.I.100.. He usually sits with us at our tambayan almost every afternoon. He was quite a joker. What I admire about him, however, is his compassion for the country. (Yeah, sounds kinda corny, but wait till you hear directly from him)
I only got to hang out with him once. I was with a friend, Lea, at Isis cafe. We saw him come into the cafe, so we invited him over to sit with us. We chatted there till it was midnight. The conversation wasn't really that long, but it was amazing and full of insight. Sir Narito asked Lea and me a few questions regarding what we want out of life, and he told us a short story. After the story, he told us that it's okay to dream and aspire things.. But he also told us that we must not neglect our duties while trying to achieve our dreams. He told us, "Sa buhay natin, madami tayong mga roles na dapat gampanan..bilang anak, asawa, estudyante, miyembro ng komunidad, kristyano, kaibigan, at iba pa...Madami sa atin ang nakakalimot sa mga roles na ito. Madalas, ang pagiging miyembro lang ng isang komunidad ang ating ginagampanan, o ang pagiging isang kaibigan lang.. Pano na ang iba nating roles? Hindi naman natin pwedeng iwan ung role natin bilang anak,o kaya kristyano..Lagi nyong tatandaan na kung anu man ang pinapangarap nyo sa buhay, palagi nyong dapat isaalaala ang iba pang obligasyon na naka-attach sa mga roles nyo."
Sir Narito also told us to never forget everyone we meet. As much as possible,we have to memorize the names of our acquaintances. He said, "Learn to walk with the kings, but never lose the common touch",as he talked about the importance of the people we meet, no matter what their status is.
Sir Narito was known for ending his classes with, "Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!" A lot of people think that he was geeky for doing that. I think that he was being patriotic.
Well, this year, I met another person. He was quite a big guy, a little taller than me I suppose, and also wearing glasses. An addition to the Shapers Gym family.
Levi's one of Allan's friends. I only noticed him because he shouts louder than the other guys at the gym when he works out. He was friendly, in a way, and he looks you straight in the eye when engaging in a conversation.
Maybe this is one of those people that Sir Narito was also talking about.. Levi was a new acquaintance, and I also got to hang out with him only once. It was Thursday. Levi, Allan, Christian and I went out on a gimik. It was raining pretty hard and I thought that the gimik would have to be cancelled. When Christian and I were about to leave the place where we were supposed to wait, Levi came up to us and told us that we're still on the gimik.
Later that night, he explained that when one arranges for an appointment or meeting, no matter what happens, that person would still have to attend to the appointment or meeting. Yep, I remember what he said quite well: "Alam nyo kasi, kung sinabi mo na pupunta ka, kahit pa bumagyo o magkudeta,e pumunta ka." He talked about keeping one's word. Of course, there are times when you have arranged to go to a meeting but circumstances just won't let you. When you have to back out of a meeting, you'd have to back out while it's still early, and not during the meeting itself.
But the one thing that really struck me was his notion of life. "Life is not a destination, but a journey. Hindi siya straight na daan. Madalas, madaming paligoy ligoy.. Yes, problems come. But remember that problems also go. So just enjoy life."
I used to think of Levi as just another one of those gimikeros.. Apparently, he must've slipped into my list of milestones. He turned out to be a great and interesting guy. He lent me a book, which belonged to his grandfather. He let me borrow it for my thesis. The book was entitled, "The Living Talmud".. Well, I didn't just use it for my thesis. I found the book very interesting.
If these guys were probably reading this blog right now, I'd probably get killed for my little comments about them.hehehe But anyway, they have become major milestones in my life right now, whether they know it or not. So if ever I become successful in the future, I would partly owe it to them.
This is just one of those life-changing events. You never know who could touch your life and help you go the extra mile. | 
