Seeing those kids singing Brownman Revival’s reggae version of Eraserheads’ “Maling Akala” reminds me so much of my college days. The era, which spanned half a decade, was the time when I first tasted freedom, when temptations are sweet, innocence was lost and hopes for a better future are half-empty and half-full. As a kid fresh out from the province I was at first intimidated but at the same time delighted of what the big city has to offer. In my pursuit of truth, I learned to adapt, discovered that knowledge indeed is power and built some real friendships founded on the love of alcohol, basketball and rock n’ roll.
Our favorite watering hole, the Double A fastfood, was a witness to our countless drinking sessions. Just steps away from the university, the place was cheap but decent enough to be a humble abode for weary souls looking to escape the outside world, at least for hours, in the company of cigarettes and alcohol. Amidst the smoke-filled air and rock (and sometimes reggae) music blaring in the background, we quenched our thirsts and intoxicated our not so frail bodies with a heady brew of Tanduay-Coke-Red Horse or Ginebra Kuatro Kantos-Fanta-Ice. There, we shared tales of our daily struggles, frustrations, dreams, ambitions (or the lack of it) and never ending stories of love that never was and never ever will be. Through the years I never discover what it is in alcohol that brings out and best and worst among us. But its spirit definitely has the power to bond friendship in the purest sense or shatter relationship in the cruelest way. Lesson learned: drink responsibly or forever be wasted.
It was also a glorious time for Pinoy Rock. When the Eraserheads opened the gate, many bands came rushing in, hungry for their own shot at fame. Rivermaya showcased early poetry of a young Rico Blanco, Yano spewed their angst on social issues, Wolfgang made us bang our heads with their tales from the dark side, Teeth encouraged us to drink more booze, Parokya ni Edgar provided some comic relief and The Youth was the most astig band of them all. The foreign scene saw the demise of glam rock, the rise and fall of grunge after Kurt Cobain’s death, the reemergence of punk and the proliferation of alternative acts. It was the musings of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Metallica, Green Day, Oasis, Gin Blossoms, Collective Soul and the Goo Goo Dolls that we love most. Way back then, it was already music the feeds and nourishes my soul and restores me back to my sanity at the end of each passing day.
My life as an aggie student will forever be etched in my memory. Manresa was still on its full glory where nature abounds, unlike today when it is already fronted by a huge shopping mall. Those unforgettable aggie bus joyrides, the tambays at the capsule, SC Lobby and the old Aggie Library are fragments that comprised a major part in my life’s story. There, I affirmed that agriculture is indeed the mother of all sciences. We were taught to practice sustainable agriculture because nature is like a mother whose hands feed each one of us. When I step out into the real world years later, I realized the awful truth that everybody sometimes bites the hand that feeds.
It has been seven years since I finished college. So many things have changed, pre-conceived notions were broken, relationships failed and new ones were built, and still I can’t figure out what tomorrow brings. Change, indeed, as Basti once growled, is the only thing that’s permanent. In the end all that’s left are the memories and in some instances, those photographs that captured them. Yes, we can’t put our arms around a memory but sometimes it is one thing we love to hold on to, not in the palms of our hands but deep inside the abyss of our hearts.
(I finished my BS Agricultural Engineering degree at Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan) in Cagayan de Oro City seven years ago, hence the title Seven Year Itch. Incidentally, it is also the title of Collective Soul’s greatest hits compilation.)
