DEAR DIARY

You should always know when you’re shifting gears in life.
You should leave your era, it should never leave you.

LEONTYNE PRICE

I started keeping a diary when I was in grade six to secretly express my feelings about my infatuations. I had my diaries (way back 1987) shipped here by my sister from the Philippines while I was writing this book. One had a lock with a key that I got from my mother’s old “treasure chest”, and the rest were nicely decorated hardbound journals. It was amusing reading them again.

I had several crushes with boys my age, but of course I always made sure that they didn’t know how I felt towards them (I really tried to hide it!). The names of these boys I prefer not to mention anymore because it might cause havoc and confusion to people who do not understand what past means.

Here are some excerpts from my diaries… (was translated to English)…

January 3, 1987 (7:30 pm)
Dear diary,

What I will tell you is about my crushes. You know, there are three boys that I like. One is my neighbor; he’s tall dark and handsome. I’m also fond of two other boys in school. One is an upperclassman who is charming, very intelligent and with a great sense of humor; and the other boy that I like is a classmate of mine who’s also cute, brilliant in and out of the classroom, and is also funny.

February 25, 1987 (12:30 pm)
Dear Diary,

Today is a holiday, the first year anniversary of the PEOPLE’S REVOLUTION in EDSA Philippines that happened last year. You know, I don’t understand why I feel anxious whenever I am near him. I get goose bumps and cold sweat just a mention of his name. But I don’t want anybody to notice how I really feel, though me and my really close friends --- the JOB --- exchange stories about the boys that we like.

March 21, 1987 (9:00 pm)
Dear Diary,
Today, we had our Recollection/ Retreat at the Cathedral and it turned out to be an exciting day for me too. I feel “clean” again spiritually after a day of purging. It’s a good feeling. Also, I was sitting beside the boy that I like the whole time and our classmates were teasing us.

March 24, 1987 (6:10 pm)
Dear Diary,
It’s going to be our graduation from elementary soon. Our practice everyday is very tiring. My mother is planning to give a despedida party after my graduation because I won’t be going back to LCCD anymore next year. I will be staying with my grandmother, Mang, in Naga City. She is sending me to an exclusive school for my first year in High school, Colegio de Sta. Isabel. I am going to terribly miss my friends here.

April 4, 1987 (9:00 pm)
Dear Diary,
Today is our Graduation Day. I got a medal. During the Baccalaureate Breakfast, Tetet, who was sitting beside me whispered that he was looking at me. J I had mixed emotions; sad because I won’t be here anymore next year, but excited with the new school and new friends that await me in Colegio de Sta. Isabel. We went to Naga the other day to enroll and buy my school uniform for next school year. Most of my friends confirmed that they are going to attend my party tomorrow in my grandparents’ house in Labo.

April 10, 1987
Dear Diary,
Today is the second entrance examination as part of the screening process in the application to the Philippine Science High School, the most competitive high school in the country. Am I going to make it? The exam was very difficult. Of course, he was there too. We just looked at each other but didn’t say a word.


I stayed in Naga City with my maternal grandmother, Mang, who was then the Chief of the Regional Hospital. She was so proud of me for maintaining my half-tuition scholarship because of my good grades. I always admired her administrative skills and her strength in running that huge Regional Hospital.

I had a blast at Colegio de Sta. Isabel. I made close friends with sixteen other girls- Isabel, Donnabelle, Geraldine, Gennilyn, Dovie, Jasmin, Christine, Arlene, Marian, Leah, Edda, Irene, Mylene, Joan, and myself. We would go out a lot, or hangout in each other’s houses. We treated each other like sisters.

Eventually we formed a group and we called ourselves MAVERIX from the movie Top Gun. We were very popular in our school because we were a bunch of extraordinary girls who were very talented, high spirited, street smart, and academically competitive. We would always go as a group in all events like camping, or sports fest and we would back each other up through thick and thin. We would sometimes get in trouble for graffiti (did we do that?!), fighting during sports fest (really?!) or passing out answers during exams (that we did!). We were naughty in school but our ever patient adviser (how can I forget her name?!) always stood and fought for us. I had so much fun!

February 27, 1988
Dear Diary,
It’s very different here in my new school. I had to adjust a lot. I’m in Grade 7 section Hope here in CSI. This is an exclusive school for girls, no boys, no choice for the girls but to admire each other. Just like how the saying goes: “GO WITH THE FLOW”. I like this girl who’s a year older. She’s cute, sweet and innocent looking, like Demi Moore in “Ghost”. And here’s this guy from another school, Ateneo de Naga, who keeps on sending me notes and cards and waits for me by the entrance of the school. I would sneak out and evade him. There’s this boy that I like in Ateneo. He’s friendly, and his eyes are really magnetic, but he’s too short! L

March 18, 1988 (Colegio de Sta. Isabel SOLAR ECLIPSE)
Dear Diary,
Something historical happened today --- partial solar eclipse! It took place this morning at 9:00, class hour. We were all excited! Before 9:00 sharp, the students were gathered in the school corridors, with them were their visual aides to view the event without the eyes being harmed. The students took out their film negatives, smoked glasses, x-ray films, and we all witnessed how it happened! It became dark and cold, the sun turned crescent shaped (as seen thru the visual aids that we used). Some students made reflections on the wall thru mirrors and because of the numerous mirrors, the reflections looked like dancing crescents in different sizes on the wall! It was a great experience!

March 26, 1988
Dear Diary,
Today is my last day here in Colegio de Sta. Isabel and it’s sad to think about that. I’m going to leave the 16 MAVERIX, my best friends who made my stay here worth remembering. But I’m also excited because I’m going back to my former Alma Mater and be with my old friends again.


After one year, my grandmother was transferred to the Department of Health in Manila. I had to go home to Daet again. The MAVERIX continued to exist and accepted two more members in the group. I heard that there was a counterpart in Ateneo de Naga who called themselves MAVE-ROOKS. I was recognized to be one of the pioneer members. Until now we still keep in touch with each other.

June 20, 1988
Dear Diary,
Back to LCCD! Back with my old friends, teachers, and loved ones J. I’m now in Second Year High School section Prudence. My class adviser is Ms. Belinda Gerio.

September 25, 1988 (12:00 noon)
Dear Diary,
Today is our Math Olympiad Competition. I’m no good in Math but the coach brought me along as substitute whatever happens to our deserving delegates. They are all boys and are really good in Math. I kinda liked a contestant there from Chung Hua High School but I didn’t get his name anymore. He’s so cute and smart looking.

October 2, 1988
Dear Diary,

Just got home from CEAP/BACS Leadership Training. The Seniors facilitated the training and it was an exciting experience because we slept overnight in the classrooms. They said the school was haunted at night!

Throughout my High School years I never had any boyfriend but had infatuation with several boys. I was obsessed with just one of them though. My high school diaries were full of stories about him. We never had an intimate relationship but we became good friends eventually.

March 24, 1991

Dear Diary,
I am now a graduate! I can’t believe it! It seems like yesterday…now here I am, entering a strange school with all those totally strange people. I really think I’m too young to go to College. I’m going to miss those happy moments with my classmates and friends. But I have everything captured in photographs so I can just look at them whenever I want to look back.

After graduation in High School each of us went on our own way. But we would still get together in Daet as much as we could during summer or Christmas vacations and recall our good old days.