High School Silver Jubilee Coming Up, Gasp!

The silver jubilee of my high school batch is coming up next year.

Gasp!

Have you ever thought about what has happened to your high school friends? And when I say high school friends I don’t just mean your classmates, but also your other friends who were not your school mates. Are the stars from your high school still way up there until today? Or did the B students do much better? Was it true that the quiet ones who marry earlier than those who had relationships in high school? What are the big revelations now after more than 2 decades?

I was a slow learner in elementary school and only started doing better in high school. I always thought about what could possibly happen in the future. I wonder if there ever was a study made about this. My brother and sister who are both more than a decade older than me told me back then that things change a lot. For my immediate close friends in high school who were considered to be part of the “quiet ones” we are all quite successful in our current endeavors. My seatmate runs huge projects at this international IT company. One friend is a successful banker. Another an entrepreneur (she owns a travel agency).

Outside of school I had a diverse set of friends. Back in high school some of them were skateboard fanatics who eventually set up their own band in college (they became a one hit wonder hahaha). I also had friends who came from many different schools. One you see on TV everyday as a news reporter, an engineer in a big company in China, a hotelier in San Francisco, a big boss in a local IT company, and my best friend is a very successful entrepreneur in Cebu (he’s still very stingy though). I’ve lost touch with the others so they’re probably out of the country, but I could fairly say that most of my friends have gained their independence (at our age they should!!!).

During one of our field trips to Mt. Makiling.

My sister also told me that eventually your batch would come together as one. If in your 20s and early 30s you still stick it out with your immediate classmates, eventually this changes. She said that usually the factor that contributes to this is when you start losing your parents (sad sad thought!). I had witnessed this during my Dad’s funeral with my sister’s classmates. And well, health issues also bring people together (signs of old age!). I know! I sat through one of my sister’s high school get-togethers and a good part of it was spent talking about ones health!

Me and my high school friends before we started to live in different country codes.

So much as I am very comfortable just reaching out to my own immediate group I thought that I’d stretch myself this year and reach out to classmates and batchmates I don’t normally speak to. It would be interesting to see what the others have been up to all these years and well this would tie up nicely to one of my 2016 goals to develop more friendships.

And yeah, I think I’m looking forward to our reunion next year.

P.S. 53 years ago today my one and only favorite Kuya (coz I have no choice) was born! Happy, happy birthday to my one and only loving brother, Kuya Jojo.

Me with my Ate, Dad and Kuya.