Remembering Bianca

It’s early morning and I can finally write what I’ve been thinking about lately - and it’s isn’t something I come across very often. Four weeks have passed from the day of the incident yet until now I still haven’t completely gotten over with what happened.

I learned of the news on the first of November, sometime before the modem went berserk on our households that left us deprived of WiFi for a week. I was lying on my bed with my eyes fixed at the ceiling when my phone buzzed to a Viber notification from Chini.

“Candice,” she messaged me. I typed back, “Yo what’s up?”

Chini took a little while for her to respond so I went back to the article I was reading. About thirty seconds later, I got a response.

The response, mind you, got me all sorts of emotions existent in this world.

“Wala na si Bonca,” Chini responded with a sad emoji.

Numbness arose in my veins. Everything felt like they disappeared into thin air. Time froze. I just couldn’t believe it.

“Are you serious?” I asked Chini.  She replied back, “Oo =(((((”

Speechless over what I’ve learned, I swiftly logged in to Twitter to check if any of my batchmates and schoolmates tweeted about it. True to word, I was greeted by an overflowing stream of recollections and condolences.

Then it hit me: Bianca, also known to many as Bonca, is gone. My grade school classmate and one of the most beloved batchmates went way ahead of her time.

The following morning, I immediately logged in to Facebook to see friends liking and sharing Bianca’s debut photos from 2012 apart from the overflowing amount of tributes pouring in my news feed. The only question clouded on my mind all this time was, “Why?”

Simultaneously, all memories I’ve had of her flooded my mind, throttling back to 2005 - the time we were assigned to the same section and would remain so for the next two years. Up until now I still remember these little things: our group dancing to “Para Sa’Yo” by Parokya ni Edgar for our Music class in fifth grade, her group dancing to “YMCA” in front of the sixth grade batch, her hosting skills on full display on several occasions in senior year (Bandfest and Seniors Night in 2011 I believe), her ability to make everyone smile with her sunny personality each day in school, all the life and love advice she gave me, her dreams of becoming the Tyra Banks, the speech she gave in sixth grade English class wherein she revealed her parents wanted to name her “Dimas” for unfathomable reasons and so much more.

Bianca was among the girls you’d be enchanted with. When we first got acquainted with each other not only as classmates but also as clubmates in SINAG Creative Writing, one thing that struck me about her was how brilliantly her confidence emanated. Never once did she ever shy away from standing up for what she believed in. Never once did she ever falter in speaking out about certain issues with fearlessness. Also, Bianca was a more than just her stunning, mannequin-like features. She was intelligent, outgoing and a girl of many talents with her dancing, debating and hosting prowess.

Bianca was among the people who showed me the real world when I was struggling to leap from Barbies to Friendster in fifth and sixth grade. Even though admittedly we weren’t super close, she taught me to shed my childish ways and become a more mature person apart from being more poised and less gawky. If it weren’t for her among others, my awareness level on adolescent relationships would have stagnated below zero level. Looking back at all those times I hung out with her group and those stories we exchanged to each other, life would have turned out differently if not for meeting her.

As I write this, I can picture Bianca watching over us from heaven. I wish I wrote this piece sooner but due to unforeseen circumstances wasn’t able to do so. Nevertheless, I am more than to relieved to talk about my fondest memories of her in the form of words.

Thank you so much Bianca for everything. We love you and will never forget you. May you rest in peace with God and the angels above.

Take me there someday

just-shower-thoughts:

Willy Wonka sent out his chocolate bars worldwide, and 5 white kids (4 with first-world problems) still won.

Tonight is the first time since forever that the idea of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory crossed my mind. A decade after I first watched the original version of this film, I’ve finally bumped unto someone who incorporated in writing what we’ve always thought of Willy Wonka, Charlie, the four spoiled children, the hideous band of Oompa Loompas and the precious golden ticket.

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cantbetamed:

LOOK AT THIS LITTLE BABY CAME INTO MY WORK TODAY

Thank God October is over. It turned out to be the worst month I’ve had this year next to March. There were some flashes at times but overall things went so bad and forgettable my mood was rotten most days. Here’s to a better November.

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What Have You Done For Me Lately? #4: Caught In The Webs of Food and Whatnots

The end of August, September and so far October have been some of the most adventure-filled months I’ve had this year.

Maginhawa, BDJ Veterans Night, Changi, Eighteen Chefs, Swensens and Johor Bahru. That’s all you need to know about where I’ve been all this time. But let me elaborate on each event in chronological order:

August 27-28, Johor Bahru: Earlier that week, I got a heartbreaking rejection email from what I considered my ideal job at the time. The next few days were a blur because I kept on imagining what could have been had I got the job. So when I found out that my family would be going to Johor Bahru for a weekend getaway, I felt nothing but relieved because I needed a break from my internship and all the negative energy from all the stress. Among all the incredible things we did and discovered in JB, the Polaroid display and a shopping quote in a neon board take the cake. Wow.

September 11: It was declared a non-working day in the wake of Singapore’s national elections so it automatically meant an extra day to bond with my parents over Swensens at Tampines Mall. The three chickens in a basket meal was crispy as advertised but the taste was a little lackluster; their mac and cheese and double chocolate sundae were tantalizing enough for my liking though.

September 18: Since my flight back to Manila was the next day, my family decided to have the despedida dinner at Eighteen Chefs, the home of the famous Heart Attack Fried Rice. Not only did I like the interiors of the place due to its doodled walls - the food was uber delectable that could leave you craving for more for days. Their New York steak strips was juicy, the pesto pasta was great and the chicken was well-furnished. All in all, it was one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to in my 21 years of existence.

September 19: Touchdown Manila! Before hopping on the plane bound to my hometown, we had lunch at Astons and checked out this special display on vintage items around Changi. It’s been almost a month since I last saw the radio and typewriter yet the feeling of impeccable nostalgia remains.

October 11: Both of my teams took home the L so I was feeling down last Sunday. My mood lifted when my uncle invited us to a dinner at Maginhawa aka the famed food wonderland in Sikatuna Village, QC. Talk about perfect timing as I’ve always wanted to go there but I didn’t have the luxury of time to do so. Nevertheless, I was as excited as a kid going to her first day of school once we finally arrived at Maginhawa. After some resto hunting, we finally settled in All About Pasta for dinner and Papa Diddi’s Homemade Ice Cream for dessert. My verdict? I’d loooove to go back there.

October 15: BDJ Veterans Night at Marco Polo Hotel! One word: fun.

But wait, there’s more! I forgot to mention about one more memorable event:

September 26: Watched Heneral Luna with friends at SM Megamall! It was great to see them again. The movie, by the way, was stellar from start to finish. Superb acting, cinematography and story.