Friends Forever?

Today is quite a fine day.
Quite a fine day to feel dejected.
Such poignancy is so much distressing to my spirits.

It's been days actually.
I learned from my friends, rather closest friends, that they are leaving the country for good. They are flying to Singapore to find a job anytime this year.
Target date is June.

Am I happy for them?
Of course I am!
See my grin?

It's about time.
We will be 25 this year!
We're getting old.
Need to have serious careers.
It's getting late.
And hellloooo!!!! It's only Singapore dear.
A 3.5-hour away...
Everybody's flying to Singapore. It's not like they are migrating to Mars or something!
Besides, it wouldn't make a difference anyway.
We've taken different paths after the board exam some years ago and W e A r e O k a y.
We've been okay.

(Last Christmas party together, with Jedan and Donald Green M.I.A., Dec. '04)

I mean, we may see each other more seldom than seldom, like once-in-a-blue-moon seldom... Never get to have a real get-together ever-
Real get-together as in all of us 16 are present,
Real get together like having a Christmas costume party at Badong's place,
Real get-together like going on a vacation (yeah, vacation that never pushed through!)...
But despite that, we are good, as in good good.
We chat online every now and then, we exchange text messages (hi-hellos), we call each other sometimes...
So yeah, we're good.

Then why sound bitter?

I too have my plans.
But not this year.
I have my reasons.

Come December is one of our barkada's wedding.
We've all talked about it before.
Everybody will be part of the entourage.
Well, not exactly entourage but everybody has his/her part in the whole celebration.

I'm super excited.
We all are.
I'm the maid of honor. Woohoo!!!
Most of all, it will be the barkada's reunion.
All sixteen of us together and all glammed up.
Isn't that amazing?

We all know Charlie wouldn't make it because her graduate studies will not be over until February 2009.
That would mean going home to PI from Korea in December then going back to Korea again then going home March after school is over.
That would cost her much.

Then some weeks ago, the two others in Singapore said they wouldn't make it too.

Sad.

But nothing could ever be sadder than the news I got Tuesday: The three others are leaving for Singapore this June. (Whhhaaaatttt????!!!)
I got confirmation just today.

Matter of career and friendship eh?
More of priorities, I guess.
Am I being selfish?
Then I'm sorry.
It's their prerogative, I know.
I very much understand that.
It's just sad because once you find a job anywhere outside the country, you know you cannot go back to PI that easily ESPECIALLY if you've only worked for less than six months to one year.

What happens to the wedding now?
Yesterday you are very excited about it and the next day you are leaving the country and not sure if you could attend?
You might want to tell the bride about it.
About your plans- that you might not make it on her wedding day.
It wouldn't be nice if I'd be the one to tell her that you are okay if she gets proxies for you for the entourage.

Sad.

I remember back in college how we'd all talk about our future plans.
How we'd want to spend our lives together.
We'd all live in one subdivision.
Our kids will be playmates.
And eventually be BFF's like us forever and ever.

Baloney.

I never really had much interest with my course but I finished it.
I don't want to shift to another course because I don't want to be separated from THEM.
And I wouldn't make it through Civil Engineering if not because of them.

I love them.

We had an exceptional friendship.
Incomparable.
Friendship that is tested by time.
Tested by space.
Eight years... Almost a decade.
All sixteen of us.
May be separated by choice.
But not by heart...I hope.

We cannot be together forever.
That's a fact.
But maybe at least we won't let the friendship die.
Let's celebrate it every once in awhile.
Just like the old days.

On my wedding day I want everybody to be present. Still I hope you can make it to Micor's too.='(

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So it's not all the time I'm stoked.