Just Passing By

I was horrified to see our high school class picture on Friendster. Good thing it was too small for anyone to make out who is who. Still, I swear the teased bangs of the 80s is the worst fashion trend ever! I remember entering the ladies room with girls lined up in front of the mirror trying to coax their bangs to “stand up” into a wave worthy of a champ surfer’s dream. Then goes half a can of hair spray - preferably the extra hold to keep the bangs in place. I forgot what the brand was but there was one particular brand that was popular with the girls that time. Anyway, it didn’t matter whether we were in uniforms, PE shirts and shorts or “outside dress.” The bangs always stayed.

And look how slim we all were, our shirts hanging by our shoulder blades as if a hanger was still there. Most of the boys showed shadows of a mustache and tried their damnedest to pose for the camera in their best macho, I’m-a-grown-up-now stance. I can still see all of us clearly like it were only yesterday. Jeanne (Salunga), who called me from her home in Canada last week, and I agreed that nothing ever changed from almost 20 years ago.  She even told me I still talked the same and still had that same distinctive laugh - which I’m not sure what that sounded. She sounded a little different though. Her voice is more modulated and no longer childishly shrilly. She was also out of breath for being 8 months preggy. We talked about old friends and reminded each other of the real names of AUF people we rediscovered in Friendster.

The class photo is yellowed, suggesting that years have passed since that moment in the Quadrangle when we were gathered for posterity. We eagerly waited to receive our copies and when we did weeks later, we ooohed and ahhhed at how pretty and handsome we looked, and how secretly happy we all were now that we a have a photo of our crushes to have and to hold into the night. (To my kids  - no we didn’t have digicams then but our photos were already processed in color. And no, the sepia effect is natural, not photo-shopped :P)

Twenty years later and twenty plus pounds heavier  - I look back at my high school days with such fond memories. And yes, my mental pictures are still in vivid color and not sepia. I think a reunion is in order here for Venus Class of 88. Who’s with me?

Oh and as I was finishing this up - I remembered the hairspray brand - it was Spray Net …  or is it?