I used to live in a house where people just come and go, never cared much of others lives and just enjoy living each day to the mind-your-own-business thing.  Though we get to talk at times but the closeness didn't utter something special like the one we could declare as friendship. 

            I had quite a number of friends.  Few, I considered real ones, the remaining were mere acquaintances.  Finding these few did not take a lot of thinking or choosing or getting used to each others lifestyles or going out together.  It only took a little sensitivity plus a little humor for a great bonding.

           My friends were those ordinary guys and gals I encountered on the first day of classes, or out of town seminars, or at the workplace.  They were those who effortlessly clicked in most aspects of my character, the first jamming together.

            In college, I was in the right barkada, I say.  You know, a good company that helped me went through all my endeavors.  They were the kind whose idea of a gimmick was not staying overnight at a drinking station on schooldays.  They hated to break dormitory rules and were afraid to climb up the fence on early mornings because the gate was closed for curfew.  Most importantly, they had plans of graduating on time together with everyone in the batch. 

            The friendship often evolved over simple pastimes, like enjoying hearty laughs over bottles of soda while watching movies in the VCR.  We could be contented of just playing chikitsa the whole day.  Yet at times we could be eccentric as to watch three to four movies in a day in our favorite mall.  Whenever we "morning the weekend night", I could only wish the fun would never leave off. 

            We had this habit of mixing fun in everything we do.  This, probably, the best reason why problems never scared the heavens out of us even if the burden weighed more than we could even handle.  There were always good jokes and smiles geared to cover up a day of stress and to mask out whatever worry there was.  Expect that in big parties, everyone would get a dose of laughter and immense fun in the air, when the groups present.

            We did get serious sometimes and talk with a little sobriety.  We talked of how we managed to survive the adversities our respective families encountered.   One shared how his father vanished in a sea mishap when he was still young and how he survived each night without his fathers care.  Another thoughtfully related the sacrifices his mother had in raising all five of them and sending them to school.  More often than not, in these somber moments, we found ourselves holding a tear or two in our eyes.   Nevertheless, those steps in our lives, we started to know little by little more of each other and opened up things we thought were very hard to share. 

            Many things kept us much and much stronger through the years. We had a strong trust in each one that we found so much amazing.  Whenever we realized someone deserved applause for a good job, we never failed to acknowledge it.  Giving good compliments even to the smallest things helped us mold our self-confidence.   

            But all those were memories of the past.  These days I am missing all of them their concern and friendly care.  I am all the time lonesome each minute I recollect the jamming we once had.  And there are still a couple or so reasons to really be desolate.  One, I am not getting the same feeling of importance now compared to what I used to feel before.  Second, I surely am missing all the fun and excitement.  Most importantly I am yearning for the moment when we had to pray for our families and friends and for a happy life.      

It has been years since that last jamming we had.  When I arrived from my studies abroad last April, after being away for two years, I seldom see them now. Some went off to seek greener pastures outside the country.  Others preferred to be assigned to other cities other than in Cebu for their jobs.  Apart from work commitments, most of my friends are now married and their families need most of their time.