OR 10,519,200 minutes and counting – I think that sounds fascinating too!

Hi Ali!

It’s August 8, 2008 in the Philippines (the 7^th over here) today. I don’t know if there is such a big and official thing as an anniversary of friendship but I hope you remember that at one point, we officially recognized August 8, 1988 (8/8/88 ) as the start of our friendship. It was a lucky day for us alright!

Twenty years, brother! Twenty years of knowing that I have the kind of friend  who will stick by me even if I will be the Most Wanted criminal in the world. You are that kind of friend. And that’s one special lesson on friendship that I learned from you.

I still find myself visiting that happy place in my heart.  A place that tells tales of long hours on the phone, breakfast meals at 10pm, round trips on the train just for kicks, a long list of things to do together scribbled on a folded piece of paper tucked in our wallets (way before PDAs and cellphones became popular), movies, shared tears, road trips, food trips, caffeine and nicotine trips (a-huh!), our RC cars…and even deeper down memory lane: painting and sketching together in high school, the dance number we did (ulgk!), the endless exchange of letters when I went away for college, the unspoken agreement to celebrate the day after Christmas (my mom’s birthday) at my house each year. And you know what I miss the most? Those endless philosophical musings and intellectual conversations I shared with you.  That has been pretty scarce in my circle lately. *sucks*

It’s sad that the road we used to travel has reached a fork that split our ways physically, but hopefully not in any other way.  People evolve, lives do change, and we cannot stop the wheel from turning.  The happy thing is that you’ve found your own bestfriend in your spouse, and so have I in mine. My hubby  doesn’t get jealous when I talk about memories with you. He knows that you are my brother, and are now also his. At any rate, I am at peace with knowing that we are both happy where we are now, and in a good place which we only used to dream of.

I just want to thank you for being my bestfriend through those years, really the “bestest” friend, although there is no such word, only such meaning...and it applies to you. I have been so blessed to have that kind of friendship with you. The same still goes out from my heart to you, and now to your wife, and my godson. I look forward to seeing you all on my next visit.

*squiggles* whatever that means, boy!