The one with the lessons

Here are some lessons I've learned over the phone:

Lesson #1:
Sometimes you'd love to blurt out what you want to say but when it comes out, it sounds different than how you imagined it in your mind. (eg. fart, no matter how you control it, well the truth is that it explodes. LOL...)

Lesson #2:
Sometimes when the person you're talking to says, "Do you understand me?"(after a looong story) you can't help but say yes although you're dying to tell them,

"Do I have a choice?" or something more like,

"Yeah, I almost did. I dozed off in between When and it." or the most blunt of all...

"Yes. It's crystal clear. Say what now?"

Lesson #3:
Sometimes you might meet a dead end in the conversation. If you don't know what else to say to close the topic, say "OKAY."Then cross your fingers and hope that the person on the other line took the hint.

2 words= TIME'S UP!!!

Lesson #4:
Sometimes you can't breathe while talking. To maximize the pause, say "Uhuh..Ahuh..", it minimizes the tension. Then press mute to breathe in and out. Whew. What a freak.

Lesson #5:
Sometimes the person you're talking to keeps talking to people around them, you're always confused if they're talking to you. To get their attention, when they ask you a question pretend you didn't hear it and say,

"Are you talking to me?"

Lesson #6:
Never say Yes at all times. They might ask you something particularly unique. For example, "It's not that expensive, no?" (Spanish) Yes,no. Or No,yes. Whaaat?!

Lesson #7:
Act like everything's going smoothly. Don't overdo it.

"You were saying something about the equipment you bought and the technician had been so rude, he even ruined your door around sevenish... or is it your whole house?" Wait, wait, wait...This is not a guessing game!Get some significant words and use them wisely.

Or maybe the word is subtle.

Lesson #8:
When you're in a call wait, stay alert. You might expose all your secrets without knowing who you're talking to or moreover, you'll receive something along these lines-->"Hello, what are you talking about?", "It's still me. Heeeellllooo?"

Lesson #9:
Speak your mind. Say Totally whenever possible. Especially when they don't believe you're listening. It will get the other person's attention. I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. Then repeat every word she/he said. That'll slap them in the face.

Lesson #10:
Respect the person on the other line. You deserve it as well. However, all rules have exceptions. If he doesn't treat you like a human being, it goes both ways. Fight fire with fire.
No one will mess up with you. It's very refreshing once you've done it, trust me. ;)

The one with the box

I was busy cleaning my room because I was trying to find my favorite jacket when I got my hands on the box I've kept so long.

The Box of Memories.

Yes, me & my friends kept one. Silly, right? Those were THE DAYS.

I was the keeper. It started in high school. We were hanging out in school when we had decided to collect any items we have on a day we spend together:receipts,flyer,ribbon,playing cards etc.

Every memory we ever had is in that box. I almost forgot I have it. We were 4 in the group. Let's call my first friend "Lenny". She was the most sought-after girl in the batch. The girl who had both brains and beauty. She had been a friend I met through another friend. We became closer than I thought we ever would. Where is she now? She got a miscarriage before she even graduated and had 3 bad relationships before she met the man of her dreams who is more than 10 years older than her.

I'm happy for her but we've lost communication since I went to college in another city. I tried a dozen times to contact her; she doesn't reply to my messages so I just let it go. I don't hate her for what happened. I only regret that we've lost whatever we had years ago. It's not her fault either...maybe it's me or it's just fate...
Then there's another friend "Tina". She's the smartest and most daring person I've ever met. She graduated in another city like me but we kept in touch. She slept over a couple times in my place that we're practically sisters. She had a few reckless adventures in her life however, she had managed to overcome all of them. One of her wrong moves is probably having a baby. She's not ready for it but was able to accept reality and do what is best for her daughter. I'm so proud of her. She grew up in a family like mine. She grew up from a poor family like me. Maybe that's the reason for our unique bond. We both know how to value what we have especially friends because of what we've been through. She's still calling every now and then and nothing has changed between us.

The closest friend I ever had was "Meagan". She was the most popular girl in school at that time. She's outgoing, friendly and what other people don't know about her is that she's down-to-earth & simple. She might appear flirtatious,brainless or just plain pretty but she's more than that. I liked her because she's not pretentious nor self-centered. We had many things in common. Books, songs, hobbies-name it. I was the girl no one would ever remember in school. I didn't excel that much in high school and I never wanted to be a popular girl. I want to simply walk in the hallway unnoticed. It was the most bizarre thing that we became friends with different circle of friends.

I thought we will be friends forever. We had even studied on the same university because we don't want to be away from each other. On my last year in college though, something happened.

She wasn't calling or sending me messages for 3 months. I tried to talk to her. The unexpected response from her shocked me. She replied in the most hurting way possible. I never imagined we would end our friendship THAT way.

It's almost a year now. I thought I had gotten over it. The hatred's gone but the pain is still there. I know I have found new friends and I should be happy...but it's not the same.

I always end up reminiscing those times we had-laughing in a joke that WE can only understand. We can interpret each other's action by just looking. She's someone who knew what I'll think right before I know it and vice versa.

It's sad when you lose something. Suddenly, I was trying to grasp a part of myself that I've been missing for so long. I stopped rummaging the box of memories. My missing jacket can be replaced.