bewitched yet again

Just today, I found out that at least two of my friends in Facebook were connected to this charming student of mine whom I lost touch with for years. After his brief sojourn at the tutorial and review center I taught him in, I had seen him in a TV commercial for a telecommunications network which Judy Ann Santos now endorses. Often, when I chance upon old print ads featuring him, I never fail to be reminded of how I enjoyed reviewing with him way back when he was still an incoming senior at Xavier. How time flies! And how it effects maturation among young, reckless people! My Italian-Chinese student—I’ll call him L—was the makulit type, sporting a cap that reads “pornstar” and claimed he moonlights as one, for example. However, that one fiery summer afternoon when he was scheduled for a special session changed all the brat attitude perception I had about him. Whatever transpired then, I’ll leave you to guess because my lips are sealed (to borrow from my Pangga, “period lips”). All the same, what you’ll about to read below shows the conventional notion of time lending wisdom.
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Littlegapanese: hi, L. how are you? graduating ka na, right?:)

L: i'm doing good! i've graduated na!! hey i wanna be totally honest, i know that i know you, but i forgot from where! hehe sorry!

Littlegapanese: haha. this is teacher cesar, remember, from where you reviewed for college entrance exams?:) i've left since; i'm now connected to both up and la salle univ systems. too bad na kung kelan pa ako natangap sa la salle, nakaalis ka na pala. what are you into now? it surprised me to discover that we have the marcos siblings (eo and mandy) as common friends. hope to see you around.:)

L: Aha! Now it's all clear.
Well, i graduated a few months ago. I went straight to work for my family business up to now, pero part time lang. I’m also doing some modelling and acting. I intend to pursue that and am going to pull out of my family business as soon as it picks up.
Yeah! neighbors ko sila dati. They also used to attend there. How about you, you’re a professor now?

Littlegapanese: good for you; my belated congratulations! hamo, ipagtatayo kita ng fans' club, pangako 'yan.:) i believe you mentioned in passing that your family biz is about hotel or something; good luck.
eo and mandy used to be my students, too. kinda miss them; they're mabait like you.
hmm, yeah, i'm just a junior faculty, not naman a prof. i'm still rounding up my thesis in the state u; pagkatapos nun, prof status na, haha. all the same, it's gonna be enjoyable teaching the new arrivals in college.:)
last i saw you was in a cosmo mag supplement; hope to see more of you in the future. wherever you're headed, be in your best elements. tc.:)

L: Haha, thanks for the support! i believe i'll be needing all the support i could get as this industry is pretty unpredictable. Yep, we are into hotel and restaurant supplies, but for now, i wanna make it within my own means.
mabait? if i remember it right, medyo pasaway yata ako! hahaha! Either way, i'd like to believe i've grown up to be a purposeful human being which i have you to thank as well because you contributed to me by helping get a great college education.
If professor is what you're intending for, then my bet is that it's gonna be in the near future. I'm sure it will be enjoyable as well as fulfilling sharing your knowledge and contributing to even more students in that profession of yours.
Yep. I've got some pretty ambitious goals this year with the best intentions in mind. I'll see you around!

Littlegapanese: true, showbiz turnover's so rapid that it takes more than good genes to last. talent for reinvention, huge fan base and sheer luck often do the trick; these have made judy ann, for instance, a pop culture icon. whaddahey, count me in as your fan.:) i'm positive that you'll make your mark in due time.:)
we all pass through a phase naman (i've been a bully back in high school, can you imagine?), and it's not as if you're the troublesome type. up to now, my colleagues at the center consider you adorable whenever we get the chance to wax wistful of our memories with former students. a number of you have chosen the path leading to tinseltown, as it turns out. lately, i saw two in some prestigious modeling competitions. lots have appeared in tvc's.
haha, baka matawa ka, i appeared albeit briefly in a very controversial film that did (and is still doing) the rounds of festivals abroad. but apart from doing that fully-clothed, i just agreed to be a sort of filler as per the screenwriter's request and it's not something i'll do often. i'd rather write reviews which preoccupies me besides teaching. like you and the rest of the thinking humanity, i want to gain an identity, too. when a suite of poems of mine gets anthologized in a UP publication, i'll reserve a copy for you.
thank you for looking at the teaching profession in a wonderful light. it's challenging and, indeed, fulfilling. i can't imagine trading this for anything else.
hay, naku, this verbal gymnastics is becoming a mouthful. let me end it with my sincerest wish that your well-motivated objectives for the year will all be realized. i'm pretty sure you'll make it. keep on rocking!:)

L: Best of luck with your endeavors! We'll be in touch!
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End note: Good luck, L.:)