November 2 - Thursday
My test in Physics this morning wasn’t so bad. At least I got some answers. This afternoon I didn’t go to school. I went to Sylvino to cut my hair and then I went to the ANC for a little while. I was hoping to see Arno but he wasn’t there. Anyway, Marina, Susan, Cora and Margot came home to practice this pm. We didn’t practice since the guitar was out of order. (I actually wrote down that a guitar “was out of order.” Good grief!) They all went home at about 6:30. Margotin called up and I also talked with Mercy over the phone. She had a fight with Honey yesterday and a lot of other kalokohan. Tomorrow’s Friday and then it’ll be Saturday again.
November 3 - Friday
I made kuacha this afternoon. At 5:30 Mercy and Margie and I went to the De Ocampo residence for the Catholic Youth Club meeting. We discussed the coming “Melody In Beat.” The Strads, Electromaniacs, Whirlpools, Loony-Tuners, etc. and us Hi-Gayles will sing. I’m scared stiff to think we have to sing in front of all those merciless teenagers and to think that Carlos might be in the audience!!! I’ll be so excited my already squeaky voice might crack. I’m so happy I haven’t gotten any pimples on my face these days. Mercy, Margie, and Tita Pacita ate supper at home. The book “The Rosary” is simply magnificent.
November 4 - Saturday - Feast of St. Charles Borromeo
I cannot seem to forget the story of “The Rosary” The love that Garth Dalmain had for Jane Champion was so complete and so beautiful that I don’t think anything in this world could have separated them. I went to the ANC this pm after helping Mommy this morning at home. Mary Ann, Marina, Conchita, and Luli were there. We just sat in the Sunset Lounge, ate and talked. Mostly about Carlos Garcia,.Linggoy Araneta, etc. Tomorrow everyone is going to the Rizal since it’s a Debbie Reynolds picture but I won’t be able to since I’ve got that darned combo practice. Just the thought that Carlos might be there makes my heart ache. I’ve lost 3 pounds again.
November 5 - Sunday
Well, the dye is cast! This morning after Mass at 10 at the Ermita, I went to the ANC. Lita and Arno were in the Teen Den. Since Arno read that miserable scrap of paper he’s changed. He kept mentioning Carlos’s name this morning and his tone was very sarcastic. I don’t know why he doesn’t tease Conchita and if he does, he’s not sarcastic. I ate lunch at Marina’s house and then we went to the Rizal to see “The Second Time Around” with Debbie Reynolds. We couldn’t practice for the combo. Conchita was happy (happy, no, hysterical) to see Linggoy. Beli was there and she said hello, also Maricar, Dita, etc. Barbara...Carlos was there sitting beside Ginny. My heart slowly cracked again.
November 6 - Monday
We had our graduation pictures taken this morning. We had no classes except for Speech. There are a lot of girls in school who have a crush on Honey. Mari Valles made 22 points for La Salle on Saturday. I simply am amazed. Well, someday, everyone’s hidden talents come into the open. We had a quiz on Current Events this afternoon and I got 86. Marina came home with me today to hear some Richie Valens records that I borrowed from Conchita. Mercy called up this evening and read me Cosme’s second letter. He asks Mercy to tell me to write to him. I’ve written to him tonight and told him the thing I’ve been wanting to tell him for a long time that what a wonderful person I think he is. (We just had a blackout for 15 minutes this evening). I can’t get Arno and Carlos off my mind.
November 7 - Tuesday
Same old routine in school. I get so bothered in school. I don’t know how to explain it, but I’m dying for weekends and March seems like years away. Anyway, I mailed Cosme’s letter off this morning. I borrowed Fulton Oursler’s “Greatest Story Ever Told” from Sister Mila this afternoon. Margotin gave me, Margie and Mercy our invitations to Mike Prieto’s party on November 18. Here we go again...Tomorrow is Magu’s birthday and I completely forgot to get her something. She’s a very nice person and although some people don’t like her, she’s very nice to me.
November 8 - Wednesday - Margotin Ubago’s Birthday
I gave Margotin a little bottle of perfume and a card. This evening, she and Susan came home, we ate merienda and then we all went to Margotin’s house. Ah, San Lorenzo Village - just the thought that Carlos was just a few houses away made me quite light-headed and excited. We ate cake and sandwiches and salad. Margotin’s steady, Jaime Yoldi, came with some of his friends. He gave her a lovely gold chain and pearl pendant. But I find those guys real creepy and can’t understand why Margotin stands them. (He gave her a gold chain and pearl pendant, didn’t he! Didn’t see any of the guys I liked giving me anything remotely close.) Danny came over too and he is such a nice guy and so much better than those creepy Chancelors. Marina was looking for me and was sort of hurt that I went to Magu’s house.
November 9 - Thursday
Today we did almost nothing but practice for the Assembly tomorrow. I think its going to be corny but we’ll see. I dug out Mom’s Spanish costume - the white organdy one and it fits me perfectly. White agrees with me very well and I love long swishing skirts. I wish I had lived in the times when they wore those things. I finished my book and I wished again that I had lived during Jesus’s time on earth and known Him, but never mind, I’ll see Him in heaven. I have a test in Literature tomorrow and I don’t know a thing! Dad saw my report card today and he wasn’t mad at my 76% in Physics. Tomorrow the Hi-Gayles will go to Ateneo for practice. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Carlos were there?!!! Times are real hard for us here at home. The money problem gets worse and Mom keeps rubbing it in everything I do. I know what the score is - what does she think of me??!
November 10 - Friday
Something that I knew would happen happened. It finally hit me in the face tonight. Margotin told me that Carlos likes Ginny Brooks. The moment Magu told me, my heart finally cracked in half - not crack, tear, is the better word (I was SUCH a drama queen!) Why do these things always happen to me?! Everyone else sails smoothly through life while....Oh, I’d better stop feeling sorry for myself. I wish I could go to Baguio and get away from Manila for a while. The city sure can get under your skin and some people in it too. Cosme was right after all. Oh, how I envy him. And, oh, Carlos......I didn’t go to school this morning but helped Mom. This afternoon we had the 3rd Assembly and I wore Mom’s white organdy Spanish dress for the Senior number. It all went very smoothly. The whole class was disappointed at not getting the OC banner (??). Not even 3rd place after we tried so hard to keep silence. Oh well, one disappointment after the other. The Hi-Gayles came home to practice then we went to one of the guys of C.Y.C. to practice again. We’re all a little wobbly on the tones but lets see what happens on Friday. I know though, first of all everybody else sings better than we do and we’ll make complete fools of ourselves and I’ll never show my face in public again. (Drama queen again...) Carlos might be in the audience and that’s all I need for my voice to crack from nervousness. Oh, I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight. I am so pessimistic. Well, tomorrow is another day!
Nov 11 - Saturday
I went to the ANC this morning and Mercy, Chiqui, Albert, Anamarie Perez, Marina were there. Later Nena came with Nacho. I don’t know why I had this intuition to go to the Ateneo Jazz Concert - “Like Mad” then Nacho tells me this afternoon that Carlos is going to sing. Chiqui, Albert, Mercy, Conchita, Luli and I went together this evening. We sat in the 5th row! Maricar, Lita, Cynthia, Marimil etc. were on the other side. The Whirlpools (Jay, Ramon & Freddy) played first and then Carlos came on stage and sang. My heart was pounding so loudly, I swear Mercy heard it. He sang 2 Ricky Nelson songs and nothing every looked dreamier on a stage. He looked so handsome under the spotlight with his eyes half-closed and moving elegantly with the music. I could have looked at him forever! Tony O., Linggoy, Freddy, Peps, Joe A., and some other guys like Ricky Catala, Freddy Franco, Eddie Gonzalez etc. were all on the side where Lita, Maricar and Marimil etc. were. When it was over, we saw most of the Beeps like Dita, Betina, Entang, Vita, etc. Pinky V., Kathy Bruns etc. How I’d like to be in their gang too. They seem to have so much fun and the boys and girls are all so very nice. I shook hands most ceremoniously with Mari Ojeda. But, one guy whose face I cannot forget tonight is Carlos - as he stood under that spotlight singing - I like him more than ever I ever did before. He’s so wonderful and so, oh, everything!!! I’d better come back to life. Too much dreaming is bad. There was once when between the numbers of the “Abstracs” that we were all going to shout for “Carlos Garcia!”, we didn’t, but Mercy’s voice alone rose shrill and loud in that big auditorium – “ CARLOS!” Everyone turned to look at her and the four of us sank down in our seats. I was laughing so hard, the tears rolled down my cheeks. The “Strads” were terrific! They were the most applauded with the “Loony Larks” and this guy who sings like Harry Belafonte - they were all so good. To think us corny Hi-Gayles have to sing on Friday makes me sick. I hope Carlos sings on Friday - Oh lucky, lucky, lucky Ginny.
November 12 - Sunday
I went to Mass at 7 AM at San Marcelino Church and then to the CYC meeting. Mercy, Margie and the rest were there. Carlos might sing again on Friday! Oh, I hope...!!! I went to the ANC and Luli, Lita, and Conchita were there. I ate lunch with Inger, Marina and Merche. Arno joined us later and its maddening how I become so nervous and my hands turned ice-cold. He was being sarcastic again and made a few cracks about Carlos. He also made it a point for me to know that he and Carlos were going to be with Ginny and Beli. Never mind, as long as it is Ginny and Beli, they are wonderful girls. Inger, Merche and Marina asked me to join them but I couldn’t spend the afternoon driving around with them because I had already promised Luli, Lita, Conchita that I’d go to the movies with them. We went to see “Ring of Fire” at the Paris. The theme song of the picture is terrific, It’s an instrumental by Duane Eddy. We went back to the ANC at 4:40 PM. I was supposed to go to the NONA Junior Second Round opening with Mercy and Margie but couldn’t. We (Conchita, Lita and I) stayed in the party room and talked (with me doing most of the taking....). Dad brought us home, then Marina calls me up this evening with the BIG News - While they were driving around SanLo, they see a boy walking down Edades, stopped and offered him a ride and it was CARLOS! They drove him all over the place from Ricky to Jimmy’s house - to the Rizal etc. They were talking with him and the subject of Ginny came up. He vehemently denied liking her and said he’s looking around for a girl to go steady with and confident “I’ll find someone”(And I actually believed all this baloney!) Later they met Arno and Carlos at the Rizal again and they joined them. They had a wonderful time cracking jokes. Marina herself says that if he were taller “I’d run after him.” Just like Marina! Arno and Carlos later went to the Polo Club - from there I draw my own conclusions. I talked with Mercy over the phone this evening.......I went to Communion this morning. Pilina Berenguer’s brother Pichuco was with us this noon. He’s nice. Tomorrow I’ll have to buy the material for my costume on Friday, if not, I’m sunk. Well, so ends another day in this chapter of my life. All my friends are such darlings.