STORYTRONs JOURNAL PH

StoryTron-ph's Reunion High

About a triple of months ago from the date of this post I attended my high school reunion …, this reunion’s invitation came as a surprise for me since according to my own calibration the traditional duration of celebrating school reunions or anniversaries in this case is still more than a decade and bountiful years away. There is already my high school's Silver Grand Reunion. Then there are rumors that a “Thirtieth” year “batch” get together which I was unable to attend was held, just two years prior to this most recent invitation. Whether that reunion was just a soft gathering, too few attended, or if it was ever held at all and this year’s reunion is the grand event or vice-versa I never found out the real circumstances.
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Actually I have some entries on line-up for this blog in manuscript for quite some time now , mostly stories of my old family life , early childhood topics and some present day concerns that I’ve been holding down to post, mainly because I’m still laying out materials that will accompany it, But the high school reunion I’ve just attended was so re-collectively uplifting for me I have to somehow give the event some notable remembrance in one form or another before its hype eventually die-down in my consciousness.

It was in a weekend when I receive an "sms" message from an old high school classmate, notifying me of a reunion to be held in a week’s time, told him I’ll try to attend and immediately put the event in the non-priority bin of my mind, although the though of seeing your old high school classmates in the flesh again evokes pleasant anticipation, the haunting realities of the years that have past offers you the prospect of being alienated given the fact the most your contemporaries by now are in a different dimension of living, bearing that almost all have full fledged families and have the deeply ingrained attitude that life is a serious dog-eat-dog business in reality, while I’m a forty-nine years old (will be fifty in a few days) single man who blogs about children toys, and Taylor Swift’s music still entertains me.

Surely every time my singleness comes out into focus, anyone who passionately regards themselves as having highly developed mature disposition and socially relevant lives arguably will discretely frowns on my presumed careless worry free lifestyle, which may be reasonable if I look at myself from one's superficial point of view. If only there is a realistic way to peg in such reactors cranium that ...- I'm not "Rothschild's " heir! On the side and speaking for myself, I do worry about normal adult human concerns; like aspirations that have yet to happen, old-age financial security, health security, matters on trekking my life's homestretch alone to the end, learning to live in such situation, and the bleak bonus though of "FHWC" - Falling in love, Having a Wife and Child do tease my thoughts occasionally. Generally it's what worthwhile endeavors a single man like me can indulge in if FHWC never came at all by the ages of Fifties, Sixties?, Seventies?, Eighties? ... beyond? .Assuming that luckily I'm still alive by those times and don’t have any debilitating illness, these are just a few of my woes.

As days goes by, the reunion totally wondered out of my mind, I just got so absorbed with a major house repair on the scheduled date and a business meeting late in the afternoon. If not from another “sms” message from the same classmate inquiring if im on my way that it occurred to me that the day was “the day” of the reunion.

I already pessimistically made up my mind to attend this reunion a few days before for the sake of seeing people that that I haven’t seen in years even decades, yes I said pessimistically, you see; after the “Twenty-fifth grand reunion” I told myself that succeeding reunions although worthwhile social events in their own rights, I also see it as nothing to look forward to. I have seemed to associate reunions with old age, being worn down, and a form of collective sorting glass on who have progressed far and who was left out in the eyes of my society’s social standing barometer. After my meeting that day that lasted up to the early evenings I immediately proceed to the designated venue hoping that I did not miss too much of the event.

Arriving moderately too late my thoughts are filled with a mix excitement and resignation, but as I entered the well air conditioned venue all the pessimism and negativity I’ve harbored to the prelude to this day just abruptly evaporated like a drop of water in a red hot pan. I can’t believe I recognized so many faces after all this years, it's really a “Marty Mcfly" moment for me for a split second, I can't stop imagining all of us wearing our old “Red piping” school uniform as I walk towards the table where my class section belongs. There where the guys of my section which some I bump-in from time to time, then there are the girls of my class which are quite pleasant to see again, I was not a lady’s man, nor had any romantic past with any of my classmates or schoolmates, I'm just a tin insignificant pimple ridden secondary student, but there are some girls that I consider part of my school circle specially during the senior years whom I always felt at ease to interact with, and the "click" girls that I fancy but are unaware of my existence, cant avoid the though of one of them could have been my wife in an alternate destiny, devoid of malicious connotations, keeping aware that I’m only putting some sentimental tone on this portion of my write-up only because I am still a single guy, if the case is otherwise I may just see them as wives and mothers and in the near future reunions - grandmothers, in fact some of them probably are.

The reunion is one of the years high-lighter for me, I’m glad I attended it , my negative attitude may be in some angle justifiable, but why dwell on such apprehensions I though, at the end of the day thanks to alcohol and festive aura all will be just about is seeing your old classmates, old friends, be it may be cringy to hear from a guy my age say ... "crushes", and a makeshift return to innocence while trying hard of being mindful not to offend anybody in word and in action while being possessed by the spirit your mischievous adolescent days. There are foods, some music, programs , games , familiar voices , and teeny girly squeals it was a war zone of nostalgia. and as the night went deeper the ghost of reality reaper crept in and people started to trickle out surely to again face life’s actuality of challenges and responsibility.

Except probably for the reunion’s organizers, Me and some male classmates where some of the few last people to leave the venue, On my way home ( while that damn Gogo's song kept looping in one corner of my mind) solely in my motorcycle, I ironically made up my mind that tonight was a very emotionally refreshing night for me, its been a long time since I attended a real party, I don’t know if the word “Fresh” is the appropriate word to associate with a “Thirtieth (technically its thirty-seconth?) year” reunion party, but it is a memorably refreshing event almost like being in a “JS” prom again . It was collectively a happy occasion though there is always the realization that by the next high school reunion whenever it may be, the wear and tear of time maybe too hard to deny by each and everyone of us unless somebody invented a real potion of youth that if not to reverse but at least stop physical ageing within the next 12 months upon this writing. The only real dampening aspect in this reunion for me is that the live band in the house for whatever valid reason it might be seemed desolate of even a single piece of tune from the 80's that our table requested, at least during my two hours presence in the whole affair anyway.

Most of the photos and images that accompany this post are intentionally blurred or altered, to keep some animosity of the people in the pictures and to emphasize that this post is not primarily about images but more on telling a story of an experience as a form of personal tribute to the event. I generally want this journal entry to be a short tribute feature as much as possible; specially this post mainly because it anatomize the topic of ageing, but I figured that it will probably be a long while if not never again that I will come across and be nostalgically inspired to touch on this subject, so although I write blogs as a form of creative therapy for my own benefit, I decided to stretch a few more contents from previous related events to somehow give any foraying web surfer-readers who may randomly stumbled upon this webpage and actually took the time to read it; a more digestible context on the substance of this publishing.

Event Banner

"I recognized so many faces (not names however) after all this years it's really a “Marty Mcfly moment ”

There are lots of food ...

Plenty to drink .... its been a while since since I've drank "beer " in a midst of a meaningful party,

liquor do enhance the experience and fellowship in a celebration, as what i have learned though the years, the key to enjoying drinking spirited beverages is not to overdo it.

Inter-"section" mingling, ( blogger in "poop" colored sport shirt at the foreground)

reunion program and acknowledgement of sponsors and organizers, and Elvis is in the building!

This is a Video of one of my classmate (blue striped shirt) showing his singing prowess on stage, the tune he is rendering is more from the Nineties though, the house band

seemed desolate of even a single piece of popular tune from the Eighties .

A batch-mate (red shirt, familiar name, but did not remember the face ) also awing the crowd with his singing skills. I think there was also an all girls retro dance number, but for some reason I don't have any images of it, I guess I got mesmerized on watching that performance.

my class section's table enjoying the live music on stage

last angle shot of the event

I took home one of this cupcakes

Goodbyes, ... Till we meet again ...I hope

souvenir keychain of the 2017 reunion (figure not included)

Related Images and subjects to this post

Outside perimeter wall of my old high school campus taken in 2016 which still bears the acronym of one of its old and probably the most popular title incarnations. It was acronymed M.I.S.T, during my time 1981-85