08-27-10 UPV HASA's After Party at Flow. Taken by: Issa Bautista

One of our University's most known Fraternity celebrated an annual event. It was called HASA - I don't really know what it meant but I know that each of the Academic Organizations had to choose one GUY - a real one - and make them look and act like girls for one night. But I'm not gonna blog about the whole event - It was just soo.. I don't know to me. I'd prefer talking about the event's afterparty. Though I know how I'm gonna sound a little too innocent when I start talking about it, I still want to talk about it. I have stared at this photograph for a long while, studying every detail of it before the thing dawned into me. I'm not good at appetizing readers so I'm going to just plunge right in.

At sixteen years, three months and twenty-four days old, I was in my most drunken state for the first time. I kinda felt like I was predestined to never forget how my head first throbbed in pain because of alcohol intakes. I had a couple of alcohol not to quench my thirst for alcohol - cause I really don't have that kind of thirst -  but just to know how it feels like getting a little tipsy and drunk with friends. I have never imagined myself in such a place with brim-filled ashtrays and emptied bottles of miscellanies of drinks. I have never imagined my eyes exposed in such obscene actions and brutal (in a way) deeds. But despite these, I know I have to digest the fact that getting used to these was a must. I'll live not to spill a lot for some may be just memories unwanted to be remembered and wanted to be forgotten but I will surely not forget how I felt when I first witnessed all of these.

The night though, was not only about all that I have witnessed and seen, but also of what I have experienced myself. I have always imagined epic love stories happening in such places; you know, when the girl gets drunk and guy helps her out blah blah – those kind of stuff. I have always dared to write such scenes for Fan Fictions – but always end up scrapping the same parts, just because it feels so odd and awkward and kind of CHEESY in a way. It has always been an EPIC FAIL to me; how I could not find the right words and phrases for the story and stuff like that. It was that night though, when I finally realized the reason why. The scene which I’ve always imagined in my mind, with all the background music playing and lights rolling, has become an OBVIOUS CLICHÉ. That night, I have witnessed a series of not-so-fortunate-events.

Somewhere between all the sight-seeing and chit-chatting, I felt sad – How it was possible for some people to waste a first kiss on one night with a stranger while they were both drunk. Or maybe more than just a kiss, who knows?

Maybe I was one fortunate kid after all, I almost believed. But it did not just end there. I danced; in trance, with friends at first, but eventually, with someone whose name I could barely remember when I woke up in the morning. I thought again, and agreed once more. Maybe I really was fortunate that night – in a way that the stranger I spent the whole night dancing with was a kind who’d never do such unfortunate things to me. I was just dancing in a group, when someone suddenly pulled me in and introduced himself. His name I can remember now, with the help of my roommate, who happens to be a friend of his too. He just whispered near my right ear, cause the music was too loud. Maybe he noticed the look in my face that kinda spelled “Why did you pull me out of the group?” so he just answered without me asking. “You have to stay away from him..” I looked back to see who he meant and realized how long I have been dancing with a really really drunk guy. I knew the guy he was talking about and I kinda felt that he did not trust the guy so he just pulled me away from him. I gave him a “thank you” look and we just continued to dance and talk. I don’t remember our conversation clearly, but I know we talked about a University’s event, where we both participated but as rivals, our team winning. One governor even took a picture of us – I did not have a choice but I tried real hard to bow my head down in a not so obvious way while she was taking the picture. Not that I did not want to remember that night, though. I want to remember that night – but definitely not in an intriguing way. If it really was something, then we would not need pictures as proof. I was pretty sure he was not that drunk; He managed to pull me away from a drunk guy to keep me safe, I even think I was drunk-er than he was, just as I’m sure how he would remember more than I would. I felt kinda bad though how I just left him in the dancefloor. I had noticed that some friends were not in the right state already so I needed to really help them out. I did not even ask for permission. Sheeesh. Was that too rude? Hope not. Anyhow, I still hope he understood.

Up until now, I still haven’t seen him. If I’m gonna see him again, we’ll both know each other, that I know.