It’s not often that this blogger - Noah, finds enough words to portray a friend. To qualify for a spot in his blog, one has to be a close pal who was at his side through many memorable times. Some call it “thick-and-thin” or “in good times and in bad.”
This particular blog is possible by all of the above-mentioned and also because the person concerned stood out among the many friends in varied aspects worth mentioning.
Virgil came into the life of Noah when he enrolled in the same class. Not only for that particular subject, but for the majority of subjects that they had to accomplish to complete the pre-med course - BS Biology.
He had a reputation that preceded him upon entry into college - thanks to a teacher who had a focused disliking on him to the point that she predicted that no amount of schooling would get Virgil anywhere and that his future was bleak and ruined. In return Virgil kept stressing her with his antics. Ironically, but it was this teacher's son who fulfilled his mom's prediction for Virgil by not making it through medical school.
Virgil was a gangster. Certified by the local mafia that lorded over the eastern part of the city and went by the name: Familia D. In those years being a "familia" member kept you above the average kid in the block and your reputation grew with the number of cases that you got involved in. Noah was not from his city, but had frequent visits there. The connection to Virgil meant that he could trespass their turf with a confident swagger.
He was the silent, unassuming and simple type of guy. No fancy stuff or embellishment. What was loud about him was his laughter, which was quite contagious and if there was a group of dudes laughing out loud you can be sure that he was there. He hated hypocrisy and openly lambasted the hypocrites in our midst.
He loved fun - the sort of fun that was not allowed in the campus and which was practically the source of excitement akin to a cloak-and-dagger operation. He and Noah and about a dozen of other friends played around this type of fun to the consternation of the school officials. It was actually the spice that made college life livable and memorable. A narration of all the 'illegal' outings could fill an entire blog.
He was very intelligent. Now this explains why the drag of college life wasn't appealing to him. Chemistry was his forte and he could feed you all the answers in an exam if you sat close enough to decipher his unreadable penmanship.
One unforgettable episode was in the senior year when the next step after pre-med was being contemplated. All the graduating seniors were definitely proceeding to medical school, but the MCAT exams had to be hurdled first before one could be assured of a slot in medical school. You can imagine the nights spent reviewing for the exams, which would take place in Cebu and Manila. It was at one point during a prayer meeting for this purpose that Virgil announced his plan. He said that if he failed the MCAT he would proceed to Chemical Engineering so that he could work at the San Miguel Corporation - a beer company. That night, amid visions of frothy mugs of ice-cold beer, they all prayed that he would fail the MCAT.
Virgil and Noah parted ways after college graduation. They took up the medical course in different universities and 38 years have gone by without them seeing each other or even communicating through phone. Apparently Virgil is focused in his role as top surgeon and head of the surgery department of the Iligan City Hospital that Facebook and other social media are not even within the periphery of his consciousness.
Cheers to a memorable friendship!
Virgil was a gangster. Certified by the local mafia that lorded over the eastern part of the city and went by the name: Familia D. In those years being a "familia" member kept you above the average kid in the block and your reputation grew with the number of cases that you got involved in. Noah was not from his city, but had frequent visits there. The connection to Virgil meant that he could trespass their turf with a confident swagger.
He was the silent, unassuming and simple type of guy. No fancy stuff or embellishment. What was loud about him was his laughter, which was quite contagious and if there was a group of dudes laughing out loud you can be sure that he was there. He hated hypocrisy and openly lambasted the hypocrites in our midst.
He loved fun - the sort of fun that was not allowed in the campus and which was practically the source of excitement akin to a cloak-and-dagger operation. He and Noah and about a dozen of other friends played around this type of fun to the consternation of the school officials. It was actually the spice that made college life livable and memorable. A narration of all the 'illegal' outings could fill an entire blog.
He was very intelligent. Now this explains why the drag of college life wasn't appealing to him. Chemistry was his forte and he could feed you all the answers in an exam if you sat close enough to decipher his unreadable penmanship.
One unforgettable episode was in the senior year when the next step after pre-med was being contemplated. All the graduating seniors were definitely proceeding to medical school, but the MCAT exams had to be hurdled first before one could be assured of a slot in medical school. You can imagine the nights spent reviewing for the exams, which would take place in Cebu and Manila. It was at one point during a prayer meeting for this purpose that Virgil announced his plan. He said that if he failed the MCAT he would proceed to Chemical Engineering so that he could work at the San Miguel Corporation - a beer company. That night, amid visions of frothy mugs of ice-cold beer, they all prayed that he would fail the MCAT.
Virgil and Noah parted ways after college graduation. They took up the medical course in different universities and 38 years have gone by without them seeing each other or even communicating through phone. Apparently Virgil is focused in his role as top surgeon and head of the surgery department of the Iligan City Hospital that Facebook and other social media are not even within the periphery of his consciousness.
Cheers to a memorable friendship!
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