Gangsta Lovin

College life may be over, but the friendship I found during those four years will never be.

If you’ve been reading and following some of my previous posts, then the word “Gang” or “Gangster” may not be new to you anymore. They are my college barkada (L-R): Rish, Ace, Ren, Alps, Nikki and Jorron. How we came together took a lot of process and evolution of group.haha

The Evolution

Back in 2006, during freshie years, they were really not my clique; although, we already know each other because we all belong to the same block. My original group of friends then was really Arvin and Rachel. Arvin, that time, also has his own set of friends who were composed of most of the guys from our block. Every break time, the three of us would stay together for lunch or for just anything, and since Arvin, as mentioned, was also a part of the boys’ group that time, Rachel and I were also almost always among the boys.

Rish, Reich, Rvin

During half of the sem, Rachel and Arvin started joining the same organizations, while I had different org applications. So, every time Reich and Arvin would have their org meetings, I am usually left with the boys; thus, I was coined “one of the boys” during first year. Those were the times when I formally bonded with three of the Gang, the boys that is (Ace, Jorron and Alps).

Ren and Nikki's girls (first five) plus Badz and I and a little bit of Ace at the back

You may be wondering where Ren and Nikki came in the picture?haha Okay. Nikki and Ren both belong to another group of friends, an all-girls group (Ren, Nikki, Shie, Julez and Trish). Their group was, apparently, also close to the group of boys where I was usually with, so I get to be with them, too from time to time. As you can see, through networking and connections, all six of us were already interacting with each other that time; though, by the end of the day, we still had our own set of barkada to be with.

An almost complete photo of the Gang during 1st year, but we're not really a barkada yet

When second year came in, that’s when the “shift” happened and where the evolution of group took place. To make it easier, let me enumerate the events:

• Rachel was left behind because she wasn’t able to complete a pre-requisite subject. She acquired a different set of schedule and subjects since she’s not allowed to take major Orcom subjects.
• Ren and Nikki were left in UP Manila, while the other three transferred to UP Diliman.
• Arvin and I took different schedules on some subjects, so we’re not really together most of the time anymore.
• Same with the boy’s group. Some of them transferred and shifted and the rest had different schedules.

The result: All six of us found ourselves attending almost the same classes for all subjects, and since we already had a previous bond, it wasn’t hard for us to really be together despite the fact that we’re not really a solid barkada during first year. Second year wasn’t too friendly for us, though. There were some issues and controversies that rifted and, sadly, stained the friendship between some people who were also close to me . Yet, in the end, all six of us realized and found true friendship and brother/sisterhood with each other. We stuck until the end and survived.

The History of Gangster

This is where it began

We just love our shirts. We made these for our campaign

How we named our group “Gangster” didn’t really come out as a plan. It was more like out of a joke and out of our sick and weird imaginations. We were working on a PR Campaign that time, and one of our audience was a school situated in Tondo. Tondo earned its reputation as a dangerous place because of most of its residents, and it’s usually typecasted as one of the ultimate havens for different “gangsters” or “gang”. Out of that thought, we started teasing each other that by the end of the day, we might come out as part of a gang ourselves; plus, I also remember Jorron and I singing that song, “..ang buhay ng gangster, hindi naliligo..”, which I started but I can’t remember anymore where I got it. After that event, we started addressing each other “gang”, until it became the permanent name of our group.

The Gang

We're on a high

My Gang is composed of different individuals, diverse yet united. We are actually just like the other barkadas who also has their own flaws, who also fight and make up; yet, we always stood still by each other. Allow me to introduce my Gang and also give a brief description for each one. Let me just note that it’s already established that we’re all intelligent beings and no need to tell that one by one.haha (walang aangal )

In alphabetical order:

Ace Acosta a.k.a “Ace” – Our Christian Musician. A devoted Christian who knows and takes his responsibilities in their church seriously. Among the Gang, he’s our force towards the life of good and holiness.haha He’s also known for his talent when it comes to singing and playing instrument. In fact, he’s currently the outgoing Front Man (president) of UP Manila’s Musicians Organizations.

Alfred Miguel Aguado a.k.a “Alps” – He’s every girl’s boy,who earned the phrase, “simpleng malandi” from us.haha He’s the vainest among the guys in our Gang and is almost always conscious on the way he dresses and look. His usually deep thoughts and broad mind earned him to be the only Gang who graduated Cum Laude.

Noreen Rose Dela Cruz a.k.a “Ren” – Our driver.haha Just kidding. She’s our ballerina trend setter. The Gang takes pride in her dancing prowess, which is why we always enjoy supporting and watching her on stage during her recitals or competitions. She’s also one of the batch’s trend setters when it comes to clothes and styles (naks ). She has her own way, since first year, of getting the people’s attention with the way she dresses and styles her looks.

Dominique Ann Mailom a.k.a “Nikki” – She’s the nicest and yet she can also be the most maldita in our Gang. She usually prefers to just listen  and be innocent every time we start to hit on really weird and “deep” conversations, which is also why she’s usually a favorite target for our jokes and kalokohan (she can be that gullible haha). She’s also the Gang with the heart of a child, and sometimes, the voice of a child.:P One of our favorite moments with her is hearing her whine every time we won’t allow her to sleep or play RC or PVZ during overnights (priceless haha).

Jorge Jorron Monroy a.k.a “Jo/Jor” – The Gang’s hardcore theater/film actor and my “kapatid”. Among the gang, he’s usually the only one I get to bond with when it comes to theater and production stuff. We usually have the same mind wavelength when it comes to producing ideas and concepts for production or art stuff. We formally became close during our theater days, which was also the time we started calling each other “Kapatid”. When I left the acting career, he on the other hand moved on and even became better and was even casted for an Indie Film once. Cool.

As for me, as much as I don’t want to introduce myself, because it’s kinda weird, I’ll just probably say that I’m the Gang’s drama queen and the one who can’t keep something for herself even for five minutes.haha The rest, I’d prefer a third-person description from the Gang (ahem ahem).:P

I had my best days in college with these guys and I’ll never forget and will always cherish the moments we shared with each other. The thesis days; the group works and project overnights turned kalokohan; our UBE moments; the road trips, wherein we usually have to cram ourselves in Ren’s car; the videoke moments; and, even the tampuhan/misunderstanding moments.

New York, New York

The photo above shows our favorite pose for our barkada shot. It’s our own version of “New York, New York”. Although, notice on the last shot, Jorron (Kapatid) isn’t with us. Well, he had school issues, which he did try to fight for until the end, and we were there, of course. We weren’t really sad for him, though it could’ve been better if he was with us. Before we even finished our school requirements, he already made us very happy and proud when he became the first Gang to be employed. He’s now a script writer for GMA’s two new shows, which is why we’ll still be always proud of him.:)

The Gang had been a witness to all my joy, pain and dreams in life. They were also a part of it among the other people special to me. School days may be over, but I know we’ll still find ways to spend kulitan moments with each other.

And oh.. Thank you, Gang!