The Greek Files

Dear Kids,

One day I hope to be able to take you to the Greek Isles and enjoy and have a relaxing summer break there. I have fond memories of the island specifically in Mykonos and Santorini. And knowing how your Mommy is, I have not one but two adventures to share!

I
We had a hot tour guide when we were in Santorini. Think a of young, buff, tanned Greek version of Tom Cruise. Always in his aviators and leather jacket. Yes, he was crushable but I wasn't really interested at that time. So I was on my picture taking spree not realizing that he was taking notice of me.

One time during dinner, he was teasing me and being dense, I was like "What is wrong with you?". Until one of our tourmates told me that he has a big crush on me. He was starting to talk to me more and more each day and would even photobomb some of our pictures. He'd also bring out his camera and take pictures with me in it LOL Haba ng hair moment!

After dropping the lot at the hotel, tour guides would usually go on their ways but he would usually stay around hoping to talk to me and spend a few more minutes or hours talking or having a drink at the bar. I told him I was seeing someone back home and said that he understood and just wanted to be friends.

On our flight back to Athens, he gave me a big hug and told me that he would miss me. He handed me a piece of paper where his contact details were scribbled.

We're Facebook friends until now :)

D
We were in Mykonos and our bus driver had a very cute son, D. His was tagging along with his dad for the duration of the tour. Everyone was gushing about him since he was very cute - think blonde hair, blue eyes, cute smile. He didn't speak much English though so communicating with him was hard! But eyes on the prize, you're mommy dear was dead set on getting to know this cute guy.

It started with shy hi and hello's to sharing snacks with him to asking his name and age to see how much English he spoke. It wasn't much but it was enough for us to communicate and start spending lots of time together. From where he was seated at the back, he then moved closer to where I was so we can play games during the long drives. I was the envy of the whole bus because I became such friends with this cutie that we were spending all our free time together.

On our last day, I had my picture taken with D as a remembrance -

Did I forget to mention he was 7 years old? LOL

Of Poems and Cassette Tapes

Just Friends

Lang Leav

I know that I don't own you,

and perhaps I never will,

so my anger when you're with her,

I have no right to feel

I know that you don't owe me,

and I shouldn't ask for more;

I shouldn't feel so let down,

all the times when you don't call.

What I feel - I shouldn't show you,

so when you're around I won't;

I know I've no right to feel it -

but it doesn't mean I don't

DKs,

When you start reading this, you would probably be the same age as I was when I experienced this story I am about to tell you guys. The poem above is a bit emo but then it brought me back to the memories when I was but a blossoming pre-teen who first discovered boys and how they can make your world go round and round.

Let's call him W and I was a shy and doe eyed 6th grader from an all girls Catholic school who sees boys as some alien creature from across the road. Or more aptly, across the street as our schools were in between a Church which was used as a meeting point of adventurous boys and giggly girls.

Anyhow, Mommy dearest had a tutor at that time and there she met W. He was a year older than her, articulate, smart, and maangas. Despite all of this and him having a bad boy reputation at our tutor, he singled me out and befriended me. What started with side comments here and there became a short chat before starting tutor to staying for another 30 minutes to talk before I went home.

Inexperienced I was, I craved the attention that this boy is giving me. I loved it when he said hi or came over to my table and sit with me. I eagerly wait for him to start talking with me for I know it will be a few minutes of kilig with this older boy who wrote poems and essays for a hobby. Months rolled by and our friendship grew, I became more confident in talking to him and was pretty happy that I had a friend who seemed all so grown up.

One day, he casually asked if he could ask for my telephone number. You know, to continue chatting during the weekends and during summer since school was about to end. My heart fluttered and skipped a beat. A boy will be calling me! This was the time when there were no pagers, no cellphones, no emails, no Facebook. The telephone is the ultimate tool to connect with the people you liked. I was in seventh heaven and was eagerly waiting for his call everyday and even asking my nanny if someone called for me when I was out during the day.

He usually called me on Saturday afternoons and almost every other day during the summer. We'd chat for hours and hours which infuriated my mother and nanny because I was hogging the phone and we didn't even call waiting then. We talked about school stuff, mundane things, poetry and music. I thought I was in love with this boy who even wrote me a poem about friendship which was scribbled on a blank sheet of paper in his scrawny script.

When school started the following year, we were talking about 80's music and how the songs were more meaningful and true. One day, he appeared out of nowhere and handed me a cassette tape which he personally recorded for me filled with 80's love songs. He carefully listed all the songs on the sleeve of the cassette and sheepishly said that he had to add the song Zombie by The Cranberries just because. Oh my oh my, was Mommy so giddy with this little gift and made me want to gush every time I saw him. I listened to the tape everyday, again and again trying to decipher if he wanted to convey something through the songs he chose.

But alas, young love was not for me as one day he told me he liked someone and wanted me to help him send her letters and gifts. What crushed my heart more was that this girl he fancied was a friend of mine! I was in tears as I hurried back to my room and tore the piece of paper where he had written the poem for me. I played the cassette tape one last time and threw it in the trash can. My little heart was broken into tiny pieces and I vowed never to talk to him again and started to avoid him and his calls.

So my young loves, be careful of boys who write you poems and make you listen to sappy music, they just want to be friends and you will end up heartbroken like your Mommy dear. LOL

P.S. Mommy just stalked him in Facebook (yes, we are friends there!) and I saw that he now has a baby with his girlfriend. And that girl he fancied? She's now married too :)

xoxo