Charmed Life by Gretheline Bolandrina

Most recently, my inbox had been flooded with high school messages. What with our 25th high school reunion looming around the corner? And yes, hubby said I should go, “cuz it means a lot to you”. So, this got me thinking, what of reunions?

I graduated from Novaliches High School (NHS), IV-1 class of 50, even split, male/female ratio, along with 14 other sections, divided the same, roughly totaling 750 students. Having been in town for my Dad’s Memorial service in June, I was able to attend a planning meeting/get-together spearheaded by George Calicdan and Cathy Raralio. Catching the tail end of a badminton game at the pre-arranged meeting venue, we started rattling off updates. We then headed to Elyong’s Grill for dinner and actual planning. I was status post lasik eye surgery and was still a bit jetlagged, never mind the emotional numbness of just losing my Dad. I didn’t contribute much to the conversations but marveled at how well everyone turned out to be. I guess people really do not always turn out the way we expect! I didn’t recognize some of the guys and I had vague recollections of some of the ladies. I mean, who are these people? The ones I recognized most were the ones I knew in grade school. There’s a light, almost breezy, comfy feeling getting re-acquainted with everyone. Truly, how does one “reunite” with someone you haven’t really seen or heard from in 25 years? Where to begin? How do you even start recapping everything that happened in the past? Dwell only in the good? Skip the unpleasant experiences? Talk about family? Talk about work? Who’s to say what anyone wants to hear?

I sat at the meeting, listening to bits and pieces of chatter, animated moans and groans, complaints of illnesses. For the women, plans and attempts at losing weight in time to look great on the day of the event. Even a wager/bet, there’s teasing, laughter, guffaws, nudges, updates on who just had a baby, and with a little more urgency, fundraising plans for the actual event. No one really asked exactly how the other one was, in a deeper sense that I had anticipated. Sure, there was the casual “Kumusta?” (How are you) and the standard response of “mabuti” (fine). Had there been more time, (or had I been more alert) I would have ventured more with a beaming, “What have you been up to for the past 25 years?” I have conjured in my head, a chronological update of myself, starting with 4 years at University of Santo Tomas, got my BSN, passed the boards, worked at Philippine General Hospital for a year, left for Boston, met a wonderful guy, fell in love, got married, had kids, now raising a family. Delivered in one breath, all in (under) two minutes. Would that make whoever asked what I’ve been up to, know more about me? Would they really want to know more about me? Would I want to know more about anyone? Does anyone know who anyone truly is? It is tough to recognize people. Would that really have been the point of having a reunion? For me, just seeing everyone will be well worth the eight-thousand-plus-mile journey. I want to see the “bonsai” group, our old stomping grounds, CAT officers, Miss Alma Mater and her court, even our teachers. I want to see all my high school friends who I remember fondly as smart, pretty and happy to be “who they are” in that awkward stage in our life. And a glimpse of what they have now become. I would love to share in the fun, laughter and silliness of reminiscing what was “high school life”. I want to share in feeling what we may all have forgotten, to look back at our old ways. Complicated as life may have been with our teenage angst. Because in this very fast paced world, I think in our haste to all grow up, we may not have realized what and how much we left behind. Could it be a big chunk of our old selves or a piece of our young heart, our influence, and radiance? Reunions make us feel the need to and actually feel what used to be simple and good. We all need to remember our old selves. We then can, maybe realize, we may have all grown up, separated by distance, career paths and personal choices but we’ve never really grown apart. NHS is a tie that binds us.

Feel free to e-mail me reactions, comments and or suggestions for ideas to ponder. Contact me at Gretheline@aol.com or through Carousel Productions.

Fil-Ams in Sandra Bullock Movie
by Gretheline Bolandrina, June 26, 2008

Boston, MA: "We're rolling, background, action!" This is not Hollywood but the Bay State. Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester, to be exact.

With Sandra Bullock, Betty White and Ryan Reynolds as principals on the set, might as well call it the Hollywood of the East. In early February, a casting call was made by Boston Casting for the movie "The Proposal." Several Filipino-Americans were hand selected by director Anne Fletcher to be in multiple days of the movie as background artists, being a part of the core engagement party group, appearing in the welcome home party scene, the bachelorette party and the wedding. The romantic comedy where a "A pushy boss (Bullock) forces her young assistant (Reynolds) to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the US and avoid deportation to Canada" is scheduled for a September 2009 (USA) release.

On Location: Kinney Mercado (center) flanked by Grethel Bolandrina (Left) and Agnes Valencia at the Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester, MA.

About Boston Casting: Established in 1991, it has since become the premiere casting company in New England, having worked with directors such as Errol Morris, The Farrelly Brothers, David Mamet and Rob Reiner. With over 3,000 square feet of office and studio space, Boston Casting is the largest casting house in the greater Boston area. Boston Casting is recognized by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Boston University Film School, Harvard University, and the International Television and Video Production Association. Visit www.BostonCasting.com

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