The Same Old Brand New

I was sitting outside a while ago with my cup of coffee (thank heavens for the trusty old coffee) and a thought occurred to me: Whatever happened to the old Joan Valerie Escoto???

Backtrack and background check:

Approximately two and a half years ago, Joan had a life. Truth be told, she was the life of the party. While her weekday schedule was always filled with academic deadlines and exams, her weekend schedule was almost always jam-packed with outings, dates, family gatherings, and gimmicks with her friends.

The old Joan had plenty of time for her family. I remember that before, after her school day was finished, she always met up with her mother (who is a super health buff, by the way) and sister (who is a vegetarian and also a health buff) at Slimmers’ World Pasig and worked all those sweat machines that scare away lazy couch potatoes. After gym time, Jo and her family would go to coffee shops nearby and enjoy cups of coffee after a hard day’s work at the gym. At home, she would sit in front of the TV with her mom and sister and watched Tagalog TV series. By 9:00 p.m. on a normal day, they would wait for her Father’s phone call and would take turns talking to him; exchanging day stories and i-love-yous. On Sundays, they would normally go to Tagaytay and visit Sonya’s Garden for their regular organic meal. Unlike other teenagers, she didn’t enter that awkward stage wherein a person in his or her teens would normally drift apart from the family. She enjoyed her family and vice versa.

Before, she had plenty of time for her friends. She enjoyed having lunch, coffee, and dinner with them. When a friend calls for an emergency, she’s the first one who would arrive to offer her sympathies and comfort. Saturdays were normally reserved for friends. During the daytime they would find themselves having lunch somewhere in Greenhills, Katipunan, or just in the neighbourhood, eating hearty meals and laughing their hearts out. She was often mistaken as a wild party girl because of her outrageous stints during nights outside, but the truth is, she just enjoyed being with her friends that much. She never forgot to call or text them about even the littlest joys and details about her life or to congratulate them about wonderful happenings. She was very generous of her time to her friends; they came in first place along with her family.

While Jo is a social person, she also enjoyed being with herself. God, she loved herself. She took care of her appearance very well. Because she was pounds lighter three years ago, she even went modelling gigs and posed for magazines. She wore miniskirts and halter tops because she looked great in them; and because she knows she looked good, she always had a ready smile to give. She enjoyed going on out-of-town trips before, enjoyed lunches and coffee alone. And because she looked great and felt great, guys flocked around her and almost always, she found herself going on dates. She enjoyed time alone, driving around the metro and visiting bookstores where she would sit all day with her nose hidden behind pages. After a tiring drive she would buy herself a cup of coffee and stare at the scenery thinking about life and love. She looked great, she felt great, and she was happy.
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Looking back, I realized that much has changed in those years that my “magic” was carried away. I need my old life back. I need family life, I need social life, and I need my much-loved nightlife. I don’t want to end up like a sad and lonely old lady.

It's time for some color and party! Friends, rescue me!!!