Tyra's Friendship Dictionary (Friendship Never Ends)

PART I: This is written as a tribute to few of the people who left footprints in my heart. 

It’s good to let your friends know what you think about them while they can still read or hear it. What good are your words when the person you intend to tell them is already gone? I’d prefer to be given a single rose while I’m still alive, so I could appreciate its beauty, than to be given a dozen bouquets when I’m already dead. Therefore, before everything is too late, tell your family, friends and love ones how much they matter to you.

-          YOHYIE (yow’-yeeh)

Full Name: Desiree Tampus Gandullas

Birthdate: January 18, 1986

Desiree or commonly known as “Dess,” “Dats,” or “Dessie” by most of her friends, but whom the writer fondly calls “Yohyie” is defined as a very gentle and sweet lady who is willing to give up almost everything for the name of “love.” Sometimes her being a martyr really annoys the writer because she just gives selflessly without thinking about herself and her own safety. She doesn’t mind being hurt as long as she makes the person she loves happy. Well, that’s Desiree! She is one of the most generous and kind person the writer has known all her life. A lot of people love her because of her pleasant characteristics. She has been the writer’s best friend since they were in grade two. They grew up together in the same grade school, high school, college and even in the same first company where they’ve worked right after graduation. Desiree is simply incomparable. One of the things the writer won’t forget about her is that she would let the writer draw a nice picture in front of the greeting card she would make, and it would turn out that she (Yohyie) would give that same card to the writer! Sometimes, she would ask the writer to write down the dedication she prepared in nice script lettering on the card, only to find out later on that she would also gave that same card to the writer. Oh, how cute she is! She’s currently working as a Territory Manager in Wyeth, Philippines, based in Roxas, Iloilo. Being the only child and being able to live far away from her parents for the first time in her life, Desiree is making the most out of her independence! Good for her! She’s a kind of friend that many people would want to have.

-          AI (ay')

Full Name: Mary Francis Clyde Tamidles Misa

Birth Date: September 6, 1989

If you have a full name as long as Ai’s name, then you’d get a lot of nicknames, too. Commonly known as “Mary” or “Francis” by her classmates, “Den-den” by her family and friends, and “Ai” by the writer, she is defined as a nice, friendly, humorous and generous person. She would appear to be a shy and silent person when you first get to know her, but later on, you’ll realize that she’s very talkative and can talk non-stop for hours, even over the phone. She has so much fun that a lot of people would want to be in her company. She has a very nice and neat handwriting, too, which the writer always admires. She is also a nice and thoughtful older sister to her younger siblings, who took care of them when their parents left them for more than five years to help improve their family’s financial status and to solve all their financial problems. Ai is known to be a strong person, but because of some circumstances that she’s unable to control, she suddenly became independent, which made into a stronger person. When she loves a person, she gives everything she’s capable of giving to make the person she loves happy. She’s also a martyr. Not everybody has seen her cry, but the writer had seen her cried a million times already. She cherishes gifts and presents from her friends and love ones, but unfortunately, when somebody crazy put their house into fire, she lost everything, but the memories.

-          M-SOI (em’-soy)

Full Name: Michelle Enriquez Sorono

Birthday: January 8, 1985

Commonly called as “Mitch” by many people and “M-soi” by few of her closest friends, Michelle is defined as a cool, open-minded and a strong person. The writer has only seen her cried once in her more than 10 years of friendship with M-soi. Furthermore, M-soi is also a very generous person who doesn’t know how to say “No” to all her friends’ requests. Sometimes, the writer thinks she deserves a little whack on the head because of her weakness. Most of the time, she would offer to give a bigger treat when going out with her friends. She’s also willing to give everything she’s capable of giving to her friends who are in need and, especially when she loves someone. And by the way, she’s single and very much available, but she has a certain standard, too, and she doesn’t fall in love right then and there. For M-soi, being in love takes time. She’s always fun to be with because she has a good sense of humor. In fact, there’s never a dull moment with her. Oh! She’s good at dancing, playing the guitar and portrait sketching, too. She has even given the writer a sketch of the Backstreet Boys way back in high school. She’s simply one of the best!

-          JENTOT (dzen’-tot)

Fullname: Mary Ladimie Jane F. Vega

Birthdate: May 8, 1984

She’s commonly called as “Jen” by many people, but called “Jentot” by few of her closest friends. She is defined as a generous, very open-minded and supportive friend who never goes out of comforting words to say to her friends who are down and feeling weary. She may look and act childish at times but what you’ll see within her is the exact opposite. She can be your older sister, an adviser or just simply a friend who’s always there to listen to your woes. She can be funny at times especially when it comes to eating. She usually finishes off the food left on some of her friends’ plates (especially on the writer’s plate who doesn’t eat a lot). She knows when to be funny and crazy and she also knows when to be serious. She’s packed with nice encouraging words that the writer always wants to listen to. She’s an independent lady who lives far away from her family since college. She currently lives with her best friend, Chai in a boarding house in Mandue City. When she’s a friend, she’s really a friend. She willingly gives everything she’s capable of giving to those who are in need. She’s crazy over fashion accessories (no more wood and shells please, as she claims that she’s environment-friendly now), big bags and colorful shoes. She’s also crazy about Gaby Dela Merced and MYMP.

-          NANOI (na’-noy)

Full Name: Nancy R. Cudis

Birthdate: December 2, 1984

Nancy or commonly known as “Nanoi” by her close friends is defined as a very smart, strong-willed, opinionated and idealistic lady. Among the writer’s closest friends, she’s one of the smartest, having been a consistent Dean’s Lister in college, the one who usually got the highest rating in a certain class, the Editor-in-Chief in their college magazine and who almost bagged the “Cum Laude” award, if not for some of her records in her previous University (She actually shifted course, from Civil Engineering, where she’s surrounded with a myriad of guys in a jungle to Mass Communication in an all-girls school in Mango Avenue, pretty tough, huh?). Oh! Before I forgot, she’s a jack-of-all-trades, too! She can draw and paint nice realistic and abstract pictures, direct Dula-Tula (a poetry-style of stage play), act any character professionally on stage, write poems and stories in a very artistic and unique way, sing and dance… oh, forget the last two parts, but she’s talented, you know! And not to mention, she fights for her friends, too. She’s a kind of person who chooses her friends closely and cherishes these friends forever.

More Circle of Great Friends to come in the next post.
See PART II: Tyra's Friendship Dictionary (Through Ups and Downs)...