DEAR SIR/MA'AM, AS USUAL, WALA NA NAMAN PO AKONG TITLE. WUVSYU.

YUNG
GRAMMAR KO PO. PASENSYA. WUVSYU PO ULIT. :) I'LL MISS YOU POREBS. -KWINI
An expected sultry afternoon with a sweating ice-cold water on the side that keeps you from
focusing your attention to the sound of the television playing in the background because of the
prickly feeling of the heat kissing your skin can really give you a bad mood. But today is different.
Waiting for someone is indeed different.
And then Russel Rence Vicencio Calidguid, RR to his friends, including me, comes in
wearing his genuine smile for everyone with a hint of uncertainty in his walk if this so-called
interview is really going to happen in the house of our friend. Waving my hand as I greet him, he
pulls up a chair in front of me and asks me if we're going to start now. I give him my remembrance
t-shirt first and asks him to write a dedication for me and when he starts to doodle on it, I start to
ask him his mother and father's names. He automatically says that his mother is Rowena V.
Calidguid and his father is Russel B. Calidguid. Then I ask the name of his baby sister. He stops
writing and his gaze from the t-shirt comes to me, and with a dreamy look on his face, he
affectionately states that his baby sister is Rowna Reign Russelle V. Calidguid. He starts to show me
some pictures of her on his phone while telling me that she's one and a half years old and I jokingly
tell him that if she is going to sign her name years from now, she is going to be exhausted because
of the "shortness" if it. By the looks of it, his family is his number one source of his energy for
gaining his success. "Lagi silang nandiyan kahit anong mangyari. Kahit bumagsak o madapa ka,
tanggap ka pa rin nila at tutulungan ka rin nila na bumangon." he states.
For the people who know nothing about RR, they might think he is just another skinny,
nerdy-without-glasses boy who does nothing but read, learn, read, and learn. But aside from that,
well, expected routine, he is part of a class comedy group called "Hampaslupa Boys" which is
consisted of five members. Everytime they step in front of the whole class, they always leave us
with tears, not because of crying but because of laughing too much. He became part of that group
unexpectedly, he says. I ask him if finding them contributed to his success. "I didn't find them, they
found me." he sensibly corrects me and making me dumbfounded for a while. He tells me the story
of how they got together because of that talent show in EP class, way back in our second year of
highschool, he says they clicked and the rest well, he says was history. And yes, he says having, not
finding true friends can equal to success. They can support you, can make you come out of your
shell and can fill the longing of being part of something.
RR always liked watching movies and can actively tell you the whole plot of the movie even
without blinking. He always tells me how much he likes How I Met Your Mother or any comedy
sitcoms. He also liked documentaries on National Geographic Channel and believe it or not, he
likes Anime too. He enjoys reading novels and magazines too, "Baka iba ang isipin nila, articles
ha." he jokingly says.
Of course, no one can even escape problems and haters. I ask him if he has any hater and he
kiddingly says, "I think none, because I'm a very likeable person." Seriously speaking, "Kung may
hater ka, huwag mo lang pansinin. You know who you are, kung totoo yung mga sinasabi nila,
maybe you should start changing at kung hindi totoo, bakit ka magpapaapekto?" he says as a matter
of fact.
He also shares his attitude towards his problems. He says that you should not let those
problems affect you. He also says that all of us can experience a lot of ups and downs, "Huwag
puro up, dapat may down din." he earnestly states. He even shares the quote he got from a text
message saying, "Para tayong isang barko sa dagat ng problema. Hindi natin dapat hayaan na
pumasok ang tubig sa barko dahil ito ang magpapalubog sa atin." With that, he leaves me
speechless for a while.
I ask him about his hardships towards the expectations in him. He says it's the hardest part of
the fourth year or even in the whole high school life. "Hindi maaalis ang expectations and
pressures kasi being part of the IV-Faith pa lang, may expectations na and running for honors pa."
he says. "One sleep could mean letting everyone down." he adds.

These hindrances did not stop him from achieving his goals. He managed to bag as much
medals as he can get; moreover, his recent success, being the Salutatorian of this school year 20132014. He won 1st place Editorial Writing CD IV and 2nd place Division level, Champion in Metro
Bank MTAP Math Challenge CD IV, 1st Runner-up, Science Category in Academic Olympiad CD II
& IV level, 1st place, Science Quiz Bee in APPSAM, Best in Co-Curricular Activities and our every
reliable and credible, Class Treasurer of IV-Faith, he says.
Digging in the choco flakes with a glass of water between us and his mannerisms still
intact, he excuses himself with a phonecall. While watching him as he talks to the person on the
other line, this man in front of me is full of genuineness without any pretense of being the perfect
student, friend, brother and son. He speaks with so much respect for any person he's talking to, a
sight to behold.
When he's through, I ask him to define success. He says "Success is when you become who
you want to be, not what you need to be."
"What about contentment?" I shoot back. "Yes, success is achieved when you have
contentment and despite seeking a better you, as of that moment you're happy with what you have."
I ask him if he's successful enough. He tells me with no pretense at all, "Hindi pa. We're not perfect.
We always strive for the best of us, that's human nature."
For the last part of the interview-cum-food trip-cum-bonding, I ask him to describe himself
in one word. The ever bubbly man who is always mistaken for being a serious bookish dude says "Cute." And for a moment, I asked myself the same question. One word to describe him.
I conclude that once you get along with him, you will learn a lot of lessons, not only about
algebra and how the earth rotates on its axis but also lessons in life that you will carry in your heart
and mind forever. An inspiration for humility, respect and knowledge. A great friend. A loving
brother and son.
And that's when Absolute becomes the right word for him.