ill write spontaneously after this so everything thatll follow will be completely genuine kc i feel like as someone that has been there since day 1 (p*say standards) i feel like d pa ko naga lsm sau na lsm tlga so here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

start of g7 palang i knew u were the coolest person ever na! even before we actually had convos i saw that blue background pfp mo nung g6 grad (??) tas sabi ko holy shit i actually have to be friends w this girl (pero buti nalang di napaaga interaction naten kc medyo self-centered tlga ko nung una hahaha nabawasan lng ung yabang q nung nagkafriends ako sa pisay) PERO the point is u were like a friend crush sa start ng g7 kc i wanted to be close w u more than any other batchmate

THEN

IDK IF MAY EARLIER INSTANCE PA BA NA NAG-INTERACT TAU PERO AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER THE VERY START OF OUR FRIENDSHIP WAS THIS ONE CONVO SA DUMP ACC KO AHAHHA, sbi m p dmi nagkkcrush sken 😓 anyway lampake basta after nun medyo nagkahiyaan pa pero thank god u were actually kind of assertive (and i mean that in a good way) na nalabas ko yung wild/kanal humor side q to anyone, much more sau na i genuinely admired so much! then nagparasend na tau ng kween leng gifs tas nakisali ikaw dun sa apartment video calls tas nagusap tau, u shared ur stories i shared mine and today realtalk lng it feels like a fever dream kc ang blurry ng ibang events pero u were genuinely one of the biggest parts of my g7 life!

u taught me how easy it is to be loved, how easy it is to accept that, and how easy it is to love you. u taught me, gradually, that i didn't need to prove myself to anyone to be friends with them, and i say gradually cuz admittedly nung una tryhard pa akong maimpress ka even as a friend pero it felt so tiring and unti unti nung pinapakita ko na true self ko u still accepted me and loved me like u did before, even more so i'd argue. u werent my first friend, nor the first person in pisay to have included me, but u were the first person, in my whole pisay life, to have made me feel so happy to be included. i don't know if that expresses what i want it to convey, because the feeling itself is so vaguely clear and at the same time clearly inexpressible, but it is something so consequential to my entirety that surely it cannot be one-sided, so i'll have to trust my gut that u understand it well.

anyway, nung campus tour idk what it was that made me shy when i saw u na hnd ko tlga ikaw inaapproach (bka kasi ghinost kta hahahahahh), pero buti nalang nakita mo ko and u hugged me, cuz that was one of my most favourite core memories sating dalawa and what ultimately cleared any doubts abt our friendship. (yes, there were doubts, oa lang tlga sorry ahhaha)

phew g7 palang un and that's alr a lot, let's continue..

by g8 we were still damn close, ikaw ung kausap ko nun lagi, i don't think i joined u kapag kumakain kc ksama mo friends mo but we always waited hanggang sa end ng curfew sa labas ng dorm to talk to each other and those were so fun! dito natin nakilala ang isa't isa and of course more chismis and chikas ang nabungkal hehe. g8, in all honesty (and im sure u dontt want me to sugarcoat anything), had moments that id rather leave sa past, but that doesn't deny how much i appreciated u and ur smile, u and ur constant crushes (na lowkey parang half ng convos natin di mapapass ung bechdel test 😭), u and ur laugh and how ur entire face would turn red, bcs at the end of the day, anlaki mo pa ring part ng buhay ko!

and if g7 was the peak of our friendship, feel ko g9 yung lowest point HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH PERO WAG N NATEN BALIKAN GUS2 K LANG SABIHIN SALAMAT SA PAGSERMON SAKEN KC IF ANYTHING I FEEL LIKE THAT DIVIDED MY LIFE INTO TWO PARTS: pre-esther-sermon tsaka post-esther-sermon, AHAH pero in all seriousness even though that was an ERRRR moment of my life I thank u for telling me all dat cuz that was the first time in my life that i actually was held accountable for my deeds and in all ways was that much needed

FINALLY G10 ANDAMI ULING NANGYAYARI OUR FRIENDSHIP IS FLOURISHING AGAIN AND U'RE STILL THE LOVABLE ESTHER THAT I KNOW!

my only wish for u this birthday of yours is to not be too hard on yourself, if you need someone to talk to, remember that i'll listen, i always will!

thank u for everything, esther, i love you so so much!

you are strong and if anyone were to be under the same circumstances youve been in, i don't know if they wouldve survived, but u did, cuz u're the esther i know

love u!

-nazaria

Happy birthday roomie (by heart) and nakshit q!! I miss you a lot ever since naglipat akong dorm and we haven’t gotten to talk as much as we used to—so i'm just gonna yap a little here.

You’re someone I’ve grown fond of very fast since this school year started, and im glad nakaclose kita before ako mag [REDACTED](g word). I miss sitting on my desk and waiting for you to come into the room so we can talk about our day and eat sushi on Wednesdays. I miss doing our silly little routines before bed together sa dorm tapos mamaya magpupuyat together kasi nagtatapos ng reqs habang iniiwasan mahuli ni maam mariana. I miss being around you 😞

Di na kita roomie by the time you dyed your hair red but I always know its you in the crowd when I see a tint or red shining from the top of your head when the light hits hour hair. I hope you’re doing well nowadays even though di kita kasama palagi. Im so glad all of you (my old roomies) still say hi when we pass by each other sa hallways. I miss taking pictures on my digicam with you guys. Especially you.

Miss ko na magtimpla iced tea sa pitsel tapos alam ko na sasamahan kita ng baso kasi automatic pag nagtimpla akong juice, gusto mo rin. 😞😞 I miss having someone na ka vibe ko sa playlist ko sa room.

I hope you’re doing okay nowadays even if di na kita nakakasama palagi. I’m always here to get your dinner if you aren’t feeling well. I’m always here if you need a hug and a moment to think about things. I’m always here to update you with silly cat pictures. ^^

I got you yung chocolate that you said you liked nung isa habang di pa dumadating yung messy cookies na regalo ko sayo. I don’t know exactly pano pantayan yung keychain na bigay mo sakin nung bday ko but I hope you’ll like it. 🫶🫶

I love you so much bebe—my buddy, nakshit, roomie, duo on the dance floor (kasama mag vibe sa playlist sa cr), wendys, sushi order partner and corny rom com watcher, my shayla, my baby esther. take care of yourself always and happy birthday !! Sana makagala tayo sometime soon mwah ❤️❤️❤️

-Ate Yna Bedis

• guitarist

either way, eto na yon

to the girl who caught my entire attention when she started articulating words that sounded like they're from heaven, with perfect enunciation, crisp diction, and radiating chest tones

to the girl who is not conforming to the conventional ways of the society

to the girl who consumes a double shot espresso in 5 minutes

to the girl who tried to cram the requirements but later regretted doing so (but did it again anyway)

to the girl whose bungisngis radiates a lovely day ahead, even from kilometers away

to the girl who got all the talents we know of

to the girl whose disappointed face makes my day

to the girl who shares her disappointments in her daily life that I'll never get tired of listening to

to the girl who shares random tea that she

knows I am very fond of

to the girl who assumes I am not into her genre but has little idea what music i consume

to the girl who never failed to wave at me every freakin single time

to the girl who reminds me to carry on in life no matter what, and somehow say that everything doesn't have to make sense now but eventually it will

to the girl who uses all socmed messaging apps at once to say that she's not "kapay"

to the girl who makes a bad day better

and to the girl who knew me best with all of my deepest secrets,

you made life a little lighter

MALIGAYANG KAARAWAN, MARIA ESTERRR!!!

(wala akong wish, ano pa ba maiwiwish ko? hmp)

i wanna wanna thank u for being such a kind soul who always makes my heart warm. thank u for never ever making me feel left out in such a room. i am always 4ever thankful for having known you. i wish you more happiness as more birthdays come to you. love u ate esther mwaaaa

Continue to shine radiantly as the sun, blessing us the grace to feel your warm and fierce embrace. And when you don't feel like rising brightly, rise calmly and glow as the moon, providing us the honor of feeling the cool breeze of the wind and the twinkle of the stars. Shine as you want to, Esther, never stop chasing your dreams, but also know when to rest.

I miss u so muuchhh :'( Celebrate us pag nagkita!!! I love you to the moon and to saturn -> 🌕 ->🪐.

-missya

I pray the best for you and stay happy, smiling, energetic, confident, (lahat na positive descriptive sayo na). Never forget to put a smile on your face, just like how you put a smile on ours❣️

Everyone including me appreciate and thankful sa'yo. You🫵 always the best and forever be! Thank you the bestest among the best! Again, happy birthday ate eyonnn have a great day and yk that ilysmmmmm!!

tnx sa bohat sa chem at math HAHAHAHAHA sorry na kong etoh lng aquoh liekk, anww aunn happy 16th nhayy good luck sa everythingggg!!