friends are gifts.

speechless.  yes, i was speechless for a good five minutes.  noel, a friend i've known since i was 15 made a song for me.  i was deeply touched by the gesture.  people make songs for icons like marilyn monroe.  what did i do to be immortalized in a song?

the lyrics are heartwarming.  the melody, pure and simple.  so much like the kind of friendship we have — true and untarnished by any trivial emotion. 

this song fulfills my wishlist i wrote in september two years ago in my old nedj site.  who would've known?  it's nice.  it's nice when your friends honor you, think about you, and appreciate your presence in their life. 

i remember a poem my friend cesar wrote for me in 1998.  it was beautiful.

sometimes, i wonder if i deserve that poem, or the song noel just made, or even be thought about in a very special way.  sometimes, i feel like i'm not that good of a friend especially when i get engrossed with the things i do and i forget to answer emails, or texts, or mail those long overdue letters.  i must have done something good in my life to be blessed with friends who understand, who love me despite. 

two days ago, boots told me that she and jingjing were in the mall and found a blouse which reminded them of me.  "we call it the aileen blouse," she said.  "jing and i agreed we will buy one blouse each, wear it, and show it to you," she added.  how sweet is that?

reminds me of my friends here in manila.  each time they see those flat maryjanes or ballet shoes in yummy colors and designs, they'd beam: "shoes ni aileen!" 

it feels wonderful to be remembered.  to be deliberately thought about and be the muse of a song and a poem.  to be thought about even during walking-in-the-mall-window-shopping-moments.  to be assured that you are there, quietly tucked in your friends' hearts.