Once in a Blue Mon

Once in a Blue Mon

June 11, 2010 by Janey

June 10, 2010 –after Bubba attended the ABS-CBN trade event, off we went driving to the Katipunan area. We finally arrived in our destination mark – Route 196.

This is where the last live notes will be heard –out of the band Marty McFly. At least, maybe for this year… but I’m sure it won’t be the very last.

No, the band isn’t breaking up. The group is like a tight-knit family. Having jammed and made music together for 11 years and everything else in between, the band has become truly a bond.

It’s not the band that I’m writing about today.

It’s my main “men,” Mon. What a tongue twister huh.

“Musta men?” is his usual morning greeting to me on YM.

Mondays aren’t the same if I don’t hear from Mon asking how my weekend went. We share our weekend stories over the chat line.

Back in the day (circa 2006), Mon used to do graphic design for the same company (Sabiclub Corporation) I worked for where I handled marketing and events for Station 168. He claims I was really “masungit” every time I asked for designs for my marketing collaterals. I deny this every time of course.

First time I remember seeing him was sitting in our reception area waiting on his first day –with a buzz going around in the office that someone cute is joining the team. I think to myself, “err… cute? Really now?” 🙂 Doesn’t the company’s medical card cover eye examination?

Despite tight deadlines and my strange concepts for theme designs, I think I had a really good working relationship with Mon. He denies this every time of course. He even has one story where I had him work through lunch for a design for Station 168’s 5^th Anniversary Event. I don’t remember this happening. Ever.

But what we are both certain of is… our working relations have stemmed beyond work and strangely, we’ve become really great friends.

Started with pizza dinners/potlucks at my previous condo with the whole Sabiclub group (or Sabi Peeps as we call it) and unto dinner outs, drinking sessions, unrelenting games (c/o Carlopot), Baguio memories, events and movies I drag them to… and constant communication and sharing on YM led to a more meaningful bond with Mon.

Driving home last night, Bubba and I talked about how good of a friend Mon has been to us. And more than that, we relish the person that he is. Positively one of the few modest guys I know, simple and down-to-earth, without an assuming and greedy bone in his body. He’s “totoong tao.” He won’t ever need to apologize for who he is. And very few people are like that.

A dark time in his life hovered (and I appreciate that I was one of the few you trusted) but I didn’t see his character waver one bit. He is a learned man –appreciative and aware of Life’s little blessings and sometimes its unkind realities.

Mon is flying out to Malaysia on Wednesday for work and he will be based in that country from there on. That’s why it was the band’s last gig last night. Unless I can still change Mon’s mind and make him stay, it will be long before we hear Marty McFly band playing together –save for those who already have their CDs in their shelves or bought their CDs last night and had the band sign them. Otherwise, Marty McFly’s live music is put on pause.

At Route 196, it was an uplifting tribute to Marty McFly’s music and send-off to Mon. Family, friends, fans gather around the small “stage” (corner) intimately and rocked to the music and friendship that inspired many. Admittedly, I was tearing up a bit last night. How weird!

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Once in a blue moon, you meet someone, who talks differently as you do, but there’s a character of that person you unquestionably want to be the same with. That’s Mon for me.

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October 11, 2008

Francis M Tribute Concert

Mon, I know you always say Malaysia ain’t that far and how you kid us that going there is like a trip for us to a mall here in Manila but it is still some miles away.