Yo hivers! Konnichiwa~ It's your one and only ridgette again, and for today, as a way to celebrate Women's Month, I'm going to share with you all the first part of my unforgettable moments with these exceptional women. Some of them accompanied me at some point in my life, while others have been with me even up until now. They may not all have been with me until now, but what matters is that they have been part of my journey to becoming who I am today. So join me as I reminisce mymemories with them.
Bethanie
She was my classmate way back in fifth grade in elementary school. She was really kind and congenial, but we didn't hit it off immediately. I don't know why, but anyway, there's a certain day back then where she brought a comic (Archie Comics) to school, and that's the first reason why I became close to her. After she lends me the comics, I gradually talk to her, and later on, I find myself enjoying her company. Through those talks, we slowly became close, and later on, she became my first best friend.
Yeah, she's my first best friend because, as I've mentioned in my past blogs, I'm really an introverted person. I don't usually interact with my classmates; that's why it became hard for me to have a friend—let alone a best friend—in my elementary years. Our friendship didn't really last long because we got into a separate section in sixth grade, but still, we're friends, but not really best friends anymore. Although our friendship was quite short-lived, I'm really glad she became my first best friend.
Riezl
Riezl and the coin purse she gave to me after our graduation
Our first interaction wasn't really nice because, initially, I didn't like her because she had this innocent brat aura, and there's also one time that I accidentally nudged her plastic bottle because someone pushed me. It fell off the table, and I immediately picked it up, but she saw what happened. She threatened me that she'd report what happened to her grandma so that I'd get punished. I was really scared and on the verge of crying at that time because I knew her grandma was really strict, but anyway, she didn't do it. Maybe it's just her way of tormenting me, but after that, I really stayed away from her. Fast forward, unexpectedly, she became my friend—actually one of my best friends in sixth grade. I don't remember how I got along with her, but when I got to know her, she was actually fun to be with, and although we didn't start well, I'm glad that I have good memories with her from the last year of elementary school.
Myrell
The Valentine's card that she gave to me and Myrell
She was definitely one of the most kind girls that became a friend of mine. She was one of my best friends in sixth grade, and our friendship lasted until the end of seventh grade. Unlike Riezl, with whom I parted ways after our sixth grade, me and Myrell passed the scholarship exam in a private Catholic school. We were really thrilled to experience a new environment, but unfortunately we were not put in the same section. Despite the fact that we were not classmates anymore, we stayed friends.
It was really hard for an introvert like me to adjust to a new environment with no friends around. Further, an unfortunate event happened: her mother died. Due to that, she needed to transfer to another school. I was really sad because parting with a friend was never easy. Letting go of a person who became a part of my almost two-year journey in high school was hard, but I somehow knew it's for the better.
Julianna
Julianna and the Fairy Tail inspired bookmark that I made
She was the first person that I got close with in my junior high school year. She's my classmate in the summer preparatory class before I enter seventh grade. That time, we were taught a lot of new things, especially how to use different software that will be essential for our study. My knowledge of new technologies at that time was literally zero, so I really struggled to keep up with the lessons that involved using computers. Luckily, she was there to teach me, and she's also the one who introduced anime to me. She's a certified otaku, and she really introduced me to weeb culture. We were really fangirls, for we often talked about new anime episodes (fairytail!), our new husbandos (we are mostly red flag enjoyer hehe), and many more topics that were related to anime. Those were really fun memories that I'll forever cherish.
Karyl
The old drawings she made for me and Karyl
Speaking of fangirls, this one is also one of us. Karyl and I didn't immediately hit it off in seventh grade, even though we're classmates and close in seating arrangements. Later on, in my eighth grade, we somehow get a chance to know each other. By the way, she's also an otaku, more like a low-key fangirl (unlike us—Julianna, who are the noisy ones, lol), and due to that, we became closer to each other. It turns out that she watched Naruto, which is the anime I'm watching at the time, and because of that, we started to hang out with each other.
Also, she's one of the artists who inspired me to pursue my interest in drawing. Her talent in arts really inspired me because she's not only good at drawing; she's also good at other activities that involve arts. Now she's dealing with digital arts, and I'm really proud of her because she now does commissions, and her clients are not only from our country but also from overseas. Indeed, her talent is inspiring, and it's one of the reasons why I'm striving to improve my skills in arts.
Lilian
Aside from otaku friends, I also have a k-pop fan friend, and she's Lilian. Honestly, we didn't hit it off immediately because we don't have the same interest, and she's really too extroverted, but later on, as I got to know her, I realized that she's a great person and a great friend. She was really caring and kind, and she's one of the bravest people I've ever known. Even at her young age, she experienced a lot of challenges involving her family, but she still chose to stay strong and face each day with a smile.
She's really the most cheerful and friendly among us. Her quips never failed to make us all laugh. She's really talented, thoughtful, and charming. Her charming aura never failed to cheer us on. It's a shame that she needs to undergo those heartaches despite how good-natured she is. I'm really hoping that someday she'll find a guy who'll treat her right.
Ingrid
Ingrid and the birthday card she gave to me
She's basically one of my friends who stayed the longest with me. She has been my friend since seventh grade up until my senior high school years. Like her name, she has a unique personality for empathizing with other people. Whenever I have a problem, she's really the first one to notice it. She's not the kind who gives advice; rather, she lets me decide first whether I want to share my problem. Then later on, she'll listen to me if I'm willing to share. I'm a person who usually wants to talk her problems out because if I don't share them, the negative feelings usually pent up in me, causing me to feel prolonged sadness. Having someone listen to my problem was really a blessing for me.
Of 'course, I don't always only talk about problems with her. We also talk about random, good topics in our lives. Honestly, she's one of the few people I'm totally comfortable conversing with. We don't really need to share a common topic or interest to get along because we talk about whatever comes to mind, and we somehow didn't get bored talking to each other before. She's goofy and funny, and I really enjoyed the times we spent together. I'm indeed thankful that she's always there to listen to me.
That's all for now, Hivers! True friends are certainly great riches. See you in my next blog for the last part of my tribute to the exceptional women in my life. Let's always remember to treasure each moment that we spend with these women because we never know what will happen. Life is always unpredictable, so that's why, while we're still living, we must make the most of it.
Mata ne.
All the pictures that were used were edited in Canva.