Tribute To A Friend: Mark Q. Hermano (1972-2006)

Dear Pareng Mark,
It's 42 degrees from where I am now. The winter season is about to set-in in East Coast. It's getting more chilling cold everytime I remember you pare, you're simply the one who gives warmth to our world. I hope you are doing OK in the house of The Almighty. I know you are. I knew you for a long time. You would always find a way to enjoy life, to have fun, relax, unwind, loosen-up. You are always on the go. Even if you are not feeling well, you make sure that you spend the day worthwhile. You lived each day as if it;s always your last. That's what I admire from you--to enjoy life to the fullest. You savour each passing minute. You cherished all the handmaiden beauties the Lord has created. The things which most of us sometimes ignores, overlooked and simply treated as plain and ordinary. You really love life to the maximum. I remember what you would always tell me, it just kept on playing in my mind, " pare mabigyan lang ako ng dalawa pang taon masaya na ako, pero kung talagang oras ko na ok lang din, masaya ako sa buhay ko". That was 3rd quarter of 2005. You said it with conviction. I knew you are content with the plan the Lord has laid out for you. You are at peace with yourself. I wish I had spent more time with you. I regret it very much. You're loss brought emptiness to the people who knew you. To me you are a great loss. You know that. No more Pareng Mark to share with my whining.To share with my life's frustrations. To share my life's dreams and aspirations. I miss the casual conversations. No more regular strolls in Baywalk, no more sizzling sisig and cold iced beer. No more inihaw na pusit and grilled tuna belly in Gloria Maris, Breakwater. Man those were the times. There ain't no regular strolls in Robinson's Ermita, and maybe bump with some angelic-faced ladies, and realize that we prefer to behave and stick with our spouses. Funny, but we have grown up with regards to that matter. We've grown old I guess.
I miss all our regular discussions about just anything, wether the topic is interesting or not. I mean you'd always add flavor to it to make it appetizing. Wether it's about HI-Eisai, the nursing professions and America, the girls who linked to us and our denials, and sometimes hesitant acceptance. You would love to discussed movies, music, bars, the places we've been to. Its endless , you would agree. You're love of gadgets like cellphones, playstations,etc. You can talk of about anything, and you talk with enthusiasm. I don't know how you pull it, but you did it very well. You had this charisma of using fine and precise words. You always speak your mind. You would'nt stop until you convey your message clearly. Thats just about you, very transparent--inside and out. I guess it would take a while to meet someone who have the same persona like you. You are unique pare.
I know you are proud of me, now that I'm here in America. I would hear you say "Ayos ba Dolphy?", now that I slowly fulfills my life's grandest dreams. When you left for UK last January I was so proud of you. I totally salute you, nobody can surpass your guts and determination. You simply make things happened. You just won't give up your dreams, despite your condition. You defied the odds--You are the man! You just won't let your body overpower your mind. You are a brave soul, no question about that. You are indeed one the finest soldiers of life, and you fought it galantly.
I have a lot of things to tell you. I know you would love to listen, because you are a great listener. I would love to tell you how beautiful New York City is, the city that never sleeps. I bet you would say, "hayop New Yorker na si Dolphy!". NYC is amazing pare. Just don't mind the subway, it may be old but it would improve soon, that's what I heard from the news. There are lots of tourist spots in NYC. Your eyes would be dizzy for their beauties.Central Park,the Guggenheim Museum whio currently exhibit works of El Greco to Picasso. The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). The Rockefeller Center, I was there when they light this years xmas tree. It was so crowded and star studded. I wanted to tell you how charming the Empire State building is, that its lights changes everytime there's special events and holidays. During the football championships of Rutgers University the lights went red. Amazing dont you think. That St.Patrick's Cathedral is really a work of art. That the Grand Central Terminal is so fabulous, I frequented it as a matter of fact, I just can't resist its charm. They say that the best of New York is Lower Manhattan, I agree. In Lower Manhattan you would find the Ground Zero, and would see thousands of visitors daily, most of them in somber faces. You won't imagine that a huge complex like it would be flattened to the ground, creating a huge hole. I heard the NYC plan to convert it into a commemoration park.Trinity Church, Wall Street,Chelsea Pier, South Street Seaport,Battery Park--The Soaring Eagle Monument is a looker, the Korean War Memorial, thew world class Brooklyn Bridge.I have lots of beautiful places to tell you. Maybe you would find it interesting that in lower Manhattan located the Federal Reserve Bank whre a quarter of the world's gold boullion is safely secured--yep totally secured. The walls are just heavily concrete marbles! Also in Lower Manhattan you would find the Ground Zero, the ultradramatic spot of NYC, and would see thousands of visitors daily, teary eyes and mostly wearing in somber faces. You won't imagine that a huge complex like WTC would be flattened to the ground, creating a huge hole. I heard the NYC plan to make it a commemoration park and within it they gonna build Freedom Towers,and of course the Statue of Liberty, the true icon of American Freedom, is always on the visitors list. I would love to tell you all these in details. If only you were alive. It would be much more meaningful.I would love to tell you how fantastic my workplace is, its one of the finest hospitals in NYC, and what more I would have the chance to study in Columbia University, one of the top ten universities in East Coast, or maybe the entire US. We're going to study to further improve our nursing skills and knowledge. What a great perk you might agree. I have endless things to tell you about New York City, it is really overwhelming. The Christmas season in NYC is so colorful pare, especially in Times Square, it is visually awesome, awesome. These are the things that I would love to share with you, as we always did before you leave this earth.
Now that you are gone, things may never be the same again. In our lifetime there will never be the same as you Mark. It's not everyday that someone like you comes our way. Youre loss is the worst thing that happened to me. When my world seems to fall apart after Hi-Eisai you were there. You never leave me alone. You always kept in touch. When I was so down you raised me up. You were always there. There might not enough words to thank you Mark, there will never be enough kind words. We will miss you pare, we will forever miss you. May you rest in peace, someday I will be seeing you again and we will have a good time-just like the old days. Thank you for all the good times we had. I will never forget you Mark. In our lifetime you are irreplaceble.