sir joven

You taught me what ‘pastiche’ meant.

Probably, it was the life you lived. I wouldn’t know, I didn’t dig much deeper. All I knew was that you were one hell of a great teacher. You always admired Susan Roces, no, wanted to be her. You’d always giggle just by mentioning her name.

You didn’t want to miss classes but you had to because your body took its toll on you. Our very early Thursday ‘Film Theory’ class made me realize how undisciplined I was but I had to attend your class and you didn’t mind me, us actually, getting late. I couldn’t forget how you made me choose between doing a paper about ‘Ally McBeal’ or ‘Queer as Folk’. ‘Ally’ was basically a pastiche and that was a not-so-heavy decision to make.

It was the one and only chance I had with you. Semesters after you lent Dohna a handful of ‘Queer as Folk’ Season One vhs tapes (while I was drooling), you were robbed of the opportunity to teach the younger batches who would forever wonder why they missed half of their lives not seeing you in class.

You previewed ‘Pantasya’ in the computer where it was edited, weeks after its premiere. You still hadn’t lost that childish giggle that made you so cute. You didn’t even bother watching the whole film and asked me to take you to where the ‘action’ was. You must have a high when you left the studio that night. And that was the last I saw you.

For good.

Yesterday, while I chose to spend the whole evening dreaming, you chose to die. Peacefully. In your sleep.  In that place, would have been a ‘pastiche’ of feelings and I wonder what you dreamed about before you breathe your last.

I think I just have to remember you the way you should be celebrated. I won’t dig deeper.

We love you, Sir Joven Velasco. You would have surely won the ‘Most Liked UP Film Professor’ award, no doubt. Rest in peace.

And oh. Thanks for the 1.00 grade you gave me for Film 171. Thanks to that ‘Ally McBeal’ paper. Such pride still haunts me. It always reassures me that no matter how people treat me like some dirt in the ass, I know I’m better than them because only a few can get a perfect grade for a film theory class like yours.