Me and my friends, we used to hang out in Glorietta. A short background: we were classmates in high school, and the most popular mall at that time was Quad (Glorietta), and given the proximity from school to the mall, it was the “coolest” place to hang out. (I wasn’t a big fan at that time, though.)

By college, the old high school group was still intact, and I rejoined my former classmates who still regularly met up in Glorietta. We’d usually spend hours at Food Choices, U, or the huge smoking area beside Timezone. Those were the days we were most carefree about whatever shit we were doing back then. Nothing mattered much.

We didn’t graduate all at the same time. The first ones out were the first ones who were tested, the first ones who experienced real work, real challenges, “real life.” The ones left behind, myself included, remained carefree yet aware of the need for urgency. We began to feel life outside school before we were out of it.

Forward to 2007-2008: by then we have all had a dose of life in the office, or managing a business, or dealing with real people who needed real results. We were all aware of the challenges handed to us by people in the working world.

2009. We’ve reached our 24th, 25th, and 26th birthdays. We have lived the first quarter of our lives.

A lot has changed. The old bowling alley and pool hall are long gone. New buildings have risen: Glorietta now has one more building and one less wing, Greenbelt has transformed into a classier place to chill in. We no longer spent our after-office hours in Glorietta; we spent them in the quieter Starbucks Greenbelt 1, which has already undergone a facelift itself.

The new kid: Glorietta 5.

Lady Gaga, the Jonas Brothers, and Pitbull: the new generation’s embracing a new slew of musicians. Guitar Hero’s in, Dance Dance Revolution’s definitely out. It’s a different world. Who still remembers VJ Belinda Panelo? (“Bridesmaid ka lang.”) Now, Nikki Gil and Luis Manzano rule the boob tube (come to think of it, who still uses the words “boob tube” for anything?).

Change will happen, no matter what. We’ve had a taste of life in the real world, and the mystery of the quarter-life is upon us: why does it happen?

I think I know. (I’ll let you in on it soon.)

(Also read: Part 1 and Part 3.)