I am Trisha Yambao, 24, a certified recycled paper artist. The garbage that you put in that black plastic bag are my raw materials for my art. I grew up in an environment where my parents treated filthy, bad smelling trash as gold and our mining site is your garbage bag.
I used to collect old newspapers and recycled them. I turned them into beautiful recycled stationeries. I did the design it and sold them to my friends. My brother, Francis, was into recycling too. Together with Dad, he would collect plastic bottles to transform into art pieces. Mom collected bio-degradable trash and turned those into fertilizer, which benefited our farm. She also considered herself to be an artist, I remember seeing her working on her egg shell artworks and she really influenced me to become an artist.
Although my playmates back when I was in grade school used to laugh at me, I remained firm and expressed myself in my artworks. I had this weird habit of collecting crumpled papers and putting them in my bag. And when I got home, I would transform them into beautiful recycled paper. They thought we were rich because I always had stationeries as scratch paper. Well, I didn't need to explain my side.
I remember I had this classmate that always gave me his crumpled paper. When he has scratch papers, he automatically puts them in my bag and he would wink at me. He always accompanied me when I collected paper from trash cans. He never laughed. He understood me and my passion for recycled paper.
But when we were in Grade 5, he told me that he was going to Greece with his family for good. I never saw him since our Grade 5 recognition day. Maybe he did go to Greece without saying goodbye.
I graduated from Philippine Women's University in Manila with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts and now I work as a design consultant in Taguig.
I have visited Japan several times for origami and paper-cutting art classes. I am now saving money to attend a paper fair in New York where I will be one of the exhibitors. Although my family would be helping me raise the funds, I wanted to save for myself and be independent.
I was in my room when I heard my door open. "Darling, I am discouraging you from going to New York," Mom honestly said. "Maybe not now."
"Mom . . ." I started with a sigh, "I want to do this for myself."
"But you need to rest."
"I know. That's why you are here to remind me of everything?" I smiled at her and she got teary-eyed.
She said, "I know you love paper art. But New York is a new place for you."
"It's just like Japan, Mom." I said, grinning.
Dad shouted with a loud voice, "But Japan is in Asia!"
"That's what I am pointing out, Love!" Mom shouted back.
"Okay, Mom. I'll consider that."
"Good girl!"
"Miami in December or New York in March?"
"New York with me?" My brother, Francis just arrived from his work as a call center agent. He continued to annoy me by saying, "I saw your crush just this morning."
By the way, my crush is a neighbor of mine who just arrived from somewhere in Europe. Sweden, I think. But he is a Filipino. I don't know his name though. All I know is I want to get his number. He might become a buyer of my stationeries. Yeah, right. Well, I have to admit this. I was dying to meet the boy-next-door.
I looked at Francis with disgust and this made him laugh.
"Way to go, Kiko the Monkey!" I rolled my eyes on him.
He looked serious this time, "I want to go to New York, Ate!"
"Save for your pocket money then. I will take care of our tickets! And you're welcome." I smiled while he stared at me in disbelief.
"No way, Ate!"
"You don't like?" I asked in an inquisitive tone.
"Can we come too?" My mother and father approached me and both held my hands. They have this way of telling me they want something when they both hold my hand.
I nodded.
I slept after I submitted some design ideas that my boss needed via e-mail.
I have to save for the plane ticket to New York. I must raise $1,365 per person. Knowing my parents, they would shoulder the tickets. But I requested them to give me a chance to raise it on my own.
Though it was so hard to convince them, I did my best and my best was good enough. Well, they said they would be shouldering Kiko's ticket and I agreed. I would be saving his pocket money as a surprise for his 21st birthday.
The next day, I tried my best to recall my childhood friend's name. Was it Juan or John? On my way to get a cab, I crumpled paper at the side of the road and I immediately ran to it. But then, I also saw my crush running toward it. I really wanted to get it, so I ran as fast as I could. He got to the crumpled paper first. I pouted and when he saw it, he laughed out loud.
"I am Daniel," he said. He smiled at me and went on. "You want this? I remember one of my classmates in elementary. She always wanted crumpled paper too."
I tried to be calm and listened. He sat beside me on a bench. "Tricia Yambao was her name. I wonder how she is now."
My heart skipped a beat as I listened to him. His brown eyes smiled as he reminisced about Tricia. Oh, I mean me. The question I have been waiting for him to ask was not asked. He immediately stood up and said goodbye.
"Wait!" I said. He stopped walking and turned.
"I am Tricia Yambao," I said.
"Are you kidding?" He asked, with a curious glance. I shook my head and showed him my ID. He immediately hugged me. "Sorry Trish! I really had to go to Greece with my parents. I wasn't able to say goodbye."
I awkwardly smiled when he let go of me. "I have to go to work," I said.
"Where? Can I pick you up? We have a lot of catching up to do," he said.
I gave him my calling card and said,"See you!"
I went to get a cab. That morning, I haven't had breakfast, so I immediately went to a restaurant near our office to grab something to eat.
As a design consultant, my task was to help customers purchase interior design products. These include window treatments, home furnishings, shutters, rugs, and anything that our company specialized in. One of the enjoyable parts of my job was greeting customers. I was also expected to order inventory and schedule installations. I also helped my parents by suggesting to our clients the art works they have worked on.
I enjoyed uncapped commissions and good employment growth. Our company offered me certification and additional training.
I have to work in the office for reports before I meet my clients on weekends and evenings. My job requires long periods of time on my feet. I receive PHP 30,000 as my monthly salary.
Daniel was at the office during lunch time. He said he wanted to spend time with me before he went back to his office, where he works as an analyst.
At the nearby restaurant, we conversed and talked about my passion for recycling.
"I hope I could go to New York as a paper art exhibitor," I said to him.
He was very attentive. He smiled. "You continued with making stationeries?"
I nodded and he smiled at me. I asked, "When did you come back to the Philippines?"
"Just a year ago." He took my hand and held it, "I have been looking for you since then." He stared at her. "Thanks to that crumpled paper this morning. It brought us together again. I miss my best friend."
I didn't know whether I should be happy that he held my hand or I should be disappointed for the 'I miss my best friend' statement. I asked him bravely, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
He nodded and that nod just disappointed me. Why look for me when you already have a girlfriend. I asked him again, "Who's the lucky girl?"
"You will meet her later. She's on her way here." He said with a smile.
What the . . . His girlfriend was coming to meet me? Justice for Tricia! I smiled back to hide my dismay.
After a few minutes, I saw a girl with cerebral palsy. She was coming toward us. Is she the one? Why? I mean, why not me?
"Honey!" Daniel shouted at her.
I felt their love for each other in the way they looked at each other. . . the kind of love I longed to have. Instead of complaining to God, I admired Daniel more.
With stiff movements, the girl waved at him. She asked, "Is she your elementary best friend?" Wow, she could speak well but her mouth has stiffness. She beamed at me and asked, "Are you Tricia Yambao?"
I nodded and extended my hand for a greeting. She shook my hand and Daniel assisted her to his corner. "Valerie Santilian."
"We invited my best friend too," she said while looking gladly at me.
"Ah, okay!" I looked delighted to her. I have admiredd her since then. Daniel, proud boyfriend, said that she was an IT manager at their firm.
I immediately exclaimed, "Impressive!" I was about to order when I saw a good looking man approaching our table. He was lean and a Jake Cuenca look-a-like. He was so handsome that I couldn't help but stare at him.
"Tricia, I want you to meet Robbie Ramirez. He has this passion for art too," Daniel reiterated.
"Hi, Tricia . . . " He beamed at me and I remembered seeing him in Japan.
"Were you in Japan last year?" I asked.
Robbie nodded. I suddenly remembered that it was him--the one I admired for his contribution to paper arts.
He asked, "Are you passionate about recycling paper too?"
I nodded. Valerie and Daniel looked at each other and exclaimed together, "A match there!"
Since then, Robbie and I were inseparable. He helped me raised funds for our trip to New York. Yes, he accompanied my family there while I was busy arranging the exhibits for the Paper Fair.
In New York, we had a chance to bond more. We became travel buddies. We visited Japan, California, and Mexico for Paper Fairs. I was so glad that Valerie introduced him to me.
When Valerie and Daniel got engaged, we were the ones who provided them stationeries for their giveaways.
We shared our passion for recycling and established a recycled paper shop which led to us becoming the powerful couple in paper manufacturing.
We also held workshops for paper cutting and recycling in campuses nationwide. We also started to be known all over the world.
I guess it was a match made in heaven. After two years of traveling all over the world, I was expecting an engagement but it didn't happened. I asked myself: Is there a problem?
I was in the midst of breaking up with him when he got my hand, placed a ring on my finger and asked me to marry him. I guess for him, it was the best time for him to make the move. I hugged him and we made different recycled paper arts before we got married in a simple civil wedding. But Daniel and Valerie prepared a grand reception as a gift.
We enjoyed the reception until my parents surprised me with a honey moon package to the Maldives. We started a family and shared with our children the passion for recycling.
Although crumpled paper would be considered trash by most, some people find it a treasure and transform it into works of art. For me, it was also the bridge which helped me meet my soulmate.