'We are K-indred spirits'

Noona is "a Korean honorific term used by a younger male speaker to address an older female, whether she is a biological sister, a close female friend, or an older female acquaintance.

- JOANNE RAE M. RAMIREZ

But of course, we are noonas. Decades out of high school, we swoon over oppas young enough to be our sons and nephews in the K-dramas we watch, dissect, rate and melt in! Unless of course the single noonas turn Something in the Rain (starring Son Ye-jin and Jung Hae-in) into a sunny reality.

The “Noonatics,” a seriously wacky group of over 25 alumnae of Assumption San Lorenzo’s batch '79, was conceived after Crash Landing on You (CLOY) glided into our lives, and was born on an auspicious day at that, Oct. 10, 2020, after the Zoom birthday celebration of Chary Ozaeta-Gohh. The after-party was spiked, not by soju (but, who knows?) but by discussions of K-drama. One of those at the after-party was our Korean-born batchmate Innhae Morgan, who suggested “Noonas” as the name of the group. Well, she knew whereof she spoke. As for the addition of “tics” after Noona, you know what “lunatic” means, so I dare not elucidate.

Over the weekend, the Noonatics held its Krismas party, its fifth in a row. That's more Christmas parties than we had in high school.

Held in the Orientalia-filled aristocratic home of Agnes Enano, the party wasn't quite as stately, however. It was rambunctious — a mixture of the slumber parties in high school and the birthday parties of grade school. Except that in the pin-the-donkey's-tail portion, the blindfolded noonas were asked to zero in on an oppa's body, instead of a donkey's. Our Noonatic president Lisa Mapua hit the bullseye. There was also a bingo game where Chary painstakingly read all the names of the oppas to match the faces on our bingo cards. My card had my oppa-of-all-time Hyun Bin's face, but I missed the jackpot each time.

Oppas that bind

As soon as we walked into the living room of Agnes' house, we were greeted by a Christmas tree made up of the smiling faces of 114 oppas.