I was sitting on my office desk this afternoon, cropping the thumbnail for News Hardcore 171 when I felt a familiar gut wrench. Time check: 4pm.

It was around the same time exactly three years ago. I was about to hail a a cab, on my way to visit my kuya from another mother. A few moments later, Diego de la Paz called me, holding back tears.

Our dear friend, Quincy Reyes, passed away.

His last tweet was for me. I didn’t make it in time.

@rnbautista Yeah you may! And of course your presence is more than enough na nga

— Quincy Reyes (@kidmanchester) December 27, 2010

I still think about it sometimes: what if he’s still around? He dragged me to Fullcourtfresh.com after founding it, he kept saying I should take graduate studies, and he was the only person who understood me when I was lost post-graduation.

He opened up a lot of things for me and other people.

I honestly forgot that today was his 3rd death anniversary until this afternoon. Maybe the gut wrench was his poke, so I’d remember, not how he died, but how he touched our lives…

…and so we remember.