Manila-ed

For the first time since what felt like 20 years ago, I came home. And Home meant the deadly air pollution + P.Gil pirates + glorious Oble in the UPm garden + Rob + sosyal Midtown + wasted and tortured students + icky hospital sidewalk sludge + a lot more indescribable Manila things. How poetic though, of all times I could have visited, I came when Taft Ave. was semi-flooded and when UPm caught FIRE!

Anyways, I had lunch with Faye, Daal, Mame and Gran in the most upscale fast food we could afford (Kenny Rogers, harhar). The conversation was mostly about: first, our insistence to be refunded with the mistake of a KR staff, then underemployed-ness, get-together plans, my attempt at baking (Big Fail), Mikki's Palawan escapade and our theories of arson and how it could be done spectacularly, LOL.

Also, I got my pasalubong from Palawan:

MV Something (couldn't find a name for it). Thanks Mikki!

 

My S630 came back from the Windy City as well, totally beyond legal warranty-covered repair, but possibly worth saving by our native sidewalk gadget experts. But then my cousin was trying to be the best kind of cousin in the world so she got me this to make up for the cheapness of that thing:

That's the actual color as well (credits to The Tech Brief). Cuteness. Thanks to cuz and to the great friend who offered a great discount. My S630 will be as good as new when I have budget for it and will be available to whoever wants to buy. :) (After ranting about it here, I don't think anyone would.)

O Heaven Kissing Hill

That's one of the very few lines that I could remember from my old Alma Mater song (the title of which I can't even recall). What I remembered more was how I almost suffered from heat stroke by standing under the searing UV rays in the sand dunes of that school; just by waiting for the endless ritual of flag ceremony to be over.

So it's easy to understand why I've never itched to visit those sand dunes again. I believed that it was better to wait at least ten years for the full of effect of nostalgia to wash over me the next time I visit. However, I just broke the planned ten-year gap.

Here's the reason: The adopted son of my ninang is graduating from elementary in Dominican next year. He is a smart kid; so they decided to transfer him to a science high school. They got the application, but then the kid was too happy-go-lucky to have it signed to the proper authorities before the deadline and the school had some kind of reputation of delaying applications, so I was drafted by my mom to help. In short, I HAD to see someone I know and have the form signed. (Hence, the private messages on Multiply.)

So Tuesday morning. Around 9 am, the grade school kids were on recess... I came and visited the sand dunes, for the first time in four or five years. Even I never expected how I reacted.

It looks like a freakin' school! A freakin' sosyal private school. The breeze felt a little cooler, because the trees we planted have grown huge. The gym and pool area looked like a resort.

But what was more striking was how the old places looked so new... yet so old. Shet, yung paintings ni Mang Amor nung Grade 2 ako nandun pa. Yung lumang grotto buhay pa. Kahit kumpleto yung pathwalk, I almost tried to walk in the middle of the field under the blistering heat (because the field was calling out to be walked on). Yung high school classrooms: maingay, mainit, amoy pawis. Yung PE teacher namin, fit and jolly pa rin sa umaga. English policy pa rin. The temperature in the building was so alien, I swear, but it smelled familiar (yes, kahit yung amoy pawis).

After a short talk with Ms. Guiao, I headed down the same path and it took me ten minutes to reach the gate. Anak ng tokwa, I just couldn't get over those paintings by Mang Amor. Those paintings always have the same effect on me, whether I waited two or ten years to see them.

-000-000-000-

I have news for the alumni of this crunchy-infested, sandstorm campus: there's a Grand Homecoming next year in celebration of their 15th year. Celebration starts on January 30, with guests Parokya ni Edgar and MYMP. The foundation week commences with the alumni reunion, to be attended by former directresses of the school. However, all the information I have is just the result of an informal conversation so please don't take it as an official invitation or announcement. I'm just giving a heads up so everyone can prepare their post-high school selves. Haha.

. . . BSc

Eto na yun.

If it still seems unbelievable that I already graduated during last year's first term... perhaps marching officially in the academic gown erases all doubts.

From here on out, we will be known as [insert name here], BSc.

Congratulations mga ka-batch! To my original batch, especially thesis mates... Yadz, Mel, Kay, Jaz, Terence, Arlin, Rey, Faye, Kate, Ann, Lola Ben, Kuya Gian, Ate George, and Kuya James. (I hope I didn't forget anyone.) To beloved '04 people who we've been closest to.  To microbiology and  molecular bio labmates... Joram, Ate Tinay and Ate Tin. Double hurrays for the Biochem cum laudes who definitely deserved it.

I'm sure not one of us will forget all the sweat, blood, tears, damaged brain cells and moments verging on mental illness. But then admit it, somehow we loved the torture. We grew our thick skins along with perhaps the only people who understood our obssession for nerdiness even with the seemingly unreasonable agony that came with it.

I saw Faye's old sketch in the lab board and noticed the people were all smiles. Graduate na pala kasi lahat sa picture.
 
Now these people are smiling for real.

Pizza and Pink Roses

=D.

I hated surprises. I still do. But I guess there's an exception... not if it involves Italian food and roses. Hehe.
I'm running out of things to say. Just...

Thank you all.

Thanks Kenet for asking them to come and for suggesting Sbarro kahit wala naman kaming choice (Joke! Ikaw lang naman kasi ang mahilig talaga sa Sbarro.); Kel and Hernie for bringing the flowers (tsk, guy na may dalang pink? Haha.) and coming back kahit gabi na, Mikki for coming even though you had an exam, Faye and Daal for being there, Kay for the chat the night before and for coming din, and Raymond for texting that he can't make it. (Tampo. xD Hehe.)

I loved the pink roses. <3 They matched my shirt... hehe.
 
When I get my actual schedule, let's have another one, okay?

naks, very good

Finally, the report for Cell Bio's done. As in DONE. Made, crammed over, presented and apppreciated. In summary, it's Shrek with the voice of a "totoy na bakla" (haha), Faye-ona (Fiona) with my choir voice, Donkey singing Bebot and Baby, Come Back; and a Pinay posing to be a Chinese doctor voiced over in English (labo ba?).

Groupmates: Galing natin, naka-"very good" pa! Kung kailan super seniors na tayo, tsaka pa tayo naka-perfect ng ganitong movie! Hehe. Well done, guys. :D

Thanks to Ben for the crucial special participation. The best si Donkey! Special thanks to lappie top for cooperating.

Apologies to Kay for harassing the speakers. T_T Partly clumsiness and tangled cables.

I hope I can acquire the whole clip soon, still in Movie Maker project format, so I can try to convert it into a real movie file. *pats PC* We can do this. Para ma-upload dito, nyahaha.

That was nice.