Bond

I wanted to make a pun about my supposed topic for tonight which is bonding and the fact that I just watched Casino Royale yesterday but meh...I have too much of a headache to make one. I've been keeping busy this past few days, not with school or academic work mind you. Heh, like that's ever going to happen. What I did was something more meaningful (in my twisted perspective), which is to bond with my college friends. Something long overdue in fact. Last Friday, I didn't feel too well but still resolved to watch "Middle Finger Po" by the Tanghalang Ateneo. That was 7pm, and my last class was 3, so I managed to spent the time talking with Anna and Icai in the bazaar. Well, as far as I know neither of them is reading this, but in either case I won't say a word about what we talked about. Well, it was about our dramatic to borderline nonexistent love lives. "Middle Finger" was great by the way, and so i suggest you watch it too, whoever my dear avid reader(if there is even one) is. Then last Saturday spent the day with Mikey and some of my ESS-mates touring Antipolo. Didn't know there was alot of amazing spots right up there. I knew Assumption Antipolo's retreat house was beautiful, but I didn't know it had an Eco-park to boot. That was a surprise, and somewhat mind-blowing. I'll just leave you guys to see it for yourselves, its open to the public. Better that way than me just typing it to you. Try the mint leaves by the way; their really minty(duh) but still tastes like leaf. Hehe. Then we went to Mikey's "second home" owned by a doctor who's name I won't try to write in fear of misspelling it. That was amazing. It was some sort of Mexican style Villa art gallery and other stuff that's equally beautiful. Skipping the empty 1 hectare plot of theirs we went to Ate Carmen's house. Talk about how the other half lived; or house is only half their guesthouse! Wood and glass, much like a resort cabin in the Alps if you imagine yet still Filipino in the inside. There we played MAD(reverse monopoly) and other games until we went into the pool. Mikey and Ricci had to leave early so I was the only freshman left in the group of junior and senior ES and physics majors. Had a terribly pang of body pain because of excessive laughing in the pool afterwards. Headache and body pains didn't stop me from spending our somewhat becoming ritualistic time in McDo with Arwin and Julius discussing about business opportunities. They're both really in to early business ventures, and I guess I am too, but taking that first major step will be the challenge. Until we do, I'll say that our planning will just have been wishful thinking. Yeah, that was my past few days, of suffering from colds,headache and body pains. That's why I've been sort of just rambling in this post of mine, cuz my head still hurts. But it was all worth it, as I got to spend time with my new friends. Still, I'd take a heartache over a headache or stomachache any day...

The Story of the Candy Cane...

"A story is told is told that there was once a candy maker...It was a time when Christians were not allowed by the government to meet together..He decided to make..a candy in the shape of a shepherd's staff as a reminder that the Lord is our Shepherd. He made the candy white to show that God is holy. He put a red stripe to symbolize the blood of Christ..."

That there is what we were told yesterday in Mcdo Katipunan. Who would think of all the places to be talking about God, it would be there. Well, here is the deal. For a few times Arwin and I have been going to there after MWF classes. We talk about stuff and such, and one day we got to talk about the block; issues of it and possible lack thereof. We raised questions like why does our block isn't as bonded, well, like other blocks and why we haven't gone out as a whole block to watch a movie or what not. Well, it was then that we decided to do something about it. Baby steps I suppose, and we got Julius to tag along. It was then that these two guys came up and started 'preaching'. It turned out to be a meaningful yet bizarre experience to be evangelized in a fast food joint. But what we thought was it would have been nice if everyone was there, instead of just as three. It was fitting I suppose, to get a candy cane this Christmas season, shaped like a J for Jesus. Put one more beside it and you (should) get JJ

Ha! Pacquiao won! Why the hell am I writing about it?

What a disappointing fight - cmon, 3 rounds! All that hype for a third round knockout. You know whats truly unbelievable, I'm writing about it. Why? I just find everything so ridiculous. They kept talking about it for the last few months with super media hype and then its over in less time that I type this post! I say those folks who bought tickets in Las Vegas to watch it didn't get their money's worth. Poor Morales though. With all that frenzied preparation I bet he's EGO got bruised more than his body. I mean, imagine yourself, not only is your nemesis gloating over you, he's whole country is gloating over you, you just shamed yourself in live television after that prideful boasting and you just let down your countrymen! I actually pity him. Poor wounded pride. It must suck to be him right now.

My Grandma has just passed away...

My mom's mom passed away yesterday after some time at the hospital. When I received my mom's text saying what happened, I didn't know how to react. I guess I hated to admit that, well... I saw it coming. My father said it when we knew she had been taken to the hospital; "we must accept the inevitable, that she is already old," she said to my mom. And I guess I knew it too. Still, to think of that she is gone...it feels..surreal. I remember the other people I knew who have died. My high school batch mate Jerica, who died of dengue early in our junior year. My friend and bus driver Kuya Jess, who died before he got to see the one thing he always teased me about. Suddenly they were gone. It's hard to think about it, seeing them one day and knowing you' never see them again, to never hear their voice,to never get into those conversations you always took for granted when they were still alive. And with all of them there is one thing I regret; that I wasn't able to attend their wakes or funerals. I was in the hospital suffering from dengue of my own when they announced in our school that Jerica died. I wasn't released till after she was taken to Davao. After not seeing him for a long time, I only heard of Kuya Jess when it was announced during a mass, as if it was a mere footnote. And with my Grandma, she was taken to Zambales, and I cannot go because of school.

I pray for them, that perpetual light may shine upon them, and that they may rest in peace...

These are the times I'd like to bitch slap people who don't listen to environmentalists...

The heat is driving me insane! It's November for Pete's sake! We're supposed to feel chilly already and not in some kind of Christmas barbecue. If its this hot already I shudder to think at what it will feel like this coming summer. And I am taking summer classes. One can't know how to dress for the occasion - in the early morning you'll be shivering for a jacket and two hours later you'll be screaming to take it all off. And they blame El Nino...blame yourselves why don't you. Do you do your part to lessen global warming? Do you? Do you now? C'mon, don't you just feel that heat? We can already see the effects of it as environmentalists have warned us about for years and still we don't listen. When the ea levels start to rise, or when you find yourself cursing that summer heat during the Christmas eve, us saying "we told you so" won't just cut it.

Out of Place in 16 Different ways...

Ever been a Third Wheel? Sucks to be one doesn't it? Supreme feeling of awkwardness and loneliness. Then try being a Fifth wheel for a whole day. Now that really sucks.

This morning was Registration time. Got in a Physics class, no less because of peer pressure, and got into a Table Tennis class, gladly not because of peer pressure. I'm hoping this sem turns out the same if not better as with the last one, both academically and socially.

The rest of the day I spent back in my highschool with Rj. I went along, as usual, and since I have nothing better to do anyway. The HS was dismissed early because a large group of students are practicing for their bigtime presentation this Friday. The reason why Rj went is because he is visiting his sweetheart and I'm smack dab in the middle as a third wheel. It's all good, I have been in that kind of position before. Doesn't make it any less awkward though. By luck we saw Gelo there, and the reason he was there is because he also has a highschool sweetheart still in highschool. Great,I was stuck between two couples as a squeaky Fifth Wheel.

Oh the awkwardness...squared. In that place I assure you that you will not be able to hide that shy,awkward,lonely look of a single person between couples from your face. Trust me, I know.

Still that feeling of being out of place isn't confined to being the extra wheel. I was back in my highschool, and though it wasn't that long since I was part of it, I'm not really part of it now. Even though they are the same friends I had last year, it feels quite different to relate to them as a college student. I'm not part of that circle anymore...

Tomorrow I'm coming back. That means feeling out of place again. But it isn't all bad. I miss being a highschool student, and getting to reminisce old memories is fun. Its good to have a different perspective sometimes, and to me now it's an outsider looking in. But again, as I said, it doesn't make being a Fifth wheel any less awkward.