sem break log: day 19

i loved/hated today.

i loved/hated waking up (or rather, being violently woken up by my yaya) at 5:30 am. i now know that i can sleep 4 hours or less and still remain relatively conscious and aware the whole day. hey, i'm typing right now, aren't i? i only stole precious minutes of sleep on the mrt on the way home. i didn't give my seat to a lady, like i usually do (nyahaha, believe me, i do). i can also start getting used to the concept of waking up at 5:30-6 for our monday-thursday schedule. but. waking up at 5:30 totally ruined my sem break streak of waking up no earlier than 9. i'm pretty sure i won't be repeating this during the last days of the sem break.

i loved/hated our enrollment. today was a special enrollment day for imed freshies and grad students, so there were relatively few people in upm. it was also the time when most of us in imed 2011 met up again after the sem break. it was a morning of "oy, kumusta na?", "nag-iba itsura mo ah...", and general talking and tripping and taunting. i also found out that i just *barely* reached the university scholar list, and i maintain my scholarship. but. most of us headed to upm around 8:30-9, but the enrollment proper only started around 1 pm. the whole morning, the only thing we accomplished was to get our class cards and to pass our ids to the college of med for our form 5s. and that didn't matter much anyway. those who came around 12 and passed their ids then even got their form 5s earlier. the form 5 printing took an extremely long time because we didn't have any pe schedule which didn't conflict with other subjects. i'd be happier if we just didn't have a pe anyway. earlier dismissal. and in less than 8 hours and less then 3 trips back and forth rob, i've already grown tired of the whole place already. it feels like the sem break didn't even happen, that we've been in upm the whole time. upm just sucks the joy out of things.

i love/hate our condo. yes, i'm finally moving to manila this sem, with danlen and wilson in our bocobo studio condo. i won't have to hassle with commuting for over 2 hours daily to and fro qc and manila, i won't have to wake up at deathly early hours to leave home, and i won't have to hurry home after classes. i won't miss out on any movie trips, overnights, and study groups (take note: i don't really like the study groups. yes, believe me. i just won't miss out on the "juicy gossip" traded rather than the actual studying). but. i'll miss home. mainly the cable tv and the pc. we don't even have a tv in the condo now! we were all so up for the idea of bringing the ps2 there, but now with no tv, scrap that idea. and how can i survive without my nightly cable viewing experience? someone answer me that. we also don't have a phone line yet, which means no internet in the unit. it also means more expenses for me.

i will love/hate the remaining days of the sem break. they will be the last few days of rest and relaxation before hell starts over. but. they mean that the sem break is ending. and will soon be over.

someone love/hate me.

sem break log: day 21

i woke up at 8 am.

i had a lunch "appointment" today. and i didn't want to wake up at 12:30 pm and find out that i had stood her up. i washed, i changed, i ate, i waited for a text message. name the place, the time, the transpo, everything, i said before. i was glad just to go with her. seeing as there was no communication yet, i waited. i passed the time with the ps2. then a call came in, saying she had to go out to malling and lunch with her dad. we'd go out later for a late lunch or merienda. perfectly alright, i said (and i meant). just text me when. i proceeded with my ps2 escapades.

**side note: i finished star ocean 3 today. another goal down. for those interested in 60+ playing hours, sci-fi, real-time, action-rpg enjoyment, this is highly recommended. now for sidequests galore.**

5 hours passed in gameland. i skipped a 12 noon lunch in case we'd go for a heavy meal later. when 3 pm hit, along with the hunger pangs and the heady pains, i succumbed to adobong pusit. mmmm. over another hour passes, then i get the call. coffee and dessert in a quaint little place in matalino street. in 10 minutes. i was caught off guard. i expected to be able to bathe first, to groom properly beforehand. not a bomb dropped that instant. there was no warning shot, no early signal. i made the most of the moment, washed up and dressed down for a casual meeting, and headed off.

we met in front of holy family at around 5 pm. as expected, i was a bit late, i made her wait. stupid me. we went to c3. cakes, coffee, and crepes. i figured out the crepes part. iced mocha and blueberry cheesecake for me, iced white choco mocha and brownie for her. we ate, we drank, we related our past few days, we told stories, we laughed, we didn't cry, we reminisced, we regretted. there was ranting and raving, but always an ear open to listen. there were silent moments, but not as awkward as i had feared. thoughts were said, opinions were given, advice was thrown, reprimands were doled out. she opened up and i took it all in. an afternoon of coffee and tales like none i've ever had before.

unfortunately, as the saying goes, time flies, or rather, zooms past in lightspeed, when you're having fun. i could only pass hasty glimpses at the sky outside, my eyes mostly intent on catching hers and her expressions. i stole glances of the afternoon light, the indigo sunset, and the night lit up by stars and streetlights. over 2 hours had passed. 2 hours which elapsed like 2 minutes. i could have stayed for 2 more, but our time was pressed. we took our bill. i think proper courtesy would have had me pay for our meal, but i took the miserly way out. count on a free meal on a later time.

we walked into trellis for a restroom break, funny because we didn't even eat there. we crossed kalayaan, and headed home our separate ways. upon arriving, i texted her (abbreviated messages, not the whole thing) "salamat. sa susunod ulit." and she replied "oo nga, dapat maulit." then it was over. like a dream one has and remembers, but happened in no time at all, if it really did happen.

i don't know about her, but those were the possibly most significant times i'd had this sem break (save maybe enrollment, but by a long shot). i had fun. i made memories. i hope to have more and make more.

to next time then.

i realized that i love these lines i wrote:

"i could only pass hasty glimpses at the sky outside, my eyes mostly intent on catching hers and her expressions. i stole glances of the afternoon light, the indigo sunset, and the night lit up by stars and streetlights."

woohoo, egoistic little me, but i think these lines were pure genius. no one else could probably appreciate them, but its the thoughts they evoke in me that count.

warning: oncoming senti mode.

sem break log: day 23

don't worry, i've snapped back to reality.

and reality has decided to bite back with a vengeance. it was only today, after a week of practically inactivity and boredom, that it struck me that karla's debut will be on the 13th. and i just so happened to glance at the calendar and surprise surprise: that's next week already. and with school starting this tuesday and moving to manila on monday, that leaves me less than a weekend to get ready.

ask me what i have prepared. my answer? practically nothing. yes, the song is done (probably just some practice later) but it now seems so insignificant compared to the remaining tasks of finding a suitable outfit and purchasing the perfect gift. attire is just semiformal, but what is semiformal for men? and the clincher: her debut's theme is the 50's. a bunch of us plan to wear 50's-inspired outfits to feel the spirit of the theme, but none of us have any idea what 50's-semiformal outfits look like. are there any retro fashionistas out there?

don't even get me started on the gift. i might go to sm north tomorrow to get some ideas, but chances are i come home empty-handed and empty-minded, unsuccessful in buying a gift or even coming up with one. i have a feeling i'll be spending my weeknights in manila this week roaming aimlessly in robinson's place, eyeing for that perfect something to give.

on a weirder note, i am now totally obsessed with the chocolate graham crackers commercial. i rush to the tv when i hear the lines the mom character says (surprising i haven't memorized them yet) and drool equally at the shirt and the dessert. that's a perfectly normal, healthy reaction, right? someone get me the shirt please. too bad hot clothing and luscious desserts for me don't help me any with my debut dilemma.

i know by now that this plea is futile, but someone help me.

sem break log: day 24

i'm feeling a bit oc today. and i don't mean the show.

i'm still obsessed with the commercial. enough said about that.

and because i will probably never get to own that perfect shirt, i just decided to splurge on my visit to sm this afternoon. my original intention was to look for a gift for karla (which i correctly predicted would not happen today) and to buy some stuff, mainly toiletries, to bring to the condo. while looking around for a possible gift, i passed by bench and saw a great pair of jeans and 2 shirts. which i compulsively bought. haha, i deserved those shirts. rewards for nothing.

sm north was unusually packed today, as if there was a sale but there wasn't (make sense?). while standing in line in the supermarket, the same message kept repeating over the pa: "all female packers, please proceed to counter blah blah." yes, i have a nasty mind.

my dad always said i was a bit of an impulsive buyer. i once came home from a sale with 5 pairs of pants (all still being used). guess i never should have learned to become a mallrat. this schoolyear started with my budding materialism, a newfound attraction to slim-fitting shirts, and a steady source of spendable money in the form of stipends. all of which contributed to my mallratting. and i still need new shoes.

note about the condo: i'm moving there tomorrow, and i still haven't fixed my stuff or anything. i don't even know if we have any extra beddings which fit my bed there. since my dad is away and i'm home alone right now, i really have no idea what else to bring aside from my clothes and toiletries. i need to buy some kind of storage, but i probably can't do so until my dad gets home. in late november.

and now we turn to the oc, and i do mean the show. the last scene of this week's episode is probably the most dramatic scene i've seen on tv (meaning it almost made my cry). yes, even more than the smallville-cemetery-rain-funeral scene, where clark and lana and chloe were all caught up in rain, tears, stares, and sighs. ryan leaving, marisa moving, seth sailing, kirsten sobbing, all to the background sounds of halleluia... *sighs* i first saw the scene last tuesday, and i was just getting out of my bathroom. i watched that whole part gripping to the doorframe, on the verge of tears. i might just be overdramatic, but it really happened like that. promise.

this entry is a classic example of babble, and i still have no gift or outfit.

sem break log: day 25

the last day is at hand.

and for a quick glance on how "productive" my break was:

1. learn basic web design and change the layout of this blog
2. read at least 3 novels
3. finish at least 1 rpg during the break
4. visit a mall and watch a movie at least once a week
5. finally learn to drive flawlessly
6. exercise or work out
7. learn to play an instrument
8. buy a gift and think of a song
9. get my hair cut

i may not have accomplished everything here, but maybe that's just the point. as so many people have put it to me this past month, the break isn't really about accomplishing anything. it's for relaxing and unwinding. and i think i got that done just fine.

i'll be moving to the condo this afternoon, but i still haven't prepared anything. i'll just be stuffing some clothes, shoes, and various items in a bag later. i wish i could put it off some more, but with classes starting tomorrow, there isn't any time left to fix everything up and move out later. i'll miss the tv and the pc the most, we don't even have a television there now. i don't think i've gone without tv for over 24 hours in the last 10 years of my life. this will take some adjusting, but i guess it's possible.

i probably won't be updating this blog as often as i did during the break or even before. oh well, who reads this anyway?

now i can't wait for the christmas break.

now i remember how schoolday mornings feel like.

i'm taking time out of my hectic morning to make an entry here. don't know why, don't know how, but i'm here, typing away, when what i should really be doing is finishing breakfast and taking a bath and texting for my ride to upm. i can always manage to squeeze in a few precious minutes of pc time or ps2 time during the most untimely of moments.

anyway, i moved my stuff to the condo yesterday, and it was only when i was fixing the bed that it struck me: i forgot my pillows. pretty stupid, really. i already set aside the pillows i was gonna bring in my dad's room, but i guess it slipped my mind when i was taking things to the car yesterday. so now, my dad's driver from the office will be taking me back again, hopefully with pillows this time.

and there was supposed to be a practice for trp (tao rin pala, a sort of christmas talent-variety show for upmed) this morning at 8:30-10:00, but i only received the text pass this morning. and i woke up at 8:30. i guess the text came last night, when i was woken by the sounds of my phone going low batt, but i just let it die out, it was 12:30 am, for god's sake. i failed to appear, which is specially worse since i volunteered beforehand to join. now i'll never get to see the alindog move from mama rom. nyaah.

and i have to hurry to upm. i have to get there and take my lunch by 11. breakfast at 9, lunch at 11. not even 2 meals within 2 hours can possibly get me through torture a.k.a. 8 straight hours of class. i hope i pass out before calculus.

six and a half years to go and counting, starting in 5... 4... 3... 2...

first days used to be fun.

the first few days of classes are never any kid's (or teen's) dream. i won't profess to being weird by saying that they are, but first days aren't all about the start of classes for me. first days represent one of my ideal settings: school without the schoolwork. they hold the promise of meeting up with friends and classmates again after the break which ensued. the chance to catch up with stories and tales before classes *really* start. the opportunity to have fun with peers before schoolwork and stress pile up. not this time around.

sure, the first day back in upm did hold up with the good points. it's fun to be back with the usual crowd of cheering, chattering classmates, telling stories, talking about nothing in particular, joking and cajoling each other, and generally having fun with each other's company. unfortunately, all that had to come with new courses, new professors, new assignments (already, i know *groans*), new buddy stuff, and tv/pc/ps2 deprivation.

our first, and just about our only, class on tuesday was zoology 10 lecture. after dropping off my pillows in the condo, we head off to cas for the first official class session of the semester, without any time left for lunch. upon arriving, zoo lec looked good enough. the prof seemed kind, the classroom wasn't bad, and the subject matter is actually something that i can get interested studying in. the horror started when our prof started discussing. on the first day. yes, it was a random lecture on the scientific process and whatnot, which was delivered with a droning, monotonous voice which could lull any savage beast to sleep (or suicide). her attitude also wasn't one i could agree with (she called one of our classmates fat (!!!) as an example for the lecture). and to top it all off, she announces her 1 quiz per meeting policy, starting on friday with a quiz about her lecture today. i sense doom creeping up on me once more.

we headed off to zoo lab, the next part of our 8-hour torture session. fortunately, the only faculty who appeared was our substitite prof, who dismissed us early, but not without the warning of again, the 1 quiz per meeting policy. that's just great. 2 quizzes every tuesday/friday. just another thing to spice up the already unbearable 8 straight hours of class.

since zoo lab was a 3-hour class, and we were dismissed with 2 3/4 hours to spare, we returned to the condo for a quick bite and rest. we returned to cas around 4 for our soc sci 1 class, which was again, conveniently cancelled. we walk back to robinson's to buy some things from national, then return to cas for calculus. again, cancelled.

i'm not one who gets depressed with the concept of missing classes. in fact, they're just about the next best thing to full-day suspensions. but when you return to the classroom every hour on the hour, trudging through robinson's place over a dozen times, just to find out that all that energy spent and time allotted was wasted on a no-show prof, at some point, it gets annoying. and we're all already so tired of rob all over again. we also spent most of the free time realizing that if not for the walkouts, we'd still be in class. the day was tiring enough with all the free time, imagine what it'd be like with the 8 hours all filled in?

condo life isn't so bad, i guess. except for the lack of entertainment of any kind, it's livable. alikoy, our first and most frequent guest, has cleaned our bathroom, reheated our dinners, and offered to decorate our unit all out of the goodness of her heart. i guess you really can't expect 3 teenage guys to sort all that stuff out willingly. we also developed a habit of visiting our classmates who live one floor down. well, actually, not so much visiting as it is parasiting (is there such a word) off of their food and tv. at least they're gracious enough to accept us. but only up to what extent? we need a tv and fast.

wednesday wasn't much different. classes were cut, time was wasted, comments about still being in class this time were given. i also hauled part 1 of my buddy stuff, a bagful of papers, folders, and manuals, home from cm. the whole stack must have weighed over 20 lbs, and i am yet to receive the chem stuff *shudders*. i actually spent the afternoon in rob trying to find a suitable gift and outfit for the debut. found them. i just hope they're good enough, and i hope i can get them home safely and intact (my gift is, shall we say, a bit too bulky for commuting easily). we also spent some time last night at an internet cafe. danlen changed his background and layout, while i searched for a better one. comments? anyone?

today is thursday. there was no 7 am natural science 2 class. we expected as much, but still insisted on waking up at 6 am. comm 3 did happen, there was the usual introductions, lesson plan discussion, and impromptu speech-giving. haha, fun fun fun. can't wait for later meetings *rolls eyes*. at least i get to go home later this afternoon, that is if i survive chemistry 14 lecture and lab. i have to get my outfit washed and get my gift wrapped at home. good luck to me lugging it through the mrt and on a jeep. but i'll get home, no worries. nothing can stop me from getting my cable tv and star ocean 3 back. even if for just a night.

i know that ranting gets me nowhere, but it's a good way to vent off and relax. and an even better way to pass time.

two days in and i'm already sick to my stomach.

and i'm all alone.

i won't delve into the day much. just let it be known that there was a take-home quiz and babbling in zoo lec, our first quiz and lab activity in zoo lab, and the opening lecture in soc sci, which became weirdly emotional and tear-jerking.

calculus was once again cancelled. i'm starting to think our prof has forgotten his/her 5:30-7:30 class *kneels down and praises God*. since the night was young, around 6 pm, one of our classmates invited and we decided to go to baywalk. we met up an hour later in robinson's, there were 13 of us. it would have been a perfect time to get a studio pic, but most of us were down to our last coins and we couldn't persuade anyone to shoulder the expense. and so we headed out.

it was my first time to visit the baywalk at night. i'm sure manila bay is still grimy and polluted regardless of the hour, but it looked much better under the cover of darkness. the stretch was lit up by retrovirus-reminiscent streetlights, as alikoy so nerdily put it. we walked aimlessly, passing through several resto-cafes and their live performances. we stopped and talked and blew bubbles by the fountain, then we ate and drank in 7-11 near remedios. like i said, poor, starving students we were.

when some people had to go home, we decided to head back as well, with majority of the group ending up in our condo unit. we hung out for around another hour, talking and chatting and picture-taking and lounging around. around 11, the others went home, and i bought dinner from the corner mini-stop which was newly opened yesterday. and it's just a few feet away from the condo! convenience rules. around 12, danlen left, and so did alikoy. and there i was, with wilson home and danlen out, alone in the unit.

and what can a boy do, home alone in a condo on a friday night? well, for starters, a nice long shower. afterwards, i cranked the radio up and proceeded to sing along, shouting my lungs out. i also boiled some water (???) so that i can have some potable water for tomorrow. i also texted some friends for the hopes of decent conversation. i'd have to say it felt great, almost liberating, to be singing at the top of my lungs, dressed only in my shorts, dancing and jumping around. i was hyper, probably from the slurpee and the twix bar i had earlier. it was a pathetic show compared to the nightlives of others out there, but it was fun.

when the cd reached its last track, the messages stopped coming, and the sugar rush died out, i turned it to the radio and finished reading the alchemist. afterwards, i just lay on my bed, thinking, listening, contemplating. later on about my soul searching. haha.

morning came as a surprise. the sun flooded in, i left the blinds open last night. i made my way home, and here i am. i still have to wrap my gift, a rather daunting task, and practice my song. i'll be heading off to sm north later to meet up with friends so that we can all head off together to the debut. i'm really excited, but the pressure of singing is starting to get to me.

can't wait.

it's been five days.

i don't know why i left my blog alone for the past five days. there are tons of stuff i wanted to put down in print, but i just couldn't get myself to do it. events, persons, opinions, contemplations, ideas, all of which flooded my brain, but not one of which could fuel me to start typing. not until i felt the intense need to blog last night. let me try to catch up. here goes.

saturday night was debut night. it was a heck of a time. i got my gift wrapped, a great big pillow if you care to know, and i must say i admired my giftwrapping capabilities to a vain extent that afternoon. i showered, changed into my semiformal (sorry, no 50's for me. couldn't find an outfit) clothes, joaqs arrived with the taxi, and we went to the place.

the night was wild. the time was magical. the memories are precious. food, friends, fun (and a little alcohol) is the perfect combination. except for the surprise video (which karla wasn't able to watch, weird...) where i covered my face every time i came on, and the 18 songs part where i clumsily couldn't grasp the exact moment where i could enter in the melody with my song. the band was playing the song alright, the lead guitarist was even mouthing out the lyrics to me, and all i could do was to stare and gape and tell them to start over. i knew i should have practiced. but it went well in the end, aside from the few laughs and jeers from the crowd. there was free-flowing san mig light, and a cute juice fountain. i discovered the joys of spiking my orange juice. it may have been the first time i drank any kind of alcohol in significant amounts, but i didn't get a hangover. that was fun. i'm only 16 anyway.

sunday came, and i was too lazy to type my entry. the day was spent like a sem break weekend, which i sorely miss. i went to manila on monday, because i was supposed to attend a practice for trp, but i ended up sleeping in the condo from 1 to 2:30, until danlen came. we went to the practice, which was just about over, and we all discussed our plans for that night. we had a bangus fiesta in the unit. all-you-can-eat bangus and taba ng talangka courtesy of andrew. again, free food, and the company of friends. no better times.

i was struck when tuesday finally arrived. since then, it seems like there's been nothing but a nonstop rampage of quizzes, assignments, and studying night after night. an assault which i never experienced during the first sem, and i am hating to the fullest right now. the only notable thing that happened is that instead of wilson, alikoy has become our 3rd condomate. wilson has to go home for the next 2 weeks, so alikoy has conveniently volunteered herself to us. we bought some supplies (we finally have a shower curtain!), cleaned up our bathroom tuesday night (which we are still obsessively-compulsively fretting about), and alikoy still hasn't returned to her home since then. i think the guards already think she lives in the building.

we went to glorietta yesterday, around 10 of us. i now know 2 things: i look like cogie domingo in the penshoppe posters, especially if i get the jackets he wears in them. and that i can convince myself about anything, regardless of how farfetched or impossible or unreal it is. my self-esteem, or rather, self-love and self-pride, is rising to new heights. i just want the jackets, actually.

there are still some thoughts i want to post, but maybe in a separate entry. there's still a math homework to do, soc sci research to copy, and zoology quiz to study for. classes start at 11:30 anyway.

maybe later.

i uploaded some pics.

for the sake of someone out there who wanted to identify my face and connect the entries with a person, i browsed my pc for some old pics, and had some pics on a cellphone e-mailed to me. and i finally added new pics. oh yeah.

and looking at the pictures i have stored, i realized something. i am such a camrat. it's a term i came up with, camwhore sounds too bitchy and cheap for me. haha. i think i acquired this affliction some time around 2nd year in pisay, along with puberty, emotional maturity, a sense of sarcasm, a flaphappy mouth, and an outgoing personality. i definitely grew more than heightwise during the adelfa years.

anyway, i don't feel like emoting right now. and i feel like sleeping or watching tv right now. so check out the pics if you want, and let me leave with this message.

i want a digicam.

it's been what, like 2 weeks?

2 weeks of classes, and already i've been sucked into the abyss that is intarmed, with the killer curriculum, horrendous schedule, and teachers that are just pains in the butt. of the past 15 days or so, i recall doing nothing but constantly studying for quizzes, answering assignments, trudging and lugging myself around campus (including rob and pgh), pushing myself to get through class hours alive and conscious, and all other forms of torture that a freshie college student living outside his home can legally bear.

okay, so maybe i exaggerated a bit. it hasn't all been that bad. contrary to my before-held belief, condo life isn't half bad. not that i thought it would be horrible, but that it would be boring as hell. turns out, living in the vicinity of up manila means that you're in the company of friends nearly 24/7. which in turn means last-full-show movies, late-night trips to baywalk, hanging out in the condo during free hours, chismis tidbits here and there, and foodtripping nearly every waking moment. and i promise, i'm not exaggerating now.

i think it was friday when we basically did nothing but eat, and yesterday it was nothing but junk food. it's also fun when we get to salu-salo and just pig out. all the food laid out on our kiddie picnic table, only 5 forks available, 10 people in the unit, a culinary free-for-all. not that we run out of food, more supplies are just a floor or a ministop away. and during the times when i am alone (like right now, burning bytes and pesos in an internet cafe), i get to relax, read some books (or modules, God forbid), sing out loud, or go out myself. even away from home, private time can't get any more private than that.

yep, living in the condo is probably the only positive thing about this semester. at least as positive as it can get. but it does have its drawbacks. a major one, at that. living and sleeping under another roof 6 days a week has taken a toll on my home mentality. i've gotten too used to condo life. sure, it's good too, independence and responsibility and all that, but i just don't want to abandon my real home just yet. i still want to think of it as my real home, my shelter, my refuge. within the span of 2 weeks, it transformed from being just that to being an oasis. an oasis in the middle of an endless desert of college and studies. i basically go home to bring my laundry, to restock on food and clothes, and some precious internet and ps2 moments. i even did something so surprising this saturday: after eating dinner, i took my plate and rinsed it in the kitchen sink. unconsciously. i never did that before, i usually just leave it at the dinner table. not that rinsing my plate was bad (in fact, it's not), but it's not normal for me. i'm now permanently in the mindset of condo life. and my home is silently tucked away in a corner of my mind, awaiting the time when it can resurface. it's not just a nice place to visit, it's great if i could live there. i just can't.

and speaking of changing mentalities, i noticed something. 2 weeks of classes haven't just given me homework, stress, and general inconvenience and pain. they've also taken away something precious from me: the rest and relaxation i got during the sem break. it always happens that way. sure, the sem break was a month of paradise for me. but when classes started, maybe even as soon as a few days after, i just got dragged back into the world of college and familiar manila territory. studying. marching to and fro through rob. classes. after experiencing all that for just 3 days, it again seemed like we had been doing it for forever. doing it since june, nonstop, no breaks, no vacations, no nothing. the sem break turned into a figment of my imagination, like "did it even really happen? then why does it feel like i've been doing the same thing ever since forever?" i can hardly remember the moments spent during that blissful time. the past and present all just got blurred and mixed up, consequently erasing the sem break from existence. i just got easily caught up in college life, my mind seamlessly shifted from vacation mode to school mode. i just got so used to it, to the patterns of school, so quickly that i fooled myself into thinking that i never left those patterns at all. so much for rest and relaxation.

but what the hell. the sem break's been long over. i can't retake those moments now. i've been back in up for half a month now anyway.

might as well get used to it.

i deserve a break. we all deserve a break.

but this early into the semester? i'm sure the gesture would have been better served if it had been amidst the schedules, the stresses, the toxicities that would come later this sem. but what the heck, a break's a break. enjoy the moment while you can. and enjoy it i did.

it started on wednesday. the cancellation announcement for cwts came the night before, so we slept in, waking up around 9. we had our first ipc class that afternoon. i can't say that i missed ipc sorely, but with all the other toxic subjects, it might as well be free time, for all i care. we were dismissed at 3, then a bunch of us went to baywalk to watch the sunset. it was magnificent. i wish i had a digicam to capture the symphony of sky, sun, and sea; all three blended together to form the famed manila bay sunset.

we kept on walking clear after the sun went down, arriving at picc (or ccp, i'm not really sure) some time after 6. there are bike rental stalls there, and a big open space for cycling around. the sad (and pathetic) thing was, i don't know how to ride a bike. luckily, i chose, or rather, was coerced, to try my hand at biking again. my friends already had some success stories about their biking tutorials, and they sought to make me their latest subject. after 30 minutes of countless tips, false starts, and near falls, i started to respond to their instructions. a few more tries, and i finally got a feel for what they were trying to teach me. there i was, balancing and pedalling, biking like an amateur but biking nonetheless. and not even all the bruises, blisters, and soreness could take that away from me. add another success story here.

we went home around 7:30, and less then 2 hours after arriving, i fell asleep. we woke up at 5:30 the following morning. ate breakfast, finished all morning routines before 7, then we found out that classes were suspended due to the transport strike. we wasted the morning away in the condo, then i went out to watch alexander with the taft nerds. it was okay, read toffee's blog for my reactions. thursday was basically another free day.

friday, all afternoon classes for med students were cancelled to make way for trp practice. our only class for that day, zoo lecture, was also cancelled as soon as we arrived at up. we spent the afternoon wasting away in the condo once again, then left for the philam life theater around 6. unfortunately, we arrived a bit after the 7 pm starting time, and were locked out until the doors opened around 7:30. still, we missed practically nothing, i knew trp to be some kind of contest, but what i watched exceeded all expectations. it wasn't just a chorale competition, it was a collaboration of all med batches and departments for a night of nontoxic, latino-themed fun and entertainment.

there were the original compositions of the med batches which celebrated the upcoming centennial of the college of med. medrhythmics, upcm's dance troupe, blew me away with their spontaneous routine and incredible movements. the med choir graced us with their renditions of seasons of love and another song. the various fraternities and sororities had their own gimmicks, agape presented a touching song interpretation under ultraviolet light, and the surgery department humored, entertained, aroused, and traumatized the audience all at once with their strip show, perhaps the climax of the program. i thought they would stop at their shorts, but amazingly, they dared to dig deeper. the intarmed dance number was a perfect way to top off the night. heck, i was already cheering my lungs out during the slide show before the dance. after the program ended, i left the theater with 3 promises to myself: 1) i will join our class presentation next year, 2) i will audition for the med choir, and 3) i will develop abs by next trp. don't ask about the abs, it's from watching several dancers with bare, perfect midriffs and the surgeons letting it all hang out.

after trp, we had a surprise celebration for pat, our birthday girl that day, in rob towers. candles, rose petals, and music made for a magical midnight show. saturday came, and with it the birthday of yet another imed classmate. greggy invited the class to emerald gardens for a birthday/palanca award celebration, and i am definitely not one to turn down such an occasion. only a little more than half of the class came, but it was a great time. the food kept pouring in, 1 main course at a time, for a grand total of 6 dishes. even with 10 of us in our table, we couldn't come close to finishing all the dishes. i kept on eating for 2 straight hours at the least. and again, it was another time for class camratting. new pics to accompany the fond laughter and full stomachs we got that day.

with all that has happened, it isn't over yet. tomorrow is yet another holiday, normal classes on tuesday, then the centennial celebration of the up college of medicine on wednesday. it's all pouring in, who could ask for more?

a potential week of nothing, a new skill learned, a show of the stars, a birthday bash.

things just keep, and i hope keep on, getting better.

i'll be leaving soon.

as soon as the rain stops. despite the holiday and the 11:30 call time on tuesday, i have to return to manila by lunch at the latest. unfortunately, some of my blockmates decided that today is the time to return to bambang to purchase our chem lab materials, and i have no choice but to come along, since i have no idea where bambang is and what we have to buy. the rain's just making it harder to leave, and easier to stay. not only do i despise commuting in flooded and puddled roads, but the whole atmosphere of this morning is making my house homier. the cool air and the light pitter-patter of droplets trickling from the roof just make me want to curl up in my bed once again, to channel-surf lazily or to read some unfinished novels. but alas, no such blessing can be redeemed today.

now for some bad tidings. the news spread around the batch the other day and last night. sir alix, our math teacher from 2nd to 4th year in varying sections, is confined in veterans memorial hospital since some time last week. at first, his condition seemed to be hepatitis b, until it was reported that he may have cancer of the liver. our officers planned a batch visit to sir alix today at veterans, but unfortunately i had to decline, my errand in manila the precedence. i can now only pray that his condition improves, and i implore anyone who reads this to include him in your prayers.

let me bounce back with some cheerier news. my dad will be returning from the states tomorrow night. i won't be here to meet him tomorrow, but i'll be going home on wednesday afternoon after the centennial celebration. all he's bringing back for me are underwear and some beddings anyway. i refrained from asking him to buy some other stuff since i'll be going there soon. and speaking of stuff, christmas, and more urgently, my birthday is coming up soon, so i have to get a wish list posted asap. hope i have time to do that within this week. of course, my material greed can conquer all obstacles, except possibly monetary restraints, in order to get what i want.

the rain's starting to show signs of breaking. i'm using it as an excuse to stall for time at home, i hope it doesn't stop just yet. a few more moments of peace.

along with the rain, this week brings both blessings and banes.