better add another 'first' to my previous entry.

rather than actually hitting the transes and studying for the derma osce (organ systems comprehensive exam, the new nomenclature for practical exams) which was what my early return to manila was supposed to be for, we instead tramped off to the far side of manila, vito cruz to be precise, to root for our beloved school's varsity team on its first game this season. or rather, should i say its first victory?!

it's not just that the fighting maroons won their first game this season against ust, but the real clincher there is that this is the first time we've ever watched a uaap game live and up close! icing on the cake, as kiki put it (and from here on out, i will be borrowing certain *tidbits* from kiki's entry about this as well). rovi might have watched plenty of uaap games during his early college days, but according to him, this was his first time to watch a live game where up wins, so it was a first for him as well. and let me say, sacrificing derma time for this was absolutely worth it.

when we first entered the ninoy aquino stadium, a juniors game (adu-ust, where ust lost as well... so sad) was still ongoing, but luckily our transes were there to help us pass *most of* the time. but when the college game finally started, you could really feel the difference in the atmosphere of the place. of course, the ust pep came fully armed, with the entire opposite side of the stadium filled with yellow-clad fanatics screaming "go, uste" with every spare breath, making the up side pale in comparision. but when you're actually there, sitting (or standing, as in our case) on the sidelines, numbers don't really matter too much. you get so involved in the game, so caught up in the emotions flooding the stands, that you feel that you can overpower the opponent's entire squad with the sheer passion in your voice. and with nearly every other person on your side feeling the same way, you'll start to understand how the up side fared during that game.

and being my first game, this was the first time i really learned the up cheers, so the latter half of the game was all about the "up go, up fight" and "shoot that ball" cheers (with matching gestures!). any fatigue i might have felt while waiting just dissipated among the shouts of "defense" and "u-nibersidad ng pilipinas", to which i excitedly went along with. i must've seemed so new to all of that, looking around for the proper cheers and gestures that go with the drumbeat, half-squatting on my chair with anticipation, jumping up and down with every shot we made, loudly booing with every foul. but then, looking around, nearly everyone else was showing the same levels of reckless excitement, so maybe that makes me look more like a veteran than anything else.

by the end of the game, my hands were full of tender, ill-defined, erythymatous patches, my voice was even more scratched out from all the cheering (considering i already had a sore throat beforehand), but my heart and inner scholar were overflowing with pride when we finally got to raise our fists to the "up naming mahal", after the fateful last-second winning shot by number 9, mr. marvin cruz. we walked away with gigantic grins on our faces, still revelling in the adrenaline rush, and hopeful for the next opportunity to yell "let's go up" at the top of our lungs.

in fact, it's admu-up next sunday. anyone else up for a major dose of school spirit?

unibersidad ng pilipinas
unibersidad ng pilipinas
unibersidad ng pilipinas
unibersidad ng pilipinas

matatapang
matatalino
walang takot
kahit kanino
hinding hindi magpapahuli
ganyan kaming
mga taga-up!

unibersidad ng pilipinas
unibersidad ng pilipinas
unibersidad ng pilipinas
unibersidad ng pilipinas

OOH!