the funny missing tooth

Thank goodness there are so many holidays here in the Philippines. It feels good waking up in our good ol’ home in this quiet province of ours. I have no idea how the country plans to celebrate the National Heroes Day, but I plan to just stay at home. I was supposed to study for a recitation on Tuesday, but unfortunately (or NOT), I left my book in Manila. So here I am just browsing the Internet, and without restrictions (unlike at the office) at that. I realize that, after reading blogs, I do not know what else to do in the Web. haha.

Eric is now really makulit beside me. He is not stopping giving me grapes or singing or dancing beside me. He’s so funny. He’s acting like someone with Parkinson’s (from an MMK episode last night). The kicker of them all is his missing tooth, which his father himself pulled out (no need for an Orange New Jersey cosmetic dentist, eh?) He looks so adorable with a tooth missing. haha. I guess I just have to play with him until he tires and falls asleep. haha.

I Hope You Rot…Literally.

Warning: This is an angry post.

A 5-minute walk from San Beda to San Sebastian Church was all it took for someone to take my phone, not to mention I am walking with two of my male classmates; again not to mention that my phone was inside my pouch, which was inside my backpack.

My friends and I were utterly clueless as to how it happened. We did not notice anyone who came close near us. It was hard to believe. I always try to be conscious of my surroundings (read: snatchers and thieves).

My friend called my number. A woman answered. My friend told her to bring back the phone. “Was it the 3310?” she said. My phone was Samsung. I suppose there was more than one phone stolen that hour. My friend said, “the one you are using now.” She turned off the phone.

This time, I called my number. A man answered. I asked him in a calm voice to return my phone. He said he cannot return it as he was already on his way to the pier to go home to the province. He said he got the phone in Mendiola. When asked where…

bastard thief: Ano ka ba, ang liit liit lang ng Mendiola. Deh dun lang sa Mendiola. (What are you, Mendiola’s so small. Just there  in Mendiola.)

At this point, I was already irritated, but still trying to calm myself, still hoping he might really return it. I tried appealing to his pity.

mordsith:  Kuya, isoli mo na yung phone ko. Estudyante lang naman ako. (Please return my phone. I’m just a student.)

bastard thief:  Papunta na nga ako sa pier. Dalawang araw lang ako dun. Babalik ko din ‘tong phone mo. (I said I am already on my way to the pier. I’d stay there for 2 days only. I will return your phone.)

mordsith:  Sige, kuya, ano bang number mo? (Okay, what’s your number?)

bastard thief: Wala nga akong number, kaya ko nga kinuha tong phone mo. (I do not have a number, that’s why I took your phone.)

In the background, I was hearing a woman saying that my phone has so many load (it was a postpaid, actually). He ended the call, but still did not turn it off. That bastard.

I immediately called the Sun hotline. I was able to talk to a CSR more than hour had past already. I told the CSR that my phone was stolen and that the criminal must have used it since that time, as I CANNOT reach them to have it cut! All he said was, “sorry, there was a network problem.” What?!? Just that?!

As for the thief, I hope he suffers. I hope he rots literally or loses the use of his limbs. He deserves punishment commensurate to his perversity (not to the value of my phone). He could have disposed of my sim card once he took my phone. But he still wanted to hear me “beg” for my phone and to tell all his lies. Imagine, he even had to tell me that he took it because he has no phone! I bet my other phone he would do much bigger crimes if only he had the chance.

Someone told me, maybe to help me accept, that he might have done it only because he lacks opportunities. Barely restraining my irritation, I told him: There are so many people who lack opportunities. But they make opportunities for themselves. Look at the vendors on the street. Look at the children who clean windshields of cars on traffic. They start with something honest. (I could enumerate more, if he still did not get my point.) This kind of reasoning only propagates crimes and criminals. Specifically, his perversion can never be justified by poverty.

I was so sad, not even a good grade can make me cheer up (not even a Capresso-made coffee or an 8-hour sleep). I took good care of that phone, never placing it on a rough surface. Keng’s pictures were there. My professor’s message was there—that message I read when I need to uplift my spirit. That bastard took it.

The McDo Experience

Irritated by my neighbor’s inconsiderately loud music and his “shouting” singing voice (even at 5 a.m.), I decided to try studying at McDonald’s last Friday. It was really a hot day, and instead of studying, I had to bring the car to the car shop to have the power window repaired. A stroke of bad luck, really.

After the car was done at about past 1 p.m., I decided to just study at McDonald’s. The weather and the car trouble the night before were really making me sleepy. And I am still about 400 pages behind (by the way, I decided not to read the book anymore…haha) the subject.

I stayed there from 2:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and it was really entertaining to see so many people come and go. Indeed, it had become intertwined with the Filipino culture.

There were people who discussed their business there. They were a happy bunch. People who discuss business at McDo ought to be a happy bunch. The place was so “friendly.”

Of course, there were families also. One aunt asked his teenaged nephew aloud, “tuli ka na ba nun?” (were you already circumcised then?) The rest of the family laughed, but the boy was frowning, apparently wanting to hide in shame. I and the people in the other tables laughed with the rest of his family, though a bit subtle. haha.

There were also students who were just enjoying the holiday. They were a bit noisy, and they stayed at McDo the longest. I kinda missed the days when my high school friends and I would just go to McDo and to just stay there, sharing stories and stories and stories then just go home when darkness is about to come. Our French Fries heard so many secrets. We even wrote messages to each other in opened French Fries cartons.

But the two people who really took my sleepiness were a boy and girl—lovers. Well, at least they were. haha. They were facing the cardboard displays of Ronald McDonald and the gang, with their backs turned against all the people. They were in my line of sight, though, and I can see their every move (yeah, just like a spy!). From what I can gather, the two were breaking up. They were sitting beside each other. The girl was not moving and speaking and just staring at space. The boy from time to time would look at the girl and tell her something in a very silent voice. The girl would not respond, and the boy would also stare at something, I don’t know, maybe at Grimace. haha. I think that went on for about 30 minutes. And what’s this? The girl moved (yeah, she was like a statue for a time) and talked to the boy. The boy looked like explaining or persuading her about something. He sometimes touches her hands, but she was coldness personified. haha. She looked sad. He looked desperate. haha. After a while, the girl left. She left her sundae almost untouched. Sayang. The boy left in a few minutes. End of story. I went back to reading. What do you think happened?

Midterms and After

I have finished all the midterm exams last Saturday. Well, almost. The theology professor decided to have his own midterms (other classes do not have any). Bummer.

I did my best not to oversleep and to concentrate on studying. I’ve had the best (and the worst) study days of my life (though there are “moments” of laziness). haha. As always, it made me wish I studied the past weeks. I have got to shed that cramming behavior. It’s really NOT good. haha. I do not know the results yet, and I am not hoping much. We’ll see. If I fail, well, there’s still half a sem to go.

The whole week I was already thinking of how to unwind after the exams. Advance nga, e. haha. While staring at the football field, my classmates and I thought of swimming afterward, just in a simple pool where we can run free (no need for Myrtle beach vacation rentals, a simple square pool with water would do). But then, we barely have time to go to malls, especially among those of us working, so maybe the swimming would have to wait until after finals.

What did I do? I watched Up! After waiting for it soooo long, it was worth the wait, especially after a weeklong exam.

And tonight, I did not go to class.:-)

be gone in a while

Pips! I would be absent from “our” world for atleast 10 days (not that I am always around hehe). Good news is I have reached this far in law school. Bad news is I have managed to survive with so many backlog readings. Haha. Midterms will start on Monday. Don’t know what study techniques I would employ (read on plasma mounts, listen to audio codals, or good old-fashioned read-til-you-die. Any suggestions are welcome.

I’m dreading it, but, well, what can I do? Haha. Tata!

visual fantasies

I love watching films (though it’s only a few years ago since I started watching on the big screen). I enjoy old films more. There are still so many I want to watch—those that have come before me and those that I have missed either because of strict parents or money. haha.

I am planning on watching G.I. Joe again on television when the videos come out, preferably with somebody else’s home theater haha (unless I can conjure one out of thin air!). Sometimes, you just have to let and enjoy how others interpret the fantasies. All you have to do is to sit and enjoy!

In My Memory

Tomorrow, Cory Aquino will be laid to rest. I want to be there to witness it. I am sure there would be cameras and camcorders there to record this momentous event in our history. Then again, I do not know if I can make it through the crowd, or if even I can catch a glimpse of her “resting place.” But I will record this in my memory. And if I cannot come, I will make sure that her sacrifices and those that have come before her will not be in vain. I hope to continue my life thinking not only of myself but also of others. I will remember the struggle of Bonifacio. I will remember the visions of Rizal. I will remember that freedom is our fundamental right. I will always remember that Filipinos are worth dying for.

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow.

Our National Treasure

It is as if the rain cried with us in her death. 

Cory Aquino had always been the symbol of democracy. Of course, she was not the only who freed us from despotism; it had been the collective efforts of brave men and women who fought back tyranny. She had been depicted as a “housewife.” Even if she was just that, she stood up when everybody needed her, when the whole nation depended on her. If your husband was recently assassinated, you had the right to stay away from what took your husband’s life, and yet, she took enormous responsibility, amidst threats and criticisms, and when being a woman was a “drawback.”

The Cory Aquino as the “mother of this nation,” the Cory Aquino as Ninoy’s true love, and the Cory Aquino as the mother of her children are being featured in television nowadays. As much as I want to write how extraordinary her life had been, so many have already been said. I have always liked her and Ninoy’s love story. I’ve watched her telling stories of their love in their daughter’s television show so many years ago. I never thought they would be so romantic.

The whole nation is grieving for the loss of this woman who loved yellow; this woman who turned yellow as a symbol of fiery passion to restore democracy and rule of law. Her family is crying, her friends are crying, her cabinet members are crying, her EDSA supporters are crying, the old are crying, even the youth are crying. Many are falling in line to pay their respects to her; some brought flowers at her home; and some decided to stay at home sitting in their patio furniture watching television, reminiscing that glorious year of 1986.

It is only when I “deeply” studied our nation’s history that I came to understand the greatness of this simple woman. It is only lately that I understood that she was the only one who never clung to power, who was never corrupted by power. The first thing she actually did as President was the Freedom Constitution, ensuring that no one would unduly extend the presidential term. Where would we ever again find this national treasure?

In her death, we are crying with the rain.

missing celebrations

I’ve been missing out on party invitations since I started studying again. The most recent one was my kinakapatid’s graduation. He had been studying college for 10 years, and finally, he graduated from nursing, among other courses he had been in. haha. He had been preoccupied with women, alcohol, and friends, in that order.

I talked to him over the phone. I was very close to him. He said that his mom, my ninang, was so happy that he even had lechon for the celebration. He said all the gang was there, and he had never had this much people coming to his party for a long time. When he said that, I suddenly wished I was there. I knew there would be times like this. I just wish there wouldn’t be so many in the future.

first bad law school day

It was a bad day for my student life.

I had three subjects on Saturdays. The first one moved the class for this Saturday at 8 am, when it was originally 230 pm. I did not come to that class because, first, I rarely slept the night before and, second, I would have to wait from 9 am to 430 pm for the next class. That was a very long time, and I couldn’t do anything productive in school. I prefer studying outside school. Third, I haven’t read anything for the other two subjects. I read memory aid (super summary) for the second subject and none for the third before I came to class.

I was hoping I would never be called for the recitation. I was the second person called. She asked me a question I never actually read. I tried to guess a little, but I knew it would be futile. I told the professor I do not know the answer. The three persons who were asked the same question asked of me were also not able to answer. I am not justifying, but it was really a very specific question. I have no worries that my classmates would think less of me. Everybody fails to answer a question from time to time. Besides, I don’t care. My only concern was that I do not want to fail any subject. What aggravates my frustration was that this is just a minor subject. I felt that the pressure was not proportionate to the subject. I couldn’t really find enthusiasm in that subject; it was so boring to me. I couldn’t compel myself to read.

The professor of the third subject gave a surprise quiz. Lucky, huh? Around 10 minutes before she came, I found out that some knew from other classes that she would give a quiz. I just wish that these people would share it to the whole class. We really need teamwork for us to make it through law school. Well, the 10 minutes helped a lot. I was able to answer most of the questions. Even if I studied, the materials I had do not have the answers to the questions. I would have bought the materials these other students have if only they were on sale.

This Saturday made me lose confidence whether I can do it, given lack of time. Well, almost.