The McDo Experience

August 24, 2009

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.:-)