Firsts

It's interesting how life twists and turns. Often you think nothing exciting's gonna happen on a sunday afternoon, then whap! It slaps you in the face.

Normal sunday for me yesterday. At least in the first part. I got to catch up with my Metal Gear 3 playing.. And chatted a few with my nRO buddies. Ate some lunch and was back at the computer again.

Now this is weird to say but... I'm the type of person who doesn't like communicating if it isn't face-to-face. Means that I'm not really the chatty phone guy.. Not that I don't like speaking with friends. Just that I end up not having anything to say.. Haha.. yes I'm weird.

So my first phone conversation in a few months was yesterday.. Sorry cheffrey if I was rusty at phone talks hahahahha... But I enjoyed it.. really did. Just talking nonsense..

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This morning I had a look into the Filipino psyche. A girl was robbed on the LRT. Everyone started helping her and shouting to police. Quite entertaining but also quite cool to see how everyone, even strangers, help each other out.

Condensed First Week

I don't know if this can be called an entry.. Whatever. I still hope people read the past entries of my blog. They're longer but.. =)

Condensing START:
"this week i tasted the boredom of college but also the excitement of college. i watched parokya ni edgar sa uni. break namen and i made a lot of friends. my barkada is mostly guys but my girl space friends are cool XD. there are only a few girls in our class but most are cute. End. *bow*"
End. CONDENSED.

Eat This!

Today's lucky number is 28!

28 freakin' math questions to answer over the weekend. Once I think math's gonna be "ok fine whatever," it "gently" reminds me of why I hate the subject in the first place.
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The Dream:

I had a really weird dream. It was about a girl I had a crush on. Let's call her "Girl."

We were in a classroom and there was a professor discussing something. Actually, I think the prof. was my dad and he had to go on a trip abroad but decided to stay instead. Weird.

Anyway, in this dream classroom, Girl and I were bored outta our wits so we started chatting. And by chatting I mean something a lot like Instant Messaging but on paper. WTF?! It was like we were writing notes but instead of waiting to pass them, they appeared on the other end's paper.

So we were "chatting." I forgot what me and Girl were talking about sad to say.. I had kinda vague recollections of her saying that she liked poems and songs.. Vague indeed. Well anyway, we got to know each other pretty well in dreamlife.

It was at this point that things started becoming really weird. I think I was also chatting with other people. And at some point in time, Girl's friends joined the chat. Then there's a break in the dreamline.

Next thing I know, something's up with the professor and me and a guy are standing up. Then we sat down. Then the prof started talking about ...

Sheesh, this was easier to write down when I was waking up from the dream than typing it now.. I'll continue this another day.

Inuman Sessions. Without the Inuman.

Today was a total blast.

It started out uneventlfully with me taking the LRT and reaching DLSU by 9am for a 10am class. I spent 30 minutes in the airconditioned Conservatory killing time and trying to decipher the e-book I downloaded for COMPRO1. Typical ho-hum morning.

Then at around 9:45, I went to the Sports Complex for our PE class. The day's snail-like pace picked up speed as the guys changed to our PE gear while the girls hadn't arrived yet. I wasn't fast enough and I was just putting my shirt on when the first few girls entered the room. Kinda embarassing, but what the hell, as I was about to find out later. We played a few minutes of basketball before our PE teacher arrived.

Turns out swimming was to be our PE for the first term. I had mixed reactions.. On the one hand, I liked swimming; on the other, I didn't like showing my body. Haha... Well, we had to endure an hour of "orientation" (more like storytelling lol) before we had a little bit of fun. We were asked to write down some descriptions and go around getting people's signatures. I thought I'd be one asking for signatures but when "declaimer/good poet" was said, Cheffrey shouted my name. Haha.. So much for keeping a low profile. But at least I got to pass my paper first, thus I didn't have to do a "stand-up poem recital." Cheffrey ended up reciting "Trees" as she was the one who signed my "good poet" description. The activity livened up things a bit, but the day was still so-so so far.

After the PE class dispersed at around 12 noon, a group of us decided to eat together and "bond." Thus the "Inuman Sessions" began.

Cheffrey, Dax, Riva, Cel, Michelle, Kel, and I decided to go around and look for a place to eat and talk. Wale went to the bookstore first and was to catch up later. "No pain no gain" was the saying of the day.. Or "no heat no food" would be more specific. We tracked from one pavked resto to another without hopes of finding a space. We ended up soaking in sweat in Red Ribbon 30 minutes later.

We ate some and talked a lot, far after we were finished eating. Since our next class was not til 2:40, we had time. And so we talked. And we learned a lot about each other and had a lot of laughs. Wale joined us about 30 minutes later but then had to go somewhere else. We ended up taking our "Inuman Sessions" back to La Salle and to the Conservatory, where we all sat on the stage because we couldn't find a place to sit.

We played Truth or Dare. Although it was more like Spin and Choose Truth, 'cause no one wanted to do a dare. We really grew closer together in around 1 and a half hours of talking than the whole 3 days before. I ended up sharing my thoughts and experiences as did they.

2:40 came, and we went back to class a lot less "shy." Lol.. Then came a intermission where half the class was bored and listless and trying to concentrate on taking down notes. Good thing the class ended early.

Then came FILIPI1, where our professor wasn't around and we had a film showing. Since the film was only about 20 minutes long, we were allowed to sit and chat for a while before the showing. The resulting conversations were quite funny actually haha..

Class ended at 5:30.

Today was a blast. =)

Random Thoughts

• Parokya ni Edgar rocked the Amphitheater this afternoon! Woohoo! My ears are still ringing after standing too close to the speakers.
• Star Wars III also rocked when I watched it on MAy 19. Watched it twice in fact. A fitting finish to the star wars saga. Now all I have are the games and the novels hahaha... I'll give it a 9.5/10.
  
• People see what they want to see. Fact of life. Like one person could see disaster in everything because they expect disaster.
• It's just the 3rd day of classes and I'm alternately fretting over my assignments and being bored.
• More random thoughts to come. Busy wading through 60+ pages of readings.. Dammit.
  

First Day Funk.

First Day Funk.
(Parokya ni Edgar)

First day of school...
Handa ka na ba?

Let’s do the funk,
Let’s do the first day funk...

I wouldn't have woken up for my first day at DLSU if my dad hadn't called me. I was all excited after I woke up and was ready to go at 7:45. Classes started at 9. I had new notebooks, new pen, new bag, for new horizons. o.O

First day of school dapat cool na cool!
Mas cool pa sa tubig ng swimming pool!
Dapat talaga maganda na agad ang pasok
Pagpasok mo ng classroom, dapat umuusok!

Little did I know that traffic played a big role in shaping my entire semester. Because of traffic, I got in class about 5 mins before the bell, and thus my choices of seating were somewhat limited. I ended up sitting beside a girl named Cheffrey who coincidentally was my seatmate during the opening ceremonies in my LPEP haha...

And when our first class (Math yuck) started, I was SURPRISED when Mrs. Lapinid walked in. For anyone who didn't know, she used to be at my high school and taught me. Talk about coincidences. What a small world.

Di ko sinasabi na dapat maging mayabang.
Pero dapat di ka “mahiyain na halaman”
Confidence chong, lakas loob!

And confidence was what I lacked haha. Our first period was boring, as anyone who dislikes math will tell you, although not too boring, since a joker lived in our class. And his name is Arvin.

Let’s do the funk
Let’s do the first day funk..

Second period was BASICON or Basic Computer Concepts. Our prof looked younger than us haha. I actually thought he was a new classmate. Kinda boring first class, but what do you expect from an orientation period?

Mag-classmate high-5 lang kayo
Now don’t be shy, kwela skwela ‘to

50 minute break. Lunch. Me and my newfound barkada went frolicking in the heat. Seriously, we went from one end of the campus to the other end just to eat at KFC. So many people. I never saw so many students in my life... Or maybe I have, whatever.

And it was HOT. When we got back to class, our room was taken by another class. And boy was it HOT in the hallway. We had to wait for about 20 mintues before we transferred to another room. Math again, yuck.

*Side Anecdote: We were going to the rest room and as we entered the "gents" room, one of us overlooked it and almost went in to a room marked "electrical". Seeing as "gents", "electrical", and "ladies" were side by side, and we were in the Com Sci building, I quipped, "So electrical must be for the robots. Okay you can roll your eyes now.*

My friend noticed something about our block. There are about 2 groups of boys hanging out with each other, and all the girls were together.

Just raise your hand kung may sagot
If you don’t know the answer, eh di lagot!

An embarassing situation happened. As I said, my prof was also my teacher in high school. After no one raised a hand in answer to one of her questions, she called me to answer. Of course, I wasn't raising my hand, because i DIDN'T know the answer. I think my ears turned red.

May dumating na isang babae!
Sobrang “hottie” na ka-klase,
Sya’y lumapit at nag “hi”
Ako nama’y napakaway…
“akala ko ako ang kanyang kinakawayan at hindi ko inakala na ang nasa likuran!”
Kahit na napahiya, hindi ako kinakabahan!
Wala na tong ibang mapupuntahan… sayaw

^ Good thing that didn't happen to me.. Although...

Confidence chong, lakas loob!
Wag na wag kang patataob
Kahit sa tapat ng maganda mong kakalase!

... I didn't get to sit near the girl I wanted to sit with.. Haha.. Although Cheffry is a total riot.. Had me laughing my way out of boredom.

Let’s do the funk
Let’s do the first day funk..

All in all.. THis still feels like high school. It'll be a while before I'm gonna get used to college.

Let’s do the funk
Let’s do the first day funk..

Orient-1: Transformation, Of choice made and path trodden

Choice And Transformation.

The stuff of legends. Of fantasy. Of horror.

Of caterpillars turning into butterflies.
Of hobbits turning into heroes.
Of Dr. Jekylls turning into Mr. Hydes.

And of high school graduates turning into collegians.
Today, May 17, 2005, marked the day I truly felt like a college freshman.

It started out as a normal, semi-boring.. Okay.. ultra-boring, ho-hum type of school event. LPEP. LaSallian Personal Effectiveness Program. Boring name. What can you expect? A lot, as it turns out.

I was there at DLSU by 7:30 wearing a green shirt supposed to show my La Sallian spirit. After the registration, I sat inside the auditorium beside a classmate from my block sec.. which i've never met before. Awkward silences before the 8:00 am start of the "programme." Then came the time-honored tradition of welcome remarks and speeches from the higher-ups of the university. Zzzzzzzz.

"Is this all we're going to do for the rest of the day?" I asked myself.

But then... Surprise after surprise.
Our La Sallian Ambassadors, who were upper-classmen, were really very friendly and tried their best to make us feel comfortable. But of course, Only an hour after everyone's met their new classmates, there was no such thing as "comfortable". Top that off with a round of boring speeches and you had a situation that was quite the opposite of "comfortable". After the welcome program, we all headed out towards some stone benches to eat our morning snacks.

The first choice. The first paths taken and not taken.

We had freedom to sit wherever we liked. Too bad no one seemed to like the freedom, cause either way, we didn't know each other. It was then that the paths divulged. As I looked around for familiar faces, I noticed my seatmate from earlier on with an empty seat beside her. We had struck up a conversation while waiting for the program to start.

"There's a place to go to." I thought.

But then came the first choice. And I kid you not when I say that I chose the choice that my bladder made for me. Simply put, I went to the restroom first before getting a place.

I ended up with four other guys on a separate table. And ended up with four new male friends instead of two female friends. I can't say I made the wrong choice, although I wondered what would have happened had I sat down first.

Am I thinking too deeply?

Anyways, I found that one guy and I had a lot in common. And thus he officially became my first college buddy.

After eating came a Catholic Mass. A lot of tension and such, as is usually felt by one who believes in a different doctrine. Nothing really worth mentioning.

After that.. Lunch. Another no-mention. Although I did learn a few "trivia" about DLSU-Manila.

The next agenda was a session headed by a faculty facilitator. However, we arrived about 30 minutes early, so our La Sallian ambassadors decided to have a few icebreakers. The next few games we had fleshed out the general population of our block sec.

In those 30 minutes, we all got to know the class clowns, the loud guys and comics, the shy people, and the leaders (although still not so clear) in our class. Suddenly, we were a few steps away from being a class.

30 minutes flew by quickly and the facilitator arrived. He really is a great guy, and you can tell that he loved teaching. He oriented us on the general aspects of being a La Sallian. And he did perhaps the most important thing of the whole day.

First, he asked us to make up adjectives for each letter in our names that describes us. Then he asked us to form 2 circles, one in and one outside, and face each other. Then we were to introduce ourselves to our partner in the other circle and vice versa. After a minute or so, we were asked to move and talk with another person.

By itself, this was already incredibly effective. But the facilitator decided to put the girls in the inner circle and the guys in the outer circle, and that was brilliant.

That's because guys and other guys usually get to know each other without really needing an icebreaker like that. But making friends with girls is a different story. And that game was exactly what we needed. I found out a lot about the people in my block during that time. I remember a girl commenting, "Jenson Button?" after I told her my name. Obviously an F1 fan.. Hehe.. In the end, we ended up with the beginnings of a block section CAMARADERIE. And that was one of the high points of my day.

Before I go to our next activity,let me talk about my block first. We are 37 all in all and only 13 are girls. Sigh... One of the pitfalls of a Com Sci major I guess. But I met a few girls I really liked. Maybe not in a romantic sort of way (or maybe.. Haha..) but as friends. They're really nice people and i could get along with everyone.
Although... and this will really sound like it came from a guy.. never mind.. All I'll say is that other blocks have really cute girls I want to meet too. And I have one complaint.. There was too little chance for interaction between the different block secs.

Well anyways, after that, a representative form the Discipline Office came and showed us the stricter side of DLSU. And talk about strict. Incredible. But in the end I thought.. This seems reminiscent of my first day in high school. And we all know what happened during the next four years. Haha.. (Or maybe we don't.. But that's another story..)

Soon afterwards came a campus tour that had us sweating buckets. It was really hot outside. And we got to meet the student orgs. Although "meet" seems too strong a word. It was like a rollercoaster ride where you went through a small space between all the crowded booths and snatched everything the org reps gave you. I ended up with a lot of freebies and a LOT more pieces of paper. What a ride.

Finally came the last stop of the afternoon. And the second most memorable part of my orientation. It was Animo Building time at the Green Archers (they shoot birds down *wink wink*) Gym.

In case you don't know, ANIMO means "team spirit."

And that last activity was what really transformed me into a true-blooded LaSallista. ANIMO Building was hot, fun, and I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. Although we were packed like sardines into the gym, we all had a great time. Things started off wth some friendly competition between blocks and quickly escalated from there. We learned La Salle cheers, watched the DLSU Pep Squad (cheerleading outfits...), several dance troupes, and bands-slash-orchestras. The performances were really terrific and I admired the dedication each of them had in order to practice their moves and awe everyone in the whole gym. And I enjoyed the cheer part too. I can't get the cheer beat out of my head. Bam, Bam, BamBam, Babam. Go, Go, Gogo La Salle! And in the end, as everyone piled out unto the court to cheer and clap and dance, with me along, I truly felt like I belonged to the La Sallian community.

Choice and Transformation.
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Here's a song that i listened to on the radio. I guess it kinda evokes a lotta melancholy in me.

The Day You Said Goodnight
Hale

Take me as you are,
Push me off the road.
The sadness,
I need this time to be with you.

I'm freezing in the sun,
I'm burning in the rain.
The silence, i'm screaming,
Calling out your name.

*and i do reside in your light.
Put out the fire with me and find.
Yeah you'll lose the side of your circles.
That's what i'll do if we say goodbye.

**to be is all i gotta be
And all that i see,
And all that i need this time.
To me the life you gave me
The day you said goodnight.

The calmness in your face,
That i see through the night.
The warmth of your light is pressing unto us.
You didn't ask me why,
I never would have known oblivion is falling down.

Repeat *

Repeat **

If you could only know me like your prayers at night
Then everything between you and me will be all
Right.

Repeat **

She's already taken,
She's already taken,
She's already taken me.
She's already taken,
She's already taken,
She's already taken me.
The day you said goodnight.

Enrollment Day: Frontline

Today, May 4. Enrollment Day for DLSU.

We arrived at 8 am. Good thing we were early, cause there were few people around. But then- disaster struck. We forgot to get a non-fraternity contract notarized. Good thing there was aa public notary nearby. I ended up hiding my ink-stained thumbs from pretty girls all day.

Moral Lesson 1: Don't forget anything. ANYTHING.

When we got back to the school, long lines were starting to form. I checked my Block Section which was Section 7. And guess what? Out of the 38 students in my section, only about 1/4 or 8-9 of 38 were GIRLS. Incredible luck. NOT.

Moral Lession 2: Be pessimistic in getting your block sec. Optimism only crushes your heart deeper when the inevitable happens.

The rest of the application procedure was a breeze. But I was receiving a scholarship. Thus I did not experience the long lines. Thus I did not experience the long wait for the receipt of tuition fees paid. Thus I did not experience the heat, the humidity, the sweat.

Moral Lesson 3: If you're not a scholar, be prepared to WAIT. And SWEAT.

Application Finished. Only 2 more things to do. ID pic taking and the dreaded Physical Examination. We finished at 9:30 am but the 2 events were to start at 1:30pm. What were we to do? Answer: Got to Glorietta 4, Splurge on new shoes, and eat at KFC while admiring the 6 girls at the next table.

Moral Lesson 4: When faced with lemons, make lemonade. Or go to a lemonade stand and have your lemon made into juice.

1:30 pm. We actually arrived at 1:00 pm but we got lazy to fall in line, thus we were almost the last ones in line. Fortunately, ID pic taking was a breeze. Done in 5 minutes.

Now. The Physical Examination. We filled out a few forms and had our blood pressure checked. After which we had our teeth checked. I thought the worst was over. Then came- THE PANIC ROOM. I went inside. The doctor checked my upper body. THEN PROCEEDED TO CHECK MY LOWER BODY. I may never be the same again. Time was a blur. I stumbled out after a few minutes of eternity.

Moral Lesson 5: Believe the hype. In this case, the hype of the horrid Phys. Exam.

Moral Lesson 6: It is almost certain to happend ar YOUR school too. Though I hope not.

But, one shining moment of hope. Throughout the day, I kept remembering Ralph's post that if 1 in 10 here were pretty, then 18 in 20 in canada was pretty. I am glad that that is partly wrong. For Filipinas are indeed beautiful.

And even though there maybe only 8-9 girls in my section. I am buoyed by the fact that out of the 400-500+ students of the CCS enrolling, I saw many pretty freshman girls. Only time will tell if anything will come out of this.

Last Moral Lesson: Expect the unexpected. Hope for the unhoped for.

Thus ends Enrollment Day: Frontlines.

Beware.