the little things i'd miss most...

042412. tuesday.

i am now officially a graduate.

it has just been, what, six or maybe seven hours only since i graduated and i'm freaking out now 'coz i miss school already!!! don't think i'm exaggerating. i just can't help but be emotional about this. i know i should be happy, i am. as a matter of fact, i feel ecstatic! it's just that i can't help but be sad. maybe it's starting to seriously sink in to me that there really is no more coming back to everything that used to be in lyceum. at some point, these feelings show the "human" in me (HAHAHA). I'M SAD. for so many valid reasons.

instead of focusing at the wholeness of the bigger picture, i realized that the little details of what made up that awesome four years were the things that truly bonded one person to the other. those little things that we unconsciously enjoy doing over and over again only when we are with this group of people.

i'd like to share some of these "little" things/instances that may never happen again, that we may never do again together, that may never be as fun if we do them with others. some might think these are too shallow and nonsense, i'd say what makes one happy doesn't have to be compliant to what others think are worthy. HAHAHA. you, pathetic meddlers! hahaha! kidding!

I'M GONNA MISS...

GOING LATE TO SCHOOL. every exam, every class, everyday. haha! i don't know why but i was just never the early bird type. haha! sometimes, i think it's the fact that being late gives excitement  to everyday class routines. (i'm not saying this is a good thing! HAHAHA!) everyday, you don't know what's gonna happen if you come in late. will the prof get mad and shout at you? will he/she just ignore you? did you miss the quiz? are you the only one left with no group? hahahaha! FYI, i wasn't the only one late often, there were others too! haha! don't deny it! HAHA. there's also this feeling that i'm not as scared because i know i won't lose much. i hope my profs won't think that i have no fear in them. HAHAHAHAHA! it's just my mindset. there won't be much to lose. i know when i enter the workplace, this won't happen anymore. :( tardiness would be a great sin! tradiness would even be equivalent to salary deduction. oh no! there might not be a single penny left of me if ever! poor me! hahaha!

PLAYING PRANKS ON OUR CLASSMATES. hahaha! please don't think i'm not a good person for i haven't stated anything admirable yet. hahaha! we've witnessed how these pranks/bullying can be as harmless or as harmful depending on how the person receives it. haha! we just want to know how our classmates would react to certain silly circumstances. hahaha! some would just laugh after finding out while some would be gravely affected. couldn't blame them 'coz maybe we've gone overboard. junas would always be my partner in crime along with others! haha! yvonne was the one who got so mad at us. we were maybe kinda insensitive that we hurt her too much. to all those who were once our victims, sorry! haha! all for fun! :))) hahaha! when i'm already working, can't play pranks anymore. to whom will i do it? to my boss? haha! if so, i must be ready to file my resignation letter before my boss fires me! haha!

THOSE HURTFUL PHYSICAL MOMENTS. pump it up (courtesy of jot), super ass pinching (popularized by je), strong pat on the forehead (courtesy of ago), gigil moments (paul only). these are things they do often. that's why sometimes, i'm hesitant to get near them 'coz they might just hit me anywhere when i don't expect them! hahaha! kidding! but really what they do hurts, even leaving marks or spots! haha! though they've been doing those ever since, we never really got used to the pain! it's always like the first time! mabibigat ang kamay! haha!

PROCRASTINATION. when tomorrow's the deadline, i'll do it tonight. when tomorrow's the exam, i'll study later. wadahell? can't do anything a little bit earlier? haha! well, student's sickness as they call it. haha! procrastination results to cramming. most of the time, products of cramming are not-so-polished scraps! haha! in school, what'd be affected are your grades. in the workplace, cramming may result to poor performance. when the clients don't like it, the company is affected plus your performance too. so it should be "no to procrastination!" hahaha!

DISOBEDIENCE. haha! mild disobedience. not wearing uniform when we should. wearing slippers when we shouldn't. the guards would always be strict regarding these but when it comes to us sometimes they become too kind that they let us get in. haha! for three years we were rebellious. haha! it was only in fourth year that we have become obedient somehow, somehow! haha!

i noticed that most of the "little things" i talked about are things that wouldn't make a good example. HAHA. am i that bad as a student? i hope not. haha! maybe i just got used to the understanding people around me. though foolish, these things, when seen all together, were what made life easier, more memorable, more fun back in school. no words are enough to describe what college life truly means. it has transcended the context in which it is believed to be only a phase that we go through as humans.

this is the time to evaluate what happened in the past four years, choose to leave the bad things behind and carry the useful and good ones together with the rest that's yet to come. 

everything ends and starts today. now, the melancholy of  leaving school as i graduate intersects  the fear and anxiety of pursuing a more serious career as i look for a job. 

there won't be any space for your comfort zones. comfort zones won't help you get anywhere. you'll be stuck   without any chance to explore what else the world offers. 

i know there's more to learn outside. as what i once heard, we'd always be shaped in our homes (in my case, that's lyceum), but we wouldn't learn everything there which is why we have to go out in order to experience a life well-lived. 

this batch will surely be missed. :(

*photo credits to liez, kuya arjay, kreng, pual, marfi.

Way of the Cross

040612. good friday.

i woke up very early today because this is no ordinary friday. it's Good Friday, a time to repent for the sins we made and look back on the things the Man above did for us.

i've been joining this annual activity since i don't know when,  probably the moment i had consciousness of this world. HAHA. i never missed DAANG KRUS from the time i started participating, well, that is as far as i can remember. HAHA! 

it was 7 am when we began. from the church, we worked our way up the hill. yearly, people from our barangay take part in this activity as this has already become their panata. This is one nice way of spending holy week, remembering Christ and his efforts to make our lives better.

so what happens during this DAANG KRUS?

a few minutes to rest at the comboni and we're good to go again.

ragged, busted, torn. my companion all throughout the walk.

people walk around the barangay then up the hill having pauses from time to time to pray. for every station, one man will act as Jesus and carry the cross, then one woman will lead the prayer. there are actually two groups for this daang krus, the group which comes from the west and the other from the east side of the barangay. the two groups meet at the 11th station in the comboni missionaries' place found on top of the hill. together, they go down and finish the way of the cross in the church where it all began.

we finished at around 11 am. i must say it was less tiring than the previous ones we had. the scorching heat of the sun was still annoying though. aside from enriching my spirituality, i just had the exercise i need. i haven't had any stretching for a long time. a four-hour walk is what my body has been looking for. 

DAANG KRUS felt so good spiritually and physically.

PERYA

040412. wednesday.

i visited my good friend katrina earlier. we spent the time chatting, eating and laughing.

before i went home, she asked me to accompany her to the peryahan 'coz she suddenly wanted popcorn. i was like, "cool! let's go!" 

when we got there, we felt like riding the CATERPILLAR. but after seeing the condition of the ride, we changed our minds. don't wanna experience "final destination" in that perya. hahaha!

then, i saw those stalls where you can play. i got interested. we came to one of the stations and we played! HAHAHA. 

here're the game mechanics:

1. pay P10.

2. the girl gives you a gun with 12 pellets in it.

3. shoot as many ducks, pigs, or soldiers as you can.

4. the prize depends on how many of these things fall down.

while shooting, there were a lot of funny encounters. there were times when katrina and i were shooting too near (we could just poke it instead of shooting it) but still that soldier or duck or pig just wouldn't go down! hahaha! then, there would be times when it would just move and not fall, meaning it's still not counted! haha! there was also a time when katrina picked the pellets that i used and give them back to me so i could use them again! i didn't only have 12 shots. hahaha!

with the joint efforts of me and katrina, we were able to shoot down FOUR toys!

you see those vacant spots? there's where the toys we shot used to stand! haha!

and because of that, we got a prize!

here's katrina holding the popcorn we bought and the OHEYA, our prize! haha!

it was one fun night! it brought me back to my childhood days, the days when those prizes were the only things we asked for. HAHA.

spiritually enhanced

040112. sunday.

it was last thursday when we had our RETREAT. everyone was excited. though the rain almost spoiled the fun, the whole day retreat still went well.

we were joined by some COE students, EE and IE, who were cooperative in all the activities. they never showed shyness even when there was us, people they didn't know that time. the awkwardness lessened as time went by.

sir james was our retreat master. in fairness to him, he was able to let our emotions inside be expressed and let our realizations dawn upon us. he talked to us about self-worth, family's importance and God's role in our lives. he made us sing songs that were related to the topics we discussed. there were even times when he made us sing with actions. there were a lot of songs, like A LOT! haha! i couldn't remember all of them though. hahaha! one of the activities i enjoyed was that part where he asked us to touch parts of whoever's body while he was singing depending on what he wanted us to touch. for example, if he said knees, then we'd have to touch the knees of whoever's in the room. hahaha! fun! 

it was a jam-packed day. it was originally a two-day retreat but they decided to push all the activities in one day which is why there was not a minute wasted. it's all right though! after every break, we have to go back to the hall right away! haha!

before we had mass, we got the chance to confess our sins. i was soo happy since it was already four years ago when i last made my confession. i have made millions of sins and i feel it's about time i ask for forgiveness. hehe! after it, i felt so clean and light inside. then, there was the mass. i'd like to share that marfi was part of the choir that night! she fulfilled her dream of becoming a singer. i'm proud of her! just like what they say, it's never too late for your dreams. hahaha!

i've come to see the importance of these spiritual exercises as a preparation when we leave school to start a new life outside. we all know it will never be easy when we get there so we better start unloading heavy burdens. :)

i'd like to thank the engineering students for being so nice and forthcoming. we found new friends in them. i'm grateful that they have opened themselves to us as we did to them. they were not scared to show their weaknesses, they weren't even scared to cry when they know we can see. 

oh, i almost forgot! haha!

i'd like you to meet FAFA ER! hahaha! 

♥♥♥

thanks to je for editing! this is cuteeee! haha! 

Erwin is my new found love! haha! an IE student who i happen to meet during the retreat! haha! THIS IS LOVE. haha!

*thanks to je for the photos!