Friday, February 21, 2003
I GOT A DISEASE
The Damage Report - End of Week #32
NOTE: A Weekly Summary of events and happenings I've experienced at La Salle.
"6 1/2 articles due, a fever, and a killer headache..."
IT hasn't exactly been a good week either. It started off roughly, it was mushy in the middle, and it ended with a fever, a headache, and the weight of 6 1/2 articles by the end. I found myself singing that old 60s boyband hit "I wanna go home..." as I retreated back home a whole day earlier.
So, what exactly went wrong? Well, many little things that could simply ignite a chain of frustrating outbursts. How many times did I call the main matron of the dormitories a bitch? How on earth did I start trash talking and a revolution for a third of the on-campus guys to move out with me into an ideal clubhouse-style dormitory off-campus? How did I end up with a stack of articles when I could have completed them all on or before Friday?
These are the questions left unanswered. I've never felt more "in the negative" in front of Boss Kuya Marthy (Features' Editor) and Boss Ate July (News/Sports Editor) of the Heraldo Filipino. I refused to show my face in the office, and when I did, I got guilt rubbed onto my face by the Features' Editor and a bit of guilt from the News Editor after I backed out on my requested participation to be the apprentice writer to the games in Laguna.
You could read about Monday's frustrations here. The very thought of it still makes my blood boil in anger. Perhaps that's the reason of my fever. For my anger towards that beeyatch.
On Tuesday, NSTP-CWTSP brought us to Bgy. Bautista the 2nd to the last time. Actually, it was supposed to be the last time. But we still had a party to throw for the kids, a sort-of "Farewell Party". I can't believe we've already reached the end of NSTP. I'm going to miss my assigned family... I learned new things... I learned how to open up more and to engage in speaking Tagalog/Pilipino because of them. And their lifestyle... a perspective so different from ours. A unique glimpse. I will treasure the time I've volunteered for NSTP.
Wednesday came and I woke up late. Well, I woke exactly at 8:30am for my ElemStat class. I got out of the shower at 8:45am. And I finished suiting up and fixing my hair by 9:00am. I was heading out the door when I realized I was going to be making myself look stupid again in front of Ms. Atibagos. ElemStat (Wed and Fri) and English1 (Tue and Thu) are the first subject of the said days. And it's in these subjects I'm making it late to class these days.
I was having a nightmare picturing Ms. Atibagos giving me that "you're late again" look. She's a nice teacher, very serious about her subject, but still not over-board angry or anything like that. It's just the courtesy thing. I didn't want to enter the class with her looking at me as I walked towards my empty seat. I didn't want to enter the class and have her stop one second of her lecture.
So I didn't go to class. But I did have the objective that I would get all lectures and notes from someone and to not be late for her class from now on.
Since I was crunching time in working for the HF with more articles to do, I couldn't review for the quiz in Reed. Instead, I got Joel to sit-in again. I thought the class would go "Joel, again?" but when he entered the classroom they reacted with "Joel!!". Well Joel, comes to show how hospitable we are with guests and friends of our classmates.
After Reed, I rushed to the dormitory to change. I had a plan to go shopping since I've had a few extra bucks the past few weeks. I was ready to meet with the FilAmz Male Fashion Icon, Aldrich, who would suggest some things to wear. He convinced me that I need a total new look. I'm that kind of person, but since I had the extra cash, why not wear something different for once? It would be cool. It would feel cool. And anything that adds confidence to how I carry myself will do.
We set it at 4pm. He told me he'll accompany his best friend Mik up until 5pm. So I gladly waited, and in fact relaxed at the dorm. I had articles to do, assignments and lectures to review, but I reserved Wednesday night for shopping and for some fun.
5:30pm came and I had to give him a call on the cellphone. He eventually came around 6:00pm. I got Joel to come along. So now it was Joel, Aldrich, and myself. We arrived at Robinson's Imus around 7:00pm. We decided together as a small group to eat first. Since I knew Aldrich and his classmate Raymond ate at Max's Restaurant the day before, I decided why not try it.
My dad doesn't like the service of Max's Restaurant (SM Bacoor Branch). Coincidently, Lance's dad also hates the services. I personally don't like the food and I prefer the tasty Kenny Rogers. But I wanted to give Max's another shot.
So the three of us went in and ordered our food. There was this table connected to ours but on the other side of the wall. A middle aged woman and man with perhaps their teenaged daughter was there. Aldrich and I didn't speak out loud in English, but we were speaking in English that if an eavesdropping table were interested, they could make out some of our words.
The middle aged man started to speak his own english. I didn't notice it much at first and thought "maybe these guys are from the states too or something.". But in situations like these, I don't give much attention to it. But suddenly, somewhere between sips of bottomless Iced Teas, I had the feeling that the teenage girl and the mother were looking over the barrier and looking at me. I hate that insecure feeling like they're analyzing my voice or something. Hahaha.
I ignored them, I didn't want to look over (though i knew i should've) since I was enjoying my own conversation with two close friends of mine. Aldrich and Joel were seated across from me. I was the only one on my side of the table.
But then, Aldrich snuck in one of his sarcasms. "Trying Hard." he murmured to me. I ignited into silent laughter as I tried to ignore even what Aldrich said. I started to act weird. I drank my Iced Tea. Ate a few pieces of chicken. Than I started to laugh again. It was stupid. But I told Aldrich at that same time with half-vocal and half-eye signal that "Yep... they're trying hard!"
I didn't want to say anything. I mean, perhaps the people on the other side of the barrier were also like us. But I guess Aldrich analyzed it more. I wouldn't have said anything. I mean, I know the frustration and the feeling when another english speaking pinoy passes by. Usually, the bigger group survives. What I mean is, if there are five english speaking pinoys seated at a table next to a different set of english speaking pinoys (let's say, only two of them)... the bigger group gets to speak out loud while the smaller group will just have to speak quietly amongst themselves. It's a complicated cycle... or a thing. It's probably even nothing. Why am I still typing this? (LOL)
Anyways, we ended and we all spent a total of P700 pesos. We could have eaten at Burger King, for just P200 and we'd all be full and the shops like Pennshoppe, Guess, etc. would be right next door. We left Max's around 8pm, and since we knew that the mall closes so friggin' early... we made a mad dash for the 2nd floor. On the 2nd floor, we headed straight into Pennshoppe and then into Bench. Since we ran out of time, we couldn't really buy anything. So basically, all the hype just for the friggin' chicken at Max's that I didn't completely enjoy.
***
The mall closed and we found ourselves outside. We took the overpass and then Aldrich and Joel bought these necklace and bracelet thingys. No, not the colorful beads for girls. I'm talking about those spike thingys. Aldrich put on two bracelets on each arm, and one spike necklace. Joel says: "How kinky!"
We returned home exactly before curfew. I was quiet because I just felt like all that excitement slammed the door on my face. I felt stupid in a way. I freed up my busy schedule just to eat chicken that made me feel so heavy the rest of the night.
Thursday morning came and that's where my sickness would cut my week short. I was already pressured by the Heraldo Filipino, to the extreme now. The AB Com Channel recruitment is going on, and I'm dying to encourage my classmates to join but I couldn't be there when they tried.
I made it to English 1, and then I could barely carry myself into Sociology. My neck was burning and I was feeling so sick. But I had to go to Sociology since it was the last session that Ms. Lacanlale would be with us. Our real Sociology professor would be returning. It's so sad, I admit that Ms. Lacanlale is the first Professor and Teacher that I've admired in a very very very long time. She's so good in teaching, and she looks good too. And what a way to end with the class. She took out a plastic Penis and showed the class how to properly put on a condom. Then she showed us the female condom, which "terrified" some of my girl classmates. The painful IUD, spermicide... all of the above. It's part of "Family Planning", her last lecture for us. My head was down on my desk the last half of class, but I looked up at her as she discussed. She could beat Sir Ronnie (of High School) anytime of the day when it comes to Sex Education. (in fairness, she is awesome in Sociology. Sociology is something I'm really interested in learning more about now.)
The class begged for her to stay, and as she left the classroom... we were screaming just for her to stay. Sounds like a High School class? Well, it may sound like one... but at least we made Ms. Lacanlale feel very important to us. And these screams make us the champions. Hmph. ^-^
After Sociology, I would never see my classmates until the next week. Rona, Joy, and Krystelle accompanied me to get 4 Mineral Bottles and I got a Tempra Tablet from Ate Angge and down the road, from HF Photograher Ate Winnie (Edwina Clorina). Thanks guys! I complained in frustration that the only clinic in the East Campus (nearest to my classrooms) is closed. Meaning, anyone that was feeling sick and ill would have to go all the way to the West Campus in the Admin Building. That's insane. No one would survive the walk! "I-he-heraldo ko yan!" I protested in front of Rona, half-joking, half-serious. (I think it was already mentioned in the previous Kampusap-usapan in Broadsheet #4).
They dropped me to the dorm and I from there I rested. I would be confined to my dorm under heat, under pain, under a headache, and under one hell of a nightmare up until Friday afternoon.
I would like to thank those who took care of me in the dorms:
- THANKS Karl and Lance for buying me Baked Mac and a Sunkist on Thursday afternoon.
- THANKS Aldrich for buying me dinner on Thursday night from Chowking.
- THANKS Kurt for buying me a sandwich and a small iced tea on Friday morning.
- THANKS to all concerned dorm mates of my health condition.
- THANKS for the txt classmates, who told me to drink plenty of water, get sleep, and stuff.
- THANKS Lance for letting me txt when I ran out of load.
- THANKS Kay Mori of HF for going the extra mile in understanding my condition and for letting me keep the LS Archives to finish my articles over the weekend.
The Damage Report - End of Week #32
NOTE: A Weekly Summary of events and happenings I've experienced at La Salle.
"6 1/2 articles due, a fever, and a killer headache..."
IT hasn't exactly been a good week either. It started off roughly, it was mushy in the middle, and it ended with a fever, a headache, and the weight of 6 1/2 articles by the end. I found myself singing that old 60s boyband hit "I wanna go home..." as I retreated back home a whole day earlier.
So, what exactly went wrong? Well, many little things that could simply ignite a chain of frustrating outbursts. How many times did I call the main matron of the dormitories a bitch? How on earth did I start trash talking and a revolution for a third of the on-campus guys to move out with me into an ideal clubhouse-style dormitory off-campus? How did I end up with a stack of articles when I could have completed them all on or before Friday?
These are the questions left unanswered. I've never felt more "in the negative" in front of Boss Kuya Marthy (Features' Editor) and Boss Ate July (News/Sports Editor) of the Heraldo Filipino. I refused to show my face in the office, and when I did, I got guilt rubbed onto my face by the Features' Editor and a bit of guilt from the News Editor after I backed out on my requested participation to be the apprentice writer to the games in Laguna.
You could read about Monday's frustrations here. The very thought of it still makes my blood boil in anger. Perhaps that's the reason of my fever. For my anger towards that beeyatch.
On Tuesday, NSTP-CWTSP brought us to Bgy. Bautista the 2nd to the last time. Actually, it was supposed to be the last time. But we still had a party to throw for the kids, a sort-of "Farewell Party". I can't believe we've already reached the end of NSTP. I'm going to miss my assigned family... I learned new things... I learned how to open up more and to engage in speaking Tagalog/Pilipino because of them. And their lifestyle... a perspective so different from ours. A unique glimpse. I will treasure the time I've volunteered for NSTP.
Wednesday came and I woke up late. Well, I woke exactly at 8:30am for my ElemStat class. I got out of the shower at 8:45am. And I finished suiting up and fixing my hair by 9:00am. I was heading out the door when I realized I was going to be making myself look stupid again in front of Ms. Atibagos. ElemStat (Wed and Fri) and English1 (Tue and Thu) are the first subject of the said days. And it's in these subjects I'm making it late to class these days.
I was having a nightmare picturing Ms. Atibagos giving me that "you're late again" look. She's a nice teacher, very serious about her subject, but still not over-board angry or anything like that. It's just the courtesy thing. I didn't want to enter the class with her looking at me as I walked towards my empty seat. I didn't want to enter the class and have her stop one second of her lecture.
So I didn't go to class. But I did have the objective that I would get all lectures and notes from someone and to not be late for her class from now on.
Since I was crunching time in working for the HF with more articles to do, I couldn't review for the quiz in Reed. Instead, I got Joel to sit-in again. I thought the class would go "Joel, again?" but when he entered the classroom they reacted with "Joel!!". Well Joel, comes to show how hospitable we are with guests and friends of our classmates.
After Reed, I rushed to the dormitory to change. I had a plan to go shopping since I've had a few extra bucks the past few weeks. I was ready to meet with the FilAmz Male Fashion Icon, Aldrich, who would suggest some things to wear. He convinced me that I need a total new look. I'm that kind of person, but since I had the extra cash, why not wear something different for once? It would be cool. It would feel cool. And anything that adds confidence to how I carry myself will do.
We set it at 4pm. He told me he'll accompany his best friend Mik up until 5pm. So I gladly waited, and in fact relaxed at the dorm. I had articles to do, assignments and lectures to review, but I reserved Wednesday night for shopping and for some fun.
5:30pm came and I had to give him a call on the cellphone. He eventually came around 6:00pm. I got Joel to come along. So now it was Joel, Aldrich, and myself. We arrived at Robinson's Imus around 7:00pm. We decided together as a small group to eat first. Since I knew Aldrich and his classmate Raymond ate at Max's Restaurant the day before, I decided why not try it.
My dad doesn't like the service of Max's Restaurant (SM Bacoor Branch). Coincidently, Lance's dad also hates the services. I personally don't like the food and I prefer the tasty Kenny Rogers. But I wanted to give Max's another shot.
So the three of us went in and ordered our food. There was this table connected to ours but on the other side of the wall. A middle aged woman and man with perhaps their teenaged daughter was there. Aldrich and I didn't speak out loud in English, but we were speaking in English that if an eavesdropping table were interested, they could make out some of our words.
The middle aged man started to speak his own english. I didn't notice it much at first and thought "maybe these guys are from the states too or something.". But in situations like these, I don't give much attention to it. But suddenly, somewhere between sips of bottomless Iced Teas, I had the feeling that the teenage girl and the mother were looking over the barrier and looking at me. I hate that insecure feeling like they're analyzing my voice or something. Hahaha.
I ignored them, I didn't want to look over (though i knew i should've) since I was enjoying my own conversation with two close friends of mine. Aldrich and Joel were seated across from me. I was the only one on my side of the table.
But then, Aldrich snuck in one of his sarcasms. "Trying Hard." he murmured to me. I ignited into silent laughter as I tried to ignore even what Aldrich said. I started to act weird. I drank my Iced Tea. Ate a few pieces of chicken. Than I started to laugh again. It was stupid. But I told Aldrich at that same time with half-vocal and half-eye signal that "Yep... they're trying hard!"
I didn't want to say anything. I mean, perhaps the people on the other side of the barrier were also like us. But I guess Aldrich analyzed it more. I wouldn't have said anything. I mean, I know the frustration and the feeling when another english speaking pinoy passes by. Usually, the bigger group survives. What I mean is, if there are five english speaking pinoys seated at a table next to a different set of english speaking pinoys (let's say, only two of them)... the bigger group gets to speak out loud while the smaller group will just have to speak quietly amongst themselves. It's a complicated cycle... or a thing. It's probably even nothing. Why am I still typing this? (LOL)
Anyways, we ended and we all spent a total of P700 pesos. We could have eaten at Burger King, for just P200 and we'd all be full and the shops like Pennshoppe, Guess, etc. would be right next door. We left Max's around 8pm, and since we knew that the mall closes so friggin' early... we made a mad dash for the 2nd floor. On the 2nd floor, we headed straight into Pennshoppe and then into Bench. Since we ran out of time, we couldn't really buy anything. So basically, all the hype just for the friggin' chicken at Max's that I didn't completely enjoy.
***
The mall closed and we found ourselves outside. We took the overpass and then Aldrich and Joel bought these necklace and bracelet thingys. No, not the colorful beads for girls. I'm talking about those spike thingys. Aldrich put on two bracelets on each arm, and one spike necklace. Joel says: "How kinky!"
We returned home exactly before curfew. I was quiet because I just felt like all that excitement slammed the door on my face. I felt stupid in a way. I freed up my busy schedule just to eat chicken that made me feel so heavy the rest of the night.
Thursday morning came and that's where my sickness would cut my week short. I was already pressured by the Heraldo Filipino, to the extreme now. The AB Com Channel recruitment is going on, and I'm dying to encourage my classmates to join but I couldn't be there when they tried.
I made it to English 1, and then I could barely carry myself into Sociology. My neck was burning and I was feeling so sick. But I had to go to Sociology since it was the last session that Ms. Lacanlale would be with us. Our real Sociology professor would be returning. It's so sad, I admit that Ms. Lacanlale is the first Professor and Teacher that I've admired in a very very very long time. She's so good in teaching, and she looks good too. And what a way to end with the class. She took out a plastic Penis and showed the class how to properly put on a condom. Then she showed us the female condom, which "terrified" some of my girl classmates. The painful IUD, spermicide... all of the above. It's part of "Family Planning", her last lecture for us. My head was down on my desk the last half of class, but I looked up at her as she discussed. She could beat Sir Ronnie (of High School) anytime of the day when it comes to Sex Education. (in fairness, she is awesome in Sociology. Sociology is something I'm really interested in learning more about now.)
The class begged for her to stay, and as she left the classroom... we were screaming just for her to stay. Sounds like a High School class? Well, it may sound like one... but at least we made Ms. Lacanlale feel very important to us. And these screams make us the champions. Hmph. ^-^
After Sociology, I would never see my classmates until the next week. Rona, Joy, and Krystelle accompanied me to get 4 Mineral Bottles and I got a Tempra Tablet from Ate Angge and down the road, from HF Photograher Ate Winnie (Edwina Clorina). Thanks guys! I complained in frustration that the only clinic in the East Campus (nearest to my classrooms) is closed. Meaning, anyone that was feeling sick and ill would have to go all the way to the West Campus in the Admin Building. That's insane. No one would survive the walk! "I-he-heraldo ko yan!" I protested in front of Rona, half-joking, half-serious. (I think it was already mentioned in the previous Kampusap-usapan in Broadsheet #4).
They dropped me to the dorm and I from there I rested. I would be confined to my dorm under heat, under pain, under a headache, and under one hell of a nightmare up until Friday afternoon.
I would like to thank those who took care of me in the dorms:
- THANKS Karl and Lance for buying me Baked Mac and a Sunkist on Thursday afternoon.
- THANKS Aldrich for buying me dinner on Thursday night from Chowking.
- THANKS Kurt for buying me a sandwich and a small iced tea on Friday morning.
- THANKS to all concerned dorm mates of my health condition.
- THANKS for the txt classmates, who told me to drink plenty of water, get sleep, and stuff.
- THANKS Lance for letting me txt when I ran out of load.
- THANKS Kay Mori of HF for going the extra mile in understanding my condition and for letting me keep the LS Archives to finish my articles over the weekend.
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