Of Birthdays and Parting Ways

Yesterday was a double-celebration: Ma’am Soque’s despedida party, and Anabelle’s 20th birthday, organized by Sir AA, the BITS, and The New Datatron. It was held at Kristine’s (our Datatron President) house at Consolacion. It was planned to be in Camp Marina, but later on decided to hold the event on the former for cost-cutting.

Ma’am Soq will be flying to South Korea to commit her Masterals. She was able to pass the scholarship, along with a fellow teacher. They will be flying this March 1 and will stay there for two years.

I will definitely miss Ma’am Soq. She has very helpful, especially for coaching me and Anabelle during the CESAFI and the PRISAA IT Quiz Bowl. She is our instructor, our Datatron adviser, and most of all a friend. No amount of words can tell how Ma’am Soque is as a person.

Though we rarely see her attend the meetings, but it’s understandable since she also has her own personal and professional work, and she also helps us in the background.

We performed a series of numbers: the first-years performing a life-portrayal of Ma’am Soq in class, and also a rendition of ____ (I forgot the song :P); the sophies and the juniors singing to the tune of ‘Journey’ by Lea Salonga; and a chorus of ‘Farewell’ by Raymond Lauchengco. What’s funny is that, our (sophies and juniors) performance was impromptu; yes, we know the songs, but we don’t have any actions. Another thing is that, they asked me to deliver a speech at that instant. Oh my God, what am I gonna say? But needless to say, I was able to formulate an instant speech. XD

We could see Ma’am Soq fell into smiles as she was watching us perform our numbers. And by the time we took the cake (both for her and Anabelle, of course with a special note written on icing) out of hiding, she fell into tears. I couldn’t dare to look at her face, for some reason. No, it’s not because I’m gonna cry (how I wish I could cry that easier, but I guess I have to peel more onions just to get my tear glands working). But I could already see the others falling into tears…

Now, it's her time to open up. She told us that she was thankful for everything good she has received. She was surprised and gladdened that we took the effort of giving her a little tribute, even if she wasn’t able to contribute much to the group. Though she still feels unprepared for the journey, but she’s gonna stand up and survive.

“I’m doing this not just for me, but for the school, to the teachers, and of course to you guys and the students…”

She was comforted by Sir AA. Sir AA has always been our stronghold, a very hardworking and dedicated man. He’s been the glue that sticks everyone together. Sir AA, I may as well write an article for you. So, I’m limiting my thoughts for you, and give it to Ma’am Soq for the moment. No stealing of limelight, ok? XD

And we ate the cake…

Oh, I almost forgot: Anabelle’s birthday. A teenie-weenie trivia: Kristine’s family are members of the Jehovah’s Witness, and it’s against their tradition to mention (and celebrate) birthdays. So what we did? We just hummed a line of the “Happy Birthday” song. Hope they didn’t found out. XD

Bon Voyage, Ma’am Soque. Happy 20th Birthday, Anabelle. Good health and God Bless to both of you!

Sayoonara, Monitor

Today is a sad day, not because of school nor family nor love life (screw the last one), but because today, I bid farewell to my computer monitor.

The monitor I’m currently using is Mark’s, my friend. The monitor stayed for me for quite some time, and it has helped me an awful lot.

My own monitor got broken, for some unknown reason. I’m thinking of overheating, because the last time I used it was during noontime: room temperature was hot, and no presence of air ventilation mechanisms (e.g. air conditioners, fans). Mom and I wanted to have it fixed to my technician cousin (we had money back then) but when we checked him out last time, he was on the job. Now, we don’t have the resources; we’re even having a hard time making both ends meet.

Mark overheard me in school that I need a replacement. He volunteered to lend their spare monitor, which is actually his Kuya’s. But since his older brother is not yet using it, his Kuya gave the go-signal to allow Mark to lend the monitor to me. I was bothering Mark too much, to think that I didn’t tell him ahead that I’ll be coming to their house to fetch the monitor. He was caught unprepared; the monitor is unpacked yet. Worse, it was raining at that time, and he has to accompany me from their house to the jeepney stop.

We agreed that I will borrow the monitor until the end of January, since I was preparing for the CESAFI IT Quiz Bowl. The deadline got extended since we qualified for PRISAA IT Quiz Bowl and I am yet to prepare. Now the contest is finished; I now have to do my part of the bargain.

For almost two months, my computer came to life once again. I was able to collect and listen to my favorite songs, play with my favorite games, keep my treasured photos, watch my favorite movies, do my school works, study for the contest, and the sort.

Not until today…

I guess I’ll miss my computer again. I won’t be able to listen to my favorite songs again, nor play with my favorite games, nor view my treasured photos. I guess I have to stop borrowing movie CDs for now, and I guess I’ll do my school work back in the internet café. God, I’ll be spending much again.

Though I can assess that my old monitor had a better resolution than Mark’s, but it’s better than having none. I am the beggar here, and I ought not to choose.

I guess I have to look for another monitor to lend, better yet if I have my old one fixed. I prefer the latter.

Sayoonara, Monitor.

Third Place - Once Again

*and again, I posted late*

The PRISAA Meet has officially finished, including the IT Quiz Bowl held last Feb. 17. And here I am to tell you what transpired, though this story is a bit expired, considering the date. (Read: Leaving for Bohol)

Preparations were sloppy. Upon reaching Bohol, we went straight to University of Bohol for the meeting (coaches and organizers). Guess what? The mechanics are not yet plotted out, even the criteria for judging the programming rounds. Worse, the questions weren’t prepared yet! The teams are yet to contribute questions for the identification round, and have the judges prepare the programming questions. O-kay.

Another thing: there will only be six contingents participating; three from Cebu and three from Bohol. No delegations from Negros; I don’t know why. The Negros representative didn’t give much detail. Hmmm, now we have a bigger chance of winning this time. But I don’t want to underestimate the Boholanos competing, I said to myself.

*presses Fast-Forward*

We reached the Auditorium minutes earlier. We almost got lost looking for the venue; glad we asked.

The auditorium was so cold, and I mean it. Never mind the temperature, but I was really chilling, and I needed to step out of the room to warm up. Ma’am Soque told me that perhaps because of my ‘skinny-ness’ that I don’t have insulation to cold. I guess so, since the others were just alright. As in, I was having a hard time writing down the answers, and my voice is quivering. Oh my God!

We were almost eliminated in the first round. The questions were tough as expected, and us unable to study much is added weight. But luckily there was a team with the lower score than us, so we qualified for Round 2.

The problems we solved for Round two were: the user inputting a range of values from 1 to 1000, determining the prime numbers, and deciding among the prime numbers the palindromes; the ever-famous Fibonacci sequence; and the perfect numbers. We solved a streak of two-of-three.

The funny thing was, the teams who qualified for Round 3 were the same teams who got the Top 3 slate during the CESAFI IT Quiz. (Read: We Won)

Round three composed of the problems: determining the rightmost non-zero digit of a factorial number; the user entering a sentence and if an exclamation point is found, the character next to it will be echoes seven times, and if an asterisk, the next two characters will be echoed five times; and determining the decimal pattern of the numerator/denominator division.

And again, we fell into Third Place; but CIT was able to snatch the laurel from USC, thus garnering the first place. Honestly, I expected that our team will win this time, since the other two teams were lamenting on not being able to solve the problems. We were ‘able’ to solve the two problems to say the least, so I lied to them. To my surprise (ironically, I expected it), I think they also lied to us on not finishing the problems. LOL

CIT will now represent Region VII for the National PRISAA Meet in Iloilo. To my astonishment, the Academic wing of the Regional PRISAA Meet will stop in Bohol, and only the Athletics wing will proceed. Sayang.

Ma’am Maris and Ma’am Soque said that me and Anabelle will represent the school for next year’s CESAFI Meet. We should do better next time.

Leaving for Bohol

Miss Soque (our coach) met with us just this afternoon, to discuss this Saturday’s game. She gave us the guidelines for the IT Quiz bowl, and heck, we aren’t allowed to wear any shirt with the school’s logo, or any indication to avoid biases. It sounds valid enough.

The team will be leaving for Bohol tomorrow morning. The team will rendezvous at the school gates by 6:30am, and will be leaving at 8:30. We will be boarding the Super Cat cruiser, since it’s a lot faster compared to other vessels, of course with the matching price tag. Oh well, I’m not paying for it anyway. We will be staying at the Tourist Inn, in a family-size room. There will be no guy-girl division, since I am the only one on the trip. ^^;

After the contest this Saturday, we still have the Sunday to tour around Bohol. Damn, I can’t wait to see the Chocolate Hills, and the famed Tarsier primates. Oh, and my classmates want us to bring pasalubong. ^^;

My teammate Anabelle wasn’t able to come on time for the meeting, since she still has her on-the-job training at Lexmark (Lexington), so I have to relay Miss Soque’s instruction.

Aside from the protocols, Miss Soque told me some inspiring words. I know that I’ll be hearing another cliché again, but I don’t mind. She wants us to do our best, our very, very best for the competition. We should enjoy the tilt, and not be pressured. The school administration is hoping for us to win, but she said that it should not be detrimental but rather motivational to our upcoming performance. We must let loose and relax.

She also told me that Sir Bernard (the overall head of the PRISAA delegates from our school) will be giving out cash incentives to those who will win the contests, though she’s not sure if it’d be the Regional PRISAA (the one which we’re joining) or the National PRISAA. Now that’s more like it. ^^;

Anabelle came just in time. We went back to Miss Soque to take the reviewers. Asked for clarifications, then we’re off to go. We still have to pack-up. And no, no swimming. (I don’t know how to swim anyway. :P)

I have to be honest; I wasn’t able to study that much. With the hectic ICS Days preparations, top it up with my procrastination, plus the advent of me playing more games than studying, I doubt if I will be at my very best this Saturday. I’m so dependent of my stock knowledge, and thus failed to review. Too much overconfidence really kills. I also doubt if Anabelle was able to review, since she also had her share of work during the ICS Days and her duty as an OJT at Lexmark. I guess I do not deserve to win; I guess we don’t deserve to win. Miss Soque, I hope you will forgive us. T_T

Wish us the best of luck~!

A Talk With Kathlene

One should look on both sides of the coin…

Kathlene caught my attention while I was heading back to the office. She was sitting all alone in one of the Engineering rooms; I wonder why.

She talked to me about what happened last night. She appreciates what I have done. She was happy that there was one friend that was concerned for her and Jobby. She’s also happy that even for the short span of time, I considered them as friends. That I was having a hard time checking on the both of them. (read: A Valentines Day I'll Never Forget)

“I never thought that there was one friend who was deeply concerned with me and Jobby, and I’m so fortunate to have you as a friend. Even for a short span of time, you’ve considered us to be special…I appreciate your efforts”

“But you weren’t in the right timing…”

Upon hearing this, I was shocked! Did I do something wrong? Didn’t things go out as planned?

“You should’ve looked on both sides of the coin. Jobby has her story; I also have my fair share of it. And I find it unfair that you didn’t…”

“And now, the whole class knew about our misunderstanding…That which I have tried to avoid and kept into secrecy for a very long time…”

Damn, I never thought that I made such a huge mess last night! Now everyone in my class found out that Kathlene and Jobby are not in good terms.

These girls are melancholic in nature; they don’t really talk that much. I thought that people already knew about their dilemma, but I was surprised when Kathlene told me it isn’t. Damn, these ladies sure know how to keep things in secrecy.

I have the noblest of intentions, but I wasn’t in the right timing. I guess I was a bit aggressive. Kathlene and Jobby may reunite, and that time will come. The problem is that who will cast the first stone? Kathlene is willing to do it, but she will do it not because I requested it, but because she wanted to.

I admit, I wasn’t able to hear Kathlene’s side of the story. I guess I am to blame. Jobby sits next to me, so I can bleakly talk to Kathlene. It’s always Jobby’s part that I hear, and I admit I was bias to Kathlene. I thought that Kathlene was just acting too immature as to why a simple misunderstanding would cause a crack in the pot. I always thought Kathlene was the bad one, and Jobby was innocent.

“How did Jobby tell you what happened?”

I told her that it started with the Sinulog celebration, and that after a heated argument on a Wednesday evening, I later found out that the both of them are no longer in speaking terms. (read: Being the Middleman)

“I see. She only told you a part of the whole.”, and she shared to me her side of the story.

Later that Wednesday night, Jobby told her that it was all her fault as to why she didn’t enjoy their company; that she was selfish, a crybaby, and doesn’t know how to mingle with people. She was hurt with Jobby’s remark.

“I am not a perfect friend, and I will never be. If she wants to have one, then it’s not me. For all those times we’ve shared together, she just saw my imperfections right there and then?”

Then Thursday came. Kathlene was surprised that Lornie already knew about them, when in fact she never told anyone about it.

“I wanted to solve the problem by ourselves. It could’ve worked out, but she told everyone. And the sad thing is, she made it appear that it was my entire fault.”

She texted Jobby to ask her why. Yes, there were exchanges of replies, but Kathlene decided not to respond to her anymore.

“Jobby always wants things to happen for her advantage. She always wants to appear right. She wants people to understand her, but she refuses to understand others…”

“This has happened a lot of times before, but it just happened that now they reached the brink of their limits, and burst…”

As I was listening to her story, I felt like a needle pinched me in the heart. I was very unfair to Kathlene. I should have taken the effort of hearing her long ago. I felt like instead of pulling them out together, I’m pushing them away further. I’m such a loser.

Kathlene missed the times when she and Jobby go together, eat together, times when they are crossing the street and how Kathlene is so clumsy in crossing, and that Jobby will tease her. Times that are now long gone…

“I have a phobia for crossing streets…”

She appreciates me giving her a green-colored balloon. She really favors the color, and even have a collection of green stuff, from notebooks down to combs. With a faint smile, I told her that green is also my favorite color, and it was mere coincidence that it was also her favorite color, thanks to Lornie for informing me sooner.

And the school bell rang. I have to get back to my room for the next subject. I waved Kathlene goodbye, but I’m hoping to talk to her soon…

A Valentines Day I'll Never Forget

February 14 has come. And again, this is another time for the reds and the pinks, for chocolates and flowers, for lovers in romance, and what-not. Valentines Day is another ordinary day for me. I don’t have a date to be given gifts, and I don’t want to spend the little money that I have. So for a guy like me, who cares about Valentines Day?

But that is ought to change…

I am wearing my only pink T-shirt today, since me and my barkada agreed on wearing the color, and just to go with the Valentines’ craze. Right outside the school gates, I can see a lot of tinderos and tinderas bringing in their flowers and balloons, hoping to get more revenues. Inside the campus, guess what? Almost everyone’s in pink. Oh well.

I said to myself: “Valentines Day, a time of love and forgiveness.” Then I thought about Kathlene and Jobby. I feel sad for the years they’ve shared together, all gone to waste just because of a misunderstanding. They sat beside each other, but each turning a blind eye.

That is why, my mission for this season of love, is to reunite Kathlene and Jobby again.
(Note: You can read about Kathlene and Jobby in my "Being the Middleman" post.)

Later that afternoon, I went to the school gates and bought flowers. I am still confused as to what flower I would give them: the red rose or the pink one (sorry, I don’t know the name :P ). Packaging-wise, I would prefer the pink ones. I bought two, and also bought a balloon. I picked the green one, since green is my favorite color.

I asked Lornie, a friend, if it is okay giving both of them the gifts. I told her my reasons, and she gave me two-thumbs up. And she offered her help.

I wrote a little note on the flowers and on the balloon. I’m puzzled as to giving both of them flowers, or I’ll give one the flowers and the balloon to the other. Lornie told me that it would be better if I give them separate gifts. That, I should give the balloon to Kathlene, since green is also her favorite color. Coincidence?

I’m still nervous as to what I would be doing soon. When should I give the gifts: after the class or before the class? I’ve got to find the right timing.

I left the flowers and the balloon in our office.

I went to the canteen to buy some yellow pad paper. Lornie, Cristina, and Kathlene were there. Lornie and Cristina called me up for help with our IT 23 lessons. Meh, I am just as perplexed as they are. :P

I never looked at Kathlene. Though she talked to me, I just quipped quick replies and smiled.

Then the bell rang; we need to go to class now. And I’m getting more and more nervous.

What should I do? When should I give it to them? Should I listen to Lornie’s advice on giving it during the class, or follow my own instincts and instead give it to them after the class?

God-knows-how.

I’m building up more confidence. Damn, and Sir Caliao is already here; I should hurry up. Out of the blue, a brilliant idea came into my mind!

I hurriedly went back to the office to take the gifts. In the classroom, I asked Sir Caliao to please give me a few minutes of time. And in front of the class, I told everyone about these two special persons in my life. That they once were good friends, but because of some uncertainties had a change of heart. LOL, and I lost my words, and cut my speech. I handed over the balloon to Kathlene and the flower to Jobby. I told the class how special these two are to me. And how I wanted them to reconcile, to let bygones be bygones, and start moving on.

I immediately went to my seat, and covered my face. I didn’t turn my head onto their direction, since I still feel embarrassed.

Oh, and Sir proceeded with the test.

After the class, Kathlene and Jobby told me that I was “O.A.” Well, call me overacting if you want to. Lornie also smiled at me.

I looked back on what I have done tonight. I’m proud of it. And if they come on good terms again, that will be the best Valentine gift I’ll ever receive.

My Medical Exam

I took my medical examination yesterday, as part of the requirements for the PRISAA Meet. If you can still remember, me and my teammate Anabelle qualified for the PRISAA Regional Computer Quiz in Bohol. We'll be leaving this Friday morning. Am so excited. ^^;

I met one of their attendants, and she's really pretty. She has such a sweet voice, hindi-makabasag pinggan in Tagalog. She's the one who took my blood pressure count, and pulse rate too. She also has these soft hands. She also helped me out in determining my height and weight. Hmm, I hope I have gained some weight. My weight of 50.4kilograms, and a height of 166cm. Not bad. ^^;

She must've recognized my medical form, and she asked me if I know Narciso. I didn't know that she knew the guy, who is one of the topguns of IT,a really intelligent man, and how she fancies his name as "Isoy". I just can't stop laughing upon hearing Narciso's nick. *brewing evil plan* I was able to read an article on "How to Know if You Found the Right Person", and she's somewhat interested on hearing it. Who am I to resist? We talked for a couple of minutes, until she was called for duty again. I don't want to waste her time. We parted ways for a while, but not until I know her name. Maria Teresa. :)

Now I have to proceed to the doctor, for the next series of tests. Yeah right, and I have to wait for minutes for my turn. Time's ticking out, and I still have my classes. :(

At last, my turn now!

The doctor asked me a couple of questions, like: if I was admitted to a hospital lately; and if my parents have diabetes, anemia, tuberculosis, heart failures, etc. Then she inserted this thing called autoscope, in my ears. Damn, that tickles. XD I just can't stop giggling as she was doing it, even when she was already checking my eyes and my mouth. Glad she didn't slap me. ^^; Thanks for bearing with me, Doc.

She then signed my medical form, confirming that I'm physically fit to travel and participate for PRISAA. Though, I find the medical exam a bit unnecessary, since the event does not require intense physical activity. Maybe for safety precautions. Yeah, safety precautions that is.

Too bad, I wasn't able to bid goodbye to Teresa. But there will be next time. ^^;

Really Absurd

Well, after days of not going online, I finally got the chance to do my usual net habits again.

I checked out my Friendster account just a few hours ago. Hehehe, I got a friend request from Kathleen (if you have read my post "Being the Middleman", you'll remember her). And as usual, my inbox is again full of unwanted chain mails (right, spam), along with fabricated subject titles so as to 'appeal' to the reader. Meh, too bad I've learned from these. But for the benefit of the doubt, since the mail is entitled "Very Nice: Promise", I clicked the link, and found that the mail was a linkback to this site: http://www.love.2loop.com/

And guess what I found out: it asked me to input several items, out of which it will compose a "love story." Here is the sequence:

"Follow the instructions to make your wishes of love come true."
"Enter an adjective:" - bright
"Enter a place:" - school
"Enter another adjective:" -lonely
"Enter the name of a person of the opposite sex:" -Denise (don't ask)
"Is this person a he or she?:" -She
"Enter the name of a person in any gender:" -Sumanyu (-_-);
"Enter another adjective:" -good-looking
"Enter one more adjective:" -attractive
"Enter another place:" -Canada
"What is your favorite thing to do:" -playing games
"Type in a phrase you say a lot:" - What the heck?
"Enter a noun:" -fox (LOL)
"Enter your favorite number:" five (5)

The result:

-------------------
One bright summer day at school you see the most lonely creature you have ever seen. Their name is Denise , and every move She makes just turns you on more and more. You nudge your best friend Sumanyu and say, "Wow, that has to be the most good-looking body I have ever seen."

Suddenly, She looks in your direction and starts walking right towards you!!!

She says, "I noticed you staring at me from over there. I just had to tell you, that I think you are so attractive , and was wondering if you'd like to go to Canada with me and playing games ?" With a stupid smile on your face you say, "What the heck? " and go with them.

When you finally get to Canada , She moves closer to you, and gives you the biggest kiss ever. The two of you are passionately kissing, when you feel a fox hit you on the back of the head. You open your eyes to find out it's all a dream, but there is a note left next to your bed.

It reads:

"Denise is the love you've been waiting your whole life for. She will ask you out in 5 days or less, but only if you send this e-mail to at least 10 people within the next few minutes. The more people you send it to, the sooner they will ask you out, and you both fall in love. Do not take this lightly, because if you simply ignore this, you will have bad luck in love for the next 5 years!"
--------------------

Laugh-out-loud, but I can't help myself but be amused as to how some people would go just to advertise. The nerve of some people. You should've noticed that it used the same format and capitalization as to how I inputted it. Oh, and the grammar too. XD

Ahem, my apologies to Sumanyu and Mihai. Sorry if I have to use both of you in my foolishness. ^^;

Too bad, I won't be sending it to ten people. I'm not the type who fills other people's inboxes with spam and junk. But come to think of it...

Meh. :P

Eponine

Yesterday morning, me and two other friends (Jhayg and Jofil) went to the Ayala Mall - Cinema 5 to witness a one-act play entitled "Eponine."

Sounds familiar? You bet. But this one's not an adaptation from Victor Hugo's masterpiece, but rather contemporary, production-wise. All from the setting, the characters, their costumes, are set to today's lifestyle.

"Eponine" is a one-act play written by T. James Belich (aka Colorado Tolston). The adaptation presented yesterday was of director Brent Aleonar. The role of Eponine was portrayed by Reah Maria Fantonial-Bautista and Lester Cawayan as Marius.

A chance encounter in New York's Central Park brings together two strangers who, although from vastly different worlds, find themselves on the same search. What begins as a moment of kindness gives a young man the chance to fulfill a homeless girl's lifelong wish (playwriting.org/eponine.html). Eponine was a story of two individuals who, finds each other's company, and gives both of them the friendship unbound by differences, even death.

The story begins when Eponine sees Marius walking along Central Park, with no direction at all. Eponine addresses Marius' presence, and convinces him to stay with her and talk. They play a game of question-and-answer, and according to the bench's rule (which Eponine claims to be hers), one has to answer the question first before throwing in the next one. At one time, Eponine laughed so hard upon hearing Marius' name. Not surprising, since they were named both from Les Miserables' characters. ^^;

The questions unfold each other's character background, from Marius' acting prowess, even up to Eponine's past life as a pickpocketer/thief and how she was abandoned by her parents and how she betrayed the restaurant owner and how she decided to change her life, even to the point where Marius found out about Eponine's sickness and how many days she has left to live.

(For the full script (in .PDF format), you can check out Playwrighting.com.)

I could never forgive myself for missing out some parts of the play because I have to take a pee. I know the script is available on the net, but seeing it live on-stage is a lot different (and more appealing) compared to reading it.

Somehow, I could relate to the two. The feeling of being alone, being left out, being cut off from the rest of the world, being away from alot of people. It always happen to me. Yes, I do have my own friends like Marius, but there are times that I would prefer to be alone. I guess, I needed someone, a familiar face, my very own kindred spirit, who's willing to listen to me, to remember me, to accompany me in times of grief and sorrow, who will never leave me behind. I hope I can find him/her, if I haven't found him/her yet. No one wants to be alone; I don't want to be alone and be forgotten. I also want someone to remember my bench.

I would like to commend Ms. Reah, Mr. Lester, Mr. Brent, and to the whole production crew for immortalizing this masterpiece. And also to our English 51A (World Literature) teacher, Mrs. Gloria Cuevas, for giving us the chance to watch the play. I'm thankful that I didn't ignore watching it as decided before. And of course, to Mr. Belich, for such an awe-inspiring play. No words enough to describe how amazed I am with the play.

I saved a copy of the script for my own, for years to come...This is definitely one of the best plays I've ever watched, and which I reacted upon.

The ICS College Days: In a Nutshell

*I haven't updated my blog for quite some time, and I opt to now. ^^;

Meh, blame me for my laziness in posting. After going home from school, I rather play with my SNES emulator than type what has transpired that day. Oh well.*

----------------

So many interesting stories have happened during the four-day ICS College Days, held last Wednesday-Saturday. Witness how the nutshell cracks open...

It were the days when people were all hasty. Times when last-minute reservations, unprepared speeches, and impromptu shows were the 'in' thing. No one should be pointing fingers as to who were to blame, but rather help out with the situation. It's be least best thing to do.

It were also the days when people's adrenaline were so high that even carrying a ~20kg. whitescreen was a breeze. Yep, I carried that one, and you could just imagine me going down from the fifth floor (which the ICS college was located) and up again to the fourth floor (of another building where the opening was held). And no, no elevators were available. I hope I got some millimeter of muscle out of that exercise. XD

These were the days of first-hand experiences and newly-opened doors. I got my first pink-colored T-shirt (meh). Also, I finally found the English speaking partner I've been looking for the whole time, Charlene. I also got to see first-hand the trophies and the medals to be given to the winners of the different contests to be held during the four-day event. And the most exciting one was when I played Warcraft-Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) with my friends. We were all neophytes, basically no idea as to what heroes to use and what items to buy and what skills to be upgraded and what not. Hehehe, I won the match. :P

These are also the days when one (has to) sacrifice(s) filling their own stomachs, but rather think of other people's stomach to feed. Contestants, contest chairmen, special guests, and performers should be on top queue. The organizers will have the eating later.

Times when one should be exercising, even without his knowing. Times when one should stop thinking about getting some rest and being pampered. Times when we have to go up-and-down the building countless times just to get the activity going. We served as the communication line between the different events held simultaneously in different locations, delivering errands.

Times when people were losing their heads easily. Times when a single pull of the trigger can blow people's minds off. Countless times me and my co-officers argue on a lot of things, most especially with our tasks as contest coordinators. At one time our teacher (who was to serve as the emcee for the pageant night) almost backed off because she was censured by another teacher (the main organizer). And speaking of the main organizer? Well, he blew his head the most times, especially during the pageant night.

Times when things don't happen as planned. Times when parts of the program have to be cancelled for the benefit of all. Times when you have so little time with so many things to be finished. Times of delayed schedules and delayed preparations and abrupt endings. Yes, the disco last night (after the pageant) was whack! A short circuit happened, and the security unit decided to stop the celebration right there and then, fearing for the aftermath.

Apart from these mishaps, these were also the days where one sees the value of hardwork, friendship, cooperation, responsibility, and teamwork. Times where one shouldn't forget about seeing the bright side of things, about smiling and laughing, and enjoying the activity overall.

The ICS College Days were filled with interesting stories, both good and bad. But one thing's for sure, it was a storehouse of life experiences that one will treasure for the years of his life.

I've learned a lot from the activity, and so it will be etched in my mind.

A Helping Hand

I've been very busy these past few weeks for the preparation for our College Days, which is due this Wednesday-Saturday. Our College Days will compose mainly of activities that will hone our students' potential through academic/cultural contests, IT seminars, and also to give them a break away from books, homeworks, and professors through fun-filled activities (one of which is our Ms. ICS 2007 Pageant).

Anyway...

I was assigned today to post the academic contests' guidelines in every bulletin board in our college. And I mean it, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Tough job, huh?

After printing the guidelines and photocopying it (which means I have to go up-and-down the building), I'm off to do my thing.

Off to the first bulletin board. Yeah, right. -_-;

Well, at least I only have to post 9 guidelines in every board, to think that each board is around 2.5 X 4ft. and the guidelines are in legal-paper size. You know what it means? I have to paste some of the guidelines OUTSIDE the bulletin boards, which sounds kinda absurd. I wonder if the students would mind thinking "out-of-the-board." XD

Meh, and I'm taking too much time on posting them. I have to go through the toil of tearing the tapes and pasting them on the papers to putting them on the boards ALL BY MYSELF. Oh well, I'm used to doing things myself anyway. No bother.

But to think that I still have to go around the whole college...I definitely needs some help!

Then all of a sudden, a stranger, no, a beautiful stranger came to help me. "Hey, let me help you with those. You seem to be taking time.", she said. Hmmm, she looks very pretty, and young too. Perhaps she's in her first/second year of college. Now that's interesting...

So this...beautiful stranger, took care of tearing the packaging tapes while I did the pasting-and-posting. Surprisingly, work was fast-paced, almost tripled to that when I was doing it alone. And doing it with someone with sheer beauty and kindness sure makes things a lot easier. ^^;

Yeah, we did talk about stuff, and later I found out her name. Janice. LOL, and she's already in her fourth year of college. Oh well, Ate Janice then. XD

She was a classmate of one of our advisers before, but she had to stop schooling for one and a half year due to some constraints. But now she's back. Glad to hear it.

Minutes and minutes have passed, and we have finished posting all the guidelines. Whew, that was some pain in the back. ^^;

Ate Janice needs to attend to her classes, and she was in a hurry.

But not until I give her my thanks...

We Won!

We won Third place during the recently-concluded CESAFI IT Quiz (last January 31). It was a tough fight, but we were able to get going.

We arrived in the venue earlier. Students are starting to fill up the vacant seats.

The contest started late; they were an hour delayed of schedule. So as not to bore the people, they asked questions to the audience and gives freebies to those who can answer them. Oh my God, these questions are hard; from computer organization to operating system concepts. Damn, I wasn’t able to study about these topics much.

Now I wonder how hard the contest questions are going to be.

And the event has started. The reason for the delay (as told by the chairman) was because they have to revise the questions, for it was too difficult for the students. Hmm, sounds like good news. (^^;) They requested all participants to come to the stage except one. And you got it right; they almost “forgot” about our school. I don’t know if that was intentional, since my school and the host school are tough rivals.

Onto the contest proper…

Easy. The questions for the easy round were too easy. Too basic that even a neophyte knows it. . Imagine, they’re asking questions like “Which among these is an output/input device?” and “Software used to create presentations/slides”, among others. Not to offend the organizers, but, I wasn’t expecting these kinds of questions from a highly-celebrated event. I guess that’s part of the “good news.”

We passed the First Round. And as the rule states, the lowest two will be eliminated.

Five teams remain. Who will be eliminated…next? LOL, Amazing Race quote.

The second round: Programming. We must solve as many problems as we can within a specific time frame. Alas, the organizers even have to revise the questions for this round, since (again) the questions were above average. Hehehe, another good news.

They gave three problems to solve: one is to input GPAs then count the number of occurrences of each GPA, then check if the GPA passed or failed: second is to input a string of text, then output “1” if the number of consonants is greater than or equal to the number of vowels, otherwise print “0”: lastly, we ask the user to input numbers then count how many prime numbers are in it. These questions weren’t really tough, but we have the constraint of time. We must solve this fast!

We solved the last two problems, and the first one unfinished. Now the teams need to defend their solutions to the judges.

This time I’ll use my Fast Forward ticket to proceed directly to the finish line. XD

Now comes the most exciting (but heart-pounding) part: the announcement of the Top Three teams. These three will compete for the PRISAA (inter-city / intra-region) IT Quiz to be held this February 17 in Bohol.

You just can imagine the tension and the nervousness we felt as the judge was reading along the results. Maybe they weren’t satisfied with our solution.

I really want to go to Bohol, much as how my teammate, my coach, and the school want too. Going to Bohol will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I prayed to God that if this isn’t for us, then we’ll accept what His decision is. But still we hoped to win.

After they announced the top two teams, I am becoming more terrified. Please, mention our team. Mention our school.

“University of Cebu!”

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

I shouted out loud and jumped out of my seat as my schoolmates, friends, coaches, and of course my teammate did the same. The loud cheers were so heart-warming. Thank God, You answered our prayers. Now, even if we don’t win Round 3, we wouldn’t mind, for as long as we qualified for Bohol.

And we fell to Third Place in Round Three. The problem we have to solve was to determine the mean, median, maximum and minimum number out of a series of number inputs. We were confident that we did the right solution, but we stand corrected. :P

During the awarding ceremonies, we received a bag of canned goods (courtesy of Virginia Foods Corp. (one of the sponsors)), and medals and certificates for the coaches.

We drove back to school, to deliver the good news. Our chairman was so delighted upon hearing, because all of the contingents for the cultural contests failed, and that we were the school’s last hope. Hmmm, it would’ve been better if we grabbed the bacon.

Our coaches treated us dinner at Chowking. It was a sumptuous feast.

Next week, we will start reviewing for Bohol. For sure, the questions should be tougher than expected and tougher competitors as well. But we will prepare for it.

Bohol, here we come~!

My Little Sister's Communion

This morning was my little sister Fanessa’s communion. A once-in-a-lifetime experience for her will open for her as she accepts the sacrament of the communion: receiving the Body of Christ.

Mom should be the one to accompany her, but she has to do the laundry, so I attended my sister instead. Though I still have some duties at school, but that can wait.

We marched our way from the school to the church. And upon reaching the venue, I was astounded. What happened to the church? The whole placed is wrecked and full of gravel. Hmmm, perhaps the church is undergoing renovation. But, since when did this start? Meh, that goes to show that I am not a churchgoer. -_-;

Masses are temporarily held at the church’s gym.

The children are starting to fill up the seats. Parents are also accompanying them, tending to their every needs. From a distance I can see “paparazzi” er, photographers lurking around, in hopes to get a shot for today’s affair. For a fee, of course. And obviously, the parents would want to preserve this memory for years to come.

I only had thirty pesos in my pocket. Hope this would be enough for the down payment for the picture. I asked her to take my sister’s picture when she takes Christ’s body. I’m glad she accepted my meager down payment. Hehehe, it really helps having neighbors. ^^; (she was a neighbor of ours)

I also want to treasure this moment, especially for my little sister smiling at me. It was enough to give out all the money I have. Money comes and goes, but a time like this doesn’t come everyday. My sister’s happiness paid it off.

While waiting for the priest, they practiced the songs, and you just can imagine how angelic the voices of these little kids sound.

Time’s ticking out…and the priest is not even a shadow. (Did that come out right?)
Damn Filipino time!

And yes, the priest arrived, in the nick of time.

I’ll be using my Fast Forward ticket again. ^^;

Then came the time when the “communers” receive Christ’s body. Hehehe, I was more excited than the kids. I saw Fanessa smiling again, and I smiled back. I know she’s happy with this new phase in her life.

After the mass, we walked our way to home.

Seven Years Have Passed...

Today is my little sister Fanessa's First Holy Communion (now in Grade IV). Meh, I took my FHC earlier. (:P) She is schooling in the same school where me and her other sisters graduated from elementary. Lineage, huh?

Whoa, it has been seven years already since I graduated from elementary. But still I could remember how things looked like before. Too bad, change is inevitable...

The Grade VI building, which was spanking in yellow paint, is now full of mildew, perhaps because of the weather. The paint coat is chipping out, too. The nails which supported the ceilings are now bent, and the ceiling sticking out.

I could still remember when we planted the carabao grasses which surrounds the grotto of the Lady of Guadalupe, just infront of the Grade VI building. Good thing that the grotto still stands today, and the carabao grass growing green.

I decided to take a walk to the school's grounds, and a familiar place got my eyes. The stage, where we used to play (and where I climbed up for graduation). It once had a slanting ramp beside the ladder, where we used to play slides (^^;), but now it was removed and made an extension to the ladder. Now who can play slides? They also installed fences around the stage, perhaps to keep the students from going out of their classes, and perhaps to keep people from falling off. For now, the stage is a temporary classroom, since the school was struck by fire late last year, and the school is really in need for rooms. So much for playing games in the stage, huh?

Right behind the stage used to be three classrooms. But now, everything is rubble because of the same fire I mentioned above. It ate around five classrooms, and the public toilet. Until today, workers are still going around the rubble.

On the right side of the stage used to be earth, but now they cemented it. I can still remember that we planted mahogany trees along that area, and the last time I checked it, they were already meters high. Too bad they have to cut it off for cementing.

My Grade IV classroom was right at a glance. I can still remember the time when I first came into this school (I was a transferee), and how everyone was surprised with my accent. So many memories...I even got to read the "Correct Way of Oral Reading" poster under the blackboard. Honestly, I owe most of what I am today with those little posters.

The garden at the back of the room used to be full of greens, but now only a few survived.

A few walks away and the now-converted-into-a-warehouse Home Economics room can be seen. There used to be an entrance from it to the canteen, where I usually pass when I'm late (:P).

And speaking of the canteen? Well, they took it out and built a classroom, a very small one. I guess they direly need rooms that they have to level down some infrastructures and make rooms. Sigh.

My trip down mem'ry lane is now over. I have to get back to the line. The communers (eh, how would you like to call the children who will take the communion? ^^:) are starting to move out from the school and off to the church.

The Sinugba Experience

*happened last night, posted it today ^^;*
*hehehe, sorry if I have to insert some Cebuano (Philippine dialect). You can ask me on what it means. ^^;*

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What a tiring day~!

And yes, after a whole day of work (preparations for the College Days), everyone's hungry.

"Jan, would you like to buy us the dinner?", asked Kristine. Oh well, who am I to resist. I am hungry myself. XD "You can ask anyone to accompany you, for I still have something to do...", and she handed me over P700.00.

And no, no one accompanied me. Everyone's busy...with the Ms. ICS pictorials, and also in taking their OWN pictures. Oh, they're so-so busy. *sigh*. But meh, that won't stop me from going on my own. I'm not Soliloquy for nothing. XD

So there, I'm off to Colonnade Mall to purchase two roasted chicken worth P145.00 each. Yeah, and the check-out counteris yet full of people waiting in line. Does "first-come-first-served" ring a bell. Correct.

After presenting my proof of purchase (receipt), eagerly he butchered the chicken. There's not much juice coming outon both, probably because most of it had already dripped off since this morning. A lady wanted to buy one; sadly there's not one left. Hehehe, early birds get the worms. In this case though, the chickens. :P

Next stop: Osmeña Blvd, where there is a long line (not again) of barbecue grills. Though, you can see more "fish" than"pork/beef/chicken" being grilled. Que se joda. I'm after sinugbang isda (grilled fish) anyway. *evil laugh*

But wait, still have to buy some puso(pronounced as pusô. It is rice wrapped in coconut leaves shaped like a diamond). It's amazing how they swiped the sharp cutter onto the puso bundles without hurting their hands. Great precision, and with great price: 80 pieces for P1.00 each. Cheap!

Seventy pesos I have to shell out from my budget for the sinugbang bariles (a kind of fish). Mahal-mahal sad da.

With no one to talk to, I decided to open up a conversation with "Ate," since that what I usually call women older than me.Ate is around her mid-twenties, a bit chubby, but with a sweet smile. You don't see that everyday, you know. ^^;

I asked her if they always pose themselves along the stretch to sell sinugba. I wasn't able to see them last Saturday to buy sinugba. "Didto na lang gud ko nipalit ug isda sa may unahan," I avered while pointing to a three-storey building a few meters away from the mainstream 'sugbahanan'. One of their relatives (I forgot what specific "relative" got sick; maybe a family member) got sick, and they have to attend to its needs, so they weren't able to sell last Saturday.

"Is the cash flow (income) in selling sinugba in this place good enough?"
"It depends. There are times where we earn a lot (even sold-out); there are also times where we earn less. It is usually whenpayday that we consider our "peak season", and when classes are ending, expect that there will be a decline on sales. Another factor is the weather; it is during rainy days that we only have a few customers. Add the fact that we have a lot of competitors along this stretch."

I pointed out to one of the fishes and asked if that was the "bariles."
"Uhuh, that one on the right is the 'bariles' on the left is the 'anduhaw.' The bariles have white meat, while the anduhaw has red one. We go to Pasil Fish Market early to purchase kilos of fish. They are becoming more expensive, even escalating to P120.00 per kilo, almost equal to a kilo of pork or chicken meat. That's why we even hear our customers saying that they opt to buy the latter than fish.

And here's the sad part: a kilo of fish usually contains two to three pieces of fish only, depending on the size."

"Unya Te, dali ra na maluto?" (I asked her if the fish cooks fast, since I know that those guys are "dead hungry" waiting. Hah!)

"That's the reason why we pre-cook the fishes to make the cooking process time shorter, especially with bigger fishes where the area near its bones takes time to cook. We seldom buy gargantuan fishes; we settle with those medium-sized ones which takes earlier to cook."

After a few minutes, the fish is already cooked. They wrapped the sinugba with banana leaves, then put some sarsa/sauce (consisting of the concotion of soy sauce, vinegar, lemon, chili, and onions). One won't be complete without the other.

I bid goodbye to Ate.
Money spent: P440.00. Change: P260.00. *evil laugh*
Hmmm, I never thought that my little trip would go on great. Hehehe, now I know what's the difference between anduhaw and bariles. :P