dual*ities

What do you know? After 68 million years, our college batch finally has a yearbook!!! Just when everyone has almost given up all hope of ever having an Aegis ‘97, our batch was saved from eternal oblivion with the announcement of the completion of our very own yearbook. Never mind that the “look” of the said yearbook is a lot less fancy than what was originally envisioned (translation: plain and ordinary). Never mind that the faces on the photos don’t look like us anymore. Never mind that the baby pics and barkada poses that we submitted are nowhere to be seen in any of the pages (and will never actually be returned to us) because some guy lost all of them! Never mind those. At least, we now have something that we will be remembered by as a batch.

Come to think of it, the on-going concern about the yearbook—or rather, the lack thereof—was the only thing that our entire batch really “bonded” over. I mean, even our Blue Roast (the supposed equivalent of a graduation ball in our university) was, for lack of a better word, a flop. Even people from other batches noticed that a lot of Batch ’97 graduates do not even know each other. But the long wait for Aegis ‘97 somehow gave us a common cause—something to complain about together and look forward to together.:) I’m just glad that all that waiting was not in vain.

Anyway, upon claiming my copy this morning, I couldn’t help but take a trip down memory lane as I browsed through the pages of our much-awaited annual. I excitedly pored over its glossy pages to hunt for pics of old classmates, orgmates, and friends, as well as those of batchmates who I never actually met before I joined JVP (but who I now consider to be my good friends). I alternately laughed and marveled at the accuracy of some of the write-ups. I was also constantly surprised to learn some tidbits about some of my batchmates who I only became friends with after college. But generally, based on the write-ups vis-à-vis what I know of my batchmates at present, it seems that (almost) everyone has, in one way or another, become an improved version of his/her younger self.:)

When I came across my own write-up, I almost didn’t want to read it.:) And when I did, I was sort of cringing all the while, because: (1) some of it doesn’t sound like me (the way I know myself now); and (2) a lot of it does sound like me. Harhar. In other words, it made me acknowledge that, indeed, a lot has changed (especially in terms of the exteriors), but at the same time, the core of me is still very much intact. And it is that very same core that has enabled me to grow into the person that I am today.

As Rosing used to tell the volunteers:

“We do not really change.
We only become more of who we ought to be.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It’s funny, but all this yearbook business has made me realize that I am now actually in the same boat as my circa ’97 self (when I just graduated from college). Like the fresh-grad POL, I just finished an important chapter in my life—one of academic import at that. Also, like in those days, I am presently a bum. Harhar. But at the same time, I’m chasing a dream, waiting in the wings for a chance to fulfill a promise to myself. Life has never seemed so full of possibilities.

In fact, these past four weeks have been some of the least stressful ones in my adult life. Not that I had a lot of down time. There was always something to do or somewhere to go to. But the big difference was that I had complete control of my time, and I can choose to do whatever I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. In short, there was little time pressure. Even the revisions I had to do with my thesis, and the processing of my final revised manuscript, proceeded in my own pace, my own time.

Like many things in life, such arrangement has its advantages and disadvantages:

Main advantage: I can do all the nothing I want--the kind of nothing that actually amounts to something valuable. In the past three weeks, I’ve been able to catch up with friends from almost all areas of my life. Three weeks ago, it was JVP gimmick week. Two weeks ago, I got to spend quality time with my friends, ex-officemates and former “kids” from Pathways. Last Friday, I watched a lovely play where some of my buddies from my home orgs—ACIL, JVP and Pathways—were present. (And some of them didn’t even know each other before that day.) Then, just last weekend, it was road-trip and food-trip galore in Quezon with my high school classmates!

Main disadvantage: Dwindling funds! Although I’m still (thankfully) not in the red, I realize that my savings can only take me so far, especially at the rate that I’ve been spending my money on "rest and recreation" activities these days. And with the effects of E-VAT soon to be kicking in, income-earning part-time work is something that I’d very much welcome these days.

Come to think of it, this is something that my 21-year-old self did not have to worry about.

Hmm, some things do change after all.:)

Yesterday was a day that revolved around boys, boys, and more boys. Hmmm, never thought I'd actually say that. Hehe. But yeah, that would be the best way to describe the first day of the month of October 2005. And it was a truly memorable one indeed.

The Blue Angels meet the Blue Eagles

The fun started with the morning's festivities at the Ateneo Grade School Fair which traditionally coincides with the school's celeration of the Feast Day of the Guardian Angels. I got invited to attend the salu-salo of Grade 1-Guijo (Maita's class), and boy, was I glad that I went. I do make it a point to visit the fair every year, but I never actually attended any of the classroom parties before. I didn't realize that those things could be so much fun, not only for the kids but for the parents, the guests and, may I say, the class adviser as well. The work that the teachers and parents put into the event was simply amazing! And the themes that each classroom had to adopt just added spice to it all. Maita's class, in particular, adopted the theme "UAAP" (basketball, in particular). As such, everything about 1-Guijo's celebration--from the kids' & parents' uniforms to the room decors to the party games--revolved around that theme. Every detail was painstakingly attended to. And all these just for a class party. I was impressed.ü

There were two highlights in that celebration, in my opinion. The first is the "Just Got Lucky" surprise dance number that the kids presented to their parents (yes, complete with dance movements straight from the Bagets era). The entire routine was, of course, led by their versatile class adviser who made it all the more interesting to watch.ü But really, the sight of dancing little kids was just sooo adorable! Evidently, their parents thought so too.ü


The second highlight was the parents' surprise to the kids. Just when they thought the party was ending, some of the Ateneo Senior team's basketball players came for a visit! These cagers are practically heroes in the eyes of the boys, so you can just imagine how excited they were when the players came. First to arrive was JC who stayed for a photo and autograph session with the kids. Then he had to leave to visit his brother's classroom, but not before promising to come back to show the boys how to dribble a ball.ü Then came LA, who could only spare a few minutes because he had to go to his brother's classroom as well. But he did stay long enough for a few autographs and a short photo session. Then JC came back for the promised "dribble" session. However because of lack of floor space, the kids and parents requested for more photo ops with him instead. He willingly obliged.

Throughout all these, Maita's bebe boys SWARMED around the players. Some chanted. Some had their t-shirts signed. And some pesky boys from other grade levels even "crashed" 1-Gujio's party to join in the fun and have their rubber shoes signed! And of course, the excited, doting parents (and equally excited guests such as myself) surrounded the little boys and clicked away with their cameras. It was an amusing sight. But a heartwarming one as well.ü

Here are some snapshots from that event: (Click photo to enlarge)






Needless to say, the arrival of some of the Blue Eagles raised the celebration level several notches higher. It was a big, big treat to both the kids and adults alike. It was a pity though that the other players couldn't come. Some had valid reasons, such as having to go to class or take an exam. But we were told that some weren't able to make it simply because they had a late night and, hence, had a hard time getting up from bed on a Saturday morning. Hehehe. Which reminded me that big as they are, these players are really just little boys too.ü They may be hardcourt stars who are idolized and even hero-worshipped by many, but at the end of the day, they are no different from Maita's bebe boys--not just because they all say "opo" all the time (harhar), but because they too need all the encouragement and guidance they can get. Hmm...I actually could name a couple of people who'd be more than willing to personally give them all the encouragement and guidance that they need. Hehe. But that's another story altogether.ü

Note: For more photos from this event, click here.


Big Boys with Big(ger) Voices

All things to all men, they say they are. And these past two nights, the Jesuits proved that that line is more than just a catchphrase that they use for recruitment purposes.ü They showed that aside from being priests/brothers, experts in their respective fields, and all-around geniuses, they too are talented singers and musicians, effective marketing people, and efficient waiters. Hmm... so okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit regarding the "efficient waiters" part. Harhar.

It was the 40th Anniversary of the Loyola House of Studies (LHS) and, instead of the traditional celebration, the Jesuits from the said house decided to hold a musical event that would feature homegrown SJ talents as performers. They set up the LHS lobby like a resto bar, with a small stage in front, several round tables and chairs, several couches, and several banigs (native mats) with throw pillows in front of the stage. Then, they aptly called the event "Cafe Loyola". And of course, like in most resto bars where bands hold their gigs, guests of Cafe Loyola had to pay a cover charge of P40.00 (consumable) upon entering the place. But for every extra order of any item-- a bottle of beer, a glass of wine, an order of turon, or a plate of chicharon-- one has to pay P40.00. Forty pesos, of course, stands for the number of years the LHS has been in existence. Clever, isn't it?

Turns out that the P40.00 ++ per person fee was very much worth it. After all, it's not everyday that you hear older Jesuits performing broadway or Sinatra songs, young novices singing to the hits of Evanescence or Hale, Jesuit scholars playing electric guitars, or the Father Provincial singing My Funny Valentine. And it's not everyday that one gets to place orders to Jesuit scholastics and see them struggle with balancing trays of food and drinks, thus giving a different meaning to the word "service". So yes, it was a very interesting night indeed!



The night was made even more worthwhile by the fact that JVPs--without actually planning to--came to the concert and found themselves huddled together right in front of the stage, sitting on banigs. Very JVP indeed! There must have been about 20 of us--including Fr. Kreutz!--who were present in the show. We could've held a GA or a JVP Mass right then and there.ü And in true JVP fashion, we were a bit rowdy too. Case in point: When everybody was shouting "More! More!" to the Father Provincial for an encore, the JVPs were saying "More [loud] funding [softer volume]! More funding!" Tama ba naman 'yon? Hehehe. But in fairness to us, we did behave properly when it mattered.ü

My only source of disappointment that evening was the fact that Kid (another brother) did not get to perform his Miss Saigon routine for us.:( Apparently, he did it the night before, and couldn't anymore because they had to stick to a different line-up that night. Too bad. He would've brought the house down with his "winning performance," as always. Other than that (and the fact that there were instrumental breaks that went on for too long), I have no complaints. It was a superb night of music! All the performers (well, almost all) were amazingly gifted with musical and vocal abilities. It made us wonder whether having a "good singing voice" is part of the criteria for accepting one into the order. Come to think of it, I really wouldn't be surprised if it is.ü

Note: For more pictures from this event, click here.