P?

Ok. I take it back. I owe that song nothing but a wasted morning.

Let's start at the beginning: My girlfriend has this friend who invited us to a night at Embassy. Because of the malnourished state of my wallet, I was ready to decline until I heard the words:

PVIP

My first question of course was what the hell was the P in PVIP. Having had the regrettable pleasure of chilling at Embassy's insanely overpriced VIP room (200 bucks a shot, 100 bucks a beer), curiosity was the only thing that kept me from promptly feigning a sudden bout of diarrhea or tamaditis.

P, it turns out meant 'Premiere'. Wow. I could only guess how much money Tim Yap makes because of that word.

As I was contemplating the sheer idiocy of paying 5 times the normal going price of SML, I realized she was smiling so innocently that she might as well have worn a shirt that said "I'm saving the punchline for when you're buttered up."

Open Bar!!!

And the rest was drowned in a haze of flashing lights, scantily clad promo girls, and some exquisitely mixed house music.

The only problem was I had a 9:00 am class the next day and I had no more free cuts left. So to make sure I woke up on time, I set my clock radio to turn on at almost capacity volume at 7:00 am, which was no easy task when the room was spinning.

And gloriously, the song Bro by Blue Ketchup came flowing out of my radio at 7:00. Gently lifting me from my stupor into wakefulness with its oddly familiar melody. After a cold shower, 2 cups of coffee and 4 chicken nuggets, I ventured out in the Accord into the craggy streets of Intramuros Manila. Now, force of will, caffeine and chicken isn't much to go on, but I made to school anyway...only to find that my prof wants to have his class at 10.

Sad, dejected, and highly fatigued, I let myself be dragged by my blockmate RJ to a nearby carinderia to have a proper breakfast of sinigang broth, lechon kawali, and toyomansili.

I came back to find a note posted on the classroom door:

COE451L - C1:
No Classes Today

FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bro!

Slumberless

Huling issue ko na sa TNB.

Parang kahapon lang inanounce na ako ang bagong EIC. Ngayon patapos na ang termino ko bilang 'Kingpin' (c/o Venz and company). At sabi nga nila: Everything is always clearer when you look at in hindsight. Ano nga ba ang maipagmamalaki ko?

Nung nag-gastro kami, sinabi ko sa aking mga staffers na nawalan na ako ng pag-asa sa mga Mapuan. Maraming contributing factors sa pananaw kong ito, pero ang talagang tumatak sa isipan ko ay yung nangyari kay Kuya Gudo. Masakit mang sabihin, pero nang matanggal sha, parang namatay din ang isang bahagi ng Builder.

Iba yung Builder na pinasukan ko sa Builder na pinamumunuan ko ngayon.

Dati, para silang pamilya. Magbabarkada talaga. Nung probi pa lang ako, inggit na inggit ako sa closeness nilang lahat. Kumpletos rekados. May mabait, may kupal, may banal, may manyakis, may bading, may astig, etc etc. Maiinggit ka talaga pag bagong salta ka lang (tulad ko nun).

Para sa ken ang glory days nung staff pa lang ako e yung kumpleto pa sila Kuya Ace, Gudo, Ray Paul at RJ, tsaka sila Ate Ja, Anna, Grace at Janiel. Para kang umuwi pag tumambay ka sa opisina. At medyo nagets ko yung sikreto: Iba ang bonds ng mga magkabatch.

Nung medyo madami nang nalagas, actually until sa batch ko umabot yun (ako na lang ang natitira), si Kuya Ace na lang yung naging simbolo nung batch nila. Kaya nga enjoy na enjoy ako pag kasama namin sila Ramon at Jopia. Para uli akong junior staffer na nakikipag pusoy dos kanila kuya RJ at Gudo. Iba kasi talaga yung humor. Oo, bastusan na kung bastusan yung dating. Pero yun yung tipo ng familiarity na naaabot mo lang pag may kumpletong tiwala ka sa mga kasama mo. Isang bagay na hindi pwedeng ipilit o ipeke.

Sa palagay ko, malaking bagay sa pagiging masaya ng opisina ay ang presence ng mga estudyanteng Builder ang first priority. Gaya nila Kuya Ace, Gudo, at Ate Jaja. Sa sobrang gusto ko nga ng ganong klase ng atmosphere, medyo nag pabaya din ako ng konte. Naging medyo happy-go-lucky. Ang mentality kasi dati, pag Builder ka, pangalawa na lang yung pagiging estudyante mo. Infectious yung ganung klase ng pagiisip. May exclusivity na kasi. Napaka liit na porsyento lang ng mga Mapuan ang makararanas neto.

Tandaan nyo mga staffers, hindi importante kung sino't ano ka pag pasok mo sa TNB. Ang importante ay kung ano anong klase ng tao ka dahil naging bahagi ka ng opisina.

Sa susunod na batch, obvious naman na walang gago. Kaya medyo nahirapan kami ni Kuya Ace na i-maintain yung closeness. Di ko sinasabing kailangang ipagpaliban muna ang pagaaral para lang sumaya ang opisina. Tandaan nyo, lahat ng Builder nagiging adik sa klase pag malapit nang grumaduate. Nahalalata ko lang talaga na maliban sa opisina, marami pang ibang bagay na nakaprioritize sa taas ng TNB yung next batch sa amin. Kung talento din lang ang paguusapan, wala naman akong masasabi sa batch 2005. Maayos naman ang trabaho nila at wala naman akong nakaumpugan ng ulo. Para nga lang may kulang na hindi ko alam.

Sana wag mawala ang spirit ng pagiging Builder sa inyo. Pasensya na kung hindi ko naipamalas sa inyo yung napagdaanan kong saya dati. Alam kong hindi ito excuse pero mahirap mangipluwensya kung mas marami yung dapat matinag kesa dun sa nangtitinag. Ika nga ni Kuya Ace, 'wag sana kayong pumayag na sa batch nyo mamatay ang TNB'. Dadagdagan ko yun:

Wag sana kayong pumayag na lumipas ang panahon nyo sa Builder nang hindi naipapasa ang diwa nito sa mga susunod sa inyo.

Kung wala man akong maipagmamalaki sana, sana man lang, natutunan ninyo sa kin, kahit kaunti lang, kung pano talaga maging Builder.

Hindi ang papel ang bumubuhay sa opisina...

kundi kayo.

Ola

Its time to dust off my keyboard and put it to good use again. I've just realized that I've been using a brand spankin' new one for the past month and I've never used it to post something on my blog. That's kind of hypocritical when I've always thought of myself as a writer.

In my defense, I once wrote that writing is a lot like taking a dump: you can't force it.

I like that metaphor. I think I'll start using it.

I'd like to think that the long hiatus I took from blogging was a bout of self-imposed constipation. But the break's over. 2 month's worth of crap is about to come spewing from my fingers, to the keyboard, into the screen, through the internet, and finally into some reader's face.

Ok, Let's stop using that metaphor now because I seriously doubt that somebody's going to appreciate shit flying through their monitors and hitting them square in the face.

† † †

What have I been up to these past few months?

Aside from losing a few days and nights to my new game of choice, PW, nothing much has changed really.

I'm still going out with a lovely and intelligent lady who never fails to keep me on my toes.

I'm still the proud head of The New Builder, the finest collection of misfits I've ever had the honor of working with.

And I'm still in Mapua, although these past days I've started to feel the anxiety associated with leaving a place you've come to call home. A sensation I fully recognize because I am immensely terrible with goodbyes.

I hate ends.

And since my term in office and my life as a college student are both drawing to a close, that familiar mix of sadness and elation is once again creeping into my heart.

I only hope it has due cause (which translates to: I hope my time as a college student is really ending and that I wont fail any units by the end of this term).

Anyway, I think I'll go play a little before going to bed. Adios Amigos. And thanks for stopping by ;)