tell me - am i already in love?
no, you're not.
then what am i?
you're human enough to think that you're already in love when you're actually not there yet.
whew. thanks.
huh? that's strange... don't you -
new year, sir.
oh. got it. any other plans?
uhh... score a 120 on a bowling game? get a haircut at least once a month? survive chem16 and eng10? scan my pc for anomalies regularly? stay healthy enough? keep posting on schedule? read His book? save 1000 pesos monthly? honestly, i have no idea.
wow. so modest... and yet boring. get a life, boy.

hey. why the silence?
oh. nothing.
it's not about her again, right?
yup. you think i oughta send that crazy notion of mine to oblivion?
i don't see any need for that.
me neither. mind you, she's almost... um...
almost what?
hmmm... lemme think... oh, ideal.
almost, eh? hmmm... correct me if i'm wrong, but is she...
charming? that's a given.
smart?
yet fears God and shuns evil.
not much of a talker?
yet a good listener. and writer.
light-hearted? usually in a joyous mood -
- and has dark-brown eyes.
gee, she's so much like you! except that you're a spectacled jerk. i'm starting to feel sorry for the girl.
aren't you supposed to be helping me -
- by telling you the truth, say.
well, can you be a bit milder on me?
as you say, then.

by the way... have you -
- done my homework. and heck, i'm actually reading those readings.
that really ticked you off, huh?
guess she was right about me.
oooooooh. looks like we're going to have a really interesting year.
you think so?
that's what we're hoping for, jerk.
hey, enough with the name-calling, will you -
- think about it. first, you laugh 30 minutes straight in front of your one-time lab prof. then you blush 15 minutes after. then you show off that mysterious smile of yours until you hit the sack. and now you're forcing me to stop calling you a big-time je -
oh gawd, but she was so amusing! and she kind of amazed me, that's all. and i presume you know that she's a professor, so cut it out, mister know-it-all.
sorry, what did you just -
i'm off to sleep. good night.
do that, mister glasslike-fragility-personified.
fragile. now that's the word. slack off for me now, please.
roger... jerk.

[muttering to oneself... talk about starting 2007 right. sheesh.]

more than a year ago, i shook hands with the shortest national leader that any nation had since who-knows-when.

six months after that incident i found myself studying in the university where a big chunk of its student populace would smile so wide at the thought of gripping the wee hands of miss her excellency to death.

another half-year passed by, then heard in the news about mister saddam hussein last seeing a fireworks display twelve months ago.

time flies like an arrow. and there's no bulls-eye to stop it. i tried to look back at the direction where the Archer's bow could have been, but all was vague and black.

what's my point? i completely missed it, if ever there was one. or should i say that i don't feel inspired enough to write about the year that was, 2006. forgive me.



heh. just kidding.



january - march: conclusions

fighting maroon? blue eagle? those were the questions. no, not even the law of conservation of momentum or asymptotic graphs or simoun's schemes took the senior's mind away from the thought of studying in his dream university. well, perhaps except the prospect of finding the girl of his dreams... uhh, what did i just say? i meant the commencement exercises. and prom night. and grad ball. and of course, vacation.

april - june: a silent transitory time-bridge

turned out that some people (read: me) were wrong in thinking that that year's vacation would be one of the best, and longest times of their lives. credit it to a major spike in sun cellular's sms traffic or to university registration processes or to unbearable boredom, but summer couldn't've ended faster that it just did.

july - september: beginnings, and...

oh, look, someone's already seventeen. though the girl of his daydreams flew away, lots of news (plural of "new"?) more than made up for it [guys and gals, don't get me wrong here! okay?!]. fortunately, the new and the not-so-new aspects jelled quite well for me, or that was how i perceived it.

october - december: ...all over again.

sort of like that. an end to one semester, a break, and a new term; just in a shorter timespan. and so goes the circle of learning, of life. i wonder where my dream girl comes in... and when will pldt mydsl allow me to go yahoo! messenger again.



hmmm. now that i said that, maybe those arrows are tactlessly flying around in circles... ahhh, just my thoughts. a pleasant twenty-oh-seven to the universe and beyond. (",)

i don't want a lot for christmas, there is just one thing i need...

of all the songs that you would hear coming from a chapel, why this one? i muttered to myself, as a middle-aged woman dressed in red and green wailed along the night.

i don't care about the presents underneath the christmas tree...

never walk alone during the night. especially during this time of the year. i felt myself slightly shiver from head to toe as i crossed paths with hordes of people making their way toward the church.

i just want you for my own, more than you could ever know...

stop singing, gab! it will only make you feel worse, seriously.

make my wish come true...

ever got that funny feeling that comes once a year, that impressive urge to say those immortal words? yeah, even for a fleeting moment?

all i want for christmas is you.

i... i - i like you.

CUT! okay, relax - take a deep breath - exhale - do that again - close your eyes - breathe deeper - exhale - open your eyes. relax! - behave normally. good. now keep walking.

*having a quiet christmas? beware, seasonal depression looks for victims like you! but don't worry, we can offer you some advice for a minimum of 50 pesos. for more details, call 8-STRESS (8-787377) right away!*

whew. happy holidays. a few notes:

1. from 29-12-06 to 1-1-07 yours truly will be at the summer capital of the world, baguio city.
2. for UP Diliman students, regular classes resume 3-1-07, wednesday. don't forget your komework, kids.
3. next up: 2006: the year that was, in summary. and while i'm up to it, sing auld lang syne for me.

very well... so long. farewell. i have to say... thank you. goodbye. sayonara. adios. adieu. au revoir. arrivederci. auf wiedersehen. salamat. paalam. hanggang sa muli. (",)

christmas fever is on. i can't really feel it, but i have had mild fever and breathing difficulties since tuesday. as of presstime the writer is still under medication and will be so for the next two weeks. my instincts told me that i was sick because i was not yet used to dawdle idly at home for four straight days. guess what? my intuition skills were strikingly remarkable, for a few hours at least.

thursday i discovered that i had less difficulty breathing while riding a jeepney along the heavily smoke- and vehicle-congested tandang sora avenue. and i felt even better as i walked a few kilometers from commonwealth highway to my friend maikka's village where a christmas party will be held.

i arrived at the village clubhouse one thirty-sharp, which was the designated time for the affair. however, i arrived there to a sight of balloons, balloons, and a few more balloons - but no people. i thought "are these preparations for us?" and found the answer moments later, as some adults arranged some chairs for some night party.

a few minutes later anna cee and hazel arrived. finding nothing but me and empty space, we resolved to go to maikka's house before returning to the clubhouse when there were more people. there we stayed until... 2 pm when ronald, jamie, gelynne and daryl, and nice arrived. back at the clubhouse (diba 1:30 yung party? anong oras na nun, 2:30?) we waited again. kathy and inah and domeng arrived, and decided that we order pizza and wait for some others until quarter-to-three. miles came. and then gerald. and then we started. then the pizza arrived. and followed the softdrinks. then came a few others (krizia, kacie, dina, abi, julia) and then we talked. then i felt that i wanted to leave, and leave them i did.

ohh. i'm awfully sorry. that was plain boring. actually domeng prepared a "programme" in the form of a game. he called it "the 5 P's of life." the P's stand for pamilya, pag-aaral, pag-ibig, paggawa, and pangarap. the mechanics of the game go like this: each person would say something in-detail about the 5 categories mentioned above. then the next one does the same, until everyone had spoken.

since i rushed my speech last thursday, i'll make up for it here, categorizing it into two: 1) what i did say, and 2) what i forgot to say.

pamilya (family). what i did say: my mom celebrated her birthday, and that was why i had to leave early. my parents have plans of taking the whole family to canada and/or sending me to my scholarship in italy. what i forgot to say: our family will be spending the holidays in three different places: our home, my grandparents' home, and baguio.

pag-aaral (academics). what i did say: i thought that so far, i was doing good, compared to my high school days. someone mentioned my current US status. what i forgot to say: i do my homework nowadays, and i don't arrive late for class. heh.

pag-ibig (lovelife). what i did say: contrary to popular notions that i currently have many love interests, actually i have none due to time constraints. what i forgot to say: having a crush is way too different from having a lovelife of sorts. ha!

paggawa (business). what i did say: nothing was keeping me busy. all i did was plump myself up. what i forgot to say: nothing. you guys already know what i do to keep myself from slitting my throat out of boredom.

pangarap (dreams). what i did say: it depends on how the next two years fall out. but hopefully i become a doctor. what i forgot to say: i have strange dreams. just last night i dreamt that i was walking along a red carpet towards an altar, with people watching from both sides of the path and cameras flashing from every direction. back in elementary i dreamt of becoming the next rookie prodigy of ateneo basketball. you see, what i did say was quite enough, or else i would have been real late for my mom's birthday bash.

but then i had to go. worse thing is, i forgot to take pictures. oh well.

moving on. from north susana executive village i had to go back home, fetch my siblings and proceed to sm north, then wait for my parents to fetch us by 7 in the evening and proceed to super bowl, which practically sums up my thursday.

[the next day...]

wheeee. quezon city science high school batch 2006's yearbook was released today. never mind that i felt dead sick. or that my feet and legs experienced slight cramps because of the generous jeepney passengers who gave me an eighth of a seat through 30 minutes of travel (someday i'll write a piece about them jeepneys). i paid 1200 bucks for that. period.

what did i get? hmmm... let's see. colorful hardbound cover. half a page, scrapbook style. one- to two-word phrase descriptions, followed by a three-paragraph text. one wacky picture, one formal. 261 students. faculty members. some literary pieces, congratulatory speeches, pictures of all kinds, caricatures, typographical errors. ads for sponsors. greyscale. not bad. but it could have been better, i guess. unless i think about it. and read again. and try to remember. and laugh. and then think again.

anyway, after that i had to go buy some groceries, where some is equal to three bags full of stuff. i got home alive. not bad for some sick and tired being. *gasps for air* i'm taking a rest now.

happy holidays. (",)