What is your Identity Marker?

I was browsing through blogs and I remembered I wrote something for my European Languages 50 (European culture and civilizations) class and so I thought maybe you'd want to read it? :)

The topic is "What is your identity marker?" or what language are you associated with, the language of your youth.

Well, here it is. Enjoy! :)

My Identity

F.O. Idol Poster

Siguro naman naranasan mo ng magkaroon ng kaibigan? Yung hindi fake ha. At excuse me, hindi included sa category na 'to yung seatmate mo na kakilala mo palang 10.5 seconds ago. 'Acquaintance' lang yun, hindi 'friend'. If oo, maiintindihan mo 'tong insanity-disguised-as-a-drabble na 'to. If hindi, well di ko na problema yun.

Anyway, bago pa ako ma-side-track, let's go back sa essential stuff.

Meet Pecto and Totay.

Joke lang, hindi yan ang real name nila.

So meet Kristel and Lyn. (totoo na 'to)

Wala namang masyadong history 'tong dalawang 'to na kailangan pa ng madramang prologue kaya proceed na tayo sa current time.

1pm. Sa loob ng school kung saan makikita ang mamang nakahubad while stargazing. (For those who don't understand, awww kawawa naman kayo)

“Ay may scavenger's hunt kami last time, kasama sa list yung idol poster.” say ni Lyn.

Ang random no? Well, ganyan talaga pag friends, very random.

“O? Sana kumuha ka nalang dun sa musuem ng idol poster a.k.a kwarto namin,” comment ni Kristel.

“Nanalo naman kami kaya okay na,” tanggi ni Lyn.

“Tapos no, pagkuha ni Lyn, biglang, 'Hala Kristel, napunit!'” hirit ng pagkaganda-ganda, brilliant at awesome na bata na itago nalang natin sa pangalang Kiezzsa.

“Hala, F.O. na yun pag ganun. For real,” sabi ni Kristel in all seriousness. Sa sobrang serious, tumatawa na siya.

“Grabe naman, poster lang ba ang halaga ng pagkakaibigan natin?” madramang banat ni Lyn.

“Oo,” mabilis na sagot ni Kristel. No hesitation talaga no?

“...” Speechless si Lyn.

So you see, ang simpleng kababawan ay hindi maalis sa 24 hours ng isang tao. At sa totoo lang, yung mga maliliit na bagay, katulad nyang ballpen na hawak mo, pwede yang mag make or break ng isang relationship. And when I say relationship, hindi lang naman yan romantic relationship (yun agad ang inassume? PBB teens?), pwede rin naman to sa friendship o di kaya sa siblings relationship.

Pero syempre, bilang hindi naman ako ganyan ka-random, hindi nagtatapos ang story dyan. Glimpse lang yan ng buhay ni Pecto at Totay este ni Kristel at Lyn pala.

Alam mo ba kung ano ang sumunod na scene dyan?

Tawanan.

Kasi, kung close talaga kayo, common thing na ang barahan at most probably na-master nyo na ang art of non-sensitivity. Joke lang, kumbaga. Di naman kailangan ma-hurt.

At dito, mga friends, nagtatapos ang random kong kwento. Like I said, friends are very random and we're friends right? Kaya pagbigyan nyo na ako. (O walang aangal) xD

Through Non-existent Eyes

             For anyone in front of the building, the afternoon would probably prove to be a normal one. With the passing vehicles and the people walking past – yes, there was nothing amiss. Most would say that it’s so usual that it’s almost boring, certainly not worth pondering about.

These people could be right in thinking that way too, except that they failed to notice the way a certain female student or professor for that matter (in this place, you can never be certain because they don’t have uniforms and some professors are young and fashion conscious), smiled like she remembered something good or that the weather was gorgeous – the sun barely seeping through loosely intertwined branches of the acacias lining both side of the street.

No, it’s not their fault. When they are burdened with so many things such as Acads (what seems to be the official term for school work around here), organization works, finances and many others, they think it’s hard or even wrong to stop and stay still. Also, when they’ve been through many disappointments, failures or mistakes, the rose-colored glasses they view the world through shatters and are replaced by a jaded eye.

But I am not like them. I have been at a standstill for many years now. How long has it been again? 20 years? Maybe more? I don’t even remember. Time has no meaning to me. I count my days with the students, professors and occasional outsiders getting on or off the jeepneys, taxis or private cars, or people walking or running past me to get through their destination (maybe to their next class). I count my night with the joggers sweating and huffing from all the jogging or running.

From the first day I was here and until this very moment, I have never left my post and I plan to stay this way for as long as my sinewy arms and legs can support my head as I shield the people from the elements – the harsh glare of the sun or the piercing dash of rain.

Do you know me now? Perhaps you do so there is no reason for me to reveal myself blatantly. After all, I’ve often heard that people are smart.

But even as I am now, my eyes non-existent, I see far greater than the average person. I laugh at the bright orange taxi that seemed so out of place among its white brothers, the hope-filled eyes of a young student (a freshman) inspires me and I feel the love as if it was my own when a couple walked past, holding hands and laughing all the while.

I had also noticed the sadness behind the smile of a person, the dejected way someone walked (my guess is that he flunked an exam or got scolded by a terror professor), and even the impatient tap of the girl’s foot on the floor as she kept looking at her cellphone. It doesn’t take a genius to know that she’s waiting for a reply or a call. Occasionally, there would be those who seemed to be angry at someone – their foreheads would be wrinkled with a frown.

Everyday is a new discovery. There will always be something new. And I would witness it again. Someday, I hope you see things the way I see it. The world is not cut out in black and white. There are many vibrant colors competing for your attention. Why don’t you try noticing them? And if you ever need a reminder, I’ll always be here, looking at you…through non-existent eyes.

*note: The topic for this is "Faculty Center Waiting Shed in UP Diliman"

The Echo Room

     Along the corridors of the building, the soft patter and squeak of shoes as steps were made onto the hard floor vibrates from one place to another. You could feel it if you were sitting on the floor and you could distinguish what kind of shoes made that particular vibration. Heeled shoes would create more of a pang of vibration while flip-flops would be more 'squeaky'.
     To add to that, there are also the conversations being made by people hurrying to their destination or just loitering around. More often than not, they won't be too quiet. In fact, if you stay still in one corner, you'd actually catch some of the things they are talking about.
     "When was the speech again?"
     "Ang hirap ng exam!"
     "Au revoir!"
     But in this place where I am right now, all these noises cease to be makes sense. They all merges and twists into faint, indistinct hums.
     I could hear nothing but the roar of metals turning and turning fast to generate wind, the occasional sighs and murmurs, the crisp, crunching sound of paper fluttered by soft air, and my quavering voice - all these heightened and reflected, as if I am on top of the mountain or on the bottom of a well.
    Where am I exactly? I am in the Echo Room.
    If you ask other people, some of my friends or even some of my classmates, they won't be able to show you the direction to this room because they won't know what you're talking about or maybe they will but the thing is, no one will be certain about it.
     The echo room is something I came up with for this place. Yes, the Echo Room is not it's real name. And basically, it's not a mysterious fortress nor is it remotely similar to that. The Echo Room is a simple classroom - four walls, chairs, white board, the works.
    What makes it different is that when you are sensitive enough, you would notice that whatever you say in this place echoes. It's as if, there is this invisible person with a low, deep voice that repeats whatever you say in a much quieter fashion.
    Right now, that person is here again, stealing my words right after I utter them. He is listening intently, not missing anything. I'm sure he could hear the thundering of my heartbeat, considering how fast and loud it seems to be, attempting to slam right out of my chest, but he does not copy it. At least, my heartbeat is my own.
    Right now, I am uncomfortable. All eyes are on me already, I don't need the added pressure. But strange... I seem to draw comfort from that echo... hearing my own voice reflected calms me.
    Before long, the echo that is heard in the room is no longer my own. It is no longer the same but still strangely familiar.
    As I leave the room, I glance back and whisper and I hear the same words back at me and I smile because I know that we would meet again...in the Echo Room...


*Note: This is based on my Communication 3 (Practical Speech Fundamentals) class. I thought of this while listening to my other classmates deliver their speech.

MOONLEAF-ing

                When it comes to food tripping, University of the Philippines, Diliman has one of the most diverse and wide array of variety – from Mang Larry’s Isaw, The sidewalk store's Siomai, Pancit Canton, and now to the latest trend, TEA. The more famous Tea House within the UP Diliman campus is MOONLEAF, located in Maginhawa street, Diliman Quezon City.

                One night, on August 10, 2011, at 9:30 in the evening, we, the CHAR girls (yes you read it right. It includes me) arrived at Moonleaf to have a taste of this sensational tea house.

             The place was filled by customers – young and old alike, students and teachers, simple and sosyal people – to the point that even the chairs outside of the main café were all occupied. It was more crowded inside but the atmosphere was that of a homely yet classy aura. You could hear the lively chatter of customers, talking to each other, sharing stories, discussing stuff. Actually, I was a bit surprised that it was jam-packed, considering it was a Wednesday night, the middle of the week. It just goes to show how popular this place has become.

                We made our way through the crowd, turning here and there to get to the line, which by the way was long.

Me and my Caramel Milk Tea

You know this process in Starbucks where one of the staff behind the counter asks for your name then they write it on your drink’s container? The same process goes for Moonleaf. We had this crazy idea to change our names while we were there. So the names we gave were not our real names. Just for the night, I was Hazel and the char girls were Rian, Sam, Jen, and Khai. Next time, I think I’d name myself Mariel Rodriguez. Hahahahaha. Just kidding Ate Ma! :))

After we ordered our drinks – Caramel Milk Tea for me, Wintermelon Milk Tea for Khai, Sam and Jen, and Pearl Milk Tea for Rian – we looked for a place to sit down.

Thankfully, the costumers in a table near the counter had already finished drinking their tea and were already leaving. We occupied their table. 

Readings are forever, forever~

We studied the notes we brought along and chatted with each other while waiting for our Milk Teas. When our fake names were called, we stood up and got our drinks. We sat down again and tasted our own Milk Tea, and then we tasted each other’s Milk Tea.

Changed Identities

   The Caramel Tea wasn’t too sweet, which is a good thing for me since I’m not really a big fan of sweet stuff. The sweetness was just enough to counter the bitter taste of the tea.

   Rian’s Pearl Milk Tea wasn’t exactly to my liking. It was too strong for me. But if you’re really into tea but would like something mild, I would suggest you go for Pearl Milk Tea since you could really taste the tea in this drink. 

               But of all the Milk Teas we ordered that night, I liked Khai, Sam and Jen’s Wintermelon Milk Tea the best because the flavor was just right. The sweetness wasn’t overwhelming but it blended well with the tea.

We're having so much fun!

                Like every new experience/adventure with the char girls, we took pictures – of our drinks, our selves, solo shots, our readings and so much more. We reviewed the pictures and laughed over the goofy ones and exclaimed over the good shots. In the middle of this fun, a lady who just entered caught our attention. There was nothing overly fashionable about her but what made us stare at her were two things.

1.   

      1. She was beautiful and; 

      2. We knew her

Me and Megan Young

            The lady was no other than MEGAN YOUNG, a famous TV personality.

I for one was really amazed that she was there. It wasn’t exactly the usual kind of place that you would see a TV personality in. Of course, I didn’t want to let that picture-taking opportunity pass. Jen and Khai had the same idea so we begged Rian to ask Megan Young if we could take a picture with her. Fortunately for us, Megan gamely agreed. She posed wacky poses with each of us. It was one of the highlight of the night.

After we thanked Megan for being so friendly, we went back to our table. I was so hyped up that I couldn’t write the next chapter in my story (Paper Roses) that I was supposed to write that night. The four char girls were also already tired so we decided to go home. Besides, it was already almost 11pm.

It was a lot of fun and definitely, this won’t be the last time that I would be going to Moonleaf. In fact, the char girls are already planning to make this a weekly habit, our bonding time.

             Well what else can I say? Let's all be healthy, let's all drink tea!

The Push of Day, the Pull of Night

(photo courtesy of Samantha Sayo)

It's that time of the day again.

That time when it's no longer daytime but not yet nighttime, when the brightness of the afternoon overlaps with the darkness of the night.

Most of the time, people don't notice this change. Often times, they don't even know it exists between the shift from day to night.

Here in UP Diliman, we see every variation of time in a day and it's many nameless faces. Nature springs abundant - trees lining the paths and scattered in other places, a blanket of vibrant green grass coloring the ground, the occasional shrubs and plants, clean, fresh air...

This place is truly an oasis that quenches the thirst of anyone weary and lost in the dessert of urban living.