Paco- You are a song of my (Atenean) life

German classmate. Constant seat work partner. Nuisance. Friend. Close friend. Cold friend. Crush. Distant friend.

Paco Halili used to be one of my closest Atenean friends, but not close enough to be a considered as best friend. Yet strangely though, even if we've just been really good friends for more than a month, i've opened up a lot of things to him that not even JR Calderon or Jasmin Asi, my English block and block confidantes, knew about.

I've been struggling with his coldness and apathy for a very long time. Even friends with whom i never been so close with treated me better. HE TREATS ME AS IF I WAS JUST ONLY HIS GERMAN CLASSMATE WHOM HE RARELY TALKED TO, AS IF I JUST SO HAPPENED TO BE HIS GERMAN CLASSMATE AND NEVER EVEN BECAME WORKMATES IN A SEATWORK.

Now i wonder whether if Paco really did became my close friend and almost a lover? Or was it all just a trick of my mind or an act of God to punish and teach me a lesson by giving me a kinda unrelated but longer term effect from sneaking out of Katipunan some months back?







If everything about who Paco is in my life could be summed up in one song, it would be "Ni shi wo xin nei de yi shou ge" by Wang Lee Hom (feat. Selina Jen)















That song seemed to be a happy one, but the truth is, it's a really sad song, if it was fitted into my own context. To prove that this song really sums up my relationship with Paco, i will have to make an analysis about what contains in the song piece by piece and find the meaning of it all. Keep in mind that the song's persona is me due to the situation i have with Paco.

Since this is a song in which the language is not something i am familiar with, it's better to start first with analyzing the melody of the song. It's easier to explain the language in which anyone could interpret and know the meaning right away rather than language in which only some people understand. The sweet, innocent melody explains the emotional state i have for my classmate. The Chinese side of the song clearly puts emphasis on how different i am with him in terms of interests and habitus, therefore emphasizing how incompatible i could possibly be with him and how huge also is the possibility of unrequited feelings. This certain song is shorter than other contemporary pop songs since it's only about 2 and a half minutes long.The shortness of the song means that this feeling is short and it is bound to end. I also read somewhere on the internet that this song is only a cover of an old Hokkien song, whose artist's name is lost in history, that's how taken for granted the original song was to the point you aren't really sure of who sang that song, what happened or the exact meaning and context of the song, as much as i am unsure how on earth did Paco actually all of a sudden drifted away from me.
According to one of my close friends, it really puts how the song sounds in perspective with my situation,- it's not just the average sweet song that way, but it is also a mixed bag of emotions. It is not only sweet but also having a tinge of longing, hopelessness and finally acceptance. Another interesting thing to point out is that in the album where it came from, the song before it tells how music can be a safe refuge for everyone from the craziness of this world, from all the craziness and hard acceptance of Paco's treatment, music eventually became the one which made me understand him. And then the song which came after's title is called "Ai Zai Na Li", or in English, "Where is the love?"- a reference to what Paco wrote in my slumbook about his current situation with his personal life. In my slumbook, some of my friends have thought of Paco's answers as probably being sincerely so lonely and somewhat disillusioned about love, despite having Marc around all the time.

The lyrics, despite being in Hokkien, though is much of a dead giveaway since it's somewhat straightforward for the statements i really wanted to tell directly to him yet some metaphors given in the lyrics quickly captures the image of Paco and how he got me infatuated with him. Like i mentioned earlier, the lyrics were in Hokkien- the language that has been in my life for a very, very long time but has never bothered to take notice, learn and use the language. It was the language in which my Angkong lulls me to sleep as a baby, instead of calling me "bunso", they call me Shobe as i grew up, the language you have to speak when talking to non-English speaking Chinese relatives and to some extent, Aunty Shirley and Lily, and the language i never bothered learning at all. It was just when i was in college that i began to have some interest in the Fujian/Taiwanese culture but became too old to learn the language, unless i have to live in Xiamen or Taiwan. A language that seems to be almost subconscious for me until recently, just like my feelings for Paco. Hokkien could also be the personification of Paco himself, apparent in the early stage, but difficult to reach in the end.


"Li si wa sim na eh ji siu kua"
Xin jian kai qi hua yi duo

Ni shi wo sheng ming de yi shou ge
Xiang nian hui cheng yi tiao he


"You're the song within my heart
A flower bloomed within
You're the song of my life
nostalgia has converged into a river"

This first part of the song tells how Paco bloomed within my feelings from being that classmate who looks like Shnitzel from Chowder to full blast super crush. My feelings for him back then is like a flower bloomed from the inside- my feelings for him were more subconscious especially during the time we were German classmates. It slowly began to catch my attention especially when i was strong enough to have trust in other guys especially after being left broken hearted by Xurt.In fact, it was Paco's friendship and sudden withdrawal which snapped me out that i should begin to trust other people to be my crushes because if i don't, i will lose that huge chance for me to move on completely from Xurt, be a lot more bitter and might even drive away those people who deserve to love me and be loved back.
Since he made me more inclined with doing better in German and also in my other classes,he became a song in my Atenean life. According to my Fil 14 teacher, Dr. Michael Coroza, a song is one good way of remembering important things- it has rhythm and easier to follow. Paco is a song, in a way he also helps me not only remember how to do calculus stuff like chain rule, graphing... stuff(that's what was written on his notes on that topic, seriously!), integrals, integration by parts, etc. through his notes, but also he helps me remember what i should do in order to get away from my depression- study hard and well. And then all my memories of him, the nostalgia of German class and also the way he touched my hands, has converged into a river called "Illusions". After he was gone and treats me as a nobody, i began to question if he ever did become so close with me before. If my memories of him were just punishments made by my unconscious mind for still trying to pursue the friendship of Xurt in a very dangerous and super hurtful way(that it hurts not only me, my best friends, Paco but also my family).

"Liam zai wa sim na eh ji siu kua"
Bu yao zhi shi ge guo ke

Zai wo sheng ming liu xia yi shou ge
Yi shou ge
Bu lun jie ju hui ru he


A song remembered within my heart
Not just a passerby
Leaving behind a song in my life
Regardless of our ending

He is not like any other friends i ever made here in Ateneo.Because of him, he helped me finally close a chapter of my life, a chapter which deserves to be closed completely, even if he had to disappear as my friend afterwards.


Hao xiang wen ni
Dui wo dao di you mei you dong xin
Chen mo tai jiu
Zhu hui rang wo bu xiao xin fan cuo
Bu xiao xin fan cuo


Really want to ask you
If you've fallen for me yet
A silence too long
Will cause me to make a careless mistake

The last stanza (the chorus) is the most straightforward part of the song. Obviously, i was asking Paco if he ever did really fell for me. A question that seemed to be and will probably be lingering around in my head for a very long time as long as Paco still stayed to be as cold and indifferent as he is at present.
Since having a history with failed sense of restrain from provoking hostility from friends who seemed to disappeared(like my situation in highschool with Keith), i fear that if Paco keep his cold silence too long while i can't accept the fact he is a gone close friend, i might be able to provoke conflict and cause trouble with him, thus extinguishing our friendship that seemed to be meaningful. While i restrain myself from any emotional outbursts every time i see Paco with Marc, i do myself to pull myself together to accept the fact that i should let go of him and instead be happy for the fact that we could still be friends.

We could still might be friends, especially after Wang Lee Hom and Selina Jen reached the final chorus of my song- or in short, my infatuation ended, for Paco. Paco is such a good natured friend, judging from the apology he sent me through text after i gave him a candy cane with a letter that i miss him being as a friend. After all, they say that good friends are just like stars- they tend to hide in day time but if you need them in dark times, they'll always be there for you.

"Chiquitita"- Ateneo version

During my super depression/Hell month, I was not only striken with piles of projects, long tests and assignments but my personal life also went terrible that almost everyday i come home from school(where i use the internet most of the time) crying. Each and everyday feels like another day of misery, trying all sorts of things to divert and make myself feel good(even doing some of the most stupidest things), wishing things were back like those days being so happy together with Xurt. The first love of my life(that i just realized because of my councilor Sir Alcazar) who isn't a family or a relative ditched me because i was a super insanely jealous, insecure bitch. He then transferred his feelings for Wendy de Villar(again, wtf)and this time his feelings for her is deeper because she's not like me(of course, there's only one me in this world). I remember on my past blog post that if that day happened, i felt that i will be okay but actually it turned out that i won't be okay. It's probably because Xurt haven't triggered my romantic feelings and made me feel attached to him yet that time or i was too ignorant. Anyway, that period is the worst but thankfully, i got friends in Ateneo(and Montessori- and even Xurt himself) who are there to support me.


Manang's, Monday, September 6,2010, 9:30 AM.
A few minutes ago, Xurt and I had a very much heated arguement(nakakaiba to the highest level) about my tighfulness and agreed not
to talk to each other until Sportsfest. I was so shocked because a day before, he was still the nice, affectionate, loving and forgiving Xurt but now he turned dead cold and started to hurl my negative side on me.

Lester: Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong
You're enchained by your own sorrow...

Lychee(who noticed that my eyes are red):In your eyes there is no hope for tomorrow

Jess: How I hate to see you like this
There is no way you can deny it

Cov courts, Monday, September 6,2010, around 10:30 AM.

During fencing class, i can't focus hitting on my opponent in one fencing match. Jaime, the referee, noticed my lack of concentration.

Jaime: I can see that you're oh so sad, so quiet...

Berchmans 307, Monday, September 6,2010, 11:30 AM.

As i entered Filipino class, Anjo noticed that i don't look so happy that i am about to cry

Anjo: Chiquitita, tell me the truth
I'm a shoulder you can cry on...

Then, i remember one conversation i had with Jonathan on the phone some weeks ago.

Jonathan(on the phone): Your best friend, I'm the one you must rely on

CTC 303, Monday, September 6,2010, 1:40 PM

I came to EN 11 class sobbing quietly shortly after i saw pictures of Xurt being with Karlo, Abby, Muje, Kassel, Kash and ... Wendy(bunuhnuhnuhhh). Those photos lead me to think about Xurt's strange attitude.

JR(saw me sobbing but i told him that i have allergy or cold or some alibi coz i don't want to talk about my condition): You were always sure of yourself
Now I see you've broken a feather

Atrio(reenacting Walang Sugat): see you cry how it hurts to see you sad...

JR(putting up an "Are you sure?" face): I hope we can patch it up together

The next day, when Ateneo feels something like Tokio Hotel's "1000 Meere" music video, following a SUPER DUPER MEGA TO THE NTH POWER ONE BIG FIGHT with Xurt last night.

Red brick road, Tuesday, September 7,2010, 8:50 AM

Everyone that i pass by in school: Chiquitita, you and I know
How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they're leaving

SEC-A 124, Tuesday, September 7,2010, 9:00 AM

Mrs Ki Shan Tan(entering the classroom): You'll be dancing once again and the pain will end... (then i felt confortable with her coz she's a Hong Konger- what i was before i met Xurt again on the JS, thus diverting me from Xurt for a while)

SEC-A 224, Tuesday, September 7,2010, 12:00 PM

Sir Claveria(announcing the upcoming Long Test on thursday): You will have no time for grieving

My ES 10 classmates who are also my blockmates(Lester, Jaime, Dustin, Mel, Ebib, Kc, Anjo, Maui and Colene): Chiquitita, you and I cry...


SEC-A 124, Thursday, September 9,2010, 9:30 AM

Mrs. Ki Shan Tan gave us the results of our Midterms or a seatwork (not sure what it is but the results of it were something that enlightened me)

Mrs Ki Shan Tan: But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you

SEC-A 224, Tuesday, September 7,2010, 12:00 PM

The long test on ES 10

Whole ES 10 class: Let me hear you sing once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Friday, September 10, 2010

My blockmates(as they complain about the second long test of Fil 11):
Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita

The next week...

Everyone i pass by in Red Brick Road: So the walls came tumbling down

Everyone on the information commons as i look miserably at Xurt and Wendy's sweet nothings on fb: And your love's a blown out candle

Everyone as i began to sob out(me wishing all those shit that Xurt and Wendy make would stop and they should fight against each other): All is gone and it seems too hard to handle

Berchmans 307, second week of September, 11:30 AM
Sir Maky gave me the result of my first Filipino fiction paper about "Walang Sugat" which was written during the first day of my heartbreak. It got me a bloody 70 or aka a D.

Sir Maky: Chiquitita, tell me the truth...

There is no way you can deny it

I see that you're oh so sad, so quiet

As the weeks passed by and everybody began to notice how emo am i becoming...

JR(when he was telling me that he experienced this same shit): Chiquitita, you and I know...

Abby Cabrito(who was saying this as though she was part of a competitor's company and my company lost huge investments in the stock market): How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they're leaving

(Back up voices singing ".. how you are brokenhearted, etc...) are from Isagani and the actress who played Julia in Tanghalang Ateneo's "Walang Sugat")

JR(relating his experiences that it took him a month to recover): You'll be dancing once again and the pain will end

Sir Bj Patiño(after telling that we have to make an evaluation essay aside the feature essay): You will have no time for grieving

MVP entrance near Kostka, September 30, 2010, 5:30-6:00 PM

Students in MVP while watching the Mens Basketball finals: Chiquitita, you and I cry

Students in MVP while the players of the Mens basketball team joined the singing as Ateneo won Three-peat(yes, even EMINEM aka Kirk Long is included): But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you...

One afternoon, chatting with Xurt on fb about my painful condition(bad idea)

Xurt Diaz: Let me hear you sing once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita...

One Lit 13 class(It was monday, i think), Sir Francis Sollano gave out my First Fiction paper(about the "Hitch hiking Game" by Milan Kundera and my fiction paper related in one part about me and Xurt when we were still happy together) that got me a B+(gawa daw ni Xurt-lolz)

Sir Francis(winking): Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Loyola Schools Guidance Office, Thursday, October 14, 2010, 3:00 PM

Sir Alcazar: Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquititaaaaah...

The blissful days of love

The first time when you've fell in love for someone is one feeling that seemed to be so giddy, so exciting, a bit mellow yet full of uncertainties ahead. It's the first time you have stepped on a realm that seemed to be tailor-fit in your circumstances and possibilities. Each and every day, people seemed to notice that you're more pleasurable to be with, you seemed to be more lighthearted, inspired and lovely.

After the ORSEM, i decided not to communicate much with Xurt because i felt back then that he would be a distraction with my studies and I was a bit pissed off with him(because of his stint with Wendy). I remember on my first day of classes, i began to read in Xurt's facebook wall post made by him that he has found the girl he was looking for. Obviously, based from the descriptions he made about the girl he was describing , that girl was me. He describes how the eyes of his beloved were sparkling and wonderful, how he feels so sweet, loved and special when he's with that girl, and that she was the girl he was looking for. The girl he was pertaining to couldn't be Wendy because also in the wall there are full of disses and rudeness from her. Then my speculations were confirmed when he texted me so sweetly(as sugar) after class(of first day) asking me how i am in school and he had such a very nice day because he discovered something that made him really happy. I wondered what it was he discovered, but i was a bit indifferent so i kindly told Xurt not to text me much on schooldays because im going to go busy. Inside of me, i was happy that i let go of something that will possibly distract me from my studies but sad because i will miss the daily sweet nothings i get from Xurt. But at least there are days that we call as "Weekends" and ever since then, my weekends aren't complete without communicating with him.

Even though he was so sweet and affectionate with me, i was still a bit upset, cynical and distrustful with him. But soon, i found myself taking for granted his downpour of affection and his constant remindings that i am the sweetest girl he had ever met, the person whom he's dedicating his life to...

Montessori is so sabaw... :/

Every saturday, i keep in touch with my best friends Jonathan and Mark Malabanan through phone calls.
During those 30 minute-1 hour calls, we talked about our separate lives- my stay in Ateneo, who
my new friends are, what kind of education i get there("Is college hard, ate Irish?" Mark once asked me),
how are they doing in IJMCP without me and most of all the latest news and gossips from my old
Alma-mater. Sadly though, i couldn't help but feel depressed about the current
condition of Montessori. Montessori certainly changed a lot since my classmates and i left
... in a bad way.

As the weeks progressed, all the news about Montessori from my best friends grew worse and much worse.
Montessori sounded like it lost much of its' good, old excellence and care for its students that i once
enjoyed. "Palala na ng palala ang Montessori, parang nagiging wild na
talaga ang mga studyante dun..." lamented Jonathan after he told me the news of HS students like Ashley, NR,
Dave, Darwin and Hannah slashing wrists. From the way he lamented, i felt nothing but pity for Jonathan, Mark
and their other siblings(Emerson, Clarisse and James) for being in a besmirched, bleak Montessori.
Montessori is getting worse in both the academic and social fields.

One of the first news i heard from my best friends is that most of all the great teachers- sir Ian,
sir Manto, t. Anna, sir Ernest, etc- left because of meager salary(i couldn't blame them for leaving coz
they only receive less than PHP 10,000 a month- much smaller than what my current teachers earn every month),
poorer facilities and the wild, disorderly, raucous attitude of students there. So they were eventually
replaced with inexperienced, newlygrad teachers who were hoodwinked with the thought that Montessori pays a higher salary than
other private schools in San Pablo, it's well air-conditioned and it has students who were highly intelligent, meticulous, observant
neat, truthful, energetic, sociable, sincere, obedient, respectful and independent(aka MONTESSORI acronym-LOL)
who will enlighten them as well as shower them with affection and love. But poor them, instead they faced
life dealing with riotous, troublesome "Montessorians" who treat them with little or no respect nor
consideration, sleepless nights preparing lessons or events and worse of all, a scanty paycheck that they
often receive so late. I remember one time, Mark told me that they had a teacher who told them the reason
why she chose to teach in Montessori. She thought that Montessori was a really great school with
wonderful students, but instead it was the opposite of what she expected. She and other faculty members
felt so deceived and cheated as they began to teach in Montessori. Some teachers can't take
the madness of IJMCP anymore that they resigned and went some place else. All the remaining teachers don't
have the motivation to teach students well- out of the physical, mental and psychological exhaustion they
faced in Montessori. I couldn't blame them as well if next year they'll have a huge Montessorian
exodus the way sir Ian and all the others left the school.

Aside from the state of academic calamity the school is experiencing right now, Jonathan and Mark also
kept me well-informed about the current personal(and troublesome) lives of highschoolers in Montessori.
There were exposes, scandals, melodrama(ala xoxo, Gossip Girl) as well as the plain, stupid mischief made by guys
like Raymond, Mamay(Anthony), Dave, Jawo, Ervyn and all the others. All of them were just as shocking
as well as hilarious. As of August 7, 2010, Jonathan announced two new, love triangles: Raymond Ortega and
Hannah Cabrito(and Miguel Alfonso) and the Twinkle-Jawee-Jey love triangle(OMFG!!!!). Raymond recently hooked up with
Hannah(since Miguel also sumakabilang school din), and Jonathan also told me that may nangyayaring kababalaghan(ang ganda
ng term nya ah) between the two.
Jonathan told me that there's something happening between Twinkle and Jawee(
naging sila... since last year pa!!!), then Jey butts in along(coz she had a crush on Joey), then Joey left Twinkle and hooked up with Jey. But it was okay with Twinkle,
coz she was glad that she can focus more on her studies and keep her grades higher than last year(Yay, Twinkle!!).
If that kind of thing happened with me, Xurt and Wendy(since recently Wendymonia is implying that she crushes on Xurt-OH MY GULAY).
I think i'll celebrate coz i might be able to get B+s or shiny As on my grades, if ever i'll cry, i'll just
cry it off, get my beer stein from JR, fill it with Heineken and drink it out(then i'll probably blurt out in
Cantonese until im sober-the opposite effect on uncle Rocky). Speaking of Wendymonia, Mark often overheard
Muje teasing Wendy about Xurt(especially during the cooking fest)- ah ah, porket sumakabilang school
ako, ginaganyan na nila ako!!!! Then Mamay professed that he has a crush on Wendymonia(bagay sila).
The Jawo got a wart on his forehead so he became a "unicorn", Raymond threw water bottles on a tricycle
driver and Kassel is still in love with Michael Jackson.


Siiiiigh, im so glad to be where i am right now. I thought if you were in college, you would rather go back
to your highschool life, but looking at the way highschool is at the moment, i can't help but
think i would rather be in the comforts of (airconditioned) Rizal Lib studying for my
math 1 long test than face the taunts and pandemonium of Montessori life. I only hope that someday, life in
Montessori will be as happy and wonderful as Ateneo for both students and teachers alike. If only people
there will push some more magis, cura personalis and some awesome stuffs like vending machines, wifi-ed
campus, flatscreen computers, larger libraries with comfty chairs and some Harry Potter-ish magic then it would be really
fabilioh. ;)

The Isagani of Montessori

Isagani of Jose Rizal's political novel, El Filibusterismo, was a sensitive and patriotic poet whose impulsive action to save his love, Paulita Gomez, had him unintentionally sabotaging Simoun's plan to blow up Paulita's wedding place- thus, totally destroying a step to free Philippines from the cruel Spaniards. Isagani studied in Ateneo de Manila and he is best of friends with fellow Atenista (or as some say Tomasino) Basilio.

I got to know who Isagani was when Ate Ash told me the story of El Filibusterismo when i was in Grade 5. After hearing that Isagani messed Simoun's whole grand masterly plan up, i was so pissed up with him. It's also likely from Isagani where i first heard of Ateneo de Manila- the school im probably going to next school year. It's also worth noting that one point when i was in grade 6, my English teacher, Teacher Hailey Ferrer, told my class that her hubby(and my first physics teacher in Cahbriba), T.Jeric E. Ferrer, was descended from someone surnamed Egasani- Jose Rizal's old playmate whom Rizal probably named Isagani after.

For years, i looked at Isagani with contempt. I always thought of him as someone who's as crazy as Sisa( no wonder Isagani and Basilio are best of friends), especially when i was in fourth year highschool, when we were already discussing the chapter where Isagani was so emo about Paulita marrying off Juanito Pelaez. I felt so bad that i wished i was Isagani, so things would be much different from what happened in the story. According to my answer on my (last) final exam in Filipino, if i were Isagani, i took Basilio's advice, go far away with him and let Paulita die a terrible death with Juanito. The reason why i answered that, because Paulita broke Isagani's heart and she deserved to be blown up. I strongly believe in karma and in Justin Timberlake's song "What goes around, comes around."
I remember clearly as well that i asked T.Anna(my Filipino teacher) why Isagani can't let go of Paulita even if she dumped him. She looked at me with a smile and said, "Kasi Irish, may mga tao rin na di kayang maka let-go ng minamahal nila kahit sinaktan na nila sila. Ganun talaga pag love."("Because Irish, there are also people who can't let go of whom they love even if they're rejected. That's love anyway." in Filipino)

I never knew back then that i too, will end up slightly like Isagani- someone who was believed to be crazy, while in fact, just misunderstood because of a broken heart.

As my Montessori days drew to a close, i thought of packing up all my things from my besmirched locker and taking them home. As i ransacked all of my books, piles of quizzes, scitechs, blunt pencils and oil pastels, i came across my copy of El Filibusterismo, a book which gave me lots of laugh from the past and a sense of relation later on. I flipped across the pages- and singing "Insomia" whenever Macaraig is mentioned along the way-, until i landed on "Chapter 24- Mga Pangarap"(or "the aspirations of Isagani")

In this chapter, Isagani went to Malecon to meet up with his gf Paulita Gomez. Last night, he saw Paulita sweetly with his friend, Juanito Pelaez, in a French play, Les Cloches de Corneville. Out of shock, Isagani was petrified for the whole night.
That certain thursday was a cold, dark one for Isagani. Everything around him seemed depressing, all the people walking around seemed to be full of themselves and the children playing on the streets annoyed him. He recalls all the good times he had with Paulita and remembering them hurts him so. His pain was so severe that he wished that he would rather be killed by Germans than experience the heart ache he is having now.
Then, he met Paulita with Juanito and Donya Victorina. He told Paulita that he was upset upon seeing her with Juanito in the French play last night but Paulita told Isagani that she was upset too upon seeing him staring keenly at the French actresses(in fact, Isagani went blank because of her). Then Donya Victorina butts in and asks Isagani about Juanito.
Isagani was confused why Donya Victorina would ask about Juanito. He really want to tell Paulita and Donya Victorina all the evilness of Juanito, but out of courtesy, he just praised Juanito and told them that he's a good guy.
Then Isagani asked Paulita why her "ali" is asking him about Juanito. Paulita told him because she wanted to divorce Don Tiburcio de Espadana and marry Juanito. Tiburcio was hiding in Isagani's uncle's home somewhere very far from Manila. The two had a laugh about it.
Then Isagani told Paulita about his dreams and aspirations. He dreamt of marrying her and the two living together in his serene, peaceful province(aka where Isagani's uncle and Tiburcio Magnantuta lives) but for the super-pampered and spoiled Paulita, Isagani's idyllic paradise is a horrible hell full of creepy leeches.

Then after that, Dona Victorina called Paulita to go home. Surprisingly, she also invited Isagani for a ride with them, a ride that Isagani will surely remember. Beside Paulita, Isagani could feel the tingeling sensation of her soft, sweet smelling skin. Riding along the streets of Manila beside his lady fair made him think he was in heaven.

Some chapters later, Isagani was rejected by Paulita because of his liberal ideas(and his Amish paradise) and she married Juanito Pelaez instead. From then on, Isagani was hearbroken and dejected.

The reason why Chapter 24 had a huge impact in me is that because all of what Isagani felt in that chapter i felt as well, and something like this happened to me.
Chapter 24 sort of mirrors one texting galore of me and Xurt. The day before my camping, Xurt told me things about Wendy- which made me curious and a bit jealous. Then he confided in me that he has a huge crush on Wendy(much to my dismay since im developing some feelings for him) but CJ Recto also had a huge crush on Wendy as well. See? It's like an Isagani(me)- Paulita(Xurt)-Juanito(Wendy)- Dona Victorina (CJ) love square- it's not a triangle since there are four sides.
And Isagani's end also happened to me. Some days later, Xurt told me that he is in love with Wendy- a really huge blow in my heart(i thought Bill will be the next to break my heart after Keith). I was rejected the way Paulita rejected Isagani.

My similarities with Isagani are not only our school, kind of best friend, kind of guardian but our own love lives as well.

It's funny to hear that im comparing my love life to scenes from a deep, dark, political novel mainly about Spanish oppression in 19th century Philippines. But all of what i felt right now matches the mood, the disposition and most of all, the feelings of a certain character from the story. As my heart tear into pieces whenever i heard of Xurt and/or Wendy, so does Isagani whenever he saw Paulita being with Juanito. And with El Filibusterismo, i found someone whom i share the same situation and found a sense of relation with him.
Although i can strongly stress out that i don't feel true love in Xurt, my (puppy) love for him hurts me so. I wish when i hit my college days, i will no longer be hurt about him and move on with life. I hope i will never stare for endless hours on Xurt's text messages when i should be staring at the pages of my books, business plans, poems or essays. Isagani's case is more or less worse because his love for Paulita is true but he was lucky because text messaging aren't the in-thing back then-lol. After Paulita's wedding, Isagani went back to his uncle, uncle Fr. Florentino, in the somewhere-near-the-sea place, where he will never get to talk to or see Paulita again. Now that he's away from Paulita, it may be easier for him to forget about her.

Unlucky that i am still bound to reply if Xurt still texts me in Ateneo, there's still a good ray of luck in me. If i still get to hear from Xurt by that time, one day i'll hear him happily tell me that he's with Wendy. If that slightly inevitable day will come, i will invite my Chinese friends over to Crisostomo's resto in Eastwood to celebrate the "in-a-relationship status" of a hua-na(or whatever it is that us Fujianese-Filipinos call a Filipino) who once had a crush on me and i got a crush on once as well. In Crisostomo's, i will order Sisig Isagani, Bistek ni Pelaez and something concerning Paulita Gomez. Like in the Chapter "Tawanan at iyakan" where Isagani and his peeps jokingly dedicated some food to don Custodio and the friars, i will dedicate the Bistek ni Pelaez to Wendy, the something about Paulita to Xurt and Sisig ni Isagani to my besmirched lovelife and my freedom from Xurt. If im still heartbroken about Xurt by that time, then i should seriously take my best friend Jonathan's advice, "If you wanted to get away from Xurt, join Tokio Hotel".

The long, lost friend... and lover. (Part 1)

"I find it hard to believe that someone up there is waiting with arms open wide and smiling..."
- Eraserheads

Xurt Diaz. My crush who is the total opposite of Bill Kaulitz- di mukhang bakla, younger than i, doesn't have an awesome wardrobe, lanky but at least he got a crush on me as well, if he isn't really courting me(but he looks like he's courting me). He is some third year guy whom i just met again recently on our JS Prom. Tall, attractive but shy, that's what he is when i saw him on the JS while most of his classmates were mingling around the super Sulyap.
Actually, i first met him two years ago in the sports fest in Lipa. While i was frolicking around the Granja of Lipa, i came across GT hanging around with some guys(i thought they were his boyfriends). GT smiled at me and introduced to me the two guys he was with. From the names of the two guys- Tail(or Dale) and Exert(or Xurt)- they seemed to be two rather innocent first year boys whom i find really interesting to hang out with. I hanged out a bit with them and i never saw them again after that.

I remember clearly i begged Gt for Dale and Xurt's cellphone numbers.

...Ironic, isn't it?

Gt told me that he'll give me their numbers, but he never did. I don't know if that was a good thing to happen or not. It might be a good thing if Xurt was as mad about love as he is back then. It might be a bad thing because if Xurt and i were friends two years ago, he would have treated me differently right now.

A year later, i went off in Talisay and looked for my two guy pals from Lipa. Unfortunately, dad was mad at me for some weird reason so that's why i've been in Talisay for a few hours only(and saying in my mind "I will make up for this next year in Lucena") .
Then, in Lucena, i went off to find my two Lipa friends, but when i came to see the Lipa crew there, i lost hope and thought they probably forgot about me and i don't remember what they look like anymore. So instead of finding my two Lipa friends, i found no one but my "Kambal sa uma"(aka the Lucena alumna girl who looked a lot like me). I decided to forget about them and move on.

The months passed by and it was February. Back then, i was having the time of my life, being surrounded by my best buds, having the best classmates and teachers to goof out and during that time i feel like im contented with what i have in life. Like Tintin, i have no official lovelife whatsoever. If i have a lovelife to speak of during that time, then it would be Bill Kaulitz. Sadly, during that time, i was so pissed off with Bill coz his new style is so different and bad. I noticed him ditch his Christian Audigier tshirts and Adidas sneaks for (girly when he wears it)Dsquared shirts and high heeled Rick Owens boots. I felt lonely because i lost a style icon and worse of all, after two years of fawning after Bill, he became a vegetarian and a Twilight fan.

So there i was, on the last week of february, trying to accept the fact that Bill is no longer the person i really loved and looked up to for inspiration. Bill is constantly bugging my mind that i wanted to get rid of him, even just one moment. Then, that one moment i was wishing suddenly came.

My second(and probably last) JS prom is fast approaching, but i was much more excited about the upcoming JGSOM open house in Ateneo, which is the morning after the JS. My JS last year was really fun because i danced a lot(i mean a HELL LOT) and i was like partying like in 1699, so it doesn't matter to me whether my last JS will turn up good or bad. It doesn't matter to me also if i take all the dance practices, picking the dance partner and such all seriously(except for looking for a dress to wear since i never wore my dream JS gown-a black dress- last JS). I remember that i was reluctant at first to attend the general rehearsal with the Lipaers the morning of JS day, but then i attended(to avoid sir Cris' wrath) and that was the first time i saw my long lost friend again...

Ah, eto pala si Xurt... I thought as my eyes fell on Elyzza's extra partner wearing green(in case Kevin will not make it coz Kevin's pretty unpredictable) from Lipa. During the practice, nothing unusual happened, although when i got on the jeep with Gt and smiled at Angelou as we departed, Xurt smiled back at me-thinking that i smiled at him(feeling nya sya-or kasing ganda nya- si Angelulu).

Then the big night came, i arrived just in time for the JS to start. My JS was going a bit well, the food was great, admiring each others' dresses and all those things. After dancing with Asriel, i went on to my partner Paolo Alcance to dance with me, but Paolo was too occupied with his itouch, so i just thought of asking out some guy from Lipa, then i recalled Xurt...

He was sitting somewhere with his friends Karlo and CJ when i asked him out. He was surprised and he got up. For me, dancing with guys is nothing special. But for Xurt, it's the opposite. As we danced to a slow song, we talked about ourselves- age, being a fourth year and such. At first, i haven't noticed him falling for me, parang wala lang. I just noticed when i often catch him looking at me, grinning at me, following me around(except in the bathroom), talking in a hushed tone and glancing at me with either Karlo or Cj and when i won "Most elegant lady" (i heard Cj whisper at Xurt, "Oh, pareho na din kayo...")

After the JS ended, he asked for a picture with me and my number- which i both gave. I shook his hand and bid farewell. As i got into bed that night, i just thought that it's better to forget Xurt because i'll be leaving Montessori in a month, at least i met the friend i was looking for a long time.

The next day, before the simulated IT class of Prof Alyson Yap started, i received a mysterious text message from an unknown number. I was horrified when i read the message because the messenger called me "his darling". I figured out it was from Xurt because the guy who sent the message was babbling about last night's dance and before i left the JSlast night, Xurt promised me that he'll text me in the morning. So i went pale and everyone around me seemed to have frozen as if a giant ice-shroom was planted on the courtyard of the JGSOM or Hermione Granger conjured an "Immobilus" spell and froze everything drastically, especially my brains. I found it hard to concentrate in sir Alyson's rather interesting class(he was talking about Microsoft Excel and he said that you can make games like Hangman or Battleships-the one Lazlo Carreidas and Captain Haddock played in Flight 714- using that boring Microsoft office application). Then he texted me again after the JGSOM open house, he told me sorry for the late reply(since i texted him after Alyson Yap's class) and he should have danced with me. He kept on blaming himself for that mistake. he told me that he hoped that we can dance again. I never got to reply back to him until about 3 PM, since i was too petrified with him calling me darling. It was the first time i was considered"Darling" by a guy(coz it's usually my mom or some gay people who call me that). I told him that i can be his partner again next year if he wants. He told me that i was the kindest and the most confident of all the peeps in the main branch. My confidence level was the opposite of his. He wished that he danced with me more. And here's a more shocking thing he told me, he caught the weakness of his heart... Okay, so it's also the first time i caught the weakness of someone's heart. o.0

Then his texts went from shocking to nagging. He asked me if i got a boyfriend already(he said that him asking that proves that he likes me). He then told me that he never been in a relationship and nakakatuwa daw ako talaga. I remember i was really annoyed and rather shocked because no one ever spoke to me like that before. He was like a Bianca Castafiore showering annoying sweet affection to Captain Haddock.
But he does not intend to start a relationship with me(much to my relief),He just don't feel he is responsible enough. Then he told me that he likes me, he likes my first impression, but at that time he's not yet sure of my personality. I was really nice, he said. He even noted that the wallpaper of his cellphone is our picture. Basta, he likes me, hangang dun na lang daw.He warned me that he's not a biting some sort of burden. Then i told him that i was shocked, so he said he was sorry for being too fast. I told him i wasn't surprised at all that he likes me coz there's a lot of evidence that he likes me. He told me that i was his type(because of my attitude), nakakatuwa raw ako, i was the first one from San Pablo who smiled at him, and he's gonna make our picture his primary photo on facebook. I snapped at him that i don't want a boyfriend because i love the single life i am living in and of course im easily distracted, but i thanked him for liking me because no one ever liked me the way he did. Well, he was so caring and super concerned to me. He likes my attitude, personality, appearance but not me as a whole because he does not completely know me, but he added that i am caring and kind that's why he doesn't want to hurt such a person like me. I asked him why he doesn't want to dance with me when the next song(basta di mellow na kanta yun), he told me he prefers mellow coz it's relaxing. I asked him what if i can't make it to his JS next year. He told me that he'll be sad and ask someone else to dance with him. He'll be sad since there will be no one who will ask him to dance the way i did. I told him that i enjoyed dancing with him and he was flattered. He wished that maulit yun muli pero mas matagal.

The next day, we talked about what kind of best friends and buddies do we have in school. I told him that i have the best set of best friends one can ask for- Jonathan, Mark and Marlon and also Gt. Jonathan, Mark, Marlon and I love to do some mischief, have fun and talk about things like Harry Potter, Tintin, Tokio Hotel, sir Manto and our personal lives. Xurt likes to hang out with those who are flexible(di daw maarte), makulit kausap, mejo mahinhin at magalang(a bit meek and polite) and sweet kausap, like me. Then i told him that he was already my friend, a long lost friend. He was baffled and asked me why he was my long lost friend while in fact he first met me on the JS. I told him that i met him and Dale last 2007 when the school's Sportsfest was held. They were hanging around with Gt when i met them both. As i walked into the Granja, enjoying the fresh air and the constantly cloudy Lipa skies, i stopped when i saw Gt, who was hanging around with two guys(whom i assumed were Gt's new papables because he seemed to get a bit too tired with Julien's company). Then the rest is history. But Xurt sadly told me he never recalled meeting me before. As for Dale, he later told me that he still remember meeting me on the sportsfest with Gt and Xurt- good for him. The only things Xurt remembers from the sportsfest were that they won first place in the cheering, they had a very mean dance instructor called sir Darwin, Gt and Ate Kim and he gave ate Kim a jigglypuff doll(awww... that was sweet). I told him that i went looking for him after meeting him. He asked me why the hell i went looking for him, anong meron daw sa kanya nun? Basta nung JS daway panibagong kaibigan ako para sa kanya. Nabigla talaga sya sa akin kasi first time na may nagtanong sa kanya na girl. He was so glad when we danced because it was his first time and the girl he danced with was very sweet. He couldnt really recall the sportsfest when i first met him. Then he asked me to tell Wendy he's not strict, hehehehehehehehehehe(include the laugh). and that we(him and cj) did not asked her out to dance because maybe she'll ignore them, making them embarrased in front of a lot of people. Little did i know Xurt has some skeletons in his closet, if i figured out what was it at that time, i wouldn't be hurt(and i might be a hell lot happy for myself).

Then the days went on and he constantly greeted me good mornings, some sweet nothings and good nights. I clearly remember when Xurt texted Gt and asked him to say hi to me for him, which made my classmates swoon and jeer at me for having an admirer at last. Phoebe and Rizelle's nagging me to answer Xurt(ano to?? proposal para magpakasal?? o.0), Julien's telling Dean that he got in his cellphone yung sex video daw namin(wtf??), and when i was massaging my pet horse Kevin, Julien told me that Derek will get jealous if he founds out(I was like sino si Derek before Julien realized his mistake and that the guy he was talking about is Xurt- Derek pala ang pangalan ni Xurt sa France). I could also remember one certain lunchtime, i was in the middle of a deep dicussion about Tintin with Jonathan and Mark when suddenly Xurt texted me (Hello po, nakakain na po ba kayo??:) or something like that) . I showed the text message to my homies and Jonathan said "Oh dear..."(while i went on "Oh my..."). Then i sighed and told them that Xurt's a bit like Castafiore if i am Captain Haddock. Then Jonathan asked me what if Xurt became the president of the Philippines and the first thing he did as president is to have Bill Kaulitz killed(patay, wala nang kakanta ng "through the monsoon" or "world behind my wall"), me captured and marry me?? I told them i would escape to China and get Chinese citizenship(good luck sa paghahanap sa akin dun, sige halukayin nyo ang buong Xiamen at wala kayong makikita doon na Irish Domingo. Nandun lang ako as Wong Chuk Chak Cheneses at di nyo yun alam kasi di kayo marunong mag salita ng Cantonese- in your face!!!). Then they told me that what if he had my Chinese citizenship revoked and he had me deported back to the Philippines, i told them i would fly off to Tibet(i was talking about Tintin a while ago) and hang out with the Yeti-a reference to Chang Chong Chen. Then Jonathan asked me what if they found me in Tibet and had the Yeti killed as well? I told them, i'll fly off to Borduria, then what if they found me in Borduria, and so and so forth (i remember i told them i would go to Slydavia, then Belgium, then Sweden, then San Teodoros, then France, then Italy, then Pulau Bompa-Bompa islands, then Iran, then Iraq, then Israel, then Hogwarts, then Leaky Cauldron, then the Tsing Ma bridge, then Munich, then Moscow, then St. Petersburg, then Berlin, then i dunno) until they told me the best way to stay away from Xurt is to join Tokio Hotel. I asked them why and they both said, without batting an eyelash, "basta..."
I guess the reason why is that because Xurt had Bill(or Gustav because he got glasses and Xurt knows i find guys with glasses hot and poor Gusti's assassins might mistook him for Bill) killed in the first place. Of course, as the one who killed the beloved Tokio Hotel member, Tom, Georg and Gustav(or Bill if Gustav was the one who was killed) might want to kill him off in case he gets near them. Then i would replace the dead member. If Bill wasn't the one who was killed, i might be luckier.

There is also one point when Xurt and i talked about IJMCP Lipa not having a lot of female students. Xurt then told me that there are some third year(and a fourth year) girls from IJMCP San Pablo being linked with third year Lipa guys. He advised me that when someone teases me about him, i should reply back with "Ingit ka lang, gumaya ka na lang sa amin"(You're just jealous, why can't you imitate us instead?). Then he asked if it's true that im Chinese(no wonder im so fair-skinned), and i told him yes(Chinese, Filipino and Spanish). I asked him what he is, he told me that i was 3 in one and he was pure pinoy(Hua-na). Then after some kamustas, he told me about Karlo Matira, his best friend. He told me that masarap kasama ang mga best friends nya like Geelo, CJ, Dale and Karlo. They don't have any close gal pals. He wished that im with them. In my thoughts, i wonder what life will be like if i spent my highschool years instead in Montessori Lipa. Most probably, im friends with them or with Angelou. I asked him how did he know the fact i was Chinese and i looked for him in Talisay and Lucena. He revealed that those information came from Abby Cabrito. She often asks him if he got a crush on me and if he was courting me. He said no. Then he told me that all the third year girls of San Pablo were very crazy and he wished that there are girls like them in Lipa.

Then some days later, we were talking about his preferences in a girl because sir Leinard Lacdao(the fourth year adviser whom im a bit close with last retreat because he's close with Angelou, my roomate-lol) dissed me out in his class. Xurt wants a girl who is medyo makulit, hindi yung maarte. He furiously said that that gay(sir Leinard) is just jealous because he spoke so frankly in class that i am so boyish. I was a bit shocked because sir Leinard was so kind with me last retreat and he would talk like that about me behind my back(in my mind, the word "Turncoat" frustratingly echoed). For him, ok na ok ako, bongang bonga. Then after talking about my best friends Jonathan, Mark and Malon, Xurt warned me to steer clear from them because they might do or think something bad to me as if he knew my three best friends so well. If he was pertaining to NR that is okay, but stay away from Jonathan, Mark and Marlon- my three prudish best buds who deliberately refuse to talk about anything malicious or sexual- is something out of the question. And he also said that if he was one of them, magpapaporma sya sa akin...
I was like "...WTF?? Grabe, gago yata 'tong Xurt na to." He had simply gone too far that he offended, shocked and hurt me a lot. So out of shock and annoyance, i stopped texting him.

It went on for days without texting him, but all of a sudden, i felt so strange. There isn't anyone who greet me sweetly with good mornings, good nights, who asks me if i've eaten already, in short someone who cared a lot for me. During that point, dad begins to go out of the house at night and go home really, really late and he begins to be more irritable. I felt a kind of terrible guilt because i just stopped texting him without him knowing the reason why, especially after i dissed him out and told what he told me to Jonathan, Mark and Marlon. Of course, they were all pissed off with him and they told me not to talk that much with him anymore. To them, Xurt sounded so mayabang and prolly maangas(which i don't like). Then out of the blue, i texted him after the exams ended. I told him why i never texted him for a long time and we were pissed off with what he told me about my best friends. Then he replied back so quick to me, he said sorry about giving that kind of advice to me, he didn't mean to hurt me or my friends. He has been a victim of a case and he doesn't want me to be a victim too. He always tend to give tips to his friends. Then i told him that i understood and i also told him about his infamous line "magpapaporma sya sa akin...", he explained that he wants to show me that he's a decent person so that i'll come to think of him as a kind person and be friends with him for a long time. Not like the others who are like adiks.

Then out of a sudden, he went on ranting about himself, his family and how stupid his life is. He's so angry at himself for being nagmamagaling sa mga kakilala nya, maigi nalang daw na manahimik nalang daw sya, or maybe because San Pablo people's way of thinking is different from Lipa-ers. He shouldn't have talked sarcastically to us. And from there, i felt so sorry that i told him that i forgiven him already. Then he went on saying that he doesn't deserve to be forgiven, his mistake is that he always talk to people and act as a good help in giving tips. He guess he must stop it, he didn't mean to make me think something that i didn't want him to. To be honest, life's unfair to him. He then told me that i got a nice dad(...nice?? o.0) who i could hang out with, and i got a very nice set of loving friends. He has a dad, too (of course, everyone got a dad). But he's the opposite of the usual dads, he treats him cruelly as if he was a maid. His mom always hangs out with her old friends so he couldn't speak to her that much. His only shoulder to lean are his friends, he gives them what he cannot give to his parents. He said that "...if you were in my situation, maybe you can't take it anymore and just run away from home. That's a part of my stupid life..."

For the first time ever, i felt so terribly sorry and ashamed at myself for misunderstanding someone who look up to me as if i was as awesome and desirable as Bill Kaulitz. I heard from kuya Al(the guy who "cleans" Montessori) that Xurt came from a well-to-do family. His dad was a professor/school director in AMA Lipa and his mum is a businesswoman who knows how to speak in Japanese. I was a bit impressed and i thought Xurt lives a happier life than i do but i was wrong. I went to ask for his forgiveness but he said that i shouldn't ask forgiveness, he should be the one(ah okaaay...). Behind his big smiles are lots of tears dripping from his eyes. Many people might think of him as a happy person, but actually he only smile to release the pain inside him, iba talaga kapag hindi pa natin kilala ang isang tao...

So, i explained to him that i accept him because of what he is right now, not from his background. He admits that im right and he really does felt neglected by his family. Sometimes he wonders what would his family live and do without him, leading him to think of running away-which he wouldn't do. Then i told him that everything's gonna be okay since he got friends like me by his side.

El Filibusterismo- a crazy twist by the fourth years

My class' crazy version of Jose Rizal's famous El Filibusterismo... (mostly Dean, Gt and mine's version-lol) I hope no one will bash about it. Reading El Filibusterismo is part of the Philippine highschool curriculum, so every senior highschool student in the Philippines should study about Jose Rizal's famous, awe-inspiring historical novel. Im sure that some students may find reading that novel as boring and useless but if they're blessed with absurd thinking classmates, they might find the story filled with weird settings, crazy events and a rather colorful cast like corny stuffs, people dying from drinking too much coffee, Corazon Aquino, UPLB, Francis M, Craig David, Tokio Hotel planning to invade the Philippines literally, old men learning how to dance ballet, the Kapitan Heneral kidnapped by UST students, people being arrested for driving their calesas in Makati when their calesas are coding and After-British-rule-Hong Kong pop culture.

Once upon a time, there was a very corny streamer called "Tabo" making it's way slowly among the murky Laguna de Bay(that is full of mermen and gillyweeds). There was mud, bamboos and Bamboo singing "Yo tell me what you want..." in the banks of the bay as the streamer passes by. In the upper deck of the streamer are Spaniards and Spaniard-Spaniardans talking about Spanish stuffs, Rommjan Mendoza and a certain "Rey Mysterio" called Simoun. Primadonna Dona Victorina was pissed off with the old, merry indios around the lake and the skipper shouting "Baporps" and "Estaborps". On the lower deck are passengers like Indios and sleeping Cheneses. Among them are Basilio- my Atenista best friend from the mental hospital and Isagani- who had a crush of Phoebe's ex's girlfriend. Those guys were talking about putting up a Spanish school. Basilio is on his way to go home to his hometown Jerusalem. In the Noche Buena of Ashton Kutchero, he was beaten up by some Bashi-bazouks while Kevin just looks at him tearfully.
Then Basilio snuck down from the house in which he was staying at and into the woods where his mental mom Sisa was buried. There he met "Papa Piolo" Simoun, whom Basilio quickly recognizes as Crisostomo Ibarra.
On Christmas time, Basilio's gf Juli woke up with a start and snogged the emerald locket Basi gave her. The locket once belonged to Salazar Slytherin, then to the basilisk who lives in a secretive chamber of deputies in France, then to Maria Clara after defeating the monster on a French Riviera vacation with Ibarra 13 years back, then to a beggar/gigolo called Nicholas Toussant, then to Basilio as payment for curing his syphilis. Her dad Kabesang Tales who had a really hard time with the Prayle corporation. The Prayle corp. are trying to confiscate Kabesang Tales' land in which he, his zombie wife, his zombie eldest daughter, Juli, Tano, Old Tata Selo ( not GT's little sis, okay?? she doesn't even exist during Rizal's time) and some gang of Amishes worked hard and partied like in 1699. Then Kabesang Tales got kidnapped by a gang of communists because... well, he is a rich capitalist who invest in the London, New York, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore stock exchange. The communists are asking Juli for $ 500,000,000,000,000,000 and some bags of Cheezee and Clover to eat. Having none of these ready, she went to work as a maid for Corazon Aquino aka Hermana Penchang. One day, Tata Selo suffered a stroke after a ballet practice and then he lost his voice. Then Juli finally paid off the communists and set dad free.
One day, Kabesang Tales got mad at the friars to the point he stole Simoun's revolver and exchanged it with Juli's locket(which has so much sentimental value for Simoun aka Ibarra) and ironically, joined the NPAs who kidnapped him- Stockholm Syndrome much??
Then in Los Banos, the Governor General and his homies were hunting some deers and UP students as they talked about the Spanish school thing kids like Basilio were talking about, Jesuit priests and sore eyes.
Meanwhile, in faraway UST in Espania, Sampaloc Manila, UST law student Placido Penintente was having a really hard time with his Physics professor Padre Millon because Millon wasn't a licensed teacher (Okay, try finding Millon in the list of licensed teachers in PRC). Then it was mentioned that 19th century Atenistas hastily walk around wearing European clothes like H&M, Christian Audigier, Tazuma, Marks and Spensers, Topshop, Zara, Mango and Chanel with a pile of books on their arms like Hermione Granger, while Letraners walk around with fewer books and they were wearing Pinoy mainstream clothes like Bench, Penshoppe, Human, those big "Three stars and a sun" tshirts, i heart Ninoy tshirts, Cory ribbons and banana peel slippers. Then there are also plans to erect a statue of a well-loved UST Prof(i hope it's sir Nyeh Nyeh aka sir Nick) to rival "Avatar-Benavides".
In UST, students arent allowed to touch scientific apparatus so UST sucks back then.
In Macaraig(the guy who sang Insomia)'s Xavierville town house was full of boarding Atenist students who spend much time doing homework(as usual), play fencing, basketball and hitting Chinese vendors who can't set up a Shakeys, Starbucks or Macdonalds franchise near Ateneo back then. Here, we meet Sandoval, the Spanish thespian who loves everything Filipino and Pecson, the guy who says "No to drugs". In Macaraig's home, all the guys who wanted to set up a school for the Spanish language meet up and talk about their plans. They need to bribe Don Custody or Ginoong Pasta so their Spanish school will be approved. The bribes that they will be using are hookers from Amsterdam and Las Vegas. Sadly, both failed.
Meanwhile, the Chenes Quiroga who looks a hell like me was having a party in the USA in his house, inviting all the most important poobahs of the land so he can be the consul of China. Quiroga was being emo about losing some 9000 pesoses because he bought some purty bracelets from Simoun and he offered a salamahe lady just one of the bracelets but she got them all. Simoun told the chenes not to fret and he'll pay all the people's debts from him on one condition. The condition is that Quiroganess should allow Simoun to use his warehouse to store his guns, ammo and AKs.
After the party of Quiroga, Ben Zayb and Father Camorra went to the Quiapo fair(aka manghuhula, gayuma, pirated dvd, porn vids, Hayden Kho and eskandalo galore) and they were gawking at the girls out there, they even spotted Paulita Gomez making a grand entrance with an Isagani who seemed to be looking like a Bill Kaulitz strutting around on a Comet awards' red carpet. Thank goodness for them(and for Juanito and Dona Victorina being emo behind them), paparazzis don't exist yet since digicams aren't the in thing yet back then.
Then an American wannabe cholo gangsta mr.Leeds had a magic show which had Dean Villar's talking head(even if he's decapitated, he still talks and talks). Then Padre Salvi fainted and seeing this as an awesome fad to follow, all the ladies in the show also fainted.
Then some boring chapters later, there was a show called Mel and Joey that everyone in Manila wanted to watch. There was a guy called Camaroncocido who was being greeted "Kaibigan..." by
Boy Abunda, then his best friend Francis M came wearing a pair of Levis jeans. Francis M told Camaroncocido that Rizelle gave him a large sum of money for Mel and Joey posters to be posted all over Manila. In the show, Tadeo was showing all his homies from the province how awesome he is in Manila that he even knew the Governor general personally. While hanging out with Macaraig("Insomia, hu-aaaaaah..."), Isagani spotted Paulita from a distance dating Juanito Pelaez and with Dona Victorina as chaperon. Isagani was downtrodden but he recalled poor Don Tiburcio (Madlangtuta), the battered hubby of Dona Victorina who fled and spirited away in UPLB, where he was having a good time as a political activist of the Arroyo regime.
(Then Dean shouted that Tiburcio is hotter than Juanito Pelaez after t. Anna told us that Dona Victorina loves Juanito)
While Isagani is into the blue(and when he lose himself, he thinks of you?? wtf...), Macaraig, Pecson, Sandoval and Tadeo are waiting for the cancan of Julien Jehan. The reason why there are domestic helpers is that because of the domestiques.
(Then Dean told us that in this part Juanito undressed Dona Victorina. yuck, Dean...)
Meanwhile, Juanito was telling Donya Victorina about some French like Servantes(yung mga tulad daw ni Julien).
After that, Maria Clara suddenly died, which thwarted Simoun's plans for a revolution tonight. No, the reason why Simoun wasn't in the play is that because he is the makeup artist of the French actresses.
The next day, Isagani was full of jealousy and anger as he walked through the valley where he harvests his grain. He was sad because of Paulita, he remembers the times when he was with her, when they saw Agua and Bendita. Then he met up with Paulita who confronted him(since she thought last night that Isagani was also waiting for the cancan like Macaraig) and then both forgave each other. Isagani told Paulita to come live with him, Father Florentino and Tiburcio Madlangtuta and be his love in Kowloon Bay, but Paulita told him that she doesnt want to live in an inaccessible place since there's no cheap bus routes there and she doesn't have a passport yet. Isagani told Paulita that there's an MTR station there, but still Paulita doesn't want to.
Then Macaraig(Insomia-aaaaaaaaaah...), Isagani, Pecson, Sandoval, Juanito and some other people went to a Chenes resto where they saw Cyclops and there is a banner on the resto that says "Luwalhati kay Bill Kaulitz dahil sa kanyang ka-ulagaan"
Because of Cyclops, there are posters flying out everywhere in Manila the next day. Basilio, who wasn't in the dinner party, was arrested and Macaraig(Insomia-aaaaah...) laughed a lot as they are both sent to prison. Isagani and Father Fernandez were babbling about something we found boring.
After that, Manila was in chaos. Quiroga became paranoid and he hired a battalion of bodyguards, then Tokio Hotel came in Metro Manila(YEEPEE!!!^^), the Kapitan Heneral was kidnapped by students from UST(see, i told you a lot of UST students are evil like *cough* Keith Coral??), Padre Irene visited Kapitan Tiago, Kapitan Tiago died from drinking too much coffee, Tadeo was shot and Isagani surrendered himself to authorities since he's crazy and a kamanyag is a snake bite.
While Basilio was in prison, Juli asked Hermana Bali-who lives in Bali- for advice since Tata Selo is corny. She had a nightmare of Basilio being AK-ed by Spaniards. Bali told her to go to Camorra, where she was almost raped but she killed herself.
After being released, almost all the students failed their exams. Macaraig(Insomia-aaaaaaaaaahh) went to Europe to start a musical career. Only Isagani and Sandoval passed the exams. Basilio was still in jail coz he possessed the book of everything which the Spaniards banned since it's written in English. Ashton Kutcher was thrown in prison with Basilio because his calesa is coding in Makati. Isagani was dumped by Paulita because he's weird. Paulita will be marrying Juanito off because he's shy, sweet and quiet... just like her. Paulita told Isagani that Juanito is the one she wants to be with, get it?? ;-)
So Isagani cried, cried and cried.
Suddenly, Basilio was set free by Simoun. Basilio now a changed man, joined Simoun, who was planning to blast off Paulita and Juanito's wedding with nitro gliserina(aka pampaputi). Then the wedding day came("Oh hinde..." said Dean). Most of the students went back home and played farmville, while Isagani was nowhere to be seen(Either nasa CR, nasa Cafeworld or tinitingnan ang mga photos ni Paulita sa facebook nya at nag e-emo).
Simoun left the wedding feast and gave a lamp to the couple. The lamp was supposed to set off if it werent for Isagani's epal-ness that he threw the lamp off and jumped in the river.
Then came the chika minute of Ben Zayb, when everyone discovered that Simoun is probably a filibuster like Captain Haddock claimed.
Meanwhile in the Orendas' residence. Isagani was playing with the youngest Orenda girl with sunka, jump ropes, play doh and barbie dolls when the Orendas, Moymoy Palaboy and Chichoy talked about the wedding feast. There was gunpowder all over the place and they revealed that Isagani is Chinese like Quiroga and so does Father Florentino. After that, Isagani bid farewell to the Orendas and went off to Kowloon Bay to live with his uncle and forget all his miseries with history books, watching Old time buddy, Virtues of Harmony 1-kasi ang settings nun ay 15th century- and some childrens' show on TVB, asnwering sudoku on the streets and bottles of Heineken with his uncle(di ba, dun naman talaga yung tito nya nakatira?? yung tito nyang Chenes na mahilig sa Heineken at Doraemon??).
After that, Matanglawin(aka Kabesang Tales or popularly known as Kuya Kim) killed a judge... OMG. Then Tano accidentally killed the corny tata Selo.
Then the "katapusan" came in Kowloon Bay when Father Florentino received a not from Perez Hilton that the Spanish officials are going to his house to capture a disabled Spaniard and have a cup of tea with him. Tiburcio Madlangtuta, thinking he was the disabled Spaniard the Spanish guys were implying that they wanted to capture, fled off the father's house. The disabled Spaniard was in fact Simoun, who was hiding in Florentino's house. Simoun took poison and he told Florention of his secret. He was Crisostomo Ibarra, after a great misfortune in the Philippines, he fled to Cuba(where there are a lot of kubas) and made friends with the Kapitan Heneral and helped him rose into power. Then he inspired corruption in the Philippines(that's why there is corruption in the Philippines) and the rest is history. Simoun died(so Isagani havent saw this coz he's always late, he rode in the Philippine Airlines, there was a huge traffic between Chek Lap Kok and Kowloon Bay or all of the above??) and Father Florentino threw Simoun's riches off the bay, hoping the riches will be for the use of good stuffs instead of evil(but instead it was unearthed by scrupulous, greedy and dirty Chinese jewelers and used them to make fake versions of those and sell them on ebay).

Finished.

Shenanigans at the ACET

Last week, i just had my Ateneo College Entrance Test or aka "the unfinishable entrance exam" as i noticed( because of the short time particularly at the aptitude tests) but i found the ACET more memorable than the UPCAT in a lighter way, with those kwelas, kagagugan and kabalastigan happening inside me, poof, it became oh so memorable.
The essay part- after answering the English part(it was kinda easy coz they were mostly those questions sir Manto used to ask us in quizzes and exams- yeah i owed a great deal with him even if he's kinda strict), we were given out a question to answer in essay form. Unfortunately most of us had only 15 minutes to do the essay befores up for the English. Actually, my essay was missing a good conclusion, i was still in the middle of giving out a good arguement and example- Im not talking about Tokio Hotel here. ;)
The math part- Earlier that morning, i overheard some parents who were talking about the ACET. Some of their children's friends took the ACET on Manila yesterday and they told that the math part was really hard. I admit the math part was hard, that is the problem solving part(which is the Numerical Ability on the aptitude test part later on). But the math on the red test paper was fairly easy. Like on the english with sir Manto, the math one was kinda like what sir Ian mostly asks us about(except for the trigonometry part). When i was answering the f of x and synthetic division part, I imagined sir Ian beside me playing with a psp and telling me "Ay lugeh ka ngayon". That made me mutter out "Lugeh ka ngayon..."
General Information- My favorite part in the aptitude test since most questions were based from history and im such a history buff. There were also those science questions but at least those mole fractions, avogadro's law, gay lussac's law and chemistry computations were gone but in the numerical ability there were those compuations for Physics.
Reading Comphrehension- This was the explitly, kinda lustful one. There was a reading there about dreams and what dreams really serves as for people. I read there that dreams were like the thoughts hidden in our minds that we completly deny which only submerge when we're asleep. So my first thought about it went to Bill Kaulitz, whom i dreamed a few times "doing it" with him. Gasp, that means i want some pornographic moment with Bill?!!... i thought. Of all things that i can recall during the ACET like Sisa, Basilio, Yael Yuzon, sir Manny, Crispin, Hermione Granger, why should it be my very deep, intimate moment with Bill that never really happened?
Like if Bill was really there beside me at that very moment and he can read minds like his idol Edward Cullen, he would've slapped me multiple times and cursed me in German that i'll not pass the ACET.

So my tips for those who'll be taking the ACET next year, study well in PROBLEM SOLVING, STATISTICS and TRIGONOMETRY, HISTORY, GRAMMAR AND READING COMPREHENSION, buy a watch to keep track of time, learn how to write an essay fastly in just 15 minutes with complete introduction, arguement, examples and conclusion, and listen to your teachers. And when ACET day comes, you'll discover that the ACET is more than an entrance exam. It may be one unfinishable exam but you'll discover that you're in for a wonderful kind of adventure whether you'll pass or not.

Ah, adik... Bill's gone "adik " over Twilight

Yeah, i just read in my ever reliable Tokio Hotel source, Tokio Hotel Network, that Bill fessed up in an interview that he was obsessed with Twilight!! *gasp* NOOOOOO!!!
Putang Ina, why?
He said that people kept on telling him to watch Twilight and so he watched it on an airplane on his way to LA. Then he got hooked with it.
I forgive him for being a Twilight fan, since i never watched Twilight anyway that's why i hid my animosity over that piece of literature from everyone, but i know the plot of the story and i hate the plot from what i've imagined it to be as i read it. I like Harry Potter better because it's more enlightening and wonderful. The kind of fantasy in Harry Potter is had more light heartedness than in Twilight, Twilight is just passion and a bit of mysterious darkness, doesn't have much humor than HP has. In Twilight, they just deal with teenage love while Harry Potter deals with not only love but family, friends and justice.
Who knows if i got the chance to watch it, i might as well like it(the movie), those changes in the plot is quite inevitable in every adapted films, who knows it will suit my taste- like Repertory Philippines' Jack in the Benastalk(i once thought that Jack and the beanstalk would be very boring but i was wrong- it entertained me very much in every scene no matter how very childish the play was). I just hate Twilight coz of the plot and the rabid, immature fans who kept on fainting everytime someone mention Edward Cullen's name and they kept on comparing Twilight, a very Mary Sue-ish story to Harry Potter, a very brilliant and heartwarming story. Im very sure that the moment Mimi Niggel hears this one, she will go on and make a "fiesta" out of it. She might even write that her Heather was on the plane with Bill and she's the one who made him watch Twilight.
And why did he told this thing just a week before i take my ACET? I might lose some concentration when ACET day comes on september 20. Boooooo!!! Does that means he doesn't want me to study in Ateneo? at least he doesn't have a girlfriend now that will keep myself insane for months, or else my chances of passing Ateneo, De Lasalle and Ust will be affected. AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF BILL!!!
His Twilight/HP loving cousin Audrie might have something to do with this. tsk, tsk...
Why didn't she influence Bill with Harry Potter instead? Sigh, oh well.