We had dinner at my aunt’s house tonight a couple of blocks from our house for the 4th birthday of one of my cousins. He’s so hilarious! Times like these make me realize that I am very fond of children.

We did a home-visit of our TD students in Nangka, Marikina. It was fun, fulfilling and sad at the same time. I spent almost four hours walking all around the depressed settlements of Nangka with my kids. One of my kids’ family lived in a small carboard shanty barely four square meters large. That hit me the most. It makes me very angry. At the politicians who spend millions of pesos of public funds and pork barrel on themselves and on useless projects instead of providing these people with better opportunities to make their lives better. Nobody has to live like that. Cramped up depressed communities along the Tumana River. I felt very ashamed everytime they’d ask what school I go to. I’d use all the possible euphemisms for an axclusive all-boys school where many elitists and political children study to tell the parents when they ask.

At the same time, it was fun. I mean, spending about four hours of my afternoon with my kids just roaming around Nangka. Fun fun. At one of my kids’ home, they all danced the Sexbomb Girls’ Spaghetti Song for me. One of them has a crush on my classmate. It broke my heart when she asked if he was rich. It broke my heart to tell her, yes, we are all rich. I didn’t want to create any gap between us. In a country where class differences create huge gaps in society.

After the home-visits, some of my classmates and I went to Cortez’s house where he treated us to dinner for his birthday.

The thing I hate about having headaches is not the fact that I get to vomit everything I’ve eaten for the day, it’s the fact that it paralyzes me to a state of inactivity. I had a headache yesterday and I wasn’t able to do all my homeworks. I woke up a little bit past midnight and typed away. The thing I’ve got to remember though is that I didn’t have any printer at home as of the moment. So I asked my mom to print my English essay at her office and have it sent to me before Recess. That’s why I hate headaches.

Ateneo lost yesterday! About time to burst some overgrown egos!

CAT has been quite fun the past weeks because of the CAT Olympics. We would often spent minutes just sitting on the grassy field as a class under the torrid sun with tens of flying dragonflies and nothing to do. Hehe. We won the push-up and wheelbarrow contests courtesy of Cortez’s amazing muscular skill. Wohoo.

My mom dragged me to bowling tonight. Frustrating. It’s been a while.

Today was such a fun day for a school day. We only had our first two periods today. After the second period, we were allowed to go to Araneta Coliseum to watch our semifinals basketball game against De La Salle Zobel. Almost all seniors and juniors went to watch.

I hitched a ride with Raf to Araneta. Patrick, Pendix, Erik and our dear moderator Mrs. Bernardo (hehe) were with us in the car. Our dear old moderator is really hilarious. Her opinions and rationale may be really weird. But they are hilarious! We love her for that! Wonderful? Wonderful!! Beautiful? Beautiful!

Anyway, the La Salle side was empty, I kind of felt sad about it. Our side was almost full and we were all cheering. Most of my school peers had fun taunting and bashing the Peter Pan look-a-like mascot who reciprocated all that Atenean ego with some taunts himself. It even got out of hand in the end. Some teenage guys are natural assholes. In an ‘accepted’ way. In the end, we won. I forgot the score.

Half the class had lunch at Wendy’s nearby. Then some parted ways. We in Raf’s party had to take the LRT 2 back to Katipunan. It’s actually my first time and so it was for our dear old moderator. Really hilarious. We love her for that (really)! Beautiful!

I was disappointed at ABS-CBN after they delivered their top story tonight on TV Patrol. Goodness. Top story, hiwalay na si Kris Aquino at Joey Marquez. They didn’t just deliver the news, they sensationalized it, interviewed lawyers and fans, dragged the scoop till the end of the news program. I rather watch Concert at The Park in NBN. Seriously. (I wonder what park the orchestra is performing in. Anybody knows? It looks like Nayong Pilipino because I saw the Philippine Village Hotel behind the audience. I want to personally watch it some time.)

I just found my brother cutting out some pages off my 1960’s issues of National Geographic. Garrggh!! You’re going to pay for this!

We didn’t have classes today because of the semestral PTC. The school called me at home this morning. I had to submit my requirements and application form (for the Japan-ASEAN high school exchange program) to them before 12 noon. I scrambled. My x-ray findings weren’t to be released till 2. And I haven’t finished writing down my application essay. My hopes of being able to get to Japan faltered.

As always, I called my mom. She was able to ask one of their office drivers to service me from home to the hospital to school and back. Thankfully, the hospital released my chest x-ray findings before 10:30 AM. In the thirty minutes that followed on the way to school, I wrote my essay at every traffic stop. By eleven, I was in school. I ran to the registrar’s office and was greeted by the registrar. I was told that they had already sent away the messenger who was to submit the forms of the other applicants. The registrar told me to submit my forms myself at some office in Makati. Great.

As always, I called my mom. She arranged some stuff and called that office in Makati. I hitched a ride with her on the way to some talk in some hotel in Manila. So after the office driver dropped her off at the hotel, we went straight to Makati. We got a little lost until we found the building where the office of the exchange program was supposed to be. I left the car and looked for the office. Got lost. But eventually I found it and I was able to submit my application form. Thanks to my mom and to Kuya Ramon (the driver)!

I heard there’s going to be about 40 applicants, some from other schools. Only twelve will be accepted into the program. The Japanese government (I think) is going to pay for everything. How about that.

I better get accepted.

(Wow, I forgot to get my report card from school while I was there.)

I talked to my mom about the Japan exchange-student program I tried to apply for this December. I was surprised she was eager at encouraging me to go through with it. I felt very uneasy because if I go through with it, I will miss Christmas here in the Philippines with them. Apparently, if ever… they’ll just follow me there for Christmas day, she said. I don’t know. I’m glad that they will, but it sounds too impractical.

Now I’m even more excited. I’m less worried. Now all I have to hope for is that I get accepted into the one-month program.

I just got another 3 x 4 white-side wall haircut tonight for tomorrow’s CAT haircut inspection. Agh. I don’t really mind. I’m one of the most authority-obedient students you’ll see around. But I admit I would be really glad if this one rule is scrapped out. I don’t get its sense.