ayun e. i knew i was right...

...there did come a third. I'm a believer :p

NIGHT 3 - Part 1: My Date with the Maroons
I woke up at 7 am with a huge headache. It was almost 3 am when I called it a night, working non-stop for 5 1/2 hours on the presentation for the Varsity Recognition that I was commissioned to do. It was still unfinished, and I was supposed to present it to OICA at 10 am, so I made some final adjustments while preparing to go to work.No thanks to the weather, my headache got worse as the day progressed--it definitely feels like the height of summer already, and I'm guessing that it's only gonna get hotter come April *ack*. Thankfully, I was driven around UP-- to the gym then to Arki, then to Bahay ng Alumni and back to Arki. I was originally ornly supposed to make the powerpoint thingy but ended up setting up and operating the audio-visual presentation since they couldn't find anyone to do it (which was totally fine by me--bigger honorarium :p).

It turned out to be one of the nicest afternoons I've ever had.Never in a million years did I imagine that I'd be having late merienda with the men's basketball team. Cheap thrill, I know. But for someone who's a huge fan (yep, despite their not-so-fantastic win-loss records season after season) and who's used to just watching from afar, it was just a tad short of a dream come true.

They were so cool. I mean...ang kulit ni Nestor David!!! They were clowning around, cam-whoring and jostling each other around like little boys. And they were super nice. Now, if only niceness can win you basketball championships :p

All in all it was a good afternoon. I went back to Arki in high spirits, oblivious to the suffocatingly sticky weather and the dark clouds overhead. And I thought that wrapped up a great week for me. I should've known better, tsk-tsk.

NIGHT 3 - Part 2: Basagan Party, Alex-style
I was on my way home when I received Lozzie's text. Alex was inviting me and Leni to the batch's thesis party later at his house. I thought against it--I was tired and hungry and sticky and lugging a huge backpack and a blender (sounds weird, I know). But then Bing called said we should go together, so I said yes. After a quick outfit change (it's amazing what you can do with 500 bucks at Surplus) and a little makeup retouch, I met up with Bing and went to Alex's for some good food and a bit of a buzz :p

It was so funny when we got there--it was close to dead quiet. No music, no noisy chatter, just a pitter-patter of small talk and polite laughter. What?! After a while (and after two certain college administrators called it a night :p) things started to get a little loose, and people definitely started acting a little crazy, myself included. By 11 pm, it was definitely a party. A couple of beers in and our table (the "Oldies' Table", according to Alex) was the new venue for the infamous Forbidden Questions.

I wouldn't elaborate much, since we all swore that what's said at that table stays at the table, but it was definitely crazy, wacky and bordering on the lewd, haha. Instead, I offer you last night's Quotable Quotes:

"Say, 'Circulan 41!!!' " --Paolo A.

"Russel Crowe, inner thigh." -- Aki C.

"Ang karne ay karne."--Pia M.

"Tatlo kasi kaming lalaki. Una-unahan sa brief. Pag late ka naigising, sorry ka na lang."--Ian P.

"Mukha kasing angel si ***. Masarap i-corrupt."--Ae G.

"Shut up, Red!!!!"--Alex E.

"What's the difference between a bunch of pygmies and a team of women runners?"--Danny S.

"Why, does that turn you on?"--Anj V.

I decided to call it a night by 12:30--I was more than buzzed and um, "let my 'inhibitions' out" in Alex's bathroom. Ian offered to give me a ride and we prepared to say goodbye to the profs. As I was thanking a visibly-drunk Alex (who seemed to be inventing new dance steps by the living room), the 'kids" came up to me and gave me hugs and kisses. I previously gave them a bottle of wine with a little note as a graduation present (I knew I was saving that bottle of Beringer Zinfandel for something important). They told me they read my note and that they were so touched by it, and thanked me for everything I did for them in college.

Buzz-aside, I was super touched. I never realized a made an impact in those kids' lives, even in the slightest sense, and they made me feel like I did them all a huge favor. That's when I realized that I'll be missing those kids when I go to work in June and no Schidz or Pat will be there to welcome me with a hug. I'm sure I'll miss Alex too, as he's not returning next schoolyear to focus on his practice. In fact, I'll miss everyone there when I go back to the States in August.

My cab ride home was a break from all the fanfare and the celebration, and the quiet definitely got me thinking about a lot of stuff. My biggest realization for this week--that endings, no matter how bittersweet, must be celebrated as much as beginnings are. It's a weird concept, to celebrate when things are coming to an end, when there's nothing to look forward to afterwards. But I guess it's not the actual ending that's to be celebrated, but the process and the journey that leads to the ending and the destination. Machiavelli said that it is the end that justifies the means, but I'd like to think that it is the process of achieving the end goal that should really matter. It is not just about crossing the finish line, but hurdling the obstacles that makes victory in a race sweet.

It was the perfect ending to a near-perfect week (I say near-perfect in context of the "nothing is perfect" mantra). I got to hang out with my college idols on the court in the morning, and party with my college idols in Arki at night. I got to know the people behind the athletes, and the human side to my seemingly-inhuman mentors. I saw which player was the most makulit, the most down-to-earth, which seemingly-impeccable prof smoked like a chimney (I would never have guessed in a million years), etc. I saw how everyone put their guards down in the spirit of celebration, and realized how some small acts produce huge results.

Endings always make me sad, but this time that sadness could not help but be overwhelmed by the sense of happiness and fulfillment that I felt over all that's happened this past week.

3 fun nights, 1 great week. I could only wish for something like it to pass me by once again.

PS Congrats to the grads: Pat, Jik, Meggie, Jiddu, Nina, Kay, Jax and the rest of Batch '07! Mabuhay!