Rehipons

Tuesday, the 11th of December. I was scheduled to meet up with Jasmin Hipons, my former advisory class, for our much-delayed gathering. Dubbed as Rehipons (with the full title “Reshrimp. Reprawn. Rehipon.”), it was also Re-Eastwood as well for it was the venue of choice. There were many cancelled school days this school year, so I thought grouping ourselves together was an easy task. But make-up classes, piled-up requirements, and Ramayana practices got in the way. I even doubted if Rehipons will push through, but the long break provided convenience. Kervin, the resident gm-er, spread the word, but some still had deadlines to beat, while others were in the province already.

Pisay was the meeting place, and at around 10 AM – which means we are destined to leave about two hours later. When I arrived, five Hipons – Das, Arvie, Jojo, Hannah, and Camille – were already in the front lobby. I excused myself for a while to get some things in the Math unit, and there were more people who arrived. I never expected Paul and Topher to come since they did not reply to my group message, and Jojo wasn’t sure when I talked to him before. Inah played hard to get over the phone with Das, while PJ and others feasted on the scarce food that I brought (from yesterday’s outbound activity). It’s hard to determine as to who we are waiting for, since people are not replying, save for Migs. Well, I actually do not mind doing the waiting game. The laid-back atmosphere with the people you miss terribly is more than enough consolation. Frances backed out the last minute, while Jio and Jenny will go straight to McDo Eastwood.

Jasmin was subdivided into 4 taxi groups (yep, no transpo). Kervin went with Ange, Hannah, and Camille (Jasmin-Sr). Arvie, Daryll, and Migs were with Paul; they were the first ones to leave. Topher and Jojo stayed with me. I designated PJ to stay behind with Das and Erin as they wait for fashionably late Inah, who arrived as my group just hailed a cab.

I asked for the plate numbers of the others’ cabs, just in case Mr. Cab Driver turns out to be Mr. Criminal-In-Disguise. The wonders of Unlitxt. It was cheaper to communicate because of the promo (well, cheaper if the promo is maximized), and we can kill boredom by sending hollow messages. 23 out of 30 Hipons are with Globe, just like me, which makes it more expedient. Jio and Jenny were already together, and soon, at about a quarter before 12, the pack regrouped.

We ate lunch at Yellow Cab, probably one of the more common group food choices. It was partly my birthday treat as well, so choosing high-end restaurants is a no-no. Plus, I have envisioned Rehipons to be a feast of Roasted Garlic and Shrimp pizza because of obvious reasons (pomelo juice will be harder to find, unfortunately). There were also 4 Cheese and New York’s Finest. We sat at a very long table with me at the end. Drinks were either Coke or Sola Iced Tea, and Daryll played with Miguel’s bottle. He put crushed chili peppers in his iced tea and asked people to drink. It seems a moment of cheap thrills is inevitable given any Rehipons. Haha. Daryll replaced Migs’ drink, and soon, we were feasting.

I doubted if we will finish what I ordered given that the girls usually eat like birds. Fortunately, the guys were more than willing to take the portions intended for the girls, plus latecomer Jiggs is never shy in times like these. Slice by slice, the food was annihilated. PJ and Daryll ordered potato halves, and I gladly took a bite.

After eating, we went outside and stood there for a time, when we noticed policemen taking pictures. One of them, Inspector Cadelina if I am not mistaken, chatted with us. We shared that we were from Pisay and that our break started already. He then asked if it’s true that Pisay scholars are a cut above the rest, to which I answered hangingly, “well,…” with matching hand gestures and facial twitches. By the way, the police was under the impression that all of us were classmates Haha, works every time.

Apparently, Re-Eastwood meant doing everything again: we were to watch a movie, and then troop to Power Station for some action. I do not mind actually; being with them again, whatever the activity, is enough. I was teasing them to watch One More Chance, especially since we should have watched Vhong Navarro’s Agent X44 instead of Night at the Museum had the Star Cinema flick been shown in Eastwood. Unfortunately, One More Chance wasn’t screened in Eastwood at that time either, to the majority’s relief. We settled for Golden Compass; Camille went home already, sadly. Choosing the seats was fun. Ten people were to sit in one row, then the other seven in the next, but not together. Three will sit at the left end of the row, while the remaining four at the right, since there is a senior citizen placed in the middle of the row. I hoped he won’t mind if our group started to imitate chaos.

The group started to buy candies and other food items, then we went inside. I sat beside Daryll, since he was a fun seatmate in Night at the Museum, plus I am a fan of his jelly beans. In spite of my egging, he didn’t buy jelly beans this time, since the flavors that he wanted were unavailable. Ange, Jenny, and Jio were at the left end, while I sat with Daryll, Kervin, and another person (was it Arvie or Hannah?) on the right end, and the rest were in the row in front. Meaning, I was nearest Mr. Senior Citizen.

In my opinion, the movie never took off. It was like a long wait for a spark, and then it ended already. Some characters in the movie had very ugly demons. Fortunately, the effects were good, and the child actress is pretty talented. We were laughing at something when we were going out of the cinema, but I couldn’t recall the topic exactly. It has something to do with Mr. Senior Citizen and one of the parting lines of the movie.

Power Station time. I just had to share that it was my first time to win in the Air Hockey with triple puck play *applause*. Kervin played monstrously, so I was delegated as the assistant, but nevertheless, I won for the first time. Jio and Ange couldn’t handle our tandem, and I had at least two aces. Daryll, PJ, and Jiggs, meanwhile, tried the punch machine. Daryll and PJ, karetistas as they are, kicked instead, and they tallied the same score. Jiggs was assigned the finale punch, and since he was doing it the conventional way, a higher score was intended. As he gathered momentum, his lower half hit the metal surface of the machine already, making his punch way weaker. That was a very funny scene. They also tried the guitar, the drum game, Tekken, and the zombie-shooting game as well.

I knew I should have recorded Miguel when he went for Dance Maniax. He was simply an epitome of grace, which might be hard to find for someone with a large built. He actually danced and he used his feet when necessary. There were confusing sequences wherein one has to use his hands over and under the censors in seemingly impossible rhythm, but Migs was always up for the challenge. Surprisingly, Topher was pretty good in Dance Maniax as well.

After our group pictorial, Das, Erin, and Jenny headed home already, while some opted to play some more. We left at about 6PM. Only Jio was to be fetched, and the rest were to commute. Arvie and Jiggs headed to a different direction. The group went outside Eastwood, to no avail. Miguel rode a jeep already. We went back inside Eastwood, and Jio was willing to let Paul, Jojo, and Topher hitch with him until Pisay.

Oh, by the way, Ange and PJ handed me a Bench paper bag with “something” inside. It was presented in the most non-surprising of ways, with the very articulate PJ doing the talking. It was a corkboard filled with messages from Jasmin and other sections as well. Actually, I wasn’t surprised since I saw the contents already as early as Yellow Cab. Nobody was guarding it! Haha, I was just waiting as to when the group will present it to me. Thanks to the simple gift, guys. It was very much appreciated.

While waiting for a cab, I asked Hannah and Inah to fill up empty colored papers to be put also in the cork board, while I bought McMilkshake (do they call it this way?) with PJ and Daryll. Soon, Kervin, Hannah and Ange hailed a cab, leaving Inah with us milkshake guys. Inah was already frantic; her mom already texted Das as to Inah’s whereabouts. Finally, the cab from heaven arrived, and off we went to Trinoma. I was a bit tired, but I was giving random questions basically to update myself, and they were willing to answer some of them. The prom season always bring excitement.

The moment we reached Trinoma, Inah left the cab hurriedly, as if we were strangers. Maybe she can feel mom’s ire. The three of us went to Food Choices to sit while waiting for Daryll’s parents, but we immediately tranferred to McDo Mindanao. PJ rode a jeep before Daryll and I crossed the street. Inside the fast food establishment, I was reading the little notes in the corkboard while chatting with Daryll. Soon, his parent called, and we separated ways. I rode the Quiapo jeep.

Before reaching home, I was recounting the day’s events, and that’s when I realized that the ties that bind Jasmin 09 and I are pretty much intact. Same old, and yet different. I looked forward to the next Rehipons tentatively set in February. I hope more people can come. We can do things over and over again, but I will not get tired of it.

Water, Mud, a Raffle, and a Rock Star: the 2010 Outbound

Last December 10, Batch 2010 had their Educational Outbound Tour in San Pablo, Laguna. As Camia’s adviser, I am required to accompany my class, which is not a problem at all. Although some of them didn’t feel like going; the long Pisay Christmas break just started. Actually, this is my first Outbound set right before a vacation. All the other three that I attended were scheduled on a Friday within the school calendar. It’s a bit sad that TKC isn’t complete to a superlative degree: Job, Dan, JJ (who backed out the last minute because of a minor accident), Vinz, Jon, Jeff, Rekon, Kat, and birthday boy Justin weren’t able to join the activity. If it’s any consolation, lesser people meant lesser kids to account every time there’s a stopover.

Camia was supposed to share Bus 4 with Jasmin (the advisers, in the most recent meeting, picked random numbers), which meant that Bus 4 = corny bus. Jasmin’s not part of ARCI, but I know some of them relatively well. Jasmin is MTP-heavy (arguably “MTP-heaviest”), with the likes of Elvis, Charm, Jed, Ren, and Iman, and some others have FC status with me. The Jasmin MTP boys alone contributed much “corniness” to my life, so I psyched myself to tolerate all the one-liners (from one-liner land) that will come about.

Apparently, the Camia-Jasmin pairing was not meant to happen. Instead of four buses, there were five, which should be good news, since the buses won’t be as cramped. However, this meant also that some sections will have to be divided and distributed. Fortunately, Camia wasn’t picked, probably because only 21 were going anyway. Dahlia wasn’t as lucky, for half of the class will ride in Bus 4 with Camia while the other half will ride another bus. Dahlia isn’t part of ARCI too, but like Jasmin, Dahlia is MTP-laden, with Kristina (MSK), Nathan (double N), Rain, Lordom, Lance (CTK), and Stephen (STPN) in the line-up, so I know them somehow. Apparently, Jasmin and Dahlia math enthusiasts comprise half of the MTP 2 roster.

Oh, a little trivia. In the past years, I was assigned to be in the same bus as Jasmin 07 and Jasmin 08, and of course Jasmin Hipons 09 was my advisory class, so I rode with them as well. If the original Camia-Jasmin 2010 pairing pushed through, haha, it seems I’m destined to be with the Jasmin class in the field trip of any batch.

The batch was supposed to assemble by 5:15, and leave the school by 5:45 AM. Some students are exchanging gifts since it’s the last school day of the year. TKC students even gave me their TKCTKC (Thy Kingdom Camia’s Terrific Kris-kringle for Christmas) gifts to me, meant for their “secret” recipients, even in the bus. Juan and I tried to teach the new “sexyback” moves (inspired by the dance steps we gathered while watching the Paskorus finals), but it’s just way hilarious. The teachers were briefed for the days activities, and off we went to Laguna.

I was with Ma’am Annelle, Sir Petri, and Ma’am Monix in the front rows of Bus 4. We were joined by three Lakbay guides: Kuya McCoy (the main guy), Kuya Gitchu, and Kuya Dave. This is the first outbound I’ve been which isn’t jam-packed: the aisle seats were almost empty. Ma’am Monix lent a DVD copy of some movie about a swordsman and a princess (I forgot the title). Oh, this is also the first outbound wherein the Lakbay Kalikasan guides didn’t do much environmental talking in front. I was actually surprised that they were the ones who asked who among us brought DVDs instead of giving lectures. This were for the better in my opinion; in general, students do not like straight classroom-like stuff, especially if they already know the topics discussed.

The buses made the first stopover in Petron, and the kids ate breakfast and made kulit (of course). Most were in McDo or Petron Treats, and some just couldn’t resist Starbucks. Bus 4 had to make a second stopover, this time to fetch three students somewhere in the Laguna highway. Apparently, the Lakbay guide who was instructed fell asleep, so he wasn’t able to relay the instructions to the bus driver and therefore, we failed to stop at the specific area. The bus halted for a time as the Lakbay guides fetched two Dahlia students and one from Adelfa (Jil). Three sections represented in one bus.

The field trip was billed “Seven Lakes,” but in real life, only five can be visited. But since the Outbound also serves as the batch Christmas Party in the afternoon, there will even be less lakes. The first lake required some hiking before being reached, which was harder, since there’s light rain pouring. Which meant a more muddy trekking experience. Good thing I decided to wear my reliable Mojo sandals (instead of rubber shoes) which I bought when I was in first year college (apparently, Mojo is a brand and not a common name). They take less time to clean, and I actually don’t have a pair of rubber shoes. I’m not really an outdoor person, but I enjoyed the long walk. The students and teachers were asked to “traverse” the lake on narrow bamboo rafts, which required balance. John Paul volunteered on something which required measuring the depth of the lake on the raft. Surprisingly, it was quite deep considering its nearness to the shore; the rope’s length was probably more than double JP’s height. Afterwards, Tei was to dip a big litmus paper to check the lake’s pH level. There was no paper when he raised his hand from the water, and the group was entertained. Some people were just going through the motions of listening. Mia and Athena were having fun taking pictures, and I joined them as well. Before trekking back to the bus, the students needed to count their number of steps given a certain rope length, the purpose of which is vague to me (well, I was at the back of the pack, so I couldn’t totally hear what the guides were saying).

Back on the bus, Ma’am Annelle told me she already joined a trip that went in the same place, that’s why she isn’t coming with the group. She warned me that the second lake’s walking is way harder, and she was right. The guides had all the reasons to prohibit those from wearing slippers (but Portia went, anyway). One of the straps of the sandals of Ma’am Monix snapped, but she was innovative enough to continue; she used hair bands to hold things together.

The second lake was the highlight of the morning activity. The kids had water activities like tug of war, and of course, the classic basaan. I was with sort-of-trek-buddy Josh who wouldn’t want to get wet. I know I will be wet eventually, since it’s just way more fun if a teacher is “attacked” and I wouldn’t disappoint TKC on this, so I just delayed it as long as I could (playing pakipot). Jami acted as my shield, but he simply isn’t enough; he’s a little negligent of his tasks. And then they attacked, so I just let Mia and Zarra document the moment. Oh, Justine had a really fun “wet look” moment as well.

The kids were to travel the middle of the lake riding a wider bamboo raft, and they were divided in groups given the raft’s capacity and the availability of life vests. I was under the impression, from observing the previous groups, that there was an environmental lecture while the raft was moving slowly. I thought it was perfect scenario, romantic even. Well, the kids just waded in the first part, and were asked to dip while holding on the raft while going back. Mia, Zarra, Aveline, and Ianne didn’t do the second part.

Going back to the bus was harder. I was able to clean myself in the water, and the mud simply returned after. The sandal straps of Ma’am Monix were completely destroyed this time. Trekking, I learned, entails the mastery of momentum. There were times that I almost slipped because of, well, the mud. I was chatting with one of the guides, and he verified that Mojo was the best brand of choice; in fact, the Lakbay Kalikasan people all have Mojo sandals since they were sponsored (well he could have said that Mojo is the best since they were sponsored by the brand, but I believe that they wanted to be sponsored because they think it’s a durable brand). I thought the guide were leading us to a place where we can wash our share of mud, so Josh and I became a bit excited, only to find out we were led to the bus. We felt more dugyot. I suppose we – Ma’am Monix, Aaron, Josh, and I – delayed the whole itinerary since we were the last ones to reach the bus. Haha.

The kids were wet and hungry, so that made the trip to the resort longer. Once there, I attempted to wash myself, but the first faucet I used was a weak water source. So I ate lunch all dirty. The kids were seated in round tables, and the teachers were in a nearby separate place. Some kids started changing clothes, and soon the program started, so I wasn’t able to change, but at least after eating, I was able to spot a strong faucet, so at least I have lesser mud. There were spontaneous dance numbers, and David and Brandon’s band performed as well. I was seated with Portia, Elysse, Ianne, and Josh. Elysse was armed with corny jokes, so I had to rebutt every time. Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon is the raffle. If a person is not in the hall when s/he is called, the prize is forfeited. That made people leave less, I guess. Three TKC students won: Arvin had a Rubik’s cube, JP got a flash drive, and the biggest winner is David, who won for himself a brand-new Nokia XpressMusic phone.

There were group dynamics per class after the raffle. As Camia were doing the first task, I decided to change: gray cargo shorts and my favorite black Pisay shirt, plus black slippers. Oddly, nobody took notice of the long scar on my right leg, which was contrary to what I expected. Select students of TKC were tasked to transport a rod to the ground by passing it through fingers in rows. This needed precision, and it took them some time before they got the rhythm. I got myself busy by taking pictures.

The second activity was easier. A person should sit on a plank, and he needs to be wheeled – well, piped – a certain distance using pipes. Choosing JP to sit was no-brainer, and TKC fairly did well considering unflat surfaces. The third game required people to dip in the pool to fish out stones with specific letters (was it PSHS?). I became an instant baggage counter, holding people’s phones, watches, and other should-not-be-wet items. TKC weren’t as fast in this one, and also in the last activity. Eight people were to sit like ducks, and move like worms, and their chain shouldn’t be broken. This is hard, since their cadence never existed. After 10 years and dozens of pauses, they finally reached the endpoint. Hoorah!

The other sections were eating merienda already, so instead of lining up individually, I simply asked for food for everyone. There were a lot: doughnuts, mamons, plus junk foods. Strangely, I had to return most of the items I procured, and the parent in the counter were surprised of my act. While we were eating, ambulant vendors were selling random stuff. One was pushing her sales talk so much, she was unaware that I was not a student, so she ended up puzzled. Before riding the bus again, I tried to collect TKC for a class picture, to no avail. We just chatted while standing, until it was time to go home.

People were a bit tired already, so there’s less chaos going home. Which was a good thing, since the DVD of choice was School of Rock, starring the very talented Jack Black. I have never seen this film before even if I wanted to. I was able to watch a more recent film of his, The Pick of Destiny, which featured uber wacky songs. Watching School of Rock was such a delight, probably because of the hidden (?) rockstar in me, plus this qualifies as a teacher movie (well not in the normal way). There wasn’t a dull moment, and I particularly liked the scene where Jack Black was singing very simple Math questions to his students. Haha. Oh, the three students fetched somewhere earlier were dropped off in practically the same spot as before, and Marckie, Jethro, and Elysse were dropped off in Shell Mamplasan.

The buses made a last stopover in a gas station, a good number ate dinner already, some still couldn’t miss their caffeine shots, then we went for school. The guide was trading jokes and brain twisters to the willing audience. I was texting TKC regarding the class Christmas party on Wednesday. At last, we’re in Pisay.

I tried to wait until all TKC students were home before I go myself. I was getting a bit tired, so when everyone’s tucked already, I left school, rode a pedicab until Quezon Avenue, then rode a jeep towards Blumentritt. I needed to rest immediately, since I’m meeting Jasmin Hipons the next day, so straight to bed I went.

Sick Leave

My weekly post is due yesterday, and I really have a lot to write about: the 2010 Outbound (Dec 10), Jasmin Rehipons (Dec 11), and the TKC SUPRISE! Party (Dec 12), among others. But I got terribly sick the day after (I’m still sick while I’m posting this). So maybe all the entries will have to wait, and this prolonged illness merits its own.

Happy Holidays as well; I’ll be in our home province by Christmas.

Here Comes The Long Break

People, it seems, have a natural tendency to want what they do not currently have. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. For instance, students loathe schoolwork so much that they can’t wait to graduate, get a job, and earn for themselves. I entertained that thought a lot of times especially during hell weeks, but now that I’m teaching, I sometimes yearn to be that student again with the heavy books and unthinkable schedule. A class discussion can still progress given a handful of unprepared students, but never, I suppose, with a teacher who just pops in class and babbles his way through his allotted 50 minutes. Studying graduate mathematics while teaching somehow brought clarity to both perspectives.

The same argument holds true given school vacations or long weekends. I do not like long weekends; it makes me long for school (and students) more, but come Monday, I sometimes want to just breeze through the week. Even students share this sentiment. On the first few days of vacation, they perform every activity that was forbidden: sleep late, videogames, basketball, etc. But three days after, they long for school, not necessarily for the classes, but because of the people and the atmosphere.

Pisay might be legendary for the very early Christmas vacation that the students willingly savor, to the envy of their non-scholar friends from other schools. One of my Ateneo teachers inferred that Pisay students can afford to take the early break anyway because they are the generation’s intellectual crop, so lessening the school days isn’t an issue. This is one theory that we Pisay alumni might want to subscribe to, but every school actually has a prescribed number of school days to complete in accordance to the law, so we do not exactly have less days. We have the tendency to forget that Pisay starts early (maybe a case of minor selective amnesia for our “moral” benefit”), most of the time on June 1, so having a break in advance is just normal. Another reason for the early vacation is the PSHS-NCE Second Screening. Teachers are sent again all over the country to administer the exam, meaning if there were classes, some teachers will be absent for their lectures.

Somehow, I get lonely during long weekends, more so if it is the Christmas vacation already. I can’t explain comprehensively. Given that I always rooted for time to do all what I fancied, when that time comes, I just don’t get to maximize it. There’s this feeling of attachment to the routine that you are very comfortable doing already.

Another reason probably is that my birthday occurs in this long vacation. The Yuletide season indeed brings extra warmth and joy. On my birthday, well, I usually am happy, but there is the strange feeling of isolation. I see teachers of students celebrate their birthdays on school days, and I will never experience that. Good thing there’s technology nowadays, so I receive messages from well-wishers. And I used to dread the 2-in-1 gift: the curse of people being born in a certain date neighborhood before or after Christmas. You get your birthday present, but your siblings receive something as well. You never receive any during their birthdays. Haha.

I hope I can do whatever I can in the next few days, before I regret not enjoying.

Heavy Metal Without The Noise

(This post started as my “eight random facts about myself” entry, but, as I was doing the list, I realized that I was expounding too much on the first one that I couldn’t think of seven other facts that has relatively the same “whoa” factor, so I discerned that the other seven facts can wait.)

I have titanium in my right leg. I have a huge scar to prove it, and the metal part of the leg can actually be felt if touched. It has been there (here?) since summer of 1998. So here’s the story: I was on my way down our flight of stairs, holding a baby, when suddenly I slipped on the last step. Automatically, I clutched the child closer to me, so my hands weren’t free to support myself. My whole weight were upon my right leg, which, unknown to us, gave way. There was pain. A lot of it. (The baby’s safe, by the way)

People in our house thought that my leg was just swollen, so we didn’t bother going to the orthopedic hospital until two days after, when I still couldn’t walk. The x-ray affirmed the pain: there was a fracture, and I fell apart that instant (no pun intended). Immobility scared me, and it had to begin immediately. My lower right limb – meaning the leg and thigh – was subject to casting. The cast was heavy of course. I needed help to be transported. My right knee couldn’t be bent, and any itching, even of the mildest degree, signalled disaster. The effect of being stuck in one place was obvious. After some days, I could already reach my knee, because I was getting thin and the cast is becoming too large for my thigh. Which is good, scratching-wise.

We had to wait two weeks (I think) before we return to the hospital, hoping that the fractured bones will re-fuse. (Removing casts is fun, with chainsaw-like apparatus to tear it apart). Apparently, what held the bones together for a time was the swelling, which is already gone by then, and the bones were even in a worse condition. Casting alone couldn’t do the trick. A surgery had to take place, and metal has to be put in place (After the check-up, the new cast was only knee high, probably as a consolation). Days after, I was admitted at the orthopedic ward of a public hospital. This immersion of sorts somehow opened me to the realities of life (which deserves a future article also).

My operation day was the exact day of our enrolment in Pisay. I was rolled into the operating room early in the morning after injecting sedating chemicals through my shoulder. I never liked injections up to the present. So imagine the horror of injection – through my spine. Thrice. It was the most painful sensation that I have ever felt. I had to lie in a fetal position so that the needle will find it easier to find that unlucky spot. But I’m just human: I uncoil the moment I feel the syringe, and the nurse will scold me, “Ayan! Nabali na naman yung karayom!” I needed three shots. They gave me six, counting the unsuccessful tries. Six. Three was already a lot. But I had six. It took some time before I was put to sleep by the earlier sleep-inducing shots.

Waking up in the recovery room was a relief: wow, the task was already finished, although the anaesthesia was slowly running thin. I was soon wheeled back in my ward bed. Days after, the orthopedic doctors made their rounds, and they showed me the film of my new and improved limb: titanium occupied considerable space there. They said that removing the metal (after the bones fused) was optional. Hmmm. I hope they were correct, for I haven’t had it removed until now. Besides, spine injection is not my thing.

I had to miss the first fifteen days of school to recover from the surgery, and when I came back, I was sporting crutches (I practiced at home for this). And I needed help going up or down the stairs, or moving from building to building. Late classmates would walk with me so they wouldn’t be scolded by our teacher since they “accompanied” me transferring from one room to another. For a time, I was being referred to as “yung napilay.” Oddly, there were about three or four more students in a span of four months that utilized crutches as well. Somehow I started an accident trend. Soon, the ramp in Pisay’s back lobby was constructed, and I claim that it’s because of me.

I can walk again without crutches by August. There was extra caution on my part since then. I never had a lot of physical activity before the accident, and there was even less after the recovery. Slowly, I was thinking of my metal leg less and less. Which should be, I think.

Probably the weirdest metal-related event occurred when I was in college already. The LRT Purple Line (running from Santolan to Recto) was newly open, though it was running until Cubao only, and my classmate and I was too eager to try it. A few people knew that the train’s already operational, so there were more security guards than commuters. As the mandatory check-up was going on, the metal detector emitted noise while it was on me. The guard asked me to remove my shoe, but the same thing happened. He was now asking me to pull my pants up, and only then did I remember about my titanium; it never beeped before in the malls. Perhaps security was using cutting-edge technology to foil terroristic acts. Everyone had a good laugh.

There were times that I wished the accident never happened to me (but of course; who would want such a thing). All the wasted time, the financial aspect, and the physical pain was just too much to bear. But after going through the whole process, aside from an extra piece of sturdy solid, I gained a lot of life experiences, constantly reminded by this (life) long scar.