Get me going

February came with a heap of things to do until the third week it seems.

Since the seminar we attended last week, stuff started to pour in. Now the problem is my tendency to fall into a trance when I realize things pile up. Much as I wish I could be the Energizer bunny at times like this, there simply are days (plural emphasized) when I just can’t get going.

Like last Saturday, I woke on my regular time which is good 2 hours early for my weekend class. But then I remained curled on bed until I lazily reached for the book I was reading before I slept; Twilight that was. At least the vampire and the clumsy girl succeeded in shaking my thoughts into a consciousness that’s better than drowsily scanning my room.

I glanced on the clock; it’s 15 minutes past the official schedule. It has been an unspoken covenant between us and the instructor that the class would never start on time which manifests that somehow all of us have the same Saturday morning struggle. I made my first major decision for the day. I texted a trusty classmate to give him the lamer version of ’I am sick’ excuse (could be sick of attending class that early) which he promised to relay. Fast forward to few days later, I learned that our teacher was absent as well. That was my lucky day! Edward Cullen was right – it’s healthy to ditch class sometimes. I’m grinning at the thought.

I’m done with the book and now reading its sequel since a couple of days ago. Hmm I hope I won’t forget to claim my prize from Aby this afternoon. We had bets over lunch yesterday as to whether or not Edward ate food. I’ve marked page 207 last night to settle that.

Back to reality now, we’re aiming to make a special Valentine issue of the school paper so I ought to be proofreading the contributions received so far or drafting my own article. Unfortunately, I can’t decide which to do first. But one thing doesn’t leave me a choice: all must be done by tomorrow so the ones in charge of layout could work over the weekend.

I hope blogging helps me get started.

Weekend Recap and Monday’s Incident

Friday had been a feast. Lunch was an invitation for taste-test of food prepared by culinary students and I observed that pork was the main recipe so my pescatarian diet constrained me to the non-pork ingredients of the dishes nevertheless there were too much for lunch. I particularly loved the cheese and bacon rösti.

By afternoon, these came in for sampling

A sumptuous dinner with the staff of the school paper was scheduled in the evening. There was a specialty pizza that was has at least 24” diameter, plus a blueberry crepe and a glass of iced choco peppermint for me. Aah! Good thing we walked home so there were roughly 30 minutes to burn some calories.

* * * * *

Saturday was a dragging day at school and all I wanted to do by the end of the day was to go home and nap. On the ride home I noticed that my spare wallet’s missing. A classmate kindly paid for my fare although I have sufficient coins in my pocket. Good thing there weren’t major IDs so that the most important thing in it was money – fortunately no more than 500 pesos but unfortunately it was all I have for the next few days.

* * * * *

Yesterday, we were enjoying a little leniency at school since one instructor was on leave while the others were busy preparing for an upcoming seminar in a couple of days. In the middle of one class though, I felt something weird as I occasionally shifted position in my seat. I discreetly wiped my hand over my behind and the crime was confirmed:

I had sat on a gum. Yuck! That was rude and disgusting! It’s my first time ever to be a victim of such. I’m glad that my sling bag falls low enough to cover it until I got home.

Oh man… you call that lucky for the Chinese New Year huh?

Youngblood

Yehey! Finally got my first ever Youngblood courtesy of Bert. Now that ticks something from my holiday wish list. Although it’s Book 3 in my list, I got ‘The Best of Youngblood’ (the fourth book if I'm not mistaken) which is far from disappointing.

So far I’ve read a dozen essays and I’m enjoying it – very much!

Drop the script shall we?

EPISODE 1: ‘Watermelon’

Oxygen: One medium Tropical please!

Storekeeper: What fruits?

(‘Tropical’ is a mix of any 4 fruits of one’s choice; there were only 5 options in the stall that time)

Oxygen: Uh watermelon, apple, mango & banana

Storekeeper: Sorry, it’s too late to slice the watermelon tonight. To guarantee freshness, we make sure to sell such fruits within the same day they are peeled/sliced (In other words, you can’t have your watermelon because you didn’t come earlier today, D’head!)

Oxygen: Ok… I see that I have no option what would make my tropical blend then. (The math of it isn’t tough, A’hole!)

Storekeeper could be thinking: (Actually you have an option on its permutation. In what order shall we put in the only 4 fruits available? Stupid!)

Oxygen gulps at the thought of challenging the storekeeper in math then gulps his tropical shake which, surprisingly, is refreshing even without the watermelon.

* * * * *

EPISODE 2: ‘Sour Cream’

Oxygen: Strawberry fizz float and McShaker fries for dine-in…

Counter: What’s the flavor of your shaker fries?

Oxygen: What are the options?

Counter: Cheese or Sour cream…

Oxygen ponders for a second…

Counter: but only cheese is available tonight, sir

Oxygen breathes in, then out: And I was given a choice huh?

Counter flashes her [likewise-scripted] smile

Oxygen would like to advise Miss Counter to stay away from the fryer as distant as possible because it’s beginning to fry her brain but then Oxygen just shook his bag of fries vigorously.

Bert Casabal: Blaring Softly

Being one of the busiest personnel in the school, we see him move around the campus in quick strides while in his office, we see people walk in and out in short intervals. If we have concerns with class schedules and other academic matters, he’s the person we bother next to our department heads. In school events and parties, he’s a mainstay star whose fashion flair never fails to win our attention if not our absolute admiration. And of course, what student could ever withstand his ‘superpower’ to make our noses bleed with his advanced vocabulary uttered in rapid fire? Yet, that’s not everything about our dear Academic Head.

“I love reading, cooking and staying at home but I’m not an introvert. I love to deal with people. I love associating with people from all walks of life because somehow I’m inspired by them or the other way around where I inspire them in anyway I can”, Mr. Noberto “Bert” Casabal says of him self.

However, in the classroom, there’s no chance for a shallow discussion although he also injects humor like when he mimics the voice of that fluffy creature Mojako. His exams could get very challenging though. “Students say that I am a terror teacher but I am not. [However] I always get frustrated when students do not study their lessons. I’m expecting to see students in the library but then students would prefer to stay outside the campus chit-chatting and they seem to not mind at all their academics. But then looking at them I believe that they just need teachers who will motivate them towards excellence. I think they have the knowledge in their minds and what they need is a teacher who will somehow provide them opportunity to develop themselves”, explains Bert.

He adds that as a teacher, he digs “deeper to the core of students. That means knowing them better by knowing their yearnings – the passion, the commitment, their dreams and aspirations in life.”

But what students might not know yet is that Mr. Casabal is also a student himself. He’s pursuing his Master of Arts in English Language and Literature Teaching (MA-ELLT) at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). “I believe that the road to education is always ‘under construction’ which means that it is not enough that you get education especially in my case where getting an MA means having to travel from Olongapo to Manila, then back. But it is always my desire for education coupled with my passion for personal development that I consider myself as a conduit of learning. I have to get the knowledge in Manila then transfer that knowledge here in Lyceum”, he shares.

His labor and dedication to his MA studies had started to bear fruits. His research entitled “Gay Language: Defying the Structural Limits of English Language in the Philippines” was published in the August 2008 issue of Kritika Kultura – an electronic journal of Literary/Cultural and Language Studies by the Department of English of ADMU. Before the gender-virtuous (quote, unquote) raise eyebrows, Bert explains that he submitted 2 proposals: one about curriculum development and the other has something to do with gay language. “My professor said that it’s better to work on gay language because there are few studies conducted about gay language in the Philippines so it was my professor who prompted me to continue the research on gay language.”

Mr. Casabal takes pride that his paper was also recommended for publication in Linguistics Society of the Philippines but then his professor suggested that it would be better to get it published in Kritika Kultura for international readership. Further, he was the first student from Ateneo’s MA program to get his paper published in said publication.

Recently, he topped the comprehensive exam and is now preparing his thesis.

Asked what gives him the energy to achieve all these, Mr. Casabal talked about his goal. “I have been dreaming all these years and I think I am almost there in the accomplishment of my dreams. I’ve been through a lot – the ups and downs, the twist and turns of life – but I am still standing triumphant.”

Truly, with his love for education and teaching he is able to do great feats. Why not? Would we expect less from this man who considers teaching as his mistress? END

This article was supposed to be published in the latest issue of Sine Qua Non but due to irrevocable circumstances worsened by time constraints, we were not able to append it prior printing. I was rather disappointed to not see this in the final template. But then I’ll take advantage of this available medium to speak well of good people especially mutual friends – one what Bert has always been to me.