PUBLIC SCHOOL?

It's UP's freedom that attracted me the most and helped me decide which University to actually apply for (years ago).

Last week,I was busy getting all the works done for my last enrollment and I can't help but overhear conversations of these freshmen. There were "like oh my gawd" conversations, the "is she a terrifying professor" talks and the "what high school did you graduate from?" questions among each other.

It was appalling to hear reactions of some people when they hear answers from the last question. One in particular was when this girl (a potential bully) asked another girl "So what high school did you come from?" .."Ah ____ National High School, sa province namin". I wasn't surprise when the other girl responded with "Oh."

"Oh." what?

Well let me start with "screw you". haha. Kidding aside, I don't know what's with these girls from some class B private school in Manila and how they respond with such questions.

I have met people from top Private/ Exclusive High Schools in Manila (IS, Brent, Poveda, Ateneo, LSGH, Assumption, St. Scho, ICA etc.) and they sure are way different from these girls who graduated from a never-heard of/ class B "Private" High Schools in Manila.

Bakit ganun?

Let me tell you something, students who graduated from Public Schools in the province are actually smart. In the province, we are really focused in getting good grades. We don't have malls where we can "tambay", much less, we don't have the time since we are in school 7-7 (unlike in Manila where students get off around 3 pm-ish or so). Yes, some public schools in Manila are way too crowded hence the attention and focus of the teachers are actually challenged, but it doesn't mean they are stupid.

When I was a freshman, my Professor in Soc Sci 1 asked me where I graduated from. I told her, "Tabaco National High School Science Oriented class Ma'am, but you wouldn't know that, it's way too far."

Her response made me smile. "Oh you mean TNHS in Albay?" "Yes Ma'am, you know something about our school?"

"Of course. I help the admission committee (or something like that), and every year a large percentage of future UP students come from your school. Ang daming pumapasa sa UPCAT from TNHS, lalo na sa Albay."

Syempre bida-bida ako nun :) hahaha =)))

"Ilan ba pumasa sainyo sa batch mo?"

"Ngayon po? 80 po."

Gusto kong hanapin si Ate na nag "Oh." at ikwento sa kanya kung gaano kahirap mag-aral sa public school na situated sa probinsya.

"In our high school, we have 36 sections, 2 of those sections are Science-Oriented sections, meaning our subjects are way different than those in the General Curriculum. We go to school 7 am and we get off at 6:30 in the evening since we have Science Electives, whilst other sections get off at 3:30-4:00, we didn't have recess, we only had a lunch break.

We also had our investigatory project aka baby thesis in High School and it has to be about Science.

Our electives are consist of Speech Communication where we devote 1 hour and 30 minutes in the Speech Laboratory,

we had Earth Science aside from the Science and Technology class,

we had technical writing,

we had our investigatory subjects research 1 and 2, we had Advance Chemistry, Advance Biology, Calculus aside from the 2-hour mathematics required. "

So in short, wala kaming masyadong life. haha.

I remember, way back if you had a grade of 85 and below, you will get kicked out of the Science-Oriented section and you will be transferred to the General Curriculum section.

I cried cause I had an 85 (pero hindi pa pala applicable yun that time so nag-aral talaga ako hanggang naging 92 sya) haha :))

Since then, wala na akong grade na hindi line of 9. Lowest ko siyempre Math (92) pero yung mga classmates ko magagaling sa Math, may 99-98-97. Highest grade na nareceive ko was 99-98-97 (P.E, Calculus and English, respectively).

Maraming hindi nakakapag-aral sa UP ngayon na galing provinces kahit matalino naman at pumasang UPCAT dahil sa pagtaas ng tuition. Dati, nung 1st year ako, maiintimidate ka sa mga words na lumalabas sa bibig ng mga kaklase mong upperclassmen. Pero galing silang probinsya.

Ngayon, they can't even finish a sentence without mentioning the word "LIKE, UHM"

haha. Blah.

And when you ask them (which you don't have to do kasi sasabihin nila sayo) saan sila nag H.S "I graduated from the kemerloo parochial kemerchuchu of Sta. Chuva" ORTE.

Anyways, point is, these girls have to stop degrading these people who come from the province. Believe me, they are smart. Their English may not sound very American with "like" and "uhm" or "Sweetie" "hun".. but they are competition.

Alam nio sabi ng girl after ng "Oh." response ni Ate?

"Oh."

"Why?"

"I'm surprised you passed the UPCAT, very smart" *tahimik*

* Person from the admissions office*

"For those who have been waitlisted, go to window keme to check the availability of the course you have chosen."

Girl, "Oh I have to go" *blushing*

ORTE MO HA Makapag-yabang.

Graduation

Never felt so happy as I was a while ago.

Filling up Application for Graduation form :)

Rules of Dating

I never really get those stupid American rule of dating wherein you can't even like someone your friend dated years ago. NOW it's haunting me. A friend of mine and a guy I used to date are DATING!

That is beyond weird. My friend doesn't even know we dated (since I dated lots of guys anyways, she probably lost track....or could be that she's doing it on purpose) :/

AWKWARD

Stage Girlfriend

I am one heck of proud girlfriend.

I actually see myself marrying this guy I am with right now. It's never an easy state for a girl to actually see herself marrying her current boyfriend. It's confusing and scary. Confusing in a way that, for me, we all think that our current is 'THE ONE' (well unless you are actually head- over- heels in love with that person that although some obvious no-nos are showing, you still hope that he will change FOR you.) And scary because, like what most of my married friends say, "You're no longer in a "pa-tweetums" stage with your BF and you're actually plunging into a different kind of relationship, a relationship with bags of responsibilities. As a couple, as mature people, as possibly soon-to-be parents."

For me, what helped our relationship is the "moving in" decision that we made a year ago. It was scary because it can make or break a relationship.

I was never against living together. I believe, and have proven, that you'll really get to know every inch of your BF when you two decide to live under the same roof. (i.e how often does he brush his teeth, who's more domesticated, what's he like when he wakes up, how his morning breath smells like, what his "REAL" hobbies are.) Things that you never really get to see when you're apart and just see each other once in a while.

When I first met Von, he was the type of guy who gets his happiness from the hundreds of people and beer surrounding him. He was the type of guy that declares poverty 5 days after pay day. He had girls everywhere. Every night. He was a modern nomad. He never engaged in mind-challenging reads and activities. He literally lived his life to the fullest. Someone I really wouldn't like or love, and would never MARRY. While I, who was way past that stage already, decided to be in a relationship with him. (Yes, I started very young. HAHA. And I don't regret it. )

Detour : Just after few months since we moved in together, I saw the changes.

He spends his rest days in the house to help out.

He became responsible. To the point that we had a serious talk about family already. LOL.

He asks for permission whenever he wants to hang out with friends and drink. (Which I always grant) :P

He reconciled with a few people and some family members and became more "VISIBLE" to them.

He got us a house.

The recent one that got me really teary-eyed and proved me that he was really serious about us and his future was when he told me he opened a SAVINGS ACCOUNT.

This Savings Account is like an auto-debit. So it takes away a certain amount from your salary every month and a huge amount of interest is accumulated for a certain number of year/s if you don't withdraw/ take it out of the bank. And it has a Life Insurance.

( It allowed him to have a SUB(or whatever you call it) and the sub also has the authority over the money and the benefits)

I mean come on. You will become a great Dad. You will become one of the most responsible Dads I know. This goes to show you will not let your wife-to-be (me) & your kids down.

Thank you for the metamorphosis. Thank you for the love. Thank you for proving that I will never regret being in this relationship. Thank you for letting me do what makes me happy (tattoos & clothes & shoes) . Thank you for your hardwork. Thank you for the continous love and support .

P.S.

Please don't stop giving me my daily dose of your great massage. Don't stop telling me stories before I go to sleep.