Grabeh! Never did I realized that I would reminisce the painful loss I have suffered when I found out that I was not accepted in La Salle-Taft all over again. Just now, I went to DLSU to buy myself a Bible and the moment I went inside, I was in a different world, so different from that of DLS-CSB.

    Actually at present, I have been in La Salle thrice (with the most recent was this Thursday July the 19th). I was in three different situations in three different times. The first time was when I came to La Salle as a weakening applicant who went with my just-graduated Lasalista sister on a Saturday, a day after Typhoon Milenyo wrecked havoc in Metro Manila. I wasn’t able to have my application passed as I was lacking my birth certificate so, as feverish as I am, we crossed Taft Avenue and caught a jeepney ride to Binondo and walked our way to Recto (across scary Tutuban rail station cum mall). Before that, my sister made a short tour of what’s La Salle looks like. I remember some dead leaves were all over the Marian Quadrangle and one of the trees nearby fell down because of the storm.

    The second time was when I came back there as an aspiring entrance examinee. Many of us were at the North Gate. My place of examination was one of the rooms in Miguel Hall (coincidentally the first home of CSB, the 1st Benilde Hall). I was able to see what LA Salle looks like on this side of the football field. Too bad I didn’t passed.

    Now the third time was just recently. My normal dismissal time that day was 2:30 PM and the second floor of CSB was full of hype as people are buying tickets for this Campus Stop-Over concert to be hosted by Rated Oh host, Sam Oh, slated the day after (Friday the 20th). Unfortunately, I can’t come since I’m going to the CSB Open where I’m pitting against Lasalista DebSoc Freshers. By the way, the bibles at the CSB bookstore ran out so the lady at the cashier suggested that I would go to La Salle’s own bookstore to see if they have copies there.

    I did and just as I entered the South Gate, I caught up with Sember with a bunch of other Lasallians coming out as if they’re going to some event (many going to the Rizal Sports Complex which later turned  out that today’s La Salle’s game against FEU at the UAAP). Asked why I’m here, I told her my reasons (shocks, I forgot to say that BFF Maan is as mataray as ever). Then I went to the visitors’ kiosk and got a permit (I surrendered by ID card for it). The guards gave me directions on the whereabouts of my destination. On the way, I saw Jeco the second time around (with the first time when I saw him with his new friends trying to eat out at S.Ex.), this time with longer bangs (just as my old Vietnamese lady barber would say “No bang, no bang?”). I was surprised to see Jeco with his elongated ahir but thank goodness hindi pa kasing haba nang buhok ni Geoff Trinidad ng Batch 03 (no offense). Well, I asked him if where I can find SPS, the place where I can find  the bookstore. He pointed in teh direction of the relatively young Yuchengco Building.

    Shocks is the word, I can’t help but amazed myself. It’s been really a long time since I’ve been to La Salle and to the quadrangle. It’s wider than CSB’s own Plaza V (although I think it wide enough). I feel so envious since We don’t have fancy buildings with Corinthian-like designs and that their buildings are all in one compound (almost). Shock is the word for I was amazed that even their cafeteria at SPS looks so “superior”. As I’m writng this, my sister just told me that they several canteen and the one I saw at SPS is not the only one in that bldg.

    I was able to get insde the bookstore, it’s wider with windows facing the outside word. Other than it has a wide range of La Salle merchandise, it is a full-fledge bookstore with books actually outnumbering school supplies in terms of area distribution. I was able to buy a copy of the Bible and went my way out.

    Now, I feel so belittled with all that I have seen in DLSU but nevertheless I shouldn’t for I was not accepted anyway. It’s their loss not mine. At least now, I’m lucky being a Lasalista and a Benildean (We’re One La Salle remember?). I never regret enrolling msyelf into CSB for the first term, I had really so much fun. At least’ I’m enjoying being an MMA major, just think if iI was accepted and my course would be AB-ComArts? Besides, La Salle was not really my first choice but was UP’s. But at least as a Lasalista, I can get myself inside DLSU.

Truly my Lasallian Experience is wonderful!

    On my earlier post of  “I’m Busy With 4 Things and I’m Hoping To Add 2 More”, I said that I was already involve of being in four positions at once, 1) as a member of the Council of Presidents’ Block Commision (wherein the rep of DV2 was elected as our  chairman), 2)Block president of DV1,  3) as  member of MediaMax, and 4) as a member of the CSB DebSoc. I was  then planning to join on two more orgs/teams: the CSb Press Corps and the CSB TKD  Varsity. On this post you will get to now my shocking decision (shocking isn’t it?).

    First, on with the Press Corps thing. Well,  I was able to make apply, not as a cartooonist  as I earlier planned, but as a writer for their literary section. I  gave some of my  pieces that I’ve previously wrote during my last year in high school  (which by the way are nearly a year old now since  the works I passed where written around August  of 2006 for my  Journalism project).  After that, I made myself updated with the haps on the SPO (Students’ Publication Office) hoping they would post on their  bulletin board the results of the auditions.

    I believe I have an edge for creative writing although my greatest weakness is my tendency to make personal  short story narratives too long like the one I’m writing right now. I’m also prone to grammatical errors for I  keep on forgetting to double check my draft beofre printing it (Goodness, they must have noticed by errors on my works!). By the time the  announcment of the new staffmembers were announced, I rushed out to see my  name on the list. Unfortunately, the list only included tghose who applied for cartoonists and lay-out artists (I decided not to  apply as a cartoonist for  they may judge my  style in making comic strips, as compared to the more good ones and the photoshop ones they have in their domain). I feel so inferior and kept myself saying that it’s just a partial list and that the office would post  the other new staffmembers name  a while later. Days after the posting of the first set of staffmembers,  nothing came  out.

    Horrified and nervous. I’m afraid to get inside the SPO to ask about the results . So I decided, I  may not stand  chance so I conceded my plan  on applying for my college’s school publication.  What a pity , isn’t it?

    Next was my plan to join the TKD jins’ squad. Well, I made it inside the  Sports Dev. Office after class and met with the coach. I asked him about my inquiries and concerns although with a tone of nervousness (ano ba namang itong hiya-hiya, sabi ko walang hiya-hiya dito, kung gusto ko eh di go for it. I’m betraying what I have just said!). TKD practice are on a n MWF basis from 6-9  in the morning at the La Salle Sports Complex behind the Bro. Andrew Gonzales Bldg. of  the Manila campus (DLSU). They  also train  lower builts like me, a low-degree yellow belter who was supposed  to  join a promotion test last June but failed to do so (I may have  been promoted to high degree yello or low blue if I did).

    This was all good to hear except that with  my super flexible  schedule, I can’t aford myself to wake myself up  too early so I can make it to practice at  six am.  Well, i can wake up early, the problem rises is the fact that I live in Valenzuela, kilometers away from Manila . Although the coach said it’s okay if I can attend only twice, it is still difficult since  my schedule  for MWF (I have only one period in the morning at WF) is uncompromisable with my Th schedule. I have to regain lost hours of sleep due to exhaustion and stress.

    I can’t really describe how it is difficult but the thing is, I can’t afford to commit to CSB’s TKD team without risking losing my hours of sleep. I’m really serious on my health since I’m close to having insomnia with me doing cramming and finishing at close to 3 in the morning and usually when I come home, I try to go straight to bed and rest but because we have no miad in the house, I have to do some chores before dinner time. At thursdays, I go to the gym after I come home from school. Going to the gym is one way to make sure that I my body can adjust to my new college schedule for the first term. I really can’t say how I can’t say why I decided not to join the TKD other than for time constraints but my body is feeling the effects of on my shedule having to go to school at different times, almost not able to eat breakfast (Often times at McDo), and getting home tired and hungry (I go home as early as 4 but no later than 8).

One reason maybe is that I’m already commited on 4 school related groups, the CoP, DV1, Mediamax and DebSoc. I have the tendency to busy myself busy even if I’m actually perfoming two of them (both are physically and mentally exhausting). baka bumiogay na ako kung tututloy pa ako sa TKD. Another is my impending return on my violin lessons at my high school during weekends. I made a commitment to go on learning to play the violin and as much aspossible continue with my Taekwondo training (I’ve started doing so since the summer of last year). Since I have violin on Staurdays, I might plan to go back semi-regularly to my Taekwondo training at SJA. But that’s on a semi-regular basis as I have mentioned just now. There’s a possibilty that I might find difficulty by the coming fo second term.

    I still wanna try out to the TKD varsity but only at the time if i’m able to get myself out being block president and concentrated on two things, my orgs plus my violin lessons and if my schedule permits, maybe if I have classes which allows me to go to school as early as six, a few hours before my class could actually start. well that’s a possibility but when the time comes, my motive still remains intact although my plan to join the Press Corps will have to be put on hold for a while until I can make myself a better writer.

Such as what i have said (kahit nakakakalito basahin pero sana makuha punto ko) on my earliy post, I am still the one who can make a decision and the time wil come for that really soon.

    Every Monday, I’m at school an hour and a half earlier before my actual class starts at 2:30 PM. The reason? well, I have DebSoc training that day and even so during Wednesday and often times at Friday. It’s starts at 1 to 2:30 in the afternoon.

    The art of debating is really hard to master, especially if you’re relatively new to it, having been exposed to it once when I was in the 5th Grade (and that was like 5 years ago). So debating is something that, for me, is challenging, and I wanna try it.

    My course is not really related to debate since the common belief was if you’re a member of the intelligent elite, and if your course are like Tourism, CDA, BusAdmin, etc.  It’s not usually the case. Debate is open to all, reagrdless of any course or intelligence level, as long as your are openly aware of the things around you.

    I chose CSB DebSoc because I wanna try a new thing. During the STAR Week, there wasn’t much interesting orgs with interesting things to offer. I only chose two, MediaMax and DebSoc. Of course I wanna try MediaMax’ sister orgs like Kino Eye and Optic View but MediaMax is a mixed of these two orgs so I felt it unnecessary to do.

    I came to know initially some of the senior members of the org, Phil the team captain, Ate Che and Nat,  and a guy I can’t real the name. Well, they are of course full 0of experience, being representing the college in countless tourneys from here and abroad. At first, I was rlatively shy to talk to them with comfort but nowadays, I’m  getting a bit comfortable with them lalo pa’t madalas na ang pagkikita namin kaya nagkakilanlan na.

DebSoc training is very rigid if not difficult. Since DebSoc is also a varsity team, we have training on sereavl times of the week with Saturday, the org devotes half of the day nosebleeding with their debating skills (for the senior members I think).

    Debating is not really hard to do, the hard part is when you get to apply what you’ve learn from it on an actual debate. I for instance have some knowledge on one of the previous notion given to us frosh recruits during oe of our early trainings, Globalization. if you know how to speak for and against it with the structure of your speech intact you can go a long way. Althoug I do have my limitations.

    There was one time that I have absolutely no clue on this particular notion given and the worse is that I have o speak against it. Problem is how to defend my stance against that notion but at the end, I failed to do so. One problem also is that my tongue’s getting dry as I go on with my speech. That only happens if I don’t know what say next and I have to think about it witoutwasting the 7-minute limit given to us by our superiors.

    Thanks to Che and Nat, I can somehow manage what I should do and what I must do. I really have to improve my debate deficiencies, plust my speech problem wherein I start strong but get weaker as I go on and my skills to rebutt, argue, and clash against the side of the opposing team (govt or opposition). I need so now with the impending of my first tourney this Friday the 20th, the annual CSB Open whererin me and the rest of the frosh recruits are gonna battle our guts our with the neophyte members of DLSU-Manila DebSoc.  So in preprartion for it, I’m gonna train with the rest of the varsity this Tuesday from 6-9 in the evening.

So I wish myself and from you the best of luck for me.  :):):)

An encore ensemble of the proud people of DV1.

An edited video made by Jerico Bonzon

Labanan ng mga debsoc froshes ng La Salle at Benilde. Sino ang magwawagi?

here it is!