Oh my…How times certainly changed for better and for worse. As if it was like yesterday when I have to wait for my carpool to fetch me and my siblings to school, grade school that is, and try to not go past 7:15am or else I’ll get a sermon from my teacher.

As if it was yesterday when, in a fit of anger, I took away Chris Ibbar’s purple bag and put it to some place within the school (kasi bully siya) or when I was the “center of attention”between 2 girls back in Prep.

Life was never the same again for me the moment I came back to the Philippines after staying stateside for more than a year (June 24, 2002). At the time, I was in the process of transferring to a new school, a new life and a new nickname (don’t ask).

Even up til now, I still have this sense of homesickness, having being unable to see my old friends from grade school. Old friends, enemies, bullies, and praning people…Yes, I miss them all.

I’m not quite sure how did those people react upon hearing the news of me no longer going back to SMMC. And I don’t buy that nasty rumor about them celebrating my departure, that’s not a very nice thing for them to do that considering it was hard on my part about leaving.

Throughout the months I was away,. I kept in touch with at least two people I regard as the only people I could trust: Michael and Carlos. Before none of us have any email addresses, I would write and send my own letters and do IDD phone calls. Just hearing their voices kept me sane.

When I got home, the first thing I did was visiting Gerard’s house from the next block. As far as I know, school had already began so it’s kinda weird that he didn’t have classes yet in CMIC. Eventually, through him, I was able to hear Angelique’s voice again when Gerard called her up on the phone.

I eventually made visits to Mangga, Carlos, Janine, and Michael. Most significant is when I saw Joyce April a.k.a. “Cheche” again. Sad to know that her life is pretty much a wack.

I saw Maricris again near Polo since her family run a stall in the nearby marketplace. Mark Paul went to my house once back in 2002 but never reappeared since then. I first saw Chenee again when she and her family went to Maysilo once…we reconnected through Multiply and YM. Same goes to Jamelle, L.A., and Kenji when we all “saw” each other through YM.

I’ve yet to see John Paul but my sister saw him and his older brother last December. I remember Joan (from Grade 2) but she didn’t recognize me because I wear glasses now. I saw Lucky a.k.a. Leo’s profile on Facebook recently and had him added up as one of my contacts.

Two separate jeepney incidents became mini-reunions when I saw Angelique and Señelita again (first was back in 2004 and the latter was earlier this year). Señelita saw me on Facebook recently and so were Jamelle and Mangga. I added Michael last year on Multiply. I think I saw Marvin’s name appear on Facebook as well.

At most, I’ve already seen Zach, Carlos and Michael. I last saw Zach when we were waiting on the same train last March in Central Terminal.

Me and the guys have long been planning on doing an all-Montessorian reunion but it never get to push through nor hints of doing one never materialize. I’m usually the one that tries to organize such a reunion so I’m really hoping on getting the right timing for a lot of us to finally have a get-together.

It’s really hard for a person to reconnect with the people he has known practically his whole life but haven’t seen them for the longest time. He cannot do it alone but with the help of his friends, he will make it happen.

Finally, midterms for this 1st trimester came and went…A time of the school year where students are being pushed by their limits with countless projects, complicated reports, deadly term papers and seemingly endless deadlines. It had me pushed by my own limits for the last 2 weeks or so.

The last few days have been somewhat tense, knowing that there are deadlines I simply could not ignore. I really had to act fast in order avoid the consequences of not doing anything:

1. Webdev1: Create  Press Cafe and Boutique Hotel websites using Photoshop, Fireworks and Dreamweaver. I also presented my design studies for my final website.

2. Conctpho: Midterm Plates for Still-Life and Portrait using Lighting (using two separate themes that are subject to approval). Plus practical exam involving use of main and filler lights, and light meter.

3. 2danim1: Midterm plates composed of character design figures (head turn-around, full-body turn-around, action poses, facial expressions) and background images (worm’s eye and bird’s eye view) using character model sheets.

4. Cadvis1: Besides a traditional written exam, we have to create a personal logo using AutoCad/Architecural Desktop.

5. 3danim1: I’ve yet to take my midterms for 3danim1 but we were told that we’re going to make 3d models of certain objects using Maya 7.0 (Most frustrating subject to date).

6. Vidprod1: Finish my screenplay (Updated working title “Mukha ng Puso”). I wrote about 32 scenes worth 32 pages (short bond paper) plus a charismatic explanation to my ever funny professor, Sir Dodos 😀

By Wednesday, I felt that the weight I’m carrying on became lighter so after days of little sleep and intese brain activity, I gave myself a well deserved rest.


And this is where I realized that: Because I’m already in my 3rd year in college, I’m already taking majors and what I went through for the past weeks is but the start of possibly a very difficult and tumultuous year. As if college has ever been an easy route anyway, I know now that for the next term, I’m going to take same subjects again, only harder this time. Noticed that my classes ends with a “1”? Well, next term, they’re going to be “2’s” very soon.

It’s as if the world continues turn on and on. For the next 5 terms or so, I wil continue to face demanding deadlines and projects, sleep deprivation and exhaustion. But taking this on a postive note, I’m pretty sure I’ll be reaping the fruits of all the hard work I put into for my studies and my fellow students would find their own rewards as well.

 And for that: “The cycle of life is complete“.

Model: Joadel Habitan and Charmaine Camara
Room: A1117 (School of Design and Arts Building)
Camera: Nikon D40
Lighting: Powerbook G4
Date of Photoshoot: July 11th, 2009 1-4pm
Professor: Jomel Gregorio