The Simple Things In Life

I just turned 18... yesterday. WOOHOO! Okay that was fun...

Anyway, I did not have a party or anything... it is a milestone I know but due to my family's financial situation I just could not afford to do anything. BUT... I did have a great pre-birthday! And a pretty good birthday in itself...

Last August 3, Rembert invited me for ice cream at Mcdo. He got out of class at around 4 while I got out at 1. I had a couple of things to do at school and I did want to see him so I agreed to meet up. And his timing was excellent because I did not have anything to do for the next day.

Anyway, I arrived at that title because that afternoon before I met up with Rembert I was with Apa because she did not want to go home too. After unsuccessfully getting my uniform from my PE professor and then returning to the Dean's office to find a room for our makeup class for Filipino. After Apa's vindication over the "over due" book that was in the library all along, a quick stop at OSA to see if there was actually progress on my scholarship application, I asked her if she wanted to have lunch with me since I think it was about 1:30 or something. We head to Lacson and ate at Binggay's a good little carinderia near the corner of Dapitan.

Our long walk around the campus garnered a lot of interesting conversation. We were walking from one side of the university to another by the way. While we were eating we were talking about anything and everything in between. Her life, my life. It was fun. I had porkchop, she had liver steak. It was a bright, clear day. Good food, good company, good day... we somehow got to mentioning that these were the simple things in life. And those simple things needed one more thing: DIRTY ICE CREAM. Okay, so it is sort of an in-house dirty ice cream place in UST but it is still dirty ice cream. A little piece of heaven in a 10 peso cone.

Manong ice cream (I forgot who coined that term) was located at the corner of the main building that day near the Health Service and after that we went to Plaza Calderon because I felt that it was a logical place to meet Rembert. We were talking for about an hour or so before she left and the atmosphere there was great too.

Around 3:30 Rembert arrived. He got out of class early and then I was engaged in another great conversation. I love those small intimate talking sessions. Although we were mostly trying to catch up with each other since the last time we saw each other was ironically last school year. We go to the same university yet it took us a year to get together. Go figure... we blame it on our schedules!

He treated me to seriously I forgot what they call that. The one with oreos in them... and since as usual McDonald's was packed with students we ate outside the fast food chain. It was fun watching people go by and him wanting to give the high school students his uniform.

It was a great day. I don't know if I mentioned the simple things in life to him but that afternoon really was the best example of those little happy memories. I was happy. I haven't been that happy in a long time to be honest. He treated me to ice cream because he didn't have class on my birthday! Thank you dude! You do not know how much that means to me. I'm an easy girl to please. Everything I guess was just moving too fast. I needed that afternoon.

And then on my birthday, there was also a little agitation from the Dean's office and the wacked out system for paying for the tuition fee. It was crazy. That's all I can say about that. But I pretty much had a good "academic day". I got 30 over 40 in my Filipino quiz (which was supposed to be at 5 in the afternoon but Sir Eros took our History period, our last class at 10 so we got out of class early). I got a 100 plus 5 in my hands-on html application exam in Computer. After class Meg, Edree, Apa and I ate at Binggay's again. I treated them to drinks. All I could afford. Then we went to Edree's because they were working on their LTS thing. I just hung out. I took a breather that afternoon.

Still got into the simple things in life. Although my feet did hurt yesterday, because after heading to Piy Margal (where Edree's dorm was) we went back to the Eng Complex to get our uniform which we successfully got. Then I headed back to the Main Building to check on the scholarship, no progress yet. And then I before I was about to head home. I stopped by the chapel. I haven't done that in a long time but I needed to do that for myself. Just a little thank you for the past 18 years. A thank you for wonderful friends, family and for living itself. I feel like crying because I still feel blessed, amidst the problems. I'm still living... and in the words of India Arie, in her song "Just 4 2day":

"Just for today I will not worry what tomorrow will bring..."
"I don't know what's gonna happen that's alright with me. I'll open up my arms andI'll embrace the mystery..."

And on my birthday night, I was chatting with Rembert again... that was great too. I celebrated my post birthday online with him and Pchan. He told me that I was 18 y.o. and 1 day... HAHA crazy.

Everything that has transpired woud seem ordinary in the eyes of an observer but to me these past two days were one of the best days in my life. I was pulled out of a terrible slump this past week. I even went to the point where I felt that this was going to be the worst birthday ever. I guess in expecting nothing I got more than I could have wanted.

And before I go... more birthday stuff but not mine... I haven't done this in a long time... pictures from Meg's debut last July 29 at Aberdeen Court.

The debutante: Meg

Group Pictures!! 2jrn1 family

With Ge

With Mae

Long entry... would probably be gone for the week... prelim week... thanks for all the greetings people. I appreciate it A LOT. See you around... those who read this anyway!