Showing posts with label Extremely Good Cheer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Extremely Good Cheer. Show all posts

Monday, April 23, 2007

Order of the Blue Eagles



...my alma mater did not disappoint.

Jel and I went back to Ateneo to "experience" the school all over again. Like I said in one of my previous posts, being in Ateneo is both refreshing and rejuvenating, a spring of fresh water amidst all the corporate murkiness. And during my second visit, my alma mater did not disappoint. Here are some pictures (yesss...) documenting this very wonderful day.


The day began with lunch at Ken Afford, one of the restaurants we frequent during our college days. Jel had stuffed squid, while I had my staple, chicken lollipops. (Warning: Diet Failure Ahead!)



Don't worry, I only had one rice. And, well, some soup. ;)



After that sumptuous lunch, we finally went inside the campus. The landscape was breathtaking, to say the least. Maybe these pictures could convince you of the beauty that is the Ateneo.





Of course, admiring the beautiful landscape wasn't our primary reason in visiting Ateneo. We then proceeded to do what we needed to do.





Oops. Not that. We studied. Unfortunately, I was informed by the receptionist in the library that I only had 3 passes for this semester. In order for me to have unlimited library visiting privileges (I feel like I'm at the losing end of a child custody case), I should avail for myself the Ateneo Alumni card, or the Order of the Blue Eagle card, whichever I preferred. I went to the Office of Alumni Relations later on, picking the Ateneo Alumni card, but in the meantime, we studied.




At the end of the day, after a chunk of loss models has been retained in my brain and a chunk of remedial law has been retained in Jel's, we decided to go back home. It would never have occurred to us that we would be taking a detour and meet up with Jack in UP.



We ate dinner at UP, dessert in McDonald's Philcoa, and chatted about life a bit before calling it a night. Jack had his curfew, and we had ours (yeah, right).




Rejuvenation in. Lights out.






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Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Ateneo

I love the Ateneo. I always will.

If someone were to ask me what the happiest moments in my life are, where they occurred, and when they happened, I would reply, without batting an eyelash, "my days in the Ateneo." I may not have explored every side of me then (God knows I have not foreseen the person that I would become now), but like they say, ignorance is bliss, and there is beauty in simplicity. I was just a young boy who enjoyed the occassional movie, endured the daily struggle against student poverty, and got excited over the prospect of a birthday treat at KFC. Back then, my life of solving math problems, sleeping countless hours in the dorm, and salivating over a bowl of spicy pancit canton was enough. It was a great life. I didn't know it then, but I was contented.

It is then of no wonder that my trip to Ateneo today felt like I was coming home to a very happy place. Each old building had a new story to tell; each new one welcomed me. The air was just as fresh and the fields were just as sprawling. I also went at a time when summer classes have barely started, so the flock of students in the campus made me feel more welcome than I already was. I actually looked like a goof if you were there with me: I was smiling the whole time. I couldn't help it; like I said, it was a very happy place.

How I got there is even an interesting story in itself. I never planned to study for my actuarial exam in the Ateneo. My mind was bent on studying in Starbucks right here in Rockwell. But somehow, I felt like I needed a change of location. I felt the weight of Makati over me, and it hung like a deadly sword. So I went out of the coffee shop, hailed the first empty cab, and told the driver to take me to Ateneo. It was an impulsive decision that I have not regretted.

My senses still feel tingly (if there is such a term) almost 15 hours after that memorable visit. I feel so much more refreshed and relaxed. I still have my problems, I still have my melancholic thoughts, but they're staying in the backseat for now. Or perhaps they'll stay there for a long, long time.

I love the Ateneo. I always will.

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