#i could not eat it politely due to its firmness and juice ran down my hands and sprayed onto my face and hair

[la-cocotte-de-paris]

Just ate the most amazing tangerine I've had in A LONG TIME

[ultrahellodear-blog]

Tired

Cudia, Jon Benedict

              Heavy, the first thing I felt early in the morning was the heaviness of my morning dreaminess. My arms felt like  pair of Iron cables as I reached for my phone. Like a lightning, white light flashed my sigh. Like thunder, time woke me in a snap. 5:30am, I woke up too late. I bolted up-straight in a panic as I reached out for the already-filled thermos to heat some water for my bath.

              A stampede of tiny footsteps trampled on the roofs of houses. A day wherein students will always check the Facebook page of ACDRRMC for the chance to stay at home “legally” and slack off the entire day. Unfortunately, that day wasn’t “the day.”

              I swore in my thoughts, because the next thing I knew is I woke up again. 5:45am, I slept for another 15 minutes. The cold air of rainy season is a sleeping spell for almost anyone. As if it had a petrifying debuff casted on me and the bed had some entangling trap of invisible vines and roots that kept me from standing up. Morning rainy days are like Adarna Birds that sing slent songs that drive you to sleep.

              I grabbed my thermos of hot water and ran towards the bathroom. In my mind, I was anxious that the water was already warm due to my stupidity of falling asleep. But regardless, I had no time of dwelling on that thought and just poured that fuming water on the blue pale.

              I stirred the water, hoping that it would turn hot. But it turned warm, not warm enough to wash away the cold air caressing my bare skin. I was shivering the whole time and the only thing that can warm me is by pouring a dipper of warm water spontaneously. But I can’t start by pouring water from the top, I had to start from the feet. Because according to research, pouring from the feet is the most recommended start of taking a bath.

              I dried up after a long bath. The first thing I checked was my phone. I opened my data to go online on facebook messenger to check if Ranza had sent a message. She did. And I  replied “huhuhuhu, I’m sorry. I woke up late. See you at school. Ingaatt!”

              I rushed myself to my uniform, then to school. But there’s one thing I hate about early mornings: 6:30am commutes—traffics.

Imagine a trip that would normally take five to ten minutes. Then slam a traffic on that scene and the trip will feel like a mile-long journey. Sometimes I wished flying cars already existed today just like what the movie “back to the future” imagine the 21st century.               The jeep pulled over around HRPC, beside the ministop. I stepped down and rushed towards the university gate. Regardless of whether jay-walking being either a crime or not, I did not care. As a person chasing time, I don’t care about things anymore except being in time.

              I slammed my I.D. on the attendance and I ran towards the PGN building. The campus was crowded as if you can’t drop a needle in between the gaps of people walking within the campus. And after this crowd, the last obstacle every HAU student will encounter is either the crowded and congested elevator or climbing up to 7th floor through the means of stairs. I was so happy that I Stood in front of the elevator door, but in the end I was forced to take the stairs

              It was very tiring. The air was cold, yet I was sweating.  I don’t know if I’m the cause why I feel hot or it is generally hot inside the building. But, I hate it when I sweat. I feel like all the bath I took was gone in a snap.

              Even though I’m irritated by the terrible sweat and heat that I felt while walking up the stairs, I was firm enough to continue. What was my choice anyway? School s is School, I must comply.

              Thankfully, I got in the room on time. Everyone stood up and the Prelims was just about to start.  I was safe.

              I dropped my bag on my seat and I turned towards Jaylie who was smiling to me. “O bat ka nalate?” she said in sarcastic tone.  She was clearly teasing me.

              I simply smiled without any retort. I was too tired to even reply and I just simply turned towards my teacher by the start of the prelims.

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              Class began. I knew it was the first day, but I felt really tried and drowsy. I could barely remember anything from the first subject. My mind is too tired to even process information and record everything my teacher said.

              The first subject met its end and the first break of the day started. It was supposedly a break where everyone should be resting or eating their snacks. But in our class, it was different. Everyone rehearsed their plays for the 2nd subject: Applied Social Sciences. Of course, it was normal for me. But normalizing this kind of culture, was it really meant to be normal for students?

              I did my part in my group. My role is simply a father shaming his daughter (cruel, right?). I feel like a typical abusive father in GMA Filipino noontime dramas. It was an easy and underwhelming role. On top of that, I even forgot to bring my own costume for the play. But rest assured, I was clever enough to use my jacket, bag, umbrella, and I even borrowed spectacles as a cosmetic. And during the presentation, it all worked out.

              Due to the lengthy amount of time the plays consumed. Not everyone was able to present their outputs. The last group were forced to present during lunch time or they will suffer a loss of grades.

              School really is tiring, especially Mondays. The presentation for Social Sciences was not the only activity we have for that day. We still had two subjects to prepare for. And up next is Politics and governance.

              First, we had our lunch. I invited Jaylie to come with us down, to the PGN basement and buy our lunch. But she insisted in staying due to her responsibility in the group. She was ought to prepare for their presentation since they will be the first performing group. I agreed, but I insisted on buying her something like a drink or anything. She asked for red tea. We rushed down the building through the elevators and bought ourselves lunch and drinks. Then, we rushed back up again since we did not have much time to slack off. I tell you, honestly, Monday is really tiring.

              We got up, we ate, we talked, we laughed.  But it all took place in just an hour. Then, we went back to our responsibilities. Yes, fun times are just short times. We always try to find one, even if we can barely have any.

              But life is not just enjoying, responsibilities are a part of it. After lunch, we immediately started our creation of stations for our gallery walk in Politics and Governance subject under two hours. Here’s a comment: 2 hours was not enough. WE EXERT OUR BIGGEST EFFORTS IN CREATING GOOD OUTPUTS AND 2 HOURS WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH. Our group even agreed to prepare 20 sheets of coffee-stained papers prior to the actual preparation day. We also had curtains, 6 sheets of cartolinas, and a bunch of black and white images just to capture the vibe of the first Philippine Republic.

              2 hours had pass, and I’m craving for home. My brain is depleted with juices and I can just drop down and melt into water. But despite of this long hell I am forced to take, we still had one subject, “TRENDS”.

              Our teacher only gave us 1 hour. YES 1 HOUR. It’s like accomplishing everything without committing a single mistake. We had no time for brainstorming, what we only had was work and work. Thankfully, my group mates were able to prepare visual aids prior to the actual preparation date and all we did left are simply cutting and pasting.

              After an hour, the first group presented. Honestly, I felt bad for them. It was almost impossible to prepare under an hour. I knew the pressure in that, I felt that, too.

              We only had two presenters for that time. The rest, we were granted more time to prepare. Towards the end of school, most of us stayed in our room to continue our preparation for Philippine politics and governance. Yes, even though school had ended, we are still working after the long and tiring hours of learning. Right school it is.

              Jaylie and the others went home ahead of me. They had much work to do, so did I. So I went home all by myself. I rode a jeepney all by myself. I felt heavy pressure of the day on me during the whole ride. As if a gargoyle birched on my shoulers and moving is almost impossible.

              I watched the passing lights of the city. Usually, I’m riding with Jaylie on the way home. Now, it feels uncomfortable without her with me. I had no one to talk to, I was simply silent during the whole ride.

              “Para po!” I asked the driver. He pulled over underneath the overpass and I stepped down to go home in my dorm.

              Rest? Nope, that’s not real. As students, it felt like rest was not an option, always. Because when I got home, I began working on my assignments and things to review for our presentation. I want to have some fun, but that would put my schedule into great risk. The week was already a hassle, I can’t afford stressing out again.

              After all the work I did,I slept around 9pm. Normally, I would sleep at 12am. But I feel really tired to even exceed. I messaged Jaylie before I slept, I told her that I’m going to sleep. And the next thing I knew, I was asleep.

              To summarize my whole day, Mondays are hectic and tiresome. It is the busiest day of the week, compared to the rest. All I ever wanted was to learn, but not to push myself to my breaking point.

Photo by CBN News