The Defender… A BIG SIGH

I took the steps leading to room 210. I was expecting him to be, in his usual spot, in front of the computer typing something. He never ceases to do this monotonous work. Sometimes he even sleeps in that room just to finish the never ending paperworks. Afterall, he’s the editor in chief.

I am, or should I say, was a part of our school Student Publication. I have been a member since June. Yeah I know it was almost too late for me to join, I am a third year nursing student and the work for my course has just become too tedious that it is almost stupid to sleep. But I still entered.

I can never say that everything went out fine. The weather this afternoon was all sunny but the wind is still cold….

As I was climbing the staircase, I was already planning what to say. But I was so surprised when I saw him just above the stairs standing, his back against the building’s railings.

I proceeded, but he never dared to glance. I handed him the flash drive and muttered, “Sorry” ( I was sorry because of the flash drive). “Magreresign na ‘ko” (I’m resigning). It is not that I was expecting a ceremonious resignation, but I still thought, oh so I thought, that we’re in a very good terms. But he did not lift his head. It was almost a split second and I walked away.

I know he has been really mad at me because of the delayed articles that should have been passed before the Xmas break and the flash drive that I should have returned ten years ago, but heck, I was already resigning. What was that all about?

I know I have been the most incompetent wart in the group. I didn’t attend meetings, I could not meet deadlines, and I have the least number of articles to write. Darn it, I didn’t even win the competition in San Fernando City last Semestral break, that’s why I left.

I didn’t realize that he could be this angry with me. I was actually planning to write a different angle of my resignation but my pointer (I only use my right pointer in typing, but I am fast) just cannot suppress this feeling that I just had since that almost-like-a-conversation-with-the-atmosphere-god scenario.

I mean… what the heck did I do?

Was Sick

According to the doctor I had an Acute Gastritis…

PS Parang ayaw ko ng magblog.

Relax, Relax, There’s No Earthquake.

 Jowel: Kuya mon, napano yang blackeye mo? (What happened with your blackeye?)

Richmond: Huh? AH eto… eyebags lang yan. (Huh? Oh these… these are just eyebags)

Since the time I set my foot on my Granmother’s house, my cousins had been my 24 hours companions. It has been almost a tradition that most, the closest, of my cousins to stay with us inside my Grandma’s house everytime we, “mga Taga-Bataan” as they call us, go in Isabela.

Playing with those little kids certainly is among the best things in my visit. One time they introduced me in this game, a hybrid of hide and seek, where we hide ourselves under the blankets. Then someone will “seek” us by feeling who is under the linen.

Imagine how I looked like playing with three 7-year old girls, and 11 and 10 year old boys.  One time I had a really hilarious idea. Instead of them hiding under the blankets, I put the pillows in their place and told them to hide in the other room. Karen, 7 year old, was just perplexed. She tried to feel the legs but she could not find them. But because my cousins were too noisy in the other room, she was able to solve the trick in no time.

But hide and seek seemed to be not their first choice of game actually. sometimes the three girls bring their forces together to play their favorite game- “the-let’s-punch-Manong-Richmond game”. Man, they love punching, pinching, kicking and stepping on me. But pinching, punching, all of these, were boring so they have to make the game more enjoyable by using their little “playthings”… to complement their little game, they use numerous array of things to hit me with, ranging from the pillows, to leather belts to my grandmother’s high-heeled shoes.

Everything went from bad to worse when they finally invited my 12 year old second cousin, Lek-Lek, to join their little game.

Lek-Lek, is among my favorite cousins. When she was about three or four, she would only walk with me. She did not want anyone to carry her but me. She was like, “Manong Mon, ‘maykad’toy.” (Big Brother Mon, come here.) all the time. But now those sweet memories of little angel too fragile to even walk alone vanished. What I have now is an evil ogre always on the look out for her kill… ME.  She even have her own lines that she keeps on muttering at anyone like, “You’re an incredible, stupid freak.” or “Relax, relax, there’s no earthquake. “

She’s now the leader of the anti-Richmond gang. She even taught my cousins a jingle to tease me with, one time I did not take a bath due to the very cold weather. This was rhyme…

Richmond bakulaw (Richmond Ape)

Kili kili Paw paw (underarm paw paw)

Di naliligo (he doesnt take a bath)

binato ng Tabo (was hit with the dipper)

Man, how they love singing this around the house. So I started teasing them as the “kalamay Girls” (after the rice pudding “kalamay ” that is cooked with coconut milk). I named them as such because of the usual coconut oil that my granny apply on their hair after they’ve just finished taking a bath. I was like, “Mmmmm… ang bango amoy kalamay.” (Mmmmm… smells like kalamay).

This made them totally angry. So they secretly connived and made their newest song… with the help of Lek Lek of course. The song was tuned to Boom Tarat…

They were singing…

Boom Mamon mamon

(They got the term mamon or muffin in English because it rhymes with my name)

Boom Mamon Mamon

Bakulaw Bakulaw

Ni Richmond

Thank goodness Jowel (11 years old) and Jayson (10) were there. They are very very much hospitable. Jowel even reminded the girls that we’d be going home soon so they should be good to me. We also kind of share the same interests in TV programs.. the three of us love Pokemon, Danny Phantom, Naruto and all sorts of cartoon shows. The only downside is that they also love Tom and Jerry Show. That’s why I have to pay them to change the channel during Tom and Jerry Show.

I even have to pay them to massage my back, which was in terrible pain because of the girls’ torture.  Even Lek Lek joined in the “mssage service” and was paid.

I endured all of these Hostilities from the girls even until we were about to go home.

So Jowel said, “Umalis dan tun… ap-apain nyo pay.. arakupin nyo kuma ah.” (They are about to go and you’re still teasing him… you should have been hugging him)

So I said,”Ang yayakap sa kin babayaran ko. “( I will pay anyone who hugs me)

Jayson and Jowel Hugged me immediately… Lek Lek wanted to hug me too but too bad for her I already gave all myspare coins to the two boys.She was sulking the whole time and demanding that she’ll tightly hug me if I’ll give him a 500 peso bill.

When we were about to go, someone embraced me from behind… to my surprised it was Lek Lek… So I told her I do not have any money… but she said..

“Bat niyakap ba kita… hindi naman.” (Why, did I hug you, I did not.) then she smiled and waved goodbye.

Wen Manang! Wen Manong!

I just got back from Isabela. The travel took us 12 hours.

 We went there last December 26 and Isabela, or I daresay the whole Region 2’s weather is not that cold anymore. Back then, the place was soooooooo co-o-o-ld during the morning and scorching hot in the middle of the day. You can see vapors escaping your mouth everytime you talk. But now, the weather is not that extreme anymore.

 Nevertheless…

..sure the weather changed but the people in the town where i was born has not changed a little bit. my grandmother, and all her neighbors still boast there own recipes of Macaroni salad… which really sucks.

They also cooked aso, DOG, which they did there very best to convince me to eat it. they were like telling me that the food was pork. but I still have some clever ruse in knowing if it was a dog. i asked my grandma to eat it. Just like us (me and my sister) my grandma doesn’t eat aso (dog), Kalding (Ilocano for goat), Karnero (Lamb) and gan-so (geese)… too bad she eats dinuguan (a pork cooked in blood gravy).

I’ll give you more details the following days about my family… and hopefully teach you some Ilocano words. “Wen Manang Wen Manong!!”