Being Elementary

I've been browsing through one of my bff's blog entries and I came upon her entry about her memories of grade school. We've actually had a couple of conversations about this (me and her posting a blog about what we remember most in grade school) over bbq sa kanto, chicken mcdo at macapagal and while we travel the long-short road (depending on the traffic along coastal) home. We'd always end up roflmao-ing (figuratively of course, hard to imagine us doing that in the car while she was handling the wheel). So to give in her to prodding and to keep my word, I'm posting what I remember most about grade school...

I remember the boy, but I don't remember the feelings anymore...

One memory or should I say person that sticks out in my elementary memories would have to be "J" (of course, I wont be dropping names here!). He, for reasons I now cannot fathom why, was such a heart throb back in the day. I, along with every other female in our batch, admittedly wasn't immune to his charms and cute, boy next-door looks. His "effect" on us was so much that it reached to a level that they (I'm talking about those girls whose "crushing" on him already go to the point of being possessive) had an "sex-in-the-city like conversation in the girl's comfort room one day that goes a little something like this, if my memory serves me right:

G1: (entering the almost packed girl's c.r.) Hoy! (addressing no one in particular) Akin si *toot*

G2: Excuse me, na una ako sa'yo sa kanya!

G3: At kailan nangyari yun?

Me: ?!?!?!?! (^_-)

Mind you, this conversation happened we were just in grade one and were just a bunch of seven year-olds.

Competition? Bring it On 'Tudes

To say that our batch was competitive would be an understatement. We had rivalries from things as mundane as headbands, shoes, socks, pencil cases, stroller bags and colognes to who passes the activity cards ("term paper" like papers we had to do on a monthly basis) the fastest, who was able to memorize the prayers the quickest, who does the best projects and what not. i remember having this science project ones that dealt with the solar system. The best project gets to be displayed in the library. Our group, fearing that our take on the solar system (yeah, yeah, I know, how many takes can you have on one solar system, right? Well, our 9 year old brains only had so much foresight) had our solar system covered in clothe when we brought it to school and kept it under wraps until it was time to bring it to the library for "judgment."

Our paranoia paid off. My groups solar system got displayed in the library along with the rest of the others. Wala talagang gustong magpatalo. Lolz!

Fun and Games

We were kids. So fun and games was definitely part of our vocabulary. A major part of it actually. We played to our hearts content not minding how sweaty or smelly we got. We played during recess, lunch break and even during class hours. We even had a patintero competition complete with play offs and championship rounds. We played board games, paper games, and even boggle right under our teachers noses. How we were we able to do it? We simply would slip under our tables and conduct our business there. I wonder now if our teachers just looked the other way cause how could they miss a row of empty chairs?!

We made sure we had our money's worth over our playground equipment. Keber na kung magka-kalyo sa kaka-monkey bar. When our hands ached from too much bar handling, we learned to walk on them. At first it was just the boys for the obvious reason that they were wearing short/pants and we were stuck with skirts. But thank god for cycling shorts! With those under our skirts, we walked the money bars as fast as our male counterparts.

One particular recess during 5th grade, the bell rung in the middle of our game of Marco Polo (a version of tag where the blinded folded "it" has to find the "frozen" players after the end of a chant) along the monkey bars. All of us unfroze from our spot and made a mad dash back to the classroom before the doors were closed as per policy of our homeroom teacher to deter people from coming in late from recess. It was a bit too late for "A", the "it" for the that game, when he realized that that the bell has rung as the blind fold also covered a good part of his ears. Seeing that the doors were about to be closed on him, he shouted across the playground "WAG NIYONG ISIRA! HINTAY!" for everyone to hear, including our teacher for the next class, which was Christian Living Experience. After we all settled down, Ms. "M" called "A" up front and told him to shout like what he did a few moment back or else step out. At first, "A" didn't want to but seeing the stern look on Ms. "M's" face had him shouting like a banshee. My bff and her seatmate couldn't help but chuckle which earned her a snarl and a warning from Ms. "M" that if they didn't stop laughing, she'd have them up front with "A" and laughing the whole period. That vanished all thoughts of laughing from everyone's mind.

Skits and Role Playing

Our school "prides" itself in providing "holistic" education hence part of their teaching curriculum was interspersed with activities that would "hone" our creativity. Thus, we had skits and role playing galore.

I remember playing "Ninang" when we were learning about the Sacraments. We did a literal version of the Creation when we turned on the lights (in broad daylight, mind you) to recreate the part when the Lord said, "Let there be light". And how can I forget playing one of the children of Fatima who showed up late for her interview on Christian talk show.

My being in front of the crowd was out of necessity for I liked it better when I was behind the scene, either "directing" or doing the "script". I did a historical romance for our history class and a Catholic-themed sex education plot, complete with bed scenes for our religion class. Come grade 6, we were blowing condom balloons as part of our report for sex education. I guess the nuns running our school weren't as frigid as I thought them to be.

Cliques

They were the ones you have your lunch with and hang out with after class, playing tag or chinese garter/10-20. They also defined if you were part of the "in" crowd or not. But unlike in High School were these cliques have a sense of permanency, during elementary, it was just a passing phase.

Case in point is the "achy breaky heart group". Remember the song, "don't break my heart, my achy breaky heart, just don't break understood, ohh weeehhh!"? Well, that was what bonded them. By them, I'm referring to a combination of boys and girls from grade 6 two sections that were cut off from the rest of the elementary block for being housed in a separate building. During lunch, while waiting for the bell to ring, they would sit on the bench and sing that silly song to anyone who happens to pass by. If that person happens to get confused by their actions, they'd increase their volume and exaggerate the "ohhh weeeehh" in the end of the line and then laugh amongst themselves after.

I obviously am not part of the group and was among those who got a dose of their serenades. I just didn't get what was so cool about singing that song only to realize in the end that there was nothing to get anyway. They were just having fun and punking people like Ashton Kutcher.

Yellow Cab's Four Season and Macau

It was one of those laid back days in the office despite having deadlines to beat all because we only had one boss up stairs. I went upstairs looking for MLP to ask him the case folder of the case I was pitching in for him the next day and found him at the back of the 5th floor office with our only present boss. I was just hoovering along the sidelines, waiting for them to finish their conversation when our boss looked up and asked me out of the blue from what pizza place should we order from. Pizza Hut was out of the question considering that M's Palm card has already expired, I suggested Yellow Cab's 18-incher so that everyone in the office could have their share of the pie.

I dont know how the topic of traveling came up while we were chomping done on our slices of the 18-incher in the conference room but it did. Next thing we knew our boss was asking us were we wanted to go and when we wanted to go. He waved the privilege bar (travel privileges in the office starts after one year of service; M was the only who was eligible to travel amongst the associates). We (with little persuasion from our Boss) settled on Macau even before we all had our last slice of pizza. Since MCB handled our Christmas party, our Boss turned to me and told me to handle the details of the rest of the trip as he would be handling the details of our flight.

We encountered glitches here and there but last week, I was able to confirm our booking at the Venetian and our "chartered" plane is all set to go on Thursday morning. It going to be our (the associates with the exception of Mikie) first time in Macau. Given that we only have 3 days to explore the whole place, we all said that we'll hit the ground running to make the most of it. We also joked around that when we come, we should also hit the ground running as our calendar is full after the holy week. There really is no rest for the wicked, aint there?

p.s.
Sir, the next yellow cab four season is on us so long as we get to have another trip aboard at the end of our snacks. *winkz*