Blog # 6:
“Prince Sungit”
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I fell in love with the three-point shot.
Rukawa Kaede.
No, correction. That wasn’t his real name. His real name was Cedric Palma. And he was the live version of Rukawa Kaede.
No, I wasn’t exaggerating. Just like how I didn’t exaggerate when I said before that Ethan dela Verde was the live version of Li Syaoran, Cedric Palma was the live version of Rukawa Kaede.
Medyo hindi ako makapag-concentrate sa pagta-type ngayon. Kinikilig kasi ako eh. Kilig-worthy kasi talaga si Cedric. Maisip ko nga lang si Rukawa eh tumitili na ang brain cells ko.
Cedric Palma. Classmate ko siya noong middle school, pero pagka-graduate noong middle school, lumipat yata sila sa ibang barrio ng family niya kaya hindi namin siya nakasama noong freshman to sophomore year noong high school. Bumalik lang siya noong junior year.
Junior year—fifteen years old ako during that time. And before I forget to say, my junior year had been a hell year. Sa tanang high school life ko, isinumpa ko ang year na ‘yun. Maraming nagkagulo-gulo—academics, extra-curricular… and even friendship. I don’t want to get into details kasi hindi naman ganoon ka-relevant sa blog na ito and seriously, I don’t want to plunge into misery, telling about all those misadventures of my academic and extra-curricular worlds.
But to give a little view of it, let’s start sa academics. Since junior year na, start na ng competition for the honory society kung saan kukuhanin ang mga honor students next year. It just meant na kapag maganda ang academic performance mo sa junior year, mapupunta ka sa honor section when you step in your senior year and saka ka lang magkakaroon ng chance na mapabilang sa honor society. Yeah, I know, it’s a little discriminating kasi may mga late bloomers na sa senior year na lumalabas ang galing, pero wala eh, iyon ang patakaran ng school. So ayun na nga, start na ng competition at mahigpit iyon, sagad. Sa sobrang higpit eh kung an-ano nang kaguluhan at away na nangyayari sa klase. Hindi kasi maiiwasang magkaroon ng aversion sa bawat isa lalo na’t isa lang talaga ang puwedeng tanghaling Valedictorian, Salutatorian, at third to tenth honors. Unlike sa college na kahit sampu kayong Summa Cum Laude, okay lang. So aside from the fact na nagkaroon ng mga away-away na ‘yan sa mga running for honors and some friendship faltered, nandiyan din ang pressure. I wasn’t among those na naapektuhan ng mga away-away na ‘yun kasi seriously, hindi ako mahilig sa competition. Pero I was among those na na-pressure.
Paanong hindi mape-pressure eh lahat ng Chengs ay grumaduate with honors? Kung hindi man Valedictorian o Salutatorian, kabilang pa rin sa top ten ng honor society. At paanong hindi mape-pressure eh ang Kuya Cielo ko, bukod sa Valedictorian ever since, running for Summa Cum Laude pa ngayong college and after that, kukuha pa siya ng master’s degree and then PhD? Seriously? Nakaka-pressure ‘yun kahit hindi naman ako nipe-pressure ng parents namin. Meron lang talagang buit-in pressure, lalo na kapag ang buong angkan niyo eh ganoon ang peg.
Aside from the academics, nandiyan din ang mga pressure at problema sa Student Government kung saan representative ako ng junior year.
And as for friendship—well, hindi man competition sa academics ang pinagdaanan namin nina, Taneia at Fiona, we had our share of a rocky journey. It was the time na nagka-boyfriend na si Taneia—that was another story—and her boyfriend equated to bad news. They guy was just… well, bad news. Fiona and I didn’t like the guy, but for the sake of our friendship with Taneia, we kept our relationship with the guy civil. Kiel and the others didn’t like the guy, too. Sabi ko nga, ‘di ba, he was bad news talaga. He was a transferee and well, basta bad news. Bukod sa babaero at manloloko (heard tons of testimonials from his exes), he was rumored to use drugs, pero rumors lang naman ‘yun, so let’s somehow give him the benefit of the doubt. So ayun, medyo rocky ang friendship namin ni Fiona with Taneia. And dumating kami sa point na hinayaan na lang namin siya. Medyo lumayo na rin kasi siya eh. Inilalayo kasi siya ng lalaking iyon, so…
