THE SUMMER BEFORE COLLEGE

My summer vacation is kind of different from my other summer vacations. I guess because it is the summer vacation after high school and before going to college. Or because I was not able to attend a SEP this summer. I am not sure. I really do not know the reason. But this summer vacation feels different.

Like all summer vacations, I spent most of my time indoors. It's so hot outside that going out is not appealing. I spend most of the time watching TV when I am indoors during summer. My TV viewing this summer is different. In my previous summers, I watched shows in cable. This time it is different. We have no cable now. So, my TV viewing was limited with GMA and ABS-CBN. I also watched PBA games in ABC 5, instead of NBA in cable. (GMA, ABS-CBN and ABC are the only three channels that can be caught by the antenna. I have to admit, there are nice shows in local TV. I thought I was going to be bored by my TV viewing this summer but the two channels manage to keep me interested. And thank God for the afternoon animes of GMA. I enjoyed Gensomaden Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reloaded when we had cable and it was nice to see GMA was able to air a Filipino-dubbed Saiyuki. And who would complain repeats of Dragon Ball Z episode? The anime is a classic. Gokusen is my favorite show this summer (and it is not only because the main character reminds me of someone…though it's a reason).

I don't get why some people are zealous "Kapamilya" or "Kapuso". Some people say, "I don't to watch that show, it's on ABS-CBN. It's crap. I am a Kapuso after all." It is stupid. How can you tell the show is bad if you do not watch it? "Kamilya" or "Kapuso" zealots are often like that. People are so quick to judge…not only with TV shows but with circumstances and other people, too.

I was also often in front of the PC… either playing games, watching concerts and movies (our PC has a DVD player) or surfing the Net (God bless the Internet). I am going to mutate with all this radiation from the PC and TV.


Sometimes, I went outside, too. I have to go for errands, to pay bills and such. I have to take care of some requirements in college. Getting X-rays and police clearances were long. But the enrollment to the school and my trip to the NSO for a birth certificate really tested my patience. Fortunately, I was in good mood during those times even if it were long processes.

Sometimes, I went out to play basketball. Sometimes, I played with the Dawal twins and the other kids of the village. And sometimes, Gerome would come over to ask me to play. With all my one-on-one games with Gerome, I only lost once out of so many this summer. And he won because I was injured in my left foot and he cheated by adding a point in his score.

I injured my foot during the last school outing of our batch early in the summer. The injury was painful, it was raining and the pool was icy cold. But I had a good time at the outing.

Then later at the summer, I injured my right foot during a basketball game. As I write this, my two feet has healed but not yet fully recovered. Moreover, my thumbs that I injured two years ago are still painful.

Typhoon Kaloy was devastating. A typhoon during summer vacation is devastating, why couldn't it happen during school days instead? Our family went to "centro" of the city after the typhoon. It was still raining and windy and we surveyed the surroundings. The malls and most of the shops were closed, trees and telephone poles fell and it was so messy. It was like a post-apocalyptic city. After surveying, we got ourselves halo-halo in an open fast-food. Heck, the temperature may be still cold but a halo-halo is a halo-halo. Our village was out of power for days after the typhoon. When the weather became sunny, the people begun to clean things up. I was among those people.

But the days after the typhoon were grand. My bestfriend, Madeleine, from Cebu came over. I was glad to see her after four-years. She was only able to stay for a few days since the SEP Bicol was canceled, where she was going to serve as counselor. But I appreciated those few short days.

My sister's birthday was during the summer, on May 26, in the following week after Madz went back to Cebu. And during that day, my father had a bowling game. It was the finals, and my mother, my sister and I came over to watch my father play. My sister was asking for a strike as a gift. But my father was struggling in the game; he did not get a strike. His arms were tired. I jokingly suggested the team should have provided Gatorade drinks for energy. We left before the games were over and we learned in the evening that my father's bowling team got only the third place.

We also have some band practices during the summer. The line-up of the band changed with addition of Dayon and Hezron to the band and Ate Mhabz temporary leaving. But the band practices are the same… the Dawal twins and I are often goofing around the practices to the dismay of Sarah (but we get serious in the end).

Well my summer days were like that. It was kind of monotonous and sometimes boring…and then sometimes fun and exciting. My summer was like that but it was kind of different from the others. Maybe the summer's typhoon, experiences, injuries, fun, monotony, reunion, changes… is preparing me for college.