A Day With Kenn

The quarterly tests have been ridiculous. I just found out I got a minus twenty in English because I missed a page. I also just failed Filipino. My math grade had better be effing good because I spent a lot of time studying for that.

Urgh.

But the feeling of at last finishing the test has been exhiliaratingly refreshing. Of course, today was not without its quirks.

Ms. Catahan (who proctored my Filipino test): Advanced ka pala sa Filipino.
Allen: Oo... hindi halata, ano?
Ms. Catahan: Hindi.

And my chat with Mr. Chua...

Mr. Chua: haha advanced math is really tough
Mr. Chua: i have a lot of students complaining that tehyre in advanced
Mr. Chua: odd thing is andun pa rin cla
Mr. Chua: hahaha
Me: it's called ambivalence... it's a pride and a punishment... you learn to hate it and love it as you go
Me: sorta like me in Filipino
Mr. Chua: ur reg in fil?
Me: advanced...
Me (with hesitation, and taking a leaf from my conversation with Ms. Catahan): di halata ano?
Mr. Chua: uhmm dont get offended ha
Mr. Chua: pero yah

Nonsequitur Note: WHAT IS IT WITH SCIENCE TEACHERS AND MY FILIPINO???

I have to start speaking in Filipino more before I get mistaken for an American-born Filipino or something.

Oh, God. And I remember when Mr. Khonghun told me I had an "American Twang" (which I don't--just ask Henry) and Mr. Abelita used to wonder if I grew up in the U.S.
Guh.

So anyway, I went over to Mr. Young's directly after my test and we started catching up some more (as we started catching up yesterday). His computer was slowly reformatting itself. Then the ITC guy who went to the CR came back in and attended to it. Somewhere there, Alfonso (Solano) comes in and then two people (Timothy and someone) came in to get their bags via Mr. Gabriana. Yeah, apparently, their bags ended up in the Counselor's office.

So we talk, talk, talk... Kenn comes in, talk some more and I begin the Day's CAMWHORING.

There was even a video where Mr. Young actually said the word "molester" in reference to someone within the room. Isn't that so cool? (Ask me for the video!)

So anyway, Kenn and I move out of the room when we start to get hungry (via Alfonso dragging him out of the room. Seeing this, I grasp his arm and yank him back until we win the tug of war and Alfonso sees and goes "No fair!"). Anyway, we leave the vicinity of the school via Gate 9 but not before a short bathroom break where we primp. As soon as we step towards Gate 9, I'm hit with this incredible, unbelievably lifting feeling of nostalgia of the days when I used to walk out of Gate 9. I just realized how small Gate 9 seems now that I've grown up. The Gate 9 of my memory has always been huge and intimidating, with dark light and tall guards.

I think Nostalgia is the sexiest thing in the world. Okay, well sexy is too reminiscent of pleasure. What I mean to say is it comes across as the most beautiful kind of recollection that just hits you with a wealth of old memories that've somehow burrowed deep into your memory that you can't just call up on a whim. I love Nostalgia.

As we walk out the gate, we bump into Barney and two other people. We head over to Ash Creek but on the way, we meet with... the very person who I was sort of looking for.

WALTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Walter borrows Kenn's phone and calls someone with it. As Kenn and he just stand in the wind, I snap a couple of pictures before we proceed down to the Ash Creek proper and meet Walter's mom. We take even more pictures (and I got one with Walter's mom in it. (She's camera-shy, you see) HAH!) of ourselves. We proceed to Pancake House and sit down as Walter and his mom come in. They've already eaten, though, so Kenn and I order. He got a burger of some sort (plus fries) and I got an Asian Salad. (Oh yes, Kenn treated me, cos I forgot to bring my money. Damn! We were supposed to treat each other. NEXT TIME!) So Kenn and I started eating (and I was asked by Walter's mom if I was on a diet, because all I was having was salad. Well, I forgot what I'd answered, but the truth is that I've been pigging out on junk food recently (BIG TIME) and I had to compensate by having at least a whole day of pure-veggie meals.)

So we talked, I camwhored, Walter's mom was camera-shy, I made some calls to mom...

So they finished and decided to leave, and Kenn and I stayed and chatted some more. I snapped a pic, a video and we left. We made our way over to Gate 2 where we assumed we were supposed to be let in. We weren't. We were just sitting there, and I was camwhoring Kenn, but they wouldn't let us in. After swapping stories about the crappiness of the whole system, we went to Gate 14 and were allowed in there.

We soon bumped into Mrs. Ocampo who was going to translate a speech she made in Chinese. I told her she could ask Ms. Ngo, since she's the most capable. And in Fukien too.

So Kenn and I walk around, sit, talk with Dennis, Filbert, Alfonso, Bert, Alwyn, etc... Bert had serenaded Kenn with his guitar while I took pictures. After hanging out a bit more with them, Kenn invited tme to go with him to go to his special place, which shall henceforth be called, "Kenn's Haven".

I'm not going to reveal where that place is, but it's really nice there. There's wind (!) and a great view. But before that, Kenn and I entered another CR and primped some more.

Anyway, so we were standing around in Kenn's Haven and talking, talking, talking and it was joy because we talked about some of the most interesting things... i.e. Prom and Chinese class...

I liked it.

Then we moved on and went to the Grade School to collect the last of the basins from the teachers and end up talking about 15 minutes over with Mr. Alexander Santos about comicbooks. And here is when I find out that Kenn is actually an avid comicbook fan. WOW! I never knew that about him. He says he used to be the biggest geek of the batch until Constantine came out and he dropped it for that. Haha!

Anyway, so we travelled up and out of the Xavier and onward to ICA where we waited for about 15 minutes for Charlene to come out so Kenn could give her the Jay Chou music CD and inform her about the news that Initial D is lost on Nicky so he couldn't bring it. So I snapped a couple of pics and Charlene dragged Jackie over. Jackie got all insecure about her "oily face" and refused to have a picture taken.

So Kenn and I left to get his friend Darla's "contributions" (and Darla gave him something extra, too). So we headed straight to the Doubting (doubt the first weep the second trust the third live the fourth) place and relived a lot of old memories. Then at the end of everything, all the enjoyment and activities we did, Kenn, Gian and I left together. Gian went the opposite direction, I took a pic of the place and Kenn and I made our way to Gate 1.

Then he walked me to my car and I left.

What a wonderful but exhausting day.

Let's all offer our prayers to Denise Ong and her family. Life is unfair sometimes.