Would have been Perfect

Isabela is back in Manila and we are desperately looking for a nice place that's conducive for studying. After studying at the university library, we came across a small coffee shop below a hotel along a popular Malate street. We used to bypass that cafe when going to a mainstream coffee shop nearby. The place reminds me of a french cafe, with its rustic wooden walls. It really looks cozy with its low ceiling and dim lights enough for reading. 

It was a drizzly night, setting the tropical Manila weather into a more comfortable one. I checked my phone. It's 24 degrees outside. The place, however, has no regard of the weather and had its air conditioning units in full blast.

"Ahhh! Don't you feel like we're in Paris (with a silent S)? The ambiance... the musique...the weather!" I told Isabela in a French accent. 

"I've never been to Europe. But yeah, this place is cool. I mean, literally cool," Isabela replied.

Her girlfriend, Fatima, also came over 30 minutes later. We sat on a four-seater table. Of course, they sat on the same side while I sat beside my bag. We were studying productively until we started feeling the cold air getting into us. Yeah, the cold is now killing the ambience... the musique... and those French blahs!

Since I lost a lot of pounds after internship (I am now near my pre-med school weight), I began wearing my small-sized wide-necked shirts to boast how much I lost to those I know (yes, no more belly!)... and fish for compliments. However, this time, showing too much skin is really not helpful. Isabela had a jacket, which of course, she shared with her girlfriend. And yeah, they could hug without the judging stares from others, because they are girls. 

With little clothing to cover me, less fat to insulate the heat, and a sweet couple sitting in front of me, I could feel the physical and emotional coldness creeping into me. I just hugged my bag sitting next to me to cover whatever it could cover. Then, I texted Isabela and said, "Would have been perfect if Harry were here.." 

Isabela read the SMS and pouted her lips while I looked at her with puppy dog eyes. Then, she whispered  something to Fatima.

"There! You're dying!" Isabela handed me the jacket. "You still got me. Don't worry." Then she smiled.

And that made me realize, it would have been perfect.... if the place were warm enough on a cold rainy day.

As for me... I think, being single is perfect... with a great best friend by my side. 

photo from here

UP Naging Mahal

There used to be a joke about the big three universities: " Sa Ateneo, mahirap ang math. Sa La Salle, mahirap ang parking. Sa UP mahirap ang.... estudyante." And so, there were other campus war jokes where the humor revolves around how bright but financially disadvantaged the Iskos and Iskas are.

But things have changed.  It has been five years since I graduated from the university. Back then, I just paid 300 pesos per unit. I was a regular paying student, meaning, I don't have any scholarships or discounts. That tuition is just that small. Now, UP students pay more than thrice my tuition 5 years ago.

Lately, I took a quick meal at the College of Arts and Sciences (AS) cafeteria  of UP Manila which is just across the PGH - Out Patient Department as I took advantage of my short lunch break. It is were I used to hang out back in college while waiting for a class. It is a bit different now, with conyo as the major language of communication.Students are busy crushing candies in their iPads. iPhones are also everywhere...and parking (in AS), is as difficult as that in La Salle.

And so, I therefore conclude, that UP is not what it used to be. Well, quality-wise, education is still among the best, but sadly, it is no longer for the masses.The increasing cost of education in the university mandated to educate the financially disadvantaged has created a social shift in the student population. Hence, those campus jokes are no longer applicable, as tuition in UP can now drive a poor student to death...um...literally. (And therefore, an Atenean can no longer tell an Isko that the latter's tuition is just his stipend for a day.)

As with Kristel Tejada's suicide, I still believe that UP should not get the sole blame for her death. Coming from a medical perspective, the drive of a person to commit suicide is multifactorial. The forced leave of absence and inability to pay the tuition may be just one of them. Indeed, these might have been just  overemphasized by the militant students, but in the end, what good came out of this issue is the realization of the policies that render the poor students powerless. And I hope in the near future, the government would review its budget allocation and the UP system would create lenient policies that won't suffocate the disadvantaged students.

Well, as for the moment, UP is still UP. Too bad, you can't enjoy it when you can't afford it.

As for the present Iskos and Iskas, you are lucky enough to be endowed with brains and enough money to afford UP. But I hope you won't forget your fellow Iskos and Iskas and even those outside UP who are struggling to make ends meet but highly value education. Complacency may lead to apathy which is not how UP brought us up.

And so, I shout again what I used to shout on the streets, "Iskolar ng Bayan! Ngayon ay Lumalaban!"

photo from here