Once In A While
Despite being a semi-stressful week due to preparations for Graduate Level PAASCU Accreditation, a couple of things that came early in the week kept me going.
Monday: The Birth of A Legend
I had just finished with my InTACT class and was on my way to the Dept when I met Teacher Pia along the way. As we entered the elevator she said, "Kenny, I have kwento for you." Curious by nature, I was immediately intrigued. I could never refuse an "I have kwento for you." Chismoso. HAHAHAHAHA!
Anyway! Teacher Pia proceeded to tell me about her dilemma regarding September 8, which is a Tuesday, but will have a Friday schedule (due to the numerous cancellations of classes). Now, since she's not a full-time faculty member, she has other commitments on days that she's not supposed to be teaching (Tuesdays and Thursdays), and she can't just break those commitments on a whim because of the Ateneo's schedule changes.
She told her students about this problem, prompting them to ask if she'd be finding a substitute for that day. According to her, they said, "If you are, can it be 'that guy?'" followed by a description of 'that guy.'" Teacher Pia replied with, "Ah, si Kenny." That much was good enough for me. Having already subbed for one of her classes before, it meant a lot that they wanted me back to sub for her again. Whether I sub or not, I'd be satisfied knowing that they were asking for me. And then, Teacher Pia shattered that thought. "Oh, and it's not the class you subbed for before ha!" Time stopped for a second while my mind processed the implications of that sentence. When time restarted, Teacher Pia went on to say, "They're another class. They just heard about you from the others. Funny ka raw." That just blew my mind.
If you're having difficulty understanding how big this is, lemme spell it out for you. Not only was I being asked for, but I was being asked for based on the opinions of a totally different set of people. People are actually talking about me. They're spreading my myth and building my legend. Isn't that how legends are born? People talk about them, spread the word, and instill the idea into more minds and a greater consciousness. Of course, I have no delusions of grandeur. I know I'm no legend yet. But I'm confident enough (or conceited enough) to claim that, at the moment, my status is probably covered by the "Cult Favorite" classification; not quite recognized by the mainstream, but slowly creeping into the consciousness of the population. I may be at the bottom of the ladder, but at least, I've penetrated the private conversations of the students. At least the idea of me - regardless of my name - is out there. At least I've started climbing towards my dream of "Legendary Teacher" status.
On the surface, I tried to be all cool and reserved. Inside me, though, a bunch of giddy little kiddie-Kennys were bouncing around in absolute glee. XD
Teacher Pia told her students she's talk to me about subbing. I asked her, "So, is this you talking to me about subbing?" GAHAHAHAHAHAHA! She said she wasn't sure yet. I'm cool with that. Even if I don't actually get to sub, I'll be happy. Just the thought that my legend is beginning to be written is enough motivation for me to keep moving forward and looking towards wider horizons!
Shit like this doesn't happen very often, so I try to soak in as much of it as I can. It keeps me motivated. It drives me forward even as so many forces try to drag me down.
ONWARD TO GLORY I GO!
Tuesday: Once In A While
Last Tuesday, I met up with Nikki Go-Cedenio, a friend from college. She had just recently arrived from her year-long visit to China and wanted to meet up to catch up.
I was definitely excited to see her since it's been more than a year since I saw her last and even longer since we actually sat down and had a conversation. In fact, looking back, we had very few sit-down conversations throughout college. The last one we had was way back in freshman year, during an ARPT outing. We'd see rarely see each other, and when we do, we'd only speak for a couple of minutes before getting back to where we were going or what we were doing. On average, we'd see each other once a sem and have an average conversation time of about 3 minutes. HAHAHAHAHAHA! This means that, right now, we're behind quota! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
We met up at around 230. I had just gotten off work, so we agreed to meet at the Leong lobby. I recognized her immediately. How could anyone forget a smile like that!? :P But seriously, she looked great. That year in China did her a lot of good. It was like she was in bloom.
We went over to the stone benches at the Zen Garden and just talked, even as the sky sent thunderous threats of impending rain. It was mostly catching up, really. Nothing special. I asked her about China, she asked about work. We talked about possible jobs she might want to go into and how to go about applying for them. Little things. Having had few opportunities to get to know each other in college, we knew very little about each other. The conversation was very helpful in that department, allowing us to learn more about one another. I found out that her parents sell ammo (I'm scared) and she found out that my dad is probably a secret agent. HAHAHAHAHA! Perfect! XD
When it finally started to rain, I asked her if she wanted to see where I worked. She was hesitant at first, afraid that she might not be allowed there, but she agreed and we continued our conversation in the Psych Dept. Idiot that I am, I totally forgot to bring an umbrella. SORRY NIKKI! My bad. We talked for a while longer in the Psych Dept and I introduced her to Pam and Chinky.
Simple as the conversation was, I found it really rejuvenating. It was nice seeing someone from college and just talk about simple things for a couple of hours. "Sweet nothings" as Mr. Pagsi would call them. Chatting with Nikki was even more interesting since we hardly ever get to. Last Tuesday was the "once" in the phrase "once in a while" and it's quite easy to appreciate since you don't get it very often. As with the day before, I soaked up the experience, enjoying every moment. It wasn't too hard thanks to Nikki. ☺
Monday and Tuesday set the tone of my week. No matter how stressful it was gonna get, I had a couple of ounces of Dandelion Wine to breathe sunshine back into dark days. I'd hold.
Monday: The Birth of A Legend
I had just finished with my InTACT class and was on my way to the Dept when I met Teacher Pia along the way. As we entered the elevator she said, "Kenny, I have kwento for you." Curious by nature, I was immediately intrigued. I could never refuse an "I have kwento for you." Chismoso. HAHAHAHAHA!
Anyway! Teacher Pia proceeded to tell me about her dilemma regarding September 8, which is a Tuesday, but will have a Friday schedule (due to the numerous cancellations of classes). Now, since she's not a full-time faculty member, she has other commitments on days that she's not supposed to be teaching (Tuesdays and Thursdays), and she can't just break those commitments on a whim because of the Ateneo's schedule changes.
She told her students about this problem, prompting them to ask if she'd be finding a substitute for that day. According to her, they said, "If you are, can it be 'that guy?'" followed by a description of 'that guy.'" Teacher Pia replied with, "Ah, si Kenny." That much was good enough for me. Having already subbed for one of her classes before, it meant a lot that they wanted me back to sub for her again. Whether I sub or not, I'd be satisfied knowing that they were asking for me. And then, Teacher Pia shattered that thought. "Oh, and it's not the class you subbed for before ha!" Time stopped for a second while my mind processed the implications of that sentence. When time restarted, Teacher Pia went on to say, "They're another class. They just heard about you from the others. Funny ka raw." That just blew my mind.
If you're having difficulty understanding how big this is, lemme spell it out for you. Not only was I being asked for, but I was being asked for based on the opinions of a totally different set of people. People are actually talking about me. They're spreading my myth and building my legend. Isn't that how legends are born? People talk about them, spread the word, and instill the idea into more minds and a greater consciousness. Of course, I have no delusions of grandeur. I know I'm no legend yet. But I'm confident enough (or conceited enough) to claim that, at the moment, my status is probably covered by the "Cult Favorite" classification; not quite recognized by the mainstream, but slowly creeping into the consciousness of the population. I may be at the bottom of the ladder, but at least, I've penetrated the private conversations of the students. At least the idea of me - regardless of my name - is out there. At least I've started climbing towards my dream of "Legendary Teacher" status.
On the surface, I tried to be all cool and reserved. Inside me, though, a bunch of giddy little kiddie-Kennys were bouncing around in absolute glee. XD
Teacher Pia told her students she's talk to me about subbing. I asked her, "So, is this you talking to me about subbing?" GAHAHAHAHAHAHA! She said she wasn't sure yet. I'm cool with that. Even if I don't actually get to sub, I'll be happy. Just the thought that my legend is beginning to be written is enough motivation for me to keep moving forward and looking towards wider horizons!
Shit like this doesn't happen very often, so I try to soak in as much of it as I can. It keeps me motivated. It drives me forward even as so many forces try to drag me down.
ONWARD TO GLORY I GO!
Tuesday: Once In A While
Last Tuesday, I met up with Nikki Go-Cedenio, a friend from college. She had just recently arrived from her year-long visit to China and wanted to meet up to catch up.
I was definitely excited to see her since it's been more than a year since I saw her last and even longer since we actually sat down and had a conversation. In fact, looking back, we had very few sit-down conversations throughout college. The last one we had was way back in freshman year, during an ARPT outing. We'd see rarely see each other, and when we do, we'd only speak for a couple of minutes before getting back to where we were going or what we were doing. On average, we'd see each other once a sem and have an average conversation time of about 3 minutes. HAHAHAHAHAHA! This means that, right now, we're behind quota! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
We met up at around 230. I had just gotten off work, so we agreed to meet at the Leong lobby. I recognized her immediately. How could anyone forget a smile like that!? :P But seriously, she looked great. That year in China did her a lot of good. It was like she was in bloom.
We went over to the stone benches at the Zen Garden and just talked, even as the sky sent thunderous threats of impending rain. It was mostly catching up, really. Nothing special. I asked her about China, she asked about work. We talked about possible jobs she might want to go into and how to go about applying for them. Little things. Having had few opportunities to get to know each other in college, we knew very little about each other. The conversation was very helpful in that department, allowing us to learn more about one another. I found out that her parents sell ammo (I'm scared) and she found out that my dad is probably a secret agent. HAHAHAHAHA! Perfect! XD
When it finally started to rain, I asked her if she wanted to see where I worked. She was hesitant at first, afraid that she might not be allowed there, but she agreed and we continued our conversation in the Psych Dept. Idiot that I am, I totally forgot to bring an umbrella. SORRY NIKKI! My bad. We talked for a while longer in the Psych Dept and I introduced her to Pam and Chinky.
Simple as the conversation was, I found it really rejuvenating. It was nice seeing someone from college and just talk about simple things for a couple of hours. "Sweet nothings" as Mr. Pagsi would call them. Chatting with Nikki was even more interesting since we hardly ever get to. Last Tuesday was the "once" in the phrase "once in a while" and it's quite easy to appreciate since you don't get it very often. As with the day before, I soaked up the experience, enjoying every moment. It wasn't too hard thanks to Nikki. ☺
Monday and Tuesday set the tone of my week. No matter how stressful it was gonna get, I had a couple of ounces of Dandelion Wine to breathe sunshine back into dark days. I'd hold.