Memories of UP Manila: The Good and the Bad
Ok, the dreaded trip to UP was accomplished yesterday. Hm. The experience wasn't so bad. Except for a few kinda expected mishaps just before I left.
Oookay. So first I went up to my old building (College of Arts and Sciences) and asked if the Registrar is still located where I last left it back in 98. The guards said yes, but then I asked them to let me use the AS CR because my bladder had been on hold inside the bus for more than an hour already. They were going to ask me to use the Registrar's CR, but I knew what a long walk that was, so I (smilingly) insisted and left them my alumni ID.
Restroom Makeover
I was in for a shock. The stalls look nice and pink. Not as pretty as APC's CR but still a whole lot better than I remember. See, when I was still studying there, the cubicle doors were rickety and you generally fear that if you don't hold it still, someone will come smashing right through it. By mid-morning, there would usually be some unflushed floaters covered by tissues. No, at that time, flushes were unheard of. I'd usually either wait to get home, especially when I have a period, before I pee. Or pee in the CRs of McDo, Robinson's Galleria, Wendy's or some other fastfood chains nearby. There were also icky chewing gums and kulangot stuck on the walls. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that was the FEMALE'S restroom.
So I was pretty much in awe when I got there and saw...door locks, bag holders, ventilation, newly painted walls that were devoid of kulangot and dried gum. Wow. So anyhoo, I did my thing quickly and went straight to the Registrar's office in the middle of Padre Faura Street.
Surprisingly Friendly Registrar
I was also in for a shock. Yes, it was hot, there were incoming freshmen queueing for one window, and I was sweating like steamed dumplings. I went straight to the leftmost window because that was the only one people weren't queueing for. I was greeted by a smile. Another WOW moment. UP employees, like most government employees, rarely smile. I've never seen them do that in the 4 years that I have been there, and when they do, it's usually towards a colleague that has a fresh morsel of showbiz rumor to share. But this woman smiled at me and asked what I needed. Turns out that they only do certified true copies for diplomas. You'd have to ask for another copy of your transcript if you needed it and that would take a week to process. Ok, that's a far cry from the 2-month processing I had witnessed back in 98. I still opted to just submit one of my two existing original transcripts on file because I don't have the leisure of waiting for a week.
Anyhoo, the diploma CTCing was quick and the woman was very helpful (if only the accountant was half as helpful) although I had to pay P50 for a signature on my diploma's photocopy when they do it for free at APC. Oh well, at least they didn't torture me like their predecessors did when I was still a student.
I wonder if "Conan," our mega tigang super sungit librarian, is still there...
The Men Are Still Pigs
What did not change in the area is how some (ugly) men persist in acting like they've never seen a woman in their life. Ok, so I get back to Taft to look for a bus, while still musing about how a lot of things have changed, and these guys behind the fence of a new building just suddenly turned to me and whistled repeatedly. I did what I have not done for a long long long long time...
..|..
Apparently, two things haven't changed:
1. The men are still fugly.
2. They're still pigs.
I think a man's behavior can be directly proportional to his looks. The closer they are to looking like a wild boar, the more they behave like one.
Oh, incidentally, I was just reading this article in Marie Claire about this editor who disguised herself as a bombshell. She also happens to be the ever popular Ms. McDonald (miss-mcdonald). Anyhoo, the way some stupid male species behaved around her disguised self was deplorable. The photos Marie Claire's photographer took were both funny and annoying at the same time. I swear, I really hope these guys see their photos so that they could see how much like baboys they acted.
I know exactly how she felt. I do not dress like a bombshell, but in the UP Manila area, wearing sleeveless shirts is tantamount to that. I could imagine the relief she described she felt when she went back to her real self.
Anyhoo, one more trip to APC and I just need to wait for the delivery of my NSO birth and marriage certificates and I'm done. Wee!
EDIT (3.58PM): NSO birth and marriage certificates just arrived. And to think I ordered them off the net just last Thursday. Weeeee! Hoping UP will be like e-census.com.ph in the future...
Oookay. So first I went up to my old building (College of Arts and Sciences) and asked if the Registrar is still located where I last left it back in 98. The guards said yes, but then I asked them to let me use the AS CR because my bladder had been on hold inside the bus for more than an hour already. They were going to ask me to use the Registrar's CR, but I knew what a long walk that was, so I (smilingly) insisted and left them my alumni ID.
Restroom Makeover
I was in for a shock. The stalls look nice and pink. Not as pretty as APC's CR but still a whole lot better than I remember. See, when I was still studying there, the cubicle doors were rickety and you generally fear that if you don't hold it still, someone will come smashing right through it. By mid-morning, there would usually be some unflushed floaters covered by tissues. No, at that time, flushes were unheard of. I'd usually either wait to get home, especially when I have a period, before I pee. Or pee in the CRs of McDo, Robinson's Galleria, Wendy's or some other fastfood chains nearby. There were also icky chewing gums and kulangot stuck on the walls. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that was the FEMALE'S restroom.
So I was pretty much in awe when I got there and saw...door locks, bag holders, ventilation, newly painted walls that were devoid of kulangot and dried gum. Wow. So anyhoo, I did my thing quickly and went straight to the Registrar's office in the middle of Padre Faura Street.
Surprisingly Friendly Registrar
I was also in for a shock. Yes, it was hot, there were incoming freshmen queueing for one window, and I was sweating like steamed dumplings. I went straight to the leftmost window because that was the only one people weren't queueing for. I was greeted by a smile. Another WOW moment. UP employees, like most government employees, rarely smile. I've never seen them do that in the 4 years that I have been there, and when they do, it's usually towards a colleague that has a fresh morsel of showbiz rumor to share. But this woman smiled at me and asked what I needed. Turns out that they only do certified true copies for diplomas. You'd have to ask for another copy of your transcript if you needed it and that would take a week to process. Ok, that's a far cry from the 2-month processing I had witnessed back in 98. I still opted to just submit one of my two existing original transcripts on file because I don't have the leisure of waiting for a week.
Anyhoo, the diploma CTCing was quick and the woman was very helpful (if only the accountant was half as helpful) although I had to pay P50 for a signature on my diploma's photocopy when they do it for free at APC. Oh well, at least they didn't torture me like their predecessors did when I was still a student.
I wonder if "Conan," our mega tigang super sungit librarian, is still there...
The Men Are Still Pigs
What did not change in the area is how some (ugly) men persist in acting like they've never seen a woman in their life. Ok, so I get back to Taft to look for a bus, while still musing about how a lot of things have changed, and these guys behind the fence of a new building just suddenly turned to me and whistled repeatedly. I did what I have not done for a long long long long time...
..|..
Apparently, two things haven't changed:
1. The men are still fugly.
2. They're still pigs.
I think a man's behavior can be directly proportional to his looks. The closer they are to looking like a wild boar, the more they behave like one.
Oh, incidentally, I was just reading this article in Marie Claire about this editor who disguised herself as a bombshell. She also happens to be the ever popular Ms. McDonald (miss-mcdonald). Anyhoo, the way some stupid male species behaved around her disguised self was deplorable. The photos Marie Claire's photographer took were both funny and annoying at the same time. I swear, I really hope these guys see their photos so that they could see how much like baboys they acted.
I know exactly how she felt. I do not dress like a bombshell, but in the UP Manila area, wearing sleeveless shirts is tantamount to that. I could imagine the relief she described she felt when she went back to her real self.
Anyhoo, one more trip to APC and I just need to wait for the delivery of my NSO birth and marriage certificates and I'm done. Wee!
EDIT (3.58PM): NSO birth and marriage certificates just arrived. And to think I ordered them off the net just last Thursday. Weeeee! Hoping UP will be like e-census.com.ph in the future...