Saturday, March 18, 2006

The Mercurians and The Young Once

ah, what an eventful weekend...

God's Messengers

last saturday, we (Creative Communications Ministry) went to La Salette Retreat House, Cavite for our first 2006 planning session. i was so psyched because i haven't been on an out-of-town trip for months and after my very grueling week (i just braved my take-home compre exams. i'll never miss those sleepless nights!), i deserved some good ol' R&R.

joel and i were the self-appointed drivers on this trip. i actually love long drives and if money wasn't a problem, i would have been all over the Philippines by now (hehe).

La Salette is the perfect place for planning because it had gazebos for holding small meetings, a solemn ambiance for reflecting,


and a wide expanse of greenery for quiet walks,


and...

picture-taking. hahaha!



we had a fruitful and fun planning session. we were able to come up with CCM's goal for 2006 (riches in heaven and a new IMac right??) after we had our individual prayer time and reflection. then, we proceeded to list all our plans, activities, and resources needed per CCM sub-unit (Information Dissemination, Poster-Making, and Publication).

we were so engrossed with our planning that we didn't notice the time. soon, it was a few minutes after lunch already and our stomachs were starting to complain.

finally, we wrapped up and headed off for lunch! yeah!

and what a lunch it was!

we had our lunch in one of those Dampa-inspired food establishments where the food is fresh and the small restaurants that lined the area fought over you to get more customers. ah, it's so hard to be in demand, really...

sinigang na tanigue sa miso, buttered shrimps, calamares, and heaps of rice...i still dream about it to this day! i can't remember the last time i had two platefuls of rice! hm, college garahe days maybe? (remember, rica and tina? :D) although we all had our fill, i had that sinking feeling that i ate the most grub. ah, what the heck. once in a blue moon, right?? (hey, i hit the gym after the trip, ok??? :p)

after that fabulous lunch, it was time to drive back to Manila. and back to reality....sigh.

Smells Like (Post) Teen Spirit

it was Assumption Antipolo's grand alumnae homecoming yesterday. naturally, i was there (i think i only missed one reunion so far). although my youngest sister is still in HS, i don't really get to visit my alma mater that often.

when i got there, there were only three of us from our batch. one had to man her booth, the other had to talk to the organizers. so there i was, all alone to entertain myself. i just decided to take a self-guided tour around the campus and see all the developments that were made in all the years that we were gone (sniff, sniff).

i guess among the things i miss about AA, it's the environment that tops the list. if there is such a thing as a Green School/Campus, then AA is definitely it. fresh mountain air, sprawling green lawns, an abundance of flora and fauna (especially the joint-legged kind), and acres of hills and open space. so far, AA is the only school i know that does not sell softdrinks. ever. not even during special events (unless you bring your own soda). we're so KJ, no??

strolling around the campus was like walking down memory lane...
our HS quadrangle


my favorite gazebo


and, how can i forget?? the back of the LRC (tintoots, remember our last bull session??? hehe.).

unfortunately, my cam's batteries died on me and i forgot (again!) to bring my spares. argh! so, i quickly finished my tour and went back to the multipurupose hall.

i couldn't believe there are 15 alumnae batches already (are we that old??). batch '93 (my batch) only had 6 attendees because most of our friends were either unavailable, out-of-the-country, or just plain lazy (but wouldn't admit it to our face. hehe.). the oldest batch came in full force (they were the host, actually) and even sang their HS grad song. we had a few games (ice bag throwing and pictionary) and held a raffle (i never win in these things. hmp.).

even if we were few, we still had fun recalling our teenage days. some of our teachers were there (two of whom i did NOT recognize at all!). a few of the sisters joined our table to chat with us. three of them actually attempted to coerce me to join the preschool faculty. but to no avail. *evil grin*

one of the perks that you get from homecomings is seeing all the transformations - those people who've "bloomed" (especially the quiet and nerdy ones), those who haven't changed at all, and, gasp, the "unfortunate ones" who actually look worse now that before (i solemnly swear to keep my mouth shut...).

one interesting fact that we noticed was that the younger generations actually took the homecoming more seriously than others. while our batch came in casual and simple clothes, our younger friends sashayed in our multi-purpose hall in full make-up galore (i wonder how they still recognize each other), stilettos, diva outfits, and glam bags (in silver or gold). ah, yes, the MTV generation in all its glory.

i was pretty happy in my
concert shirt, black bag and shoes, and smiling face, sans make-up. my secrets to looking youthful and glowing. hahaha!

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