today marked the first day of another school year in the country.  there was heavier traffic, more congested public transport, and the realization (other than my birthday) that i’m getting older.  but school’s not all that bad, i mean, yeah, back when we were students, we would always love to skip that day or subject and wish we were somewhere (or with someone) else.  but looking back at it, i’m certain that all of us have one of the top three most memorable moments in our entire lives–whether it be good or bad–as something to do with school.  and i’m not even talking about graduation ceremonies, but ordinary school days that turn out to be one for the books.  so for this entry, i’d like to share three of the most unforgettable school memories i have that i can recall (in no particular order):

1.  getting over a 90% grade in business mathematics subject (second year college) – now, anyone who has ever known me knows for a fact that i despise and hate math subjects.  whether it be plain mathematics, geometry, algebra, statistics, and anything that has to equate an x with a y, i would go bonkers when the professor or teacher starts explaining.  and the end result would always be a grade no higher than 80%.  so when i saw business mathematics for the first time on my registration paper for the semester, i thought, “great, another line of seven in the class card.”  add to that, the professor was well advanced in his age to teach that subject.  i thought either he was bored with being a senior citizen, or is not receiving enough in his retirement pension.  but my perception changed when he started to teach.  for some reason, he made that subject pretty damn easy to understand.  he used different scenarios for problem solving in computing for the discount and mark-up of prices, and principal and interest of loans.  each time the professor would teach, i grew more and more interested with the subject.  in no time, i nearly aced seatworks and exams, and would be often called to solve problems on the board.  for the first time in my entire scholastic life, i was enjoying math!  i guess this can easily relate to the real world, compared to the x’s and y’s that i can’t make practical heads or tails with.  and upon getting the class card, the percentage next to business mathematics was 92%.  that was the only bright spot in all of the mathematics subjects i have taken.  and i’m still damn proud of it.
2.  being stood up by my prom date (junior high school) – being in an all-boys school has it’s challenges.  interacting with the opposite sex is one of them.  so by the time i was in third year high school, all my friends were boys (naturally).  so when prom time was nearing, i had quite a problem in my hands.  most of my classmates back then already had a date.  luckily, weeks before the prom, it was the school’s foundation celebration.  it was usually a week-long commemoration, where the school is open to the public.  carnival rides, game booths, food, video games, concerts, and different activities are lined up to celebrate the school’s anniversary.  knowing that i was still date-less for the prom, my classmates decided to set me up.  i was going around the school grounds when one of them who owns a particular booth (i can’t quite remember the exact name, but it has something to do with handcuffs) suddenly grabbed me and pulled me to where his booth was.  things happened so fast that the next thing i remember, i was already handcuffed to a girl and my classmate then ordered us to go around the school for 20 minutes to get to know each other.  not wanting to pay the fine, i agreed to show her around.  we had a farily decent conversation while walking, and i finally was able to ask her if she would agree to be my date at the prom.  she agreed and i gave her my home number (she didn’t want to give hers).  i was able to convince my mom that i would be attending the prom with a date, so i also shouldered my date’s share of the expenses (nah, i was also able to convince my mom to pay for her).  we were having phone conversations days leading up to the prom.  my only problem that time was how to pick her up.  i didn’t have my own car at that time, and i was just hitching a ride with a friend going to the venue, who was also picking up her date.  i didn’t want to insist on also going somewhere to pick up my date since i was only just hitching, so i asked her if we can meet instead at the venue of the prom itself.  she agreed.  prom night then came.  i was nervous as hell.  i remember even playing a game of basketball with some neighbors in the afternoon to release some of the tension.  upon getting home, i was told that she called.  i thought that she was just confirming our agreement to meet at the venue.  so i got dressed and went over to my friend’s house.  we then left, picked up her date and headed to the venue.  i remember standing in front of the entrance along with some other schoolmates who were waiting for their friends to arrive.  not long, the number of people waiting with me started to dwindle.  up until the opening ceremonies were about to start, my date still hadn’t showed up.  i let the first few minutes of the prom go on until i realized that she wasn’t going to show.  so with dinner about to be served, i sadly walked inside and went to my table assignment.  i was the only one in that table who didn’t have a partner, and it really sucked.  i was so ashamed of myself that i got sick the following day (a sunday) and was absent on monday.  she never called me up again. i can’t even recall her name until now.  the embarrasment of being stood up was so great that during senior prom the following year, i decided to go stag along with some of my classmates.  looking back at it, i suppose it was the very, very first date that i got stood up on.

3.  going on a date with one of my teachers (senior high school) – now for this one, it came to mind when i tried to see if i can still remember the names of my teachers back in high school.  and this is a new revalation in my personal life.  i’m quite sure it was during senior high, but our friendship started back in junior high.  i also can’t recall exactly when the date happened.  she was my economics teacher and boy, was she gorgeous!  she’s also slim, soft-spoken, and had brains to boot.  yes, i had a secret crush on her at that time the moment i laid eyes on her.  she was around her early 20’s if i’m not mistaken while i was 16.  i also can’t quite recall exactly how we got close, but all i know was that i was frequenting the faculty room just to talk to her about the subject (a ridiculous excuse for me to go see her).  i was also friends with my algebra teacher at that time and he would always intervene while me and her were talking.  i finally was able to ask her out for dinner near her place after school.  at first, she was hesitant but finally obliged after i mentioned that it was just dinner and nothing else.  we ate at a fastfood joint near where she lived and talked about our personal lives.  it was a first for me, going out with someone older than me, and i guess a first for her as well, going out with a student.  i’m sorry to dampen your evil minds, but nothing happened after that.  i did offer to accompany her home though, but she mentioned that it was territory that i’m not familiar with anymore.  she did mention however that now that we’ve gone out, she was now comfortable talking to me about anything.  there wasn’t another date after that, but we still became close to the point that she would call me up at home late at night just to talk.  some of my classmates already noticed the unusual closeness me a
nd her had, and started making fun of me as a teacher’s pet.  but i didn’t pay attention to them, all i know is that i’m friends with someone i really, really liked.  i would spend most afternoons after dismissal near the faculty area just talking to her.  i have learned so much about her and i have shared my own stories to her as well.  sadly after high school graduation, for some reason, we never got to continue our friendship.  the very last time i talked to her was around 10 or 11 years ago, while i was having my practicum at one of the offices in makati.  i tried calling up the school and asked if she was still teaching there, and fortunately, she still was.  she was already married at that time and had a baby on the way.  when i learned that she was married, i felt kinda sad because i know for certain that there’ll be no way for us to go out again, even on a friendly date.  though i was hoping that she’d still be single at that time, in a way i was also happy for her because during our conversations before, she had always told me about wanting to settle down and starting a family.  my practicum ended a couple of days later and i again wasn’t able to contact her after that, though the thought had crossed my mind several times.  and i would always remember her whenever i pass through that school.  with all these things considered, a series of “what if’s” come to mind.  i know you know what those are, but let’s just leave those as they are.  i would always want to remember her as being a significant part of my student and personal life.  and it always puts a smile on my face whenever i remember her.

whew!  what a nostalgic trip down memory lane… see, school ain’t all that bad.  but admittedly, i do miss school.  not just the classroom and the learning part, but having the camaraderie with classmates, schoolmates, and friends.  so as students welcome the first day of school today, let us remember that despite the hassles it brings to us working professionals, we were once students too.  and the first day of school is just the first step to another memorable year in a student’s life.