R.I.P. OLGM (????-2007)

It's been a long time since it happened.

Our Lord's Grace Montessori (Formerly Our Lady of Grace Montessori) the place I went to grade school is no more.

When Jared told me it had closed down sometime May 2007 I thought Ok no biggie. I was too busy with life (read: LAW SCHOOL + Asia Cup) to be too concerned.

Now 19 months fast forward the reality has begun to sink in. Thanks to a friend of mine who lives out in Farview... este Fairview I've had a chance to pass Marcos Highway where my school was. Last time I saw it was just last monday 28 Dec 08. The buildings still looked intact except the perimeter had G.I. sheets on them. Apparently they began tearing it tearing it down in earnest yesterday. Supposedly the lot is going to be made into an SM.

Thanks to this guy KiiBeeN, who apparently is the brother of my GS batchmate, for posting videos of the demolition.

Somehow I feel a bit grieved at the loss of this school. I mean, I had a lot of happy memories and lots of not so good ones as well. Over all it was an ok place. Sure I could have asked for a more.. um.. challenging regimen for my GS but hey I liked the place.

OLGM was a pioneer in many ways. We had computers and typing class. To this day I'm still a 60-70 WPM typist because of our training which started as early as 1st grade. We also had HELE (Home Education and Livelihood Education) classes which were pretty old school but fun. How many Manila Private Schools can boasts that they taught thier GS kids farming, tocino making, carpentry and cooking? LOL. Then there was the pool, we had swimming classes there and I think that was one way I kept my weight down in grade school.

Anyway its gone. By the time anyone checks it out after reading this OLGM will probably look like any other demolition site. No nostalgic walks down memory lane for me. At least not for Grade School. Funny, its been 11 years (1997) since I graduated. I've never really bothered to look back. Until now.

Anybody here from OLGM?

I'd better go to Learning Tree soon and check it out before Teacher Francie decides to close that down too :(.

Just a little something I wanted to post

"Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man."

Makes a nice new years resolution doesn't it?

THE Forensic Chrismas Party part 1

I'll keep this short because its 6am and I have a 9am class and I'm still awake!!! I need to get even an hour or two of sleep no way I'm showing up for a three hour class after being awake since 4am the previous day (Misa de Gallo)

It was our Christmas party for ALFG.

Most of the Forensic family was there... Kucil, Kiev, Hazel, Me, LJ, MJ, even TJ was there. So was a trio of Forensic Lawyers; Russel, Maggie and Raul. Kiev even brought some of her friends from college to complete the mix. Oh and I also brought one of my college buddies; Julian. (Thanks for the Clubbing 101 lessons Bro, remind me to put you on the Permanent List when I get to own my own club.)

Noticably absent was Patty (for reasons we already know). quite a few others weren't there... I'm sure they have amusing excuses (right JP, Lid???)

Damn that was fun. I'm getting better at this... I think... at any rate I think I've learned to loosen up a lot more thanks in part to my bro being there... (what can I say... nothing like a bit of the familiar to help me feel at home right?)

Anyway.. I'll say this much... the year (for me since I'll likely spend the next week or so in the province) ended with a blast... absolutely no regrets... Everything is as it should be according to God's plan... (if not mine)

For that I am happy and at peace.

I think I made the right choice. (even if TJ thinks I regret of it)

Edit: Spelling errors

A new leaf

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

It's bad enough that I've been able to endure ignoring the counsel of the years. Perhaps the things of my youth have been too precious to concede. So greatly do I esteem the things of my youth that I cling to such obsolete notions long after their true value has since been ground to dust.

I always knew that my spirit was strong enough to endure tumult from certain fronts... But weak on other fronts. This I can not afford. An open mind is like a fortress with its gates unbarred. As I was taught... weakness can not be tolerated. If uncovered it will be used against you.

Dark imaginings now that's something I'm good at... maybe I'm just fatigued and lonely?

No I'm not. I'm a bit chargrined but I'm hale and, mostly, hardy.

In my defense it has never been so imperative before... living in an ivory tower has a way of shielding you from the realities of life... kaya nga nag call center diba?... Plus my 'inherent' survivability makes me less than willing to adopt change. C'mon I survived 23 years already... why fix what ain't (I thought) broken? But my time in Arellano taught me much. The fundamental imperatives of my da sein have changed but they are no less imperative.

I thank whatever gods maybe for my unconquerable soul... but maybe its time I showed the world just how unconquerable my soul is...

Did not Aristotle say that a hidden virtue is no virtue at all?

Therefore, a hidden vice is not a vice either...

Ergo, if one hides his vices and virtues he winds up with being an empty person.

Seeming doesn't make much sense anymore...

Mother / Sis / Kucil ... I'm sorry...

P.S. I am Desiderata... I will do what is necessary.

The Emperor's New Clothes

"The Emperor is naked." Said the little boy.

Only the little boy had the courage and innocence to speak the truth.

The Emperor is still naked. But at least he'll go looking for clothes now.

THANK YOU

Hi,

I can never thank you enough, it's amazing how a few choice words from you can renew my (self) broken spirit. It is equally amazing how quickly my downward spiral began and how quickly it almost brought me to the brink. Wow, I never imagined I could be still so vulnerable.

But no matter you have restored my elan and rekindled the fire in my heart. For that I am most grateful.

Once more I am

'Onen i-Estel Edian, u-chebin estel anim'

Semper Fidelis

Chichiri mode is definately off. The next time you people see me I'll be the same genuinely happy Francis you first met on June 18, 2008 :D [that's the date of the txt I sent to Hazel asking if I could still join Forensic. That's the little txt that sent me on a leap of faith that brought me here. :D]

A little lesson from the Avatar

Hi Feanor here, :Wave:

I just finished an Avatar the Last Airbender Marathon. I'm ashamed to say that's how I burned me 4 day break from law school. I can't help it. I was in a Man who can't be move mode for a few days. Oh well.

Anyway, my favorite character there was Prince Zuko. To the uninitiated, he was the prince of the fire nation and he was banished for speaking out of turn at a council of war meeting. He was told that the only way restore his honor was to capture the Avatar. The Avatar who was lost 100 years ago. To make a long story short, most of the first 40 or so episodes of Avatar are about Zuko pursuing the Avatar with fanatic zeal. After all that was the only way he could restore his honor.

Eventually, he succeeded in "killing" the Avatar (together with his sister they succeed in delivering a mortal blow). He is returned to the Fire Nation with full honors. He is restored to his exalted place as crown prince. Basically he gets everything he ever wanted. But he was unhappy.

Later he betrays his father and joins the Avatar... to make a long story short (again ... hey its a 60 episode series... I definitely have to summarize a lot...:P ) They won. The fire lord is defeated... Everyone lives happily ever after. The end. :))

Well not the end; his soliloquy (tama ba naman may soliloquy ang mga character sa Avatar.) was his speech about honor.

"Honor is not about positions or ranks or how other people esteem you. Honor is about doing the right thing!"

Funny, in a way I suffered the same fate as Zuko.

I also learned as he did that honor is not about the silly notions of how people esteem you. Hehe... I should know, I've tarps hanging all over school for quite a while now in testament to a piece of past glory from 2 months ago.

I'm not about pride and boasting... not anymore. My pride and dignity have to come from myself. In a way it does.

Hard to believe but the spirit of fire who said almost 3 years ago that I would finish law in Ateneo or Die trying is still alive and still trying to finish law school.... :D

Harder to believe but I've learned to live without so many of the things that I used to hold so dear in life.

But the hardest thing to believe is that I can be so unhappy despite the fact that virtually everything is in place!!!

WHAT THE HECK DO I WANT ANYWAY???

Right now I don't know... I really don't know.

Right now I just want to stop and float across the Nile.

History Repeats itself?!?

Does history really repeat itself???

I don't know. But right now it seems to be doing so.

Sorry to the people who are close to me, you might be getting a whiff of my current state of depression. Don't worry, normally I can keep my Chichiri mode (Smiling mask ) on until such time as I can really smile authentically again. Pardon me for the times when the mask doesn't work... (SIGH)

I can't help it. Today is my friend's 23rd birthday. Though we don't talk much anymore our common history and the reason we are linked will endure forever. Until, such time as we can both get closure for what happened. Don't worry Peng Yu when the time comes I'll deal with him personally for he did to you. hehehe.. I'm not bitter, and I'm sorry for happened to us. All I can promise is that I won't make the same mistakes again.

Only a fool does things the same way and expects a different result.

Only a greater fool openly believes he will get a different result while doing exactly the same thing.

The greatest fool is one who believes the world will change and adopt to his peculiarities if he does the same thing a second time.

History won't repeat itself if I am vigilant. However I am far from vigilant right now. ARGH!!!

I need a break. Forget the Prelims I'm going to visit the Light and Water and try to find bearings again