Dream Catcher Stories

Together with the whole world, I was also affected by the Valentine craze. It started on the Sunday of the week of Valentine's Day when I started making cookie dough. I made two batches of cut-out cookies in heart, teddy bear and butterfly shapes. It was a hectic week in school so I decided to split the jobs of making the dough, baking and icing the cookies into four days (the last bit of icing was done on the night of the 14th - I gave the cookies the next day to my high school BFFs).

If Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said that the 14th may be viewed by people in three ways - Vday for people in a relationship, Single Awareness Day for those who are single, and for people who couldn't care less, it's just Thursday - I decided to add one more option: Make as many People Smile Day.

Being single, it may be expected that I spend the day sulking and asking my self why is it that I'm spending the day for couples without a partner AGAIN! But I think this isn't proper. Instead of having a boyfriend as my valentine, I decided to have lots of people as valentines.

I started with my college friends. I packaged a teddy bear cookie and a butterfly cookie in cute little packets and gave each person a bag. I was supposed to give some of my other friends cookies, but we didn't have a chance to meet up. So I got into the car with three bags remaining. One was for the old lady who sells sapmaguita leis we always pass by the bridge on the way home, the others were just extra. But when my sister and I made a detour to buy a cake for my mom (it was her birthday), we passed by a lady by the street selling dried fish and squid. She looked really tired being under the scorching sun for who knows how long, so I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to give one of the extra cookies to her. When we got to the mall, I gave the last cookie to the elevator lady who my family already consider as a friend. The cute drawings on the cookies made my friends and both strangers smile like little kids who woke up on Christmas Day with gifts from Santa in their stockings, and this was more than enough to make nights of mixing, kneading, rolling, cutting and icing worthwhile

The next day, I went on a date with my high school friends and gave them the remaining cookies I had at home. We only get to see each other every few months since we entered college, so we treasure moment we get to spend with each other. I spent my post-Valentine date with three people who are very close to my heart, which I think is what's important. We talked, laughed and ate like it was the end of the world. When I got home, I too slept with a smile on my face. This, I think, is the best way to end my Valentine Day experience.

J<3

Growing up in a family where girls outnumber boys, I've been used to all the drama that comes with it. Being a girl myself makes me a contributor to this drama a lot of times. And I have to agree that this drama would a lot of times root from every girl's "need" to talk and speak up their mind.

Being women, we are more emotional than our male counterparts who would usually bottle up their emotions and keep it to themselves. We would usually want our voices and opinions to be heard, which gives us a reputation of being talkative. But why is it that girls seem to want to talk all the time? 

In a crowd of buzzing bees, I have to say that I am the exception to the rule. I do have my own way of expressing myself, and I admit that there would be times when I would be loud. But I'm the kind of girl who could sit still and listen to the professor and just shut up.

I've been around lots of girls all my life. In high school, the boys were outnumbered by more than double their number. And majority of my closest friends are girls. But having recently transferred to an all-girls school gave me a different experience.

In my school, it is very rare to see a true male being in the campus. (And yes, I did make it a point to emphasize the word true for not all of them are 100% boys.) There are the professors, the staff and other personnel, and a very tiny number of male students. In my classes, I've only experienced having a guy classmate twice (one for each instance), and that's because I'm an irregular student.

You see, students are usually grouped by blocks for their whole stay. And they will belong to this block until they graduate except for special cases. The only courses with male students are Fine Arts and Music. And if you do not belong to that course, then there's about a 99% chance of you not having a guy classmate.

But hey, enough with the "guy talk". I'm here to talk about girls talking, right? So, a couple of days ago, I was sitting in computer class and watching the movie "The Net". About thirty-three other girls are doing the same thing with me in the room. And in the middle of one of the suspense scenes, everyone were screaming and making scared, loud noises. I got to thinking that this might be worse if a movie house was filled with girls watching a suspense, a thriller, or even worse, horror, and they would be aloud to make any noise they want. I laughed silently in my head, amused by what was happening.

A similar thing happened earlier today during a gathering in school. About six hundred or so second and third year students were gathered in a hall for our re-orientation. In the six hundred or so, about 95% is female. During the eight-hour event, not one moment was there complete silence. And more than half the time, there was very noisy that I felt sorry for the speakers in front.

I may be a girl, but I just don't get it why they all have to talk. I would only be seeing a few girls like me listening intently, and some of them aren't talking 'cause they don't know who they're seated with. Whatever it is, I haven't got the answer. But it has been proven in the past how complicated girls are that even girls have a hard time deciphering themselves.

Wally, Leira, Daniel and to all the DLSU people who has been a part of my first year in college, I know it has been a year since I 'left' you, but don't worry, I'm in the hands of people who love me as much as you do. In a year or so, you guys are gonna start graduating, but here I am, barely at the end of my CPA dream. Thanks a lot for being my first group of college friends. I hope our friendship could stand the test of time (and distance).

Dona, Mimi, Irene, Pat, Jenny and Sera, you girls have been my shipmates in my first term as a Kulasa. You made transferring to a new school a lot easier because we got to experience the troubles of being irregs together. I hope we can be classmates once again. But if destiny forbid, I hope we don't forget each other even as we go on and meet new friends (and lots of them, if you know what I mean).

Margo, Kath, Sab, and the rest of BSAcT1a, thanks for welcoming me wholeheartedly to your block and calling me your ate even if we are of the same age. :)) It has been a pleasure being a part of your block somehow. Let us all go through this journey together and show the world that we too can become accountants.

I love you guys! >:D< Sorry for the drama, but I want you to know that I mean every single word I said (or wrote HAHAHA).