New baby!

Being the unusual fan girl of Rowan Atkinson, I have dedicated spending most of my free time watching his shows. It really makes me sad how people only know him by the show and name Mr. Bean, which was really good too, but they really didn’t know that before Bean he made several shows that were much more hilarious and wittier than Mr. Bean.

Last holiday, I decided to download the whole DVD collection of Mr. Bean. I have already watched those stuff, but I just really missed the feeling of watching it again. Being older now, I re-watch many shows that I have watched a decade ago because I didn’t seem to get the underlying messages from things before. But too bad, I also tend to forget things easily. Since my holiday was longer than usual, it only took me around two days to finish 14 episodes and 3 specials. “What to do now?”, I asked myself as I browsed through my collections of series. “Hmm, Big Bang Theory? Nope, already watched all of the episodes up to the latest, and they won’t be releasing again until next year.” 

Until……

Download progress: 99.4%. Download finishes in 50 seconds. Those 50 seconds seemed like waiting for an eternity, I was just THAT excited to watch the stuff.

(From the left to right: Percy, Baldrick, Prince Edmund (Duke of Edinburgh))

This photo was taken from S01Ep01: The Foretelling. I was quite surprised at how young he looked like and how he talked. His voice wasn’t that of a royal member, but rather sounded more of a boy reaching puberty.

Since I don’t want to narrate everything about the first season, I’ll just state a few things: it was set in Medieval England, and Rowan Atkinson as Prince Edmund was regarded to as the “Other Son” of the King, brother of Prince Harry of Wales, and master of loyal, witty, and clever servants Percy and Baldrick.

Prince Edmund (he called himself as The Black Adder) has always wanted to be recognised as the King’s son, but alas, despite his efforts, he just always gets himself in trouble.

.. To be continued when I finish Season 2.

• Le phone rings
• Le random guy: Hello? Is this from the Marine Science Institute?
• Professor: Yes, this is Dr. J—-
• Le random guy: Can I apply as a seaman?

Isn’t it awkward when you come across your previous classmate whom you only knew by face and never had the chance to talk to? Whenever this happens to me, I just pretend to look for something in my bag, or to text someone, or to look at the trees nearby. What’s even worse is when they greet me and I can hear my mind saying: “Do I even know you? You must be a classmate before, but I can’t remember anymore.” How I wish that I could just have the same set of people every semester, so that I get to know them more, and become good friends with them, eventually.

As a UP student, I get to meet a lot of people. In here, we get the privilege of picking our classes that would fit our schedule. One might think: if I ever want to be someone’s classmate, then we could just click the same class time and room. But oh no, there’s this almighty CRS robot or the Computerised Registration System robot, that grants us our subjects during the pre-enlistment period. Since a subject usually has a demand higher than the offered slots, it’s more of like a lottery wherein students buy the tickets (enlists for a subject) and CRS would randomise who the lucky ones are. After the randomisation run, some get away with a full academic load of 18-20 units, while some get all the bad luck in the world and get a load as low as 3 units. Hence, there is a very little chance that one person from your class last semester will be sitting with you in the same room at the same time again in the next semester.

photo not mine

But I want this dog!!! :|

If ever a genie gives me a chance to have a superpower, I’d definitely choose the ability to fly. As a kid, I’ve always wanted to feel like how it is to glide and soar through the clouds, but at the same time, I’ve also always feared of riding huge flying buses called airplanes. Had I not watched  too much AirCrashInvestigations, I wouldn’t probably be freaked out by the thought of riding airplanes.

            My dislike towards airplanes and airports were heightened when I was 13. My parents were bound to leave the very day and time I had my science contest somewhere in Malabon. It was then the 20^th of November, 2008; and it was also  the time I had wished I could just fly and be there to bid good bye to them. I tried to get to the airport as soon as I had finished the contest. Unfortunately, we were welcomed by a huge deal of traffic on our way; I saw busy people trying to get in and out of the area. Finally, after a lot of hassle, we were able to push our way and make it to the parking lot. I hurriedly went to the departure area with my teacher who accompanied me there. I received a phone call from my mom. “Mag-ingat ka ha, ang mga bilin ko sa iyo. Sige na, paalis na kami. Mommy and Daddy loves you.” I wasn’t able to speak at that time; I just hung up and stood there. I didn’t know what to feel. A few minutes after, I heard a rocketing sound. It was the plane — I was sure it was them. I was there when that plane took my parents away from me. At that very moment, I swore, I would never ride a plane and leave my loved ones behind.

            The sun welcomed me with its warming rays on the 14^th of August.  Its rays passed through the small window in my room that was facing east, then I felt the rays hit my face gently. I partly opened my eyes and checked my phone only to see that it was already 8am, and I was already running late, so I got up immediately and almost tripped over the big luggage bag beside the foot of my bed. I tiptoed my way to the bathroom, as there were clothes, shoes, books, and accessories all over the floor. This just reminded me that I was packing up last night. That was it. I was leaving Manila that day.

            As I was on my way to the airport, I couldn’t still believe that I was actually doing it. What if the plane crashes? What if I get lost in the airport? What if I get on the wrong plane? After the long deep thought I had, I noticed that our car has gone to a full stop. It wasn’t because of heavy traffic, but because we have already arrived at the airport.

            The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) isn’t really a place where one would like to have a sojourn while waiting for his/her departure time. To be honest, when I heard that it was labeled as the worst airport, I wasn’t really surprised. Rubbish was all over, guards weren’t paying attention to who got in and out of the area, and the place was so old that the steel chairs are already being eaten up by rust and the walls were already filled with cracks. If by any chance an earthquake hits Metro Manila, there is a high probability that NAIA would be the first to get knocked down.

            After wandering about in the old airport terminal departure for more than an hour, it was already time for me to check in my luggage and board the plane. I never knew that seat numbers were important because I immediately sat onto the first seat I saw inside. Fortunately, one Chinese stewardess kindly directed me to where I had to stay. I had just put my hand-carried bags down when I noticed through the window another plane just zooming about the runway. I was enthralled at how airplanes are able to fly seamlessly like a bird, despite its enormous weight.

            Being seated beside the window, I could easily tell whether the plane was still on the ground or not. When the plane was taking off, everything had been shaken inside as the air is pushing the plane away resulting to the rocking movement. I was really enjoying that time, it was like riding on a huge roller coaster. A few moments after, the shaking stopped as the plane was already flying parallel to the ground. Being a few hundred meters from the ground, I can see Metro Manila zooming out little by little as we set off to the higher skies.

            An hour of just staring at the window seemed eons for me, but I began to have excitement again when the clouds started to disappear, as we got closer and closer to our destination. The mighty and sturdy skyscrapers of Hong Kong welcomed me as the plane slowly lowered to the ground. Hong Kong was only a small island, but from afar it was a really a nice view.

            The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) had a really soothing ambiance. The purple theme of the airport, that is actually a mall, made it homey and perfect for a place for relaxation after a sharp change in pressure from flying at high altitudes. After a short while I noticed some familiar shops not far from where I sat, and decided to approach them. I stumbled upon a coffee shop, which made me really feel I am in need of food that time. I checked my wallet and only saw peso bills inside. There were foreign currency exchange stalls at almost every block of the airport/mall, but being a fourteen year old that just travelled alone; I just repeatedly told myself that I was not hungry.

            From afar, I could see two Chinese stewards approaching me. They introduced themselves and told me that they were the ones tasked to assist me with my needs during my stay at the airport. That really became awkward, as it was my first time to encounter a non-native English speaker. I had a hard time trying to understand what they meant, as their accents messed up their speaking. They just ended up showing me directions with hand gestures. I thought, “WhatifIgetlosthere,andnobodycouldunderstandme?I’mdoomed.”

            After around two hours of waiting inside the huge airport, I boarded the next plane bound for Dubai. Another plane meant new passengers, hence a new seatmate as well. This time, I was seated on the left side of the plane but not on the window side anymore. A middle aged Arabian man was sitting beside me, with whom I never had any conversation with during the entire trip. At that time, I was smelling something different. My sinuses were sure that the smell was from a person who hadn’t taken a bath for days. I wasn’t sure if it was only the plane, or the Arabian guy next to me. Being in a Middle East based airline really felt different. The stewards looked different. The plane itself also looked different. I was just getting used to the new feel when the plane did its turbulent take off again.

            During the flight, I had no track of time. All I saw was the sun went up, and then down, and then up again. I only knew what the time was when the stewardesses gave us the menu. Most of the choices were unfamiliar to me, but to be safe I just picked chicken and rice. The meal was okay, even though it had a curry after taste. Shortly after, we were served ice cream.

            After the great dinner, the attendants then turned off the lights to allow passengers to sleep and relax. At that time it was already dark outside, and so was the inside of the plane. The smell had also suspiciously disappeared. We were already on our sixth hour of our flight, so most of the people already had problems with their popping ears due to the pressure change. I was already bloody tired at the moment, because when I walked to the comfort room I almost tripped over the aisle. My vision then was swirling, and my head was pounding. I guess that for a first timer, this is just normal.

            I wasn’t able to notice that I had already fallen asleep. I was awakened by the sounds of people calling their relatives and telling them that they have already arrived at Dubai. I also called my dad who was then waiting for me at the airport. He was happy to see me again, while I was happy because the plane didn’t crash. I was also happy that I actually conquered my fear of planes. There are actually nice airports too, so I got to like them more now. But I learned one thing: never take UAE-based airlines again.

All my life I have really dreamed of becoming a scientist or a doctor, but when I stepped into college, I finally realized that I wanted to be both. After taking an undergrad course of any physical science field, I’ll take up medicine first to become an MD. After becoming a physician, maybe, I’ll try to have my Masters degree, and maybe a PhD degree. LOL. I might still be studying in my late 30’s if I will be able to pursue all of those.

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Photo Courtesy: tumblr4men

Fabravans is the best thing that has ever happened to glee yet Chord Overstreet is leaving for Season 3 :(