Counting minutes..

First sem is almost over. If this were any other semester I wouldn't fuss about it too much.
But you know being a senior has its perks and well its down side.
I'm happy cause I'm down to my last sem as a student.
and I'm sad cause UP has been my life for the past three years and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else for college.

Sadness and happiness.
Very conflicting feelings.
but if you were in my shoes right now, you'd feel the same way.

Maybe its too early to say goodbye.
A lot could still happen.
But you know the pressure is still there and...
Damn it! its Finals Week!

Good luck to all of us...

Acquaintance Party 2008

Glamour, Is Still In Me

Redd Nuñez

This is the time of my life that I can firmly say: Only Change Remains Constant. I feel sad that this is how it’s been for two months now. For 20 years, I have never come out of Iloilo (school trips aside). During those years, I have stayed with my family. But what saddens me the most is to recollect the last four years of my life. My life in UP Miag-ao and Hall 1- The Best Place in the Planet!

Miag-ao is such a nice place. I did not like all of the people there but loved some for they had made my life easy (labanderas, tricycle drivers etc…). I miss the church, lovely isn’t it?! I miss the banwa, where you can find the “batchoy-an”, “fisball-an” and “halo-halo-han” (is there such word? Ahahaha!), which I believe indulging yourself with these are great luxuries. I miss swimming in the infamous OWL. I’ll be missing the glutonic fiesta foods. I miss the buildings even though a few only exist there.

Now, I’m in the business capital of the country. And note, Ayala Avenue! Super, isn’t it?! But it’s not as beautiful as it may seem. Everything here is expensive and eating at Mcdo or KFC is never a luxury. If you wish to find cheap foods, you’ll settle it for 35 pesos (1 small cup of rice, 1 not so-delicious viand, no beverage and add 3 pesos for a styro). Compared to Lola’s Inn, you’ll think that you had been a gluton for that price.

What I love here is the avenue’s underpass. It’s like a subway in New York. I get to walk going to work. No fare and no Traffic! Moreover, seeing people in corporate attires are usual but it you would wear such in Miag-ao, you’ll be the talk of the town. Ahahaha!

Work is the reason why I am here. I believe that this will give me a good future. Actually it’s not work but training. I go on training from Mondays to Fridays and rest on weekends, which I don’t get to enjoy most of the time. It’s like college, UP, but way beyond, way beyond worst. I need to pass two national exams (1 for IT and 1 for Nihongo), which I believe passing the first one is impossible right now. Here, 1 book is covered 1 week the most while back in college, 1 book for 1 subject. The assignments are overflowing. Super! You would wish we had a 48-hour day. Back there, I would say life is unfair if my class starts at 8 am and ends at 4pm. Here, I start 8 am and end at 7 pm the least. Regrets. None. But if only I have studied hard and smart during college for there are many to learn. Sometimes, I feel insecure when I’m with my co-trainees from other UP campuses, La Salle and Achineo(Ateneo)! Of course, I get to handle such things. There’s no turning back that’s why I push myself.

For the finale, Hall 1, the place I miss the most. I miss the “pok-poker” nights, the tv-series and movie marathons, the “kulitans” with first years and upperclassmen. I miss the “lafore” nights during birthdays. I miss the “girl” moments. I miss the TV babaran (with never ending side comments). I miss the chismisan, 5 hours for that and only an hour for school work (this happens most of the time). I miss everything! Mostly, I miss being called Mama Redd. I wish I could fly so that I can go round trip from here to Miami. Of course, I can’t.

I have found a new family here, at work. But 3 months from now we will be deployed to different developments. See? Nothing is constant. Everything changes. But then, I am happy with what my life have been. It keeps getting better. Thanks to those who have always believed in me.

But then, only two things remained, I am still the same person and I am still GLAMOROUS! Ahahaha!

To those who are privileged to stay in once Ujin and I called “Glamour House”, you will be experiencing the best. Not because the institution is there but because of the people inside. Make the most of it! To the council of Huaya’s, Good luck! I sooooo miss you all! Super! To the newbies, you all are in good hands. The dorm isn’t perfect but it gave me the best 4 years of my life.

Gambatte!

Our Frank Experience

Unaware of the devastation that Typhoon Frank (Fengshen) was bringing to the neighboring towns and provinces, Balay Lampirong residents were mostly having a lot of fun and having a great time getting acquainted with each other.

Blame it on the black out. UPV Miagao was without electricity for a whole week so news from the outside world was slow to creep in. No TV, no internet, and hardly any mobile phones with charge left. Hall 1 was back in the dark ages. Bored dormers even had to resort to thousand-year old board games just to entertain themselves.


The raging wind also threatened to bring total isolation to the dorm area when it toppled a large tree near the staff house area. All efforts to nudge it back in place failed.

However, blessings were also falling from above, quite literally. During a short walk at the height of the storm Julex chanced upon a cluster of fallen mangoes. It took two expeditions to gather the mangoes and another trip to Lola's to ask for patis and salt before the dormers got their generous rations of yummy green mangoes.


During one of the expeditions, Julex also found several birds' nests - four in all - that fell from the trees. We did what we can to take care of the little birdlings but without their parents, their fate wasn't all that bright.


Aside from the rations of green mangoes with salt and patis, dormers were also rationed with cups of Selecta ice cream - mango and rocky road flavor - unmindful of the chilly temperature and wind. It's ice cream and ice cream is meant to be gobbled up regardless of the situation.


And this was the picture of Hall 1 for what seemed like a very long time. The board games donated by previous batches were put into full use during this time of catastrophic boredom.

Some of the board games were from the House Council elected in 1991. That's the year most of these freshmen were born!


Typhoons and black outs aren't that completely bad after all. It was a chance for the freshmen to temporarily shun their rooms and congregate at the grand lobby of Balay Lampirong. After the typhoon, everyone will eventually return to the scurry of their busy lives, and the board games will retreat to the drawers. However, I do hope the friendships started by Frank will outlast any typhoon that may later come. That's the stronger kind of H-bond. The Hall 1 bond.

Rainy days and Fridays.

Rain has finally come! We rejoice at the cold brush of the wind upon our skin. Why wouldn't we? The heat of the summer sun is simply unbearable! The cold rain soothes the dryness of our inner depths(asus!). We just like the rain because our room is so hot and that we don't have an electric fan that could beat the heat of the midday sun! Imagine sleeping in an oven? That's how our room feels like during the afternoon. Well, at least now our room is cool and refreshing. Ahhhhhhh!

Enough of the "rain" talk and my ramblings about the heat. As usual, Friday makes the dorm seen empty. Most of the dormers went home and those left are forced to entertain themselves with childlike games. hahahahaha! One, two, three..Pass! wink!hehehehe

Well, let's not forget that today Is Ethel's birthday and a hearty free dinner was the best!hehehehe Gracias Ethel!:) As write this blog the "Maalaala" fanatics are again watching intently(?) well let's just say that Joefer, Stepanie and Pio are making scenes as though acting a scene!hahahah What a laugh!

It was a long time ago when Friday nights were the nights we looked forward to. we can stay up all night because we wont have classes the folowing day and that we are so engrossed with our "educational talk." Which honestly, are all about school life and our humourous conquests(hahaha).

Well, in just little while Gelai's birthday, a long over due celebration, is to celebrated(Forgive me for the lack of a better term). Well happy birthday Gelai. And advance Happy Birhday to Kaven Tablada (Gelai's better half)hahahaha

Love you all guys!

Mama Redd Special mention ka di....

Seniority Complex

Well, here comes yet another semester in the lives of the students of the University of the Philippines-Visayas! I have been fortunate to have been given the chance to stay in the best dorm in the whole UP system for four years! (wooot!)
Well i started out a merely lost soul during my freshman year and now three years has passed and this school year will hopefully be my last. Becoming a senior is both thrilling and scary. Thrilling because just two more gruesome semester and your out to make history in the world! It is likewise scary 'cause a lot of people will now look up to you like you've been suddenly promoted to a position you dont want to be in! Yikes!
My whole stay in the University wont be as fun if I were not a resident of Hall 1. Having met different people that spiced up my stay is sometheing worth remembering.
Many enjoy going to our dorm because of the cozy, home-like feel of the dorm. Unlike other dorms were people dont even know people form other wings, Hall 1 makes it sure that each dormer is given a chance to shine and strut their stuff in the different and varied and fun activities! Am I sounding redundant? Well perhaps repeating just shows that once is not enough.
In Hall 1, I experienced being a kid, brother, bestfriend, dad(?). I became mature in dealing with people since most dormers are freshmen. Being in a Freshman dorm forces you be become mature because first years look up to you like someone who will save them from the fiery depths of hell! Kidding! Well partly true, first years think upperclassmen are the people knowledgeable about everything and anything under the roof of the dormitory and the university (well the whole school can't be roofed so that was just an exageration) from how-tos, to the where's this, even up to latest gossip. hahahahaha!
Four years. I've seen people leave, stay and get lost in the swirling and chaotic challenge of the university. haaaay. How i miss those people. Well perhaps you will feel the same kind of fulfillment, anxiety, joy and satisfaction when you reach your Senior year.
To my batchmates, let's do this! Let us prove to everyone that we will leave a mark in history and that people will soon read about us in the textbooks of our children's children. Wow tayog!whahahahaha Though i may sound quite un-serious. I really mean what I just wrote.
And to all juniors, sophomores and freshies; keep Castillo del Placuna Placenta the best dorm! For fun does not end when people are leaving......... It's just about to start!

Cheers for this year! May we graduate on time! (wink!)

Last Summer

If fate won't be interfered, then this is my last summer while in college. Sigh, I know saying this is a cliché, but it really does, still, seem only yesterday when I had my first foot set in Panay Island to start a new life blah.

This happens to be the first summertime in which I didn't go home (well, aside from the 1 week before our practicum started). Apparently, this is also the most unforgettable. We, incoming Senior (wait, the word doesn't seem to sound too good to my ear) BS Computer Science students, were doomed here at school for our on-the-job training commonly called as "OJT". BD, or the legendary Balay Madyaas, was the place to stay since it's the dorm opened for the season. At first, I really found it hard living in the place (that's why I ended up going home for just a week). But eventually, I got the hang of it. After all, I can't imagine myself sleeping on the streets of Miami. Dormitories serve as our second home, right? (according to one of signs posted around here, Lol) All that was important was the presence of roommates whom I'm comfortable with.

When we were informed about our OJT before the second semester ended, we all proclaimed to the whole but not-so-wide world why, oh why. What about the exposure? The corporate world? However, as it turns out, being situated in a place where we've spent life for three years already is not as easy as it may suggest. For instance, what was up with all the Accomplishment Reports we were to pass twice a week? It was tough, but fun at the same time. What makes it fun? Well, aside from the fact that we still see the faces we used to see, of course, we had more chitchats and laughters than ever. It also turns that most of us live under the same roof. Getting to know each other more, that is.

Inevitably, some conflicts came into existence. I can dearly name them in my head. Unexpectedly, there was also some romance. Oh, yeah. More fun was drawn from it. Being together was worth it all. There were times that we can't 'duty' to the laboratory because no faculty arrives to open it due to some silly strike performed nationwide. So what do we do in times like these? Hah, go to the still-uncovered covered court and hold a sportsfest among our batch, what else! Badminton rackets and Basketball were always present. In fact, most of the afternoons were spent by everyone shooting some balls in the court. I had my very first shot because of this too. A free throw to be exact. We also happened to climb the so-called Hill 70 one time. For those who do not know, it's the shortcut from the dorm area to the College of Arts and Sciences buillding. We ended up in the former Globe tower though. After spending my third year, finally, this summer gave me the opportunity of wetting myself in the waters by the famous Ocean Weather Laboratory (OWL). It was nighttime and the sky was not feeling well, giving us hints that at any instant it will hit the liquid we're on and provide absolute electrocution.

Ah, I've been blabbing too much. To anyone who've read this far, err, thank you. I know this site's supposed to be about Hall 1 Balay Lampirong that's why I've already prepared something to say about it. Balay Madyaas, as what I've experienced, is not, after all, different from all the other dorms. It may be notorious for some reason but once you're admitted here, you'll realize that it really doesn't matter at all. Get what I'm trying to say? Whatever. Actually, I believe that residents here tend to be closer to each other compared to the other dorms. I don't know. Just please don't kill me because of saying this. In a way, this residence hall has really transformed in a number of ways. It's not entirely the place that's important, it's the residents. Something like the saying, "Aanhin mo ang palasyo kung ang nakatira ay kuwago." (Did I even say it right?) I have never been here before and now I'll have to say that it's different just being here. We always take sides, sometimes not minding a tiny little piece of the others. Everyone has something to give in all the time. And everyone also has something to give up all the time.

For now, I feel like so old already. Tsk. Incoming freshmen have invaded the place. Again, 'tseems like yesterday when I was like them, yeah, only like yesterday. It just happens that there are many yesterdays. Tomorrow is the official end for the remaining of us here. No need to sound sad, right? In a few days I'll become sick of seeing the same faces again - time to enroll for our last year.

I was a Hall 1 resident before by the way. This is my first post. This is my curse. I am not Spider-Man. And we're not neighbors. Room 22 is where I used to exist.

House Council Officers 2007-2008

It has been a wonderful year thanks to our glamorous House Council Officers. Hall 1 continues to outdo itself every year and this year's achievements will be a big challenge for the next set of officers.

Give these people a good pat on the back.

Upperclassmen 2007-2008

We were told people were lobbying for this to be posted, so here it is! Perhaps Balay Lampirong will not be Hall 1 nor Castillo del Placuna Placenta if not for these people.

Balay Lampirong Residents, 2007-2008

Soon to take its place on the hallowed walls of Balay Lampirong, here are the group photos of this year's residents.

Ugok Wars by Kamanguan

It's been a while, we know. Everyone's pretty busy with the exams and all so the posts on Lampirong Days is way overdue. Well, what can we say but thank you for your patience. We are yet to select the very best of the photos among the literally hundreds and hundreds taken during that one fabulous week.


Meanwhile, please entertain yourselves to another movie by Kamanguan. Ugok Wars had its first public appearance just before the Bachelor's Night.

Myth, Men, and More

Lampirong Days VI

Hall 1 Alumni Reunion

The following message was posted by Mr. Geronimo Balsamo (Batch 2002) at upvisayas.net.

Hi,

To those residing, studying and/or working in Metro Manila or nearby province, let us reunite. Tani lunch or dinner.

Kung may suggestion kamo sa place, date and time, please reply.

My suggestion sa UP diliman para may ambience.
Hehe...

To those who may be interested, join the discussions here. Credits to Kuya Germs for initiating this activity. Please do update us on the outcome of your reunion. Good luck!