current music: The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra

He didn't know how he got himself into this.

It was early afternoon when he arrived. For the second year in a row, he stood in front of Ateneo freshmen, all decked in yellow, talking and talking and talking. Only, he wasn't part of the TnT's anymore, but instead, he was talking on behalf of his organization, Heights. Now, instead of being the welcoming committee, he was playing the role of some kind of salesman, promoting the org.

"...Of course, if you're not really into literature..." went the spiel, given by the ones who were there since the morning. He felt sorry he couldn't help them. But somehow, grateful that circumstance kept him from having to tire out his voice. He did, have music practice later that evening, and wanted to protect that voice.

He saw many familiar faces among the TnT's who conducted their freshman blocks to their stand. Camille, Peter, Birdie, Nikki, Rae, Cong, Pao Toledo... some were new to the job, but nevertheless familiar, like Andrew and Chuck. Others like Burn he saw on his way there, leading the ones clad in blue to classrooms for GD's. He smiled, and as the one by one filed their way out, he felt a pang of missing the work.

But hey. He wanted to sing, for Days no less. If he did end up TnT'ing, the infamous 3rd day TnT Throat would encroach on him right there. So in a sense, he was grateful. Providence garbled Carly's text just so he'd be there.

Little did he know that he wouldn't have to do a lot of singing. Kuya Carlo and Ate Jem would shoulder most of that. He'd just have to help sort out some of the other performance times, and hardly need to open his mouth. He didn't know it, but the day of him regretting his incompetence with musical instruments had finally come.

And the day was still young.

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He walked along Fr. Masterson Drive. He had previously run into Issa and Mendel, with two other LogCom friends of theirs. It was nice just seeing them again. In his head, of course, he knew that people would probably start making "issuse" of them walking side-by-side. He didn't say anything, but smiled and wished them good day.

He was passing the East carpark, and looked to his left. There stood the Comm dept. He remembered one year ago, he wept at its doors, along with several scores of TnTs like him.

TnT's no longer like him. For he wasn't one this year.

He watched them file out of the Covered Courts, headed to those same doors. He resisted the urge of crashing the "senti session". He nodded to himself, knowing it was not his place to be there. It was for them.

Next year na lang.

Of course, he smirked at the thought of crashing the party.

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If he didn't feel dumb before, he was feeling it now.

For the first time ever, he was standing inside the MRT, headed to the Ortigas station. He took Jason's advice, taking the Katipunan LRT to Cubao, then getting on the other train in Cubao headed to Shaw. Which sucked, because his destination was something closer to Greenhills. In effect, he wasted something like Php 11.50 just to tire his feet.

Fine, fine. He admitted he enjoyed his first train ride all by himself. He remembered as a child taking the LRT from Baclaran headed towards his father's Manila clinic, but that was a long time ago, and he was with his parents. So at least he took pride having done so.

He got off the station. He had to walk to Greenhills West where they would be meeting. The sun was gone; it was 6 PM and no cab drivers seemed willing to take him along. He figured they must've been hungry, and let it go. Besides, he wasted enough cash on the Jollibee dinner way back at Katipunan, and the slice of Domino's pizza plus juice (both for P25) at the station. He didn't mind walking, as his spending budget of a hundred was already broken.

As he walked, he cleared his head. It was nighttime. He was nearing the meeting place, and felt a sense of fulfillment.