Sunday, April 30, 2006

Tears In Heaven

by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?

I must be strong
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven.

Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?

I'll find my way
Through night and day,
'Cause I know I just can't stay
Here in heaven.

Time can bring you down,
Time can bend your knees.
Time can break your heart,
Have you begging please, begging please.

Beyond the door,
There's peace I'm sure,
And I know there'll be no more
Tears in heaven.

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?

I must be strong
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven.

expressing the emptiness inside me..

After coming home from work, my dad picked me up last Thursday midnight, the perfect time to depart from home if you’re traveling for six hours on the road. Yep, you heard it, and usually six-hour-drive only mean one thing: Baguio.

However, we’re not heading there for vacation, but for education. UP is my dream school ever since childhood and I was partly devastated after learning I failed the UPCAT. ><; But after learning that my UPG is still within their cut-off grades, I dared for it. We checked up on UP Los Banos, but up to now, it’s still unsure. In Baguio, however, my mum’s hinting that there may still be a chance. She put me in the waiting list after being advised that whenever someone who is qualified fails to enroll, they will be giving chance to the waitlisted. She was also advised to have my medical examination at UPB clinic as early as possible since the admins won’t be entertaining waitlisted with incomplete requirements.

So, last Thursday, I found myself sitting at the back of the taxi with my dad, heading towards the bus terminal. With the stuff I’ve brought, I dunno if I would be classified as a traveler. I only packed an extra shirt, a small Piglet pillow, a not-so-thick jacket, a bottle of C2 apple, some sign pen, and my requirements. Nonetheless, I still feel a bit proud since I found the small pillow nifty for long travels and the C2 quite refreshing.

Moving on, my dad and I arrived at the Victory Liner terminal to find out that the 1 am trip is already full and the next trip would be at 4 am. Puh-lease! I can’t afford to wait 3 hrs just for a bus. We transfer to the nearby terminal (by means of walking), namely Dagupan Bus Co, and arrived just in time for the next trip: 1:30 am. Since I haven’t traveled to Baguio via bus, I didn’t know a thing about the ticket payments. I thought it was like you have to purchase a ticket first before boarding the bus, so you could imagine how shock I was when my dad boarded the bus without the ticket. ><; Really silly of me.

Although there wasn’t anything to see since it was sooooo early in the morning, I just love looking out of the window. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I traveled north very rarely. Anyway, back to the topic of ticketing, I guess I annoyed my dad pretty well because when I saw the conductor nearing us, I slapped him hard on the shoulder. It turns out that the conductor was only giving tickets, and would come back later for the payment. What makes me laugh though was that my dad (who, I guess was already hal-asleep) was trying to pay the conductor with just Php500 when both our fare sums up to Php 680. ><;

I dunno why but I suppose I’m a person with the habit of not falling asleep during a trip, especially if I’m not frequent to the place we were heading. I had some trouble falling asleep, checking on my watch every now and then. When I had finally fallen asleep, I woke up with the tips of my fingers and my left foot numbing from the cold.

We arrived at Baguio around 7:00 am. I thought that at last, I would be getting off the freezing cold of the bus, only to find out it is as cold outside as it was inside. Cold and hungry, I felt heaven at last after spotting a Jollibee branch nearby. We went inside, and after telling my dad what I want for breakfast, I rushed towards the bathroom with one thing in mind: the hand dryer, to warm my numb hand. It didn’t help a lot but at least, I was warmed up a bit.

Hotsilog was my breakfast. A combination of Hotdog, fried rice (sinangag), and fried egg (itlog). It was an almost perfect breakfast only ruined by freezing cold ketchup and absence of any beverages. Good thing I still have some C2 left.

After breakfast, we headed to UP Baguio which turns out to be only walking distance from the terminal itself. Maybe it has something to do with the odd looks we got after paying our fare and asking to drop us off at the university.

UP Baguio is relatively small compared to other UP campuses. Their ceiling is somewhat too low, as my dad pointed out, seeing that his head is almost touching it. Another thing I’ve noticed is the widespread portrayal of lizards. Yep, you heard it right. Lizards. I saw one on a wire sculpture, placed on top of what seems to be a globe. (Read: Lizards invading the Earth!!), another one etched on the trellis, and one on the painting. Now I wonder what the hell those lizards have to do with UP.

The medical examination went fairly well, except after the doctor informed me that I’m 20 lbs heavier than I should be. ><; She also advised me to avoid red meat and eat more white meat, and if course, exercise. After the examination, my dad was in a hurry. It turns out he still has a meeting later that afternoon. We just bought another bottle of C2 (the previous one was already on its way of going out) and some snacks, and boarded the nearby bus without further ado, only to find out that the bus we boarded was Olongapo bound. ><;

We were advised to drop off at Dau, Pampanga where we could ride a bus going to Manila. I was surprised to see my dad out for some adventure, not thinking about the meeting he was supposed to attend. I didn’t share his excitement until he bought me a rather large chocolate ice cream, which the kid near us seems to envy, even sending his own dad out of the bus to buy one. ^^;

After a travel of six hours, and transferring to another bus, we arrived at Manila around 4 pm, quite exhausted. My dad told me to go ahead since he will be meeting up with someone, giving me a hundred bucks, and instructing me where to ride. I asked where he was headed and if I would come. He agreed, quite forgetting the money he gave me which is now residing safely in my pocket.

It was already 7 pm when we arrive home, exhausted, and clutching no pasalubong for everyone.