Places: Jogging inside the Campus, Day 2

Buti na lang may blog.

Today's a Saturday and I told myself I will not leave the house. I have work to finish. Actually, I already felt frustrated. I am working on the third draft of the annex. I just couldn't seem to get it right. Gusto ko na nga sanang umiyak, o kaya manood na lang ng movie sa sobrang frustration. Kaso naisip ko, pag ginawa ko yun, lalong tatagal ang paghihirap ko. And besides, this is part of the learning process. I chose to be a researcher and writer. I need to keep honing my skills until I can already do things well. So I decided to keep working on the annex this weekend so that by early next week, I can already send it to my boss.

So in the meantime, my outlet will be blogging. And to further amuse myself, I am sharing here what happened during our jogging yesterday.
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My officemate, Grace, and I jogged again. Habang may time pa at di pa kasagsagan ulit ng busy season, samantalahin na namin. Vanie, another officemate, wasn't able to join us. Our dismissal was earlier by an hour on Fridays, so it wasn't dark yet around the campus when we started jogging. We decided to go to other parts of the campus which Grace hasn't seen yet.

Sabi namin kay Vanie ihahatid namin siya sa hagdan pababa ng Barangka, Marikina. And we did. From our office near the college area, we crossed the "brick road," took some photos, and also passed by paths surrounded by trees. Near the stairs to Marikina, fallen leaves have started to pile up. And surrounded by huge trees, with only a few people passing by, it makes you feel like you're on your way to the heart of a forest.








(Photos courtesy of my officemate, Vanie)

So anyway, we walked Vanie until the gate of Ateneo in Barangka, then climbed the stairs back to the main campus. We counted the steps. So sa pagitan ng mga bilang namin--"91,92, 93, etc."--may malalalim nang paghinga. In all, we made more than 150 steps from the gate where we left Vanie until we reached the top of the stairs.

We took a leisurely walk first. Naman, paakyat yung 150+ steps na yun. The road was sloping upward. Pero since it was a walk, I didn't mind. Then, Grace said we start jogging. I said, "Cge" and then told myself, kaya ko to, while looking at the road winding upward towards the campus's main road. In less than a minute, we hit the main road. By then we were already panting. That was also the first time I felt that much pain on my chest. It was painful to take deep breaths. Hindi binti ko ang na-exercise nang todo. Baga ko.

After a few minutes, the pain was finally gone, and we started jogging again until we were already near the office.

It may not be such a long jog, but it was just fun to challenge yourself to do things you haven't done before. Although I'd be careful not to stress myself too quickly next time. Kawawa naman ang baga ko. Feeling ko ngayon lang siya napilitang huminga nang ganun kalalim.

My officemates and I have more plans next week. Hopefully, we find the time to do them!

Places: Jogging inside the Campus

I entered Ateneo as a freshman student in June 2001. Graduated in March 2005. Worked in the university April 2005 til 2008, moved to an NGO which is not affiliated with Ateneo but holds office within the campus, then moved back to being a staff of the university. So this June, I will be celebrating a decade of staying within the Ateneo campus. Wow!

Anyway,as I've been here for so long, might as well share some things I loved about being and working here. The more stories I hear about my friends' working environment, the more I am able to appreciate the perks of working within this campus.

The second semester is officially over, and summer classes hasn't begun yet. These past days, the campus is a lot more quiet--with fewer cars coming in and leaving, parking slots are available, very few students roaming around... you get the picture. So for the past few days, whenever I would walk from the gate of the campus to our office, it has felt like you almost have the campus to yourself. It somehow puts you in a pleasant mood, as you walk under the shadow of big trees and paved sidewalks--in contrast with the noise and "more real world" along Katipunan and nearby places.

My officemate and I decided we'd jog around the campus after office. We usually stayed by the sidewalk, but would at times use the road instead, as it is wider and at times more convenient to use especially in parts where the sidewalks aren't flat, with roots of trees protruding or ruining the pavement. There were very few cars passing anyway.

It was a short jog, but a badly needed exercise. The past weeks had been busy for us, working on project reports, preparing for meetings, working on proposals, preparing for next projects.

Aside from this, jogging around the campus makes me feel grateful to be given the opportunity to work here. I love the place. It's as close to nature as I could get while in the city. It is, to me, an office, a place to learn, a place to nurture friendships. It is a place to take a walk when I need one, to sit when I need to stare in space, to pray to ask for something or to just say thank you.

While jogging, my officemate and I were already thinking about a next activity: badminton.

It's a quiet campus that offers a lot, if you will just step out of that office and take time to enjoy the place. There's more to that you can do than work in front of the computer.

Sana, I get to do more things while still in this campus. :) I think there are some food stalls my officemates and I have not yet visited....

Quickly, Bohol: The Flying Lemurs

Last February, my friend and I visited Bohol. The trip was a quick one, about two full days if you take away the trips from and back to Manila. But it was packed but unhurried at the same time. A lot of firsts. It was like finally, you're seeing stuffs you've only seen in books. Like the chocolate hills. Like tarsiers. Like flying lemurs.

One of our stopovers was a place to view the tarsiers. After the photo ops, I looked at the other partitions. I really thought they only had tarsiers, a snake, and a monkey. Until my friend pointed at what looked to me like a blob of fur suspended on a metal rod. One of the guides told us it was a flying lemur, and I thought: "What?! Weh?"

I was scared to touch it for photo ops. I mean, it looked harmless. You just see the arms and the legs grasping the metal, and all fur. You don't see the head. But if I touch it, it might hit me or something. I mean hello, who wants to be bothered, tapped, or touched every so often, when you seem to want to be left alone? And of species that aren't even your kind.

Well, it did not hit my friend when she touched it. I sort of regret not doing the same. Anyways...

Something I didn't expect happened. After a few minutes, or was it just seconds, the lemur stuck out its head, slowly. And a baby lemur's head popped out. Wow! I really didn't know much about lemurs, so I didn't know they had a pocket on their tummies where their babies could stay. Least of all, I never thought I'd ever have the chance to see a baby lemur and its mom live, not in books, not on TV. There was another lemur hanging beside them. I just assumed he's the dad. I dared not do anything but take a video. Daddy lemur might not like it if I try to go near the baby.

Oh well. This is one of the best parts of the trip. Seeing creatures you've never seen before. Not that I want to see more of them that way. I'm pretty sure they'd be happier amidst trees, where they can "fly" from one branch to the next. Maybe next time, I'd rather go where their homes are. Where I have a chance to see them flying rather than just hanging, curled up in a ball of fur. I wonder if my friend would say "Yes" to this. Just a thought, an idea for a next trip. :)