Tuesday, September 8, 2009

of books and brownouts

Now that the SU Founder's Day Celebration is over, the students' and teachers' noses are back to the proverbial grindstone as we cram all remaining lessons and projects into the last five weeks of the semester. Schedules and syllabi have gone haywire this term thanks to the one week delay at the start of classes in June because of the H1N1 pandemic, the numerous non-working holidays declared by GMA and the recurrent brownouts in Dumaguete.

There was one of those long-playing brownouts last week so Mike and I decided to go to Chowking for their siopao and buchi, but mostly for their electricity and free wi-fi, courtesy of Jollibee across Perdices street. Studying in restaurants has been a favorite practice of college students in Dumaguete for many years now; preferred hang-outs are Chowking, Jollibee, McDonald's, Cafe Noriter and Dunkin Donuts where for the price of a couple of donuts and a cup of coffee one can have bright lights, airconditioning, and the company of like-minded classmates for all-nighter group studies.

Mike was studying neuroanatomy and I was studying, or trying to study, autacoids and eicosanoids. Trying because I'm one who needs absolute quietude when studying and Chowking was definitely not quiet, even up to midnight, because all around us were groups noisily discussing debits and credits (business majors) and from another table I heard Ciprofloxacin (nursing students, said their tshirts).

The two pairs right next to us were blatantly flirting (in loud voices, how romantic can that be?) with each other and it was at this group that I beamed my razor-sharp dagger-looks. I wanted my eyes to say, "Can you please be quiet? Can't you see people are trying to study here?" But of course, they did not give me the time of day, or night, as it was, they just totally ignored me. After about 40 seconds I gave up and laughed at myself. Hey, this isn't the Main Library, this is Chowking, hello! Lighten up.

Right. So I played Plants Vs. Zombies instead.

6 comments:

Vk-mahalkaayo said...

good morning, dr. ness,

cgi gyd brown-out diha.
moot ko nimo, "pls to keep quiet",
na mao ra, sa akoa experienced pod,

ingon ko pls. hilom or hilom gamay,
gitubag ko, "need a quiet pls?
so go in the cemetery kay hilom daw kaayo didto"........lol

ka-modern na gyd kayo sa dgte sa?

what i know here kay mora starbucks duna ingon ani nga services...free internet access.

nindot to pass the time, kay daghan mga correct-makita, nindot lantawon kay serious kaayo-ila faces, adult n teens.

cgi, tindog nako, kay mowalking ko gamay, i gain kls now........sigi inom ug cacao-milk drinks.

have a wonderful day sa imoa, shining ang adlaw namo ron,pero tugnaw gamay.

hapit na autumn, tikongkong na pd ta ani.

regards

Vk-mahalkaayo said...

Hello Dr. Ness,

thank you very much,
nagka-talked mi ni ee ron.

thanks for everything............

nalipay gyd ko nagka met-talked mo ron,
with your son n chris, too.

thank you

ness said...

It was great to meet them! Timing kaayo. I hope madayon si Chris puhon... I think kaya niya mentally and psychologically.

Sonia said...

Doc, i reckon lovers/or courting pairs are hard to silence, although...i would have wanted to see your dagger-like look. haha, that would be precious!

bricalz said...

Haha, Tonette and I play Plants vs Zombies too! Haha

ness said...

@Sonia,

Wa jamo ang dagger looks when one is in luuurrve. ahehehe.

@Brian and Tonette,
Mao na ang official game sa mga docs and med students. Ang mga frustrations ug tensions ipahimungtan sa mga poor zombies! :-D