Anecdotes: The UST 400th anniversary turista trip

So yesterday, I went to UST with Mabie, Rem, and Chris. Since Chris is a turista so to speak, we pointed out the places we hid out when cutting class, among other places where we used to hang out. Weirdly, Rem (AB SocSci) and Mabie (AB Philo, yeah!) never met there. I (BS PreCom - Bullshit Pre-Commercialism) spent a less than a year there, so lower chances of meeting them. Personally, I liked Tinoco Park (where I used to tutor peeps), the UST Library (I was a regular at the frigid Filipinana Section and the dusty Humanities Section), and the ever so masukal Botanical Garden (if nobody ever goes there except to hide out).

Spot the Turista! Clue: The Guy in the Middle.

While there, I felt a tinge of nostalgia that was soon overpowered by an intense, debilitating feeling of old age. I officially spent around eight months there. Some random notes:

• Did you know why the cats inside UST run fast, are feral, and bear an intense fear of students in white uniforms? Answer: They have become like that because the Medicine and Science students are always trying to catch them for experiments, i.e. dissection. (Explanation courtesy of Mabie)

• Did you know why AB students are often seen carrying hamsters by February and March? Answer: Experimental Psychology subject. These hamsters are trained to go through a maze. Unfortunate students like Mabie will have to endure watching copulating hamsters before said gerbil can be urged to continue traversing said maze. Do not laugh. It isn’t funny when the experiment is your finals and your fate (finals grade) rests on two horny hamsters getting it on in the middle of the experiment when they should be on their merry non-horny ways to the end of the maze.

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Yesterday before I went on the UST trip with the said peeps, I visited my Nanay’s brother (hence, my uncle) at the UST hospital. I haven’t seen them in years; in fact, the last time they saw me was when I was a snotty little girl of ten (I think). My mom reported their feedback:

Auntie: Mukhang hindi mag-aasawa si Rio ah. (Rio looks like she has no plans of getting married.)

Nanay: Hindi mag-aasawa yun. Mag-anak, oo. (No, she doesn’t plan on getting married. She does plan on having a kid.)

I would have paid to see the priceless reaction to that statement. I love my nanay, she has such realistic expectations. It’s all about mental conditioning really; whenever we get into discussions about getting married and in-laws, I tell her I’d like to marry an orphan. The kid part is easily enough explained: I believe my genes would be a positive contribution to the gene pool.

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