The CSB Experience:I Am Sixteen Turning on Seventeen (Thoughts Before Turning 17) a.k.a My First Benildean B-day!

    I can't believe it has been 1 year already!! Talk about time moving fast, but really I can't believe that I'm already in my late teens already before I could crossover to become BEINTE!

    I really could'nt imagine myself as a seventeener because I don't act like one (well, yeah, It's not yet my birthday but you know what i mean!) even as well acting like a sixteener. What i was ten years ago is what i may still am ten years later.

    As I write this, I suddenly remembered my seventh birthday (weird). I could still remember it clearly as if it was yesterday. I was at school, having a class and my parents came with loads of food and goodies from Jollibee (I was in 1st Grade then). No mascot came however but th food is alright. That is the only party so far wherein i gave a blow-out to my classmates (ehem...) as in the only one, minus that incident when I was sixteen wherein I invited about 40 of my classmates to come to my party but out of the 40 only one came plus my cousin and her now-boyfriend. Since after my 7th birthday, I haven't have  grand blow-out after.

    the most ironic thing then when I was still in Grade school was that since my birthday falls on the 31st of August, it goes along with my school's celebration of Montessori Day, a commemoration of the birth anniversary of the founder of the Montessorian method of teaching, Maria Montessori (I studied in Saint Mary Montessori in Valenzuela City but it is not in any way affiliated with other Montessorians schools such as OB Montessori along Commonwealth, Ave. QC), other than Montessori Day, We also celebrate the Linggo ng Wika celebration so it's several events in one day almost. I grew up getting used to it until the time came when I left SMMC and studied overseas for a year and went back, ended up finishing Grade 6 and High school in St James Academy (I was known by the nickname Jaime in SJA).

    Now, things were different when I celebrated my birthday in the United States six years ago. First of all, since the East Coast where we live is almost a day behind the Philippines, I have the thought of celebrating my 11th birthday on 12nn of the 30th instead of past midnight on the 31st! Hehehehe, talk about laugh trip, but really it is a technicality that I actually like, as in really, why not celebrate your birthday 12 hours before the actual day since the next day would fall on the first half of the globe and later would it fall on the other 12 hours later? However, I wasn't able to celebrate it with my new friends in VA since they barely knew me much for 2 months before August of that year. However, ironic as it may be, I was the one who knew their birthdays and got invited by their parties (well, at least one of them did). Too bad since a year later, they have by now already knew when was my birthday (12 noon August 30 EST, 12 am August 31 Philippine time) but by that time I was already in the Philippines. I got some gifts from my parents (parent actualy since my dad went back to work in the Philippines since he was only staying in America on leave). One still remember was my new pair of eyeglasses since my old pair,barely half a year old and already, one of its lenses is already popping out.

Now the time came when I have a weird way of celebrating my birthday in the 5 years that I was in SJA. By August 1, I would already remind my classmates about my birthday by saying "30 days na lang", "25 days na lang", which is kinda annoying on their part. another way was the time I was assistant secretary in First year, I would always make a a birhday countdown by writing it on my attendance record where I usually record the conduct (tardy, absences, etc) of my constituents. Later, whne I disocvered the power of the chalkboard and the whiteboard, I would sometimes write my countdown although not too much since they get erased anyway.

    What's only saddening was that barely do they greet me with a "happy birthday" or giving me some gifts. It's only my cousin who is 11 days older than me who actually know about my birthday and the only one who greets me about it, on the condition that I could give her a gift on her birthday on the 20th. Pweghh! Sad but true, ironic too for I know their birthdays, i greet them yet they never bring back the favor to (But I'm expecting too much really). the problem lies on the fact that many of my batchmates already know each other since birth so they already know a lot about each other. I want to do the same but they never did. I want people to know me better but it's sad to know that on my very birthday (particularly when I turned 15), my class adviser almost insulted me for not wearing a barong (the Linggo ng Wika celebration fell on that day) and since it is my birthday, feeling insulted burst into tears. As in, HELLO!? Who would want to be bad tripped on their own birthday? No one in SJA don't respect me so I hate them (not all okay?)

    Now that I am in Benilde, I wonder how I am going to celebrate my birthday. normally I don't give blow-outs and I would'nt do it for this year too. but in a way, next Friday is kind of lucky since it officially that last day of the 1st Term. Afterwards I guess, I'm going to celebrate it with just my family, probably going malling and getting gifts from only my relatives. I'm no longer expect my collegian friends to greet me but it'd be nice if they do nor am I gonna expect epople to give me presents which is overly too much already.

jaime luis sibucao habitan
17th Birthday
august 31, 2007
venue: bahay
location: camanava
food; nanay's pancit malabon
cake: goldilocks or red ribbon
gues of honors: habitan-sibucao-roque-qoquia-punit-ponesto-vito clan