Last Sunday, I woke up and suddenly had this thought: I want to go back to school. Oh yeah: first post for 2009, and I’m talking about wanting to go back to school. How cool is that?

I know at least one Journalism batch mate who has gone on to graduate studies. There could be more of them. A bunch from the older class, even one who studies abroad. I know two classmates from CW who’ve succumbed – one of them takes up an MA and teaches high school kids, Jesus Christ, what a combo. I have an office mate taking up Women’s Studies who’s alternatively delighted and distraught by her academic load. I know one who’s already finished his Master’s.

At least three girls have dissuaded me from planning to apply for the MA program in Creative Writing (“It’ll all just be a question of aesthetics”…”think of the politics”…“Bakla, nagsusulat ka na e, aantukin ka lang.”), and go for Literature instead. But then that means plodding through the Classics and tons of other readings, and I don’t know, that doesn’t sound like fun. Does it? Once one of my siblings asked why we had to read all these stories, and I think I almost said, So when they’re alluded to in a joke you’ll be able to get it. CW also means readings, but at least there’ll be workshops, you know, workshops, where you’ll be given given a chance to be told how much you suck so you can tell your other classmates how much they suck when it’s their turn. Then, when you’ve been told how much you suck enough times, you can go out and win a Palanca.

I’ve also considered taking up further studies in a completely different field. Like Anthro. Studying folklore sounds extremely interesting, but then I can always just pick up a book.

Right.

Ngarr.

I miss school. I miss having a definite goal, complete with checklists and advisers and several opportunities for validation.

OhfortheloveofGod, I’m not even sure if I’ll get in, if ever I apply.

* * *

But wait – this is supposed to be a New Year post, plans, things to be thankful for, blah blah. What should I be thankful for in 2008? I don’t usually do this, but maybe I should start the habit this year since I forget easily; in my head, the events and the years bleed into each other.

Quick, I’ll just rattle them off – this year I’m thankful I:

- became a regular employee with a job that allows me to write and, to some extent, keeps me on my toes (I’ve been thinking, if I were in a different field, the country could already have been ceded back to Spain and I’ll still be in my bedroom, blissfully unaware, watching DVDs on my laptop. Being in Research, with all this information about what’s come before and what will come tomorrow – literally tomorrow, when the paper will come out – floating around, makes you realize that really, nothing should come as a surprise. Everybody and everything leaves clues.)

- graduated from bedspacerhood and got my own room in an apartment unit

- wrote short stories that got accepted for publication, one of them for a local spec fic anthology, w00t

- developed the habit of waking up early and jogging around the campus (still with difficulty – even the waking up early part, especially now, when it’s so cold – but I’m working on it)

- am still healthy, that my family’s still healthy, that I still have friends

- that I still have time to read (if Tobias Wolff’s Old School were a person, I’d hug it) and write and watch films/shows, that I still have time to appreciate good stories

- um

I’m pretty sure there are other things to be thankful for, I’ve just forgotten them. See? Very poor memory.

* * *

As for plans, well, after I got settled in my apartment unit and in the office, I’ve acquired this wait-and-see stance and became more or less complacent, so now, at the moment, I don’t have plans. Hah, how’s that? I think I have out-of-town trips and dinner/meet-ups to look forward to before February, so I suppose the first two months of this year will be fun enough, will be filled with friends. (And will definitely kill my savings.)

But really, a wait-and-see stance. Maybe that’s why I should go back to school.

* * *

Have you seen the full moon nowadays? I’ve started writing this post (in spurts; been busy with all the assignments and write-ups, etc) last Sunday, and this picture was on the front page in the paper.

Kung tutuusin ano, kahit mag-search na lang ako ng picture ng full moon sa Google at i-post dito, pwede pa rin. Pero pinili ko na lang rin yung may watermark para maniwala kayo na totoong maganda yung buwan nung Sabado. Kaya pala di ako mapakali sa apartment.

The moon was said to be the biggest full moon for 2009, comparable to December’s full moon, which was 14 percent wider, and 30 percent brighter.

Lovely.

* * *

O, hala na. Patulan na natin yung umaalingasaw na metaphor from this observation and wish that the rest of the year will be just as bright.

Now go barf or something.

:)