Just got home from UP. It's been raining all day, and I'm glad that I have a good pair of sneakers, which I know now to be an essential part of a commuter's life.

Yep, me, commuter. I have been commuting from Parañaque to Diliman and back for nearly two months now. This is the first time I have actually commuted alone, using public vehicles other than a shuttle (which is basically like a schoolbus; you see the same people everyday) or a cab. Until now, I have never taken a bus alone to anywhere farther than Makati. I hate buses. I don't like going up the stairs of MRT or LRT. I hate EDSA (except the strip between Guadalupe and Buendia where the Yamaha billboard is). I hate commuting.

But here I am, going up and down the hills of Parañaque, crossing Pasig River, passing over the plains of Quezon City on my way to the forests of UP. My gawd, it's like a world away! And I have to do it practically everyday. I'm not a brat. I'm not maarte. I'm just not used to it. One of the reasons why I loved studying in UP Manila was because it was convenient; I pratically grew up in the area and it seemed like my second home, my turf. Moreover, I wasn't raised with the capacity to sit beside total strangers coming and going in dizzying succession, as in a bus. Also, I was taught never to lose consciousness--deliberately or not--anywhere outside of our home, so basically it's torture now whenever I go home from school and stare out the window for two hours like a zombie, fighting off sleep.

There's one consolation, though, to all this misery: I am thoroughly enjoying grad school. In fact, I'm having a blast.

I like my classes. I like my course. We apply the same approach as in my undergrad course so it isn't difficult to comprehend. Plus I like the fact that it's results-oriented. And I like the idea of reading, reading, reading. Hmm, okay, let's just say that I'm not complaining--yet. Oh, and my classmates rock! Don't forget that I always seem suplada to those who don't know me well, but these people are not sacred of me at all. Broke through the glass in an instant. Impressive. My classes are a mish-mash of a people from totally different fields--architects, engineers, sociologists, government workers, even a congressman--and when you put all these in one room, you're gonna have a pretty wacky three hours.

Haha, reading that last paragraph, I sound like such a geek. Oh well, I don't know, I'm just really having fun. Basta, gusto ko siya! I don't care what other people think. People were dubious about my undergrad course, too (soc sci major in area studies, para sa mga hindi nakakaalam), because they didn't know what it was or what it was for. But I loved it. Anyhow, I'm determined to make good of my time here as well. CS, no, US na ito, babeh! Hehe, as if.

At any rate, I guess school more than makes up for all that damned commuting.

Besides, this weekend I'm gonna start taking driving lessons, so it's all good.