i reminisced my birthdays

it was june 11, 1998, my birth date, when i was told to clean the stockroom at the second floor of dcy building.this was in preparation for the opening of classes for school year 1998-1999 at the asian college of science and technology, cabanatuan branch (ACSAT). I was then working in this tertiary academic institution as an English faculty.

while i was trying to haul out of the room the broken mono-blocks with arm rest and the non-functional cpu's, outdated monitors, idle computer tables and assorted documents, i saw students at the ground floor busy teasing each other, eating and chatting about the coming school year. i put a t-shirt on my head to cover and protect my face and my head and to prevent the dust to enter my nose and other openings. there i quickly reminisced my past birthdays which i used to celebrate with the same situation which i was experiencing on that very moment. in almost all my birthdays when i started my teen life,i used to celebrate them with the same as this. i was like an abu sayyaf or a wanted criminal by the authorities for whatever case i had done wrong. unconsciously, i put that t-shirt because i didn't want my students and other students saw me in such a horrible situation. my blue t-shirt turned beige and my maong pants seemed to be a chakki one. i was covered by the dust wholly. no one dared to help and paid attention to what i was doing except dheng, an english faculty, who gave me a snack and morena the school clerk who bought my meal.

i don't know if it was just a coincidence, but for God sake, every time my special day comes, i was covering my whole head for if not planting vegetable in the river's bank or fishing in linwan, pantok or kalbo, vicinity of the pantabangan dam, together with shahong tino or arzalde belmonte, my best friend, i was taking charcoal from the hole where i made as chimney. as i had promised to nanay, this little deeds were my contributions to her to augment the family's income.

four, five six and seven hours after, i presented the newly cleaned room to Engr. Dennis Agtay, our school director. i was then a bit depressed and sad for i felt that education which was supposed to make difference in my life became instrument in making me remember all my past birthdays without cake and candle, without happy faces of friends and guests, without applause and greetings of family and my very special friends and without fireworks and pop songs and without gin-coke or juice as what had been done by teenagers.

the next day, i became happy for the room i cleaned was developed as the school library. i felt satisfied with all my efforts in cleaning the room. my exhaustion during my birthday was very fruitful. the dust which covered me seemed like glitters which will lighten up the dreams and hopes of the students.

the following month, i was promoted and appointed chair of the general education department.(morena was appointed librarian.)

the following year, march 29, 1999, i submitted my irrevocable resignation to Engr. Agtay and bade goodbye to all my colleagues and my students.

on 06-11-99, i celebrated my birthday with nanay, kuya nonoy and myline at my house in #22 h-site m.k.d, talavera, nueva ecija.