They say, one of our happiest memories come from childhood. Perhaps, this is because back then, we were starry-eyed children cherished and protected by our parents and loved ones from the harsh realities of life.
Despite having abandonment issues when I was a kid (my parents were always abroad, you see), and being a problem-child, I nevertheless had been one of those starry-eyed children, and I realized now, that I still am, today. I was reminded of this experience when I found out that a particular friend of mine also used to have pet goldfishes. Anyway, let me go back 10 years ago.
Being a poor kid in a private school is tough. Your classmates would constantly talk about the newest shows on cable TV and you don't even had any inkling who the hell Johnny Bravo is. Of course, I got an idea of what's new on local channels. I used to travel three blocks to my uncle's house just to watch the news and games of basketball. anyway, it wasn't exactly easy back then. I only got an allowance of fifteen pesos. to make ends meet (childish needs aka spending money on stuff just to fit in), me and my bestfriend would usually "work" after class. now you may wonder what sort of "work" we would do. well, it isnt really as serious as driving pedicabs, washing cars or running chores. what we do is as simple as collecting bottles. to be precise, soft drink bottles. no, not the collecting-bottles-with-a pushcart-job, but it's as dirty as that taong-grasa job as well.
Having a single cafeteria in a large school made things hell for the staff working there. Students, Parents and all the other people, would usually buy lunch and leave em where they ate em. As my aunt used to say, "like snakes" (which leaves it skin where it had last been. hey, that rhymes.). anyway, the staff doesn't have any problems when it comes to eating utensils, but they have a hell of a chores with softdrinks. You see, other poor students like me, couldnt afford the uber-expensive prices of the viand and rice they had to offer, so we bring our own packed lunch. the only luxury we, poor kids, have are softdrinks. in our school (assumption), there were a lot of eating areas aside from the cafeteria back then. y'know, under the tree, inside the classroom, in the "treehouse" at the playground, almost anywhere. In a way, eating inside the cafeteria is considered as a class status. So as you can see, those who dont wanna have the image of a snobby spoiled little rich kid, would eat anywhere and bring packed lunch. So to make things short, it was like hell for the cafeteria staff to collect the bottles back. They just didnt have enough time and manpower to search for every nook and cranny where the students ate and left their bottles. So they charged extra for the students for the bottle (2 pesos), which they return to whomever returns that bottle. Well, the typical filipino is lazy. and as you may probably deduce, a lot of students are rich enough to afford the luxury of not returning the bottle to the cafeteria, and that's where, we, the truly poor students, step in. we collect those bottles, from under the chairs, on the gym bleachers, on tree branches, and even from the trashcan (YUCK<--believe me, we heard many of our classmates tell us this). We don't mind. Its worth it, by the end of the day, me and my bestfriends all wear smug looks as we buy text cards, sigay, and luxury drinks like gatorade, so that we could fit in. Everybody's happy.
Now, let's return back to our own time, our reality. Like what I was back then, I am still trying to fit in. But this time, there's no more innocent/starry-eyed me. The difference now between my classmates and me isn't merely poverty, but our directions in life. Most of my batchmates now got jobs, starting their own families, and/or pursuing other degrees, like masterals. Meanwhile, I'm here still studying in the university.
To be frank, it now seems that all these driving passion for entrepreneurship/business, results from my unconscious desire to compensate for those things I lacked. Yep, if you've read my profile a week, or some days ago, you may have read the products and services I'm offering. :D
Strangely though, I don't feel as left out as I had been in the past. Perhaps this is because I know that I'm going somewhere in life. or maybe because I have faith that I will succeed in the future. Because after all, more than 70 percent of the most successful people in the world didn't have a college degree when they first started their own businesses. Or perhaps it was just my self-defense mechanism kicking in. Or most probably, I have changed in more ways than I probably imagined.
Anyway, life isn't scalar(magnitude only). it's vector(magnitude and direction). :D
But maybe, just maybe... I haven't changed at all. You see, I'm still in love with a girl way out of my league. But that's another story.
