A
typical noon at the UP MSS tambayan... the place is so peaceful in its
natural settng, so quiet you could almost hear the buzz at the neighboring
orgs. Almost. It's not that we're interested, though. That's just the
way things are. Well, it works both ways. It's so quiet that the slightest
remark of Emer or Carlo about one of the chicks in CV_SF or KA_SA s
enough to make everyone wonder when MSS would get itself in some inter-org
conflict.
Come lunch time, you'd be expecting a lot of people at the tambayan.
I always asked why it was bad manners to talk while eating, but since
almost everyone loves carioca for lunch, I got my answer. It does make
your wonder. Considering there's no signal in teh ariea for Globe Subscribers,
you'd be amazed how rumors spread so fast. I guess that's how MSS stand
out in that small area just in front of the now empty Yakal Dining Hall.
We may be struggling for recognition in Eng'g, but Cesar's gay antics
should give us more attention than we need from our neighbors.
There's always a fad in the tambayan. There was the short-lived attention
to Magic the Gathering cards, and the mysterious articles in the logbook,
the fans clubs. Maybe someone should bring a set for Games of the Generals
one of these days.
And we do recognize people who have guts, like people who eat the most
pizza in one sitting, or thsoe who can get anything and anyone pissed
(literally), or those who sout out loud at the Sunken Garden late at
night, or those who just get too happy after an OD of lambanog and Tanduay.
Of course our conversations get us somewhere too. I never learned as
much before the time we were talking about issues like reverse discrimintation,
or Miller's Time Factor Theory, or the Sumague appendix on Kama Sutra.
Or even Ferdz' agument on the importance of ROTC, and why even women
should have access to ROTC paraphernalia (ie RO Shirts!) After all,
we are an academic organization.
Want to learn more? Maybe you should drop by at our tambayan.
From party-goers to introverts to prodigies and the amazingly simple,
the UP MSS comprises a mishmash of personalities that complement one
another. To any passer-by at the tambayan, we may look and sound odd
as we transcend from a pack of squealers jokingly exchanging nonsensical
comments to a lonesome few trying to work on an ES problem set, all
in a matter of seconds. No matter what time of day (we literally burn
our midnight candles if it already gets too dark), as long as two or
three are gathered in the tambayan, there will always be laughter as
we engage in intellectual discourse or hot-off-the-press buzzes about
who did what among us.
Mind-boggling? Well, this demi-Freudian analogy of the prominent individualities
in our tambayan may prove useful in analyzing why we subsist in this
manner. Who are we then? You might as well read on…
1. The Migraine Boys
Also
known as the MSS Elite… This is a testosterone-packed subgroup
of aggressive individuals whose interests include taking stolen shots
of Melai (or whoever) through a digicam and launching them on the MSS
e-group; playing basketball, pusoy dos, and trading visually-stimulating
readables (read: FHM); boasting of each other's capacities; teasing
one another; and finally ending with a fight - hence, the attack of
each of their own migraines. Most of the time, they initiate the gossips
that revolve in the org and thus stimulate the rest of the members to
tambay and hear for themselves the latest scoops. No, no, no… they
are not really bad. In fact, they readily tutor (or just simply help)
other members who seek their aid at no cost. Also otherwise known as:
the Tambayan Boys, the Bilyaran sa V. Luna Boys, the Abbyluz-I-Pissed-At-The-Vending-Machine
Boys, and the Mang Jimmy's Frequent Diners…
2. The Library People
More often than not, these people could be caught where else but in
the Eng'g library researching, solving problem sets, or simply passing
off the time reading a metallurgical processing book. They usually trod
the "NEC ' Library ' ENGG ' Tambayan (for lunch) ' NEC ' Library
(or MSS GA) ' Home" route every day. Now these folks are not that
anti-social. Indeed, they are the lifeblood of the very few parties
ever hosted because they do the dancing and singing. More than that,
they could best advise what reference books to use for certain research
topics and even locate you to where exactly these books may be found.
3. The Grammar School Dropouts
For whatever reason there may be, these individuals love to twist the
fate of the English language by coming up with new phrases, words, or
enunciations not yet found in dictionaries and English books or heard
from standard English speakers. The ingenuity of these little grammar
engineers just might leave Mr. Webster and the faculties from the Berlitz
Language Schools scratching their heads in disbelief one of these days.
Examples of their verbal constructions are: "reverse discrimination",
"analyzation", "word by word", "axygen"
(for oxygen), and "departamental exams". We bet they should
be rewarded for their being vocabulary-"enriching".
4. The Coñitas
These girls don preppy get-ups and live a chakanadoodle (I just heard
this expression from my lab partner!) lifestyle; eating lunches at have-to-be-classy
restos and switching nail colors every so often. They are common targets
of issues by the Migraine Boys.
5. The Shocked Absorbers (Observers)
In
a typical tambay session, there is never a funny side-comment or anecdote
left unshared. If everybody talks, then there would be no audience…
This is where the Shocked Absorbers live for a cause. They simply listen
to the banters, share a remark or two, and laugh at no expense when
called for. They are also common objects of ridicule and it is through
this that their persistence is tested, and fortunately, they endure…
Now, aren't they supposed to be the strongest people of the org?
6. The Almost Non-existent
These are the members whose faces could only be seen in the tambayan
once in a blue moon. The severity of their non-existence ranges from
missing GA's to disappearing from the org right after Final Rites.
Through all these differences, we come together in harmony. This is
what makes us one big barkada who lives in mutualism and helps make
MSS make a mark despite its being a young org. We are just happy with
what we are now… and we will move on to realize our aspirations
as members of the UP MSS.
