Today at the Bank

I had a biz transaction to complete today so I made a supposedly quick trip to the bank. When I got there however, I realized that was not going to be. So I took my place at the tail of a snaking queue that was fast becoming longer than two king cobras combined.
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The line progressed slowly even as the counter space for five tellers was fully manned. It would definitely be an irritating wait if I don't do something. I began by grabbing and going through the bank's brochures. I chose to keep one that defined investment terms and returned the rest. Still a long way from the counter. I decided to just observe the people in the line with me.

The first to catch my eye was the lady in front of me. She was wearing a gray cardigan over a red turtleneck with a button clasp at the back that formed a little hole. Her hair was braided so the clasp and the hole were visible. There was a blue piece of plastic sticking out of that hole which turned out to be the cover of a ballpoint. The pen was stuck into it and was hidden under the blouse. A little later, her cardigan slid down revealing a second pen lower down the hole. Interesting, most people put it in their hair.

As the line moved, I noticed another lady. She had on a black blouse with a cut out on both sleeves surrounded by beads meant to look like small pearls. She was wearing cargo shorts in an old rose color with the straps unlocked. What really caught my eye were her tresses. They were the same color as her blouse and went down beyond her shorts. When the curving snake put me directly across her, I asked about it. She smiled and said, yes, they were all naturally hers. I'm impressed, really. I wear my hair short because I like it wash and wear, no fuss. Hair like that must use a lot of shampoo, not to mention a very long comb.

There were a lot more to be seen and occupy my time with. The lady behind me had on a pink blouse with a cluster of glittering black beads in the middle of the chest area. Further behind us was a lady clutching what seemed to me to be a formal bag because it had the design of a barong accented with sequins. There was also the couple who clung to each other; the tall tanned guy in black sando embracing the fair skinned girl wearing a white shirt.

As I looked around, I noticed that the dominant color was reds and pinks, followed by black and grays with white following a far third.  Does the color mean anything to these people? I was one of the whites because I just wanted to wear the design which was in yellow.

Whatever the reason for being there or for wearing what they did, I hope the over 30 minute wait in that line did not dampen their spirits. It really did not do that to me because with such a long line, I expected to be there longer. Anyway, . . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Of Homecomings

Last weekend, I attended my high school's annual homecoming event. This year we were supposed to be in costume based on a scifi character. There were to be prizes for best costume.

A lot of people joined the costume party (I did not, sorry). The top choice for source of inspiration was, not surprisingly the Star Wars series. The alumni association head came as Yoda. There were storm troopers and androids. I think there were a lot of queens and princesses too (meaning Amidala and Leia). Some of the girls in our batch were talking about going as Leia when he was in the camp of Jabba the Hutt.

Anyway, it's really a great time to get together with old friends and classmates. Over the years, I have attended several of these events. It's always a thrill to see old faces and catch up with everybody else.

These events are also used as a call to give back to our alma mater. We are informed of the state of the school, its concerns and maybe some wishes too. Several batches have put up projects so that these concerns and wishes will be known to more people.

Are we proud of our school? We would not be at homecomings, we would not give back if we were not.

Philippine Science High School, let's continue to search for the untarnished truth.

Reading The Twilight Zone

A friend of mine lent me two books recently. Because they were borrowed, I had to finish them fast. I was able to finish them in two weeks. Hmm, I'm catching up on my reading (wink).

The books belonged to a two volume set entitled Forgotten Gems: Scripts from The Twilight Zone. In case you don't know it yet, The Twilight Zone was a popular program in the early 1960s. I used to watch reruns of the black and white shows when I was a kid. It featured strange stories that implied you were in another dimension called -- what else -- the twilight zone. The show was sort of narrated by Rod Serling.

Back to the books.

The scripts were chosen from all the seasons of the show. Volume 1 contained the shorter scripts. They were the ones shown when the show as still only 30 minutes long. Volume 2 on the other hand contained scripts from the latter runs when the show already had a one hour time slot.

I like the choices. The ones included give a good representation of what the show was about. There were feel good stories with happy endings. Thgere were dark tales that usually ended in cliffhangers. Drama and light comedy stories were represented.

I also appreciate the inclusion of stories about the storywriters themselves. Scriptwriters are usually invisible to the audience. The book gives us a glimpse of the life of these men who create the tales we see on TV. This is of particular interest to me who also aspires to be in that circle.

All in all I like the two volumes. I would have wanted more scripts included though.

Too bad for me the books aren't mine.