PSHS Main Campus.
During our time, this was not known as the Diliman campus as this was the only campus in the country. Top students from different regions shared the same struggles, the same triumphs, and the same growing pains in the same grounds.
With my friend and sister, I walked around the campus to take some pictures, trying to re-live the memories of the past and recapture the feeling of belonging… I could not believe that it’s been twenty years. It seemed just like yesterday. A lot has changed yet the memories remain.The Soccer Field.
Ilang leg cramps kaya ang na experience ko dito? Maglaro ka ba naman ng soccer sa ulan at putik? Ito rin ang venue of some unforgettable na Pisay Fairs, whole-year-round na INTRAMS, at ilang “Sir! I wanna faint, sir!” na PASAMASID. Dito rin ako madalas mapaos sa pag cheer sa aking favorite soccer team (yiii). But my best memory here is our batch’s own version of Happy Hour. Aaah… what a good place to be…
Campus "Stroll".
Stroll/strolling – ang ginagawa ng mga dormers after kumain ng dinner --- maglakad paikot sa school campus ng at least one round. Pag medyo masarap ang kwentuhan pwedeng more than one round. Ginagamit din na excuse ng boys para manligaw or ng mga magsyota para nag-aminan.
The externs’ tambayan. After school hours, the externs (non-dormers) and interns (dormers) go their separate ways. The externs go the front lobby to wait for their sundo. Ito ang tambayan ng mga Manilenos, ng mga rich kids, at mga Manilenong rich kids. Bawal magtagalog! Students here speak English with that distinctive slang one only gets from attending exclusive schools, residing in posh subdivisions, or living/traveling abroad. Avoid this place at all costs kung ayaw mong dumugo ang ilong mo.
The Back Lobby.
The interns or dormers converge at the back lobby (station 1). Malapit kasi sa canteen (station 2) at sa dorms (station 3). Ibang slang naman ang maririnig mo dito. Kanya kanyang dialect at punto --- Bisaya, Ilonggo, Bicolano, Waray, at erpmeys, Datkilab na salita.
Ang Canteen.
Alam kaya ni Gary V na sikat na sikat sya sa lugar na to nung 1987-88? Magdala ng cassette player. Mag-jamming with batchmates. Mag-abang ng crush. Magtiyaga sa chili con carne. Mandiri sa fried rice. Magka-phobia sa adobong pusit. Mapaso na mamantikang tinola. Magsawa sa palabok. Mangamoy sa tapang pusit.
Most Pisay parties were also held here. Nung pinagbawal sa mga scholars ang mag”disco”, nagtiyagang mag”disco” ang mga estudyante ng alas kwatro ng hapon. Nagdikit ng dyaryo sa glass walls, naglagay ng strobe light, nagsayaw ng walang humpay. We got to fight for the right to parteeee!
G.R.H.
If walls could talk, this dorm will have lots of stories to tell. The Girls’ Residence Hall. It’s name now has the word “MAIN” attached to it . Wala pa kasing annex during our time. We simply called this building GRH or girls’ dorm. I can’t believe I was the GRH president on my last year in Pisay. I’m sure magpo-protesta ang mga pinuslit naming bottles of Miguelito beer. We learned how to open a beer bottle without using a bottle opener… a special skill I am soooo tempted to put in my resume. It’s still very useful up to now kahit wala nang Miguelito…
The TV Room/Sala/Piano Room.
Dito nagaganap ang mga foodsale ng Dunkin Donut, ham sandwich, at burger na may coleslaw na binibili sa Queens. This was also where my roommates and I would gather to watch Regal Shockers or Twilight Zone on Friday nights. TV viewing was only allowed during weekends. We didn’t mind, we do other stuff….Remember…there were no parents! This was also where, visitors, visuitors and bwisitors would wait for the girls. Pag off ang TV, asahang may nagpapaka-Mozart sa piano.
The Stairs.
Ang hagdan papunta sa kanya kanyang selda, hehe. If I could count the many times I walked up and down these stairs. The hand rails are still wobbly as I remember them to be.
GRH Room 301.
I miss my roommates, my water heater, my dipper, my double deck bed, the heavy floral curtains, the dusty window screens…
The Boys' Dorm.
Kala nila sila lang ang may binoculars … ! Girls know how to have fun, too! And have fun we did! Like I said, TV viewing was allowed only on weekends… hmm .. what to do? what to do….?
The Payphone.
Wala pa nong text…! Wala pa nong chat…! Telebabad was a dormer’s favorite pastime. The pay phones were witnesses to a lot of love confessions, heartaches, break-ups, make-ups. And yes, naabutan namin ang (mabigaaat na) red PLDT phones na ginagamitan lang ng four 10 centavo coins to place a call. “IN” ito long before sumikat ang kantang Tatlong Bente Singko ni Dingdong Avanzado. Calls were not metered then. Forty cents meant “up to sawa” lambingan or away with bf/gf/crush hangang umusok ang tenga mo at ng kausap mo sa init ng telepono. And because we prided ourselves as the smartest students in the country, we devised a way to actually make calls using only two 10 centavo coins! ... a little savings goes a long way…
EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT
By 8 pm, my whole reminiscing experience culminated in a Grand Alumni Homecoming Program hosted by Batch 83. The program recognized outstanding PSHS alumni, but in the spirit of a true Pisay party, nauwi pa rin sa sayawan ang lahat. We danced for almost two hours straight! Yeah…Play that funky music, white boy….
After sharing strange stories, more secrets, and juicy revelations over coffee at Bo’s Katipunan, I bid my old friends goodbye but with a happy heart --- even though I know my Pisay homesickness will stay with me for a while.
We promised to keep in touch and get together again soon… So, until then….! Cheers to PSHS and to Pisay ‘88!
“it’s that little souvenir of a colorful year which makes me smile inside….”
-here’s where the story ends (sundays)-
Thanks to Elsa for lending me some of the pictures.
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