This is to augment the post from my batchmate Ivan Sanggalang’s blog. And to sort of be a copycat of his work. Well, sort of.

How did I actually stumble into Ivan’s blog? While I was freewheeling around my Multiply account and just browsing across my friends’ accounts, I stumbled into Glenn Barrometro’s Multiply account which eventually led me to Ivan’s blog post. Anyway. That’s just a brief backgrounder on why the fuck am I writing this stuff down.

I enjoyed high school. Not every minute of it, but yeah. I enjoyed it. I started my journey as a delinquent student in high school. So many sleepless nights, so many work to do and so many things that I remembered. I’m going to cut the crap off by telling you that what I’m about to write below are potshots and, in some degree, insults to the people, events, and traditions that happened in my four-year stay in Notre Dame of Greater Manila.

Now to the first 15 potshots…

1. Who could ever forget the fourth year Mathematics teacher who goes by the nickname of Mario? His skills in Mathematics are as smooth as his mustache. Also, his style with the girls in his classes is off the charts. The younger boys are no match to his style of flirting with girls. No worries though, as he is well-loved by the girls. I barely survived his class because I also barely listened to his lessons. And he goes nuts when he hears students chant the tune of the Super Mario theme. He’s retired now.
2. The General Assembly is one of the most boring things that was ever introduced in NDGM. It’s also a microcosm of discrimination and seniority in the country. The first year and the second year students are just sitting on the gymnasium floor while the juniors and the seniors are comfortably seated in the gymnasium bleachers. And then the prayers, nationalistic stuff go in the general assembly and then the Prefect goes on to dish out a sermon that’s twice as long as the ceremonies above. Priceless.
3. I just love it how NDGM flaunts all of its achievements in the Front Gate with several banners, tarpaulins, cardboard, or just on anything writable so people can see. It’s their way of expressing that “Hey, we’re the best school in Caloocan and you’re all our bitches”. You can all see there the pictures of facilities, computers, geek stuff and other fuckery. You’d really be envious to be a Damer (if you are not) once you see those things posted in front of the gate and you’d be proud if you’re one.
4. I don’t think if there’s any school in this whole damn country that has multiple schedules. We have the Schedule A, which is the regular class from 0700-1610, we have the Schedule B, which is from 0700-1250, and the Schedule C, which is from 0700-1510. I really don’t know what’s the purpose of my school in putting up three schedules but the schedules have been confusing me for the four years of my duration in high school. And there’s also the schedule for the days with school org activities.
5. Octoberfest (word taken from Ivan’s blog) is the most boring month in the school year. Everyday, we have to pray the Rosary with the given set of mysteries for that day. Continuous Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Bes during the whole day. Regularly, the first mysteries are prayed during the advisory period before the first class, the middle mysteries are prayed after recess and lunch and the last mysteries are done on dismissal. What’s sad is students are praying out of compulsion and not by will.
6. The rampant cheating of assignments in school. People come to school early to copy assignments from their classmates who know the answers to the homeworks, especially with Math subjects. The teachers have developed a way to avoid this - by letting the parents sign the assignment of the students. As a counter, the students have developed a new talent to avoid this inconvenience. Yes, it’s forgery. Ask some bona fide cheaters to sign for their parents’ documents and it’ll make no difference.
7. Who could ever forget the teacher in Physics who is always in a menopausal state everyday she enters the classroom? This teacher is always in berserk mode. All you need to do to merit a referral slip to the Prefect of Discipline is to flaunt your teeth to her. Her physics lessons are boring, I didn’t understand a thing with her. I never passed any quarter with her. I failed every bit in her subject because I’m stupid in science and she’s just plain stupid in teaching her lessons.
8. Just notice how NDGM’s alma mater song sounds like De La Salle’s alma mater song. I just noticed it during my second year but it’s amazing. Even the verses are the same, not by the lyrics but by the number of lines. Four lines for each stanza. Even the other NDGM song which title I already forgot has the same tune as one of La Salle’s cheers. I don’t know what’s going on here but is it the green and white connection? But the last time I checked it, gold and blue are the official colors of NDGM.
9. The cliques. That school has a wide variety of school cliques. There is this clique of the popular people in school, who are usually the beautiful and the feeling beautiful ladies of the school. They are usually surrounded by the school bullies, who are mostly composed of classroom boneheads. Usually, the popular lady clique falls for the bully clique and they elope. Whatever. Beware if you get in their way because they will decimate you. Of course with their groupies. There are also the loser cliques.
10. Teacher potshot #3: This teacher in Computer 2 introduced the word “jabar” in my vocabulary. He’s airy, arrogant, cocky, self-centered and all of those stuff. Fresh off from college, he demands the students to call him an engineer because he finished an engineering degree. I really don’t know if he passed the board exams for him to deserve that title. But that coming from a (relatively) fresh graduate, man that’s a cold air of arrogance. He literally bitchslapped the students on the first day.
11. Referral slips. This is NDGM’s way of saying to a student that he or she is a bitch. All you have to do anyway to earn a referral slip is to be a bitch to the school rules. I once tried it, I got more than what I asked for. There is this ‘for suspension’ section in the referral slip and I sorta activated it by cheating in one of the activities that Ms. Physics Teacher instructed us to do. Unluckily, Me and my friends got caught. Good thing we were not suspended in our senior year.
12. Teacher potshot #4: He is the partner of Mario, which is obviously Luigi. He teaches fourth year Physical Education and Music. He is good as a teacher, as his mustache is as good as his style with the girls. Again, I proclaim: the young, sleazy, high school boys are no match to the ’suave’ nature of Mr. Luigi. He gets girls’ attention like no other. He uses his fine style and his fine mustache to do it. I bet he can beat Mr. Mario in a flirt-with-the girls competition. Easily.
13. Teacher potshot #5: Activate your GAYDARS! Mr. (or Ms.?) Chemistry has got it going for us. He is uber intelligent and shit but personally, you will not understand a thing from him. I barely survived his subject because he is too intelligent for the average student. Redox Chemistry? Screw it. I don’t even how Redox chemistry is in general. The best part of it is he offers free saliva showers to people in front of the classrooms. Trust me, his saliva is everywhere when he discusses lessons.
14. Oh, also there is the field demonstration - where everybody can show their artistic & creative talents, even if they are miserably failing in it. It really makes me laugh when I think about me dancing - and to see others whose bodies are stiff as fuck for dancing. There are also other things for the field demonstration - there are some acting jobs, stunts, ballet dancing. But the first part? The beautiful high school girls who are gracefully dancing. Nothing beats a stressful day than to see them dancing.
15. I’ve also heard news that since our batch left the school for college, concert events in NDGM have been as boring as fuck. Quoted form Ivan’s blog: “Bukas ang ilaw. May alipores na umiikot at nansisita ng taong nakacap at marami pang ibang hindi madalas ginagawa sa isang concert”. That’s not how I want to particularly celebrate a concert. Even the past concerts in NDGM were certified busts. The only NDGM concert that I enjoyed was the concert of Bamboo. But Nina for a concert? WHAT THE FUCK?

This is just the first part of the high school potshots. I’ve got more to say. And lots to tell. A bit of angst is included in the post, maybe, but these are just my personal observations from four years in NDGM merged with accounts from other students and alumni/alumnae of Notre Dame of Greater Manila.