SINGAPORE We had the sad luck of being assigned a stewardess who seemed to think she would be charged a fine if she so much as smiled. I was the unfortunate schmuck who got allocated an aisle seat, and was subjected to her "Please re-cross your legs." I was launched thrice out of sleep by her finger on the seat recliner, and have been the recipient of evil stares because of (gasp!) a bag strap on the aisle. It was followed by her high-heeled shoe kicking it over to under the seat. May God grant her mercy.
For this tournament, I brought the same suitcase. Its immensity stops people on their tracks, especially since I knew this would only be a seven-day trip. I explain that the 12 pairs of shoes are absolutely essential to ensure the quality of my debate performance. Besides, Im not the only debater obsessed with wardrobe. I know a guy who spent an entire afternoon trying on every clothing combination in his closet to find the perfect seven outfits (complete with beads and appropriate footwear), and a girl who zip-locks her shirts individually for fear of getting them wrinkled. Hey, its a free country.
I live by the principle that, like, it doesnt matter if you, like, yknow, lose a debate, if you like, look good anyway.
In London, I spent a pound an hour in a corner café on Internet access, attempting to type with half-frozen fingers encased in thick wool gloves. In Sydney, I sat at what I call an Internet vending monster. You sit before what looks like an ATM machine in the hotel lobby, and feed the greedy little creature coins for every measly minute of use. The worst was in Malaysia. I couldnt find a single Internet café or computer rental, and was thrilled by the news that the hotel had free Internet access. The thrill, however, was momentary. Access is worth P500 for every five minutes. After a long search, I found myself sitting for six hours in the Sony store at KLCC mall, pounding away at their sample laptops while pretending to ignore disgruntled Malaysians cursing while in line behind me.
When Im rich and famous and have already saved the world (my current buoyant mood doesnt allow for ifs), my first act will be to buy one of those Mac laptops that are so skinny you can shove them into a shoulder bag. Then I will laugh at the poor schmuck who wandered around the Petronas Towers hoping to stumble on an Internet café (read: me).
Right now, Im sitting in a room with a square footage bigger than my houses, lined with cubicles stocked with beautiful Samsung computers. Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is hosting the first Asian Universities Debating Championships (AUDC). Their computer room, where Im working now, provides free access to students/debaters. Yes, yes, this may be normal too for Ateneo and La Salle, but this kid from UP is astounded by the outrageousness of the idea. Only exclamation points can articulate my emotions. Imagine! Free access! The shock! The thrill! The air-conditioning!
We debaters are a strange lot; we glory in the challenge and seem like the most self-assured people in the world but, on losing, swear never to subject self to the crushing pressure again. Then we come back because the "seven-minute-rush" we get during a speech is incomparable.
Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle, Santo Tomas, College of St. Benilde, Ateneo de Davao and UP campuses Diliman and Manila have all managed to gather and grovel for funding enough to keep us in Singapore for a week a triumph in itself. Tomorrow, well be representing our various universities against other Asian schools. Whichever university wins, we hope it will be a team that carries the Philippine flag.
Heres to hoping that the force will be strong in all of us as we shoot for the stars.
UP fight!