I’m at Poblacion, Makati. I’m so wrecked.

What did they even put into those pitchers?!

I woke up to this, my head spinning. My sis in law recorded my snoring. I don’t remember taking a shower before crashing into bed but SIL said I did.

I was so hammered that I showered while blacking out???

Well, my HK colleague and I started eating appetizers at 6 pm but I wasn’t drinking that much. Some friends of my colleague arrived and my SIL followed. That’s probably when the sports bar decided to spike our drinks with higher alcohol content so my colleague would shut up and go home. He was already loud and offensive to the other people at the nearby table.

But they decided to jump to a nearby KTV bar. SIL and I excused ourselves, saying I still have edits the following day (today), which is true. It was only when SIL and I arrived at our hotel when the alcohol hit me.

At least I managed to be clean before I lost consciousness.

Anyway, one of the errands I did yesterday was to get the requirements for enrollment in my kids’ junior high. Unfortunately, they didn’t qualify for the second screening at my high school. My school’s criteria during the pandemic years may be weird because even some of those who got past the Philippine Science High School first screening also didn’t get in. I think they based it on household income and whether the applicants are UP employee dependents (everyone knows there is preference for them as part of the fringe benefits of working for the university).

During my time, our equalizer was just the entrance exam. But since mass testing/exams were prohibited until 2023, my high school’s screening method was based on grades and family background (I think). If you’re from a lower income family and have come from a public school with high grades, your chances are higher. The online schooling also hurt our chances because some schools have relaxed their grading standards to accommodate the kids who have difficulties with online school. Some schools even implemented a “no failure” rule. My kids’ school didn’t implement that so my girls didn’t get 100 in their subjects but their general averages are above 90. The grades were based on merit and what is just fair.

This also pissed my bro because his youngest son also didn’t get past first screening, which was weird because he is an honor student and a dependent of a UP faculty.

So anyway, I will enroll my kids in this school that has a track record of producing UP passers. They also have good extra curricular and sports programs. I may be forking out more for tuition (versus zero tuition in my high school and my kids’ current school) but it’s ok. My kids vowed that they would study hard in junior and senior high to make up for not passing my high school’s screening.

Ever since they started to mature physically, their attitudes have also changed. They have become more responsible and they are now my regular dishwashers and they do their own laundry. They also fold and put away our clean laundry do other chores like cat litter cleaning daily. They’re always proud to report to me that they topped their exams in major subjects, their projects, etc. They do their own reviewers and study on their own without me having to coax them. Their averages are 95. They do their Kumon exercises regularly, without me having to nag them.

I’m blessed with good kids. I still cannot forgive myself for choosing an asshole partner over them.

I believe what I’m doing is the best for my kids. And they’re going to have a chance to grow up in a cleaner and more relaxed environment like this:

My contractor sent me photos of the loft beds that I’m having custom made in a workshop somewhere in my hometown.