The Golden Ages

“The Golden Days” is the best way to describe his days at the University of the Philippines as an undergraduate student. Packed with adrenaline, inspiration, and excellence, his college days are one of the things he really treasure as an individual.

As an Isko, he was simple. In fact, he was one of those Iskolars who, due to their desires to pursue their studies in the most prestigious university in the Philippines, did not mind all the challenges and hindrances which of course included financial issues.

Which was why, he was a fan of the ever famous aristocarts—carts which offer food of different sorts in low prices compared to the canteens. He was even subscribed to a kind of credit system which enabled him to avail some food though he did not have any cash on hand and when his allowance arrived, that was the time he would settle all his balances.

This kind of system, according to the Voicemaster, was not really difficult. He was so trusted by the manangs who owned aristocarts because he was such a good payer. And the secrets: honesty and value of words. As long as you are honest and do as you talk most especially with regards the payment concerns, people are going to trust you.

But apart from being a fan of aristocarts and at the same time, known to the owners of these food stalls, he was also well known to his dorm mates. A resident of the Narra Residence, he was able to make his name through his habits of cracking jokes and other means of making people there laugh. And not just that, during vacations like semestral and summer breaks, he also loved asking his friends who went home to their respective provinces to let him go with them. And there, in the different provinces he was able to go to, he loved making some sort of shows which featured him making people laugh. One of his most favorite ways of making people laugh was making different voices. That way, he was remembered. He might have not stayed so long in those places but the people there did not forget him. He would always be the Pocholo they had known.

His college days were rock and roll, like how the Voicemaster describes them himself. Apart from all the goodness and the fun these days were able to offer, it did not miss to provide enough difficulties to test the Voicemaster and mold him to the person he is right now.

Being an originally creative writing major, he was able to be in the class of not just famous writers but even some national artists who were and are still looked up to by people. Some of these big names were NVM Gonzales and Francisco Arcellana. He was also a student of some writers who, up until now, rock the world of creative writing and literature.

Life as an undergraduate at those times, he admitted, was not really easy. The teachers who people look up to were more than enough motivations for the students to study the lessons and even beyond. And when it comes to writing, their cleverness and nature as almost all-knowing in the field were enough to frighten the students and push them to work harder.

However, no matter how crucial these days were, still, he could not get rid of his laziness. Ironically, he was taking up creative writing yet he was so lazy when it comes to writing.

“I’d rather talk than write,” he said, as he recollected his college days. Although he can do both, he is more inspired to talk than write.

One of the reasons why he became fonder of speaking compared to writing is that from the very beginning, he already believed in the power of speech. According to him, more than any other forms of communication, oral communication is really powerful because of its immediacy.