ChipesterKhan chronicles - part 4 - College Days and the White Beetle

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ChipesterKhan chronicles - part 4 College Days and the White Beetle When I started College, I took a course that my Dad chose for me. Medical Technology. I didn't have any choice, he paid for tuition. And I didn't get into UP because of the "Jeepney Incident", Dominic (my best friend) and I had. More about that at a later time. We found out early on that needles and blood made me nauseous. Funny, I never really thought about blood when I was still doing Karate tournaments and bloodying other people's noses. So I got out after a semester and since I managed to get good grades I qualified to take a Marine Biology exam in University of San Carlos Cebu. I originally wanted to be a vet but found Marine Biology as a more exciting course since people in National Geographics were marine biologists. Out of a hundred applicants only 14 of us passed the test and because of the sky high price of the tuition only 12 of us continued on. I managed to get a partial scholarship because I ranked first in the test plus my grades were quite high. My parents were so happy they got me a small apartment in Cebu that was close to the school. It was also very near my Tita's place (my dad's sister). So food was never a problem, there was always a maid bringing me my daily sustenance 3 times a day plus snacks. My uncle treated me like a son cause they never had one and he had a Toyota Macho and (surprise, surprise) a Volkswagen Beetle. I was always with him during off times and I'd be tinkering with his beetle since it was rarely used due to faulty wiring. With the help of a classmate, we fixed it up. I'd gotten rudimentary mechanical skills from my other uncle then so I kinda knew what I was doing. My uncle was so happy he lent me the bug for my daily commute to school. After 3 months of being "borrowed", he transferred ownership of the bug to me. it was a white 1300 beetle which I took for granted. It was a work horse and basic transportation from school to the marine station and then home. It was always wet inside because of my scuba gear and after 6 months, my interior was damaged beyond repair. I ended up removing the rear seats to make room for my gear. College wasn't really that much fun for me because I was working to keep my scholarship. I had also entered a somewhat dangerous phase in my life. I'm ashamed to admit it but I was addicted to marijuana then. I started smoking it when I was 15 right after my friends and I started a somewhat successful band. We had this seedy manager who gave it to us for free at the start and once we got hooked, started selling it to us. By the time I was 17 I was smoking it like cigarettes and because I was so focused on keeping my scholarship I became hot headed whenever my plans deviated from the norm. I got into a lot of fights with classmates whenever I had ideas they didn't agree to. I also became too proud when our team, along with our professor discovered a rare red seaweed only found in the Philippines which had medicinal value. After a year I got kicked out of the University for beating up another kid. I gave up on the beetle too and left it parked in the apartment. I left Cebu angry and aimless. I went on to study Nursing and managed to get myself kicked out as well. By then my Dad had had enough and told me he wouldn't pay for my education anymore. I ran away from home and went back to Cebu to play in a band to earn money. The apartment was rented out to someone else then so I had nowhere to live except in the white volkswagen. So I'd play in the evenings and sleep in the volkswagen (parked in the restaurant I played in). As the weeks went on and my recklessness became more and more out of control I ended up broke. My pride could not accept going home. I ended up washing dishes for that restaurant and playing as a bassist at night. And when things got worst, I also took up gardening. That was 6 months of my life. My mom eventually convinced me to come home. I swallowed my pride, went back home and then entered rehab. In my half crazy stage I left the volkswagen in Cebu and forgot all about it. God knows where it is now. After that I took a job as a Disc Jockey for ABS CBN Tacloban City and entered AMACLC just to get through college on my own. I eventually finished an Associate's Degree in Computer Science Development and Programming. After that I said goodbye to college. College is important but there are things you learn more in the outside world. Drugs are for losers. I lost a volkswagen because of drugs. Sheesh!