What’s UP, Los Baños?

I walked along Grove last night while waiting for my Thai takeout at Ning’s Thai and marveled at the sights and sounds of Christmas in Los Baños. While most of the students have gone for their vacation, a handful is still here celebrating the season. Mostly, it is the business establishments that are setting the mood for Christmas. In front of the Los Baños Doctors Hospital is a huge sign saying “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” while in front of it is a gaily decorated salon. I passed by Mernel’s and caught a whiff of that chocolate icing and I was tempted to buy one whole cake! Too bad their fastfood restaurant is closed so I couldn’t buy just a slice. I took a peep at their store and it was filled with boxes and boxes of chocolate cake in all shapes and sizes! No wonder the aroma of sugary chocolate icing permeated the air. LB Square was still filled with people for dinner, groups of friends having last minute get-together before finally going home for the weekend. The day before, Thursday, it was filled to capacity with students for that final hurrah for the year. Most of the restaurants were closed to the public as they have been reserved for group parties, from orgs to offices to class. I passed by Jarmin’s Compound where the sound of videoke singing is going on. Always a highlight for me is the belen at the Carabao Park. Every year, I get curious as to what concept they are going to have. This year is rather ingenious – they’ve made the belen out of branches that were felled by typhoon Milenyo! It is rather creative and the lights are certainly better this year.

I’ve been in Los Baños for quite a number of years and have special memories during Christmas. Here are some of them:

- A Christmas kringle with my blockmates way back in 1991. We held the exchange of gifts inside the herbal garden beside IBS.
- Watching Parolan with friends; in one year, there was even a fireworks display then going out to dinner afterwards.
- Christmas party with classmates and teachers with matching cartoon costumes.
- Waking up early to the sound of Christmas music from St Therese and rushing to dress up and get to St Therese in time for the 4.30am mass. In one particular Christmas, I was getting over a crush named “Noel” who just recently got a girlfriend. I attended simbang gabi with a blockmate, and right after I entered St Therese, the song immediately change to “The first Noel”.. Grrrr-rr-rr! Some homilies I still remember to this day, especially those of Fr Val’s.
- Enjoying the kapihan right after the mass, or going out to buy puto bumbong or else going for breakfast at McDo. One time, my friends and I walked from St Therese to Crossing just to have hotsilog at Petrinos!
- Buying gifts at Arcade (now Vega Arcade). The shops, then, at the back had lots of small items for gift-giving.
- Hanging out at the Carabao Park with all the Christmas lights turned on. It’s nice to see friends and their families enjoying the sights of Christmas. Taking lots of pictures in front of the belen is the highlight.
- Coming home for Christmas. While I love to stay in Los Baños, the thought of coming home for Christmas is certainly my favorite memory despite the fact that I live just a few towns away from Los Baños!

What are your memories of Christmas in Los Baños?

Gonzalez compound- this is just right beside St Therese

Formerly Mother’s Best. They used to be one of the best fastfood restos in campus. They even had a branch at Men’s dorm and at Grove, too. The owner, we fondly call `Mother’.

Ilag’s Compound. I lived here for some time. The house on the left used to be called “Madonna House” where most of the AC ladies lived. The pathway was not cemented then, nor the gate painted blue.
Silangan Nook. Not sure if everyone knows it, but the street on your left when you enter the campus is called Silangan and the one on your right is called Kanluran that goes way up to UPCO. In Silangan Nook, there is a canteen where I used to have my breakfast, always they have sapin-sapin which I like to pair up with Milo.
This waiting shed has been refurbished just recently, if I remember right, just after we had the new chancellor. It was so dilapidated then, the roof almost falling down. Still, it is heavily decorated with posters of students activities.

Shapers - the place you go to when you need UPLB tshirts!

Grove these days, the stores keeps on evolving from internet cafe,
to drugstore, to beauty shops.

The ubiquitous copy machine shops in Grove. At least, the price of photocopying
gets cheaper these days. Before, a clear copy would cost me 2 pesos.
Now, it’s a standard to offer clear copy machines.

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• I was at Leo’s Photo last night. For the oldies out there, Leo’s is now inside Vega. And for the young ones, it used to be situated on the spot where KFC (formerly Burger King) is. Anyway, back then, you usually go to Leo’s to have your film developed. These days, they have all sorts of services to you satisfy your Kodak moments. Why, for only 25 pesos, they can now remove your pimples for you, in the photographs, that is.
• Ever noticed that Head and Shoulder commercial has an “Approved by Biotech UP Los Baños” seal? Well, one of the “fab council” is no other than Dr. Rose Monsalud of Biotech. She heads the Philippine Microbial Collection, the national repository of microbial strains in the Philippines. Check them out at http://www.uplb.edu.ph/biotech/280.
• Today was the Oblation Run. I missed it again. I always missed it even way back in college. It’s either I’m too early or too late or I have a class. Well oh well, there’s always next year.
• Simbang gabi na! Hope to wake up early tomorrow morning and attend the mass at St. Therese. The belen at the Carabao Park looks beautiful this time, especially at night when the lights are all lit up. Will post pictures of the place soon.
• UP Rural High is staging a show tonight called “Pilandok” at the Umali Auditorium. And I think next week, the Faculty Follies will be held. The Parolan as well.
• Remember Petrinos? The take-out counter in Crossing, in front of Jollibee (where BigMak is) is no more. I miss their tapsilog and hotsilog. I remember their hotsilog is made up of jumbo size Purefoods TJ – sarap!
• For the oldies out there, there is that locally-owned burger joint in Grove during the late 80s. I can not recall the name of the shop, but they serve really good burgers with coleslaw salad. I still see the owner and am almost always tempted to ask him what the name of the place was. Does anyone recall that burger joint?
• Thanks for the fan mail (hehehe). My identity will have to remain secret for now. I’m supposed to be reviewing for my final exams, and not blogging. You can sign my guestbook, instead. Wish me luck!

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