When Stars Are Blind

"Ahh, shit! Late na 'ko!"

How I jumped out of a double deck bed, I don't know. The image of the alarm clock showing 7:10 A.M. kept on popping inside my head.

"Ate Krishna, ikaw na next," Rachel, my roommate shouted just outside my partition. "Late ka na naman nagising 'te."

"Tinapos ko kasi ung plate ko kagabi. 'Di ko na naman namalayan 'yong alarm clock ko," I said while pulling out my toiletries from under my bed.

"Hindi kaya tumunog ate," she said while munching on her peanut butter sandwich.

"Malamang nakalimutan ko na naman i-set 'yong alarm," I was frustrated. Twenty years old and I might be developing Alzheimer's disease.

"Bilisan mo 'te, baka maubusan ka ng hot water," Marife, my other roommate, said while combing her wet long black hair.

I half ran towards the common bathroom and went straight to our shower. Five minutes, I kept on chanting inside my head. It has been a daily routine that even my other seven roommates went easy on me during shower time. Siguro, naaawa na sa 'kin. They don't even get angry anymore when my alarm clock repeats on snoozing after every five minutes. Thankfully, just like other days, I finished my five minutes routine: wet hair, apply shampoo, rinse, apply conditioner, rub body with soap and then, rinse. Nothing much to do with five minutes, anyway. I wrapped my wet curly hair with a towel and put on my robe. Took my toothbrush, spread with a little toothpaste and popped it inside my mouth.

"Ouch!" Masakit 'yon ah. Ugh, blood! I hate blood. Just the sight of it makes me nauseous and dizzy.

"Late na naman ba Krishna?" Ivy Gem, my other roommate came in with her toothbrush as well.

"Oo, nakalimutan kong mag-alarm," I said while rinsing my mouth.

"Bilisan mo na," she said and brushed her teeth as well in the same speed I did.

"Ate, binalik ko na sa bed mo 'yong tech pen na hiniram ko kagabi," Marife said and slung her bag on her shoulder. "Salamat 'te."

"Sure," I pulled out a pair of pants, a collared shirt and underwear from my locker and changed in record's time. My hair, it's a trouble I learned to give up fighting years ago. Combed or not, it just stays on its natural curly way.

"Ha! 7:20, sa'n ka pa?" I laughed a little.

"Bilib na 'ko sa bilis mo magbihis 'te," Marife laughed.

"Tara," I said and checked on my plate. First plate of the semester and it's already a challenge. I sighed and deposited my newly inked plate inside my tube, grabbed my backpack and put on my flip flops.

By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. Ako po si Ives Krishna Buenaventura. Twenty years old, currently on my fourth year in Architecture studies double major in Landscape and Building and Design. Geek, medyo. Depende kung saang anggulo mo titignan. Nothing much is needed to be said when it comes to describing how I look. Plain and simple, ako 'yon. Hindi pansinin, ako rin 'yon. Pandak, chabelita at kulot, ako rin 'yon. One of the boys, mas lalong ako rin 'yon.

"Nakakapagod na 'to," I heard one girl before me say. Well, nakakapagod nga naman talaga. Given the staircases you need to trek to reach the main lobby which is the 5th floor of our dormitory, we needed to climb another set of stairs to get out from the main garden and out from the dormitory gates. Yup, welcome to Baguio City, the never-ending trekking of everyday life.

"Sumasakit na binti ko Mama sa kakaakyat ng hagdan," I heard her say once more. Reklamo ko rin 'yan dati, nong first year ako. My mom insisted that I stay on the dorm. I resisted at first, but later on, saw the more advantageous side of it and never complained again.