Angriest Video Game Nerd

Versatile. The word I associate myself with for ages. Whenever people ask me to define myself, which they always do during interviews, I can't think of any word but versatile...

My name is Kevin Paolo Mendoza Hernandez. My college friends call me Kevs, Kev, Keboy, Keb, and other variations you can make of Kevin. My grade school friends used to call me by my second name and my high school peers call me Kevin Pao or Kevin Paolo. I was born on June 8, 1991 at San Fernando Hospital in Pampanga, my mom's home province. My parents have always recounted to me that very faithful day. They said I was so reddish and hairy when I came out of my mom’s puerta that I looked like hellboy minus the horns and tail. As you may have known, I turned 19 just a few months ago. Coz you see, people smirk in disbelief whenever I tell them what my real age is and what year level I am in. It seems like they have some issues with me being too young to be in 4th year college already. Can't 19 and 4th go together? Oh well, that's life. Don't blame me for going to school at an early age. Truth be told, I was not accelerated in anyway. We didn't have grade 7 and I skipped nursery coz my lola made me so. They own the school I attended during grade school that's why.

When I was four or five, I remember growing up in the streets of Manila. I can't remember where exactly in Manila. As a kid, I simply call it “the Apartment” for that was where I lived. My mom and dad used to rent a two-storey apartment together with a close family friend named Diane. I call her Tita Diane. My parents were still in college that time. My dad was taking up law in San Beda and my mom was training to be a dentist in CEU, which turned out to be, well, a complete waste of time I should say. She must agree. She's now an interior decorator - a good one. My elder sister was born when dad was 21 and mom was a year younger. I was given birth the following year. I thought that was the trend in the early 90's. To be wed at early 20's. Though I thank them for doing that. It feels good to be barkadas with your parents. Nothing is too lenient yet nothing is too strict. Just the right blend. By the way, my sister's name is Kimberly, my dad's is Patrick, and my mom's is Clariza.

A year later, I moved to the humble municipality of Norgaray, Bulacan, my dad's hometown. It was where my sister grew up. I did not stay there until I was in the 1st grade. Our parents would just come by every weekend to pay us a visit. We lived a very sheltered life, a far cry from my life back in the metro. Everything was provided for. I remember when I was still with my parents back in Manila, I usually take charge in doing some of the household chores because we didn’t have a maid. I struggled to cross the street every night to buy a bag of uncooked rice from a small sari-sari store. Sometimes I do all the dishes, as small as I was, with the help of a red collapsible stool. To continue with my story, our Lolo Ponciano would often take us to Manila after his vistas and pamper ourselves at SM Fairview, the closest “decent” mall to Bulacan that time I believe. He's a lawyer by the way - and also a good one. He has supported me and my sister in every way imaginable. He was a financier, a moral support, a guide, and everything in between. He’s one of the reasons why I’m planning to take up law soon, aside from the fact that’s how I see myself 5 to 6 years from now. I draw a lot of inspiration from this guy. He has also put up his own scholarship foundation, a living proof of how much he values education. I learned the values of a true Christian and inculcated them as early as grade 1. My Lola Teodora was involved in church activities. So I was a frequent visitor in our parish. I was her “little assistant.” This-is-me-being-a-good-servant-of-the-lord-as-young-as-I-was later translated into this-is-me-being-the-president-of-the-highschool-student-catholic-action. We were raised by the best grandparents you could ever possibly have, including my Lolo Badong and Lola German from my mom's side.

We often go to Pampanga from time to time to pay our Lolo Badong a visit and he would always welcome me and my sister with his trademark kiss. He always forgets to get rid of his beard that we had to endure the feeling of his hard bristled hair rubbing against our soft and baby skin. According to my mom, it's his personal way of making lambing - which we miss dearly up to now. Two years later, I am to experience my first ever tragic loss which would make me soon realize how vulnerable life really is, how happiness can be taken away from you in a snap. I told myself indeed everything here on earth is anything but permanent. As how old people would dub it, hiram lang yan. My Lolo Badong died of heart attack when I was 6 or 7 while cutting grasses in his private farm. When my Lolo Badong died, my Lola German came to the Philippines. She’s been in Germany for almost half of her life, working in a hospital as a chief nurse I believe. That’s the reason why we call her Lola German – she’s been there for almost her entire lifetime I think. My mom has always grieved about growing up without a mother figure. It was always Lolo Badong who stood by her during her growth years. Lola German was next to invisible, as mom would say. One funny anecdote comes to mind whenever I think of my Lola German which happened during my Lolo Badong’s wake. Lola German was so frugal that when she was weeping over the death of her beloved husband, she even managed to complain about the price of the kabaong. Bakit ang mahal ng kabaong, she said while wailing and hugging the coffin.

I spent almost half of my entire life in the peaceful town of Norzagaray. When I was grade 5, my dad, my mom, and my sister moved to Angeles, Pampanga. At first, I was very reluctant of leaving the comforts of Norzagaray. It was very hard to let go of the things you got used to doing, of friends you have been with for ages, and of the environment that is a living testimony of how comfortable life was. It was a crucial transition for me personally, having to adjust to a different culture, to a whole new environment, not to mention the language barrier and the sarcasm that the Kapampangan are very well known for. But we have to do this once in a while, right? Truth be told, no matter how embarrassing it was, for the first few weeks of school,

during our flag ceremonies, I couldn't seem to stop my tears from running down my face. So every time I get very nostalgic during flag ceremonies, I try to look up to the ceiling of our gym and just freeze there to contain my tears. I guess I couldn't get over it. Well, not yet. I was still in the painful stage of adjustment. Years shall pass by and I shall soon learn to embrace and love the environment which shaped the person that I am today, of course with the help of my folks and some good ol' friends.

First year high school was probably the most thrilling year among the four. It was another transition, so to speak. New faces, new personalities, new prospects, and new rivalries. Majority of the class were the so-called newcomers - students who transferred from a different school to our school. Sadly for some of our grade school peers, they got transferred to different sections. Our class felt like a place of contention. Are the old timers brainier than the newcomers or is it the other way around type of thing. Unfortunately for us oldies, our foundation in mathematics was very shaky. We didn't have the slightest idea of what our algebra professor was talking about during our first few sessions. But it never mattered. My entire stint in high school was memorable. There are memories that you wish to cherish and there are memories that you just want to forget and throw away. Our class was really bonded. More than the molecules of solid objects. I guess nothing beats high school bonding, to grow up together as teens every step of the way, learning, discovering, patching up pieces of you and turning them into the burgeoning persons I call “me, you, us.”

Since I couldn't write about college yet, let me just tell you some fresh facts about myself. I am a very obsessive-compulsive guy. A slight crease on the bed sheet would trigger my OC-ness, let alone sleeping in a pretty messed up room. Brain clutter is something I have to deal with on a daily basis. No wonder multitasking was never my strong point. I am a family-oriented guy. I drink beer, but for the sake of socializing. I couldn't get the hang of it yet coz my taste buds refuse to. I love video games. I play PS3 all the time. I am a taekwondo black belter. I am a great procrastinator. I left high school still at war with one professor. Pressure is my kryptonite. I always underperform when under pressure (but I am trying to make amends on this matter).