there must be something promising up ahead when the word oomph issues from my mouth once again.

it's been a long time since i last used the word. back then, it was my catch-all word to refer to passion, grit, significance, the presence (or usually, the lack of it) in anything. they range from short story titles to an onstage performance (carrie underwood's cover of alone and storm large's cover of suffragette city come to mind).

in this case, it was the school's social involvement framework and i uttered it to a senior faculty member who couldn't find the word to describe her opinion of the proposal's appeal.

she resorted to nick joaquin's prose (no salt!), barely remembering where it came from. (i later thought, may day eve.) i offered my rather crude oomph. either way, we understood each other.

i like c. we share the same unit in the computer terminal at the department. she radiates this motherly aura without the smothering and the proselytizing. more than that, i share with a. the opinion that she is who she looks like to be. with the very sober (c.'s word) culture that the school has, one has to resort to much reflection and second-guessing before making any decision or opening one's mouth. as most things are sober in the place, the word also applies to the make-up of the proposed framework as to how the school should respond in an era of globalization and the ongoing political uncertainty in this country.

more than me understanding the place a little better, i am comforted with the silent guess that c. is right up my alley.