why my college grad profoundly reminds me of my gradeschool grad. April 30th, 2006

with my previous article bout our last few days in UP, using a train to more or less describe our fate with our "mababait" na professors sa UP tac, i must say now that we have come to a halt, to the station where we are all bound to get off. after getting off, and as to where my fellow fortywinkers would go, that i couldn’t tell anymore. some of us is bound perhaps to go on a boat trip; while others may choose to take a flight to go somewhere else, and maybe, just maybe, others might stay in that same station and wait for the next train to come and to board again.

april 29, 2006 friday.umaga.thaddeus board haus in tacloban

my day finally started at 6 am. the baccalaureate mass starts at 8am. everything’s set. i decided to wear my immaculate cream colored slingbacks para masanay na sa mangyayari later this afternoon. alam nman ang life style natin, the last time i wore stilettos was when i was 3rd year hiskul, sa prom. in UP, my feet are comfortable with me 30-peso-flipflop from sm cebu.

pro hanggang sa mga huling sandali ganun pa rin , khit anong agang gumising, late pa rin sa people center. feeling vip’s dhil ksabay nmin ang university officials sa pagpasok dhil late din. i didn’t pay much attention to the priest’s homily, he was talking about the da vinci code and the film’s premier this may. napaisip tuloy ako, alam ksi ni father na kmi ang me pnakatendency na iacomodate ang mga ganitong bagong sulpot na mga ideolohiya at pagsuboksa mga natatag nang mga institusyon, siguro naisip ni pader, baka sakali lang na makinig sa sermon ko. i was thanking manong Jessie anyhow for allowing me to be seated sa mass na ito, in short for letting me go, finally. ngpasalamat ako ng taos puso khit papano nman. pagtapos ng misa, kumain kmi sa malapit na fast food dhil kelangan ng mghanda para sa hapon, mrami kming mumuk-apan.he he…

nung hapon…

madalas kong asarin ung mga clasmates ko kapag me productions kmi sa theater na"oh, five mins before the show, tensyonado na", ngaun hindi ako mkahirit, ksi ako ang tensyonado. ganto pla feeling ng grumagradwyet ng kolehiyo.panalo.pero parang ganun pa rin, hini pa rin ngsi-sink in sa akin na graduation na ngaun, at malamang e2 na ang mga huling sandali nmin. ang feeling ko pa rin ay production lng ito kay alegre, na mamaya ge-grade.an, matatapos at magliligpit gaya ng madalas nming gawin.

tensyonado na nga. nkapagbihis na, me muk-ap na rin ako. kaming lahat. salamat kay milai, npasakay kmi sa van nila, para hindi nman kmi sumakay ng jip o tryke.pagdating duon, syempre hindi pa ngsisismula.maaga lng tlga kming dumating kc takot ngang paupuin ni exconde sa likod kung late ka. isa isa nang ngdatingan ang mga prof nmen. una kong nkita ang praning nming adviser, c mam dinky, ntuwa ako, sa totoo lng, matagal ko na syang hindi nkikita. maya maya pa eh, dumating na c mam merl, sigawan kming lahat, kc nga ginamitan lng nmin sya ng coercion para umatend kc me convention sila sa cebu ng panahong iyon. sunod kong nkita ang nanay, glamurosa pa rin. nngiti ako, pro hindi ko alam kung ano dpat ang reaksiyon ko kc hindi pa kmi masyadong ngkakaayos. pinka huling dumating c sir vic, un tlga, muntikan na akong maluha. humabol sa huling flyt ng pal para makarating galing maynila kc may conference din. kumpleto na kmi. panalo.

pagtunog ng marcha para gradwasyon, pinagpawisan na ako. langhiya, ito na un.

fast forward na tayo.dun na sa commencement speaker at valedictory address.

una, mawalang galang ke ms abarca, una plang ay disappointed na ako na hindi c chiz escudero ang speaker nmen. mas npatunayan ko pa nung ngsalita na. salamat sa mga pang umagang text greetings, nkabuo sya ng talumpati. ni hindi man lang ako naantig mas lalo na nainspire, which is ang tlagang purpose sna ng speaker. wala kming pakialam kung saang unibersidad ka nanggaling nung masters mo, kung anong posisyon mo ngaun, ang mahalaga, paano mo marerelate ang karanasan mo sa amin. at sna nman, bagong version nman, karamihan sa amin e nkarinig na nun nung pre school o gradeschool, at karamihan pa sa mga sinabi nia, alam ko nmang kelangan kagaya ng hardwork, pangarap at tiyaga. kamote.

pero higit sa lahat, lalo akong nadisappoint sa valediction ng magna cum laude nmen. patawad dave, but i really have to air this out. he spoke on behalf of the graduates of batch 2006, and i believe that he shud have enumerated the issues that this darn batch have undergone. hindi ko sinasabing wag mgpasalamat sa mga magulang at kamag-anak nia, which is basically what he did, but there were so many things that he left out in the field waiting to be heard by the public, if we are actually talking about speaking on behalf of your batch. nakakasama ng loob. i am a part of this batch, and i believe, i was not well represented. and furthermore, hindi ito ang trend ng valediction sa UP. my goodness. we should better have gone back to our respective high schools, or elementary schools if dats the freakin’ case.

during the whole course of the commencement exercises’ events, i never felt the spirit of uniquely graduating from an institution like UP. sayang. except for mam dinky hugging us as we stepped down the stage and our 3 profs beaming at us, there was not much to be cherished that day. the rites was so orderly, peaceful and highly organized, pero dhil din dito, walang puso na natira. naging mechanical at parang ang gradwasyon ay ginawa out of necessity nlang kya nagaaksaya pa ng pera at panahon.

sana hindi na maulit. sana grumadweyt ulit ako.