Our Success Story

"The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams" - Eleanor Roosevelt 

If there was a single group of people on the evening of March 19, 2013 that could prove this right, it was the group of Thomasians who sat under the stars on the UST Football Field as they heard their last mass as Thomasians during the Baccalaureate Mass. 

In my four years in UST, never was there a time that I solidly believed that I would successfully reached graduation. Even now as April 2 looms over us, I still remain doubtful of the fact that I will march on April 2, and finally receive my diploma (Hopefully.) and I'm sure I'm not alone. 

I remember something that my former Theology professor - Professor Acuna - once said when I was in first year about entering UST "Many are called, but few are chosen." I remember this clearly because in my old high school, we used to look at UST as a school that anyone could pass - without bothering to review. 

And when a number of my batchmates did pass, it was confirmed - at least for us. However, as the semester wore on, and first year, became second, I realized that Sir Acuna didn't mean that many take the USTET, but a few pass - no. He meant that many initially pass the USTET, but many manage to flunk out of the University because of the work load. 

It's easy to get in, but its extremely hard to maintain. 

This was proven once again when we all reached third year. When we thought second year was hell - well, we were in for a shock during third year. Not only were our classes lasted for three hour and until 9 in the evening, but they were also physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. And yet it was also exhilarating. 

The thrilling feeling of a job well done was the final names on your credits roll for TV Production class, the feeling of intense competition during the "Quests", the adrenaline rush that a deadline to catch gives you, the headaches that you have to endure while reading court cases for Political Dynamics. All this made sure that you felt like you don't stand a chance at graduating, made you feel like every test, every show, every case that you weren't able to read would be your downfall. 

And combine all that stress, blood and tears with the same level of stress that one has to deal with when holding a position in a Univwide organization. 

However, we discovered that third year had nothing on what fourth year had to offer. 

As the great Atty. Bong Lopez said "Fourth year is designed to make sure that you don't graduate" (That is not a direct quote - I think. But its what I remember.) And he was right. If there was one thing that one does not do when you reach fourth year - its sleep. Sleep is a luxury that one cannot simply indulge in when you had IMC cases to do, posters to edit, scripts to write, short films to shoot, musicals to stage, news worthy events to cover, Photography plates to shoot, Media Law cases to read and analyze and of course, a thesis to write and to defend. 

Between all that, who has time to sleep? 

and between all that, why would you possibly think that you would have a chance at graduating when all you want to do is drop dead from sheer exhaustion? 

But, we managed to defeat our dragons and made it to March - relatively unharmed. Give or take a few pounds that we gained from eating stress food. 

So, to the graduating class of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, congratulations for surviving the most challenging liberal arts programs in the country!(According to Dean Vasco) We will do UST proud! 

When Everything is Almost Over

As I mentioned in an earlier, last March 15-17, 2013, my blockmates and I (along with LM1 and LM2)  spent the weekend in Caleruega, Batangas for our retreat.

At first we were all pretty pissed since we were the only CA section that wasn't included in the CA Seniors retreat - but, looking back, it was prolly for the best that we were the last ones to go. As one of the priests mentioned in one of our sessions, a retreat is supposed to be taken when everything is over. And knowing 4CA5, the retreat probably wouldn't have been as effective as it was if we still had deadlines and papers to think of while we were exiled in Caleruega. 

To anyone who believes that the hours before one goes on a retreat should be spent in silence, then you probably have never experienced a road trip with us. When most sections spend their trip asleep, or watching a movie, 4CA5 - the awesome section that we are - spent almost 4 hours working the karaoke machine till it broke because of our beautiful voices. 

Perky 4CA5 despite the early (for us) call time

JM (above picture) and Rio (below) working the karaoke machine

So, if our singing ever caused torrential rains in Metro Manila then...We do not apologize! :))) You should be honored you were able to reap the "rewards" of our angelic voices! :))

Anyway, after the long bus trip, we finally arrived in Caleruega, where we were not only shocked by the bright sunlight that seemed to have followed us from Manila - but also the unbearable heat that made me wish I had worn shorts instead of pants.

Thankfully (or maybe unfortunately for some) the temperature began to drop a little before sunset, leaving us to relish the cool air that Tagaytay (or Batangas. I'm still pretty confused as to where we actually were) is known for.

If one would ask me what we I saw most in Caleruega, I would definitely answer: FOOD. The minute we alighted from the bus, till the very last minute that we spent there, was spent eating, eating and of course, it eating. When we aren't falling asleep on our seats during sessions, or taking pictures around the place, then we were definitely eating.

Just one of our many meal times

Joking aside, I really did learn a lot during our retreat, things that at the time seemed pretty pointless to me, but would suddenly pop up now and would make me think"Oh hey! I learned this during retreat! I know this shit!" sort of like that.

Seriously though, the retreat was an unexpected experience. Unexpected both in both the sense of good and bad.

Good because I never really expected to bond with my blockmates during this trip. Sure, I looked forward to the bus ride - after all, any trip with 4CA5 is bound to be fun. But, that was about the extent of it. I never expected that the next (or past) three days would have been the days that I would be able to talk to the blockmates that I haven't had the chance to bond with. It was our chance to really get to know one another, know one another's secret demons and back stories, it became the chance for us to tell one another what we thought of the other, how we admired their strength and regretted the times that they failed to form friendships, it was the chance to rebuild the friendships that were lost over the years.

Sharing stories by candle light

Rebuilding old friendships

Bad because I was hoping to use the time to reflect. I had a lot of life altering decisions to make, and really, I was hoping that by taking time off in Caleruega, I would be able to come up with a decision as to what path I should take in the future. Alas, that didn't happen.

However, no matter how "useless" was retreat to my future plans, I'm sure I would never forget the days where we had to endure a filthy showers, got to eat (slightly) tasteless food, take pictures of stunning sunsets, got to draw crappy pictures (except Eboy, Eboy has nice pictures -_-), and of course, got to spend the best three days of my life with my awesome blockmates.

The Magic of Caleruega

As per UST tradition, last March 15 -17, 2013, my block (4CA5) went on our first - and last - retreat as a block section in Caleruega, Batangas. (Which, I will blog about later.)

The place was beautiful. Green grass, trees, blue skies, colorful flowers. It was like a painting had come to life for three days - just for us. (and of course, the other people visiting Caleruega.) 

Of course, it wasn't only the great outdoors that were breathtaking in Caleruega. It was also the man-made wonders that complemented the already beautiful surroundings. 

Although, I couldn't say the same for the girls bathroom that we had to share with 60 other girls - but, that is beside the point. 

All in all, thank you UST for giving us Caleruega - even for just a while. The place is serene, and not in the creepy "Oh my God, its way to quiet in here, I'm about to go crazy" kind of serene, but rather the kind of serene that is conducive to making life choices. 

The place rings with the pleasant chirp of the birds around the place, children laughing as they ran around the grass, and the familiar sound of my blockmates talking - reminding me that no matter how hard the decision I had to make was, I would never be alone. 

 

Also, I deem it mention-worthy that Caleruega is not only a wonderful place to reflect, but also to get married :> With its stunning chapels, and lush greenery with colorful flowers, its no surprise that it is a favorite among couples to be married. 

Apparently, its so popular that one has to wait for TWO years before you can get a vacancy! Some would find the wait as troublesome. Like, if you're young and in love, then I'm sure you'd want to marry right away. But, I think the two year waiting period would be a good thing for couples, because it would assure you that even in two years and more, the person who is standing next to you now, will still be the person who you will want to be standing next to you in the future. 

Anyway, I'd just like to mention that we we're lucky enough to spy a bride on her way to the altar one morning before our scheduled breakfast. :"> I don't know who she is, or her story, but I wish her all the best, and I hope her marriage would be as magical as the place where she was wed. 

Masteral Anxieties

In a few short weeks my batchmates - whether from UST  or not - would be graduating from college and would be thrust into the even scarier world of unemployment. Whether one admits it or not, a fresh graduate's greatest fear is not being able to find a place that would accept him - no matter if you came from the best university in the Philippines, or a simple one that doesn't even qualify as a uni just yet.

The funny thing about graduation looming over all of you is that everyone starts to panic. They start clamoring for jobs, and this little condition spreads until the entire senior class is twitchy with anticipation, anxiously waiting for their phones to ring, with a promise of a job interview, or beep with a new email notification from an interested company.

As for me, aside from you know, emailing every company with a communications department known to thje country, I've been thinking of military training (Yup.) and if that wasn't enough, I've also began considering graduate school - cray, right?

Screen cap of my application form to the College of Mass Communication,  University of the Philippines

At first, I was really confident, I felt really confident - confident enough to give our my recommendation form. But, as the night wore on, the high started to fade away, as reality began to sink in.

WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?

Applying to UP. UP of all schools.

Did I really think I stood a chance at passing? I failed the UPCAT once - it was devastating. Sure, I tell people it was expected, but seriously, that had been a huge blow for me. I don't want to experience that all over again.

But then again, every single bone in my body is calling for the bloody University. I want to go so badly. So, so badly - but, I might not pass. Honestly, have you seen the people in UP? Ano ang kinaya ko sa kaya nila? 

Grace Poe TVC

Grace Poe for Senator TVC 

I came across this ad through someone on Twitter. I don't normally watch political ads, since their print ads alone are enough to make me sick, but I made an exception for this one, just because I was genuinely curious as to what was in this video that could warrant such a negative reaction from the person who tweeted about it. 

And now that I've watched it, all I have to say is that: Its as bad as everyone else's print ads. That's how awful it was, in my eyes. 

The script was so badly written. I mean, ok, I get the whole pun on the surname thing, but seriously, that is old. Seriously old. And really, did they have to mention na "Anak ni FPJ?" Why? I don't see why it should be a necessary part of a 30-second TVC. Obviously it was some vain attempt (or maybe not so vain, considering how some Filipinos could be) to win votes - by using a well-known family member's name. 

Classic. 

Second, the chargen with her values - it was nice, I suppose, I little cliche, I little overused, and definitely misplaced. As a viewer, I can't see how she's is "Masipag" and "Matulungin" while she's just talking to a couple in their barely moved into house. 

Television is a medium used to portray visuals. And all the needless dialogue is a complete waste of that 30-second spot. 

Honestly, Angel Locsin's Modess TVC showed more values than this 36-seconder advertisement. 

But, crappy advertising aside. I'm sure Grace Poe is a decent person, and I don't know anything about her. (Unfortunately, this ad failed to shed light onto her character for me) so, I'm not judging her as a person. 

Just her incredibly terrible TVC. 

I Am Number 3

Ok, since I'm such a professional procrastinator when it comes to doing homework for my Development Communication course, I decided to scroll through the collection of nonsense known as my Facebook news feed and found this.

If you were born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st, 30th of any month then you are number 3...


Number 3

You are a person of hardhearted, selfish most of the times, religious, loves to climb up in your life. You always tend to have lots of problems within your family in the early stages but you will put up with everything.

You have the strong word power, pretty happy face. So wherever you go always you have got what you wanted! And from the birth always wanted to work hard in order to achieve something.

You will not get anything without hardwork! When you reach a man/ woman age you want other younger ones to listen to you, because you want younger people to respect people older than them. You do set so many examples to others.

Generally you are not a cool person. It's not easy thing dealing with you. A tough player you are! But once you like someone's attitude then here you go, what can I say? It will be a lasting friendship. You always have respect from others.

Your life seems to have lots of worries and problems but sure they won't be long. you will always have brilliant kids! You love the money a bit too.

Much so temptation will push you to endless trying and trying.. If you are a guy then it's over. Looking after your family and help friends, so you will spend a life time just being generous and kind (except 21st born men).

And number 3s you will be such an example of how to be in the culture & life! If you are girl then you have good character and culture & hardworking attitude. You always follow.

You are a freedom lover, creative, ambition

Focused, a person who brings beauty , hope & joy to this world!

Your best match 6 ,9. Good match 1 ,3 ,5 !!!

It's pretty worthless actually. But it was entertaining. So, if you want to find out what yours is, just check this photo.