What Have You Done For Me Lately? #3: The Graduate

As I write this, I can’t help but smile ear to ear because the week of my graduation turned out to be a blast I’ll never forget. 

Yep, you read it right - I am now officially a proud graduate of De La Salle University with a degree in Bachelor of Arts major in Communication Arts! I graduated last June 20 with an honorable mention award for having achieved a minimum GPA of 3.000 which is so far the best accomplishment I’ve done in my life. Marching down the halls of PICC with a gigantic smile on my face as you shake hands with the chancellor to receive my hard-earned diploma was only a highlight of how awesome that week went.

Reunions, mocha frappes, celebrations, selfies, memories to cherish for a lifetime. What more could you ask for? So my dad and I returned to Manila from SG for my graduation activities on June 12, mom’s birthday. Before that, we learned that my mom was supposed to join us but for work-related reasons she couldn’t make it so there was no other choice but move on (cue sad music here). We arrived in NAIA Terminal 1 at around 9:45 PM where we were fetched by Tito Rodel, Tita Janet and my cousins Abby and Reese then headed over to their house in Cavite where we spent most of our stay in the days that followed.

The weekend was spent with mall trips, pizzas and family bonding at my grandparents’ (dad’s side) house despite the humid, intolerable weather in Cavite. June 15 marked the day of my return to my house where my mom’s side of the family currently lives in Manila. Right before I returned home, however, my Tito Dilts and I accompanied dad in renewing his driver’s license at the LTO outlet in SM Manila which was followed by a java chip frappe at Foss Coffee and lunch at Adobo Connection. Delicioso! 

June 16 was my dad’s birthday but we decided to celebrate it with my mom’s side of the family instead on the 18th as it was a huge burden for him to drive back and forth from Cavite to Manila and vice versa daily. Nevertheless, it was a great day as I went to Starbucks Retiro after my dental appointment to meet up with Che who spent a month-long vacation here from Liverpool where she migrated shortly after our sixth grade graduation. Hurrah! We were exchanging delightful stories for about two hours until Nicole came from a writing assignment in the Inquirer to bond with us. A few minutes later, the three of us headed over to Bugis Singapore Street Food (as per Nicole’s suggestion) where we talked some more. Then at around 6PM, Camz finally arrived and the four of us had a merry time together over Singaporean food, travel plans in the future and France. It was great to catch up with three of my STC friends after years of not seeing with each other because of other commitments. What delighted me the most, however, was seeing them succeed in their own ways: Che with school, Camz with her diplomatic work with international embassies aside from a post-graduate degree in France, Nicole as a UAAP correspondent and Inquirer contributor. Isn’t it wonderful to see all of you be happy and accomplished?

Hold on for a second, I may be getting a little wordy as to explain why you might be falling asleep in the middle of reading this entry. No no no, how about keeping the details about what happened after June 16 short and concise as much as possible? Good, now keep on reading because I haven’t finished telling my story yet.

June 17 could be described wholly in one word: awesome. I attended the College Recognition Rites to formally receive my honorable mention medal, spent my free time with Comm Arts loves, bumped into old blockmates and friends also part of the same graduating class as mine, claimed our academic attires and took selfies of us proudly donning our “grad swag”, survived the boredom of a two-hour rehearsal in a Razon parking lot and finally capped off the day with a late night dinner at The Barn. I was supposed to order their signature beefy mushroom but there was none available anymore so I opted to order roasted chicken instead, and it was the best decision ever. Before heading home with my friends, Monzie treated us to a Magnum ice cream bar. Yummy! 

The next day was just as fantastic. My dad and I along with my mom’s side of the family had lunch at Savory’s in SM San Lazaro then met up with my Ninong Georgie at Dencio’s Grill in Harbour Square for dinner. The sisig and gambas we ordered were O for outstanding for it was tasty and not greasy at all. 

On Graduation Eve, my dad and I met up with his longtime friend for brunch at Aristocrat’s followed by a stroll around Robinsons Midtown before returning to Cavite. That night I was stricken with insomnia because I couldn’t sleep out of excitement as I knew I would finally call myself a college graduate in only a few hours.

Then the day arrived: June 20, 2015. PICC. Everything about that day was perfect with the exception of one thing: I forgot to pin my medal on my toga as I left it at home </3 Either way, it went everything I hoped. I felt like a rockstar when my name was called on stage to receive my diploma, there were a couple of pictures with friends, a lunch at Dampa that got us swimming in shrimps and squids and a cozy afternoon at SM Mall of Asia with my one and only squad. My meet-up with Monzie, Jeline and Mikhel at Jamba Juice and Krispy Kreme may have lasted for about four hours only but we still had a blast talking about future plans and the usual old-timers like those sweet, random nothings. We missed each other so much. 

A sidenote: the great thing about DLSU’s commencement exercises is you could watch a livestream of the ceremony online which is how my mom was able to see me graduate with flying colors!

June 21 was Father’s Day slash my post-grad lunch with dad’s side of the family at this Chinese restaurant at The District plus J Co donuts for dessert at my grandparents’ house! After all these happenings, Tito Rodel and Tita Janet brought my dad and I to NAIA in the evening as our flight back to Singapore was scheduled at midnight. Boy, I really enjoyed this short trip to Manila because everything panned out smoothly plus I had so much fun bonding with family and friends. 

I’ve been sending out resumes ever since I graduated two weeks ago with some of them being internships for experience. For the record, I attended two interviews the past week with another one this coming Monday. Fingers crossed, hope I finally land a job that I will love anytime soon!

Now I’m done telling my story, let’s move on to the pictures!

Lunch at Savory. It was also the first time my dad saw baby Caleb, and it was love at first sight! 

I love these awesome people + dad! These photos were taken during the baccalaureate and graduation. Wish could’ve taken more photos with more people, but I’m still grateful to have keepsakes like these! Credits to the owners for some of the snapshots here. 

Great to see Che, Nicole and Camz! <3 (Credits to Che)

Post-grad lunch + Father’s Day celebration!

“Pang-Vogue ito ha!” Reese remarked. Probably my new favorite photo of Abby, Reese and I. Abby’s only 12 but she’s already taller than me huhuhuhuhu =((( 

Dampa for lunch on grad day with dad and Tito Dilts. Wish you were here in Manila, mom!

I love the college squad forever aka The A Team (insert Kevs and Tisha in here)

Animo Forever! Thank you Erika for this portrait (Forgive my campus pass’ presence lolz)

Bb. Pilipinas candidate number 20, Miss Candice! HAHAHA kiddin’ XD (Thanks April for this shot!)

My dream has been accomplished: to graduate with honors! Now I don’t feel bad about all those times I didn’t make the list of outstanding students back in elementary and high school. I’m more than grateful to God and my loved ones for guiding me throughout my journey.  

These buttered garlic shrimps and garlic rice were so “humongous big” (quoting Bryzgalov’s infamous phrase hehe) we brought them home once we were full from eating them plus the calamares, bangus belly and veggies. 

Chicken BBQ in Aristocrat’s is nothing but divine.

Tita Badet claimed my graduation photos for me last week, and here is one of me and the proudest man alive.

C and little C!

Once again, congratulations to all of the graduates! Thank you also to all those who congratulated me via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text and in-person. I truly appreciate each one of them *big hugs for everyone*

Aesthetic: sending resumes and e-mails to a trillion companies since 2015

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Unforgettable Moments in College: A Memoir

Flashback to April Fool’s Day 2011 when I was lining up at the registrar’s office to have my less-than-stellar senior year report card validated so I could confirm my slot in 2401 Taft Avenue. My phone was out of load so I couldn’t reply to my dad who was impatiently waiting for me in Gate 3 but the main focus of my thoughts were two things: my eleven-year tenure in STC QC ended not with a fizzle but with a bang before heading off to college (cue the Easy A reference) as well as a hint of disappointment because my grades weren’t as great when many of my classmates were so satisfied with the outcome of their report cards. My mood was definitely not at its brightest until a classmate’s mom started telling me how one’s high school performance has no bearing in predicting his / her success in college right after I opened up to her about my frustrations.

The advice my classmate’s mom gave me that day is still ringing in my ears four years later. Whatever she said became the pinnacle of my motivation to do well in all four years of college. On another note, never did I imagine how amazing life has been since the moment I entered the green pastures of the university known for its signature “Animo” ambience. It was at college when I learned the tricks of the trade that I barely experienced back when I was in high school, but not without a number of inevitable mishaps along the way. Many of these moments are so unforgettable to me I could enumerate them one by one right at the top of my head, maybe even in chronological order from my LPEP to the day I left my hardbound copy of my undergraduate thesis in the secretary’s table inside the Communication Department. Whatever, I’m up to this challenge.

Where do I begin? I’ll make this simple for the sake of readability and save everyone’s energy: categorize those school-related memories as written in phrases, no matter how amazing or awful it was, just the way it happened even not in chronological order. Whoever gets the opportunity to read the next dozen lines of this entry, I hope you are able to grasp the memories I’ve had without falling asleep.

First year:

Attended a two-day LPEP orientation from May 11-12, 2011. Met the rest of LR23. Learned to dance “Live It Up”. First official day of classes as a Lasallian on May 25, 2011 greeted by an elevator line in Andrew building that reached until the Gokongwei entrance. Lunches at Papa John’s, Gravy Fix, Agno, the sixth floor cafeteria in Andrew, any restaurant known to man inside EGI. Part of the ENGLCOM cluster A that was filled with random YouTube videos and an epic group project on grammatical errors wherein my groupmates and I roamed around U-Belt despite the rainy weather. Had a huge blunder as I forgot the rest of my memorized speech in FILKOMU yet got a 3.5 as my final grade. Missed the chance to appear on Unang Hirit during their live coverage of the Centennial Celebration on June 16, 2011 because the call time was at 3 friggin’ AM and there’s no way in hell I’d want to ride a jeepney in the dark but it was compensated by spending the rest of the day with my fellow IV-3 classmates Gox and Ange. Chilled and drew doodles on paper cups at Noriter. Mang Inasal and Mcdo Retiro lunch one hot Saturday in June with IV-3 which began a string of reunions with my beloved high school class: yearbook distribution in September, Ferica’s debut in October, Ocho’s debut in March 2012. Learned ballroom dancing, drank a few shots of cocktails and had a blast with my blockmates in the culminating activity inside Razon all during FWDANCE. Roundtrips to the library to photocopy readings. Went to Grand Valley for our SCIENVB field trip and it wasn’t exactly the best experience ever for many reasons. Survived Dr. Hila (KASPIL1), Sir Graeme (INTSOCI), Dr. Buendia (POLISCI), the one and only Miss Manlagnit (INTHROP) and so many other professors that year. Got furious over my embarrassing GPA in my first term of my freshman year when almost everyone made the coveted Dean’s List left and right only to be a first honors DL the following term after miraculously getting a 2.0 in SCIENVC (aka that chemistry subject I am pretty sure I flunked the finals yet survived) and made the list once again (second honors this time) in third term. Kevs’ and Monzie’s double birthday celebration at Robinsons Galleria, Tisha’s birthday lunch at TGI Friday’s, road trip from Sofia’s condo in Marikina to Zentea in Taft during my first term break, 18th birthday celebration with friends in Chowking and dinner with dad at Shakey’s Mall of Asia. Got a new Sony Vaio Y laptop not only as a Christmas gift but also as a reward for making the DL / replacement for my faltering Acer netbook. Finally was able to convince my mom to buy me a Blackberry. Basic hip-hop to the tune of “Fireball” and “Love on Top” for our first LEAP session held on Valentine’s Day with matching  yogurts and epic ice skating fail in MOA. CWTS in Caloocan, so hello white shirts every Saturday morning. Met the best college squad ever in Monzie, Jeline, Tisha and Kevs plus a lot of other friends in and out of LR23. Gave in to Kevs’ pleas and tried out for Malate where I was admitted into the Marketing and Events session. Another road trip to UST, National Library and UP Diliman for our FILDLAR documentary on Philippine ghosts complete with no-sleep, 12-hour editing including subtitling the entire 20-minute video that I finished at 5 in the morning. Enrolled together with Tisha and Kevs in Robinsons Midtown on 11/11/11, the first time we got mired in the annual MyLaSalle Hunger Games. Interview at Philippine Daily Inquirer for our POLISCI final project in which I edited the video for three days.

Second year:

First term was the worst in all of the 12 terms I’ve had as a Lasallian. Advanced enrollment as a perk for being a first honor DL the previous term, resulting in long breaks with less company since my friends had different schedules. Don’t get me started with WIKAKUL and CITIGOV. First time to cross-enroll for MATAPRE in a frosh block coming from the College of Education (CED) where I was supposed to get a terror professor but ended up having a chill one in Sir Rigs instead. All those times I made sure my Blackberry’s battery is fully charged because of BB Social and constant hour-long recordings of Miss Velasco’s hilarious yet mindblowing lectures in INTFILO. All those suspensions. The qualifying examinations for Literature I failed twice, causing me to be delayed for a year which also directly led me to my decision to shift to another degree program. Being in GENDERS A55 aka the best among all the floating subjects I took in my entire stay, among which I was part of Luntiang Tadhana or the play we did for our finals. Got almost grounded for my poor performance in the first term but was then redeemed by two straight terms with very good grades, including a first honors DL award in the third term. Met new friends in all of my floating subjects. My experience as a student telemarketer for the Development and Alumni Relations Office while meeting some of the best colleagues. Tisha’s birthday celebration around Makati with the friends. All those times we watched films. Shopping trips with my girls. That moment when I watched a Cinemalaya film for the first time at Trinoma with only around 100 pesos left in my pocket. Attended Kath and Khar’s debut / concert and reunited with my HS friends. Applied to shift to Comm Arts and AB Psychology; got accepted in both but I didn’t hesitate to confirm my slot in Comm Arts. All those adventures when Monzie and I shared a SEVEN HOUR BREAK on Mondays and Wednesdays. That epic University Week concert and LEAP in 2013. Applied for Green and White and Green Giant FM, got accepted into both. Watched my former blockmates’ play for DRAMWOR then went to Exile with my girls on the last day of the school year. 

Third Year:

Officially made the transition from Lit to Comm Arts. Studio tour in ABS-CBN for our INTBROD class. Bought a SLR for FOTOCOM, only to make it more useful than expected. Learned the following terms: overexposed, underexposed, rule of thirds, long shot, wide shot, close-up shot, portrait, landscape, panning, shutter speed, ISO. All those trips to UP Diliman, Quirino, SM Mall of Asia, and where else just to complete our FOTOCOM portfolio. Endured an hour-long line just to get a free Mochi after the Green Archers beat the Blue Eagles. Tried to keep myself awake from the boredom of MASSCOM every Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8AM. Stayed in school after my classes to boothman for the Green and White yearbook registration. The unforgettable first Student Media Congress, Green Giant FM DJ Hunt and the first Lakan Cup with my org. Watched Citizen Kane, The Bicycle Thief, Broken Blossoms, Singin’ in the Rain, Rashomon, etc. for my INTFILM with Sir Doy, the professor who went on to be my thesis mentor a year later. Made pitches for public service campaigns and stories for CONCEPT with Direk Joey. First time to do street photography, produce a horror / action / comedy film and music video for VPRODUC, learn how to write a decent screenplay, write an annotated bibliography, create my own radio show and public service announcement (PSA) for RADIPRO, write a police beat for WRITING, go to a lambanog distillery in Laguna for INSERCH and attend an overnight teambuilding activity for Green and White. Conquered Dr. Diaz and INSERCH by finding out I was a 0.2 points away from failing the subject and be potentially delayed for a year altogether the day after New Year’s Day 2014. Witnessed the DLSU Lady Spikers and Green Archers basketball team win championships in the same year. Watched the deciding game of the epic UST vs. DLSU UAAP men’s basketball finals October 17, 2013 = Animo Night aka the best night ever. Edited subscribers’ write-ups and revised my literary pieces for the yearbook not once, not twice, not thrice but FOUR times. Interviewed a travel agent and a high school principal, learned InDesign for PUBLISH while enduring Sir Gary’s endless stories on Christmas Island. Got extremely disappointed with my third term grades because had my RADIPRO grade been 3.0, I would have made the DL again. 

Fourth Year:

The Virgin Labfest and Cinemalaya 2014. Met a bunch of personalities everywhere. Attended the second Student Media Congress. Produced a talk show, news program and game show for TELVPRO. Wrote a lot of screenplays and one-page concepts as a romantic techie story for a DIRFILM final project as part of my WRIFILM with Direk Joey. Sleepless nights and missed events due to Sir Groyon and his gut-wrenching NARATIV class in which I made a Narrative for Dummies booklet, wrote on my seedblog everyday for three months, and made my brain hemorrage by writing all these nine-act structure plots, character profiles and plot / character-driven narratives. MSMEDIA speaker series, watched a bunch of Pinoy indie films for INDIFLM, pitched a documentary series about people in photographs and interviewed TV editors, directors and executive producers for PRODUCE, stayed in school until 9PM and made a post-World War II horror film for DESFILM. Accepted the challenge of doing thesis alone, took two tries before my thesis proposal for the Agatha’s Six screenplay got finally approved, defended it on April 22, got 3.0 and had it hardbound for the University archives. The whole experience of being a production intern for my practicum in Matanglawin at ABS-CBN and Probe Productions for Dr. Tullao’s lecture series. 

Everything and everyone encountered that school year.

There are so many memories of college I just want to remember for the rest of my life. Surely there are some moments I’d rather forget yet the pain it caused me through those experiences made me a stronger, better person overall.

Thank you to LR23, my CAM classmates, friends, professors, colleagues from Green and White, colleagues from my Matanglawin experience, Malate Literary Folio and Green Giant FM, START teammates, friends from different batches, family and God Himself for giving me four of the best years of my life. Truly, you made me a proud Lasallian. You made all these experiences worthwhile.

Will be writing about my graduation week in my next post!

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