An Inspirational Message to SRSPCs High School Graduating Batch of 2012

Last March 28, 2012, I was invited by my high school alma mater to share an inspirational message to the high school graduating batch of 2012. It was with great honor and privilege that I accepted the invitation and delivered the speech below which I hope provided even just a little inspiration to the young people who heard it.

To our Rector Rev. Fr. Ted Bulawit, Vice Rector Rev. Fr. Ulysses Reyes, our dear principal, Mrs. Ophelia Cabe, our hardworking faculty and staff, to our proud parents, and our graduates, a blessed afternoon to all of us.

Being with you here today brings up so many fond memories of my life here as a Rosarian, particularly this same occasion that I had nine years ago, my high school graduation. It was a day that I would never forget. Hindi lang dahil nakatapos ako na nakatanggap ng pinakamataas na karangalan kundi dahil sa araw na iyon din ay kinailangan kong dumalo na hindi pa magaling sa bulutong. You could just imagine how mixed up my emotions were during that day.

I would like to congratulate all of you who were able to make it through this day. The four years in high school is not an easy task but you all managed to finish it. I know your parents must be all very proud of you.

While this day marks an end to your high school journey, remember that this also signals the beginning of a new chapter in your life. New beginnings can be both exciting and unsettling. My wish for you is to face this new chapter with excitement, similar to just how excited you are during the first day of class every school year where you come in geared up with new school supplies, new uniforms, new shoes. Face this in a similar manner. Face it with excitement. No matter what your next plans could be after your graduation, remember to embrace the fresh start that it offers you. Come in armed with high hopes, high energy and big dreams. Look at this as a chance for further growth, to hone who you are, to shape the kind of life that you would like to have for yourself and for the people you love.

As you enter this new stage in your life, you will have to make important decisions – decisions that will have an impact on how your future will be. My advice for you, fellow Rosarians is to listen to your heart and pursue what it is telling you. Because in the end, this choice will make all the difference.

Let me cite my own life example. I came from a family that only earns enough to subsist. Going to college was a luxury that my parents would not be able to afford but made sure we could have. I was fortunate to be given scholarships that provided me the assurance to pursue my dream of getting a college diploma. And so when I was given the opportunity to go to college, I faced it with high hopes and high dreams. The thing though is that, I had to pursue a field of study that is not what’s closest to my heart. But I was determined not to waste the opportunity and so I still studied hard. Sadly though, despite my great determination and efforts to do well in the field of study that I was in, I still faced disappointments and failures. It was a big blow to my ego. It was hard for me to accept that an honor student in high school like me would be getting low and failing grades in college. Consequently, I had to lose the scholarship that I once earned and was my previous source of hope. It was depressing and disheartening.

It helped that I have a strong support system around me who motivated me to still keep going. They helped me realized that setbacks in life are inevitable spices of life. They even gave me a new perspective on how to face such failures. And so I bounced back stronger. I saw in that failure the opportunity to pursue the field of study closer to my heart. And indeed I pursued it. Since I was already studying the field that I wanted more, learning became lighter and easier for me. I was able to squeeze in time for part time work without neglecting my academics. I began getting good grades again and gotten another scholarship. The journey was not smooth. It was not without delays. But it made it more fruitful and rewarding. In the end, I still graduated with flying colors. Cum Laude po ako na nagtapos ng kolehiyo.

At this particular stage in your life, it is normal to have questions, to have fears, to have apprehensions for the uncertain future that lies ahead of you. But do not let these emotions get the best of you. During this time, it is best to seek the help of the people around you to lighten the fears and apprehensions that you may have – your teachers, your parents as well as your friends. Best of all, pray and ask for guidance from the Lord. He will quell your fears and give you clarity of mind. He is the best companion that you could have during these times.

To the parents, your children will now be heading to another journey where they will need your support even more. It is quite a tricky stage where you must allow your kids to have as much independence that they need while still making sure you guide them through the right path. Do not dictate how they should run their life. Give them enough autonomy. Allow them to make decisions for themselves. It is through this that they will learn and will become more responsible of themselves.

Again, congratulations dear graduates. As you move on to the next journey, do not forget to live the kind of life that our alma mater envisions us to live - a life that reflects our devotion to Christ and Mary our Mother.

The most dangerous feeling in the world is not having the drive to excel and letting yourself slip into the snare of mediocrity.

What to do when this feeling hits you?

* Take a quiet time, preferably alone and just be.

* Take tabs of what you wanted to be, reassess where you are and see where your current place fits in the picture

* Whether you feel lost or confused about your situation, remember that there's a one powerful God you can completely trust to lead you where to go. Learn to trust and let go. Your plans couldn't be more beautiful than the plans He already has devised for you from the beginning.

Teach me Lord to fully trust in You and allow You to direct my life and not rely on myself alone, for I know You make all things beautiful in Your own perfect time.

CELEBRATING EDS’ BIRTHDAY AND LOWCAL’S SIX YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP

True friendships are not formed overnight but is tested and made stronger through time. This is the kind of friendship the Lowcal guys share, which I am lucky enough to witness and become a part of.

Every year, the gang celebrates their years of friendship by going out of town. This year, the trip coincides with Eds’ birthday. Below, I wrote down the accounts of the trip for posterity. J

On April 1, we went to Eds' house to have dinner and celebrate her birthday. That night too, we had our evening trip going to San Antonio, Zambales. We planned to celebrate Eds' birthday and LOWCAL's six years of friendship by camping (Hunger Games-style) and being one with nature. Last year's destination was Anawangin Cove, also in San Antonio, Zambales. This year, the chosen destination was Nagsasa Cove which was a bit farther and less crowded than Anawangin.

Happy Birthday Eds!!!

From Eds' house in QC, we went to Victory Liner terminal in Caloocan where Eds and Faye had our seats reserved in advanced. Our trip was scheduled at 11:00 pm. Since it was night time, the trip was quick and traffic-free. There was a bit of commotion however in the bus as a drunken passenger refused to pay his fare. Other than this, the trip was uneventful. We reached San Antonio, Zambales town proper at 2:30 am, which was still too early for us to take the boat trip immediately. So we had to spend the early morning waiting. Good thing, there's a 7-11 store where can stay.

Our tour guides came to fetch us at around 6am. However, we weren't able to take the boat trip right away as our boatmen were still not ready when we arrived. We were informed they were still sleeping then. So the boat trip actually started at past 7:00 am. The boat trip took about an hour. The waters of the cove was clear, the sand fine, which was actually the kind that I prefer over the pebbly beach of Anawangin.

CAMPING AND SETTING FIRE

There were very few campers when we came, which again was more preferrable. To get settled, we started pitching tents and prepared to cook food. Making fire was a challenge. Our camping skills were so little, it took us time to set fire. Good thing our guides and kuya, who is a resident of the cove, were helpful to us. They gave us a little kerosene and also built cover for the fire we are preparing. Most of us were so sleepy given that we didn't get proper sleep during the night so we had to take turns doing the cooking. Porfie and I took care of cooking rice. Eds and Ron marinated the chicken. Ron and Faye took care of grilling the chicken. At around 12:30, our lunch was ready.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT FOR THE NERDS

After lunch, the nerdy conversation began. The topics of conversation ranged from guessing the Tagalog word for air - which according to Faye is not hangin, not himpapawid & most importantly not hutoty but hayhay - dwelling further on Filipino language then moving on to scientology and aliens, the planets, the universe and so on. This group undoubtedly knows their hard science too. Then, there was the Colors of the wind moment too where they enlightened us about what the “blue corn moon” means, among others.
Before the "hike that never materialized" after the nerdy chitchat

After the nerdy conversation, we decided to take a hike to the mountain. Unfortunately, we were told that we cannot hike anymore at that time as the water in the river would already be high and would only make it difficult for us to hike. So, we decided to just go swimming. However, the sun was still scorching hot so we decided to wait a little for the clouds to cover the sun, but to no avail. Eventually, we decided to take a dip to the waters after we judged it wasn't that hot anymore. It was low tide when we decided we'll go swimming but the water was still deep we can't go very far from the shore. We had a snorkel but there was not so much to see underwater except a few black and white striped fish. A few minutes before the sun set, we decided to return to camp.

We spent the night preparing for dinner which comprised of grilled pork, grilled tilapia and salted eggs. While the others prepared dinner, Porfie and KC set our campfire. We shared our dinner together with only the light from the campfire and a few of our flashlights. There was electricity however on the house near our camp where they play pop music, which we did not expect.

After dinner, we gathered round the campfire to roast hotdogs and marshmallows. Roasted mallows were already good but tasted even better with Fenetti coated on it and sandwiched between Graham crackers.

By the campfire...

Right after dessert, I urged Rafi to take a stroll near the shore. The sky was clear and made up for a romantic moment. We talked about us, reminisced a little and waited for shooting stars - there's none we saw unfortunately.

Since I was already feeling sleepy, we returned back to camp where the girls were also staring up the sky, stargazing. The two boys, on the other hand, were playing. I told Rafi he can join the boys if he likes too but he decided he'll accompany and watch over me first as I fall asleep. I'm not sure what happened next but I was told the boys stayed up until 12 or 2am playing monopoly card game. The night breeze was soothing but it turned a bit humid already in the early morn, or it was probably because we had our tents closed already.

Breakfast the day after. Sayang walang picture yung Rafi's scrambled eggs. :(

The next day, I woke up to the sound of wood being chopped and realized Faye was up already. She has an appointment in the afternoon so we had to prepare early. Rafi was already up too, so I got up already so I could help prepare breakfast. As usual, I prepared the rice. Rafi assisted Faye in cooking our viands, this time consisting of corned beef, spam, hotdogs and eggs. The scrambled eggs were a bit weird because we had to use soy sauce in lieu of salt. It tasted fine nevertheless.

Boat ride going back to reality

After breakfast, there was nothing else to do but pack up since we also need to be back to Manila before 1:30 pm. We left the cove at around 9:00 am, reached town proper at around 10:00 am. There were no buses however going directly to Caloocan so we had to take a bus going to Olongapo instead. The fare from San Antonio to Olongapo cost P44. There, we took the bus going to Cubao. The trip cost P207 each for the bus fare. The trip back to Manila took us longer. We reached QC at around 2pm which was already late for Faye's appointment. I hope however that she still got that job despite that delay.

I wonder where the gang will head next but wherever the next destination may be I know that the memories will always be sweet for it is not the destination that matters but the journey you share with the people who matter.

Till next time Lowcal! :)