Graduation 2009

Congratulations to BS MAC batch 2009! All our hard work has paid off. Even though we had to wake up very early and our patience was pushed to the limit, this day was soooo worth it. I hope all of us will still keep in touch beyond graduation. QQ 2009, thanks for the best 5 years of my life!

PS: Does anyone know where I can find a xerox machine big enough to photocopy my diploma in case I need it for documentation? That blasted thing is like a blanket compared to other regular diplomas. Also, does anyone know how to decipher the Latin inscriptions? The only writing I can understand is my name :D

Tony Blair in Manila

My dad and I went to Tony Blair's speech on the Leader as Principled Negotiator. Too bad my camera has a poor zoom function that's why Tony Blair cannot be seen clearly. One of the main sponsors was DLSU and they gave him an appreciation award and a school jacket. They probably heard the news that ADMU also gave an Ateneo jacket to Mr. Blair during his earlier speech at the Irwin Theater (ha ha). His talk in Ateneo was supposed to be an "invitation only" event but there were more of students than faculty, staff and alumni guests combined... so who were the lucky bastards who got invited? The ticket in Sofitel costs P1000 each but despite the crowd and traffic, it was all worth it. But of course it still feels different (and probably better) watching the event from your own alma mater (and it was probably free!)

Moving on to more important matters... Tony Blair's talk is about negotiation as the primary tool for leadership. Surprisingly, this kind of leadership is not limited to politics but also in business, social activities and the like. He said that problems are not solved through conflict or force but through dialogue and conversations (yes this comes from a man that declared war on Iraq). One must always be willing to engage in open conversation and negotiations with another party. Once dialogue is closed, how can a compromise be reached? With such topics being pointed out, I couldn't help but remember the Rorty's philosophy echoing in my memory. He said the same thing about continuous dialogue, a willingness to negotiate and reaching compromises. Tony Blair's description of leadership can be summarized in one word - courage. It is to have the courage to listen to the views of the opposition, the courage to question or even abandon your own stand and, yes, even the courage to continuously find resolutions despite the possibilities of failure. With this, I like to end with a line in his speech that struck me the most:

"What is forgivable is to fail but what is unforgivable is to not try at all" - Tony Blair

Dave Batista in Ateneo!

Last week, Thursday at around 2pm, a Nissan Urvan pulled over the Moro sports center drive way and then suddenly I saw all the people flock to the entrance. The next thing I knew, I was the only person left in the gym. It turns out, Batista paid an unannounced visit to the Moro Lorenzo Gym. He was there to have a pictorial for Solar Sports with the Talk n Text basketball team practicing on the upstairs court. Unfortunately he only stayed for around 15 minutes and when I met him in the hall way, he was already about to leave. I wasn't able to take any good photos of Batista because my camera was too slow and his bodyguards were in the way (with those muscles, I think the last thing he needs is a bodyguard :D ). This photo was taken by one of the staff and it's one of the only clear shots of the celebrity. It is posted on the front desk as proof that Batista was there... who's the aryan woman, you ask? Got no idea.

What to do next... ?

I have to admit that graduating from college is one of the frightening things I'm going to encounter. What's worrying is not what's going to happen during graduation but what I'm about to face afterwards. I still consider myself very fortunate though because I have friends from high school and college who went ahead of me into the real world and I had the opportunity to ask advice from them. I'm not totally clueless as to what I would do though. I have a short list of possibilities although most of them are far-fetched...

1. Further studies: get another degree - to be honest, my supersenior year didn't end with a bang... more of a sad, silent fizz. I didn't get much of a chance to try out my business idea due to bad decisions (a lot on my part) and acting too slow on opportunities. I also didn't learn anything from my LS class since we were bombarded with lots of extra activities that didn't help in the learning process at all (estrat and company audit). Most of all, our prof decided to cancel our regular class sessions to make way for more field work and consultation periods - BIG MISTAKE! So I'm thinking of getting another degree in another school where they specialize in business... but that means taking off 2-3 years off my future.

2. Starting my own business.. immediately - Fat chance of this happening! But I'm not closed to this idea. Heck no! This is what I really want! Since getting a job is difficult at these times because of the economic recession, I might be forced to start a small (and I do mean small) business. But obviously, the risks are higher.

3. Find a job - this is self-explanatory. nuff said

4. Migrate abroad - Yes I have considered studying abroad and being a permanent resident. Of course it's nice to work instead but again, the recession is so bad that jobs are being lost instead. But being a student first and working my way to become a permanent resident is a more "systematic" and gradual way of earning a citizenship. I don't want to throw away my Filipino citizenship so I might go to a country that offers dual citizenship... But since I have such a strong attachment to home, thinking about migrating alone is already difficult enough. But I feel that I'm not doing much with my life. My friends are right. I don't have much "adventure" carved out in my personal history. Maybe it's time to take chances. Maybe it's time to step out of my comfort zone.

So many choices... so little time. Sometimes I'm tempted not to do a anything at all. But just like what the communications officer said in Valkyrie, "We can't be neutral anymore. We have to make a decision!"

Finals Aftermath

Words alone can't describe how good it feels to click the "send" button on my email to submit the last requirements for school. The finals week I had this semester probably was the most rattling one I ever had. Probably becasue the subjects were all rushed since we seniors had to finish early. I'm just glad that most of my final papers could be sent through email. It saved me the trouble of going back and forth to school. But despite the difficulties, it finally comes to an end. But there are things I still need to accomplish. My ordeal is far from over.

1. I still need to finish the clearance process

2. Attend the Pabaon

3. Have my post-semester clean up

4. Find a job

The post-semester clean up is the one I hate the most because it does not only involve cleaning up clutter like papers and books but it also includes cleaning up my hard drive, burning files into DVDs and organizing everything left behind from last semester. This is one major obstacle standing between me and my summer vacation.