.:Today's LSS:.

I know I've had this song recently as an LSS, but I guess the song just really hits the spot right now for me, more than ever...

Fallin'
by Teri Desario

Oohooh
I'm afraid to fly
And I don't know why
I'm jealous of the people who
Are not afraid to die

It's just that I recall
Back when I was small
Someone promised that they'd catch me
And then they let me fall

And now I'm fallin'
Fallin' fast again
Why do I always take a fall
When I fall in love

You'd think by now I've learned
Play with fire
You get burned
But fire can be, oh, so warm
And that's why I returned

Turn and walk away
That's what I should do
My head says go
And find the door
My heart says I've found you

And now I'm fallin'
Catch me if you can
Maybe this time I'll have it all
When I fall in love

It always turns out the same
Lovin' someone, losin' myself
I only got me to blame...

Help me, I'm fallin', fallin'
Catch me if you can
Maybe this time I'll have it all
Maybe I'll make it after all
Maybe this time I won't fall
When I fall in love
Ooh

.:A Message To My Graduating Students:.

Insofar as I'm merely your teaching assistant and not your actual teacher, I'd like to think I'm still entitled to wax sentimental over the past two semesters I've been your teaching assistant.

Congratulations.

The moment you walk out of the hallowed halls of the Ateneo with your diploma, you are now an official graduate.

Congratulations.

All the sleepless nights, all the blood, sweat and tears, have finally paid off. After four years or so, you are now looking at a new horizon.

Congratulations.

Welcome to the “real” world, and realize that things aren't really too different, anyway. Your world was as “real” to you as real can be. It's now up to you to go places and take names. It's now up to you to blaze a trail that only you can.

Congratulations.

You've found great friends, great mentors, and inasmuch as you'd think that your being a student is finally over, in truth, it's only just begun. You now have the rest of your life ahead of you to be a student of the myriad lessons life has to offer.

For all that and more, congratulations.

A year ago, I walked up that stage myself and graduated from Communication Arts. Inasmuch as I felt that the moment I graduated my friends would simply disappear and move on beyond me, I realized that the ones who truly matter haven't. I'm still here in the Ateneo, in the academe, I still involve myself in the mainstream with my forays in WAVE, but one thing is clear: the friendships I have forged over college still play a significant role in my life. Let that be the same to you.

You've gone through numerous challenges over your years in Ateneo de Manila. Wherever you go next, don't forget to look back on the people who helped you get to where you are now. I find it good and humbling to go back to my high school alma mater whenever I feel too smug about my so-called achievements, and realize that through all this time, I hardly ever changed, and I'm still the same old hard-luck, bungling, nerdy, wide-eyed Marcelle that I always was. And thank God for that.

You've survived the most horrible of accounting tests or the most traumatic of oral examinations. You've challenged the practically confusing P.E. 101 and succeeded. You've gone through the requisite ROTC or NSTP or whatever you call it now, and if you ask yourself if it's all worth it on that magical night where all of this comes to an end, I can only pray that you will think it is.

For those who were in Dr. Ibana's Ethics class the past two semesters, I know that you have learned what it means to live right. You know what it means to follow the categorical imperatives on doing what should be done, and the notion of equality, that no man or woman can be looked down upon for his or her race, economic status, or principles. You know all of these. It is my fervent hope that you also realized one thing about ethics and morality: they are as they do. Knowing is only half the battle.

Live on, graduates of 2005. Blaze a trail that only you can. And know for a fact that this person, a mere batch ahead of you, believes in each and every one of you.

Congratulations. You dreamed, you believed, you survived, but most importantly, you have graduated.

.:The First Graduation Day:.

My day started off innocuously enough. I walked out of my house, and a pleasant coincidence greeted me as Antonio Yang drove past me, on his way to the Baccalaureate mass. I managed to hitch with him to the mass, where I looked for people whom I wanted to meet before they graduated.

I waited in the high school area for a while so I could meet the people I wanted to meet, mostly my students in Philo 104. It was funny how most of them were wondering if I was also graduating, as they didn't seem to expect me there, although in my opinion, if they knew me just a bit better, they definitely would've. So there I was, randomly encountering people I knew left and right, although I found it particularly interesting that a few of my supposed batchmates who got delayed for various reasons were also there. I'm still happy for them, nonetheless.

I ran into Vida Co throughout the day, for the most part. Interestingly enough, the same could be said for Barbie Co. No relation, I presume.

Anyways, after the mass and just having a couple of pictures with Calu and Gyn (Two of my students.), I went to the Philosophy Department to brush up a bit on reviewing for my final oral examinations. Dr. Miroy and I talked about only one topic, which was my paper. I got a B+/A for it, and I'm glad that I did things rights this time around.

The way I see it, with how Dr. Locker pushed the idea of taking a Ph. D in the Ateneo to me, I just might go for a Ph. D no matter what. I had orals with Dr. Garcia the other day, and while we just talked about the notions of Levinas regarding the Other, it was funny how I danced my way around the fact that I was oblivious to the meaning of the word “noetic” by asking Doc in what aspect Levinas was being “noetic”. That being said, my orals with Dr. Miroy also went decently at worst. He felt that the question on freedom was very much “alive” in me.

After my orals, I dropped by Hobby Haven for a short while, then headed right back to the Department to get my umbrella as it was drizzling. I ran into Barbie at this point, and we shared a trike towards Dela Costa/Soc Sci. After being interrogated about my current dealings (She was wondering about Ces...), I then went off, got my umbrella, and headed back to the High School area, where the assembly was being relocated due to the rain. I hung around the CS people again, and ran into Sacha for a short while before I went to get a seat for myself in the covered courts already... ran into Trixie Reyna on my way, as well. No big deal.

For the most part, I was just being amused with the keynote speaker for that night, but I didn't focus much on anything until I just got up and scouted the area to see which courses were where. One of my closest friends (*jaded*) was in LM; Vida and Claudine were in COMTEC; Vivian was in MGT; Martin, Russ, and Macha were in MATH; Anton was in BIO (And PH for the next day!); and Ben, Calu, and Gyn were in CS. This is not to mention the other people whose names escape me right now... I had to plan a very smooth itinerary to swoop by the people I wanted to congratulate the moment they graduated.

While I stood in the back with one of my students who was graduating on Saturday, Glenn Que, something occurred to me. I asked around, and Glenn suggested I go to the shop beside KFC, as I decided to do something I never seemed to have the guts to do during the schoolyear. By the time I got back, Peppy was already there, and we were laughing our heads off over the lyrics of Usher's “DOT COM”... then Peppy and I moved closer to the graduates a few moments before the Alma Mater song played.

Let me get this off my chest: Gawd, I almost felt like a graduate at that point!

The moment the Alma Mater song ended, I gave the flowers to her. Call it gutsy or idiotic, but either way, I did.

Had pictures with Vida afterwards, and then just stayed on a bit to talk to a few people here and there, before I finally left. There's still one more graduation day to go, and while I doubt I'd finish the whole thing (No motivation... hehe.), I still want to meet some of the friends I've made over the past year, particularly the debaters and my students.

It bears repeating. Congratulations to all of you!