It's amazing what technology can do to keep people closer together. It's 415 am ET and I am up watching my sister receive her college diploma and honorable mention award live at the graduation rites of Ateneo. (Go Doyti, we're all proud of you! Congratulations!) Our baby sister has finished college already! And to my dad, she will always be 18 years old.
I was awoken by my siblings in the middle of my deep slumber at 245am and was asked to go online to watch the graduation webcast. As in any commencement exercise, the first few speeches were long, yet inspiring. Manny Pangilinan, PLDT boss and Ateneo fellow, shared a poignant story about his experiences coming from humble beginnings. He ended saying "... I was born poor, but poor is not born in me... you can make it... you must not disappoint." The speech was very long - that I ended up doing my maths and some multiple regression models for tomorrow's class.
Just watching through my computer made me a little nostalgic about my own graduation 4 years ago. It also felt different listening to plenty of Tagalog for the most part of the program. And of course, I heard very strong Filipino-English accents all throughout - which is refreshing and heartwarming at the same time. Not something I hear everyday.
I look forward to marching on my own commencement program for the 4th time in my life in the Spring of next year, and I am very excited and hopeful. And hopefully there needn't be technology involved for my whole family to see me bow on stage. And no more early morning wake up calls.
P.S. Up until this day, I wonder when Ateneans will stop calling their school "THE" Ateneo? Is it hubris? How come Harvardites or Yalies don't call their school THE Harvard or THE Yale. Or perhaps they should start?
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4 comments:
yeah that is an annoying habit i never understood. putting "the" in front of the school's name. i personally find it stupid. but thats just me.
though, i must say that the people i usually you call it "the" ateneo are those who just went to college in it. but maybe thats just because i hang out with a particular group. =)
Hey Noel! I know, I guess its the mongrel Ateneans who are the ones who love to do that...
ate! thank you so much for watching.. so i heard ate abby and jr woke you up at 3am for it.. hehe. :) sorry i wasn't able to reply to your text messages, my phone was actually with mommy. anyway, thank you thank you.. now off to the real world for me. tsk tsk.
oh, and i refuse to use that stupid "the ateneo" phrase. thankfully, i think it's a dwindling practice. i think.
see you soon ate! i'll bring home a peruvian llama for you. :P
naks, proud ate. ;)
hi tidoy! congrats!
welcome to the real world.
hehehe ;)
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