Growing Up Is Hard To Do

Today, my last official class in UP ended. I am now simply a few final exams and revisions away from graduation. My time in UP has seemingly ended with a whimper rather than a bang, but nonetheless, it has been an amazing 5 years.

I think that i've achieved a good amount of things that most any college kid should have done in their college lifetimes. I've met good people, bad people, smart people, and dumb people. I've failed a subject twice (well technically, just didn't pass the 2nd time) and I've been a university scholar for a semester. I've gone to a couple of parties and i've stayed for hours on end in the Coffeebean studying.

I've learned a lot of things in the last 5 years. But what I know, now better than ever, is that when you look back at what you accomplished in college, it won't be the medals or the certificates that you'll remember. It's the things that seem the most meaningless that matter the most. So what was awesome in my college life?

This is the crystal we made in my Geology 11.1 class during my first semester in UP. It's made entirely out of potassium alum or tawas. I have no idea if I did it right or not, but hey, it's a cool ass crystal.

This is my super cool Geography 1 prof, Sir Marino Deocariza, also from my 1st semester. Still remains one of the top 5 coolest professors I've had. He showed us the Dr. Seuss movie The Lorax which is a awesome old timey film, plus he gave me my very first 1.0. Sucks for everyone that he doesn't teach anymore.

My Art Studies 2 class. Not only did I take both Art Studies 1 and 2 under the best professor out there - Prof. Fay Gumba - but this class was also where I met my first AIT friend, Ish Montalbo.

Krisha's awesome cool house with its gigantic pool filled with monster koi. This is where we held the induction for new CSA members in summer 2007, which is always fun unless you're the one being inducted. 

Chris Ng's pink skirt, which he wore for the duration of his ultimate frisbee days, and which he made apps wear whenever he felt like it.

This was the short period that there were constant appearances of cute kitties at the tambayan, and we were all too willing to grab them to either place on the table or scare the bejeezus out of a nearby girl. 

The creative vandalism all over UP on the chairs, tables, and bathroom stalls. Truly, it is an artform in itself.

The all too short time where it was important to buy cool decks of cards to use in playing bridge or rape or some other variation of a card game at the CSA tambayan. I don't even remember how much money I used to sink into those cheap decks of cards you could buy at the tindahan beside APO. 

The annual booty from the CSA dice game. It can be some shit stuff sometimes, but hey, it's our shit stuff.

A shining example of the lengths CSA will go in order to stay entertained. And since the time cards were outlawed, we went through a LOT of different games

The lantern parade. Of course, how can one even be a UP student without having watched and/or participated in the lantern parade?

The UP centennial kickoff. I was lucky enough to be a part of this thing, it was really unlike anything else you'll ever see. Too bad for you batch '08 and above.

 Being in school late into the night and being able to see things like this.

Mongolian. For a while, before all the new stalls, this was the only source of hot food in all of CASAA (not counting Sizzler because you hear all sorts of stuff about it). Make no mistake about it, mongolian mastery is not something you are born with. It comes with repeated purchases, reworking and refining your mix until you've found the perfect mongolian for you. 

The greatest picture I've ever taken in the UP Fair. 

Going out of town at the end of the sem and having fun with friends.

Mahjong! Whether in school (until it was quickly banned), in someone's house, or online. 

The best lantern parade ever.

Awesome hotel immersions with awesome people.

Apps during talents night. Always entertaining to see what each batch comes up with

Professors who aren't afraid to show what they've got.

The oblation run. Of course. There's always an exciting buzz of activity that time of year when all the girls in or around UP openly display how much they want to see naked guys.

Flame wars with certain people on Multiply. Ah, the tussles I've seen. 

And there are so much more. You should have things like this by the time you graduate. You should have found love, you should lost it, you should have done something illegal, you should have spent 12 hours straight in school, you should have participated in a psychology experiment, you should have kissed a person who isn't your boyfriend/girlfriend, you should have sold or bought food for fundraising, you should have made a fool of yourself in an org interview, you should have done everything in school that isn't in any way related to your studies.

I never understood people that are in such a gigantic hurry to graduate. College is an experience, college is a whole 'nother life in a whole 'nother universe. You're supposed to live it, you're supposed to enjoy it, and you're supposed to grow from it. It's a journey. All the things that happen to you; all the good things, all the bad things, all the stupid things, they all make you who you are. You're not supposed to fly past it in 3 years. You'll have your entire life to be all mature and have a job. These experiences and decisions will be what shapes your being.

My college life has been great. I've met a lot of people, made a lot of friends, made some enemies along the way. From the staff at AS like Sir Ed and the janitors, to the staff at CS who helped me with all my shifting stuff, to the staff at AIT like Kuya Rey and Ma'am Syl, to a great family in CSA, and new friends in AIT; I wouldn't change a thing about how I went about it. 

So, as the very retro Eve 6 sang,

Here's to the nights we felt alive

Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry

Here's to goodbye

Tomorrow's gonna come too soon.