After our graduation, my parents have decided to put up a graduation party for me and for my brother. While I graduated with the bachelors degree, he graduated from the secondary level. The party was held last March 31, 2012 at our house  to celebrate our success.

Yes, yes… This is my attempt to write up something that is familiar to a very famous show on GMA News TV; “Ang Pinaka”. And on this entry I will write the Ang Pinaka Memorable Moments ko sa College. Although it was really hard for me, I only hand-picked the top 10. And I do hope you’ll enjoy as much as I enjoy writing them while reminiscing.

Top 10: Basketball

I grew up as kid who was not very outgoing. I seldom go out of our house because I’m very much contented on reading books, studying, surfing the net and playing video games. Yes, I play street games and larong pinoy but I rarely did those when I was a kid. Therefore, I was not that streetwise and in fact, people would even think that I was gay because I lack this “masculine bravado”(“Angas or Tikas or Something that is opposite to Malamya”) that a typical growing street kid would have. But no, they were wrong for I’m a straight guy and I’m straight as an arrow.

And speaking of a “Masculine Bravado”, as a Filipino, one must have this in terms of Basketball. Almost all of the Filipinos under my age know how to play basketball and since I spent much time inside our home, I never learnt how to play basketball. Although I do watch, I’m an avid fan of Petron Blaze Booster (Former San Miguel Beermen); I really don’t know how to play this sport.

And here’s the catch, our curriculum has a PE 4 subject, aka “Basketball Subject”, and the moment I’ve discovered we have this, I knew that my grades would be doomed! Honestly speaking, I know that my basic skills on dribbling and shooting and other basketball skills were useless and would not be enough for me to pass the said subject. But luckily, I passed it because of my friends, whom I considered as my brothers, help me on acing the subject. They would always suggest me not to run that hard, and just wait for them to pass the ball to me so that I can shoot it on the basket. And tadaaah!

Akalain mo, ako? Kahit papaano, nakapag basketball! At ito pa, naka 96!

I know it was shallow, but for me, it was one memorable experience.

Top 9: My Other Dream

Before finally choosing Information Technology as my course, I have various choices of courses back in my mind, and it was Communication Arts, broadcasting or anything that is related to media. That is why when we our professor in Sociology, Asst. Prof. Louie Benidict Ignacio, have announced that we will have a film making activity as our project and it will also be included on his annual mini film fest inside the Colegio, my excitement that time grew unimaginably.

I took charge of the overall production and the script for the third story. Yep, three stories because we did a trilogy entitled P3: Pamumuhay Panig sa Patalim. This movie showcased characters who have embraced the wrong action in order for them to achieve a good intention or goal.

It was very memorable because we have almost experienced everything. We’ve experienced reshoots, reschedule, scene irregularity, technical difficulties, weather disturbances, location problems, casting and even financial crisis! Nonetheless, we’ve finished the project and although we did not made it on the top 10 best films of the said film festival, it was one fulfilling experience. It strengthens our camaraderie and it thought us how to work well with each other.

Top 8: Inuman Sessions

Like I’ve said on my top 10, I seldom go out of the house and that’s the reason why I also never had the chance to drink liquor with other people. Well that was before college! College thought me how to drink and these drinking sessions were really memorable because of epic fail moments. So epic that Katy Perry’s Last Friday night would be a fitting song.

I’m not a drinker and because of that, I was the number one victim for various photo-op. Photo-ops for the drunken people of course! But they are not that bad because when I’m drunk, I usually ended up sleeping on the right place, except that they would add up props like a big bottle of brandy on my hand. While some would sleep on the staircase, vomit near the CR (not inside. But yes, near), sleep under the table and sleep on the road. See? Very Epic!

But what are memorable in these drinking sessions are the chances that we got to bond with each while having some serious and funny moments!

Top 7: My Other Families

Back in High school, I wasn’t that active in my extra-curricular activity, well… except on speech competitions. That’s why; I dedicated almost half of my collegiate life in joining various student organizations, and this time, not only as a member, but as an active officer. When I was in college, I became the president of a cultural organization in Letran known as Sandigang Organisasyon ng Sining at Yamang Angkin ng Letranista or SOSYAL for short. After SOSYAL, I became the vice president of a course-based organization in Letran, known as The Letran Information Technology Society or LITS for short. After which, I became as the Deputy IT Senator of The Letran Student Council where my biggest legacy was bringing up the innovation to increase the productivity of the said group. At not to mention My MSP family where I met the most brilliant students in our filed. All of these organizations became very memorable to me because it gave me holistic growth and majority while I’m with my co-members and officers whom I treat as my second brothers and sisters.

Top 6: Thesis

I think no explanation needed why thesis making was one of my most memorable moments in collegiate life. With all the cramming and stuff, me and my thesis partners Val and Caye passed Capstone 1 and two with flying colors and we’re really proud that we have made a project that hasn’t been done before in Letran, and that’s robotics. And for me not to be redundant here on Dance with me oh sweet Aurora Borealis, I will just indicate here the link to the story how INDAK, INDAK the way it is!

Top 5: Mga basang baboy,este… Basang Sisiw!

Collegiate life here in the Philippines would not be challenging if it wasn’t for the rainy season. Here you will endure not only strong rains and winds but also flood and mud. And of course, as a college student I too, have an awesome tragic yet somehow very funny moment under the strong rains.

Sophomore year, the year that I have already been LETRANized. I have already accepted the culture and the ways of being a proud LETRAN Knight. That’s why back then, I was ardently supporting my school on NCAA to show how really proud I am being such. But not only in basketball, had I also supported my school in The Cheer dance of that NCAA season.

And back then, I’m with one of my best buddies in Letran, Tope Saludo. Tope and I treat each other as brothers. We planned to watch the cheer dance competition together with our classmates, but before the competition, Tope have invited me to his humble abode in Sampaloc, Manila.

And on our way to his home, we were caught under the heavy rains. So heavy, that our umbrella has been proven futile on that calamity. And what’s really memorable back then, was when I and tope had to cross a local overpass near Fureza in order to get to his home. And while we were doing that, we stumbled upon on the overpasses’ really slippery steps, luckily though, we fell on just a few steps. Merely about six to ten steps, we were so lucky that we did not get harmed during that epic moment. Also, no one saw how we slipped and fell but we definitely arrived to his house laughing and we were really like mga basang baboy, este… Basang sisiw!

Top 4: The University Mall encounter

This moment, was one of the most memorable because it made me realized that fate is starting to give me a taste of a portion of a complete collegiate life. And what is this portion? Nothing but just one of the darker side of college, yes…. College riot. And this happened luckily not in the vicinity of our school, because if it does, chances on losing our graduation would be high.

And not that I’m selfish, me and the rest of the group that was involve on the said riot have sworn that we would not disclose any information regarding this fateful moment. Well we did this to protect ourselves and besides we are just now starting to treat that fateful moment as just one of the most epic moment, yes it was unanticipated but still, it was one very funny moment in our collegiate life.

To give you an idea, how it was really epic. I tell you, we found ourselves ended up in a local police precinct! But hey, I wanna clear it out; we were the complainants on back then, because in the first place, we were not the group who has started it.

Top 3: Travels

Having an average Filipino family, my parents have told me that they haven’t got a chance to ride an airplane. That is why I grew up with an ambition to ride one. And I never have thought that I would be able to make it on the earlier years of my life.

During our semestral break during our last year in Letran, a group of friends inside our block have invited me to join them on their getaway to Coron, Palawan. They said, it’s their way to slack off after the tedious semester.

And joining them was one of the most wonderful decisions I have ever made in College. Because of that getaway, of course, I have experienced riding a plane and whole lot more of first time experiences. But what’s really great on that getaway, was the chance for me to get closer to that group of friends. They have treated me as part of the group and now, they are one of my closest friends in college and I also treat as my siblings.

And it was really amazing that our travel to Coron was not the last travel we did in College. For we had our official tour as an IT student to the land of innovation in Asia, it’s none other than, the Lion City… Singapore! And I made a very precise blog about it, just check on the right side of Dance Oh Sweet Aurora Borealis and there you’ll see my IT Knight’s out to Singapore series.

Top 2: Disconnect, Reconnect and Love

A friend from the other department once told me that being an IT student in Letran seems so cool because we seems to have a certain bond that keeps us as one. It’s funny that she also mentioned that we even have our own dictionary of words and wisecracks. And I think it was proven during our recollection in Calereuga Batangas.

Information Technology Students’ Lakbay Arriba or the Annual retreat for graduating student happened on January 16 to January 18 of 2012. Yes, I honestly confess that I’m not that good on remembering dates, but these dates seems so memorable to me that it is inerasable in my mind.

A lot of things happened during these days. Like the title would say, during this retreat, we disconnect from our normal life, reconnect with God and with our friends and family and most of all, to find love and to continuously show it.

It would be a great list if I would elaborately tell you all of those things that we did there. But my personal favorite was the time when everyone got a chance to tell all the things that they would like to tell on a certain person, whether be it a grudge, an emotional upbringing or a testimonial of how important and how you loved that certain person.

And what’s great is that we did this retreat on a very fitting retreat house where nature is indeed closer to you hence you’ll feel that you are also closer to God.

The said retreat was indeed a resounding experience. For me, although something went not that good but still it was one my memorable experiences in college. Because it is when I have experienced good times, laughter, tears and love. And also, not to mention, experiencing how to plan up for the future with high hopes.

Top 1: Little Conversations

My most memorable moment in my four years in college did not really happened on a single event, date or time. Therefore, it is not a single moment, but rather it is a series of moments, and these memorable moments happened every time I’m with my Hime.

Everyone knows that I am a hopeless romantic single since birth kind of a guy. I affectionately call her as my “Hime” (even though she doesn’t know it), because like a princess, she’s someone who’s very precious and important to me. So important, that I can’t afford seeing her suffering, crying and having discomforts in life. Childish it may sound, back then, if I only I had the balls to tell and prove her, I would like to be his ninja who can protect, serve and love her whenever she was.

I met my Hime during the first day of our class and it was funny that we actually started talking because of an argument. Well, it was not a personal argument; it was a logical one because it was a recitation on our logic class. It was an argument regarding animals, if they do have souls or none. Well I agree with my professor and she also agrees… but in some ways. For her, animals do have souls. But not the exact souls that we have as humans, she calls it as spirits. And because it’s a logic class, our professor has intended us to have an argument and she wants us to fight with our claims. And what’s really funny back then, both of us didn’t took it seriously because both of us have no idea what our professor was trying to point out then. And we really ended up that recitation and no one really knows who was correct.

But our personal conversation started, and I think it was also the start of my most memorable moments in college when she approached me inside the bus going home to Cavite. Her first few words to me, was “Tabi tayo…” We started a conversation and I really didn’t know that… Boom! That little conversation was starting to feel like (well at least for me) a little sweet sensation that I don’t want to end. Yes, it’s just like how Janno Gibss would describe it in his song.

But all good things must come to an end, something not so nice happened. And sorry for being selfish but, I don’t want to discuss any of those.  And if so ever that you’ll be reading this, I’m really sorry for what happened… Please be careful and I do hope that you’ll have a wonderful life. You are always someone special to me andI can’t afford to lose you, but I understand that we have to move in separate ways. Thank you for making my college life colorful and thank you for completing my Ang Pinaka Memorable Moments ko sa College!

While I was finishing my internship, I never failed supporting our candidate for this year’s Student Council election. I did this because we all carry the same principles and I did this because I’m proud that I’m part of the Alyansa Family. Yes, Alyansa isn’t just a political party, it is a FAMILY .

Last February 22, 2012, my internship at the ICTSI ended up with flying colors. And to give thanks to the people that I’ve worked with, I wrote something nice for them. And these are some of the excerpts from the said write-up.

Working under the Information Technology Systems and Services department of the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) was such a great honor and was indeed a nice privilege.

Because, ICTSI is playground for both innovation and productivity where Information Technology is being highly utilized every day for their operations. (No wonder why high productivity rates are being produced every day and ICTSI became one of the most successful companies of our country). Also, they are using a lot of Microsoft Technology and platforms (Which I’m very proud of) that are indeed the keys for both innovation and productivity. But most of all, ICTSI ha a very strong corporate social responsibility that makes it a conducive place for work.

With this, I would like to give my deepest gratitude to all the employees that I have worked with during my internship period. All of you gave me wonderful experiences and all of you have inculcated me valuable wisdom that I do hope will equip me for my future endeavors in the field of Information Technology.

To all my co-interns, I would also like to give you my deepest gratitude and I pray that we would see each other once we are already there in our fields. I’ve also learned a lot from you guys, please continue on pursuing excellence and success will follow you.

God Bless you all!