AN OPEN LETTER TO BAC4 ON THEIR GRADUATION

it has been a while since i last saw each of you. in fact it has been close to 5 months. how have you been? i assume that since you are graduating soon, you are extremely busy meeting deadlines, and submitting paperwork.

jayvee approached me weeks ago to write you guys a message for your graduation. i wanted to, in all honesty, but frankly i also hesitated.

alfter 5 months of not seeing you all, who knows what sort of things have gotten to you? an assortment, i would understand and reckon. but i guess i still have to say my piece, and tell you all how i feel, now that you are leaving the school's gates metaphorically (since i assume some of you might be hired by the school).

true, that i have built a bond with each of you. let me tell you these now objectively, after having spent 2.5years of my life with you, kids.

=amy, and her stubbornness, commands her to be treated equally.
=april is ever so watchful of her words.
=arvie (whom i thank for starring in FRANTIC, which has never come out) is unsure of a lot of things.
=aster is stronger than she thinks.
=ayrah needs to put her foot forward and should learn to start taking charge.
=brigitte doesn't need to re-assure herself that she is pretty, by taking a lot of pictures of yourself. you ARE beautiful, child.
=cabz needs to tell the world that he is a loving person in more ways and one. take it seriously, so the world will take you seriously.
=camille needs to realize that although she is more than a pretty face, she needs to stop doing orations when she talks to people. you are a sweet person. make people feel that you are.
=dang needs to look people in the eye when she smiles so everyone sees her face.
=enzo needs to get his act done. i know you can do better.
=jessica needs to bloom.
=lester needs to be more honest with himself.
=lorna needs to admit to herself that she is childish, but that she too can make tough decisions in life. and stop whining like a 5 year old.
=marla needs to eat more canned food. and sleep on a cot. and spend lesser on hair treatment. grow up, girl. you don't need to tell everyone that you are gorgeous. you already are.
=micah needs to be careful. you know what i mean, nak.
=pangga should put up a business.
=prikee needs to be more assertive. you also need a haircut.
=rachael needs to figure out the things she does best, and use that to her advantage.
=roselyn needs a diet. and be more aware that although she may feel tingly inside, love isn't always about "kilig."
=sabel needs to be more tactful, and less childish.
=searle needs to fall out of love. and learn to wait for it.
=vanessa needs to be patient. and stronger.

i admit, i felt bad when i found out what you did after i gave you the revisions for the theses you did - how you stormed to GMF and told her that you didn't want to do the revisions (i felt betrayed because i thought my comments mattered to you), but then again, i realized that you always had it your way, and that inasmuch as you would say i was a big part of your lives, sometimes you didn't make me feel like it, when you did stuff like that.

i would like to think though that i taught you a thing or two. that would be enough. remember that whatever awards you get during recognition day, chances are they will forever remain as they are - just awards. pieces of metal or sheets of paper. i hope after you throw those caps in the air, you realize that life is more than just a set of good grades. life is about a set of good traits.

and although i may not be the authority to tell you this now (after all the mud-slinging, particularly towards me by a lot of people), i still feel it is my obligation to tell you to never think that just because you have achieved something on paper, it means that it'll define who you are. people may tell you you are the best, or you have great potential. but schools do that to people nowadays - build the ego, without building the character. keep yourself on check. become your most dreaded critic. and don't let a title define who you are. you need to define the title.

i still feel sad at times that i wouldn't be reading off your names during graduation. but i guess we've all made our decisions, and made moves. because we all get tired, and sometimes are told by superiors to leave, as i did and was. but you also need to realize that life goes on -- with or without you or everything that you have done. people will forget (and believe me, they forget rather quickly these days). but we shouldn't fret. each day is a new opportunity to create new memories to be remembered.

never worry about tomorrow. each day has its own set of problems. let tomorrow worry about itself. it's a passage from the bible (i go to church more often now, akalain nyo).

be safe. be better than youself. take chances. laugh at mistakes. respect other people. love God. be bold enough to stand up. stand out. live large. play hard. pray harder.

happy graduation, kiddos.