Publicly Speaking for the First Time

Event: Elementary Graduation Rites
Tomas del Rosario College - Balanga, Bataan
Date: March 18, 2008


Me in the middle! kink_gurl grew up to be a goddess pose.


MAGANDANG GABI: TEACHERS, PARENTS, STUDENTS, GUESTS…

A) My Days in Tdel...

- Inulan yun graduation namin. Kinailangang lumipat ng Bulwagan sa Capitol the last minute.

- Nilalakad ko lang Tdel galing sa bahay ko kasi mga 3 kanto lang ang layo.

- Excuse ko sa nanay ko kung bakit 5pm na ko umuuwi (kahit na 4pm uwian), kasi CLEANER ako. Pero naglalaro lang ako. Kaya tanong ng nanay ko, "Bakit namumula pisngi at bakit amoy araw ka?"

- Uso pa nun: Chinese garter, piko (hihipan mo yun pamato para di pumunta sa linya), patintero, bansay. May tag-ulan dati na pulos "Super Trump!" lang nilalaro namin.

- Favorite kong panahon pag umaaraw kasi mas maraming pwedeng gawin pag nasa labas ka ng classroom.

Going to today's graduation theme... “Light Tomorrow with Today”... isip ko, how do you explain that to kids with age… 4…5…6…12… 60years old? Naiisip na ba nila kung anong ibig sabihin niyan? Makikinig ba kaya sila gayung nung panahon namin tahimik nga kami pero gaya nung ginagawa ko itong "Speech" ko wala akong maalala sa sinabi ng speaker noon.

[Talk to audience just to make sure they’re still listening: Anong sinabi ng rebulto ni Rizal sa rebulto ni Bonifacio?... Who killed Lapu-lapu…]

My interpretation of it is that... If you have a DREAM... you can start it NOW even if you are still YOUNG. Sa tingin ko wala naman pinagkaiba ang sarili ko sa inyo. Except sa taon kung kelan ako gumraduate ng Tdel. So, I’m guessing, I’m here para bigyan kayo ng “pabaon” para doon sa tutungtong ng High School at sa mga little ones dito na papasok na ng elementarya.


I have the mic and that wooden-whatchamacallit-thingee so you might as well listen to what I say...

B) To help me explain the concept of “Light Tomorrow with Today” I borrowed ideas from the book "Follow Your Heart by Andrew Matthews"…

1. LAW OF THE SEED

- Lesson of the seed: "You reap your harvest after you do the work." You dig the soil and water the seed (effort), wait a while (patience) and then you pick your beans LATER.

- EFFORT + PATIENCE = RESULTS

- Sa Tagalog… “Kung ma itinanim, may aanihin.”

2. AS YOU GET BETTER, THE GAME GETS BIGGER

- If you succeed in a little game >>> bigger game.

- When you start in school, we begin in (KINDER >>> PREP >>> GRADE ONE >>> GRADE TWO >>> so on >>> GRADE SIX >>> HIGH SCHOOL >>> COLLEGE).

[Share something about Ragnarok and killing monsters to level up.]

LIFE IS A BIG SCHOOL. It does not end with “graduation”. As long as you are living, you will continue learning.

3. ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

- Start anywhere you can.

- A small start leads to something else and then to something else and then to something else.

- Give your best shot to whatever is in front of you, and opportunity will begin to find you. It's called “developing a reputation”. It's called "one thing leads to another."


4. THE FROG PRINCIPLE

- FROG >>> Bucket of Hot Water >>> Jump out
- Same FROG >>> Bucket of Tap Water >>> Put Bucket in Stove >>> Relax >>> Cooked Frog

Each day we ask ourselves WHERE ARE WE HEADING? We do not feel change if it happens gradually.


5. NO EFFORT IS WASTED

Block of ICE (-50 C) >>> HEAT >>> Nothing Happens >>> 0 C it begins to Melt >>> 100 C it begins to Boil >>> Evaporates

The principle? It's possible to put lots of energy into something, seems like nothing is happening. The ENERGY we put in it produces change. Continue to put the energy in and you will surely see a transformation.

[My story: Valedictorian from Kinder to Grade 6. Nung time na yun, naiisip ko lang yun sinabi ng Tatay ko na maganda daw pang-display sa opisina yun diploma na may "1st Honor" pag naging doctor ako. Medyo mababaw. That time I wanted to be a doctor. And I wanted to study college in UP. Never akong pinilit mag-aral ng magulang ko because I always have time for both homework and play. There is always room for PLAY that was probably why I found learning to be FUN.

Nung umalis ako ng Tdel for High School, kala ko tsamba lang yun pagiging 1st Honor ko. Nasa Maynila na ako eh, mas marami ng magagaling kako. Pero I still ended as 5th Honor at the end of my 4th year sa St. Bridget. Kasi... kung ano yun study habits ko dito sa Tdel, hindi siya nawala hanggang napunta na nga ako ng UP... hanggang ngayon na nagtatrabaho na ako.]

I still do my homework. I still give the best of what I can give. Best of all, I have FUN doing it.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle

[Ask kids what they want to be when they grow up… doctor … engineer… artista … etc … etc…]

Nagtapos ako ng Broadcast Communication sa Universidad ng Pilipinas pero nalinya ako sa IT or Information Technology or explanation ng nanay ko sa mga kaibigan niya “nasa computer-computer”. Kasi nung nasa Mass Comm naman ako sabi ko sa sarili ko … "Gusto ko maiba sa mga kasama ko. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to open new doors."

Managing a software development company was God's answer to me. New doors, new doors pala ha... oh, dyan ka! Software na kahit naka-telepono ka lang pwede ka kumontak sa instant messenger ng nasa computer. Software para may alternative ang mga nasa abroad lalo na yun mga OFW natin kababayan na maka-kontak sa minamahal nila dito sa Pilipinas.

Starting today, if you do not know what you are good at... start exploring. If you do not know what you love to do, make an effort na alamin kung ano ba yun. Usually it’s that something that excites you. You can talk about it for hours.

The universe rewards effort, not excuses.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT. AND IF YOU ARE TO MAKE CHOICES IN THE FUTURE...DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO.

Magandang Gabi at Maraming Salamat!



*** end ***


At home, before leaving. Teaching Papa Manolo new tricks with the digicam.

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