Pabaon Part One
The Block R3 2009 LoveSeat, Pabaon 2008
Pabaon Part One was not what I expected it to be. Friends from previous batches always warned me about Pabaon because it bored them to death—but this Pabaon session for Batch 2009 didn’t bore me. I did enjoy the program, especially with Sir Ariel as the host (awww…I miss Fil14 classes with him). Maybe they did something to the program arrangement to make things more interesting and appealing to the generation of today. It did help me reflect on my life for the past 3 and nearly a half years of my college life. I enjoyed the event primarily because I was surrounded with my first family here in the Ateneo—my block, R3. Almost the entire block sat together and occupied three rows. As the videos and pictures were rolling in, my blockmates and I reminisced on our college experiences with much joy and laughter. It was embarrassing to see tons of my face being plastered on screen as the video/s were being played. My blockmates joked around that I was probably the one who edited the “batch memories” video; hence, the overdose of A.L. Lim and Block R3 pictures on the video (I sooo love Tommy dearest’s KISSY face. MWAH! HAHAHA). To set the record straight, I did NOT edit that “batch memories” video; however, I am very thankful to the person (whoever you are) who edited the video and put lots of mine and Block R3 pics in it. HAHA Thank you. My blockmates and I had a ball just laughing while taking a stroll down memory lane. =P
We had the traditional block lunch at Shakey’s Katipunan today (because we all couldn’t fit in World Topps—the restaurant where we had our first block lunch 3 years ago), followed by some heart-to-heart bonding sessions at Game Crab and 7-Eleven.
We capped off the day playing Guitar Hero in a cafe somewhere in Burgundy (sorry, forgot the name of the store…A LEX had it as a sponsor for the GA). It’s been quite some time since I last did something with friends to de-stress myself from work, so this was like a breath of fresh air for me. As a workaholic, I think I pretty much drowned myself in a sea of work that I sort of forgot how it felt like to have fun. Today was different. Today, I let go of all my responsibilities and set myself free, even for just one afternoon, to spend time with my block (I’ve missed them so much! ^^).
On a more serious note, I did some reflecting of my own after today’s experience. Looking back, I’ve realized how rich and fulfilling my Ateneo life has been. From Day One in Ateneo, I’ve been blessed with such an awesome block who made me feel so at home (Go R3!)...I pursued my dreams and met (most of) them—both in the academic and org aspect…I’ve created lifelong friendships/relationships with people who truly love and care about me and vice versa…I’ve met and established relationships with people who have the same vision as mine…I’ve come to deepen my sense of spirituality with my God….I am at peace with myself. From where I stand and from where I’m looking back, I’m proud to say that I’ve definitely made the most out of my entire Ateneo experience so far. It’s exciting to know what the future has in store for me for my final year in college. Although life has not been exactly perfect in the Ateneo and sometimes trials come more often than triumphs, I am about to leave this school and soar with almost no regrets and an optimistic outlook for the future. There’s more to life than what life is currently offering me from its plate, and I know I have so much to offer beyond what I can see and feel. Although the future may be uncertain and the flight may be turbulent, I hope to soar high and land safely to my destination.
Take flight.
Soar.
Let’s Go, Senior Year, LET’S GO!
