"Camille...Camille...CAMILLE!!"

my eyes flew open. I scanned the room for the source of the voice.
my mom's face came into view. she's peering down on me, her forehead scrunched.

"5.30 na."
"maaga pa..."
"tanghali na nga eh! bumangon ka na dyan!"
"pwede bang paggising nalang ng mga 6.30?"

my mom then raised her eyebrow.

"e ganung oras tayo aalis dito!"
"ano bang meron ngayon at ang aga mo akong ginigising?"
"e kung graduation mo kaya ngayon! ano ka ba? bumangon ka na!"

ay. oo nga pala. graduation ko nga pala ngayon.

at that moment, i felt so damn stupid and dense.
i had the nerve to ask the most excited person in the world about my graduation what was the event that day.

honestly, the "OMG-I'm-going-to-graduate-already" feeling hasn't hit me yet. i really felt different that everybody else around me was signing notebooks and autograph books and sharing their fears and excitement about graduation.

yes, i was sad. i was sad because I didn't take a swig from the cup where pre-graduation feelings swam freely. I felt sad because I felt nothing about the reality that graduation was coming.

it all felt like a phase that'll pass quietly. so quietly that i feel i won't take heed of it.
i just felt in my heart that tomorrow was another day that i'll wake up, take a bath and get dressed for school.

i was complacent that graduation wasn't really goodbye, the big road will just be splitting into 262 individual avenues which can eventually lead back to the big road anyway.

I glanced at the wall clock. I've been lying on my bed for 10 minutes since I woke up. i knew that if i lay on my bed any longer, i'll drift back to sleep. so i stood up, made my bed, went down for breakfast, brushed my teeth, took a bath and put on my school uniform. my mom and I hailed a taxi and went to school.

upon arriving in school, i immediately noticed the colorful flowers that laced the once dull pillars of the covered court. i looked at the stage and i realized that graduations really must happen very often; those were the only times that the covered court looked decent [don't hurt me!].

flowers were in big vases and pots while gossamer cloth hung from the ceiling with a beam of light cast by the spotlights underneath each cloth which created the feeling of formality and warmth.

i got my mom a seat and then proceeded to look for fellow graduates.

before i knew it, the teachers were already asking us to take our seats for the baccalaureate mass was about to start.

the entire mass felt like 20 minutes to me, though the whole thing went for about an hour. i was curious about the fact that my attention span was extended by 40 minutes. it was maybe because the mass just felt like a routine, for we were practicing the whole thing for 2 weeks. frankly, i didn't really care that much about the mass [don't...don't kill me just yet.], i felt like I cared more about the graduation ceremony itself.

when the mass was done, we went outside the covered court for the march. while waiting for our turn, we took pictures and videos. it was raining during the whole ceremony. Some say it's sheer bad luck, for others it's a sign of luck and prosperity.

as I stood there, listening to ms. Cavo presenting us graduates to the divisions superintendent, realizations came flooding into my brain like hell. Many questions sprang. I asked myself if I was ready to take on the life out of the safe company of friends and teachers, if I was ready for the challenge that college would bring.

Then I remembered that these were the same questions I asked myself as I was listening to the tall lady who presented us to the directress [who was a nun] as graduates of batch 1999-2000. I asked myself these questions because I was fearful of what challenges high school might bring.

the superintendent finally declared that we are now officially graduates of Quezon City Science High School. As it was practiced, 262 tassels were transferred to the right like shining white cups offering a toast.

I chuckled as I transferred mine.

Here's to the end of the four years which started with me fearing the challenges that these years might bring.

Here's to the hardships that I faced.

Here's to the joys that made all the hardships worthwhile.

Here's to the mistakes that I committed.
Here's to the experiences I gained from those mistakes.

Here's to the friends I’ve had.

Here's to the true ones who never left me.

Here's to the one I used to love.

Here's to my parents and family.

Here's to the one who gave me everything...to God up above.


9.36 am.
The members of Batch 2006 are now officially graduates of the Quezon City Science High School.

Congratulations, batch 2006. We made it.