SWEET VICTORY

FYI. I am not a board placer, so dont raise your eyebrows as you read along the succeeding paragraphs. I am just overwhelmed and I feel I have to blurt this all out. Yes, I admit I dreamt of placing the board exams, but sadly I was just really not “made” into becoming one. Oh, let me correct my statement, I just did not push myself to deserve the prestigious title. Now, that fits better.

I can vividly remember, when I was in my last year in high school, becoming an accountant barely crossed my mind. We had accounting lessons during the fourth grading period and geez, I really can’t understand a single detail. It made my head ache all the time. I had failing scores in almost all quizzes, and it almost made me curse accounting!

With Karen, a former dormate and April before the start of the oathtaking ceremonies at Fiesta Pavilion, Manila Hotel

My mother and I after the ceremonies. =)

I was really persistent that I would take either Electronics and Communications Engineering or Civil Engineering. I dreamt of conquering fields where men excel. See, Accountancy was not even included in my top two choices. However, fate knocked along the way, and made me traverse another path. And to make it short, I chose one of the most hated courses, BS Accountancy. Yes, I said most hated. I am one of those die-hard haters. It was never easy! I am glad I made it through, and I consider it a miracle!But what I consider as a greater miracle is when He helped me make my name three letters longer.

I was seated beside Kieth, a former classmate and a friend.

Obtaining those three big letters was never easy. It was roller coaster along the way, and I bet all accountancy graduates and cpa’s would agree with me if it could be likened into going to hell and back (even though no one actually knows how it feels like.hehe)

I was afraid then of going to Manila for the formal review. I did not know what lies ahead, but carrying in my heart that burning desire to put the last touches on my chosen path, I gathered all the strength and confidence I can draw together to fortify me for the long dreaded months of being away from the people,places and things I got used to. It was really one BIG SACRIFICE. There were times when I almost found myself at the verge of giving up, but I was lucky enough to have companions and people who had been my source of inspiration.

I posed at a giant christmas tree at the main lobby of the hotel.

They say that not everyone is destined to pass. It is only for the people who exerted blood and sweat from day one- from the moment they chose accountancy. My efforts may have failed at some point, but I was fortunate enough to regain my composure and continue the battle until the end.I was truly lucky for having been included in the 4,066 passers out of the 8,525 who took the country’s ‘toughest licensure examination’ as dubbed by Mr. Elrey T. Ramos, our guest speaker during the induction ceremonies. I am glad God saw my efforts. What was even more rewarding is to see the smile and tears of joy in the faces of people who felt double my apprehension and glee.

I have learned that all the blood, sweat, tears, stress, and sleepless nights will all get unnoticed once you attain your big goal, and by that time, it will be over shadowed by a genuine smile on your face and on the faces of the people who feel double the exhiliration you feel, all because of your one sweet victory. After all, your sorrows and your happiness are are also the sorrows and happiness of the people who truly love you.  =)

HELLO TO WRITING ONCE AGAIN

Its been such a while since I had a good try in putting something spectacular out of my mighty pen. It’s an endeavor I have been missing for months now. I bid goodbye to it for less than a year ago when I graduated from college and welcomed 5 long months of sacrifice for my CPA board exams formal review. But now that the sacrifice paid off, I realized that writing is something I would not want to get rid out of my system. I would like to embrace it and would love to make it part of who I truly am.

A few weeks ago I got interested in blogging. Actually, it’s through my boyfriend’s blog. I have been so hooked in reading his writings once in a while.  Then,he encouraged me to give blogging a good try. So I did and here I am. =)

            As i have said, writing is my passion. And i can’t get it out of my whole damn system. I believe I started my passion for writing since I was a kid. I would remember getting a pencil and a piece of paper and try to scribble words into short poems.Then I had my little diary too. In grade school, I would love english and filipino writing classes because we were asked to write our own essays and poems. I pour my heart in it, and would take pleasure whenever I get good grades and positive commentaries from my teachers. Then I became part of our school organ and underwent several trainings. I did not just learn how to write essays, but I learned the rubrics of news writing and editorial writing. I would reach other places to compete, meet other school journalists,and make friends. It gave me good memories and made my childhood years worth looking back. My enthusiasm for writing continued during high school and college where I became part of the school publication.      

Campus journalism gave me deeper sense of maturity and responsibility- in words, in thoughts, in actions. It gave me sagacity that every word I write should be accurate and objective.It opened my eyes to every heartbreaking reality. It helped me strengthen my awareness to every issue that concerns my country and myself. It helped me form my own intelligent opinion on every matter. It made me realize that nonchalance for every issue that concerns your beloved country is tantamount to treachery.

 I have to admit that writing paved many opportunities for me, opportunities I never imagined.I have been sent here and there to attend workshops from the country’s top caliber journalists. I competed with the journalists from the country’s top universities. It paved way for achievements and recognition from my comrades, professors, my university and private organizations. However, there came a point when my grades were dwindling, I considered putting a halt to writing which I considered my life.I had a hard time in managing my academics and my publication affairs. I thought that it would be a hindrance into fulfilling my dream of becoming a Certified Public Accountant. However, because of divine intervention, I chose to stay.

Now that I am already a CPA, I can say that I made an excellent choice, and I do not have any regrets choosing writing over having all the great time in the world to get unos in my transcipt of records and graduate on top of my batch. Responsibility (which journalism has developed in me in the first place) prevailed over self-interest. And i know i really cannot bid goodbye to my first love. I may just forget about writing once in a while just like what I did during my months of formal review, but i know I would get back to my feet once again, grab a pen and paper and say hello to writing once again. =)

HEROES WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR

 

Written during the 48th National Rizal Youth Leadership Institute Conference

Teachers Camp, Baguio City, 16 to 19 December 2010

It was late evening, on December 29, 1896. Rizal was alone in his murky detention cell in Fort Santiago. By a small lantern, he was writing his last poem when I got the chance to talk to him.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am Angeli, Sir, a Filipino youth,” I replied.

“Where are you from?”

“I am from the year 2010, Sir. I got the chance to travel on a time machine,” I retorted.

His eyes glistened.

“Interesting. Come, sit beside me and tell me about the state of the Philippines, 114 years after my death,” he said.

I responded to his request, and gave him my truthful account. I never dared to lie.

Suddenly, he was short of breath, tears welled in his eyes, he was saddened by my stories.

Instantly, he said: “I am leaving with this belief . . . for as long as there are among us who share the same vision for the Philippines, a unified archipelago that is progressive in all sectors, the sun and the stars of our flag will never lose their luster. Our country may have experienced a lot of downfalls but it can never deny this fact: that there is a hero in all Filipinos. Young lady, there is a hero in you.”

Then, I left Rizal, about to die, carrying in my heart his last words to me that there is a hero in each Filipino, in me. We just have to search for it deep within the deepest core of our heart.

It is year 2010 and I'm back to reality. I realize that Rizal was right, that our shared vision for the Philippines is not impossible to achieve—if, and only if we'll unleash the heroes within us. We should not just dream. Rather we should wake up from our deep slumber and make our shared dream for the Philippines a reality. As the saying goes, “A vision without an action is merely a dream. An action without a vision just passes the time. A vision with an action can change the world.”

We should emulate what Rizal did in Dapitan. There, he practiced medicine by charging the rich and giving medicine gratis to the poor. He prescribed local medicinal plants to poor patients who could not afford imported medicines. He established a school where he imbued his students with the knowledge that each youth deserves. He taught new methods of agriculture, he established the cooperative association of Dapitan farmers to improve farm products which could be bought at moderate prices. He erected the first lighting system using coconut oil lamps. He established a system of waterworks using a system of canals made of bamboo. He drained the marshes to prevent the breeding of malaria carrying mosquitos. He invented a cigarette lighter he called ‘sulpukan’ and a machine for making bricks.

Truly Rizal was an initiator, an innovator across sectors!

“Young lady, there is a hero in you,” his words still ringing in my ears, I felt a pang in my chest. It made me reflect, would I be able to establish my own Dapitan?

Then, I realized that somehow, Rizal and I have something in common: a clamor for a social reform through the use of the mighty pen.

I am a writer. I have been following my passion for writing ever since I was in elementary years. In writing, I feel that I'm able to ventilate my clamor for a more unified, more mature citizenry.

The primordial role of a writer, or of a journalist is to be the vanguard of truth in every sense, to use the power of words and the pen to educate, to influence, and to mobilize a magnitude of people. A journalist is able to reveal the truth, without undermining any person. He is objective, unbiased, and truthful.

As a campus journalist, I feel that I have created my own Dapitan too, a Dapitan full of people who face reality and fight for truth. In my own way, I'm able to exemplify my own brand of leadership - in my organization, in my school, and in my community. In my own way, I too am able to emulate Rizal's way of innovating across sectors.

Fellow young bloods, we can build a beautiful future, if we contribute our own time, energies and efforts towards realizing our shared dream for the Philippines, a united archipelago progressive in all sectors.

 We must not remain as idle stones forever scattered on a muddy ground, we should be a part of that edifice we call progress. We should harness our skills to reach the zenith of our own potentials. If we do this, we will become ripple-causing ‘stones of change.’

Compatriots, one Rizal cannot save the country. Even a few Rizals would not be enough. Our country needs us all to achieve its most sought progress.

We are the NEW RIZALS of our generation.

We are the HEROES we have been waiting for!

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