Orient-1: Transformation, Of choice made and path trodden
Choice And Transformation.
The stuff of legends. Of fantasy. Of horror.
Of caterpillars turning into butterflies.
Of hobbits turning into heroes.
Of Dr. Jekylls turning into Mr. Hydes.
And of high school graduates turning into collegians.
Today, May 17, 2005, marked the day I truly felt like a college freshman.
It started out as a normal, semi-boring.. Okay.. ultra-boring, ho-hum type of school event. LPEP. LaSallian Personal Effectiveness Program. Boring name. What can you expect? A lot, as it turns out.
I was there at DLSU by 7:30 wearing a green shirt supposed to show my La Sallian spirit. After the registration, I sat inside the auditorium beside a classmate from my block sec.. which i've never met before. Awkward silences before the 8:00 am start of the "programme." Then came the time-honored tradition of welcome remarks and speeches from the higher-ups of the university. Zzzzzzzz.
"Is this all we're going to do for the rest of the day?" I asked myself.
But then... Surprise after surprise.
Our La Sallian Ambassadors, who were upper-classmen, were really very friendly and tried their best to make us feel comfortable. But of course, Only an hour after everyone's met their new classmates, there was no such thing as "comfortable". Top that off with a round of boring speeches and you had a situation that was quite the opposite of "comfortable". After the welcome program, we all headed out towards some stone benches to eat our morning snacks.
The first choice. The first paths taken and not taken.
We had freedom to sit wherever we liked. Too bad no one seemed to like the freedom, cause either way, we didn't know each other. It was then that the paths divulged. As I looked around for familiar faces, I noticed my seatmate from earlier on with an empty seat beside her. We had struck up a conversation while waiting for the program to start.
"There's a place to go to." I thought.
But then came the first choice. And I kid you not when I say that I chose the choice that my bladder made for me. Simply put, I went to the restroom first before getting a place.
I ended up with four other guys on a separate table. And ended up with four new male friends instead of two female friends. I can't say I made the wrong choice, although I wondered what would have happened had I sat down first.
Am I thinking too deeply?
Anyways, I found that one guy and I had a lot in common. And thus he officially became my first college buddy.
After eating came a Catholic Mass. A lot of tension and such, as is usually felt by one who believes in a different doctrine. Nothing really worth mentioning.
After that.. Lunch. Another no-mention. Although I did learn a few "trivia" about DLSU-Manila.
The next agenda was a session headed by a faculty facilitator. However, we arrived about 30 minutes early, so our La Sallian ambassadors decided to have a few icebreakers. The next few games we had fleshed out the general population of our block sec.
In those 30 minutes, we all got to know the class clowns, the loud guys and comics, the shy people, and the leaders (although still not so clear) in our class. Suddenly, we were a few steps away from being a class.
30 minutes flew by quickly and the facilitator arrived. He really is a great guy, and you can tell that he loved teaching. He oriented us on the general aspects of being a La Sallian. And he did perhaps the most important thing of the whole day.
First, he asked us to make up adjectives for each letter in our names that describes us. Then he asked us to form 2 circles, one in and one outside, and face each other. Then we were to introduce ourselves to our partner in the other circle and vice versa. After a minute or so, we were asked to move and talk with another person.
By itself, this was already incredibly effective. But the facilitator decided to put the girls in the inner circle and the guys in the outer circle, and that was brilliant.
That's because guys and other guys usually get to know each other without really needing an icebreaker like that. But making friends with girls is a different story. And that game was exactly what we needed. I found out a lot about the people in my block during that time. I remember a girl commenting, "Jenson Button?" after I told her my name. Obviously an F1 fan.. Hehe.. In the end, we ended up with the beginnings of a block section CAMARADERIE. And that was one of the high points of my day.
Before I go to our next activity,let me talk about my block first. We are 37 all in all and only 13 are girls. Sigh... One of the pitfalls of a Com Sci major I guess. But I met a few girls I really liked. Maybe not in a romantic sort of way (or maybe.. Haha..) but as friends. They're really nice people and i could get along with everyone.
Although... and this will really sound like it came from a guy.. never mind.. All I'll say is that other blocks have really cute girls I want to meet too. And I have one complaint.. There was too little chance for interaction between the different block secs.
Well anyways, after that, a representative form the Discipline Office came and showed us the stricter side of DLSU. And talk about strict. Incredible. But in the end I thought.. This seems reminiscent of my first day in high school. And we all know what happened during the next four years. Haha.. (Or maybe we don't.. But that's another story..)
Soon afterwards came a campus tour that had us sweating buckets. It was really hot outside. And we got to meet the student orgs. Although "meet" seems too strong a word. It was like a rollercoaster ride where you went through a small space between all the crowded booths and snatched everything the org reps gave you. I ended up with a lot of freebies and a LOT more pieces of paper. What a ride.
Finally came the last stop of the afternoon. And the second most memorable part of my orientation. It was Animo Building time at the Green Archers (they shoot birds down *wink wink*) Gym.
In case you don't know, ANIMO means "team spirit."
And that last activity was what really transformed me into a true-blooded LaSallista. ANIMO Building was hot, fun, and I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. Although we were packed like sardines into the gym, we all had a great time. Things started off wth some friendly competition between blocks and quickly escalated from there. We learned La Salle cheers, watched the DLSU Pep Squad (cheerleading outfits...), several dance troupes, and bands-slash-orchestras. The performances were really terrific and I admired the dedication each of them had in order to practice their moves and awe everyone in the whole gym. And I enjoyed the cheer part too. I can't get the cheer beat out of my head. Bam, Bam, BamBam, Babam. Go, Go, Gogo La Salle! And in the end, as everyone piled out unto the court to cheer and clap and dance, with me along, I truly felt like I belonged to the La Sallian community.
Choice and Transformation.
-------
Here's a song that i listened to on the radio. I guess it kinda evokes a lotta melancholy in me.
The Day You Said Goodnight
Hale
Take me as you are,
Push me off the road.
The sadness,
I need this time to be with you.
I'm freezing in the sun,
I'm burning in the rain.
The silence, i'm screaming,
Calling out your name.
*and i do reside in your light.
Put out the fire with me and find.
Yeah you'll lose the side of your circles.
That's what i'll do if we say goodbye.
**to be is all i gotta be
And all that i see,
And all that i need this time.
To me the life you gave me
The day you said goodnight.
The calmness in your face,
That i see through the night.
The warmth of your light is pressing unto us.
You didn't ask me why,
I never would have known oblivion is falling down.
Repeat *
Repeat **
If you could only know me like your prayers at night
Then everything between you and me will be all
Right.
Repeat **
She's already taken,
She's already taken,
She's already taken me.
She's already taken,
She's already taken,
She's already taken me.
The day you said goodnight.
The stuff of legends. Of fantasy. Of horror.
Of caterpillars turning into butterflies.
Of hobbits turning into heroes.
Of Dr. Jekylls turning into Mr. Hydes.
And of high school graduates turning into collegians.
Today, May 17, 2005, marked the day I truly felt like a college freshman.
It started out as a normal, semi-boring.. Okay.. ultra-boring, ho-hum type of school event. LPEP. LaSallian Personal Effectiveness Program. Boring name. What can you expect? A lot, as it turns out.
I was there at DLSU by 7:30 wearing a green shirt supposed to show my La Sallian spirit. After the registration, I sat inside the auditorium beside a classmate from my block sec.. which i've never met before. Awkward silences before the 8:00 am start of the "programme." Then came the time-honored tradition of welcome remarks and speeches from the higher-ups of the university. Zzzzzzzz.
"Is this all we're going to do for the rest of the day?" I asked myself.
But then... Surprise after surprise.
Our La Sallian Ambassadors, who were upper-classmen, were really very friendly and tried their best to make us feel comfortable. But of course, Only an hour after everyone's met their new classmates, there was no such thing as "comfortable". Top that off with a round of boring speeches and you had a situation that was quite the opposite of "comfortable". After the welcome program, we all headed out towards some stone benches to eat our morning snacks.
The first choice. The first paths taken and not taken.
We had freedom to sit wherever we liked. Too bad no one seemed to like the freedom, cause either way, we didn't know each other. It was then that the paths divulged. As I looked around for familiar faces, I noticed my seatmate from earlier on with an empty seat beside her. We had struck up a conversation while waiting for the program to start.
"There's a place to go to." I thought.
But then came the first choice. And I kid you not when I say that I chose the choice that my bladder made for me. Simply put, I went to the restroom first before getting a place.
I ended up with four other guys on a separate table. And ended up with four new male friends instead of two female friends. I can't say I made the wrong choice, although I wondered what would have happened had I sat down first.
Am I thinking too deeply?
Anyways, I found that one guy and I had a lot in common. And thus he officially became my first college buddy.
After eating came a Catholic Mass. A lot of tension and such, as is usually felt by one who believes in a different doctrine. Nothing really worth mentioning.
After that.. Lunch. Another no-mention. Although I did learn a few "trivia" about DLSU-Manila.
The next agenda was a session headed by a faculty facilitator. However, we arrived about 30 minutes early, so our La Sallian ambassadors decided to have a few icebreakers. The next few games we had fleshed out the general population of our block sec.
In those 30 minutes, we all got to know the class clowns, the loud guys and comics, the shy people, and the leaders (although still not so clear) in our class. Suddenly, we were a few steps away from being a class.
30 minutes flew by quickly and the facilitator arrived. He really is a great guy, and you can tell that he loved teaching. He oriented us on the general aspects of being a La Sallian. And he did perhaps the most important thing of the whole day.
First, he asked us to make up adjectives for each letter in our names that describes us. Then he asked us to form 2 circles, one in and one outside, and face each other. Then we were to introduce ourselves to our partner in the other circle and vice versa. After a minute or so, we were asked to move and talk with another person.
By itself, this was already incredibly effective. But the facilitator decided to put the girls in the inner circle and the guys in the outer circle, and that was brilliant.
That's because guys and other guys usually get to know each other without really needing an icebreaker like that. But making friends with girls is a different story. And that game was exactly what we needed. I found out a lot about the people in my block during that time. I remember a girl commenting, "Jenson Button?" after I told her my name. Obviously an F1 fan.. Hehe.. In the end, we ended up with the beginnings of a block section CAMARADERIE. And that was one of the high points of my day.
Before I go to our next activity,let me talk about my block first. We are 37 all in all and only 13 are girls. Sigh... One of the pitfalls of a Com Sci major I guess. But I met a few girls I really liked. Maybe not in a romantic sort of way (or maybe.. Haha..) but as friends. They're really nice people and i could get along with everyone.
Although... and this will really sound like it came from a guy.. never mind.. All I'll say is that other blocks have really cute girls I want to meet too. And I have one complaint.. There was too little chance for interaction between the different block secs.
Well anyways, after that, a representative form the Discipline Office came and showed us the stricter side of DLSU. And talk about strict. Incredible. But in the end I thought.. This seems reminiscent of my first day in high school. And we all know what happened during the next four years. Haha.. (Or maybe we don't.. But that's another story..)
Soon afterwards came a campus tour that had us sweating buckets. It was really hot outside. And we got to meet the student orgs. Although "meet" seems too strong a word. It was like a rollercoaster ride where you went through a small space between all the crowded booths and snatched everything the org reps gave you. I ended up with a lot of freebies and a LOT more pieces of paper. What a ride.
Finally came the last stop of the afternoon. And the second most memorable part of my orientation. It was Animo Building time at the Green Archers (they shoot birds down *wink wink*) Gym.
In case you don't know, ANIMO means "team spirit."
And that last activity was what really transformed me into a true-blooded LaSallista. ANIMO Building was hot, fun, and I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. Although we were packed like sardines into the gym, we all had a great time. Things started off wth some friendly competition between blocks and quickly escalated from there. We learned La Salle cheers, watched the DLSU Pep Squad (cheerleading outfits...), several dance troupes, and bands-slash-orchestras. The performances were really terrific and I admired the dedication each of them had in order to practice their moves and awe everyone in the whole gym. And I enjoyed the cheer part too. I can't get the cheer beat out of my head. Bam, Bam, BamBam, Babam. Go, Go, Gogo La Salle! And in the end, as everyone piled out unto the court to cheer and clap and dance, with me along, I truly felt like I belonged to the La Sallian community.
Choice and Transformation.
-------
Here's a song that i listened to on the radio. I guess it kinda evokes a lotta melancholy in me.
The Day You Said Goodnight
Hale
Take me as you are,
Push me off the road.
The sadness,
I need this time to be with you.
I'm freezing in the sun,
I'm burning in the rain.
The silence, i'm screaming,
Calling out your name.
*and i do reside in your light.
Put out the fire with me and find.
Yeah you'll lose the side of your circles.
That's what i'll do if we say goodbye.
**to be is all i gotta be
And all that i see,
And all that i need this time.
To me the life you gave me
The day you said goodnight.
The calmness in your face,
That i see through the night.
The warmth of your light is pressing unto us.
You didn't ask me why,
I never would have known oblivion is falling down.
Repeat *
Repeat **
If you could only know me like your prayers at night
Then everything between you and me will be all
Right.
Repeat **
She's already taken,
She's already taken,
She's already taken me.
She's already taken,
She's already taken,
She's already taken me.
The day you said goodnight.
posted by Unknown at 11:11 PM
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