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Since a person only graduates from college once, I’ve been spending the past few days attending all the graduation festivities available to me. Some weren’t worth my time but for those that were, I’m so glad that digital cameras exist because I’d like those moments frozen in zeroes and ones forever. I have never laughed so hard and I have never felt so exhausted in such a long while.

Blue Roast

Blue Roast is the closest thing to a big party that I’ve been to in years. It’s this barbecue held on campus for graduating seniors and it was basically a popularity contest where awards were given to good-looking people who weren’t smart enough to graduate with honors. I shit you not. We were only give one free beer and one tiny serving of roasted calf. I wouldn’t have gone at all if I had something better to do and if my friends weren’t there. I left the event fairly early because I was beginning to suffer serious social claustrophobia and the environment wasn’t particularly conducive to conversation and general emoness about graduating and corporate slavery.

The graduation ceremony

Oh God. If I had my way I wouldn’t have bothered showing up for this one at all, but my parents insisted that I humor them so I attended the ceremony. I would rather have spent those three hours retaking my Literary Criticism final exams. Up until now I still don’t understand how Ateneo could have stuffed us in the high school covered courts–which was not air-conditioned–when we have a nice, comfortable, air-conditioned auditorium that will more or less seat all the graduates and their parents. To think that our graduation fee costs two thousand pesos or so! I spent three horrible hours in the middle of the afternoon, cloaked in Hogwarts gowns made of 100% synthetic material, sitting on uncomfortable plastic chairs as speakers spoke and honor students got honored. I was extremely disappointed to find out that the “diploma” that was handed to us was just a blank piece of paper. I didn’t even get to have decent pictures taken with my friends because it was too fucking crowded and too fucking hot.

On the bright side, graduation gave me the best excuse to make my parents splurge on a fine dining restaurant. Since my mom’s going to cut off my allowance very soon, my meal at Hossein’s will be the most expensive one I will have in a very long while.

Jef’s graduation inuman

I spent a good part of yesterday debating with myself on whether or not I should go since my friend Jef’s house is on the other side of the world and I had no idea as to how I would get home. I am so glad I went, though. Not only was it wonderful seeing my friends again so soon after graduation, but I was able to catch up with friends I haven’t seen since they were still in college. A very expensive cab ride brought me to my bedroom just as the sun was rising, which made it rather difficult for me to fall asleep.

Time flies so fucking fast. To say that college was one of the best years of my life wouldn’t be a very accurate statement, because a lot of bad things happened to me within that time period as well. My only regret is that I let my shyness and a rather posessive ex-boyfriend keep me from making friends and getting to know people. All the friends that are closest to me now are people I have only gotten to know within the time span of six months or less. I know that I’ll still see my friends in between corpse dissections and newspaper deadlines. But gone are the days when we could meet each other up anytime we want to (even if we have deadlines to meet within the hour), emotional conversations in soccer fields and hotel rooms, and all that time wasted in coffee shop balconies.

Congratulations, Ateneo class of 2007! We are now officially unemployed assholes.