So I had to brave some 37 deg C heat to be able to attend a ceremony which represent my success in earning a degree despite procrastination. Honestly, after being there before (think undergrad) and with no one to watch me march, I thought that the commencement exercises were rather pointless. I slept in until about 3:30pm (assembly time was 2pm LOL but based on previous experience it’s best to be late).

But sayang ang dress, rent ng toga, etc etc. Also, I wanted to take pictures with my batchmates and friends. So I dragged myself down there. Yep, it was hot. And the cap, hood and gown we had to wear didn’t help either.

Bumped into Enzo first thing. Notice how sleepy I still look. Enzo just got back from SG then, he skipped the grad practice so he decided to go there early. Meaning he was under the sun for far longer. I’m surprised he survived.

With our super cute SOMA adviser Ma’am Jhoanne Ynion, who finished her MS Statistics degree. She looked super cute when she marched on stage, in between two other tall graduates. ^_^

Eventually, I decided to put on the cap and gown. That hood was pretty difficult to wear, we had to safety pin it, or else it would climb up our necks, and well look awful. The other graduates even attached a string at the back so it wouldn’t open up too much. Clever.

Later, I found some of my batchmates (the others were hiding from the heat inside baker hall). In this photo is Mark, with the highest GWA in our batch (check out that fancy medal on him); and Ariel, who finished his Masters exactly on time. And then there’s me, with the lowest GWA and delayed by a year thanks to laziness and procrastination. LOL I really should get my life together.

Class picture, minus Ma’am Pam, who opted out of the ceremony because she had a family outing and Kuya Dags, who was in Baker Hall with his family.

There was actually a photobomber in this picture. It was that same guy from MS whatever who had a seat beside Ariel or Mark. He was annoying and noisy and rude and kept on making unnecessary remarks at whoever was talking on stage. I even turned around and raised my eyebrow at him at one point. Really, those people. I guess even with a Masters degree form UPLB, one can still be a first-class douche.

Anyway, I cloned him out. If you look closely, you can see some broken bokeh in between Mavs and Cecille.

with Enzo and Miguel. Enzo said he felt out of place because he didn’t have a hood. My sister said the bachelor’s degree grads looked like “magpapagupit lang sila sa barbero” in their plain black togas. I kinda envy Miguels’ fancy silver DVM gown and hood though. 

Thank goodness nighttime was a bit cooler. And thank goodness it didn’t rain. The ceremony seemed to have taken longer than I remember. My seatmate Mark actually had food delivered. We were bored and hungry and our feet hurt. Until now, I didn’t quite see the point of me going there. But I’m still glad I did.

Finally, the whole thing ended. They had fireworks and actual time allotted for the protesters. Well at least they wouldn’t have to interrupt UP Naming Mahal.

We look so happy LOL

Perhaps because the ceremony finally ended, or we were really just happy and feeling thankful that we actually finished our degrees. Yeah, we need a wacky photo to end this post.

That’s all. I just wanted the photos in here anyway. After all that heat, tired feet and waiting that I endured, I should at least post something that will someday make me feel nostalgic after reading.