2008 was not that bad!

For many, 2008 was not too environmentally and politically good. All the scandals of the inept and selfish government in the Philippines and their inability to deal with economic and social problems plus their propensity to lie and mis interpret issues ran against the people’s welfare. And of course, all the tragedies related to the weather added to the toll of death and miserable lives. Fuel prices also hit the highest ever recorded in this country due to the weakened peso and the selfishness of the oil cartels. On those aspects alone, one is tempted to say that 2008 had been a forgettable year.

But not quite. Take a look closer to home and one is bound to discover that the year has brought plenty of wonderful events and unforgettable moments.

First let me say that I was blessed with the first batch of journalism students who graduated under my guidance in UE. During the first semester and a part of the second, I was happy to have a nice group of students in journalism in UE and communication arts at Miriam College. So those were a source of one of the best moments in 2008 for me.

When one gets older, it is said that people tend to talk about their families. The reason there is that talking about them (as opposed to talking about one self) also projects an image of good and successful events. And they all provide a sense of well being and accomplishment indirectly attributed to one self.

One other fine moment of 2008 was the graduation of my daughter, Pacita, with a Bachelors degree in European languages (major in French, minor in Spanish) at the College of Arts and Letters in UP Diliman. Her thesis was commended by the faculty (she was told that in the 25 years of the department, it was the first time they gave a flat 1 for the effort) and because she was a working student, her GPA was short .05 of the cut off for cum laude. But never mind, from among the batch she was one of the 3 or 4 invited to teach in her school. She actually handles French literature (6 units) and a weekend refresher course (3 units) for professionals who will work in French speaking countries.

A third best in 2008 was the graduation of my grandson, Teo, from the pre school. The pre school wanted to accelerate him to Grade one for 2008 -09 skipping prep. But it was decided that education should be taken slowly so it was again a blessing that he made it to the Ateneo Grade School. And an added blessing was that he had consistently been in the first honours list with 97.8 ratings in the grading periods. That achievement practically surpassed his dad and his grandad’s own performance during their times! (The grandad only got 2nd honors during his time!!!)

Then Teo’s dad, Chito, got a blessing to travel back to his roots. In countries where he spend most of his boyhood. Working for Emerson in a merchandise “valves used in nuclear power plants,” the company sent him on a study tour to France, the Netherlands and Hungary over a 6 week period. He stayed longer in France. Lucky for him because he was able to touch base with places and persons he knew or met since he was a kid then.

So looking back at the previous year was not all that bad after all. Yes it is agreed that everyone suffered (except a few with plenty of resources to spare – got illegally or through hard work) due to the iineptness, idiocy and selfishness of governance. But there is always a place to look up to – and that is where one’s family and friends count a lot.