HOLDEN Caulfield says at the end of Catcher in the Rye, “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”
And the rebel’s words were true. It took him a 26-chapter memoir to miss everyone—even the classmates he detested in his former school, Pencey Prep. But I only have two pages worth of things to tell, and I only hope they’re well worth the two pages
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The Literary section would not have been able to publish more than creative pieces if it were not for the men and women of Philippine letters whose significant work gave us the inspiration to share stories about literature itself that most people know nothing about. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your knowledge not only to our staff, but also to Thomasian readers.
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Most of the people I meet out of school (graduates or not) say they miss studying. I never thought I would be one of them now, after all those long readings, projects, write-ups, and all other things that students call their “Calvary”. But then I would not have survived these if not for the people who made work meaningful and enjoyable. For this, I thank my batchmates in Journalism, and the mentors who not only imparted everything they know about the profession, but also encouraged us to reach out beyond the confines of the classroom.
I am also forever grateful to Dr. Ophelia Dimalanta, the associates of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Studies, and the members of the Thomasian Writers Guild for teaching me the ways of the craft.
Finally, I pay homage to the Varsitarian, the institution that gave me an opportunity to be of service to the Thomasian community and even beyond. Being a part of the V is truly something to be proud of, but it is more of a humbling experience made memorable by the people behind the organization.
To all the amihan—the ones who have gone and those who are leaving with me now—thank you for the legacy, the lessons, and the memories. To my batchmates, thank you for making the V feel more like a family during the tough times.
Karla, Glaiza, and Elaine, thank you for the love, fun, and tequila. We’ve gone through a lot and we’ve got more to go through together. Palo, Camille, and Marlene, I believe the world has so much in store for us—we just have to be patient.
Cze and Badette, thanks so much for being God’s blessings. The Literary section wouldn’t be the same without you two. Likewise, Myla, for being good and for holding on; and Neekee and Iris—it’s been a blast and the only thing I regret is that I couldn’t make you stay longer.
Jason, Nick, Jeff, MJ, Nascel, Palo, Edsel, Nat, Erick, Royce, Kris, Laurie, and Jordan, I know I do not need to wish you luck for the challenges to come. I will truly miss working with you all. To the incoming staff, I wish you all the best and I hope you will keep the V tradition alive.
Reagan, TL, and Eldric, you made everything turn out the way they should. Thank you for your counsel and support.
Sir Lito, I am proud of being called “one of your kids.” Thank you for being a great mentor and a father figure to all of us.
Chuck and Ron, thanks for being there for me when nobody else was.
To friends who bore with the change of schedules, thank you for understanding.
To my family, thank you for the inspiration and for being there ever since. I hope I never fail you after everything you’ve done for me.
And finally, to God, for making all this happen.
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Journalism is really all about story telling. With the Varsitarian, where I learned more than the profession itself, I’ve spent three years sharing stories with the Thomasian community and learned so much from the experience. Thank you for giving us that opportunity. And for that, yes, I will miss you all, too.
