To My Nameless Brainchild

This is an extremely LONG post. You've been warned.

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Finally: my acknowledgements page. I can never say how fulfilling writing this page feels. From here on, I know and I feel everything I have worked on is worth the wait. Needless to say, of the pages I have put together and stanchly fought for, this is going to be the last.

Last, a word with such finality its tone is almost tangible. I say ‘last’ and relish the irony of this page—last to be written but one of the firsts to be read. I say ‘last’ and admit I would not have reached this without the many people who I know would be more than happy to share the word with me.

To them, I offer the remaining paragraphs of my last pages.

To Mama and Papa, their unfailing support, and the many times they have indicated they would have understood should I fall short of this requirement: thank you. Be it food or funds or the simple reminders about the importance of sleep in a person’s life, you have always provided what I needed to stay driven.

To Roy and Ria, their readiness to sleep with the lights on during my all-nighters—thesis-related or not—as well as their understanding those times I cannot lend them the laptop and the Net cable: thank you for bearing with Ate.

To my other relatives, both maternal and paternal: thank you for being so excited over the thought of my graduation that I could not have disappointed you.

To Sir Henson, his willingness to adopt me, and his unwavering adviser-and-fatherly support: I would not have known what to do with my thesis-life had you not been there to accept and help me. You are incomparably fantastic.

To Sir Burn and Ma’am Adeva, my amazingly intelligent and forgiving panelists: for the first and the second time you have analyzed and made my thesis better, thank you very much. The fear and anxiety was—is, and will always be—worth it.

To Kuya Jeffrey, his love for numbers, and his incredibly fast statistical-analyzing capability: I owe my Chapter 4 to you.

To Mia, my best high school friend, for saying a resoundingly certain ‘yes’ when I asked if she believes I can finish my thesis on time: your faith in me is infallible.

To Ma’am Agbayani, Jam, Haidee, Judy, Ate Claire, Hannah, Ness, Sam, and Leah—the nine people I have started my thesis year with: thank you for a semester of encouragements and hopefulness.

To Ace and Ayessa, for the YM conversations ‘til late at night, the questions we have asked and answered no matter how unnecessary: I could not have imagined sharing them with you, but have enjoyed them nonetheless.

To Ate Ana, Kath, Jeanne, Jena, Ate Lou, Dave, Nike, Bianca, Arven, Jasper, Jackie, Jemi, Patrick, Marie, Marla, Belle, Glecy, Wynne, Cielo, Rish, and Ren: thank you for the random hugs, YM banters, and beautiful, caring moments. I would not have lived through this without you.

To each and every member of UP Manila’s Organizational Communication Class of 2010—young, remarkable, brilliant people: four years equals a wonderful forever with all of you.

To Fiona, Paula, Jhe, Angge, and Jona—the five people who have made my stay in the University lovingly candid: shall I say ‘I love you’ with all the heart you have always believed I have? Well, I loved the sleepovers, the lunches we ate together, the pranks and childish games, the random song-and-dance numbers, the library naps, the ranting moments, the gossips, and the every day I got to spend with you. So I guess that’s as much as saying I love you, too. I could have gone through my four college years alone and okay, but I have made it the best with the five of you.

Ultimately, my largest and loudest ‘Thank you’ to God, for these people, for every day of blessings and of guidance, for the strength to hold on and keep fighting, and for the light forever shining over the darkness. We have made through this because of you, and only for you.

I am not good with endings, so maybe I would simply leave a few words as closing. I do know that these words and the paper I have written them on would not be around eternally. But I am sure the feelings from which they have come from would stay in my heart for longer than infinity.

With all love and sincerity, thank you.


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This was--is--the acknowledgments page of my undergraduate thesis, which I got back signed and all yesterday. As it is, I am delighted. Yet, the significance is barely there. That much I can admit. I am no longer bitterly remembering the late-night forays to research-land nor am I still holding onto a lasting grudge. When I've said yesterday that there's no more. . .spark, I only meant I cannot look at that bound set of papers with the same excitement and triumph as I did when I held it the first time.


But that doesn't mean I'm totally apathetic where it's concerned. No. I still feel the same element of pride, of knowing how much time and effort I've put to come up with something like that. It is something that would forever symbolize how much I can fight for what I want.


There, there. I'm here to finally bid my long-overdue young self goodbye. Yes, in all my ranting about my lack of work and excruciating experiences with boredom, I've still considered myself as someone too young. Now, though, I've finally come to terms with my being old enough.


Thus, my last piece of acknowledgment is for my very own thesis:

To you, my nameless brainchild, who taught me more than enough, who proved my strength, and who went with me through all the ups and downs of being young: thank you. I owe my entire present self to you.


Signed. Sealed. Finally, delivered.

(P.S. I'm not very good with pictures, so please bear with what I can snap. Thankyou! :>)