EVENT
TUNOB: The University Of The Philippines High School Grand Alumni Homecoming
DATE
July 12, 2008
VENUE
UP High School in Cebu
Wow. I couldn’t believe that the day would come that I would set foot in UP again. Wow, just wow! When I graduated in 1999, I promised myself that I’d never ever look back. Never.
In UP High, no one is dumb. No one is a slow learner. In UP High, no one fails Algebra. But guess what? I did. It happened to me.
I think I’ve never been the same since that day I got my Fourth Grading report card. Somehow, I think it made me an angry little high school kid who couldn’t deal with failure. I hated my teachers. I hated the school. I hated Math. I hated myself. And although I graduated with the rest of my class, I knew that I was smaller. Less important. Lesser.
I picked a program that had very little to do with Math and I tried to detach myself from the other Iskolars ng Bayan. I thought that if people didn’t know about my past, my ’secrets’ wouldn’t rise to the surface to haunt me.
Last Saturday, as I entered the campus, the same old feeling came back to me. But when I saw the smiling faces of old friends and acquaintances, I knew that my past was forgotten and that I am accepted. They did not see me as the kid who failed. They saw me as the boy who passed and finished high school just like everyone else. And as we all sat down and muched on Ida’s pizza, we were all high school students once again. We talked about the fun times, teased each other about ‘first loves’ and laughed about our ‘failures’. Yes, including our literal failures. And yes. We all just laughed about them.
I realized that in life, we don’t always win. And that though we sometimes fail, we must not forget the small victories that come with the failures.
Because although you bombed in Algebra, you still finished HS. 
————————————
Foot prints in red pavers.
Batch ‘99! Represent! (Sorry nagblue ko. LOL)
Tunob
We used to play here every afternoon. Hehehe.
Wow. Our third year classrooms and the canteen.
Our second year classrooms. Ahh. Memories. LOL.
Some members of Batch 99
Labteam sauna. Hahahaha.
Gunit gyud ni Fritza Ida kay wala na sa New York. Hahahaha.
Craig – High School boy. LOL
Lyjunna – High School girl. Hahahaha. Bagay kaayo!
Batch 99! Woohoo!
Tunob freebies! (Wala mi kay wala mi nibayad sa registration. LOL)
Ang spice girls kuno sa Batch ‘99. LOL
Class Picture!
Ang soccer team sa Batch ‘99!
Tabon sa balls, Bert!
Bunal Bert!
Pablito is down! Pablito is down!
Salamat sa pizza Ida! Nanimaho nga kuwang. Hahahaha.
Batch ‘99. Pink!
More Photos:
Class pic / Berto
Lyjunna with Magin’s kid / Craig
Craig and Lyjunna / Luningning and Ida
Master Jeff / Ang second snack. Hahahaha.
Ningning and Ida / Papicture sa ID
High School boys
HS Girl Ida / Do and Kid
Waddy / Ron and Honeyval
Ida / Class Pic agen!
Class pics na pud!
Lyjunna hiwi! / Peace Ida!
Aubrey, Lyjunna, Ningning / Mark
Starstruck si Ms. Rabago ni Aubrey.
Brax / Mark in Action
Sexyha ni Brax oi.
Berto / Master Jeff and Ron
Batch 99!
Starryasser, Ida, Junna, Craig / Soccer team
Soccer team / Ida and Sylwin
Val / Ida and Craig
Fritz, Magin, Craig / Matet and Ningning
Ida, Junna, Craig, Sylwin / Craig, Ida, Sylwin, Honeyval
See you next year, guys!
Fun times!
This is a great post, Ley. The message about getting over the bitterness of something unpleasant from the past, learning from it, and focusing on the joys of the present is a sentiment from which we can all benefit.
Hopefully, it’s enough encouragement for me to show up in my own high school reunion
Ley,
WOW! I have to be honest that this entry moved me and I am glad that you decided to join the festivities. We might have some unhappy memories in high school but most of them are incomparable to the good times we shared with our classmates and the friendships we’ve made. As my UPHigh ‘92 class song goes:
—
It was funny those days, those times
When things were just beginning
The effort to belong, the need to be known
Friendships we were forging
Fleeting moments we shared back then
Memories will always be keeping…
—
MABUHAY ka ISKO!
I’m sooo happy for you, Leylan! The good thing is that you enjoyed your class reunion. I just love shakoys, your second snack.
dropped by here, ley! perhaps we bumped into each other last weekend. i was with that noisy group near the photo id area.
your feeling reminds me of my own many years ago. after graduating valedictorian in elementary, i got my first taste of failure in the first subject, first period, first semester of my first year. but i persevered, like the rest of my batchmates.
I was just so happy to back in UP. I was even glad to know that a lot of teachers still remember my name despite the 17 long years.
Hay…it’s really a small small world. I can still remember Junna, Luningning, Pablito and Sylwin from days old. I enjoy looking at your pictures. Congratulations on your batch’s win in the soccer tournament!
oh may soccer game diay diha, i love watching and cheering that game.
Kanindot sa inyong alumni Ley
why were you in a ‘blue mood’, Ley. did you miss someone special? Anyways, you still showed off your pleasant smile. . .Myself, i was been and is still looking forward to attend a reunion/homecoming with my H/School circa of 19..before i will ‘kick the bucket’
Hello Ley, Nice kaayo ang imo website and I hope to visit your shoe store in carcar when we get there at the end of this month. Nice pics ug makamis jud ug maayo . Keep it up Ley!
I too have had some failures in life. Too embarassing to enumerate. Yet, like you, I somehow seemed to grow and get past only to achieve victories I never thought I would. It’s not how many times you fall down that counts, it’s how many times you get back up.
O-o, seksi sa Brax. Tanan sa babaye gwapa kaayo. You are a lucky man to have such beautiful classmates!
Jelaous ko. LOL Hahaha
I just had my HS reunion sa Las Vegas on May 2008, the first time I’ve seen my HS classmates in more than 15yrs!
I missed this.. hhhmmmm
wa ko kaila ni brax.. ehehe
Hey there! i did explore your page and finds it very impressive! i like the article pertaining overcomming the bitterness that actually moves me. Im actually new to this blog thing so i read and read blogs for me to learn also. Yours was great cos as much as possible i would like to make my photo blog rather that writing a lot. If you have time do visit my page and i would be glad if you can give me some tips to make it more better.
godbless..