UST's Golden Days

I never memorized nor heard within a 1 kilometer radius (okay, I'm exaggerating) our Alma Mater song in UST. So, I have no poetic words for UST, except for the fact that it reminds me of St. Thomas my favorite saint, and "gold", our color. And also, the song "Perhaps" with these lines: "Perhaps, it's the Main of my UST. Someday, soon, she will be proud of me", which I did while I was aboard a jeep going to Escolta. At that time, I was a clearing clerk for Prudential Bank. I thought I saw the Main Building of UST, when the jeep was on the fly over of Magsaysay Blvd. The one diectly above the riles and Altura. That is also reminiscent of my painting, which I entered on a painting contest. I used pastel and my painting was all about a person walking towards the light, with all the images all around him. There was this image of the Thinker and the Main of UST, a silhouette above him. I... lost that one. Again. But, I had a picture of me carrying the trophy. Hehe. The winner did not come so I posed for the camera. I told everybody that I placed 4th and they were just getting the top 3.

Having been raised and educated in a Dominican set-up, I decided to study in UST, to the approval of my mother. Actually, I entered College with just one exam to one school - UST. Later, I realized the folly of this. What if I failed that test? I thought that, coming from a Dominican School, UST will automatically take me in. When my classmates on Aquinas started telling me they failed UST (College of Science) I became fearful of my future. Also, I took the
test on February 21, 1987. One of the last batches. Anyways, I passed that one. Owing to my great intelligence. Har Har. If you want to be proud, do your own web site. Hehe. I realized later again that what I did was foolish.

I spent four years there in UST. I graduated Cum Laude in 1991, finishing BS Mathematics major in Actuarial Science. I took up Mathematics because I thought it was easy to study. Indeed it is. You don't have to memorize a lot of stuff. You don't have to read a lot of books. Indeed, most of my College hours I spent at the UST library, Humanities Section (before the construction of the Main Lib.-during my time the Varsitarian had this story - UST Fathers
digging for gold, referring to the digging going on then for the library). I was reading Philosophy and Literature books there. There was a semester that I deliberately chose a 6PM PE class so that I will have six hours of studying in the library.

I don't remember most of my professors now. Only the ones who influenced me a lot, not taking anything from the others. Of course, I remember Ms. Beltran, my crush then. Hehe. There was Mr. Pedroza, who handled our Philosophy (Logic). He taught me my love for Philosophy, logic and raight reasoning. We were so much into debate those days. Also, Mrs. Fedeliza Noel. She taught me my love for short stories, and introduced me to my favorite short story writer -
Bienvenido Santos "Brother, My Brother". Also, Mr. DeGuzman, for introducing me to psychology. And Mr. Richard See, who was the best math teacher I have had in UST. He later became my classmate in DLSU in Real Analysis, which he passed but I never completed.
My batch mates, I don't remember them much anymore, TonTon and Clarissa Sexon Reyes, Darwin Jumadiao, Jona Juanillo and Jerome Guiang, Chris Lagazon, Romeo Baas, Emmet, Cabral, Sumaya, Roman Rapadas, Tess Indiongco, Pepe Alvarez, Jun Sto. Domingo, Ting Yumul, Evelyn and Richelle, and wow, I don't remember the others anymore. Most of them are members of the yahoogroups of 4CM91. However, this is the class of Computer Science I was in at the time. When I majored Actuarial Science, I had also some classmates whom I have
quite forgotten already, except for Lyndon Fadri, Connie Eclipse, Myra Manalastas, Norbert Punzalan, Connie Testa, Gem Nacianceno, Madonna Martin, Arlene Jara among others.