March 01, 2007
Seminar docu essay
1 project
35 students, 6 speakers
Running on a nil budget
On a timetable of 2 weeks
This is Section Mary Magdalene on super-charged adrenalin.
Imagine how 35 different people came to act as one
Just think of our section’s boys, how uncivilized and uncouth they are.
Consider the female members, the silent, inattentive and apathetic individuals.
These are what we used to be, today we are proud to say that we are united,
no longer muted; we dare to shine – with sunbright brilliance,
for we have debunked their expectations…
We are successful!
Today more than ever, I am pleased to declare that I am proud to be one of them.
Weeks before the actual event there was much worrying,
letters have not yet been signed, the budget was much contested,
our topic was threatened to be given away to another section,
we were also clamouring for people whose social networks could
perhaps connect us to the right people.
And then there was Ayie!
She started the ball rolling by contacting one of our speakers
and then the race was on to find the next 5.
Lilet and Annalyn transacted the Manila-based speakers –
the dean of Adamson University and the chief public health nurse
of the city of Manila; Angel, was truly heaven sent for
finding our military nurse; while Eileen and our local mascot,
Adela worked on the industrial nurse (a friend of a friend of Adela),
the school nurse (Eileen’s aunt) and the hospital nurse by
which though sheer ‘kapal ng mukha’ we managed to contact.
Others were relegated to more menial matters such as,
in my case, being the pen behind the letters.
Some were assigned to distribute the tickets like Ate Che and Mica;
Jay Loune managed the incoming remittances; receipts were
relegated to Jersey, transpo duties were allocated to JM
(who also arranged for the rental of the venue) and James;
registration and ushering both guests and participants
were handled by Maria, Bevs, Jates, Molly,
Mae, Jenna, Punky, Verney and company.
Cha headed the design committee which to
this day truly amazes me; Diane, hands down to her;
she managed to secure our sound system for a really discounted price.
Bryan became my runner (and food tester) as did Lionel who
actually volunteered for some of the chores. Joseph, our
beloved mayor managed to present his ‘interpretative’ number
but was trampled by Milton’s jaw-dropping production.
Our photographers were lovebirds Emerson and Eunice.
The Dota boys – Neil, Christian, Michael and RK were assigned to
do the dirty work – stacking chairs, hammering the decors, cutting the
certificates, eating the leftover sandwiches and being unmanageable but they
were all cooperative and managed to taper down and become serious for
the event proper.
The night before the event, we only managed too sleep a few winks,
for we had to pack the drinks, prepare the food, confirm the reservation
at Chefoo restaurant for the luncheon, make the give-aways,
bag the tokens, make calls to verify other commitments,
print the certificates, check the master list, arrange the flowers for the
bouquet, disseminate information through text and plan for the worst.
We still had a good laugh though, poking fun at each other,
pairing people up, foreseeing the worse.
The morning before the event, we were all numb,
filled to the brim with anxiety. Everybody was texting everybody,
checking up on the events progress.
I sent a shoutout sending for 3 people to assist me; Jersey,
Mae, and Molly heeded my call and it filled my heart
when I saw them as they entered my house that they immediately went
on to do their task, they needed no coercing. Even the boys who usually
did what they want were very cooperative that day;
Ate Che was also gracious enough to become our chauffeur for the day.
The most unforgettable moment was when we arrived at the venue
and I saw how organized everything was, the registration was ongoing,
the decorations were so first-class, the certificate and token table was
so stunningly arranged, it felt like we were going to award
Nobel Prize winners. I felt blessed, I truly did.
Mary Magdalene surpassed everybody’s expectations.
Lilet and I hugged each other, it was an embrace of happiness,
and we were both proud we made it that far.
I felt tears well up on my eyes but I quietly brushed them away.
Everybody did their job and they performed it to perfection,
the usherettes even accompanied our speakers to the bathroom
where Ayie was meticulously keeping it clean and dedicatedly sterile.
To the end, I am firm that it is the bond between us all and the
blessing of God that rained our forum with success.
We were all stars that day and we shone brighter than the sun!
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