Two Decades of Living and Learning

It was my 20th birthday just yesterday. And 20 makes me shudder.

Twenty. That sounds so OLD.

Twenty... Twenty...

I don't feel twenty at all. I thought twenty is supposed to be mature and stable. But I don't feel quite like that. However, I've met others who are over twenty but feel that they are younger. Perhaps a high level of maturity at twenty is a myth. *taking a deep breath* Relax...

So yesterday, aside from the usual SMS greetings from friends, we finally purchased another printer. The money spent for it came from the P10,000 that is supposed to be for the "strictly optional" IT educational tour. I've decided to opt out of the tour a few days ago because I thought I might feel bitin with only five or six of us roaming around in Cebu.

But, just yesterday too, I've received news that the tour was finally cancelled. Before, there were only around a meagre seven who proposed to join the tour, including myself. Now I and two or three more confirmed that we are not coming. That would leave only around four students joining the tour! So I think the tour moderator, foreseeing that she will not enjoy a small crowd, has decided to cancel the tour altogether.

I feel that the new parent's consent letter has something to do with this. It seemed to be designed to discourage the parents from allowing their kids to join the tour by exposing the tour's insignificance. And guess who revised it? Moi!

It goes:

Dear Parents,

Greetings!

The students of the Ateneo Informatics and Computing Guild, an umbrella organization under the Computer Science Department, will allow a strictly optional educational tour on May 22, 2006. This activity gives the opportunity for students of CS, MIS and IT courses to be exposed in the actual fields of Information Technology. The tour will be conducted in Cebu, where selected IT companies will be visited.

However, we would like to inform you that this educational tour will not be credited as part of the activity comprising the student’s senior’s project. Hence, it is strictly optional and will not influence the students’ grades. The school, therefore, shall not shoulder the necessary expenses of the students. Solicitation letters will not be provided and will not be recognized by the CS Department. In addition, a moderator from the CS Department will be willing to join the tour given that the students who are confirmed to join the tour will reach a significant number.

The official and, thus, required activity for the senior’s project is a month-long training on currently in-demand programming languages this coming April. Whether the students will prefer or refuse to join the tour, they will still be expected to attend the training. The educational tour serves as an additional benefit where students may be able to grasp the realities happening within a competitive computer company.

Attached herewith is the itinerary and breakdown cost of the tour.

Thank you very much.

The words in blue gives a positive impression of the tour. The words in red, on the other hand, attack it. And they obviously outnumber the blue!

I was just telling the truth. The moderator advised that the tour should not seem to be required and graded so that the parents would not feel obliged to dish out P7500 and some more for pocket money just for the "strictly optional" tour. So what I did was to put as many details as possible telling how the educational tour is NOT mandatory.

Now look at it! The tour plan fell apart. And it's sad because some have been really looking forward to it.

But I shouldn't feel guilty about causing this. This is just a speculation. And even if the new parent's consent was majorly responsible, I did not intend the "end" and "consequence" of my "voluntary human act" to be this. Hah! Words from my Philo of Ethics class, which just ended last month.

Speaking of which, several of those who chose to take the Philo final exam on the conflict schedule were not lucky enough to be properly informed that the last exam hour was moved much earlier. They have been contacting the Philo teacher, and an Ethics teacher at that, to spare them with another exam schedule. In class, he taught that forgiveness is a beautiful moral thing and that life is good because we get a second chance. But in this case, he seems to be oblivious of the students' plea.

Who's unethical now?

*sigh* The ironies of life...