Dichun mai sabai dee. :(
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Championship game
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Words could not explain how ecstatic I was yesterday during the UAAP Season 71 championship game. I was not there at the Araneta Coliseum to watch the match between Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University but my college friend told me that there was a big screen viewing at the Loyola Gym. It was really hard to get tickets to the game so I decided to head to the gym instead and watch it with my friend.
I did not take lots of pictures because first, my phone's camera is just godawful and second, it was too dark inside the gym because if there were lots of lights turned on, the projection on the big screen would be faint.
See? The lighting was really bad that even if I edit the photo, it still looks like shit. But if that is the look of shit when your school wins a championship, I wouldn't mind looking shitty every day.
This photo of the crowd would not be able to express the mayhem that happened at the Loyola Gym when Ateneo won, so screw the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words." At times like this, a video is better.
The video looks shitty too as expected. Then again, if shitty feels this good, then let it be a shitty day every day.
(Edit: Here's the GMA coverage)
The last time Ateneo won a championship was back in 2002. Ateneo was also up against La Salle and I was a Freshman. It was also hard to get tickets but I managed to get one. I don't remember at all how I got one but I watched the game with my classmates. Hahaha I did remember getting up early so I can arrive at school to get tickets only to find out that there were students who camped in front of the Athletics office. That's how hardcore Ateneans are with games like this. Back to the game, when we heard the final buzzer, we jumped our asses off like seriouf*ckinglutely insane. My throat hurt so much because of the screaming but singing the school song afterwards didn't feel like torture at all. There was a bonfire at school and I attended that and I remember I got to shake hands with the players because I was just standing near the path where the players were going to walk on to go to the big fire set up in the middle of the field. These basketball players were, like, stars, I tell you. They even had an autograph session, but I didn't stay to have anything signed. The field was muddy as heck and I was wearing sandals. Yuck.
I still don't know if there's going to be a bonfire soon but I hope there would be. I bought a memorabilia shirt at half time. It has a logo of the school on it, plus it says 150 because the Ateneo will celebrate its 150th year in 2009. I didn't buy the championship shirt sold right after the game because it was just pricey for me. Oh and I met my uncle there. Surprising, but not that surprising because he's an alumnus. My stepmom texted me saying he was there so after the game I looked around to find him and I did. He was sitting with someone who looks as old as him. He told me that it was his classmate back in high school! WHAT. That's just too awesome to hear! You know, this is what I like about games like this. It just brings people together. There's tension, the good kind of tension, and we get an excuse to act like kids during the games. Anyway, it rained afterwards and I was glad that my uncle offered me a ride home and of course I could not refuse that!
Today when my stepsister arrived at home and she told me she saw me on TV. LOL I kind of knew it. I appeared on TV because there was media coverage at the gym. After the game, I went down from the patron area (because that's where I sat during the viewing) and joined the crowd where a live segment was being broadcast. There was a reporter in white shirt talking about the aftermath of the game to a camera and the crowd was screaming behind him. I stood to the left of the reporter and I didn't think I would be seen because there were hands everywhere! The other production guys were like, Don't push! because the crowd was getting a bit rowdy but I guess they knew it was just because of the excitement and happiness and not anything bad at all, like let's say, of wanting to kill the reporter by suffocation.
I'm going to say something cheesy, but yes, win or lose, it's the school [I] choose. Even though I learned that my school ranked 451 in a 2007 survey for the world university rankings, it doesn't have much of a bearing to me. I know it's just a basketball game, this championship thing, but it makes me look back at what kind of education I've had in the Ateneo. I may not have been a very good student, but I know the Ateneo has taught me well, especially with honesty, generosity and faith. Thank you, Ateneo, you've made my school spirit come alive again. I've missed it very much.
Update: I've learned that the victory bonfire will be on September 30, which is a Tuesday. Bonfire is at 7:00 PM so perhaps the mass at the Church of the Gesu will be at 6:00 PM. See you there, Ateneans!!!
