This was a great day. I cannot say anymore how grateful I am that this day turned out to be so nice. My enrollment which used to be the worst thing that a student should undertake to move on to another semester is now faster. And after paying my tuition, watching the film of the greatest entertainer of all, Michael Jackson, really made my day.

After receiving messages from some of my classmates that they were able to enroll earlier than the scheduled two in the afternoon, I immediately went my way to school. Arriving at the seminary gymnasium of UST, where enrolment always takes place, I saw no more long lines of student that I experience in the past. I just walked in and assessed my subjects. Then after assessing, I went to pay my tuition fee which is relatively lower than the previous years. Afterwards, I went on to the encoding section and got the second semester sticker attached to my school ID.

Well, there are several reasons that I think of why this had happened. First, I’m in a higher year now and our enrolment schedule is different from the lower years so no cluttering like sardines. Also, given this situation, processing my documents is a lot faster since we don’t have PE subjects anymore. Next would be because of the new online enrollment system implemented just this semester. Students were able to have a hassle free enrollment in the comfort of their own homes just by a click of a button. They can pay their tuition using their BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) accounts online through BPI express online. The cool thing about paying through BPI is that the usual credit limit will triple because of BPI’s Back to School Promo/S.I.P. in Schools. If you want to know more about this online enrolment system, click here.

Following my quick enrollment, I met with my classmate Thorn to discuss our plans of making a video blog for him. He has a lot of potential as he is funny and spontaneous. What’s cooler than that, he’s bald! In the Philippines, there’s a saying that only bald people could slap out good jokes. Nevertheless, it’s just crap. Moving on, he was so excited as he blurt out that he had sleepless nights this sembreak because of his ideas for his video blog. He even called me ‘manager’ for God’s sake! Anyway, I’ll be busy this week so that ‘vlog’ (video blog) of him wouldn’t hit the airwaves just soon.

I have this habit (tradition, whatever you call it) that when the semester starts, I treat myself by watching a film and eating out. Though the ‘eat out’ part is not bearable by my current allowance, I went on to watch ‘This Is It’. It was a film compilation of some sort of the last rehearsals for the This Is It concert of the late Michael Jackson which was supposed to be held at the London O2 Arena. Though I was not a Michael Jackson fan before his death last June, I know his songs (which I thought that were original songs of its revivers) and love the way he sings them and dances to their beat. He was just a perfect entertainer as he encompasses discipline and hard work which you could see in his performances. Above all, with this fame around him, according to his fans and closest friends, he remained very humble and down to earth.

The film started with the interviews of the dancers and singers with how they feel to be on the same stage performing along the ‘King of Pop’. Some of them cried and others were just so happy. I was then surprised when they showed the real auditions where I think hundred people or so performing at the same time on stage while Michael and the film’s director Kenny Ortega chooses who will be the concert’s main dancers. Surprisingly, they got a set from the huge crowd though I think all of them were great. Then they started to show the real rehearsals. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” was shown first then other hits followed. They showed how Michael perceived the special effects like in the “Earth Song” were a tractor was supposed to be on stage to wrap it up. “Thriller” however, was given a more 2009 effect but still had what made it top the charts back in the 80s. They also showed the special effects on how they multiply 8 or more persons to a thousand in the song “They Don’t Care about Us”. “Smooth Criminal” however, turned to the more vintage appeals of Chicago, just like the original music video. I also loved when he sang “Billie Jean” and made his signature move over that song. “Man in the Mirror” was also featured in the film and it is one of my favorite songs of Michael. The film ended with Michael’s song “This Is It”.

Throughout the film, I saw Michael’s dedication. He is a genius and very hands-on as professed in the film. He gave out critique to his co-performers on how to improve but made a point to make them laugh. I think, though how other perceived him these past years, his songs and he could never be replaced for a long time or even a lifetime. If only he went on to this concert, the world should’ve seen yet another achievement of a man who knows that only love could heal the world.

This was a great day indeed. I got inspired to be better in whatever I’m doing, or more so, the best. I saw a man who spent his lifetime on making great music and inspiring people through the message of his songs. Now, I would start this semester inspired and motivated to do my best. And now I know for a fact that ‘Love Lives Forever’.