Veredictum Under PRESSure By Monique Ann A.

Tiongco The lyrics just kept lingering on my head, Someday well know if love can move the mountains. Someday well know why the sky is blue... but one day Ill know that I am indeed meant for you. The Dawn, who has been my second home for almost three sacrificial yet surviving years, answered such doubts and queries on my head. It would be a big lie if I say that such stay was so peaceful, pleasant and perfect. Take it from me. I almost saw myself being dragged to a place I never imagined Id be UE. Ah yes. You might have read my previous columns promoting school pride, encouraging our very own Red tribe and all but, honestly, behind those lofty talks and chit-chats, like anybody else, I was once a culprit of denying my own alma mater. But hey, who would ever think that Ill end up serving Lualhati? Ooze with that trueblooded Warrior spirit? Brim with that red-and-white pride? As Leo Tolstoy said, If you want to be happy, be. Statements like, There cannot be another crisis next week, My schedule is so full, How about today? just fit how pressworks define a Dawners way of life. It is a word linked to writers like us but indeed do not spell happiness to others. Despite our critics and detractors, I never regretted my stay neither with the Dawn nor at this University. It is ones choice that shows what he truly is, far more than any ambition. Anyone can be evil by choice and see things cynically. Do remember: If its good, then it is wonderful. If its bad, it is experience. Darkness is relentless. Even in anybodys life, it normally comes to test an individual. Likewise, it actually should exist for the dawn to come. Pressured, I guess. Or maybe, sleep-deprived and stressed, I simply live by never giving up on something that I cannot go on a day without thinking about. There can never be any other first rate version of myself than my own. I would rather choose to be the best me than be a second rate version of somebody else. People who walk in anothers tracks leave no footprints at all. In life, I hang on to this principle by heart:

First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Second, prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst. The lyrics just kept lingering on my head, Someday well know if love can move the mountains. Someday well know why the sky is blue. but one day Ill know that I am indeed meant for you. *** If JV Casio is The Kid, Paul Lee is indeed The Man. Former UE prolific scoring guard Lee once more captured the crowd when he topped a great rookie debut game with 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds as Rain or Shine survived Ginebra. Under the leadership of Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao, Lee exposed notable feat despite of his being a rookie lading Guiao speechless and hopeful for their smart detour to this years PBA Finals. Despite being the second overall PBA Rookie Draft pick, Lee managed to steal the spotlight when he professed the genuine Warriors play on court, no second best performance and no timid aura. His impressive play just stunned the odds as press and analysts increasingly claim that the Former King Warrior is the next Mark Caguioa on the hardball action. Though once caught donning with the Red Warriors, Lee pushed through another path this year. Many may have looked forward for this man to gun for our own team in the UAAP but Lee preferred to endure his future years in the pros. Having a dynamic combination with Guiao, Lee is expected to thrive and not wither from his astonishing start as he pursues his dreams in the countrys league-leading basketball game. Indeed, stalwarts like Lee, Yap, Custodio, Borboran, to mention a few, have proved their own fair share of exposures not only in the collegiate scene but also in the pros. With the rise of the Lee-thals era in the PBA, this 22 year old playmaker is certainly expected to excel more as The Kid who inspires people with his moves and The Man who amazes rivals with his feats.