Yesterday marked the beginning of the UP Centennial celebrations, and it was a blast.
No, it was crazy! If you don’t have enough heart—and I mean both the love of UP and the will to wade through the crowd—you wouldn’t enjoy it as much. It’s easy for students and alumni who have been harassed by the pressures of college life to undervalue UP, but as someone who has lived and breathed the UP culture and excellence even before I officially studied there, UP will always be one of the most important things in my life.
No other university deserves the grandest and most meaningful of celebrations except the University of the Philippines. Happy Centennial UP! Let’s celebrate with some pictures!
Spotted some UP Golden Jubilarians while waiting for the parade to start. Wish I had a close-up with the 100-year-old torchbearer!
The first float in the motorcade, which made its way from UP Manila and was joined by contingents from all other UP campuses throughout the Philippines.
Here’s UP Pampanga. The cardboard sign says “Diliman Bound Do Not Delay”!
Helicopter showering us with balloons and confetti.
Just one group of the many UP Diliman College of Fine Arts lanterns from the 2007 Lantern Parade.
Skydivers bearing celebratory banners. I am so making this my wallpaper.
The dancing Oble “sculpture”, part of another FA lantern.
View of the Oblation Plaza from the second floor of Quezon Hall.
Lighting of the cauldron by the 100th torchbearer, President Emerlinda Roman. That’s one of 4 LCD projected screens in the University Avenue. UP @ 100 lights on top of Quezon Hall are also lit up and the Centennial Celebration is declared open.
Northeast quadrant of the amphitheater crowd during the concert. The banner reads “Serve The People”. Kudos to the people who held that up the whole night.
Choirs and orchestras performing from all regions of Quezon Hall. How many conductors were there?
The UP Pep Squad performing for the nth time today!
Ryan Cayabyab performing Salamat sa ‘Yo UP, the first stanza of which is 99% literally true in my case!
Sa ‘yo UP maraming salamat
Ikaw na aking tahanan
Mula sa aking pagkamulat
Hanggang sa aking huling hininga
Fists raised and pumping in the air while singing UP Naming Mahal. Also for the nth time, but the solemnity of our school hymn never left the air.
Fireworks!!! (I can’t believe I took photos that actually look like fireworks!) Thirty minutes was over before we knew it!
I really love the color of these fireworks. Can’t you tell they’re my favorite? The heart-shaped and planet-shaped ones are runners-up. Those impressed me too as I haven’t seen them before.
UP @ 100 and the cauldron.
We had to wait in line to go up the steps and take pictures! (Salamat Miss Bebang sa pagkuha!)
That’s hot.
UP Ang Galing Mo! Download the song now!
Shoutouts to Minik (have a safe trip to and an interesting life in Singapore!), Jonas (I was yelling at you but you didn’t see me!), Ish, Sir Paolo, Miss Bebang, Arbie, and Kuya Harv!
Still can’t get enough? More UP Centennial Kick-Off pics here!
Happy new year to everyone!
ang cooool…. i wish i were there…
i was there.. gosh, parang kanina lng un ah.. the experience was really awesome, especially the fireworks display, astig.. and the UP ang galing mo song, nkkLSS!
Sir Paolo was there? Shetz I didn’t see him.
Love your pics! I also loved the smiley fireworks which we saw from afar. Too bad we were always at a distance. Heh.
Tweety: Sayang!!!
Zil: Yes. Awesome. Such a sweet year this is going to be.
JM: We bumped into him before the cauldron was lit, haha! Man, I keep getting depressed about my camera but that day it totally delivered! Now I’m a grateful kid. :)
wahhh ang saya!!! sana nakapunta din ako
Salamat sa pictures. May kinikilig na nakita niya kayo ni Kimpo nung araw na yun. Hahaha.
Lolo nga pala ni Lani yung 100 year old lolo.
Ken: Naku ikaw rin? Dapat talaga holiday yun e, tutal declared year of UP Centennial ang 2008!
Quel: Hmm, sino? :P Talaga, si Lani? Small world!
*goosebumps*
I really wish I was there to be part of UP’s centennial celeb. May class lang ako sa Manila. I also love your skydiver pics. =)
Cathy: Sabi nga namin sa friends naming taga-UPM, dapat sumabay na lang sila sa motorcade! Pero hassle talaga lalo na pag Med ka na. :) I have more skydiver pics but I didn’t want to be repetitive. I’ll probably post it in Flickr—I am so tempted to pay for a PRO account already!
nice pics…i love the pic of Quezon Hall from the ampitheatre. that building is just sooo grand. maybe bec. of the columns. hehe :D
anyhow, 2 days after and i’m still euphoric. it was so nice to go back to the place i call home.
Maligayang Sentenaryo sa inyo mga kapwa ko Isko.
Ayos ang pics! Buti na lang UP ako! Nyahahaha.
P.S. Ginamit ko po yung isang pic, ili- link back ko na lang po dito (siyempre iki-credit din). Wala kasi akong pic ng Fireworks…
F.Ryan: Yeah, it’s such a beautiful building. (Kasama na rin ang Palma Hall at Melchor Hall.) Maligayang Sentenaryo rin sa inyong lahat!
Earvin: Sige, pero sigurado akong may ibang mga tao na mas matino ang pics ng fireworks!
waah!!! ia, sorry! hindi ko kayo narinig! :)
nasanay na that time yung tenga ko sa UP! Ang Galing Mo! theme song eh.
sana pala gumawa rin ako ng eksena sa scaffolding. wahaha.
ang ganda ng pics ng fireworks. pwdng pagrab? promise to give you credits…
ok lang din kahit hindi:)
Salamat salamat. Na-credit ko na at na-link back ang site na to para sa picture ng fireworks. Eh ang ganda kasi ng pic na yan eh (yung fireworks). Hehehe. Salamat uli.
cool! sana naka punta kami!
ia!!!!!
olah!!!!
ala lang. this is my first chance to go online and check-out people’s blogs since i got back. sad, sad life, i tell ya.
i have photos of the fireworks from a different angle. and for the first time, mukha rin silang fireworks! hahahah.
alrighty then, i’ll try to visit your site often. gotta go back to work! unfortunately, i don’t work from home… huhuhuuhu. take care!
Jonas: Oo nga! Sarap ng view dun!
Jodee: Use it well!
Earvin: Welcome!
Emmanuel: Oo! At sana may DVD na ibenta, kahit man lang ng mga kantang tinugtog nung araw na yun. :)
Minik: Hello!!! Good luck sa work. :) Ingat lagi!
Building fetish.
Tignan mo naman sila kung magsipitagan sa likod ng paghihirap ng mga trabahador at ang buong sambayanang nagbabayad ng buwis para mapakapagaral ang mga anak nila. Masdan mo sila habang kinukubkob ang isang pampublikong institusyon para sa kanilang petti burgesyang kabulastugan.
Anong klase nga naman tong uri ng kakapalan ng putang inang mukha na ipagpalit ang buong kapakanan ng bansang sumusustento sa inyo para sa isang gusali !!! Yan ba pinagpipyestahan ninyo rito ?!?
MAS MASAHOL PA KAYO SA MGA CONO !!!!!!
At least sila, bagaman mga bobong ungas, asal-dayuhan, at mapang-api sa kapwa, wala silang pananagutan sa sinuman kundi sa sarili nilang bulsa. Kayo , dinadale ninyo ang isang PAMPUBLIKONG imprastraktura. UP ang Galing ‘ ng INA NINYO !!!!!