Results tagged “Tiongson” from Hawk Talk - Christian

For the past few days, I have been thinking about my final HawkTalk post for UMass Lowell.  Many questions, such as "What should I say?" and "How should I say it?" filled my head.  With these questions, other thoughts and flashbacks floated in my mind.  I thought about the main purpose of this blog, and my purpose in life.  I thought about my four tremendous years at UMass Lowell and my future.  I thought about my family, my friends, my colleagues, my baseball players, and others who I have interacted with.  I thought about the world we live in - all the good and all the bad.  All of this floated in my head like a crib's hanging mobile.  I'm like the infant lying there, still new to the world around me, looking over the bright objects floating above my head; all I had to do is grab one thing.  So, what should I write about?  What should I grab from this mobile that continues to spin around in a rhythmic matter?

Last night I looked at my mirror and saw a different person.  Who is that person? Who was he four years ago?  Was he a person who was just fresh out of high school?  A naive young man who wanted a girlfriend, has a lot of friends, and just hangs out a lot?  A person who wants a job and make a lot of money?  A person who doesn't know what to do with his life?  A person with no purpose?   I can tell you this:  he was all of that before and now he is someone else.  This person I see in the mirror wants to make a difference in the world, someone who wants to change people's lives for the better, a person who can make goals and aim higher to achieve them.  This person has a set of skills with a vast and vivid knowledge that continues to grow, a gentleman-type of professionalism, and a drive to live that cannot be destroyed.  This person has a caring and loving heart that is bigger than he knows and a personality that will build bridges, not walls.  This person has a purpose in life.  Humbly, this person is me, Christian.

And who should I thank for helping me become a better person and a worthy "top-of-the-line" contributor to society?  I have to thank the University of Massachusetts Lowell, my alma mater.  I have to thank my professors, their teacher aides, the deans, the Chancellor and the administration, the rest of the staff, my blog supervisor, and my blog co-workers.  Most of all, I have to thank my friends and my classmates, who stuck by me through the thick and thin.  Everyone here at the UMass Lowell has taught me many things from the topics set within my major to essential lessons about life.  They have taught me that knowledge does not end at the last page of the textbook; everything around you is a "teachable moment" and a life-worthy learning experience.  With these lessons, I took on UMass Lowell's challenge.  They challenged me to be the best that I can be.  They challenged me to work hard to reach my goals, and to fight in what I believe in.  They challenged me to make a change and to make a difference in the world that we live in.  I can be I am proud to say that I took on the challenge and succeeded; now I'm an UMass Lowell alumnus.   

So can you take on the challenge?  Can you change the person that you are now?  Can you make positive changes?  Can you make a difference?  If you are up for the challenge, UMass Lowell is your answer to overcome that challenge "plus ultra."  You "Gotta Be Here," plain and simple.  This is where dreams are made and met, and where life truly begins.  I can honestly tell you that I am happy with my decision to go to UMass Lowell four years ago.  It was one of the best decisions in my life and I hope it is yours too.

Now I leave you all with this quote:

"We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make."
- Ted Kennedy (1962-2009)



See you later and thank you,
Christian T.
UML Exercise Physiology Class of 2009

 
 

    

It's finally a new year
And I'm ready to start over again with
A new, clean piece of lined paper.
I'm holding a "clicky" pen
That contains 4 colors
black
blue
red
and green;
I'm not a monochromatic individual,
you know?
I like to add color to my story,
so that means I'm not
that boring person who makes
everything restricted and boring.

You know what?

Let's bring in
the watercolors,
pastels,
colored pencils,
and even the crayons.
Let's make this story creative,
adventurous,
and worthwhile -
let's add all the mediums
into this work.

Remember, this is the
whitest piece of paper -
no dirt,
no smudges,
no flaws, nothing.

It's clean.
It's mine
and I have the ability
to create a picture
so unique
that no one will ever
recreate it. 

That is what
the new year is to me -
a work of art. 
A piece that is
so elaborate,
yet abstract -
a piece that contains
a deep meaning,
yet is so simple -
a piece that is
established through
a single first person
perspective, yet
can be viewed
through the eyes of
everyone.
It's my work of art
and I'm going to
share it with you.

Here's to 2008 2009.

- Christian J. Tiongson



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I still promise to continue my Winter Fun blogs - just a little break from formalized casual writing (if that makes sense).  Plus, I was in a poem making kind of mood.  Happy New Year! - CT