I think I got my motivation back

Just before he sang "Bitiw", Yael of Spongecola thanked UP for being such a wonderful audience yearly during UP Fair and praised it for having the cream of the crop populate its student body. He was rooting for us, Iskolars., and I'm really grateful for it. It wasn't their songs that tugged at my heartstrings in particular; the little anecdote he shared to us about a conversation between him and his mother did.

Mom: Anak, galingan mo ha? [Son, do your best, ok?]
Yael: Oo naman! [Of course!]

It was something as simple as that that moved something critical inside me. That short exchange drove the point further that doing anything at the best of our strength is expected. It should come second nature, be it in studying for an exam or performing on stage. There's no way to go but up. The fact that UP students are supposed to be the best in the country makes it even a challenge. It's true that he probably did not mean to throw out an effective inspirational message when he's having a concert on a school night.

Last night, my friends and I went to Roots 2014, one of the concert nights of this year's week-long UP Fair. I didn't expect it, but the impact is great. It's as if this tiny spark of motivation in me came back to life, just a tiny bit. Let's just hope these are not merely empty words.