Hindi maipaliwanag ni Karina pero halos lumuwa na ang puso niya sa kaba nang lumapit sa kanya si Ms. Bumrit. Kahit na nakangiti ito sa kanya, tense na tense pa rin siya. Pinagpapawisan ng malamig. Tagaktagak ang gabutil na pawis mula sa noo niya. She wiped it off quickly. "Good morning, Ms. Bumrit!" she greeted her. "Congratulations, Ms. de Joseph. Since day one, I was watching you. And your improvements are really superb. I can see how you were so eager to improve your style. Very impressive. And I guess, you really are deserving to be chosen from out of the whole cosmetology students.", Bungad ni Ms. Bumrit sa kanya.Her worries faded away. Parang tinangay ng hangin dahil sa mga sinabi ng guro niya. Grabe, hindi niya akalain. Hindi siya makapaniwala na maririnig niya 'yon sa mismong instructor nila ngayon. Puring-puri siya nito. Hindi pa rin mag-sink in sa isip niya na nagawa niya 'to. That she come this far. Parang panaginip. Parang kailan lang, pinapanga

"Come with me. There are people waiting for you in the dining area, Karina." Utos ni Mr. Tao.Kahit nag-aalangan ay sumunod siya.Sino naman kaya ang naghihintay sa 'kin?And when they reached the dining area, then she realized who was waiting for her. There is a smile in all of their faces. Welcoming her—Mr. Tao's family. Her Mom, Dad, and Grand father.Gustong maluha ni Karina. It's a perfect family. Pakiramdam niya, nakumpleto siyang bigla. Hindi niya naiwasang maalala ang ama't ina niya. Ganito rin sana ang bungad ng mga ito sa kanya bago siya umalis. "O, bakit ka umiiyak, hija?" tanong ng Mommy ni Mr. Tao.Napakapa si Karina sa kanyang pisngi. Umiiyak na nga siyang talaga. "A-Ah, sorry po! Wala po 'to. Huwag po ninyong isipin.""Take a seat," utos ng Daddy ni Mr. Tao.Inalalayan siya ni Mr. Tao para makaupo.Sa mahabang mesa na 'yon, lima silang magkakaharap. "You see? Your son's girl friend is really pretty." Papuri ng lolo ni Mr. Ta

Malungkot na nakangiti si Karina na humarap kay Mr. Tao. Nakangiti rin ang binata sa kanya pero halatang malungkot ang mga mata nito.   “Mr. Tao. . .” she uttered. “Don’t think of me, Karina. Masaya akong naging parte ako ng pag-abot mo sa mga pangarap mo. I wish you good luck on your journey,” nakangiti nitong sagot. “Salamat, Mr. Tao. Ang dami mong naitulong sa akin. Kahit kailan, hindi ko naramdaman na nag-iisa ako. Babalik ako, Mr. Tao. Magkikita pa tayo after a month. See you, pero sa ngayon, good bye na muna.”   This is maybe another sad story for both Karina and Mr. Tao, pero ano pa nga ba ang magagawa nila? Labanan na ito ng mga pangarap. Dreams come first. Tutal, wala naman ding saysay kapag managinip pa rin siya hanggang ngayon na babalik si Winston sa kanya. Isa na iyong malabong pangarap. Blurry, and out of sight.   Karina finally turned her back. . . .   “Can I hug you fo

Nag-roll call pa muna si Ms. Elisse ang founder ng Elisse and Company na siyang unang nagtayo ng kompanya nila. This started a sole proprietor kind of company, until she dreamed big to make it a bigger enterprise. “You know, guys, before I have stood right here in your front as a successful person, who founded Elisse and Company elite organization of make up artist, my life was like a cinderella. That time, I thought life is a bit unfair, I thought, the world is only kind for the rich people and  cruel for the poor. But you know, as I grew up, I started to realize that life isn’t the way I was thinking. Because, the world will never be kind to you if you will not learn to survive and go along in its challenges. Oh, my gosh, I shouldn’t be so dramatic. This is supposed to be an introductory speech, but it turned out to be something inspirational. Haha! Kidding aside, I want to welcome everyone from rich and poor universities around the world I want to give you a free wor

“Sorry to interrupt, everyone.” Bungad ni Ms. Elisse.Maya-maya pa ay lumapit na si Ms Bumrit sa lounge nina Karina para kamustahin ang mga ito.“Ms. Bumrit!” anilang tatlo.“Su-Wei, Karina, prepare please. Your scores were tied. Ms. Elisse needs to break it by judging the two of you again and I think, the reason why she went up on the stage is to announce it.”Shock na napatingin sina Su-Wei at Karina sa isa’t isa. Parehas silang kabado, at parehas pa sila ng score! Nanlamig lalo ang kamay ni Karina na napahawak sa kamay ni Su-Wei.“I am proud of you, Su-Wei. No matter what the results will be, we are one.” Ani Karina.“I would like to call on these two ladies from Kaohsiung University who garnered the same average on their work shop. As told awhile ago, if ever there are tied scores, I will be the one to break it and choose one.” Anunsyo nito.“Come on, girls. S