Written by Aaron Ernest Ang and Edited by Joel Lim
Photo header by Jerry Feng
After the devastating post-New Year breakup season; love, “landian”, and PDA is back on campus and it’s here to stay! Why? It’s the love month February, and with it, Valentines’ Day!
Celadon Rose Sale is an annual three-day event that sells stuff toys, flowers, and non-helium heart balloons to spread the love on campus. Held at the Doghouse in front of Gonzaga from February 12-14, 2018, students can pay for a gift and have it delivered (for free) to their crush or friend’s classroom! This year, after much thought and consultation with professors, the event’s project heads Lance Lim and Almira Uy were able to develop a highly efficient delivery system that relies on volunteer Cupids – the worker bees of the operation. With hard work and cooperation, the volunteers didn’t just spread love out to the campus; they also learned to internalize it within their teams and build lasting friendships.
For most Ateneans, watching their crush walk by with their gift given via an anonymous Cupid is enough. But for the brave ones and those in relationships, there’s the option to pay, pick up, and deliver the item directly! It also helps that on the first bell before every class, scores of Cupids are rushing about the classrooms holding loads of Valentines’ merchandise.
Rose Sale proved that adorable stuffed pandas are always a good idea! They were a success, and the core team was very happy that it took off since it was Celadon’s Chinese take on the conventional Valentines’ Day Sale.
To promote the event, several core team members produced a “kilig-inducing” promotional video. The video was shot by Jerry Feng who feels very fortunate that he was able to capture so much love before and during Rose Sale. It featured Silhouette Search’s Bea Arboleda and Miguel Torres as onscreen lovers, as well as Aaron Ang, Arielle Ang and Patricia Jose in supporting roles.
When asked if whether Rose Sale achieved its goal or not, core team member Chynna Sta. Ines believes so, “’Cause I know a lot of people were happy to receive gifts and give gifts to people.” Being one of the lucky girls to receive a bouquet worth P500, she adds, “I learned that it takes group effort for any project to be successful. We showed that during the event!”
Project heads Lance Lim and Almira Uy undoubtedly were the ones who grew the most throughout the project. From late nights conceptualizing themes to planning presentations and consulting professors, they are definitely the happiest to know Rose Sale was a success.
Uy is thankful for her core team members and volunteers, saying, “I learned how valuable people are. Ultimately, what made the project successful is the team of people behind it. The project wouldn’t bear fruit had Lance and I been at it alone. We are very grateful to all core team members, volunteers, and everyone who was there in the booth helping out. Rose Sale wouldn’t have been fruitful without them.”
“Leading this project has got to be one of my college life highlights. I have been privileged to work with an amazing core team and a supportive set of EBs. This project made me realize that soft skills really make a team work well together,” reflected Lim, another project head. He believes that no matter how good the project heads are in terms of technical skills, if they don’t know how to relate with the members of their team, then the project would only be all business and no lasting relationships would be established.
When asked what struck him the most, he beams with excitement: “It’s amazing how people who didn’t know each other in the beginning eventually clicked and became close in the end in just a few months. Even though we had failures in the project, there were no regrettable moments for me since everything was a learning experience.”
Although Rose Sale happens only once a year, why not show your love to people every day? After all, “It’s now or never.”
For more information about Rose Sale, check out their Facebook page!
Check out moments from Rose Sales of previous years:
