MANILA, Philippines?I bought a new pair of pumps the other day. Pretty black stiletto pumps that look really amazing on my feet.

These shoes will take me places the moment I leave college. I know these shoes will do me good.

For many years now, sneakers and flip-flops have been the constants in my wardrobe. Every day it?s been shirts, jeans and sneakers. Going to school is all about comfort.

But I?m graduating now and that means going out of my comfort zone. How I dress must reflect that change.

Graduation is such a scary thing for me. I?m about to enter the real world, with no teachers and professors to save me.

No more allowance from my parents, and going out to party would now mean saving up for it. All these things that my sheltered self never paid attention to.

Now I have to focus on getting myself set up in life. Which will definitely be harder than asking mom and dad for a ?raise.?

I will have to tough it out. Leave my childhood behind and face this new challenge called adulthood. I can?t cram papers now and hope I?d gotten enough of the basics down to get me a good grade.

When I get a job, my performance must be spectacular, because it won?t be just me on the line but everyone else working with me. No more late nights, and days will start 7 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.

The only vacation I will have is Holy Week, and the Education Department won?t declare my work day cancelled because of a storm (although I?m still holding out hope for that one).

No, this time I will have to change. College has prepared me for some of the challenges. It has made me realize that not everything goes my way. But it also showed me that I have to work hard to be the best.

I will miss my friends in school, they who understand why certain days are wrinkly shirt days and certain others are short skirt and tank-top days. They make bitchy comments about my shirt, and I don?t take it badly.

Office gossip, they say, can be more vicious than campus talk.

My wardrobe, my disposition, my life will change. But this doesn?t mean I should completely change.

The things I?d faced in 18 years of formal education were supposed to make me see the best and worst things about me. It?s supposed to show me which qualities I could keep and which ones I should maybe polish a little.

But, all in all, I am excited. This is a whole new thing for me. Something challenging but also scary.

This year will be much different from any other year in my life. I?m ready to take the challenge. My shiny new pumps and me, we?re going to go a long way.