During days and weeks of academic hell
This is probably my hardest sem yet. And I mean that in different levels – testing me here and there every freakin day. It’s still baffling how I have mustered that much strength to bring me to this point – October 7, my sister’s birthday (no connection whatsoever) with only 5 more days till sembreak freedom. I’ve been wishing for some sort of time-off and recluse ever since this sem started. Now that it’s almost here, I can’t wait. Of course, just before that, hell arrives.
Last week was the hell week of all hell weeks in my entire Ateneo life. To my horror, I had to endure consecutive, caffeine-induced all-nighters. And I never liked any of those. It was a good thing I had the company of my group mates. My hell day of all hell days with 3 crucial, do-or-die group reports culminated last Thursday. How did it all go? Let’s just say I’m just glad it’s over. I received positive feedbacks from all, so I’m happy.
Last Tuesday, I had my last COC7 meeting with the girls and the Candy editors at Icebergs, Galleria. It was a joy seeing my co-council mates, who have become my good friends during my entire experience. It was a bittersweet meeting that ended with a lot of cam-whoring and messages. I shall miss everything about being a part of Candy. Hopefully it won’t be the last.
Despite having to attend my Philo Final Orals (that I feel like I have screwed) the following day, I went to the Little Prince Concert with my friends. It was a benefit concert for our teacher, Mr. Abodilles, who is in dire need of a kidney transplant. It’s amazing how Augustinians can pull off a huge concert in a span of 2 weeks. Ang galing. Iba na talaga pag nasa kolehiyo.
Adjusted, but not so
I can’t believe that the next weekend is already the start of September! A few more crazy hellish months and I’m off to sembreak haven!
It’s amazing how adjusted I am being in my junior year now. Prior to stepping into Ateneo and experiencing being in the midst of the infamous hell week, you wouldn’t see me pulling all-nighters, cramming papers or studying till the wee hours of the morning. Not that I was a slacker (hardly). I just couldn’t find myself doing all those. Nothing was worth foregoing my beauty sleep.
Slowly, after terror profs, endless groupworks and unthinkable research/paper work, I’ve adjusted my body clock and have learned to make full use of God’s 24 hours a day. Tama ata ang mga magulang ko, abusado talaga ang mga katawan ng kabataan ngayon. Of course, I still don’t think it gets any easier. I may be used to the system, but the workload still gets even more challenging every time. Pagod na ako magreklamo. I do what I can, and I try to do it well. Unfortunately, I tend to be a perfectionist at times (especially with my papers!) and it can get frustrating. Slow and steady… that’s my paper mantra! Kahit na umaabot ng ilang araw, sige lang.
Of course, I couldn’t let my long weekend go to waste without some kind of social life. Ha. Reunions with my closest High School best friends are treasured moments. Last Saturday was the despidida of one of my closest friends, Sarah. She’s leaving for Korea the following day for Ateneo’s JTA Program, and won’t be coming back here till the last week of December. Together with my other best friends: Jaz, Audrey and Dan, we went to the mall, watched a movie, and then proceeded to Sarah’s house for a dinner party. (Hahahaha. Mukha akong baliw sa ibang picture.)
On the side: I just have to say that Hairspray was awesome! It...
Of Welcoming the New Month and COC Love
Birthday month. Yay. Finally. The emotional baggage I’ve carried out the past month has been way too difficult for words. Everyday suddenly becomes a struggle. One day allows me to feel the intensity of a whole spectrum of emotions. I find myself just beyond exhausted.
I’ve been trying so hard to be in control, but I realized that once again, as the ‘feeling’ person that I am, I have allowed things to go beyond my control and affect me intensely. Nabubulabog talaga ako. There were so many days when ‘looking at the bright side’ means nothing. This is for the sole reason that I couldn’t find anything positive at all. Yaaak. Ang drama. Emo to the nth level. But I’ve been way to vulnerable lately that everything just triggers an emotional breakdown of sorts.
And this also includes my freakin acads. Kadalasan, sinisigurado ko na hindi ito maapektuhan. Pero ang hirap. Nagkakataon na laging may test o exam sa susunod na araw. Haaay. Nakakaiyak. The reality that I screwed up an important paper truly took its toll.
Fortunately, the start of this month promised a renewed outlook, a fresh perspective and a yearning for only the positive. This is me trying hard to get past all my relapses and emotional blows. Last Friday, I had my routine guidance interview. Even if I didn’t expect myself to start opening up, I eventually did. And it felt good. Hearing someone give me advice from that point of view is refreshing. The time I spent there was both uplifting and inspiring. To find a pace for myself amidst all this is still probably going to be a challenge and struggle for me, but at least the road to get there isn’t as tainted as before. Channeling all the pent-up negative energy is going to be crucial. Haaay. Pray for me.
And because I’ve been a sentimental schmuck lately, a recent purchase of Candy (August 2007) issue was enough to make me...
Recovering from the summer blogging slump
It seems like I’ve been on some kind of blogging slump. Mostly because summer permits me to actually have some time not to just waste solely on the internet. I still end up browsing for a bit though, especially when insomnia hits past midnight. Oh what should I do??? Regardless of a terribly exhausting day or not, I still end up like the nocturnal person I don’t want to get used to be.
Shush. The things that bother me during summer time. Sweet.
A few days ago, my fabulous Candy Council of Cool 7 friends met up for a meeting in Greenbelt. Our brainstorming session went rather well, and we were able to come up with lots of good ideas. In between all the Candy-related business, we ended up having so much fun by just catching up, sharing, talking, laughing and making jokes. I’m so thankful I was given this chance to be a part of Candy magazine, meet the fabulous editors and work with these beautiful girls. Despite age, batch, school, and even personality differences, we all had something to share and contribute. To put it simply: I’m having a great time. I love them. Here’s a group picture below. Sadly, Anj wasn’t able to join us. We all missed you, Anj!
The American Idol Gives Back concert is on right now, while I’m making this part of the blog entry. At this point, Annie Lenox is singing Bridge Over Troubled Water. Can I just say she’s amazing? Actually, all the performances are spectacular, and the star-studded charity event is unbelievable. Grrrabe. I find myself a bit teary-eyed from all the footages of the damning problem that plagues Africa and even the youth of Africa. It’s just so moving. The urge to make a difference tugs my heartstrings.
Bono. American Prayer. Argh. It’s official...
Of my French orals and being weekend-less once again
Last night (a Friday evening to note too), I was up very late to finish all the transcriptions for our POS53 Fieldwork report due Monday. It was a pain, and a total struggle. But thankfully, I finished it. It really didn’t feel like a Friday because I barely did anything else. I didn’t even have the chance to turn on the television!
Today, I woke up earlier than my usual Saturday wake-up time (without the joys of going to NSTP so early…) and tried to fix more POS53 stuff for our meeting later. There are so many things I have to accomplish by this weekend.
To enlighten you and possibly serve as my own reality check, this checklist could be helpful:
- POS 53 Field Work Report due Monday.
- POS 53 Research Proposal due Friday.
- Psych Long Test on Tuesday.
- Sci10 Orals on Tuesday.
- French Album due Monday.
Heavy, dudes. The first two ones are killer already. I have mapped out all the hours of my weekend. My time-management skills can’t betray me now. The only constant thought that resonates through my head are the nearing days of Summer. Oh gosh. The piercing heat while walking to my next classes over in the Ateneo is horrible. I feel it. I feeeeeel it!
Yesterday, I also had my French orals. It was one heck of an experience! I say this because once I got there and picked my dialogue situation, the secretary told me that I don’t have any partner! Sacre bleu! I was super nervous. I went in and the lady teacher told me I had to do a monologue. I was like… Moi? Deux personnes? C’est possible? She agreed, and so forth my schizophrenic 10-minute monologue about going to the museum. In fairness, I trusted my theatric skills! Haha. I found myself incorporating several voices to distinguish one from the other. Oh gosh… it was hilarious! Fortunately, I managed to prolong the conversation by being three different people: myself, my...
Get my 
