Jurassic Park.
Kasinungalingan.
RH 231 CAS UP Manila
At sinong taga-UP ang hindi kumakain sa classroom?
…and this is how our professor presents our homework for next meeting.
Sir. Jireh Espinosa
My first year of college is done. It was on hell of a rollercoaster ride. If I were to assess it, I’d say that I really need to get my act together. I had awesome grades, okay grades and not so good grades. Basically, my academic performance was so-so. Maybe I was caught up with too many distractions… and the fact that I was adjusting during those times. I don’t know.
Because of this, I am making my ten commandments for my sophomore year. This will help me improve my performance next semester… and the semesters after that, and finally be able to reach my goal of uno’s and CS/US standing. :) Also, this’ll help me become a better student, physically, mentally and emotionally.
- Thou shall focus very well during class discussions. I will stop myself from getting distracted by random things during class (e.g. cellphone, chatting with seatmate, reading vandalism, looking out of the window, etc.). That way, I could concentrate in listening and understanding what the professor says. In studying, we can’t just merely rely on books and handouts. We really have to absorb, understand and take down what the teacher says and/or writes on the board. They’ll be supplementary materials for studying.
- Thou shall decrease time spent on social networking sites. I am dead guilty of committing this faulty crime. Facebook, Twitter and yes, even my beloved Tumblr account. I have been pretty much distracted with the internet, causing me to lose concentration on my studies. I vow to be less-addicted to the world wide web by using it moderately and only when needed during school days. I need to revamp my lifestyle. Tumblr, stop luring me! I know I love you, but please, I need space.
- Thou shall never to stay up all night unless really needed. Here’s the situation: after I do all my schoolwork at night, I tend to extend my hours in the computer or doing other things rather than just rest and go to sleep. I usually stay until 1 am. The problem here is: I have to wake up early, and I mean really early, everyday. I had classes at 7 in the morning last semester. Since my bodyclock has been pretty much messed up, I end up falling asleep during class (*ehem* Psych 101). Thus, I fail to fully understand the lessons. I know I am all to blame, and I just hate the fact that that became my habit. The only way to solve this is to be able to get enough rest and sleep and avoid staying up late unless really, really needed.
- Thou shall use free time wisely. I admit. I am a self-proclaimed professional procrastinator. My schedule this past academic year was okay, in terms of length of breaks. But what I did during those breaks was the problem. I should’ve spent it by being productive, not just by sitting at someplace doing nothing. It’s not that I am stopping myself from hanging out with my friends and blockmates, it’s just that I should do it with moderation. I should really stop slacking off and grab every opportunity I get to be productive. The library is always open, so why not spend my free time there and get ahead with my lessons?
- Thou shall not spend money on useless stuff. Robinson’s Place Manila is a very tempting place… very, very tempting place. This mall, which is just beside our university, is pretty much complete: cinemas, shopping, food… everything! What I do is I take my *almost* daily strolls to the mall and just look around. But then I sometimes end up buying stuff that I don’t really need (e.g. coloring pens and scented glitter pens or whatever). By the end of the week, I’m broke like the economy. *sigh* What I need is to properly spend my money by buying only what I need (and no, Patricia. You do not need new coloring materials every month).
- Thou shall appreciate professors. Let’s face it. Nobody is perfect. (Well, except for my crush, but that’s a different story.) Every individual has his/her own flaws. Professors aren’t an exception. We cannot deny the fact that, at times, we don’t like the way they teach, or the way they act towards their students. Trust me. I could name names but then I choose not to. I don’t feel like typing a lot. (See what I did there? Pun.) The way I perceived my professor for the past two semesters greatly affected my performance in their subjects. I excelled in the subjects of my favorite professors and just sucked at the ones whom I sort of despised. This should not be the case next semester. I should learn to appreciate and just accept the strengths and weaknesses and pros and cons of my professors and not let their attitudes or characteristics affect my academic performance in their subjects.
- Thou shall not settle for mediocrity. Whenever I do something, I should give it my all. All I must do is give my best efforts in everything, may it be papers, reports, projects, presentation, etc. I’ll stop myself from having the mindset that “passing is okay, passing is enough”. I should start motivating myself to aim for the best. I know it won’t be as easy as it looks, but I will try my best.
- Thou shall practice proper and organized note-taking. Have you seen my binder notebook last semester? Boy oh boy. It was so unorganized, it looked like a hurricane just went by it. My handwriting’s a mess, there are doodles on the side… everything is just confusing. And now I find it hard to study with messy notes and handouts. I promise to have a more organized binder notebook and avoid the urge to doodle while in class.
- Thou shall not let emotions take over. Here’s the catch: my attitude towards class really depend on what I am feeling on that exact moment. For instance, I am pissed at something, or maybe even someone, I would end up just mad at everything I see and not listen to discussion at all. Or, I just saw my crush before class starts, and then I go all giddy and happy and what not. I’ll just lose focus and daydream in class. Kidding aside, I should not let my emotions or my feelings generally affect me as a student. I should deal with those things separately.
- Thou shall set your priorities straight. I’ll go straight to the point: ACADEMICS FIRST, THEN CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, THEN SOCIAL LIFE. You can do that, Pat. Am I right? *This is your conscience speaking*
I know the things I stated above are quite hard to reach, but I will really try my best. I need to avenge (yes, avenge) myself from that havoc academic year (and by havoc, I mean in terms of grades).
I have a lot of things planned for next year: do good in my academics, get accepted in my goal organization, have an awesome sophomore year as an Iskolar Ng Bayan, and most probably be able to shift to Development Studies (last part is still tentative). With the guidance and strength of the Lord Almighty, my family and friends, and the proper motivation (and a little bit of inspiration), i know I can do this.
Honor and Excellence.
This was the vandalism on my chair at Math22 today.
Just what I needed. Very appropriate. :)
We can do this.
Baliktarin ang tatsulok.
Block 3 BA Political Science Freshies flash mob
Juan vs 1: Dare To Defy The 1%
UP Manila Political Science Week 2012
CAS, UP Manila
Photos by: Patricia Ysabel Amores
I have had it with the stereotyping. Really. :|
Block 3 BA Political Science Batch 2015
Everything’s more fun in UP Manila.
Villa, 2011.
Reblog with proofs.
The UP Freshie life.
This semester? Everyday 7 am classes?
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
Spend everyday with your friends and blockmates
Meet terror professors
Meet awesome professors
“Trying” to listen in class
When you finally understand the lesson
Professors give a surprise test
While taking the test
Acing the test
Failing the test
When the class is finally free cut
Running laps for PE class
Can’t solve math problem
Lunchbreaks
Stalking your crush
Sneaking Facebook and Twitter while in class
Stranded along Taft ave. flood
Getting the highest grade in class
Getting a bad grade
Doing schoolwork and studying for exams
College parties
University of the Philippines Manila Form 5 - Second Semester AY 2011-2012
This is the fruit of all my hardwork yesterday. Yes! I am finally enrolled for this semester.
Yesterday was a whirlwind. Yes, it was very stressful. I have finally experienced enrolling in school… the UP way: long lines, humid weather and the noise. Well, I wouldn’t mind the noise because I, for one, was noisy too. :P
This day started with me collecting my class cards. I started off with getting my PE class card from SSWC then I went to CAS. I got my cards for Soc Sci I, Math I and NatSci I. The other cards were not yet available since the department offices were still closed. We had to wait.
At first, I was hesitant in getting my grade in SocSci. I don’t know. I was nervous because I’ve heard some people say that our professor gave the class “so-so” grades. I feared that I was one of those who got “so-so” grades. But when I got my card, I gave out a hug sigh of relief. Well, it wasn’t the grade I expected but still, it was better than a “just passed” mark. Although, I really want to find out how or professor ended up with our grades. Oh well. By the way, I also took my Math I and NatSci I cards after Soc Sci I. I wasn’t very giddy and excited since I already knew beforehand my grade. Yes. I never got along with Math. In my seventeen years of existence, never. Well, If we did get along, Math would go bipolar and turn his back around me. :( On the other, I love NatSci I! Well, I know I sucked at the Physics part, so I had to pull my grade up by doing good in Chemistry. The efforts paid off. :) And for some reason, I fell in love with Chemistry. I liked this subject when I was in highschool, and all of a sudden, I fell in love with it in college. :)
Okay, back to the whole getting of the class cards process. When the department offices opened, we lined up and took our class cards for History I and NSTP. Though I admire Professor Caringal because of her coolness and what not, I still felt uneasy with my grade in History. I mean, it’s not that I suck at History. It’s just that, the past was never really my thing. (And no, this is not subliminal *wink*) So I was flabbergasted when I got my Histo I grade. Better than I expected! Oh yeah! :D
As far as I’m concerned, I already expected a “pass” for NSTP. Well, I knew we would all pass. C’mon! With everything that me and my blockmates have done for NSTP (though at times it is beyond our will), I believe we all deserve to pass. If only the NSTP grade were in numbers… 1.00 for everyone. :)
The only thing missing was my Comm I class card. I wanted to see all my class cards at that moment, so that I could compute my final GWA. Wrong move. The whole world came crashing down upon me when I saw my Comm I card. INC? Really? INC for my grade?! The news left me confounded for a few moments. There was a note at my class card saying “retake long exam blah, blah, blah…” The truth is, I was never really excelling in Comm I. I sucked at outlining. I never got like a really high mark, and I even got a “so-so passed” grade in one of my exams. But that wasn’t enough for me to have INC as my grade. I resent. I went to Prof (rhymes with “pillar”) to fix this “mess”. The only solution he told me? Retake an outlining test so that he could change my grade from three letters to a digit. Okay. I’m willing to take another CommI exam for the sake of saving my grade. This totally ruined my mood, so I needed to do something to take my mind off things.
In that day, my whole semester flashed before my eyes. I took a look back and assessed my performance. I admit. I did not do very well. Was it culture shock? Maybe. But I know I sucked at my priorities and time management. I hate this. I have always been weak at that aspect of my life. And it saddens me that my grades got affected by it.
On the contrary, the first semester wasn’t all that bad. If I were to sum it in a word, it would have to be “epic”. Everything that happened during this sem gave me a glimpse of what college is like: hardcore studying, uncanny professors, awesome blockmates and schoolmates and all that jazz. If I’m going to be asked, yes. I had a hell of a good time at my first semester here at University of the Philippines Manila.
Here are the things that made my first semester epic:
- BLOCK 3 BA POLITICAL SCIENCE. Hello mga kapatid! How I love these people. Swear. Me and my blockmates may be diverse, but somehow, something binds us together. I guess it’s the bond and the support for each other. We are all going through the same thing each and every day, so I really do think the support and care for each other strengthened the bond. I fear that this second semester may be our last time together. Others will shift courses, campuses or even schools. I consider them special people in my life now, for they were with me as I went through the first few phases of college. Let this bond last forever. :) I love you, block 3.
- ASTIG CREW - Mikee, Toni, Dychie, Claryn, Dani & Noe. Don’t ask why the name of our group’s like that. It’s all a result of Noe’s fondness in unlimited texting and Touch Mobile. I spend almost the whole day of my everyday with these people. We’ve been through a lot, and I am glad that we’re still stuck with each other up to now. Whether it’s helping Noe catch up with his outdated notes or giving Dychie the push whenever one of her crushes is passing by, ACrew is always there for each other… now and forever. Screw it. I’m dramatic as ever. :)
- PROFESSORS - Hello Sir. Espinosa, Sir. Villar, Ma’am Johnson, Ma’am Bolunia, Ma’am Caringal, Sir. Anduyon, Sir. Panganiban, Sir. Abaya and Sir. Sison! Thank you. Thank you for making me realize that everything is not a piece of cake. You made me laugh, you made me angry, you made me stressed. You made me realize that I am now a student in UP, learning will now be different. Kahit na pinamukha niyo sa akin na hindi pala ako matalino, tenk yu pa din. :)
So basically, the people I was with the whole semester made it epic. :)
See that Form 5 right up there? That’s the proof that I am officially enrolled once again in UP Manila. Yes. I shall undergo another semester of fun, hardships, joys and pain.
I have to find the right motivation. This semester, I must not be carefree. I must get my act up and kick ass this semester. There shall be no room for failure. But still, I cannot assure you that. Perfection is not in me, but the drive and the will to be one is.
Cheers to this coming semester!
Au revoir!
