Jurassic Park.

Kasinungalingan.

RH 231 CAS UP Manila

At sinong taga-UP ang hindi kumakain sa classroom?

I remember this certain exam on our History one class during the first semester. 

Prof. Caringal: Isa itong organisasyon na initayo ng mga Hapon noong panahon ng… (and she continues with her question)
Me (being all clueless with what to write down on my blue book): Omake?

…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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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?
5. 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).
6. 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. 
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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. 
10. 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.

Just another ordinary bad ass vandalism in school…

RH 25B - CAS UP Manila

Last day of PolSci 11 class.

Ice cream, topic presentations, doodles and Psalmuel eating ice cream.

Thank you, Sir Carl! :)

Bright and early morning here at CAS. Good morning guys! Have a great week ahead! 

Got my new ID today! Yay for new picture! (I’ve been dying to change my ID picture ever since school started. lol.)

See. My ID’s been missing since last Friday. Last time I saw it, I was at the 3rd floor of RH Hall. Tried looking for it from Monday up to today, still no luck.

Though one of my professors told me that he saw my ID at their department. So today I went there, twice. First, the secretary told me that she’ll look for it, because it wasn’t at the counter where she first placed it. After sometime, I went back again to get it before I go to class. When I asked for it, the secretary said “May kumuha na.”

I was like, “WHAT THE??? ARE YOU SERIOUS PO???”

Ughhhhhh. ID stress. :(
I just want my lanyard back. I have a new ID. You can go keep my old one. >:) 

My next few days will be as busy as ever.

• March 14 - Badminton PE finals
• March 15 - Submission of Political Science 11 term paper, Philosophy I final exams
• March 20 - Psychology 101 research defense
• March 22 - Math 11 3rd Departmental Exam
• March 23 - Submission of Communications II research paper, Geology long exam and Psychology 101 final exam
• March 28 - Math 11 final exam

With the proper motivation, inspiration and strength from Him above, I know I can do this.

I will end my college freshman year with a smile on my face.

I’d like to thank University of the Philippines for making me experience this much stress for the first time. Doesn’t matter. I don’t mind. I love my school.

Honor and Excellence.

Yesterday’s Gabriela rally to celebrate Int’l Women’s Day. We marched from UST to Plaza Miranda under the scorching sun. Though tiring, it was so fun. Love my school. :) 

ABANTE BABAE! PALABAN! MILITANTE! 

Low quality photos. Camera phone only.

Spent my morning break with this guy. :)

Dumbledore’s Army in the University of the Philippines Manila

“If they can do it, why not us?”

You don’t have to read all the books.
You don’t have to watch all the movies.
You don’t have to have all the merchandise in the world.

All you have to do is believe in the magic.