catching up

What kept me on my toes during the last two weeks of academic struggle and emotional stress:

1) Shooting that Chem commercial

After making our own soaps in the laboratory, it was time to put those marketing skills to a test. Well, if we don't make it in Health Sci, guess we could all go to the world of advertising :P

behind the scenes :P

2) Reaching out

Being in Health Sci always opens new doors and makes me see the world in a different perspective. Unlike the usual teaching stuff sophomores do for NSTP, we do profiling hoping that with our findings we can help build a more sustainable and healthy community. Our block has been assigned to Malanday, Marikina and we've gathered substantial information that might just be a key to providing better allocations for the community. 

For the year, I've partnered with Trisha and we've both been assigned the family of Ate Che. It was from her we've learned much about the community. She willingly shared much information, not even withholding her own sentiments about their current situation.

The rain will always have an effect on her. Still, we know that she, along with her family, has a resilient heart. During our last visit, we brought them some goods that would help ease their situation. Strong rains have just passed and we knew that their area was flooded because of the heavy downpour. Her reaction was priceless. Thank-you would have been enough but she even went out of the way to share a Coke with us.  She was even more concerned on how I've been managing my allowance (as she knows I am a scholar). We politely refused knowing that she could still sell them to help their finances, She just brushed them off and said, "Yan na lang ang mabibigay ko ulit. Salamat talaga masyado at naalala niyo pa kami." With that, we said goodbye, knowing we'd see them again soon.

3) Blockmates

Nica is always the sweetest. Gave me this cupcake after seeing all the stress
acads has been giving me.

This semester would have been a lot better without Org Chem. I've shed my tears over that lousy subject and I would like to say that I'm still holding on. Thank you, XX, for cheering me on despite those grades going downhill. Two more weeks (and a 70% on the finals) and I;m done with Org Chem! #push

4) Of muscles, bones and internal organs--- dissecting frogs in Zoology

Lab > Lecture

Sir Joson [!!!!] would always be one of the best professors ever,

Been skinning frogs with this bunch! Seeing that we're almost an all-girls group, Sir has been amazed to know we've skinned all our frogs in such a short span of time. Thank God for this group. Memorizing all those bones and muscles didn't prove to be so hard. 

5) Doing things for the first time in a long while

Ang ganda ko pa rin pls :P
love you Tricia and your photos

Proud to say I had the bravery to sing in front of a (small) crowd with just 3 hours of prep time. If it only weren't for Tricia, I would have never done it. =)))) Yes to taking those risks all for the love of the block! 

(c) Triciaaaa

We've also managed to keep everyone entertained with our antics. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, we acted as if we're in a talk show, hence the photos. :P (More of them when Tricia finally releases them through the page!) 

6) Getting through Tap Dance!

All the (hasty) choreography and late-afternoon practices paid off! One more PE left! :) You can check out our dance in this link. 

PS. I still believed we deserved a better grade. Oh well.

7) 14A App Process

Because we're no longer the babies of the org! :) Yes to welcoming new faces and new talents to this big family! :))

Wasting film haha jk Internal Affairs Committee! :) 

Long-awaited catch up session with 13B. Nest time, buong batch na pls :P

seeing the other side of the fence

What do you know?

I spent the whole afternoon asleep rather than studying org chem and practicing for tap dance like I said I would. Way to go for being productive. Not that I minded, though. I clearly could use more of those kind of naps. Sleep. I've really taken you for granted way back when I was younger and yes, I somehow regretted not listening to Mom and Grandma's advice. If only I slept back then the way I slept now, I would have been able to score much height. 

BUT THAT ISN'T WHY I AM WRITING TODAY.

You see, I met Jason Haw yesterday! :)

YES. 

I MET JASON HAW! :))))))

Okay. Background check:

Jason Haw was last year's Health Sciences Society's, my home organization's, president. He is brilliant (yes, just like any Health Sciences major is :P). Well, he is more than that to us actually. He is THE Jason Haw. He is the one we turn to when Org Chem spells disaster. He can answer almost anything you ask him about, may it be math, physiology, love, name it. He is always ready to give you a piece of his mind. Through his words and actions, you can always hear his love for public health. Clearly, through his magnificent transcript, he could get into any med school he preferred and right he did with a scholarship anyone can dream of (Well, I do.) He belonged to Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health's Batch 2019. And you read that right. Past tense. Why? He dropped out. 

There you go. One night I read on Twitter that he was coming over and was open for individual consultations (IC). Luckily, he still had some time to meet me. :) I really wanted to know of his perspective because as far  as  my block goes, almost everyone is set out to go for med school. Well, me? I was wondering if I could do something else. I was hoping if I could do other stuff than prescribe the right medicine to cure the ill. Not that I do not want that kind of life. I've always wanted to become a doctor. (That was after I wanted to be a cashier, beauty queen, actress or a teacher but you know how we are as kids. Always undecided.)

After seeing partly how the public health situation in our country, after hearing stories of what can still be done, I thought maybe there are other ways I can serve than being a clinician. 

He talked. I listened. I told him of what I thought. He gave me a reassuring smile and said,

"You know what's the good thing and bad thing in our country's public health system? You've seen it. You've heard about it. We've still got a long way to go. Out there, basically, it's just like getting in a swamp. You know that there is so much to do and that is something we could all both be happy and distressed about. You see my point? All you have to do is get out there and apply what you learn. Our course, it provides you with almost everything you need. What you need to have is courage. You need to have the heart to take the risk. In the end, it would still be your choice. Don't worry, Ella. You still have two and half years to decide and I do hope you choose well."

Yes, I still have a long way to go and I do hope, in the end, I choose what makes me happy just as Jason did with his own. :)

the first taste of sophomore life

I am dying.

Only three weeks into the semester, the big pile of readings, research papers, lab reports and quizzes has kept me up all night. There is rarely a day without any homework. I swear my brain is going to crash some time soon. Sometimes, I find myself struggling to keep both eyes open in class especially when rain makes some random appearance amidst such humid weather. You see, 11 pm is still early for us. Working late and waking up early for class the next day seems to become a lifestyle for all of us.

So much has happened during the course I wasn't able to blog. (So much for the resolution of writing more this year. Damn. I really shouldn't have made any promises that might seem so hard to keep.) Anyway, in a nutshell, everything happened:

• summer classes and the struggle to get those As (Yes, GC. Let me beeee. It's the one of the few things that keep me on track)
• PMSA PlanSem in Antipolo waaaaay back in April-- I ended up not missing too much sleep as my body got used to all the sleepless nights in PSYSC :P
• finally entering the world of legalities-- yay to the perks of voting and getting that driving license soon! (char. :P)
• surprises big and small :) 
• taking the big leap to apply and getting in the CSIW Core 2014! (more details on this soooooon. Hopefully. :') )
• perming my ever-so-straight hair! :'">
• not getting into most of classes because I was batch 2 and finally resorting to manual registration
• travelling alone!
• experiencing the hassle of manreg and getting stuck in Pol Sci, a class taken up in the third year, instead of Econ because no more slots left :(
• stuck with 3-hour Saturday classes despite having NSTP on Wednesdays. Pol Sci, I still cry :'(

I guess this is it then. It is another year closer to the end of the chapter. No longer the little kids fresh from high school, professors aren't that lenient anymore. Bombarded with all the papers and upcoming exams, I feel like we've been in school longer than we really are. 

This semester, Youtube is my study buddy. No longer could I rely on my ears and eyes for complete understanding of concepts. I can only help myself knowing that I really couldn't learn much from class. Imagine having a professor who keeps talking about the Creator and how He has made all things wonderful. Imagine that same professor who skips a whole section of the book just because "I don't believe in such things." Really? I thought we were learning about animals here, not theology.

Don't get me wrong. I know that He is an infinite, ineffable presence (I learned that in Theo! yaaay!) and I get that we have to recognize that there is this Supreme Being who has created the world out of nothing. But then, does one really have to dismiss the facts of science just because one does "not believe" it can be true?

Oh well. I would never know the answers. I do hope the one reading this doesn't get me wrong. I just can't take it any longer. 

UGH.



HOW WILL I SURVIVE THIS SEMESTER?




Dear heavens, help.

Fooling around during Theo. Ma'am + some of the class weren't there yet soo..
yeah, basically, you get what I mean :P