school opening

a lot of schools open today...

including my brothers and cousins here at home.

as i walk to my work today,

i can't help but think of the old times.

makes me miss my school.

heavy traffic.

long breaks.

laboratory.

seminars.

corridor.

car park.

cooking.

selling.

food trips.

thesis.

library works.

just the place i want to go back to.

where life is simpler.

happier.

July is here!

why on earth is everyone getting sick? just when i thought that it will stop with Christine when she went back to school yesterday, when these two little kids came home, it's their turn with the fever. Mark and Hannah did not go to school today because they have high fever last night. they see the doctor already this morning and is taking meds. the line in the doctor's office was too long that we waited an hour for our turn to come.

i accompanied Christine to school yesterday and surprised Jen with her favorite milk tea and gave her my old notes while she was working on their thesis at the annex lab. : ) while i was walking in school, i passed by our field, the Plaza Mayor, and the car park, memories just came and i realized how much i MISS UST. they renovated some parts and the front of our building was higher than it was before. it's true they say that it's much easier studying than working! haha. i miss the freedom of being a student, wherein i can sneak out of class because im hungry and buy whatever i want in the car park. in UST, we have almost every food you want - name it, you got it. ; ) not just food actually. we also have a cellphone store selling phones, casings, and loads.. a print shop, and a little stall that sells Little Miss shirts and Banana Peel slippers. nice eh? i also miss the days when i can go to the mall after class or just eat at Mister Kebab just because we feel like it. oh the FREEDOM!! hahaha. but now, i'll just cherish my time with my work. it's not that bad after all - i can be excused when there's something i have to do at home like looking after my brothers and cousins when they are sick. : ) so to all the students out there, cherish it while you're still studying. : ) each has its own good, i think. when you study, you have freedom. when you work, you have the money. haha!!

the weather is going crazy nowadays. that's a big part why people are getting sick. it's SO HOT during lunch time - like im the dumpling and our house is the steamer! hahaha. while during late afternoons, it suddenly gets dark and sometimes it just starts to rain. D and i were on our way to Starbucks last night when it started raining so hard. and because i hate having my feet getting dirty and wet all over, we just went to Wai Ying instead and ate there.

can you imagine it's July already? it's another half of the year. the next thing we know, the ber months are coming and Christmas is here. anyway, im getting random, i know. but it's alright, right? ; ) im thinking of making pancakes later. and Twister Fries is back at McDo!! wuhoooo. : ) i want. i want. but i should wait just a little more until my throat gets completely well. i cant afford to get sick again. not again.

okay that's all for now, will eat lunch already. bon apetit. : )

this is it.

ONE PROUD TOMASINO

today is the BIG day. our graduation day finally came. like what a friend of mine said, it takes a while to sink in.. but yes, it feels GREAT. : ) actually, i just realized it tonight - school is over!! it feels happy and sad at the same time.

i'll miss doing lab works, titrating, waiting for our endpoint in quanti chem, ashing, doing MCs, taking notes of teachers who talk faster than a lightning (-Ma'am Azares! haha!), running around the lobby to find your prof just to pass something, wearing the same labgown for years, cutting monthly mass, selling foods for our mass pro, going to NSO for our feasib, spending the whole day at the library like it's your second home next to Annex, walking through flood streets inside the campus(!), anticipating Paskuhan every year and watch fireworks, waking along the field after class, having boring/cool/kind/gay profs, walking along Lover's Lane, walking under the arch, standing on the top of main building, buying ourselves siomai/dumpling rice at the car park, getting pissed the moment you find out how much you have to pay for your lab breakages... i could go on and on, but i think all im saying is..

i'll miss my college life.
i'll miss my friends / classmates.
and
thank you to everyone who walked with me through this journey. : )

a more detailed post about the event in the coming days. my mind is still somewhere else.

i think i need to wipe off my makeup and get some rest. yes, ill do that. now. buona notte! : )

UST Baccalaureate Mass

we had our Baccalaureate Mass today at the field. : ) we started our parade from our building to the field at 4:30 in the afternoon. it was so hot, and we were all sweating all over. but nevertheless, we were all in high spirits. : ) we keep on taking pictures! haha. we were seated right in the middle of the field and i liked our place because we can see the stage properly. after everyone settled down, the program started. introducing each college/faculty, when it was founded, the dean and regent, and how many graduates they produced. when each college/faculty was called, everyone stood up happily. others bought balloons and tarps, some blew horns, some even raised their chairs haha. all in all, Batch 2009 has 7,308 graduates. : )



then the mass started with scripture readings and the priest spoke in front. he opened his message by saying "Panahon na, para mag saya..". he talked about how people kept thinking about their problems and forgot about rejoicing. i liked it when he said, if there is no night, how can we appreciate the coming of dawn.



to my surprise, D came from work to see me. : ) XC and Jay also came. and the girls were very happy. ; ) we pinned the UST pin given to us earlier and we lighted our candles. lights were put off and people were so happy watching an AVP prepared for us.



the most awaited part of the night, the fireworks display, started. : ) it's beautiful. : ) then all the graduating students walked together to the Arch of the Centuries, marching out of it. i remember during our first year, we walked in it. symbolizing that we are Thomasians. now that we are graduating, we are going out from UST to the real world. 'twas bittersweet. my foot hurts when i came home because of all the walking and standing, but i really had a great time. : )

*except for the first shot which i took, all shots were taken by Daniel.

on a day like this.

i woke up to a cold Tuesday morning. it was raining.. and even if it stopped pouring, there's dark clouds the whole day. the weather makes me wanna sleep more.. to just stay in bed the whole day and read a good book. : ) but, i have to go to school to pass something to our thesis adviser. and because one of our groupmate is late, our thesis adviser left already and we have to go back again tomorrow.



i got my shoes already. : ) i ordered it from Kara. their business is making custom made shoes and bags. before we became friends, i was always having a hard time finding the perfect school shoes for me. a shoe that will give me comfort and at the same time strong enough to last for at least a year. and because i have a feet that is a little too small for my age, the size of the shoes is always a problem. i usually buy my shoes at Celine. but halfway through the semester, it gives up. and i have to find a new one again. thank goodness Kara shared her secret with me. from second year till now, i always have them make my school shoes. : ) you can tell them what design you like, what material to be used, and how high you want the heels. i can remember her Mom measuring my foot a few years back. and when my first order came, it fits perfectly. : )

i have UTI - urinary tract infection. it started Sunday night when i was feeling uncomfortable and there was pain when i was urinating. this is not new to me, last year, i had UTI for three times. so when i felt the pain, i knew immediately that it is UTI - again. i had my urine analyzed at the lab yesterday and went to see my OB. she gave me antibiotics for one week, and i feel better now. : ) please say a little prayer for me. : )

i read this at the net today and i want to share a part of it to you:

The urinary tract is the body's filtering system for removal of liquid wastes. Women are especially susceptible to bacteria which may invade the urinary tract and multiply resulting in infection.

Although most urinary tract infections or UTIs are not serious, they are painful. Approximately fifty percent of all women will have at least one UTI in her lifetime with many women having several infections throughout their lifetime. Fortunately, these infections are easily treated with antibiotics that cause the symptoms to quickly disappear. Some women seem are more prone to repeated infections than others and for them it can be a frustrating battle.

What are the Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections?

Symptoms of UTI or bladder infection are not easy to miss and include a strong urge to urinate that cannot be delayed which is followed by a sharp pain or burning sensation in the urethra when the urine is released. Most often very little urine is released and the urine that is released may be tinged with blood. The urge to urinate recurs quickly and soreness may occur in the lower abdomen, back, or sides.

This cycle may repeat itself frequently during the day or night--most people urinate about six times a day, when the need to urinate occurs more often a bladder infection should be suspected.

When bacteria enters the ureters and spread to the kidneys, symptoms such as back pain, chills, fever, nausea, and vomiting may occur, as well as the previous symptoms of lower urinary tract infection.

Proper diagnosis is vital since these symptoms can also be caused by other problems such as infections of the vagina or vulva. Only your physician can make the distinction and make a correct diagnosis.

- http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/bladderhealth/a/UTI.htm

so there.. my lesson? drink LOTS of water. : )

we'll be out for dinner tonight because it's my stepmom's birthday. happy birthday! =D

March

goodbye February. it's the third month already. and today is the first day of my final exams. we'll be submitting our take home exam in professional deontology and our paper tomorrow. last test on Thursday. and.. that's it.

this is it.

part of me feels happy that im finally graduating and i'll be stepping into the REAL world already. not the kind of world im used to, but the cruel and unforgiving world. that's what they say, anyway.

part of me feels sad to leave too. im sad of leaving Jen behind. : ( but im happy that she found a new circle of friends. they're kind, funny, and loves to eat like us too. : ) no matter who we meet, we'll always have this special bond that no one can break. when the going gets tough and the tough gets going, it's comforting to know that you have a friend. : ) there are some things that only the two of us can understand. and sometimes, we don't need words. just being there by one's side, it's already enough. : )

if there's one thing i'll miss in UST, it's my bestfriend, Jen. : )

Jen.. lets not count the days, lets make each day count. : )

beating deadlines.

hello everyone! : ) lately, i've been busy doing my case study and module which is both due this week. glad there's coffee to keep me company.. i try hard not to fall asleep. especially during HOT afternoons where all i want is to go to my room, turn on the aircon, and drift off to dreamland. our finals start next week. it's earlier because we're graduating students. after that.. i wish to catch up on my reading, tidy my table, my bookshelf, and watch movies again! haha. : )



then i saw this beautiful sky outside. so i grabbed my camera and went upstairs to take a good shot of it. its view is completely relaxing and soothing.. i wish i could just stare at the skies forever. God forms shapes and sizes of clouds when He wishes to put a smile on my little face. : ) i also noticed some birds flying up there while i was shooting, i wish i could live in the clouds with them.



i continue to read about people dying, suffering.. i don't know why. but despite all this, these people still have great faith in God. : ) and so they have become inspiration to many, myself included. i realized that love, after all has been said and done, still is what makes life important and that it is the only thing that allows a person to survive despite one's physical death. we may not stick quite long enough to make it to fame, but even before we cried our first cry, we can be assured that we got to be remarkably special to someone, and that already is enough reason to make our life count for something.

final edit tomorrow then we can hardbound our thesis already. : ) goodnight people! busy week ahead.

P.S. i saw someone visiting my blog anonymously. please leave a comment or two to let me know you've visited. ok? thanks! : )

today

i think our prof really wants to give us a hard time. he gave us what he called the "last task" - to do a self-learning kit. a module for three different lessons. tsk. i slept during the afternoon when i came home from school. i'm so sleepy that no matter how much i want to start doing the things i have to finish, my eyes just won't cooperate with me. and i'm still sleepy as i type this.. hay.

my uncle and auntie came from Taiwan yesterday. : ) we had dinner at seaside along Macapagal last night. i love the tempura, CRABS!, and baked scallop with cheese. : )

during the prayer meeting tonight, we prayed for sister Rich. she's in the hospital having heavy contractions. she's 8 months pregnant. i hope nothing bad will happen to her and to the baby. it's dangerous for the baby to come out during the 8th month. hay. Lord, bring healing.

and please pray for my Ama, she didn't go to church with us because she's having a slight fever.

poster presentation

here's our very own. : )

we had our poster presentation today. other group's thesis include Development of Squash-Based Cookies and Brownies, Stability of Amaranth-Based Vitamin-Enriched Coffee, Development of Reduced Fat Soy-Based Mayonnaise, Utilization of Coconut Flour in Pizza Dough, Calcium Fortified Green-Lipped Bottle Mussel, and many more. : )

Go Seniors! : )

seeing ours hang in there gave me and my groupmates a sense of accomplishment. after how many months.. all the time, money, and energy spent to complete our study were just worth it. : ) in less than a month, we will be having our final exams already. then we'll be having our practice for the graduation. i'll surely miss UST. : ) for all it taught me. not only inside our four-walled classroom, more than that, it taught me to appreciate wisdom and life itself. : )

thoughts and updates

there's so much to do! i don't even know what to do first. we have to do our case study, poster, and collage. next week, we also have our college week, job fair, and a quiz too. our poster was due today.. and im glad that we were able to pass it this morning. thanks Reg! : ) after class, Jen and i visited Kara's niece - Cassie, who's confined at the UST hospital because of pneumonia and asthma (please pray for her.. she's only 8 months old). as usual, i picked up the groceries again and started doing Hannah's test papers because her exams will start next week. to have a little break, i went to Libis to see D at work. : ) im glad i found my way and didn't get lost. and he finished work earlier. : ) then we had dinner at Gateway before coming home. : ) it was raining today and i hate walking in the rain. glad it stopped before we left D's workplace.

***

last night, i was talking with a friend online. we were talking about random things then we were talking about death. that she wanted to die already to be with the Lord, and how happy that will be. because she's so tired of it all. i like that too.. the "putting an end" part. but something about death scares me.. not that i won't go to heaven. but im scared that when i get to heaven, i won't know the people i've known here on earth. that i'll forget everything that happened while i was still alive. im worried about my Dad.. it's funny but true, my Dad always gets worried about me when he can't reach me whenever he calls or text me. i remember when i was in my first year high school, i joined a youth camp in school. the place had no signal. i know my Dad was waiting for my text. and just when we were about to sleep, my Dad came to see me. from Manila to Laguna. haha. oh well, i can't blame him. sometimes i hate it, but alot of times, i appreciate his love for me. : ) okay so back to what i was saying.. im worried what would happen to my Dad when i die. worried about my Grandma, brother, and D. these are the people closest to my heart. the people i would give up anything for. of course there's my friends also. so there, im afraid to die. im afraid of the unknown.. and im also afraid of having someone close to me die. i just don't want to go through that kind of pain. : ( who likes? no one. so.. i just pray that the Lord will come so all of us can go altogether. if possible. ; )

but death is inevitable. it's just a matter of time.

i feel sad for Faith. a sister from our church who lost her baby Tuesday night. : ( she was supposed to give birth by the end of this month. but her baby died in her womb. i remember when we were in Tagaytay last December, she was showing us the picture of her baby and how happy she was. hay.. sometimes, the Lord just have other plans. and His ways are higher than ours. i hope and pray that the Lord would comfort her and give her enough grace during this hard time.

***
off to bed.. goodnight people. : ) may y'all have a happy and productive weekend! : )

Bedtime Stories

Your fun is only limited by your imagination.

Francine took a leave from her work and came to visit me in school today. : ) she also did some things at the Main Building regarding her transcript and diploma. she also met Jen again. : ) then we meet up with Eman, her boyfriend, and ate lunch at Almers along Dapitan. : ) i can still remember last year when we'd always meet after class and eat liempo or whatever we like and watch movies. and now they're working already. and soon, i'll be working too. : ) after lunch, we went to the mall to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. but because the screening time is late already, we end up watching Bedtime Stories. the movie is good, but i find the story simple. but it's alright, hanging out with them again just feels great and nostalgic. : )

untitled

the weather is still cold and i love it. : ) sometimes we don't have to open the aircon at night. its a good way to save electricity. hehe. i came home early today and slept for two hours during the afternoon. : ) sarap. i wish i could do that more often. next week is already our exam week, and the week after that is our defense already. please pray for us.

last Monday, i met with Cherry - my tutor when i was on my 4th grade. she's someone who understood me when i was young and searching, and gave me sound advice to help me make my way through it. we ate together and talked about a lot of things. she used to be on the same church with me, but moved to CCF for quite sometime now. she gave me a gift that's supposed to be for Christmas - a ceramic that has a dream big sign which you can hang anywhere. : ) she also lent me a book entitled Happiness Now by Andrew Matthews. : )

all merry-ing has to come to an end. the long vacation is over. it's my third day back at school now. so far so good. i hope this year will be a good one for all of us. : )

*i feel really sad for some strange reasons. hay. : (

Paskuhan 08

Main Building

Paskuhan is one of the most anticipated events in UST. for many reasons.. for majority, it's because of the fireworks display. : ) it lasts for a good 10-15 minutes. : ) they're strict this year, if you don't have an ID, you'll have a hard time to go inside.

Classmates : )

i came early at school for our class Christmas party at the annex laboratory (thanks to Mang A!) - which is our second home next to the library. there were so many food! california maki, sushi, barbeque, hotdog sticks, pichi-pichi (not sure with the name), pancit malabon, siomai, and an ice cream cart (!), to name a few. : ) after eating a heavy lunch, we start giving gifts. and take pictures too. : ) it was bittersweet. this will be our last Christmas together as a class.

Fireworks : )

Daniel and i arrived at school again around 6pm. and the program had just started. we found a place at the field and sat there while waiting for the fireworks display to start. it started earlier than expected. we took pictures and a video of it. but it's really different when you're there. : ) too bad Jen, Francine, and Kara didn't catch it because they were stuck in traffic.

after the display, we left and headed to Pasig to have dinner together at Mom and Tina's. : )

4f1

Happy Paskuhan 4F1! : )

'twas a nice year being with you all. im proud to be part of this family. : )

mindless thoughts

i forced myself to finish my lesson plan yesterday, but, my prof didn't arrive to our class. tsk! for our thesis, Kara and i ashed our sample and we were free to go. : )

though nothing really productive happened in school today, i think i did learn something. during our first period, our prof in PGC shared her life story. i like it when she said that you know that you love when you are humble enough to set aside your pride. that there is joy in loving when you are not disappointed.. you are not disappointed when you don't expect. it made me think, do i expect returns when i give love away? we can't love someone if we love ourselves too much. simply because we're so full already. this holiday season, like the song says, why don't you give love on Christmas day. i think it's easier to give gifts rather than give a piece of our heart to others. especially when that someone is not lovable. mind you, many don't really deserve our love. but then again, may we, myself included, learn how to love unselfishly and unconditionally. just like the one who paid the price on the cross for us. : )

i finished packing my bags too, i left it with Grace and she'll be the one to register it for me. we'll be going to Tagaytay for the weekend.. but im not sure if my heart is really prepared for the conference. my heart is in Manila. sometimes i wish that time would go faster so it'll be over already. =/

our friend (former classmate) Ayee, gave birth this morning to a baby boy. we'll be visiting her tomorrow at Chinese General Hospital. : ) Ma'am Hashim too gave birth this Monday, to a healthy baby girl who weighs 7.3lbs. : ) dami babies. : )

i should sleep now. but im still waiting for Joy to come home. and Daniel to get home too. it's their company's Christmas party tonight. : ) and tomorrow will be Paskuhan at UST. : ) im excited. even if im there every year. i love the fireworks! and how the whole UST community gathers together. : ) as of what i know, we are 30,000 all in all in UST. many huh. and yes, who wouldn't love the lights? they're so beautiful. : ) i'll take a picture and i'll show you. : )

anyhow.. im signing off and will prepare my things for tomorrow. goodnight everyone! : )

ciao! :o)

yey we got 100 for our report this morning! : ) so happy. even though its raining.


i got the package i ordered online yesterday. : ) i ordered two havs. one for me, and i'll be giving the other one to D. : ) what do you think with the design? i really don't know what to choose since they have plenty! yes i know i have small feet.. probably the smallest for my age. my size here is 33/34. ; ) that's why im having a hard time buying footwear.

i came home by lunch and just slept the whole afternoon. saraap. : ) i can't remember the last time i slept for a long time during afternoons. my eyebags are getting puffier. : ( pangit. im researching on how to lessen it. cucumbers? haha. does it work? someone told me that putting the spoon on a freezer then putting it under your eyes may help. i tried it last night. haha! : ) but.. still the same. hmm.. someone help me.

till here. gotta go back reading Twilight. : )

leave comments! thanks. : )

happy weekend!! : )

PAFT Pageant

because of our thesis, Kara and i almost couldn't make it to the pageant. but who'll be with Jen? so we came early at school to do our moisture analysis. we weighed the moisture dishes, the sample, placed it in the oven, weighed, and weighed again. and waited for hours. then edited our draft while having class, haha. and we finished it! : ) we can watch the pageant na! soo happy. : )

there are three judges, Asst. Prof. Grace Azares, Ms. Pola Rivera (my classmate before who now works for KFC), and Mr. Samaniego from URC.

Jen, Me (yeah i know i look wasted), Mommy Grace, and Nique : )

Jen won the title Best in Theme Wear, Best in Formal Wear, and Miss Tosta. *anu yun?* i don't have any idea. hehe. she was also our 2nd runner-up. : ) im so happy and proud of her! : ) i kept on cheering.. now my throat hurts na. pero ok lang. : ) Nique, her younger sister and Miss Educ, was there too. : ) with Paul, Mr. Educ. : ) mommy Grace was also there! : ) XC of course was there. : ) i also saw some alumni like Jimvee, Charles, Kat, Kenneth, and Pat. : ) sayang D wasn't there. he has work kasi.

our class representatives, Erik and Katrina were the Mr. and Ms. PAFT 2008. : ) yey! go 4F1! : ) Erik also won Mr. Director's Darling, Mr. Tosta, Best in Theme Wear, and two more. i forgot na. five titles! galing. : )

Mr. and Ms. PAFT 2008 Erik and Kat : )

congratulations everyone! : )

multiply is down. but i'll upload the pictures once its okay already. : )

red cups

i feel much better now. : ) thank God. our prof in educ 206 is Sir Dakila and im glad that he's my teacher again. he is one of the best teachers i had. even though his subject is a minor subject, he still makes effort to explain everything well. : ) but sometimes kakainis kasi feeling major haha. after class, we went to the library to get the AOAC procedures. ang kapal ng book! yey minor revisions nalang. : )

after that, Francis and i went to Starbucks to check out their new planner. : ) white is out for the season, and their red cups arrived today. : ) someone texted me that its not that nice compared to last year daw. but i liked it. its simple. : ) doesn't look cheap like what others say. and the good thing is, compared to the last years, they now only require 16 stickers to have one planner. : ) last time, its 24. and if because we're one of the first 500, we got one sticker free. : ) they have three colors now, red, blue, and black. i like the black. : ) im planning to complete two sets so i can give one to my dad. : ) i've always collected their planner every year, but Daniel was always the one to complete it for me. : ) anyone who wants to have coffee with me? haha. : ) we also had some pictures developed and bought something for his barong. hehe.

im tired when i got home. my brother Hans is so sweet to fetch me from school. : ) need to learn how to drive na!

by the way, Belle is home already. : ) while my students Matthew and her sister Hannah are confined in the hospital because of dengue. : ( heard that blood is coming out from Matthew's mouth already and his platelets are dropping to 17. : ( hay. please pray for them.

gotta go to church now. bye!

First day, Last semester

im feeling sick today. : ( didn't slept well because of colds that gave me a hard time to breathe. sore throat and headaches too. : ( D is still sick and didn't go to work today. : ( why is it like everyone's sick? my student in Sunday School is also in the hospital. and.. its raining again. so gloomy.

christmas lights are already decorated at the lobby of our building. early huh?

first day and Sir Sauz already gave us a long assignment. hay. oh well.. i have to CHERISH the time left.. because i know i'll miss it someday.

have to go now. feel bad parin. : ( can't afford to get sick anymore.

enrollment and a visit

i enrolled today for my LAST sem. yey! : ) and because im fourth year already, i didn't have to wait in line to enter the seminary gym where we are supposed to enroll. my schedule this semester is much better than the ones i had in the past, wherein we have six straight hours of lab work. this time, our only lab time is for thesis.. which means we have a choice whether to stay or not. ; )

after enrolling, i went to Chinese General Hospital to visit Atsi Omega's daughter Belle who was confined this morning because of UTI - urinary tract infection and fever. i stayed with her because she's alone with Belle. i left around three in the afternoon when Atsi Alpha, her twin sister, arrived. watching Belle crying helplessly made me sad. how much more Atsi Omega.

when Belle was crying, she told her, "Sshhh.. Mommy's here. and i won't leave your side.. tabi lang tayo.. forever." hearing this, my Mom suddenly came to my mind. i wondered, why did she left us? : ( until now, i still don't know the reason why she left. its been fifteen years since she left, but i can still remember exactly the last time i talked to her. pleading for her to take me with her to the parlor - that's what she told me when she was leaving. then my Dad said that its late already and i should just wait for Mom at home. i waited.. and waited.. but she never came home again.

there are times when i still wish that things were the other way around.. but its alright. i know, and believe, that all things happen for a reason. and i know its for the good of everyone. even though there are a lot still a lot of questions i wanna ask, i think that some things are indeed better left unsaid. will the truth hurt? i don't know.

anyhow.. i just came from the church for our practice for this Sunday's worship. im on the keyboards. : ) pray for me! and please pray for Belle too. thank you! good night. : )