Showing posts with label College. Show all posts
Showing posts with label College. Show all posts

September 29, 2014

Catching up and Chikahan with College Friends

 Photo from Christine's camera

I was finally able to get together with some of my college friends yesterday! All of us are mostly based in Davao lang naman, but we never see each other - ever. Davao City might have a "small town" feel but I realize it's really huge because I rarely bump into my friends. The last time I saw them was March 2010!

Many say na para matuloy ang lakad, it should be unplanned. And I agree - it works, but only for people who are single. Diba? For moms like me, we need to know the schedule way abead of time so that we can plan around it. Or is it just me?

Knowing this, last month, my old roommate Hazel, and I gathered our Davao-based "superfriends" - JM,  Christine and George - for a long-overdue reunion. After postponements and various venue changes, we finally had a catching up and chikahan session yesterday.
Photo from Christine's camera

I suggested Annabelle's Cafe in Abreeza Mall for three reasons: first, it's inside a mall so we won't have to worry about possible rain, second, the place is really pretty, and third, there's a play area right inside the cafe. Perfect!
I'll be reviewing the place and the food in another post; today, I'll talk about realizations (silly and not silly) muna. Here they are:

1. I'm seriously getting fat again.

June 10, 2014

Yaya Woes: Disrespectful, Ungrateful

I'm supposed to blog about my birthday today but couldn't because I'm in such a high negative emotional state.

Anyone with a yaya or a maid will understand the "woes" that come with their service. I have a fair share of these woes, but I don't usually air them out here on my blog because I want to keep it positive and God-glorifying.

Also, I'm generally a forgiving perso. I don't like to hold grudges. Offense now, forget later. That's what I do to avoid stress and to try to please God. But this time, it's different. The things and values that I so uphold are compromised.
Photo: http://meetville.com/

Before I rant and before you judge me as a really strict and inflexible employer, let me give you some background.

First, Yuri's yaya is not a "full-time" yaya. I'm the one who feeds Yuri all three meals. I'm the one who bathes him. I'm the one who makes him go potty and wash him after. Sometimes it's also me who washes his soiled undies. I'm also the one who gets him to take a nap in the afternoon and cleans him up at night.

His yaya only takes care of him from around 8:30am - 11:45am and 3pm - 5:30pm. You read it right. She's completely free from lunchtime to 3pm. And when Yuri has to go potty during her "shift," I take over.

Second, even if her absences are frequent, there never was a "bawas" in her sweldo. Heck, I don't even subtract from her salary what I lose in mine due to the absences.

I hope you see that she has a lighter workload than most yayas. I treat her sooo well. I couldn't understand why she doesn't reciprocate.

May 26, 2014

We Were Merely Freshmen

Someone in my Facebook feed shared a photo of our first batch encounter way back (n) years ago. I won't specify dates, but if you can look at the photos, you'll see how most girls wore boot-leg jeans. That should give you an idea.

And oh, the UP Mindanao atrium's walls weren't painted yet. And there was still a giant "ashtray" in the middle of it. And smoking wasn't yet bawal. And the roads were not paved. There, so many hints na.

The photo shared was one of a course different from mine, so I kind of stalked the original owner to look for the complete album. I didn't know the poster but I'm sure she was years ahead of me.

Anyway, I finally found the album and was pleasantly surprised to see many photos. Back when digital wasn't very common, this was a feat! I was even more surprised to see a photo of my bloc - which included me!
 Credits to the photo owner, Tata Sua Peronilla.

We were few but not that few. This photo had more upperclassmen than freshmen, and many of my classmates were probably on the opposite side.

Can you spot me?

February 27, 2014

A Brief Visit to UP Mindanao

It's already 10:30 (draft written earlier) and I've just started working! Gah! Electricity has been out daw since 3:00 AM kanina; we found out it affected the whole of Mindanao. Then, it went back at around 6:30. I thought everything's going to be okay na. Suddenly, at 8am, wala na namang electricity. Waaah.

Worse, none of the gadgets were fully charged. Both my phone and my laptop were only halfway charged, while the tablet was not charged at all. I really had no means to work, and I hope my boss understands.

Anyway, I was out yesterday afternoon to return to my Alma Mater, UP Mindanao, to get my diploma after ++ years. The reason is that UP is soooo far away! It's 2 hours away from where I live. I can't go to the nearby mall nga anytime I want, UP pa kaya?

The last time I've been there was during Teena and George's graduation back in 2011. So much has changed! I couldn't believe this was the same UP I entered back in 2006.

I don't have a photo of UP circa 2006, but it's really different from what I saw yesterday. For starters, the CHSS (College of Humanities and Social Sciences) building wasn't painted yet. The floor wasn't tiled and had only gray cement. Plus, there was a huge (and not working) fountain smack in the middle of the admin building. We also had several "abortion" roads which were a real challenge to ride on because they were unpaved. There was also no proper mode of transportation save for the habal-habal. 

However, the UP I saw yesterday resembled a private school. Of course, I haven't seen the other UP Campuses, but for me, what I saw already resembles a private school. The road leading to the Oblation Park not only was beautifully paved but also had flower beds. Bongga!
My good friend and former churchmate, Yankee, also accompanied me. I had been craving for some face-to-face human interaction for some time now, and while I do have this at home, I craved for interaction with someone my own age. Yankee's a bit younger than me, but she's way more spiritually mature. Yesterday, God spoke through her (and I hope God spoke through me, too), and I just feel so blessed. It was really nice catching up with her. It was also a very blessed meeting because we are both blessed by each other's stories, which, unexpectedly, were very similar pala. And we didn't know about it!

It was a good opportunity to use my Samsung WB150F camera for the first time. Hihi.
My company for the day. Thank you, Yanx!
And yours truly. (Seeing my photos makes me want to visit a salon ASAP!)
Two-fie? :P
Obligatory Oblation shots below. Thanks, Kuya (or Sir) Jonmarx for taking our photos!

June 20, 2013

5 Things I Learned from Rediscovering my College Blog

Today is Thursday, so let's do a meaningful and reflective throwback.

I kept blogs from the moment I gained unlimited access to internet. Read: DSL. I just had no chance of creating one during the days when I still bought dial-up cards.

Cue in: Dial-up background noise

Isn't it amazing how much has changed over the years? Then, I had to clench my fist anticipating a "Successfully Connected" dialogue box. Now, I can surf the internet on the comfort of my bed.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Like what I said earlier, I used to keep a lot of blogs before. They contained the thoughts of a single college girl, some reflective, some funny, many embarrassing.

I thought I deleted the blogs, but apparently, I did not. So it should not have come as a surprise when three weeks ago, George sent me the link of my last college blog.

Witticisms of a Naive Girl: My last post, apparently, was after graduation.

It was fun leafing through the entries, but believe it or not, I learned a few things from rediscovering my college self:

1. Singleness is not a curse; one should take advantage of it.


Ansaveh?
I didn't have a boyfriend in college. Not even one. I remained single while some of my friends went through boyfriends like they were tissue or something. I had my share of unrequited love, but looking back, I realize a lot of things would not have happened if I entered a relationship.

For example, I might not have been a Dean's Lister. Perhaps I might not have been able to enter a sorority. I might not have been able to have all those crazy drinking sprees. I would have missed out on a lot. On the contrary, I did not miss out on having a good relationship after all.

2. Dreams and goals do change.


Reading through my college blog, I encountered a post or two listing the things I wanted to have and achieve. Predictably, almost half of the list were Apple products, one would be a luxury car, and the last one would be a lucrative career in the corporate world.

Aiming for these things is not bad. However, for now, I find most of those things unappealing. If I were to create a list now, building relationships might top the list, followed by personal betterment, financial freedom, and acquisition of new and useful skills. I also want to create a Pinterest-worthy home (and maybe I haven't given up on that Macbook yet).

I'm not saying my current list is better, or that now, I'm wiser. Like what I said, dreams change, so we better be flexible.

3. Study hard, party harder - after graduation.


I admit that back in college, I was a heavy drinker and smoker. Had I been wiser, I would have spent my freetime studying rather than partying. The partying could wait for later. After all, it's more fun when you're earning.

On the other hand, I stopped all my vices cold turkey a few months after graduation. So maybe there's a reason for all that partying? Haha

4. Take as many photos as you can.


I love taking and looking at photos. This explains the photo-overload in my posts. Well, that's because photos tell stories more than words can ever do.

When I look at the photos I took in senior year, everything came back. My friends and classmates, my frat brods and soro sisters. Our class projects. Extra-curricular work. Sleepless nights. THESIS. So many feels. And I was feeling all those just because of a single photo with me holding a bottle of Sting in a post where I talked about pulling another all-nighter for thesis.

The face of a 19-year old single girl

And I want to experience the same rush of memories 5 years from now, when I re-read the entries of Davao Mommy blog.

5. Look back every now and then and remember things with a positive outlook.


What amused me the most were the posts where I talked about my college "crush." Well back then, it was an unrequited love affair.

I was kinda taken aback when I read a post describing him:

So you think you're emo?
I immediately opened my Skype window and told George, "OMG! Parang si J ang tinutukoy ko dito!"

Suffice to say, I'm pretty consistent without realizing it.

What's my point? Not all of our experiences are good. Like what I said above, I loved unrequitedly for some time. But instead of dwelling on the negative, try to find the blessing in the experience.

I can truly say that after all the ugly experiences with love, nakabawi naman ako. I ended up with someone who treats me like a princess and honestly, I can't imagine being with someone else.

Now, I'm getting mushy here. But my point is, everything happens for a reason. You might not be where you are now if not for the little things that happened. So don't be afraid to take a step back and examine your past. What are the patterns? Are they good or do you need to get out of them? How did you change? For better or for worse? What progress have you made so far?

Yes, may halaga din pala ang Throwback Thursdays.

PS: I wrote this post on my phone last night. If there are spelling and grammatical errors, please just tell me. And be kind.


_________________________________________________________________
Do you like this post? Never miss out again when you click on the cute bunny below:

rss_bunny

Or by entering your email here:
Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily updates on my mundane musings.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...