SECOND WEEK OF BEING AN ISKA \m/

My second week as an Iska was very fine :D. I'm now more used to the way of living in Los Baños, meeting people everyday with different hometown and raised in different cultures. I'm proud to say that I have gained friends now. :). Half of them are from the upper class and the other half is from my fellow NFs :). I also felt great, as for this week, all of my quizzes' score is perfect, even if it's surprised quiz or not. A great headstart for my freshman year :D. But, I felt sad for my upperclass seatmates because one time we had a surprised quiz in NASC 5 about the undiscussed and just given handouts, they weren't able to answer any items in the quiz. But, at the back of my mind, I think it's also their fault, each of us have the responsibility to study every time the hand-outs, lessons given, so we are prepared for surprise activities.I remembered when I was in grade school and in high school, getting a perfect score in quizzes  or in examinations isn't a very big deal for me because it's easy to have a perfect score. But, getting a perfect score even in just a quiz in UP is a big deal. :D. For you really have to work hard to attain it :). 

FIRST WEEK OF BEING AN ISKA \m/

“ISKOLAR NG BAYAN…ISKOLAR PARA SA BAYAN”

June 10. This was the day when I and my stuffs transferred in our apartment in Batong Malake. My family accompanied me. As they leave me in the apartment, there’s a part of me that wants to go with them because it’s really the first time that I’ll be away from my family like what I’m reiterating on my previous posts here. The longest time that I was away from them was when I attended the Youth Encounter/ Retreat in Canossa Retreat House in Tagaytay last August 25-27. That retreat was required for all the senior students. During those three days, I don’t felt any home sickness, even if I have no gadgets to use there because the gadgets were surrendered to the sisters. But, this is a big deal; I’ll be away from them from Monday afternoon up to Friday in the afternoon every week during the semesters. Just the fact that there are many forms of communication relieves my worry if ever I’ll miss them. After my companions and my roommates’ companions leave us, we were left in that room with nothing to do; we’re just like staring at the wall and the ceiling, chitchatting for a while, then back to do our own stuffs. Good thing that I and my roommates came from the same school. As a matter of fact, two of us are classmates for 5 yrs. That lessens the awkwardness and boredom inside our room. Before we went to sleep, we made a schedule of our bathing order every day to avoid conflicts and hassles with our class schedule. That ends my first night in Los Baños.

June 11. As we walk around the campus, my excitement intensified. I gained friends in my bloc during the campus tour, but my feet hurt, maybe, because I wasn’t used to walk that far. Just another trivia, my house in Santa Rosa is just a 3-minute walk away to my high school. Can you imagine? It is a very BIG adjustment for my limbs. But, I know, soon, I will get used to it. Today isn’t a boring day unlike yesterday. After the campus tour, my high school classmates visited us on our room. We were just chitchatting and talking about random stuffs, majority of our topics was our unforgettable high school memories. During the night, as I reflect, I still really can’t believe it. Two days remaining before the start of classes. Well, for us freshies, it would be on the 14^th since the convocation is scheduled on the 13^th. 

June 12. Independence Day. Happy Independence Day to my fellow Filipinos out there! If you have spare time, you can read my older post here entitled “Freedom: FREE from world’s DOMination”. It’s about having freedom. Thank you! J. Anyways, this is my 3^rd day in Los Baños, little by little, I’m getting used to the way of living here. J I was supposed to go back to Santa Rosa yesterday, but my parents said no, the fare doesn’t matter, but they are worrying that I will just get tired going back and forth, and they want me to be familiar with the way of living here. So, I explored the campus and tried almost all of the “must-tries” here in UPLB. 

June 13. We woke up early and prepared ourselves for the AlmOSAlan. Luckily, we were one of those early birds, so we were able to avail most of the free foods serve there by the different organizations. During the convocation, I and my classmates didn’t get bored. As we were very enthusiast on getting to know our school board and staffs, moreover, our enthusiasm escalated as the different performing organizations here in UPLB showcased their talents. The performers really boost our honor to be in this prestigious university because they are people whom you can be really proud of, they’re not just gifted with great minds but their talents have really something to offer. During the afternoon, almost all of my HS classmates visited us in the apartment. Can you imagine? There are two double-decks in our room. But, all the beds were occupied by us sitting on the beds. The floor was also occupied. We were that many. We were chitchatting and talking of our high school memories and first week experiences as Isko and Iska.

June 14. First day of classes for us, freshies. Whew =)). My very first ever class in College was Math. J. Good thing that my prof was kind, approachable and funny, same as with my classmates. That ease the nervousness that I feel during that day. I enjoyed the “introduce yourself” part of my subjects during this day. Each subject has its own gimmick not to have a boring first meeting. J. We didn’t meet in PE1 because Ma’am Enriquez had a meeting to attend to.

June 15. First week- CHECK! Though I was loaded during the morning from 7 am up to 11 am, and have to go to Vet Med AVR from CAS A2 MPH2 for just ten minutes. I didn’t feel much haggard. After the 11 am class, I went straight to have a lunch. Whew. I have so much break time from 11 am-2:30 pm, good thing that one of my classmates called me and asked me to accompany him as he eat his lunch. Afterwards, I proceeded to my apartment and already packed my things, as I am excited to go back to Santa Rosa after five days of being here. After how many hours of waiting, my last class for the week, ENG 1, pursued. I really enjoyed the very first ever meeting of ENG 1, with Sir John Mervin Embate. With no biased at all, not for the sake of getting good grades or whatsoever. I enjoyed the aura of all the people inside CAS 106. It feels so light and with no tension at all. We are enjoying, but, at the same time, learning. That’s the studying environment that I really like the most. There’s a saying that “Save the best for last.” True enough, it is.J. At around 4 in the afternoon, I and my companions already left Los Baños, we were very much excited to go home, as a matter of fact, when we saw the famous landmark of Santa Rosa, Enchanted Kingdom, we really felt relieved and thought that we’re very near to our place, but it will still took 30 to 45 minutes. As I walk on my street, I’m not used to walking on it anymore; my eyes are looking for the yellow and white lights of UPLB, the many people roaming around the campus even if it is 9 pm already. And, as I enter my house, I felt “home sweet home”, my family members hugged me; my three dogs were competing to get my attention, they licked my face. Oh how I miss them alsoJ. I missed also my bed, pillows and comforter, my air-conditioned bedroom. After hours of telling to them my first week experience, I cleaned my body and sleep immediately to regain hours of sleep lost.

June 1, 12 days before the new chapter of my life :)

June 1 :D

Whoa. Today is June 1. WHAAT? 12 days to go then it's the start of my new journey, my new journey as a COLLEGE STUDENT :). Whew :). I should've be at ease to say hello to my apprehensive self.  Full of nervousness and anxieties about what's in store for my future, hope it's a super bright one :D *fingers crossed* :). LOL! :). But at the back of my head, I'm super excited to go to College :). I envy my high school classmates who are now experiencing what college students does. The traffic during rush hours, no vacant seats in fast food chains, meeting new friends, wearing civilian clothes for school every day :), being a more independent and responsible for all of my resources. But I know that I shouldn't be that much of envious, I know I would be fed up with that everyday routine. So, I guess I have to enjoy the remaining 12 days of my last high school  summer vacation. :). Before being a CERTIFIED ISKA on June 13 :). That's all for now. :) 

May 13, many signficant events =)

Today is MAY 13 in my home country, Philippines :)
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A day which has many significant events for me :)
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First of all, it's a special day for MY MOM AND ALL THE MOTHERS out there :) 'coz it is the MOTHERS' DAY for this year :D. Actually, I stayed up late for this special day for my mom :). I uploaded my personalized audio-visual presentation for her on Youtube and on Facebook during the midnight. Even if I just rush it two days before the big day, I really made it a point that she will enjoy and appreciate it, I really planned to upload it during midnight so that I won't get caught and busted by her because she is still using her Facebook account until evening of yesterday :). I also made a greeting photo for all my mom buddies in Facebook.

Second, it's a special day for me too. A day to start my countdown because  it's officially one month to go before that drastically change happen on the start of my college journey in the University of the Philippines Los Baños, my dream school :). Gosh, I really can't believe it. 30 DAYS. And what makes me a bit sad is that my days that I'm staying with my family in one house is running out because probably on or before the second week of June, I'll be staying with my housemates in our apartment in Los Baños. :(.  I admit it, it will be the first time that I'll be away from my family for four days a week, because from the moment that I was born, they're always with me. But facing on the brighter side, I will  still see them  on Friday evening until Monday afternoon when I get home every Friday :). Yey! I will still have about 3 3/4 days with them :). And, I will really grab this opportunity to become an independent young lass, I want to be more responsible of myself, my actions and my decisions, this will be a great chance for me to grow up and don't just be a coward and still dependent to my parents. I want to show to them that I can now manage my self because I'm not a baby anymore. :). Though I think, it won't be a smooth sail for me, I still think that gradually I can do it. With God, nothing is impossible. I admit, yeah, I really have many apprehensions in my head now, in fact it's too many to mention, but I'll give you some like, "Can I survive being alone?" "Can I survive being away from my family for four days every week?"  "Am I ready really for College life?" "Can I manage my things and be responsible for my basic needs?". Yeah, you read the latter statement right, I admit, I'm partly a lazy girl inside the house, though I can do chores at home, I rely those to our maid, at home, I don't do any chores. But at school, I'm the most industrious kiddo, I volunteer always. And this is somehow my last worry, "Can I wake up early in the morning all by myself?" Gosh, this is what I'm scared the most. I'm really a late sleeper, my system is always energized to do things during the night until midnight, weird isn't it? But I don't really wake up early. HAHA =)). My mom used to wake me up in the morning during the 10 years of my schooling. I can't be wakened up by just an alarm either in alarm clock or in the phone, my system is used to hear my mom's screaming just to wake me up and separate me from my bed. That's one of my biggest problems in life. LOL =)) seriously, what a big problem that I have. Haha =)). Enough said :D. I already spoiled many info about me :D

Lastly, it's my cousin's 7th birthday. :). Happy birthday Steven James P. Leosala! Be nice to your parents and younger bro :). Study harder huh? I bought a toy for him, I hope that he likes it :)

FIN :). I already narrated those significant events :). Sorry if it's too long :) 
 

BAB..UNG \m/

I always dreamed to have a boy best friend ever since. :). 'Coz for me, even if I have tons of close girl friends, having a boy best friend is still a different situation and experience :). Luckily, I found mine. I'm BAB and his UNG, but BAB..UNG was jut one of our many funny names for each other. :). On my next posts, I'll tell more of our story :). I can't explain why but I'm more normal or should I say, I'm at my true self, every time that I'm with him. Maybe, I don't have any pretensions because he accepts me for who I am, no offense to my girl best pals, but I'm more comfortable to be myself to him. And besides that, he makes me laugh always, there are no dull moments when he's beside me. I don't know but he's the only person who effortlessly makes me smile and laugh even with just simple things and more often, doing nothing :). He is also the only person who can make me cry because of laughing so hard, he gives me the feeling of being  overjoyed. As the saying goes, "Any one can make you  smile or cry, but it takes someone special to make you smile when you already have tears in your eyes."--that is him, for me ;).  We are very comfortable with each other :) We have that certain connection, that even with just a glance, we can understand each other.  We have a secret language with special codes that no one would ever be able to crack.We always have a blast every time that we're together, even if we are just two. Our energies combined together will form a riot :D. We crack jokes even if it's not funny at all. We tease each other but instead of getting mad, we laugh, laugh and laugh :D. We have a very good chemistry too, in fact, we are arts buddies, i'm the mind, he's the hands. We instantly get what each other wants and dislikes. We are also very open to each other, we know each others' weaknesses, our strengths, our flaws and accepts each other no matter what. We exchange stories, even those wackiest and a bit shameful to tell to other people even to our families, that's how comfortable we are. :D He is the sweetest when I cry. I still recall the time when I extremely cried because of that *not worthy* person, when I told him what had happened, he really tried to comfort me, he stayed and listened to my complaints and sobs, even if he's busy during that time because we're having a practice during that time. :). He begs for me when I'm mad. I still recall the day when I acted that I am mad at him after he cracked a joke at me. I just did that to see if he's really concern for me, if he will be affected and if he's willing to do any thing just  to win me back. And to my surprise, I was very shocked, his mood changed suddenly after just few minutes of me not talking to him and deceiving him that I'm angry. He suddenly turned silent and his happiness meter really went down, as in zero. I really felt alarmed, my conscience was killing me during that time. So, I finished my acting stint, I approached him, since our seats are just near. He's behind me on the left side. :) I told him that I'm not really mad at him and said sorry to him. His happiness meter began to boost up. :D. At first, he can't believe me that I'm not mad. But I convinced him, and he was then happy. I noticed that he was writing something on a piece of paper. I know that he does it every time that he's sad. I really insisted to look at what he wrote. At first, he was shy to let me look at it. But, when I scared him that I will really get mad if he wouldn't allow me to look at it. He lend to me that piece of paper, he covered his face with his hands, so that he won't see my reaction while reading what he had written. :). My heart really melted as I read in his note "... a friend that has been dear to me, yet, I mistreated her. Now, she's sick of it and the last thing that I want to do is to lose her. She was closest to me. Even through the failures, she was there to see the positive in me. It was really hard to lose a friend like that." Oh God, my tears would rolled down as I finished reading that. I really felt that I'm very important to him. I admit, even though I am a very friendly person, only few of my friends, values my importance because others see my efforts for them as just a usual thing. So, I really appreciate those who knows how to appreciate my  importance here on Earth because I admit that those appreciations really boost my moral as a person and inspires me to do better each day. :). He protects me. I don't know why but every time that I'm with him, I feel so secured even if it's just the two of us because he takes care for me. He is also like my dad, he doesn't want me to feel stressed, to feel down. He would always say to me to  "it's too much already, stop and relax for a while"  "don't forget to enjoy" :). When I called him one time, when I was sick and I have no appetite, he was deeply worried, he offered to buy foods for me, he also said to me to hung up the phone and eat first, he doesn't want me to get sick. He's really concerned for me :)  

I'm really grateful to God for granting me a boy best friend like him :). He is one of the best gifts that God had ever gave to me :).

POWER OF SMILE ;)

"A smile is a curve that sets things straight" \:D/

You can see this at the heading of my blog ;). This statement is one of my favorite quotes because I'm very very very fond of smiling. HAHA. Adjectives to describe me? Cheerful is one of the top choices. You can't afford to miss the word "cheerful" when you describe me. Jellou= cheerful and cheerful= Jellou, we are like twins. :) You can often catch a glimpse of me smiling even without no reason at all, crazy much huh? LOL! :). I am not crazy friends, it is just because I believe that life is short, so we should make the most out of it, we should enjoy life to the fullest. And, also, I believe that spreading good vibes every day is the best gift you could have ever give to anyone. :). So I smile most of the time. Really, it benefited me a lot, I became more optimistic and gained many friends since they noticed that I am very approachable, friendly and my aura is always welcoming. So weee! :)).  Life for me became really easier when I learned how to smile and appreciate the little things that I have around me :D

Human as I am, I also have those dull moments but actually, it is very rare to see me frowning or not smiling only  in a few situations like the one that I posted earlier. :) Every time I encounter hardships, I just read the Bible and later on being enlightened by His words, back to normal thingy ;). You can also try my tip and see if it works for you ;)

SPREAD THE POSITIVE VIBES guys :D

SMILE. SMILE. SMILE. ;) 

FREEDOM: FREE from world’s DOMination

FREEDOM:  FREE from world’s DOMination

                                 Photo taken by Sir Edison “Choi” Alcabasa at the UPLB Oblation

“Your freedom should rest on your hands, not on someone else.”

This statement of Sir Alcabasa on his blog completely summarizes the real essence of having FREEDOM on our hands and what we should do with our FREEDOM so that it would be used efficiently.

When we are still diaper denizens and belong to the knee-high crowd, our freedom is just limited. There are many rules bounded for us to follow: what we should eat, wear, do, and whom to talk. Why? It is brought by the fact that young as we are, we’re not yet ready to face the corresponding consequences of our actions that’s why they’re protecting us and giving us those restrictions. But now, that I'm officially about to enter in “the preparation for the real world” in College then I will later on experience the real world, the restrictions will one by one be eliminated, for as I grow up, I mature and become completely independent and be away from the shadows of my parents. Sounds difficult, right? No one will be put on the blame but only YOURSELF. You read it right. You, yourself and you.

But this isn’t just the sole issue here; RESPONSIBLE USE OF FREEDOM is also the talk of the town every time freedom is brought as the topic. Like in the mathematical equations, if you add something on the left side, you will add also on the right side. In responsible use of freedom, it should follow the line of Peter Parker in Spiderman The Movie: “With great power comes great responsibility.” It only means that our privilege to be free as a nation, freedom to live, freedom to acquire basic needs, freedom of expression and many more, has an equivalent duty to be fulfilled. For example, the freedom of speech, we’re free to speak up when we know that we’re right and if we see any anomalies but we should be careful, no, not just careful, but EXTRA CAREFUL not to hurt any reputation and credibility of other people. Another one is the freedom to acquire basic needs, we humans avail of those on our everyday living, but we should remember to WORK HARD for it and not to step up with other people’s dignity.  

There are many other ways on how to promote, implement and protect our freedom. We should keep in mind that RESPONSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION OF FREEDOM will make us more independent and not underdogs of other people.

As I end this, I want to share with you a quote to fonder on. Here it is:  

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” -Viktor E. Frankl