1st of December

I was studying at Dunkin Donuts El Pueblo when bang after bang after bang shook the dark heavens outside. I went out to see the beautiful fireworks of Megamall (or was it San Miguel?) setting off in the sky, signaling the start of the yuletide month.

I really love Decembers. Aside from giving students (undergrad and post grad) like us the opportunity to take a break within the second half of the school year, it is the time when people are extra giving, thoughtful and sweet. Indeed, what better way to celebrate Christmas with love and comfort both shared with others and kept in our hearts.

Christmas will always be my favorite holiday. Be gone, bad vibes. In with the happy, cheerful Christmas spirit :)

Rewind 2010

As I type this, it'll be 2011 in 48 minutes. There are booms and blags and pops and ratatatatats everywhere, and although I'm nursing a headache, I'm smiling amidst the noise, smoke, and chaos outside. Last year, I answered a year ender survey. As another year comes to an end, here I am answering the same survey again. Let's see what 2010 brought into my life.

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’ve never done before?

Wore a bikini top (haha). Been extremely afraid and anxious. Cried in front of a professor. Entered med school. Moved on and let go. Went to the beach with friends/orgmates. Became an Atenean. Attended the Ateneo Bonfire. Physically examined a real patient. Watched my fave local band play live. Fell asleep in a coffee shop. Spent hours and hours in Dunkin Donuts El Pueblo. Went to Banchetto. Marshal-ed in a fun run. Rode a zipline. Was given a surprise birthday party. Graduated from UP. Went to a cadaver exhibit. Made a video for my dad on Father's day. Voted in the National Elections.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I wasn't able to make any. Hahaha.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, my cousins. Hello cute babies!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.

5. What countries did you visit?
None. Boo.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Again, more money! Haha. Hmm, proper med school study habits and exercise regimen, I guess? And more self confidence, self discipline and self efficacy please!

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Oh shocks, dates. I can't even remember the date of my college graduation! Hahaha. So let me list some events/experiences that I will always remember:

• Weeks of waiting for my Chem 31 grade. It was the most difficult phase of my life because so much were at stake: graduating on time, graduating with my batchmates, getting into med school, the hefty med school reservation fee, my ego, my parents' expectations, etc). But thankfully, everything went fine. Thank you so much, Lord :') Life-changing, really.
• Crying in front of Doc Q. Epic. Haha.
• First ever Up Dharma Down gig!
• Graduating from UP. Oyeah, I'm a UP grad! The lovely sunflowers pa! ♥
• That day when I became free :)
• ASMPH Batch 2015's first get-together at NYPD.
• Hello, med school!
• That night at Dunkin Donuts El Pueblo when Armi Millare went in and I was stunned to death. Borbs got me her autograph :">
• Beer and chips night!
• Bonding with my Tgang loves! Quiapo tarot-reading, Ukay shopping, conversations and drama over coffee, Rosario, and so much more!
• My 21st birthday!
• My surprise birthday party! Thank you super, Borbs :)
• Releasing our college yearbook right before XXX (October 10, 2010), as promised. My job as EIC is finally done :)
• ASMPH Semender Party at Bonifacio High Street (and the early morning after that :p)
• Getting my Cardiopulmo module grade
• December 24 :p
• Noche Buena ♥

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting into med school and being happy about it :) And releasing our college yearbook on time, wuptedoo!

9. What was your biggest failure?
My biggest failure would probably be not getting into PGH, but I've accepted it wholeheartedly. I actually don't think it's a failure anymore. Getting in would have been so great, but as long as I'll be a doctor someday, then I'm A-okay :)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious. The usual flu or fatigue every now and then. -- Same.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Hmm, my med books? Haha. And Schneider highlighters!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
A lot! My family, my forever girlfriends, my college loves, my med school pals, and of course, Borbs :)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

None :)

14. Where did most of your money go?
Transes, highlighters, photocopies, med school reviewers and books, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Semestral break and Christmas break! Hahaha.

16. What song/s will always remind you of 2010?
Teenage Dream, Dynamite, and Just The Way You Are!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? – Happier, definitely.
Richer or poorer? – I guess richer, because I saved more money. But then I use it for my med school needs, so that's poorer me as well. Haha.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
REAL studying.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Cramming and procrastinating.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Spent it with my family. This year's noche buena was the best ever. Fun fun times :) Then we went to the Porciunculas and the Alfonsos, then spent some time with Kat after.

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?

Hmm :)

22. How many one-night stands?
None.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
It all started with The Big Bang, hey! And of couse How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, and Glee. -- I wasn't able to really follow a series or a show this year, but I got to watch some episodes of the same programs.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
None :)

25. What was the best book you read?

Clinically-oriented Anatomy by Moore. Haha.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
No new discoveries, I guess. I just loved Up Dharma Down, Coldplay, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift more. Teehee.

27. What did you want and got?
Cardigans. A Littmann steth. A Domokun bag. Boat shoes. Pretty notebooks.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Despicable Me!

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 21 on my last birthday. I spent it at school (hello, cadaver dissection) and at Dunkin Donuts (cram reviewing, boo). We had a killer exam the following day, so no big celebrations for me. But thanks to Borbs and Kat, aside from all the people who greeted me, my birthday was simple yet happy. And a week after, Borbs held a surprise birthday party for me in UP, which was super duper sweet of him. My high school, college and med school friends were there. SOBRANG SAYA ♥

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Winning the P700 M lotto pot. Hahaha!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

Loud colors. Tucked-in tops. Shorts. Polos. Florals. Stripes. Casual vintage, basically.

32. What kept you sane?
My friends. My mom. Food. Sleep. My dreams.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
The Olsens. Rachel Bilson. Kate Beckinsale. Anne Curtis. -- Still them, plus Rachel Adams, Taylor Swift, Jessica Alba, Scarlet Johansson, Kate Bosworth, and Anne Hathaway.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The 2010 elections? Gaaah, I was (and still am) embarrassingly disconnected with the world because I don't get to watch TV or read the newspaper anymore. I learn about current events from Yahoo! Insider and from usap-usapans :|

35. Who did you miss?
My college and Psych Soc friends. My dad, too, because I didn't get to see him much this year.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Borbs and the rest of my med school pals :)

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
Studying is far different from learning.

Be patient for things will get better.

Prayers do move mountains.

The One above will never let us down. We just need to have faith.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

You'll get by with a smile :)

Because it's Christmas

Today, I'm happy.

I'm happy not just because I got tons of new clothes and bags from my mom and Kuya Andre, a pair of my dream boat shoes from Kuya Adrian, a light-weight and durable book stand from my Kris Kringle daddy Vince, a super cute Domokun bag and new pretty notebook from Borbs, and the other lovely and valuable presents that I received from my loved ones.

I'm happy not just because of all the scrumptious, mouth-watering food that I've eaten and will be eating: Christmas ham, oatmeal cookies, cakes, revel bars, fruit salad, paella, pasta, Lola's superb caldereta, etcetera etcetera.

What I'm most especially happy about is at this time of the year, specifically during Noche Buena, our family is complete, as in complete complete.

Our family is far from perfect; honestly, I can say that we're not a nice or good or okay family, even. We're actually pretty detached from each other, except for me, I guess, because I'm pesky and clingy to my both my parents and to my three brothers. But every Christmas eve, we get to be this one whole family. No pressures. No issues. No conflicts. Just pure, happy and genuine family together time. Noche Buena is always simple here in our home, but it's also always fun and happy.

How we gossiped about this person 0r that family as if we were chatty, juvenile teeny boppers;

How we remembered one of our past drivers who ate all the lobster tails we ordered years back in Baguio and required at least a Jollibee or Mcdo meal (no carinderia meals for him :|);

How Dad was so proud and happy when I gave him an Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health sticker for his car;

How we laughed so hard while opening Dad's gifts to each of us (we all received a USB-powered pen light from him, and he even gave himself one, too, gift wrapped and with a card hahaha);

How we disliked the red wine we received from a contractor but loved the 7-11-bought Tanduay Ice (tastes like Sprite);

How we remembered Ma's and our past househelpers' funny mishaps and lines;

How our youngest brother loved all the gifts that he received;

How we just ate so much, cried our hearts out laughing, and enjoyed each other's company.

These types of things happening are what I love the most about Christmas. They're priceless, and I would never ever replace them with anything in the world. I'm more than thankful that we have this one great family experience even if it's just once every year, and I thank the Lord for making it happen. It is in celebrating as a complete family that we celebrate His birth.

Happy, happy birthday, Jesus! Thank you so much for all the love and for blessing me with my loved ones :)

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! :)

FREEDOM

The past weeks had been excruciatingly tiresome and eventful, I can't even believe that I've survived it. The best part of it all? I can officially say that I am done with my first semester in med school. WHAT UP. WHAAAAT IS UP.

Okay, so maybe I might take a removal exam for the Cardio-Pulmo module. Or maybe not even half of what I learned in the past months would be retained in my head. But I am just so tired of studying that all I can think about is the awesome feeling of having nothing to do at all. And here I am, basking in that feeling. Ah, sweet, sweet freedom!

Things I learned/realized/experienced:

• I cannot donate blood because I am underweight. I even tried twice, in two different occasions. But then again, I feel fat. Well, I got really fatter. Ask my friends. I just don't know why my weight more or less stays the same and yet I have definitely grown unwillingly horizontal.
• Tummy size is directly proportional to stress.
• I lost my stethoscope. Perfect opportunity to buy a Littmann steth? Haha.
• Sleep = death, most especially during the night before the exam. I should never ever trust my forever-alarm clock-snoozing self again.
• Shopping for a party dress three hours before the party is a bad idea.
• I really need to study study. I am not learning :(
• I missed dressing up. Being in uniform five times a week should be enough motivation for me to dress up during weekends and not just settle for my quick, hassle-free, regular apparel (AKA loose shirt and shorts).
• Inspect, palpate, percuss, auscultate.
• Staring blankly into space = new hobby.
• Goodbye, Pulmonology. There's no way I'm having you as my specialization.
• The strongest people can be the weakest ones because of love :(
• I worry too much.
• My Photoshop skills are rusty already :-s
• Wild Card was great! Congrats to everyone, especially to Borbs and Aileen! :)
• I really missed you :)

Yaaaay, free time at last! ♥

Soak up the Sun

Ah, the long-awaited beach trip of my summer vacation and the reason for my two-week diet and pseudo-workout regimen (which didn't really produce much results)--the UP PsychSoc Kick-off 2010.

The kick-off was definitely the best way to destress after one busy and draining summer semester at ADMU and ASMPH. And of course, I loved being with my orgmates who made my four years in UP fun-filled, memorable, and awesome. I missed them because admittedly, I wasn't as active as I should be in PsychSoc because of my Mandala responsibilities. Still, PsychSoc defined my UP life in tremendous ways, ways that I am very thankful for.

I actually can't believe that I'm now a VOPS (Veteran Of PsychSoc) and not a POPS (People Of PsychSoc) anymore. PsychSoc was my first home in UP, and without it, I would not be who I am today. It brought me out of my shell. It pushed me to do more and show my talents. Most importantly, it introduced me to cool, dedicated, fun (and grade-conscious haha) people who made my life crazily hectic yet wonderful.

For this year's kick-off, we went to Bakasyunan Resort in Iba, Zambales last May 22-23. The nice things about the place? The free two-hour videoke, free one-hour kayaking, the public trampoline, and the rock-less beach bottom! The kick-off was great in itself; I enjoyed the booze, the sweet tokens for us kickees (AKA recently graduated members), Migo's supply of Skittles and Lifesavers Gummies, the company, the good times, the laughter. Thank you so much, VOPS and POPS!

With Marge the Large!

Lovely South girls that I will surely miss: Reg, Ate Khat, and Marge.

The sand was not white, but the place was still nice.

Reg getting baked. I love the print on her bikini!

Migo not getting a tan, so he just goofed around. Haha.

Reg, on the other hand, became sunkissed.

One of my forever PsychSoc loves, Reg.

Migo's kayak team. Too bad we didn't have a picture of ours :(

Abandon ship!

Mico, my phonepal! I will never forget that super random phone call. Haha.

Although I didn't get a proper tan, finally being able to hit the beach was refreshing. But I do hope I could go to the beach one last time before med school starts. I shall keep my fingers crossed.

Count Your Blessings

Hello there. It's been a while. I wish I blogged more since my life has been very eventful recently, but then I had so much under my belt. So allow me to give an update of the blessings that I received in the past month or so with the help of some lovely photos:

1. I graduated from college. I now have Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, hooray! I attended both the college and university graduation of UP Diliman.

2. We now have a new baby at home: Scofield! He's my brother and my brother's girlfriend's three-month old shih tzu. He likes to snuggle by our side, follow us almost everywhere, and give us sweet licks and kisses ♥

3. As long as I pass Biochem and Cell and Molecular Biology, I am officially a first year med student at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health this June. ASMPH's month-long transition summer program was indeed tiring yet so much fun. I loved meeting new friends. The med school life also excites me tremendously. I probably just need a week-long rest and then I'm fully geared for it. I'm so glad that I'm finally living my dream.

I feel so blessed. Thank you so much, Lord. Thank you to my dear family. Thank you to my college batchmates and friends. Thank you to my new friends in ASMPH.

Pure glee. Life is good :)

Eustress

My year started with a hefty amount of schoolwork. The past two weeks drove me nuts, what with the four exams, two papers, med school applications, two reports, and other requirements that I had to deal with. Now, after successive sleepless nights, cans of Bacchus, and bigger-than-ever folds of dark skin under my eyes, my hell-est weeks in college are now over. I'm still alive and sane, thank heavens.

I regret not being too productive during the Christmas break. I wouldn't have crammed to death each and every day of the past weeks. My performance in most of my schoolwork were sadly mediocre, too. But what the heck, I'm just glad that I can move on with my life a tad less stressed. I'm looking forward to better weeks ahead, especially with regards to Organic Chemistry. Malupet na gapangan ito. I can feel it.

Friday and Saturday were great days. Friday night was Mandala X Karaoke and Movie Night, and I was able to spend some hours with my batchmates before studying for my Chem lab exam which was on the following day. I was not able to sleep the night before because of Psych 135, but thanks to Mandala, I gained some happy vibes and energy.

Then I went home, and I felt stressed and sad and depressed again. If not for Bacchus, I wouldn't have survived the night and might have missed my exam. Bacchus has always been my savior during times like these; I was able to kinda study in between five-second-dozes and many moments of lack of comprehension. I'm quite scared though, because I'm already feeling the drawbacks of relying too much on energy drinks. Palpitations, clammy hands, and lack of appetite. Must reformat my body clock and stick to natural sources of energy that is sleep and food.

Saturday came, and I took the exam. Honestly, I didn't do well. I sucked. But then I stopped ruminating an hour after the exam finished and promised myself to really work hard next time. Babawi talaga ako nang bongga :) And I had to move on because after all the stress, it's Katnabor tiiime! Finally, Kat is back in Manila from Korea! From UP, I went to Tanay and surprised her. She cried when she saw me, which then made me cry, and so we cried together. Haha. I missed her like crazy. I'm just so happy she's back ♥

We did lots of stuff yesterday, but we ate most of the time. We took lots of pretty pictures too, especially since she now has a DSLR of her own! I am so envious. Haha. She brought me home a panda head dress that made me giddy like a five-year old kid. Kat + bonding + planning for our future together + food + panda = happiness. This was just what I needed after all the stress.

After I spent time with Kat, I instantly fell asleep. Yay to 10 hours of much-needed rest. When I woke up, I watched the movie Il Mare while eating my peanut butter sandwich breakfast. The movie made me sad in a way, but the ending was really nice. This is definitely better than its remake, The Lakehouse. Right now, I'm blogging and searching for cheap beaches and drinking red wine from a mug and eating Marty's.

Destressing, finally :)