Condo hunt completed

For the first time ever, my current address won't be identical to my permanent address.

Hello, Two Adriatico! :D

We had the contract-signing for our studio unit today. I'm so relieved to finally get that settled. I really was so worried that Karen and I would be left homeless in Manila. Haha not really, but still. Had I confirmed just two hours later, somebody else would have gotten it. It pays to panic sometimes. :) Although I had to go to mass today...

Now all that's lacking is furniture and a third roommate. My excitement level continues to soar. :D

The kiddie-like play

In keeping with summer mode, Ruari and I went swimming this morning. He arrived at the house at quarter to eight, which is the earliest he's ever been here, as far as I know. After a big breakfast of Spanish omelette and chipolata sausages prepared by Mama, we went to the village clubhouse, where the pool was practically empty. The water was nice and cool, and we had the pool practically all to ourselves. Just one complaint though--the water was overchlorinated, and it made the skin on my nose burn. We swam only until ten, since Ruari needed to be home for lunch and more and more people were arriving to swim.

I felt so, so tired after swimming that I took a two-hour nap. I woke up at one and had a late lunch. I planned to attend the Days meeting, which I assumed was at three-thirty like the one two weeks ago. So after lunch I was just killing time until three, surfing the internet and whatnot. It was only when Mich texted at two-thirty asking if I was still coming to the meeting did I think that I might have gotten the time wrong. When I checked the emails about the meeting, they read 1 PM SEC FOYER. Haha. Serves me right for skimming over emails.

We sort of participated in Earth Hour. Mom and I turned off everything in the house except for a couple of lights and the aircon. She said she wouldn't be able to take the heat, even for just an hour. No big deal, really. Honestly, there are better ways to take a stand against global warming. Ruari said they even staged a show at the Mall of Asia and there were a bunch of Earth Hour features on TV precisely during Earth Hour. How ironic.

That's all. Just wanted to document my nice morning, sabog afternoon, and dark evening. Haha.

And oh! Sir Sumera replied to my email last night. I passed the Chem 31 third exam and am exempted from finals! :D I'm not even considering taking it anyway to possibly raise my grade. Goodbye forever, organic chemistry! Now just 135 to deal with.

Float like a butterfly

I feel like I've been floating these past few days. I guess it's all of this transition. I'm facing the last week of my college life, summer is beckoning, and I'm slowly preparing myself for life in med school. I so, so want to move forward already, but these last few requirements (135 proposal, 135 third exam, possible chem finals) are still in my way, breaking my stride. Not to mention the last of my PMHS duties, Days music committee duties, and Grad party logistics duties. Sometimes I forget why I signed up for all of this. Haha.

Monday was chem examSS day. This meant that I spent most of the weekend trying in vain to memorize all of the mechanisms of reactions, the reagents to be used in characterizing organic compounds, their visible results, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Though I was able to enjoy parts of Saturday and Sunday (Melch's birthday dinner and lunch at Lola's), my brain felt so exhausted after being fed with so much organic chemistry that I really just wanted to get the exams (lec and lab) over with. Finals na kung finals. Thus, with around 45 minutes still left in the time allotted for the lec exam, Lee-Ann and I submitted our blue books and headed straight to Cantina for a much-needed, celebratory weng-weng. Now I'm not much of a drinker (as my lack of tolerance is rather shameful); I've never seen the point of cutting class to go drinking, or to go drinking every single night, but once in a while it really does feel soooo good.

On that same day, our helper, Yaya Sonia gave birth to a baby boy. There were a number of complications to the point that we were afraid she might need a Caesarean section, but thankfully she was able to deliver normally. On Tuesday we visited her at the Pasig City General Hospital. She was fine, recovering from her stitches, but reeling from the unkind treatment she received from the attending OB/Gyn. She kept saying this doctor was masama ang ugali, with no care at all in handling her patients. Her examination of Yaya Sonia was quick and painful, simply saying "kaya mong i-normal [delivery] yan."And this was nothing to how she stitched up Yaya after the delivery. Yaya said it was so painful, as though there was no anesthetic administered to her. But this doctor didn't care. She just went right on doing her "job." Yaya Sonia couldn't take it anymore, so she ran out of the room, not completely sewn up yet, and screaming that she wouldn't go back there unless another doctor did the job. Fortunately they found another one, and Yaya was fine. That OB/Gyn, however, was reported by my mom to her doctor friend. Hopefully something is done about her, because she really should not be practicing medicine at all, much less treating expectant mothers in delicate conditions. Though she works at a government hospital and probably receives little pay, there is no excuse.

The good news it that Yaya Sonia's little boy, Gian Karlo, is doing well, though he was hooked up to an IV when we saw him. He was born weighing six pounds, and is already looking very mestizo. :)

Yesterday was my last day of class in college. It didn't really feel like it though, because there's still so much to be done. After class, Karen and I headed to UPCM to submit our confirmation letters and view condo units. We were able to see five condos, three of which look very promising. We had a yummy merienda at MoMo afterwards. Definitely going back there to try their dessert. Karen also gave me a tour of the Tahilan Study Center, which is really nice and homey.

Okay this has been long enough. Sabog much? Haha. I'm off.

Losing steam

I meant to blog earlier, but I never found the time until now. This is partly due to my computer almost crashing last Monday. I made the silly mistake of installing an antivirus program without first disabling the expired one. Duh. Then there was my toothache last Wednesday, which I suspect is due to an emerging wisdom tooth. One more thing to deal with this summer.

Of course I am writing away the time I should be spending on aldehydes, ketones, carbohydrates, carboxylic acids, fats, oils, and amines. Not to mention Experiments 10-16 AND nomenclature. I don't feel pressured at all, which is so wrong, especially since I'm still hopelessly holding on to the dream of being exempted from lec finals. I've always had the tendency to lose steam at the last stretch. Hay.

Not really applicable to us med students (yehess!), but amusing, as always. :P

There are days and there are days. I'm counting them down now, more than ever. I'm so excited to just go condo-hunting and furniture-shopping. Not to mention finally fulfilling my Boracay dreams.

Four years in the making! Yaaaay. :D

There's a certain ogre I'm so, so, so proud of. I couldn't believe it when you told me that it was 31 days that you spent studying in the library, straight after class until the wee hours of the morning. Thirty-one consecutive days. I'm still amazed. You so deserve your shaved head, your four(?)-day vacation, and ALL the sleep you can sleep.

Have fun in Bataan and Zambales, love. Don't forget me. :)

Turn! Turn! Turn!

To everything
Turn, turn, turn
There is a season
Turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to build up
A time to break down.

As I said, optimism over neuroticism. Positivity above all. Nothing to dampen my excitement. But, as Ruari said, there are certain things that have to be let go of. Inevitably so--I think I knew it all along. Here's to coming to terms, and looking nowhere but forward. :)

12 March 2009 :)

The list! I wanted to keep a record of it somewhere. Hehe.

Now that it's finally real. I don't know how to write about it. I'm so happy (yet a bit sad, too, of course), so thankful, so scared and excited all at the same time.

UPCM Admissions, thank you for not prolonging the agony. I was actually already preparing myself for the possibility that they release the list next week pa. And yet here it is! A day earlier than expected.

Of all the congratulatory text messages, Tito Joey's was one of those I loved the most.

The pleasure is mine. I told you not to worry. I believe you will be a good doctor. Save your energies and focus on becoming the best doctor you can be! :-)

Thank you, Jess. :) Now to find housing. Haha. Yay!

Dreaming of summer

With three weeks left in my life as an undergraduate and with this insane heat already settling upon the metro, it's so hard not to be on summer mode yet. And as I always say when I'm at the final stretch of every semester, I just want to get it over with.

It refers to all, but not limited to, of the following:
Chem 31.1 unknown analysis
Chem 31 third exam
Chem 31.1 final exam
135 quizzes 1-4
135 experiment 7
135 third exam
Chem 31 final exam, if I should be so unlucky

Apart from being free of all academic load, there's one important reason I'm looking forward to summer.

It'll be our third.

:)

(Nice dream)

It's been happening ever since grade school. Every time I'm anticipating the results of something, typically the release of my grades or an important exam result (report card, deadline of grades on CRS, NMAT score, etc), I have a bad dream about it. The dream takes place maybe a week or so before the real result comes out. And in the dream, the result is always bad. Very bad. Sad as it is that grades and test results are what occupy my unconscious thoughts to this degree, these dreams never fail to come.

I had such a dream this afternoon, during my extra-long nap. Three guesses as to what the dream was about.

I'm still reeling, still in that stage of relief, the thank-God-it-was-just-a-dream aftermath. I'm glad XKCD is there to properly distract me.

Talking sh** about a pretty sunset

It was a nice, slow weekend. I didn't really go out, save for a quick dinner with Ruari last Friday (Pancake House, where we ordered pancakes, potato salad, and meatless pasta). Tagaytay doesn't count much, since it's still technically our home. I specifically requested for us to spend our weekend there, for it was one of the rare occasions when I didn't have to attend any activity and had little work to do. I love my family for giving in to my wishes, despite Papa having to give up tennis, despite Monch's need to study for final exams, and despite having to face traffic on SLEX (we left at 4ish). We watched Slumdog Millionaire, ate good food, heard a good mass at Focolare, and generally enjoyed each other's company.

I think it was Karen who asked whether I liked sunrise or sunset more. Other than the fact that I'm rarely up to witness sunrise, I just love the colors of sunset. These were a couple of pictures I took on our way to Tagaytay, at around 6:00 PM. I wanted to capture the way the white, pink, blue, and purple lights swept across the sky, though I couldn't do much with a non-SLR camera inside a moving car. I still like the effect that came out--especially the way the trees fade like wisps of smoke in the second photo.

I spent the whole day at home today, primarily because I chose not to attend the Pi Gamma Mu induction ceremony. I figured the only use I'd ever have for it would be if I wanted to obtain a scholarship for a fellowship abroad in the future. I'm hoping that by that time, I'd have credentials other than my membership in an honor society that was expensive and didn't really do much for its members except to give them an extra line in their resumes. (Actually, my resume can read invited to the Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society, haha.) If ever, Ate Carol said I can still get inducted next year. Also, I'm leaning towards joining Phi Kappa Phi instead, since this one is an all-discipline honor society, not limited to the social sciences. Seriously, my parents have more important things to use their money on then my membership to two honor societies. Yay for more responsible spending!

Anyway, I spent today at home. I watched a few episodes of House Season 5, and slept slept slept. I'm still recuperating from my cold and cough; my voice hasn't gone back to its normal, non-sexy-bedroom state. I think the cool, fresh Tagaytay air did me a lot of good, though. However, summer has officially started (according to PAGASA), and the heat definitely doesn't help much.

The coming of summer has, thankfully, motivated me to finally start dieting for real. I'm not following any strict plan like the three-day diet, nor am I completely depriving myself of any type of food. It's more of making better choices, such as choosing to order a sandwich with tuna instead of one with bacon. Or opting for water instead of iced tea or any other sugar-laden beverage. I'm also trying to minimize on rice and dessert. The dessert part is harder, especially since we've just loaded up on treats from Rowena's--bañadas, cassava cake, and napoleones! :((

Let me end this post with a quote from Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, a book I've put off reading for quite some time, and I don't really know why.

"I can never say what I want to say," continued Naoko. "It's been like this for a while now. I try to saysomething, but all I get are the wrong words -- the wrong words or the exact opposite words from what I mean. I try to correct myself, and that only makes it worse. I lose track of what I was trying to say to begin with. It's like I'm split in two and playing tag with myself. One half is chasing the other half around this big, fat post. The other me has the right words, but this me can't catch her."

Have a good week, everyone. :)