Sem break recap
How many weeks have passed since I came home here in Dumaguete? I don’t know; two or three weeks, maybe. I’ve lost track of time!
So I looked at my phone to see what date it is already.
Oct 30, 2005 na pala. Whew! Sem break is almost over. But at least, I’ve done some things I don’t usually have the chance to during school days, like:
-sleeping worry-free knowing that no classes lie ahead of the day. For me, sleep is a luxury I’ve been deprived during the course of the sem, that’s why, bumabawi ako ngayon.
-visiting Silliman. I was able to have a short chat with Ma’am Garcia, Ma’am Alaban, Ma’am Anito, Ma’am Erum, Ma’am V. Timtim and Ma’am E. Timtim. Sayang, I wasn’t able to talk to Ma’am Catigtig, Ma’am Pascual, and my other teachers, though.
-strolling along the Buglasan booths in freedom park where I saw Charmagne (hi Cham!) and Sir Credo with his gf. ahermz..
- seeing my high school classmates; and Raizah! Hi Raiz (if ever you’re reading this), just wanna tell you that I’m glad coz finally, we’ve seen each other na.
- bonding with batchmates. Last Saturday, we [Anna, Jessa, Geliah, Joy, Pluto, Luke, Vicente, Alfonso, Marvin, Karl, David and yours truly] went to the beach where we played Assasin, chatted and ate dinner, cowboy style. It was really fun. Then, we went to David’s place afterwards. Good thing, the guys have motorcycles. Otherwise we would have walked two or three kilometers and that would take us walking until
midnight . In David’s, we watched Bunsheensaba (sp?), a Korean horror movie, but unfortunately, some of us weren’t able to finish it coz we had to go home. All the guys, though finished the film since they slept overnight there. I’ll just ask Pluto what happened in the movie when we meet.
- and of course, being with my family. I missed them a lot when I was in UP. I miss my Mom, Justin, Gerald, and my Dad (even though we see each other at least once a week in
Manila ). I miss being scolded; I miss chatting with Mommy about anything under the sun; I miss the way my brothers and I would argue. Ironic, but true. I also miss our dogs… loyal pets that have become my best friends.
- and, yes, reading! Lately, I’ve been into reading whichever pocketbook I pull out from my shelf. Finally, I read the book, “The Last Time I Saw Mother”; given by Tribo, my driving school classmate two summers ago; it made my heart heavy. And alas! I’m finally starting Harry Potter book 4. It’s been in my shelf unopened from its plastic for almost a year already. But before I started reading it, I first read again book 2 and book 3. JK Rowling is indeed a genius… She got me back addicted to the wizarding world… She never fails to do that whenever I get hold of her books.
I think that’s all for now. Still have a date with Harry tonight. I’m itching to finish Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire before vacation ends. (=
(PS. A short brown-out occurred a while ago. I was writing the word “Bunsheensaba” (sp?) (the horror film we watched in David’s) when the lights went off. Freaky. I know it was just coincidence… but my foolish self keeps scaring me. Whew. Halloween hang-over, is this? I’m not watching scary movies again—only if I can help not watching though, Hehe. )
Easy Essays | Comment (0)who let the dogs in?
Last Saturday, Daddy arrived here in Dumaguete. With him was a year-old mini pin he bought days ago as requested by Mommy to somehow replace our dog who died five months ago, Kaka (huhuhu…, :c ). York, (her name) looks like Kaka, only darker since her coat has brown and black furs. She was newly ear-cropped and her ears look like the wings of an airplane. But it’s okay coz it doesn’t make her less of a pet.
Just a while ago, we went to Cangmating to take our puppy share from Lorenzo (Gerald’s friend). We went home with a five month-old pup named Charis. She was so active, playful and smart (yup…). Oh, how I hope I could extend my already extended sem break here in Dumaguete.
By the way, my sem break has been extended. Yey! My plane ticket was originally booked for Nov. 3 but since the registration was moved to the 7th, I’m going back to Manila with Daddy on the 6th. I hope Pluto has already rebooked his ticket so we can go together.
Only a week more before another sem starts. Oh… I wonder when I could go back again here in Dumaguete. Christmas vacation, perhaps? I don’t know coz the fare alone costs us so much. Oh well. Anyway, all I could do is make the most out of the remaining days of the break to make the sem break a worthwhile one.
Easy Essays | Comment (0)Women empowerment
In one of our corridor meetings, I was asked to share my opinion about the topic of women empowerment. Back then, I was greatly influenced by what I learned from the Marxist point of view wherein women can never be empowered; they are considered oppressed in the society. They are oppressed because first of all, they are their husband’s property and that they are confined within the boundaries of housework which make them economically inferior and that even if they join the working force they are still oppressed, in fact, they’d experience double oppression because they have to do equally demanding tasks both at home and at the production process.
Back then, I believed that in no way can a woman be empowered. But I realized that I was wrong.
Women are empowered beings. They are the most valuable resources of the society for they can bear the responsibility of a mother, a wife and a working individual all at the same time. Despite being deprived of the mother-right during the regime of the Marxist thought, they manage to do all their responsibilities with utmost nurturing prowess and scrupulous strength and vigor…up to the present time.
Super women, eh?
Easy Essays | Comment (0)Shadow Work
I pity the people, especially the educated ones, who look down on housewives; who look at housework as a dirty job—as a job belonging only to what the society calls, the “little people” or lower-class citizens. I pity them for they know nothing about life.
Let’s face the fact that there are people, who, despite being sent in good schools, still cling to the idea that being a housewife is a disintegrating job. I pity those people who have that line of thinking for they are not ready to accept what reality has to offer. They haven’t grasped the true essence of what an educated individual is. They live an isolated life with their close minds slowly decaying believing that successful people are those who keep away from washing dishes, doing the laundry, cooking meals for the family and cleaning the house. I bet these are the people who despise touching the broom and the dust pan, who wear gloves while washing plates and clothes worrying that their flawless skin, fragile as an onion’s, might get damaged.
With the advancement in science and technology, life has likewise developed its own complexities. That is the very reason why we cannot deny the existence of what sociologists call as “shadow work”. These are the unpaid and unrecognized work done by each and every citizen such as housework. Although there are other forms of shadow works, let me air my sentiments regarding housework because my mom is one of those few brave women who have neglected censure from society, in order to render such priceless service to her family and the society as a whole, where her family belongs.
My Mom is a housewife. And I am very proud of her. Though she may be economically incapacitated as compared to the other moms who share the breadwinner label like their husbands, I believe that she is very successful in life.
One reason why people look down on housework is because there is no money in it. Housewives earn not a single centavo (unless of course if they have sidelines, but the earnings of which may or may not be enough to sustain a family). People, the social climbers and those acting like elites in particular, have failed to understand the significance of a housewife’s job. Without a housewife doing household chores, how could a man possibly earn money for a living? How could a man possibly concentrate in his income-generating activities if he worries about his home? How could a company executive possibly go to work with a worry-free and conditioned mind knowing that several chores in his house are left unattended?
While it may be true that indeed, there is no money in housework, it isn’t a considerable reason to disdain housewives. Whoever scorns house work and housewives for the very reason that it doesn’t generate income, is worthy of the label mukhang pera and should replace the faces of Josefa Llanes Escoda, Jose Abad Santos and Vicente Lim in the one thousand peso bill.
A person’s worth isn’t measured by how much she earns, or by the nature of her job, or by her position in the society. Rather, it is measured by what others have become because of her.
My Mom, working moms, housewives, and those who do housework out there, I believe, are all worthy of our applause. Without their presence, our society’s most valued production processes would collapse. Indeed, the society’s housewives and all those who have courageously dived into the career of doing housework deserve being called the light of the homes for they have been society’s loyal support and guide in its everyday endeavors.
They are society’s irreplaceable and most priceless treasures.
Easy Essays | Comment (0)Kalay cradle
Being in the dorm is such an invaluable learning experience. And I’m glad I was able to be one of those freshmen students who got the chance to be admitted in Kalayaan Residence Hall—a dormitory packed with freshman students coming from different places in and out of the country, coated with different personalities who share the common aspiration of living up to what it takes to be a nation’s scholar and to eventually graduate from the university.
There are a lot of things to talk about when it comes to my dorm experiences. But I’ll never be able to relay verbally or put all those things into writing. Among the things that I learned are as follows:
- Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle. – Plato
- You are never alone. Struggles are shared by at the very least, ten persons in this planet.
- You can never please everybody. There’s no point doing it. Just as long as you don’t do anything that would harm others’ emotions and dignity.
- Achievements are nothing if you do not know how to treat others properly.
- Everybody wins and loses at some point of their lives.
- Respect is the keyword (-Ate Lady); but one has to earn it.
- We have to tolerate differences and discover a point of equilibrium somewhere in between beliefs of two persons.
- A person’s attitude can not be uncoated overnight.
- True friends are hard to find. True colors come out when turbid seas are crossed.
- Be careful who you trust.
- Live by being an example.
- Handsome guys in the dorm are either a) taken b) torpe c) snub d) bading. So, girls better watch carefully who you fall for. Hehe.
- Looks can deceive. Don’t prejudge a person; there’s no point doing it unless you’re into the career as that of Christy Fermin or Boy Abunda.
- You’ll never appreciate a thing until it’s gone. Example? Tubig na nawawala when Ate Guard puts it off at night. Hehe.
- Do unto others what you want others do unto you. However, not everyone lives by the golden rule so expect that you don’t always receive what you give out.
- Silence is deafening and so is noise.
- Dorm life spells independence. But there will always be shoulders to back you up.
- Do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Aral muna bago chikka. Kelan pa nangyari yan? Hehe.
- Slumber parties can be fun but they are also governed by the law of marginal utility. Economics, eh? Hehehe.
- Walk the talk, baby!
For making my first sem in UP…you are the reason, guys!
- Klaryzza. Aka Klang. Aka Pops. My ever beloved room mate. BS Linguistics. Kasundo ko sa mga girl talk… soul mate talks…makuwento kaya bagay ang kanyang course sa kanya. Hindi nawawalan ng kuwento, Karamay ko sa puyatan. Isang diyosa tong gurl na to. Kasama ko sa mga shooting (artista? Hehe). Kaya lang minsan nagdadaBog kaya kinakailangan naming ipagTanggol. (nasan ang logic?). Ay basta, kami lang ang nakakaintindi nun. Hehe.. Ayos na ayos tong room mate ko! Wag nyong aawayin baka di niyo alam na isinusumpa nap ala kayo, in French. Joke lang, hehe. D best ka room mate! [Olongapo]
- Aira – BS Econ. Makuwento rin. Marami rin iyang mga chika especially kung ito’y tungkol kau *jellyace*. Hehe. Bait tong gurl na to. Matiyaga at understanding. Siya ang nagturo sa akin kung ano ang dapat kong gawin para masabing puwede na akong mag-asawa. Pero siyempre, hindi pa ako pwede. Heheh… konting praktis pa sa pagkukusot ng damit at pagbubukas gamit ang all-primitive-can-opener ko. Hehe. [Aurora]
- Niks – ang kapitbahay ko. Historian yan! Wag kayo… Madaldal.. Maraming kuwento… Siyempre, practice yan for being a future storyteller. Storyteller? O town crier? Joke lang. [Palawan]
- Joan – another kapitbahay namin ni Klang. Paniwalain mo akong hindi naming makikilala ang kanyang ever-kikay voice na palaging may mga chikkang sasabihin. Tungkol kay *toot*, *toot*, and *toot*, etc. Bagay na bagay sa kanyang course, BS Tourism. [Bataan]
- Nikes – BA yan! Grabe. Yellow-fanatic yan. Masayang kasama sa kuwentuhan dahil nakakabusog ang tawa at matatakutin. Hehe.. Palaging nasa second floor, kahit ang room niya ay nasa dulung-dulo ng first floor. San ka pa? Jet setter, ne? [Bataan/Olongapo]
- Jaziel – matangkad, kaibigan na halimaw. Halimaw sa math yan! BS Physics lang naman po ang course niya. Hindi masyadong mahirap. Chicken. (Note: Para lang sa kanya). Nahihirapan lang yan sa Math kapag yung tipong 1.25 ang nakukuha niya. At siyempre, never nilisan ng talino niya ang uno na grade sa math at physics. Grabe. DOST scholar yan! Pero mabait yan, matulungin, matyagang tumutulong kapag nagpapaturo kami sa kanya sa math.[Bataan]
- Aura – blockmate! Matiyagang study partner tuwing bago mag-exam. Karamay ko sa pagpupuyat, sa pag-aaral sa hagdanan. Mabait tong gurl na to, tahimik lang pero marami palang nalalaman. Hehe. [Palawan]
- Ayen – Roommee!!! Kiko machine!!! Kapitbahay din naming pero since palagi akong nasa room nila, nanggugulo, para na nila akong inampon. Asteeg tong gurl na to. Classmate ko sa socio at bowling. May hidden talent sa arts! Fina arts! Bait ng friend ko na ito. Sincere. Mahilig sa Kiko machine komix, kaya palagi akong nasa room nila para magbasa ng dyaryo and of course, to be with my kind, foster roommates. Oo nga pala, BS Chem Eng po yan. Asteeg! [Bicol]
- Dana – BS Tourism. Rumee! Another roommee of mine. Tahimik lang tong gurl na to pero maaamaze ka na ang dami palang kayang gawin. Magaling magsulat… plays the flute… athletic… whoa.. oh, diba? Wide reader din pala siya, no wonder she writes well. Bait tong gurl na to, like me, syempre. I’m grateful to have her and Ayen. (=
….at marami pang iba… there are actually a lot of people pa but I can’t possibly write them all.. you may not know who you are. I’ll be forever thankful to God for letting our paths cross.
All these, and much much more, made Kalay a HOME SWEET DORM.
it's all in Kalay... | Comment (0)An open letter
*shinare ni pluto tong article na to.. *
Herdy L. Yumul, 22, is a philosophy and human resource development graduate of San Beda College taken from YOUNGBLOOD of the PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, Thursday, May 24, 2001
WHY (SACHI) SHOULD GO TO UP
Dear (Kuya Henry),
Allow me to write—a first in many years—as you exert influence on one of the most important decisions in the life of our beloved Sachi.
I have known that after careful assessment, you have decided to send Sachi to Saint Louis University in Baguio for college. While I receive this news with utmost respect, let me air dissent and give my thoughts on it.
I believe that SLU is a good school but I wish Sachi could go to the University of the Philippines because there, Sachi will grow among the best and brightest, the future movers and shakers of our country. In UP, sure to open before Sachi’s eyes are doors of opportunities that graduates of lesser schools can only dream of. But above all, in UP, Sachi would continue to be the best, the brightest, and the most promising person that she is by nature.
If Sachi were just a mediocre student, I wouldn’t care. But we know that she is far from ordinary. She has the skills and the attitude typical of those who make it “big time”.
Some of our relatives commented that it wouldn’t matter much where Sacchi would go to college. She could earn precious dollars, anyway. But if that is the case, we should as well let her go to a school in Timbuktu and the old American patient in Sandiego she would nurse in the future would never mind.
Not infrequently, going abroad is a desperate move. It is an open acceptance of one’s failure to succeed in one’s own country. Overseas Filipino workers are not heroes all the time. Sometimes, they are victims of poverty, if not greed.
It is in this light that we admire Mommy and Daddy because they were able to raise us with success. They may have not set foot in college but their hard work, discipline and business acumen paved the way for them. They made a mark without a college diploma and without having to leave us to earn money elsewhere.
But Sachi wants to be a physician. Because entrusted in a doctor’s hands are lives of human beings, academic training is of primary consideration. Dr Benjie Flor [Daddy’s cardiologist] knows that very well and also he went to UP for college. He also had the chance to go abroad, not to battle against for green money, but to further his expertise. Now, Dr. Flor serves his Mother Ilocos by being a good and trusted professional. And his job pays him well.
I am both amused and saddened by the irony of it all: many parents break their bones just to send their children to Manila for better education. Not few of them do not mind if their kids go to the so-called “diploma mills’ where degrees are earned without much pain. There are so many schools of that kind; many of them are in Recto. But to many parents, it really does not matter. Basta makapag-aral lang sa Manila, okay na.
Here we have Sachi admitted to the premier institution of learning in this country. And we do not send her to UP? Many UPCAT passers tender parties to celebrate their victory, their having won the key to their dreams. And on the bleak side, I have also heard of some young people claim their lives upon receiving the kind of “thank you but you did not make it” letter sent by the university. And we dismiss Sachi’s chance to go to UP with such ease?
I hope to make you realize that this humble request is born neither of caprice nor of boastfulness. This is born out of ambition and concern for our beloved Sachi. I remember very well when I was about to go to college. Almost everybody did not want me to go to Manila. But Mommy was there and I will forever be thankful to her. Together, “inkgidem mi iti panagbasak [we just closed our eyes and went on against all odds].” In the same manner, let us transcend the present and on to the future.
Opportunities like these knock but once.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago once said that non-UP graduates belong to “lower life forms”, like insects. While we are much aware that the lady Senator is really out of her wits most of the time, it is, to some extent, reflective of how society looks at graduates of UP and other top schools.
It might be unfair, yes. But it is impossible to change the world in a few years when Sachi graduates from college. Several times, I have heard personnel managers say that they do not even bother to glance at the resumes of graduates of top schools. Their papers are a regular visitor of the wastebasket. This practice may sound unfair but not totally irrational. Ateneans, La Sallians, Bedans, UP graduates and alumni of other equally reputable schools often need less training and are generally more competitive. Companies invest in them. And so, a UP Diliman diploma is a VIP passport that is recognized by every Filipino in any point and corner of the world. One does not have to be an academician to realize that when you are a graduate of a top school, you do not have much proving to do. And true enough, we do not always have the opportunity to present our collegiate achievements to other people.
Sachi will not always be able to tell her patients that she enjoyed a scholarship in SLU or that she was awarded 12 medals when she graduated there. But if people know that you are a graduate of UP [no matter if you finished last and spent seven years to complete your four-year-course], the assumption is that you are excellent, a cut above the rest.
You bear the indelible mark of greatness.
It is thus no wonder why the other honor graduates of Sachi’s class, from rank no. 2 to rank no. 7 are raring to go to UP. And after 25 years, when they meet again in their class reunion, how will our dear Sachi, their valedictorian, fare?
Looking at your concerns, I know how concerned you are for Sachi’s safety and that financial concerns are carefully considered. On the question of safety, we do not deny the risks. But if only to ease your worries, let me tell you, thousands and thousands of little probinsyanos, like our dear old Sachi (like Miriam then), flock to UP every year. With every faith in God and in themselves, they emerge victorious! Many of them are my friends.
We know very well that one does not have to go to Manila to encounter danger. Dangers and risks are eminent in Baguio too, even in Laoag.
As to monetary considerations, a UP education is a most profitable investment. Did you know that government subsidizes almost P50,000 for the education of every UP student every semester? Sending Sachi to Manila would mean a pocket less full or even empty. But money is never put to waste. Every centavo is an investment to Sachi’s character. From my humble means, I also offer to help Sachi in her finances if she goes to Manila for college.
A few weeks ago our family rejoiced of Sachi’s feat. She graduated valedictorian in the only science high school in Ilocos Norte. I hope we do not reward her by depriving her of the education she deserves. To those who were given more, more will be expected. I pray that we present the treasure of a UP education so she could well serve God and country in the measure of becoming her.
I hope I did not sound antagonizing as I presented my views. My chest suddenly became heavy when Sachi told me that a decision has been made. I hope that the decision is not irrevocable so that the feelings of grief and great loss—for the Sachi that should be—will leave me soon.
I never wanted to interfere with your affairs and so I always called Sachi to ask her to talk it over with you. But because she is really a good and understanding daughter, she could not demand too much. She pretends not to have any regrets but her voice says something and I am bothered. Before it’s late, please accept my last ditch appeal.
someone said so... | Comment (0)hello dumaguete!
It’s nice to be back once again in this serene and tranquil city. Dad brought me to the airport in Pasay at around 10:45 AM. My flight was 12:40 PM kanina, and Mom fetched me at around 2PM in dgte airport.
Finally, makakalanghap na naman ako ng peace and quiet; ng sariwang hangin. Wala na munang traffic. whew!
I’m looking forward to seeing my friends and classmates in Silliman. Tamang tama, sem break, so they ought not to have classes. For now, in my part naman, wala munang Math. Wala munang books, notebooks, powerpoint presentations, overhead projectors. Wala munang school. It’s time to rest and have peace of mind. It’s time to relax and enjoy this three-week long break. I’m gonna recharge my mind para maging ready ako sa mga haharapin ko next sem.
Happy Sem Break, Everyone!
Easy Essays | Comment (0)Walk the talk, baby
I hate it when I complain.
Honestly, a small yet significant part of my first sem as a BS Math freshie was spent on complaining (silently, and within myself). I complain about my prof’s way of teaching (although he was a superb one), about my math background (insufficient for the level of UP math), and believe it or not, I complain about my classmates who complain about the same things I’m complaining about, among others. Weird, uh?
But I know that complaining wouldn’t, at any way, be of any help. I know I have to do something about it. Instead of showing further the crabby part of me, I have to make effort in order to cope with the high standards of teaching and learning here. And that’s exactly what I did (and I’m doing).
I worked hard, practiced a lot, and understood the concepts vital in algebra, trigo and precalculus. I burned my brows till the wee hours of the morning just to comprehend the lessons we have in math; coz our lesson here in four days is somewhat comparable to two grading period coverage in high school; in fact, even more.
Now, sem break has just started. The Math 60 (and Math 17) final exam is through! It was, as usual, difficult for me. So challenging. I don’t know how to rate my performance in the exam. I was able to answer a huge chunk of the exam but as to the accuracy of my answers is something I am totally uncertain of. I don’t know if I would pass, or if I would get a 4. I hope I’d pass. Even just a three would make me celebrate.
But whatever happens, whether I pass or not, whether I take removals or retake the subject, at least I learned something essential as a UP student. And I’m glad I learned it and realized its significance in the first sem of my first year of stay here in THE SCHOOL:
Don’t just talk baby; do something… WALK the TALK!
Easy Essays | Comment (1)Link
Palanca Awardee pala si Sir Aguirre, prof ko sa Pan Pil 19.. asteeg. Here’s his winning short story:
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Sinong nakapagCRS na sa inyo?
gosh.. ang hirap humanap ng magandang schedule next sem. sa CRS, di ko makuha yung gusto kong subjects. kung makukuha ko man, hindi yung prof na nirerecommend ng mga friends ko.. oh well, i guess i do have to change my subjects.. gusto ko sanang kumuha ng Physics 10 para lang ma-condition tong mind ko for next year; or kung sakali mang lilipat ako ng Engineering wherein may mga physics subjects sila.. gusto ko rin sanang kumuha ng Comm 3. yung class sana ni Prof. Ludendorfo Decenteceo (sp?), the university registrar who graduated from Silliman University. pero hindi maganda yung fit sa schedule ko.. well.. aayusin ko na lang uli. wala pa namang math 63, (at di ko pa naman alam kung makakaangat ako sa math 63 next sem.. huhuhu)..
Current Affairs | Comment (0)