My New Sem’s Resolution

This semester I will…

 

• say goodbye to procrastination.
• stop cramming.
• drop the philosophy, “Why do it now when you can enjoy life today and cram later.”
• adapt our own, “Daig ng maagap ang masipag.”
• clean my basket and drawer… regularly.
• exercise.
• live a healthier lifestyle.
• ACCEPT REJECTION.
• manage my time wisely.
• be more approachable.
• write down my thoughts and never let them slipped off the way I did before. I realized that thoughts and feelings are too good to be lost. Once lost, forever lost. It is too hard to summon them back completely. 
• take more pictures.
• not be too emotional
• let go of fake friends and friendship.
• NOT BE AFRAID of CHANGES and MOVE ON!

Why am I asking?

If there is one unexpected incident which turned out to be a very big blessing, that would be taking Panitikan ng Pilipinas 50: Panitikang Makabayan under Prof. Michael Francis Andrada. Maybe I was really destined to be in that class, after all.

 

Since I cancelled Humanidades 1, which was supposedly my GE subject that would satisfy my required six units in Philippine Studies, I needed to look for a substitute. Known subjects like Pan Pil 17 and Pan Pil 19 were already closed. But I badly needed to complete Philippine Studies. So, I looked for alternative classes and soon found that there is a GE subject called Pan Pil 50: Panitikang Makabayan. If it is offered in our school, then it must not be that bad. So I tried to enlist in that subject and luckily there was still an available slot in the class which perfectly fits my schedule.

 

At first, I thought we would just talk about epics, myths, legends and similar forms of literature in different regions in the Philippines. Those were the stuff I considered “makabayan.”  Soon I discovered that my notion of “makabayan” was far from what we would be studying. My definitions of the words “bayan” and “makabayan” were too shallow and fall short of their true and deeper meaning.

 

We first learned that the concept of “bayan” differs from person to person. Not everyone that calls himself/herself “makabayan” is really “makabayan.” Take President Gloria Arroyo for example. Must we believe when she declares that she is “makabayan”? We must know first who she refers to when she says the word “bayan.” Also, patriotism does not equate nationalism. Not everything that has Pinoy, Pilipino, Pilipinas, and the like is truly “makabayan.” For the whole semester, we studied songs, poems, essays, stories, and other literary pieces which most people considered “makabayan.” We identified which is which and which is not. Genuine nationalism, properly complemented by social awareness, seeks to promote the interest of the people— the Filipino people, the masses.

 

In less than a month, it became my favorite subject for the sem… and in my whole college life.

 

Well, Sir Andrada was my first tibak professor. Cool. Every meeting was always fun because of his hirit and patawa and jokes about my classmates and basically about everything. The topics we discussed were serious and even political but he presented them in an, uh, animated manner. (Sorry for the lack of appropriate word.) He also challenged us to analyze and think deeply about the things around us for they reflect social realities. We must NOT just look at the superficial. As I would quote him as he also quoted, “ Dapat mayroon tayo laging ‘series of questioning questions’.”

 

Yes. I love that. Series of questioning questions. I will never forget that, sir! I learned to be sensitive to and critical of the things that surround me. I learned not to easily accept what is presented to me but rather search further for its real meaning and implication.

 

Oh! And before I forget, Sir Andrada was also of very big help when we did our position paper for another subject. (Thank you, Sir!)

 

I wouldn’t be the socially aware and involved person I am now if it was not for this subject. It perfectly complemented my being NUAN.

 

Now, as I look back, I cannot imagine my college life without taking this course… and not learning to ask a series of questioning questions.

 

What do you think?

Is there really a socialized tuition fee assistance program in the University of the Philippines?

They should rename the Socialized Tuition Fee Assistance Program (STFAP) to Randomly Selected Financial Assistance Program (RSFAP).

 

I already qualified for the bracket E (no tuition fee + stipend) based on the criteria. We submitted the complete requirements with authentic documents. Yes, I knew they automatically eliminate you from qualifying in the bracket E if you own a cell phone, even if it is a decade year old. (Who doesn’t own one these days?) Since, I own a very sophisticated and up-to-date (note the sarcasm) Nokia 3100, I was somehow expecting to be classified under the bracket D (P300 per unit) or at least retain my old bracket C (P600 per unit).

 

But to my frustration, after going through many hardships in getting and submitting authenticated copy of everything needed and a month of waiting, I found out I would still be paying P1, 000 per unit. I almost cried and wanted to shout at the person I was talking to in the phone upon hearing the news that they put me under bracket B, but too bad I already lost my strength when I realized we would have to pay more than P20, 000 for my tuition fee. With both my parents unemployed that time and our small sari-sari store, which was our only source of income, closed, where in the world would we get that amount of money?

 

To add to my disappointment, I discovered that one of my blockmates who graduated from St. Scholastica’s, owns a laptop and has broadband connection, have a better unit of cell phone, and whose father was abroad, was put under bracket C.

 

Another blockmate who went to America with her family for vacation (as far as I know) and whose annual income exceeds P1M was classified under the bracket B— the same bracket with me who has no income at all. Can you see the discrepancy?

 

I still do not know how the people I the STFAP do and did it. One thing for sure, very few students got what they deserve. They should really rename the program to RSFAP. They should stop deceiving and making poor students like me believe there is such thing as a socialized tuition fee assistance program in the University of the Philippines.

 

Anyway, I still thank God for everything. Through His endless amazing grace, our needs are always satisfied—more than what we ever asked for. I was able to enroll the past semester. What happened was one very good testimony to share God’s faithfulness. Indeed, miracles still happen these days.

Looking back to one great semester that passed

The previous semester was the best for me… so far.

 

Here are fourteen things that rocked my world the past sem and find out why they did:

 

(Note: Originally, I was supposed to publish a single blog entry on the things that rocked my world last sem. I put explanation on each number why and how they did.  Some were too long that I decided to cut and publish them separately as individual blog entries.)

 

Ø       Assignment to bracket B (P 1,000 per unit)

 

Ø       The unsystematic enlistment and registration process. Thank God there is the computerized registration system (crs). But still, it was of very little help. I only got four out of the eight subjects I needed. I even cancelled one subject, Humanides 1, due to conflict with a major subject, making my pre-enlisted classes down to three. I had to manually enlist five subjects through the e-prerog. If you could just imagine the stress it caused me. That meant very long hours of falling in line uncertain if there were still available classes. Most of us felt like, “ Gusto ko nang mag-transsfeeerrr!!!” I experienced falling in line in one subject for almost three and a half hours before they declared that all classes were already closed. So I had to move on and try my luck in other subjects/ departments/ colleges, which meant walking very long lanes or spending for jeepney rides. Why did they not provide enough classes for the students? Why did they not make the enlistment and registration process more systematic so we wouldn’t experience all of these? It took me four whole working days to finish the enrollment process.

 

After surviving the long, dark tunnel called registration: Oh! I really love UP. J

 

 

Ø       Panitikang Makabayan and Sir Andrada.

 

Ø       The first rally I attended.

 

Ø       Contemporary History of the Philippines (Kas 112).

 

Ø       My BC 100 class under Sir Avecilla. My first major subject, Broadcast Communication 100, under Atty. Victor C. Avecilla was stressful, yet fun at the same time. There are so many things to say about my experiences in this class. I need one whole article to tell you. Bottom line: I survived this course under the best and strictest professor in the College of the Mass Communication with a decent grade.

 

Ø       My, uh, crush. * blush * My semester would still be complete without him. But he added more to it. He made the previous semester happier and more colorful.

 

 

Ø       Our Black and White Photography Class, Ma’am Limpin, and Mang CV.

 

Ø       disColor: Our first ever photo exhibit and my encounter Sir Ramon Bautista.

 

Ø       Basketball games and the cheerdance competition. In my cheerleading class, our section was assigned to watch ten men’s basketball games, which were held either in Ultra or Araneta Coliseum. I had to endure weekends watching the UP Fighting Maroons lost to other universities. At least this year’s standing is better than last year’s 0-13. I swear I would have not seen any of those games, even the cheerdance competition, if we were not required. Good thing I took this class even just as last resort. At least, I can say that I have seen the CDC and basketball games in college… even just for one season. Oh! By the way, students enrolled in cheerleading classes were given general admission tickets for FREE! That was really good enough. At least, it was free… and we did not need to fall in very long lines to get one.

 

Ø       My mom’s flight to Dubai.

 

Ø       My first medical operation.

 

And last, but definitely not the least…

 

Ø       Being a NUAN!!! Words will never be enough to describe the joy I feel. I love you batch! I love you sisses!

 

Exercise is good for you too

I have been spending too much time reading, writing, and uh, sleeping. But most of my time goes to the last. I spent three-fourths of my two-week semestral break doing it that I did not even have time for a good movie since “My Fair Lady.”

 

Once I received a text message saying that sleeping is a way of escaping reality. Do I really have many problems that I need some outlet in the form of sleeping or is it just plain laziness? Sometimes I believe it is the first reason. Other times, it is the latter.

 

Some might think I wasted too much of my precious time sleeping, but for me, this is my way of making the most out of my vacation. I even slept for one whole day after my eighteenth birthday celebration. The day passed just like that. But I have no regret. Yes, I might not be productive the past two weeks, but at least I did something I will not be able to do when classes officially open again this Friday.

 

However, I must admit that along with sleeping too much, I am also getting lazier and lazier each day. I just feel like lying down all day. I even ask my brother Paolo to do simple stuff for me like getting water or charging the battery of my cell phone. I ask him to do easy and simple stuff, which I could have just done myself, because I was just too lazy to do them. Yeah, I know, it is unhealthy.

 

That is why I realized I should exercise. After all, everyone needs it. Right. I really need it. Yes, I will exercise and get some life… SOON. But for now, let me sleep again.