Random Memories Sept

- My older brother, Jhzryl, went to high school at Don Bosco. To my then seven-year-old self, it was an  overwhelmingly massive campus filled with boys who played sports and instruments, boys who served at Catholic Masses where loud, rock-ish music was played live, boys who created projects made from wood and electrical stuff, boys who were good at art and boys who called each other by their last names. We attended all of my brother's school events, and I remember playing at their playground wearing my "My brother is a Bosconian" shirt.

- My nanny used to make bubble solution from scratch. It had detergent, water and hibiscus extract. The bubbles it made were huge and didn't pop easily, unlike the store bought bubble solutions. Did anyone used to do this too? Can you tell me the measurements?

- The Husband and I found out we were pregnant on Valentine's Day. I kid you not. It turned out I had been pregnant since November.

- On the first day of college in UP Diliman, I had an entire entourage with me: my mom, her sister and her husband and their cousin who was a professor there. I am not ashamed to admit it. My family is just really supportive and the university campus was intimidatingly huge. We were given maps to navigate our way around. Funny story: My mom's brother-in-law, my Tito Biyo, was helping me find my classrooms. One subject's venue read TBA. We thought it was a real place. Good thing, my uncle was able to find out it meant 'To Be Announced' from a helpful upperclassman. My aunt, the professor, said that if it were I - the obvious freshman - who had asked, some upperclassmen would intentionally give misleading and incorrect answers like "It means, Teodoro Benigno Aquino hall. Just ride the Ikot and you won't miss it." Of course, no such hall exists which would equate to the hapless freshman riding the damn jeepney in circles. Shudder.

- We had sewing projects for Home Economics class in high school. I got low marks for an apron I made because the pockets I sewed on were askew. Oh well. I tried.

DPE

I graduated from the University of the Philippines-Diliman in 2003. I studied BA Speech Communication. I had landed a great job - a job I keep up to this day. I was happy, but was I content? Well, three years after, I longed to be in a classroom setting once again. Because I was feeling antsy and I wanted to learn something new, I went back to school. I enrolled in my high school alma mater again. I went back to STC to get a Diploma in Professional Education (DPE). Yes, I wanted to be a teacher. I still do. I was working as a corporate trainer in a BPO. A career as a professional teacher in the academe sounded- still sounds - like a perfectly natural and perfectly wonderful route to follow.

I had to take 18 units of education subjects to get the diploma. I hear it's now 36. To qualify, you have to be a graduate of any four- or five-year college course. I took nine units in the second semester of 2007 and the next 9 units in the summer of 2008. I graduated from DPE after that. It felt great to graduate again!

my then-three-year-old

floral dress from her godmother, Snoopy sandals

#likeafashionblogger

stage

my mom and dad, and a snacking Kaelana

me, graduating

my class - that's me, third from the right, standing

Yay! We made it!

my family

This is for them!

my staunchest supporter, my greatest cheerleader

I couldn't have done it without him!

I am planning going to go back to school in June. I want to get a Diploma in Teaching Special Education (DTSpEd) so this post is brought you by Kiss Motivating Herself 101.

I can't wait!!!

What about you? What are you planning on achieving this year?

A Love Affair In Pictures

Can you love and miss a place so much it hurts? Can you be so connected to it that you feel intimately happy and content every time you are there? That's how I feel about the University of the Philippines-Diliman, my college alma mater and one of my ultimate happy places.

the Oblation statue which faces University Avenue

photo from philandgazel.com

Palma Hall or the College of Arts and Science

We call it AS, so those steps are the AS Steps and that's where my friends and I hang out late in the afternoon after our classes. It's a place to meet up, to take class photos at and it's a place where we wait for our boyfriends to pick us up. Ha!

photo from unibersidadngpilipinas.tumbler.com

apartment buildings on-campus at Hardin ng Rosas, 

where I lived during my freshman and sophomore years

photo from picasaweb.google.com/betoreyes100

This is SC - the Shopping Center. We went there to eat sisig at Rodic's, photocopy stuff, buy school supplies, and do some grocery shopping.

photo from hello-saigon.com

the Sunken Garden where soccer games, concerts, and other events are held

photo from en.wikipedia.org

Gonzalez Hall is the university's main library. There are smaller libraries in the different colleges in their respective buildings but this here holds the mother load.

photo from aerdna.tumblr.com

the College of Arts and Letters old building - where we rehearsed our plays and performances

This building also houses the offices of the faculty so it's sometimes called the FC for Faculty Center. It's also called Bulwagang Rizal. Our college's graduation was held on its grounds.

photo from cssprep1112.blogspot.com

the gym or officially, the College of Human Kinetics

I remember asking an upperclassman how to get to the gym during my first week in college and his reply was "Sumakay ka ng Ikot at pag may nakita kang building na parang kulungan na manok, yun na yun." (Take the Ikot jeepney and once you spot a building that looks like something that houses chickens, then that's it) Haha!

photo from aerdna.tumblr.com

the Beach House canteen - home of the best barbecue in all of Manila

I would like to take the Husband there sometime. The lines are always long but always worth it.

photo from clarissa623.wordpress.com

the beautiful tree-line Acad Oval

I heard there's a bike lane now and it's closed to motor vehicles during weekends so people can jog and bike and walk. One of my closest college friends, Mimi, who was a mountaineer, jogged the entire oval several times a day when we were in college. It was part of their daily training. I couldn't even jog half of it.

photo from cssprep1112.blogspot.com

the UP Film Institute

This place is memorable because we sponsored film screenings here to raise funds for our organization. It was also called the Film Center and they showed movies here for a fraction of how much you would pay at a cinema. The catch? You'd have to wait for several weeks or even months to catch the film you want.

photo from pinoyexchange.com

the faraway math building

I hated this place because I hated the subject with a passion. I didn't really mind that it was far. There was always the Toki. 

photo from pinoyexchange.com

the Bahay ng Alumni - it's an event space for job fairs, concerts, art exhibits and even weddings

It's home to quaint shops, art galleries, and the famous Chocolate Kiss Cafe where we celebrated one of my best friends, Kmae's, 17th birthday. I will never forget that day.

I was already able to take the Husband to the famed cafe and he loved it!

photo from everydayshutters.wordpress.com

the Palma Hall lobby

We sat on the floors too, yes. This is where student activists converge when they're staging a rally.

photo from pinoyexchange.com

Let's go back to my questions. Can you love and miss a place so much it hurts? Can you be so connected to it that you feel intimately happy and content every time you are there?

with two of my best friends in college, Maize and Kmae during our graduation

Yes.