university

Here we go again

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  • So it is that time of the year. Now, I have to face the comprehensive examinations.

I have been enrolled under residency for the past year, having decided that I’ll take a year off to have an idea what I wish to do with my thesis.

Since changing gears, I took my time traveling, which culminated with a vacation in Europe. But at the back of my mind, I knew that I had to eventually face schoolwork.

That time has finally arrived.

My personal promise was after the long-awaited vacation to Europe, I’d put my head back in the game. It was, however, too difficult to even think of my comprehensive exams and moreover, the thesis.

Translation: you are just lazy

Translation: you are just lazy

So I went back watching Angela Duckworth and her grit Ted Talk on YouTube: and I ouch.

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Once A Week: First Post for 2020

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Once a week. This is the number of times I should post per week. It could be more than one, but I am pegging it low. Sustainable? Perhaps not. Nevertheless, I’ll give it my best shot. Hey, if I manage to do it, I have 52 posts at the end of 2020, without resorting to a mega post on December 31.

Yesterday, I brought a new planner from National Bookstore for 2020. It was tabula rasa i.e. I had to write the days and months down. For those who know, I have been a regular planner user since 2007. I delved once into those Starbucks planner (in 2008 to be exact). However, I just felt it was not for me. I never even managed to use that.

Blogception: the first post of the year on the screen, and the last page of the planner with things I intend to do for the year.

Thus, year after year, I just buy one from the bookstore. I bought a vintage LV agenda cover from Ebay back in 2017, and fill it with a generic planner. I think this is a Japanese release since the cover flips from left to right. But, who cares?

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First semester: done!

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In January, I was ecstatic to be back in school again. The excitement was brief, though, because distance learning is a lot harder. For those who scoff at this mode of education, let us see you get through one semester unscathed. T_T

Just a brochure? Not.

When you go to UP, you expect culture shock. A lot of new things can bombard your senses once inside the campus. Imagine doing this in cyberspace. It was a whole new frontier for most of us, the uninitiated. Having attended traditional classroom set-up in graduate school, I can confidently say that distance learning was not for the faint-hearted.

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For the record(s)

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The first quarter was about to end. I needed to use of all my leaves, but I did not have anywhere to go. For today, I took a day off to go to UP and request copies of my transcript.

It was not a chore before when I was still based in Marikina. But being from Makati on weekdays, I had to do the long traverse along EDSA just to reach Diliman.

While I love how vast UP Diliman is, it annoys me a lot why the cashier is at the far end of the Registrar. It is very counter-intuitive. There is a cashier downstairs, but it is often closed. Anyway, it was less tedious because I was with Ikle. We were done at around lunch time and had the whole afternoon to wait for the rush hour to subside. And that includes shenanigans around the campus.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee

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New Year, New Student

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A new year is always a fresh start! While things do not always turn out as originally planned, it is important to always move forward.

Back in August, I arranged my application. It took three months to get a feedback from the Admissions Office and I heard of my acceptance to the Graduate Certificate program at the end of November. I had mulled over whether I should continue or not. What are my plans and what I hope to achieve with this new venture?

Six weeks after I received the e-mail, I finally decided to go for it. I am going to be a student again!

I’m a student again

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Visiting the university

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It has been quite a while since I was inside UP. Maybe this is something that Harry Potter feels everytime he’s at Hogwarts (or Lord Voldemort for that matter), but this place always feels like home to me.

It was a fine Saturday morning that I had to wake up earlier than usual. I informed Dr Carlos that I would be dropping by her class in the morning to get my recommendation letter. Yes, I will be going back to school next semester. However, she was down with the flu and I had to go to her place to get it. It was always a pleasure talking to her and I think a major part of my inquisitiveness can be attributed to her. There are things that some teachers say that just stick to you and I can still recall several of things she had uttered in class way back from 2009. Her drive, candor and, most especially, her optimism of the country.

The Sunken Garden viewed from the Peace Rock

The Sunken Garden viewed from the Peace Rock and a UP Ikot

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Why I abandoned social media

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As usual, I am typing things through a stream of consciousness. I would have wanted to be more structured with how my points are presented on this ‘radical’ move, but most of my entries trying to make a strong point are done as an internal monologue anyway, thus the name ‘bryologue‘. What prompted me to totally quit Facebook? A more direct answer might have been exasperation with the general public, but I have this perfect opportunity to elaborate on the motivation.

First of all, I did not have an Instagram account, not until four weeks ago. I am still using a BlackBerry phone, and as we know, it does not have a native Instagram application. I got really curious with all the brouhaha on the likes and hashtags, and it seems that it is a prerequisite for people around my age to have one. I might be missing out on something. I have a no-name Android tablet my father gave me a year ago when he went home, which I primarily use for reading Ebooks. The 4 gigabyte memory card capacity was rife with PDFs and Epubs. I am ashamed to say this, but I finally gave in and created an Instagram account just to get over the curiosity of why people are crazy about it.

Albert Camus's L'Etranger realized on Lego pieces

Albert Camus’s “L’Etranger” realized on Lego pieces

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My first French lesson

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Last night, I have already conditioned myself that it would basically be a normal day. I woke up and ate breakfast the same time as I usually do every morning. But instead of sitting in front of the laptop having our usual SATC or movie marathon, I had to prepare for my first ever French class today. About a month ago, I decided to finally consider teaching French for beginners. I have honestly written off this prospect years ago, as I thought I was not teacher material. I could not go for a full-time work, though, as I do not wish to push my health that hard again. Last year’s two full-time work faux pas was literally a very costly lesson. Still, I did not lose that constant yearning to expand my horizons and seek opportunities other than what I am currently doing. I was just naturally a restless soul.

My first French lesson

My first French lesson

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Quelle surprise! J’ai réussi le DELF B2!

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More than a month ago, I finally took my DELF B2. I was not too sure if I was prepared enough for the higher DALF C1 and I had a lot of lingering self doubts. It has been more than a decade since I have last taken an objective-type French examination, and any type of certification won’t definitely come off as a walk in the park. So on that deadline for registering for the exam, I made a last minute decision to take it. I barely had two weeks to prepare myself for the 4-part exam, and I feverishly downloaded the book “Réussir le DELF B2“.

Honestly, I almost kicked myself for not deciding on this much earlier. I would have had more time to prepare but I could no longer wait for the next test schedule in May 2014. It was definitely now or never. I needed to get this exam over with and to stop stalling.

So from Sunday until Tuesday before the exam, I was just locked up in our apartment, trying to wrap my head around the amount of work I needed to do. From listening and writing comprehension, to written and oral production, I was very determined to jot down as many pointers as my shaking hands would allow me. I also had a stash of bread, junk food and four bottles of my ever-trusted Cobra Ginkgo Biloba. I cannot NOT pass the exam because it would be really humiliating if I were to fail.
My DELF B2 !

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