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A Meaningful Christmas 2012 (Part 2)

1:07 AM |


DAY 2

                I was too lazy to get up from Jane’s bed. If only I didn’t have another party to attend for, I would lie there for three more hours. But I have and it’s 8:00am already! I have to be home at 9:00 to prepare myself for the next two activities of the Voice Publication: COMMUNITY EXTENSION and CHRISTMAS PARTY.
                When I finished taking a bath, I felt that abnormal feeling within me. I thought I’m going to get a fever and colds. I took medicines to somehow ease the not so comfortable feeling. While on my way, I received messages from some members explaining why they can’t attend the activities. Honestly, I got disappointed…frustrated. I want everyone’s participation and attendance so our relationship as a team would be stronger. But instead of dwelling so much on the exasperating feeling, I ignored all their texts and didn’t reply. I just thought that it’s not my loss anyway. Hehe
                At the Voice Office – we only had two hours to wrap the gifts and buy foods for the kids. I was glad that at least, 50% of the group was present. And to my surprise, I saw Ramayanah showing April and Jonnafe her sexy dance! Rama’s one of the Maria Clara of the group and I can’t believe what she just did! Oh well, she’s maybe just happy that the world didn’t end.
                Clarice (Waka as what we call each other) got back from the mall with the BEAN BOOZLE! It’s a box of bean-shaped chewable thingies that is composed variety of flavors! The weird thing is, the flavors are WEIRD. Each color is equivalent to two flavors. If you’re lucky, you can taste the delicious and lesser evil flavors such as chocolates, caramel corn, coconut (ooh… I forgot the others). But if luck doesn’t love you, then you might just be eating the yuckiest flavors you could ever taste in your whole life. Baby wipes, centipede, canned dog food, molded cheese and BOOGER (for heaven’s sake) are just some of the flavors offered! But I tell you, they are edible. It’s just that, they’re flavors were inspired by those GROSS elements. But I know right, it’s still eeew!!! Bean Boozle is actually used as an icebreaker by some. But for our party, it’s going to be the punishment of the losing team.
                Before we leave the office, Waka asked the late comers to pick one from the box. She didn’t happen to be contented. So she asked the whole to pick one. We were 10 in the room. But only Rama - the sexy dancer – picked the BOOGER flavor! You should have seen her face! She almost vomited! Poor Rama! Hehe…
At 11:45 – we head on to St. Gemma’s Orphanage. It’s located along the National highway. When we arrived, the one of the facilitators was arranging the sound system while the other one called the kids. The number of kids was fewer than we expected. They were only 14. To tell you frankly, we have not prepared for the program. But fortunately, the program went well. We started with the introduction of the staff then of the children. We asked them about their talents and let them show it. They were all game! Some danced. Some sung. The funny thing is, they keep on dancing and singing the same song. I was happy, though, that the rest of the staff danced and sang with the kids. It’s like we had a little party there. I love that the kids cooperated.
At 2:00PM – we ended the program and we proceed to the next activity…the CHRISTMAS PARTY!!! We went to Piyesta Resto and KTV Bar. We reserved the good for 10 room. The moment we settled inside the room, the others immediately scanned the song list and entered the keys. We ordered garlic chicken and a tower of cocktail.
A week ago, I have posted the groupings for the parlor games: GREEN (Ate Birdie as the team leader), RED (my team) and BLUE (Abby was supposed to lead but since she’s not around, Claire took over). The first game that we were going to compete against each other was the KARAOKE CHALLENGE! I was the one who chose the first song for the first batch of singers. ALL BY MYSELF by Celine Dion, it is. Ramayanah (GREEN), Jonnafe (RED) and Kristine (BLUE) sang their throats out. But it’s Rama who got the highest score of 80%. The winning team won’t do anything and will have the chance to get P700 cash prize based on the average score. The second placer will have to try their luck on picking up the bean boozles, while the loser of all losers will drink beaten raw eggs. Disgusting! So since the RED Team only got 76%, I have no choice but to drink the egg yolk. I just ignored the smell, ‘coz I have to!
On the second round, the leaders were chosen to sing. So it’s mine’s, Ate Birdie’s and Claire’s battle. The song was chose by Ate Birdie – I HAVE NOTHING by Whitney Houston. Two songs before we our clash, I felt my heart beating faster. I didn’t take the challenge so seriously but the fact that I HAVE A GROUP RELYING ON ME SO WE COULD NOT DRINK ANOTHER SET OF BEATEN RAW EGGS AGAIN, made me nervous. Ate Birdie was the first one to sing. Oh man! She was good at high notes! And she knows the song! They all cheered when she got a high score. When it was my turn, I was secretly shaking. Haha! I sang the song even if I don’t know it pretty well. I was worried about my timing. Boy that song would take out your soul from your body. I didn’t get some of the high notes, so I just shouted with all my energy. To mine and to my group’s surprise, my score was a little higher than Ate Birdie’s! We got so much hope then until Claire started to sing. She said she doesn’t know the song but when she started, she got all the notes correctly, and her timing was perfect! Her score was 86%, which means, my team played only the second best.
                The last and final round was for Caryl (GREEN), Shandy (RED) and Chieldon (BLUE). The song we chose for them was ALONE by Heart. Ate Birdie and I weren’t that harsh, eh? ALONE was one of my frustration but Chieldon hit the notes while sitting comfortably on the couch. Caryl didn’t know the song well so she missed the timing. Shandy, on the other hand, stood up and faced the KTV machine. Like me, she has a low pitch. But to disbelief, she scored 87%! The highest score among all of us! That meant, we don’t have to take any of the punishments!!! Plus, we won the P700 cash prize! Yahooooo!!!!!
                After the KTV challenge, we finally exchanged our gifts. I gave mine to Shandy. I hope she didn’t mind the unfortunate wrapper – which I put a lot of effort on - of her gift. My secret Santa was Ate Birdie! I love the pens that she gave me. In fact, I already used them to practice my abstract-like art.
                At 6:30PM – we rode all the way to Tokyok’s Superlanes for our next parlor game. Ate Birdie and Orly can’t come with us anymore.  So since only 12 of us are present, we decided to cut the three into two groups for the bowling challenge. It was fun! Especially if you’re there watching some of the girls dropping the balls like they’re playing basketball. Haha! My last play was almost six years ago and I was not exempted from the hitless rounds where my balls slid all the way to the canals. However, as the game became exciting, I learned to study the techniques so that I can keep up with the score. Fortunately, I got the highest score in our group which gave us a chance to get the cash prize. But Kristine, who substituted for Monich to be my opponent, played better on the final game. She hit a strike, ergo, I fall short of the points. I’m sorry team! :D
                The bowling challenge was for the other team’s benefit. They got the P700.00! We actually had another game to be played for but due to the veeeeeerrrryyyy looooooong day that we had, we can’t manage to have the Pinoy Henyo anymore. So I told everyone to just use the money for our dinner. Our last stop was at Jollibee, which just happens to be in front of the bowling lanes. As soon as I stepped in to the room, I felt my shoulders and back amazingly hurting, notwithstanding the grasping of air that I was experiencing due to my runny nose. I also got a fever.


                So that's how I spend my Christmas with the people dear to me. It was definitely exhausting and all my energies were offered, but then again, I don't regret any of it. This might be the last Christmas that I will spend in college so I thought of making the most out of it. Thanks to my TIME MANAGEMENT abilities. ;)

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A Meaningful Christmas - 2012 (Part 1)

11:10 PM |





DAY 1

                Hmmmn… What can I say about my Christmas this year? Well, I only have one word for it: EXTRAORDINARY! For two consecutive days, I was able to celebrate Christmas not just once but THRICE with five different groups of people. I know right, I got a lot of energy. Hehe…
                Last year, I got invited by a friend to join her family for an outreach program. We fed the Badjaos of Pioneer Ave. and honestly, that was an experience that I want to do and happen over and over again. I’d wanted to share things with those who need it. I even planned to organize a charity group two years ago, but my poor schedule didn’t allow me to. So now you know what happened to that plan.
I forgot Lola's name. But she told me that she was a widow
of her husband soldier and that they're childless. She's already
99 years old. :)
                December 21, 2012 – I woke up feeling confuse of how can I manage my time knowing that I have to attend three parties on the same day. I was also in dilemma about which should I do first. They said that it’s the day that the world ends, so I thought of managing my time effectively. At 11:00 am, I have to be at St. Vincent Strambi – GenSan’s Home for the Aged – because I volunteered to help in Ann Santos’s charity work in celebration of her birthday. I was invited by Ate Sheryl a.k.a. Ate Birdie to give a hand. I knew that I have to do a lot of stuffs for that day but I didn’t mind them. I’d been to St. Vincent Strambi twice and I’d been longing for my come back. I wanted to see the oldies again. (Just so you know, I have the greatest sympathy for grannies than anyone else).
Ate Birdie interviewing Lolo Opao
 So at 11:30am, I arrived in the place. I saw familiar faces… Faces that I have already seen from my last visit. However, I got sad realizing that the Lola who used to lead the group whenever visitors come in, the one on a wheel chair, the English speaker, who used to wear her headband, was not in sight. She used to lead the “Tanging Yaman” song. I assume she already passed away. L
Aside from the familiar faces, I also noticed the new ones. Some still have that energy to dance and sing, while some stayed on the couch and watched the entertainers. It was nice talking to them. Even though I can barely understand what others were saying, I was happy to listen to their experiences. They’re very game to answer our questions. I despise their children for abandoning them! Thanks to volunteers who have a heart for the old ones. At least the grannies would not feel so alone. How I wish I can return to that place again and share my blessings with them when I can.


At 6:00pm, of the same day, I attended the FOCUS Group’s Christmas Party at Asian Tongue. We chose the venue because of the Eat-All-You-Can treat that’s available. Let me tell you about the FOCUS Group. Well, it’s composed of Febie, Chelsea, Jennah, Ate Liezl, Charmie, Princes, Vincent, Merajoy, Edward, Charmaine, Jaswill, Jane, Gladys, Gayle and I. Why it was named FOCUS is still not so clear to me. We’ve been classmates for four years, but believe it or not, we only got a tighter relationship last semester. As funny as it sounds, if conflicts didn’t happen last semester, FOCUS won’t be born. We shared almost the same views. We’re different from each other but we complement. For the short time that I spent with them, I felt their warm offer of friendship and love. They’d been good to me. I know I don’t spend ample of time with them since the semester started, but I know they understand. That’s why I love this group. You don’t need to stick all your vacant time with them, what’s important is that they know that you’ll just be around. I hope that the friendship that we have will last longer. I know.
At 8:00pm, I, Gladys and Jane, excused ourselves out from the Asian Tongue to proceed to the MEOWRKS Christmas Party at Jane’s new and beautiful home. Dana, Vergie and Kaye have been waiting there for two hours. It’s an awaited party for me. You have no idea how much effort I did to convince my parents to let me spend the whole night at Jane’s. haha! I texted Daddy but he turned me over to Mommy. I addressed my concern to Mommy, but she returned me over to Daddy. And after all the negotiations and pleadings that I made, they eventually turned me to Papa. They told me that if Papa would allow me, then, they’ll do the same. So, I immediately texted Papa. I told him why I have to be in Jane’s. Thanks to his P3 load balance! He immediately agreed to my plea. I jumped from the moment I read his “OO na, ang kulit mo” reply! I felt like I won a million peso! I went out of my room with a grin. my little brother even asked me what happened to me. Maybe if I measured the width of my smile that moment, one ruler wouldn’t be enough to describe how wide of a glee I felt. It was my first time to be allowed to sleepover someone’s house!
When we arrived at Jane’s home, I was surprised seeing Dana cooking. She boasted her self-cooked friend chicken! Good for her, she enjoyed the task assigned to her. We started the night with laughter and songs. I brought my guitar. I and Vergie even had composed our friendship song. So watch out for it! While waiting for Jane, we continued playing the guitar. Gladys didn’t feel well at the first few minutes but after Kaye’s effective massage, she went back to her usual crazy actions. She didn’t mind us calling her ABNORMAL because she’s guilty about it. *bleh!
When Jane got back, we started munching the foods that I, Kaye, Vergie and Dana prepared. Vergie prepared the Spaghetti. It was one of the delicious pastas I had ever tasted! Dana prepared the fried chicken. All I can say is, she’s good even if she’s a first timer. Then I prepared the Mango Float. I am happy to know that they like it. They said it tasted like Ice Cream. Is that a sign that I should start my cooking career and our catering services? haha
After dinner, we head on to our most-awaited part of the party… EXCHANGING GIFTS! But hey, we definitely put some twist to it. The twist is: EACH OF US SHOULD PICK THE GIFT IN WHICH SHE THINKS IS FOR HER. We agreed to only write the giver’s name at the top of our respective gift. It was exciting because weeks ago, we’ve been giving petty gifts to our secret Monitas. So it was a puzzle to each of us on who have picked our name. To make the guessing fair, we drew lots to identify the first one to choose. Another twist on that part is that, if you happen to be correct on your guess, you’ll be rewarded by the person you picked. Unfortunately, I picked number 5. It should have been Gladys’s gift that I would pick, but I was only torn between mine and Kaye’s gift. Even if it’s erroneous that I shouldn’t be picking Kaye’s because I was her Monita last year, I didn’t have a choice. I was a hundred losser on that matter. Poor me.
I also had a deal with Kaye that if I was Gladys’s Monita, I would be buying Cadbury, but if not, she will treat me to Starbucks. And through all my innocence, when we opened the gifts, I found out that Gladys’s gift was for me! Pft! Could you imagine that? The pot of gold was almost on my palms but it slipped away. Huhu! I was so degraded. Haha!
We continued the party with a bottle of drink. Only four of us survived until the last drop. Vergie, Gladys and Dana immediately laid down to sleep while Jane, Kaye and I were left in the living room conversing about our high school lives. I termed it as a Scholarly Conversation. If only you have heard Jane talking, she talked in straight English! Hahaha… alcohol’s fault. The conversation went pretty well. It was only during that time that I found out that Kaye was also a Class Valedictorian! Wow!
At 1:30am, we stopped the Scholarly Convo and went to the bedrooms to sleep. I remembered, I still have a 10:00am call time for our Voice Pub Christmas party and community extension.  What a day!


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10 Things You Should Know About Mr. DANTE ARBOLEDA.

6:17 AM |


           I found this section of my favorite Bianca Gonzalez in PhilStar where she basically reveals the top ten things about famous people. And since that gave me an idea on what to write next, I thought of revealing top ten things about the people that I love. ;)
            So let's have Sir Dante Catequista Arboleda as my first victim. I thought of asking permission but it wouldn't be a surprise anymore Let's see how well I know him. 

#10    He's the only teacher who made Me and Verwin cry.

                    T'was during our junior year in High School when he handled our class as our adviser for the school year. There's this one time when he got mad on us for lacking discipline and for not being united as a group during our cheerdance practices. He punished us by becoming so strict where none of us, guilty or not, was exempted. I didn't buy it at first 'coz I know him. I knew that all his strictness and angry expressions were just for the show. But then again, even if I knew what was happening, I got eventually carried away with the whole drama thing. He was just really a good actor. Haha! 
                      One day, he reprimanded us with all our bad habits. He told us that we're all gonna fail his subjects. And worst, we won't be joining the Intramurals anymore. Then he asked us one by one about our opinions. As embarrassing as it was, when he asked me, I didn't had the chance to blurt a word. My tears just fell down with a shaking voice, disabling me to say what I want to say. He didn't wait for my answer. He proceeded directly to Verwin. He asked him the same question. And to my surprise,  tears also rolled down to Verwin's face. It was the first time that I saw him crying. We've been classmates since second grade but I never saw him become that emotional, not even during the times when my classmates laugh at him for being fat. IT WAS ONLY SIR DANTE WHO MADE US SHOW OUR WEAK AND EMOTIONAL SIDES. Looking back, I can't believe that I really cried because of the threat on my grades! :))

#9        He's a really SKEPTICAL PERSON.
                       
                        He told us that he makes "banlaw" of his clothes 4-5 times before hanging them. He can't live in a dirty environment... that's why he always scolds us whenever he enters the room dirty. We should have our general cleaning at least every week. He assigns those who will bring boxes of floor wax and rugs. And oh! Even if you bring those, you're still not free from doing the classroom chores. You have to help if you want a merit of 10 points on your recitation. Unlike other teachers, he'll be staying during the general cleaning sessions to supervise us and to oversee who's working or not. He's even helping in carrying the chairs and tables. Until he says that it's enough, no one's allowed to stop cleaning and to go home.
                       I admit that all those general cleaning activities made me sick. I didn't get why we all have to clean every week while there are cleaners assigned for each day. But eventually, as our general cleaning continued, we received compliments each week. They said that our room was neat and clean. Cleaning the room together had fused the bond in our batch more tightly. It's not only us, the students, who built closeness but also with Sir Dante.


#8          He loves eating... A LOT! :P

                         Our morning recess was supposed to be 10:15am, that’s after his 2-hour Chemistry/Physics subject. But that schedule wasn't followed anymore ever since Sir Dante started to not eat his breakfast anymore. It was actually good news to us because we can eat earlier! Because of this, we take our morning merienda as early as 8:00 or 9:00. But as for Sir Dante, it's not just a merienda. He buys a really heavy meal! Two cups of rice, four to five sticks of barbecue, a bottle of soda and some sweets. We were really happy back then because most of the days, we are taking our supposed to be 15-minute break for 30-45 minutes! Haha! Our or my technique was to talk and talk to him while he was eating. He loves sharing his childhood adventures, that's why he always forgets that the 15-minute break was over. So chada! Recess time - EXTENDED!   
                         During lunch break, he orders the same amount of foods again. And on the afternoon, another round for heavy meals!  Back then, others envy him for not gaining weight. 

#7           He's once a PLAYER.

                         I don't think Sir Dante would get mad if I reveal that he was once a player. Player in a way that he's gotten two girlfriends at the same time without them knowing! Hahaha! Bad boy. But hey, that was during his college years. I know he's already a faithful and a good boy now. ;)


#6           He doesn't know how to play Basketball

                     Honestly, I'm not really sure about this. I could only say that he doesn't know how to play basketball because I never saw him. He did become a referee during the Intramurals, though. I think he just knows the rules. But the gameplay? I doubt. Hmmm... Sir Dante should confirm this. :))

#5           VERSATILE ;)

                          He absolutely knows a little bit of everything. Ask him to dance, he can. He can even choreograph for you. Ask him to sing, he'll be willing. I would never forget his favorite song, THIS I PROMISE YOU. Ask him to be a part of your class's short film, he will join without a lot of questions…even if he would look stupid in it. Request him to be a speaker for this and that, he can also do that!
                          That's how talented my sir Dante is. He's such a jack of all trades! And one good thing about him is that, he's not afraid to share his knowledge and skills. He's not selfish. He will even encourage you to try and do your best.


#4           He Can’t LIVE WITH BOREDOM   
                         
                         This is one reason why I and Sir Dante have clicked. He’s a very adventurous person. He likes doing great stuffs such as gardening, nature-hopping, anything that could kill boredom. He’s not into procrastination – on this matter, we’re kind’a not clicking. He wants to make use most of his time. Even though he’s already a smart teacher, he still reads books every night and does researches so he can have something to share in class the next morning.
                          

#3           ANG ALAMAT NI DANTE ARBOLEDA

                        Haha! I can’t think of a better line for Sir Dante’s love on sharing his life stories. That’s the reason why we love his class. THERE’S NO DULL AND LOWSY MOMENTS WHENEVER HE STARTS SPEAKING. If you would think of it, he discussed Biology, Chemistry, Physics and even Math! But all of them turned out to be my favorite subjects back in high school! I hated Science when I was in elementary. But with Sir Dante’s approach on teaching his uninterested students, I came to love the subject. I became really interested and that interest still occurs to me whenever I encounter such topics.
                     ALAMAT NI DANTE ARBOLEDA because he is very good in relating each topic to his life stories. Now sorry ‘coz my memory sucks. I can’t tell you precisely the stories that he shared. All I could remember is that I got teary eyes laughing on his life stories, got amazed of how clever he was when he was on his younger years and got inspired of his humble beginnings. I always look forward to his punchlines and stories.


#2                He’s INCREDIBLY AN OUTSPOKEN PERSON

                             NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOUR POSITION COULD BE, AS LONG AS YOU MESSN WITH MR. ARBOLEDA’S RIGHT, HMMM… DON’T EXPECT SILENCE.
                             As scary as it sounds, this is true. It’s from Sir Dante where I learned to speak up my mind. He hates butting in to conversations however; he knows when he should speak for his right to explain. As what I’ve observed, he always has reasons for everything that he does. So the moment that one would question what he’s doing and misinterprets it, without a second thought, he will explain it to you in a manner that will still show respect to the person accusing him. He’s not afraid of losing his job. He just knows where his stand is.


#1     Too Young to be Old

          And finally, we’re down to the last one. Tell me, by looking at his pictures, how old do you think he is? Be honest.
  
          Let me guess… you think that he’s just between 25-27 right? Or younger than that?

          (Dear Sir, I’m sorry to expose your real age.)

           The truth is he’s already 30 years of age. And he’ll be celebrating his 31st birthday this year! I know you’re also lured by his young face and fashionista style like everyone else. Who would have thought that his age is already close from getting kick out of the calendar? Peace!!! Well that’s life. He’s blessed to have a young face. He doesn’t need the heart Snow White or the Mirror Mirror on the Wall to stop his wrinkles and to keep him young. Because of his young face, he’s comfortable hanging out with his students because everyone would think that he’s just one of us.
              
             I actually worry for the time when I will look older than him. Oh no!
                            




  So that’s it! I’m done sharing the top ten things (that I know) about Dante Arboleda. I apologize for becoming my first victim. This just shows how I appreciate all the lessons that I’ve learned from one of my favorite teachers. Without him becoming so strict about deadlines and projects, I wouldn’t have a little know-how of how college is. FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU MR. DANTE CATEQUISTA ARBOLEDA. J               

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GOODBYE ACCOUNTANCY, HELLO NEW LIFE! :)

7:38 AM |

"I'm not one of the best students in our class when it comes to accounting..." (I SUCK AT IT ACTUALLY...HAHA)

The mock interview had just made me realize the things that I really wanted to do. Despite the bad news that came to me these past days, I learned to cope up with the dramas and stress of being an accountancy student... or should I say a former accountancy student? :-D

I'd been struggling to survive this course for 3 years now... But I guess, my mind can't bear it anymore. My heart isn't that supportive since the very beginning. I'd been trying to love the subject, but it doesn't love me back, only few sunk in. I don't even know if I deserve to be a CPA. I enrolled in this course not because I was forced to, but because I just can't think of anything better during that time. I actually wanted to enroll to an ECE degree or be a MassCom student. I didn't go for the former 'coz it's a five-year course. And I don't want to stay in school that long. I'm aware of my family's financial status back then. And knowing that college is expensive, I don't want to be a burden for that long. I didn't choose MassCom either. I told myself, if I'm taking that course, I should graduate in a university like Ateneo or UP. It's not that I'm belittling my school's MassCom program, but honestly speaking, we all know that  multimedia companies would prefer graduates from those schools mentioned. Moreover, I'm aware that the employment for that degree is not in demand here in GenSan. It's a big risk, I know.


BASIC ACCOUNTING (1ST YEAR)

So there, I enrolled to a BS-Accountancy degree. Honestly, I didn't have any idea of what accounting is all about. Yes, I've heard that it's more on solving. I love Math, and maybe that's one of the reasons why I took a very strange course. I hadn't thought that I'm entering HELL that time.

I didn't even had a basic accounting subject during my high school! I was even impressed of my classmates during my 1st year because they were very good in journal entries, balancing T-accounts and etc. Some of them even received a 1.0 grade during the midterms. But then I found out that they had that kind of subject when they were in high school. I'd only met ASSETS, LIABILITIES AND OWNER'S EQUITY when I stepped in to college. Loser eh?

FIRST TEARS...

I could still remember the first time that I cried for a grade! haha! I got 2.0 as my Basic Accounting midterm grade. Humbly speaking, I never experienced getting a grade below 88 when I was in high school. And that was the first time I got an 80! I mean, "what the hell happened to me?!!!" It's also my first time to get zero on a quiz! I felt so useless and dumb. Even from that point in time, I already felt discouragements, dissatisfaction of my performance, and loss of interest. I'd already expected to FAIL THE SUBJECT.

From elementary to high school, I'd been the happy-go-lucky type. I study a night before the exam and quiz. Reading textbooks wasn't my hobby. That's why my books still look like new until now. All I did back then was to listen whenever the teacher was in front and to participate. I didn't give so much time studying. But I was just lucky and blessed enough to still get outstanding scores during exams and quizzes. But these things turned oppositely when I got in to college...

I'd started reading my textbook...

I changed my habits. I'd become completely away from watching the news. I learned to lock myself in the room and read and read. Even though I can't fully understand what I was reading. I wondered why I can't... I only maintained my scholarship for another semester when I got six mistakes during our midterm exam. My drive to get a grade higher than 80 was to the extent. Though it wasn't enough for me during that time.


PARTNERSHIP & CORPORATION (1st Year - 2nd Sem)

Good news! I passed my major subject! I got 1.75! That means, I got into the Dean's list!

The compliment that our Program Head, Ms. Joanne Java,CPA, is still fresh in my mind until now. It was the enrollment period for the 2nd semester. She was there to check on our course catalogs and see our grades. And when it was my turn, I felt really nervous. I get butterflies on my stomach whenever I see her. She has the same nose and that spanky personality as my mommy, that's why I was that nervous when she's at sight. hehe...

"Ang gaganda ng grades mo... ipagpatuloy mo yan ha? Para mag-top ka sa board exam," she said. (BOOM!)

Hooh! I tell you, those are the sweetest and most pressuring words I've heard from her!

 Sadly, I disappointed her. o_0

So... new semester. New set of classmates. I got qualified to be in the 1st section, the section where the top 10 students in the last departmental exam were also in. Was that a boon or a bane? It was flattering of course to be their classmate, but at the same time, I have to double my effort 'coz my teachers would surely give my section more challenging and harder activities knowing that the top 10 best students were in our class! And I was right. Really right! LEVELED-UP TORTURE.


FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING 1 & 2 (2ND Year)

Bad news! I lost my scholarship and was removed from the Dean's list! Good news, I passed the subject.

Only 100 students remained in the accountancy program from the original 200 students. We're down to only two sections from the original four. Lucky me, 'coz I still survived!

Financial Accounting 1 - ASSETS. 


How the hell is the Bank reconciliation process?! I spent a whole Saturday in school figuring out how to balance the cash in the books and in the bank. I solved that assignment for two and a half days but still get the wrong answer. haha! Relate?

Fin 1 was way worse than my previous accounting subjects. It's the HELLEST AMONG ALL THE HELLS. I even asked for the help of my neighbor since he is an accountant. Quizzes are longer and more difficult...and by the way, it's per chapter! Out of the 10+ quizzes that we took, I only passed one quiz. I only passed the quiz about CASH &CASH EQUIVALENTS. I got 82 over 100. One ironic thing about it was, I was announced to have the highest score on that quiz. My classmates wowed. I felt happy and flattered of course. It's my first time! But when ate Liezl (my classmate too) had her paper re-checked, it was found out that she got 89 points. Therefore, she's the highest. I didn't mind it. It did not even occur to me that I was the highest. I was just happy that finally, I scored high!

That only happened once though. My succeeding quiz results were depressing. I should thank my ever-cooperative health. I got a low score during our midterm departmental exam. I only received a 66 point something during midterms.  I thought that I could get higher and passing scores from our quizzes during the finals. But I didn't. From then on, I prepared myself. I prepared my family. I told them sorry. If I fail, I would shift to engineering even if it would lead me back to zero. At least, I'm certain that I'll be liking it fully.

I went to school alone. Holding up the remaining courage that I still have. I was prepared to hear the 2.75 from Ma'am Java.

"Ma'am... magtanong lang po ako ng grade," I said with loud and fast heartbeats. I felt like I was facing my judgment day!

She browsed her computer to find my grade...

"hmmm... Krisffer. 70, sirado."

My eyes opened widely and I felt like I was gonna jump right in front of her, inside the Dean's office. Good thing I'm good at hiding my emotions!

"Atik ma'am?!," I exclaimed.

"Ayaw mo?," she asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Hindi ma'am ui! Gusto! Salamat ma'am!"

I got out from that office with wide grin and teary eyes. I was really prepared for my downfall but I was surprised to hear the opposite. I was very THANKFUL. The whole Saturday that I'd spent inside the library - which by the way was my first time - was worth it.  My efforts were acknowledged by God. He helped me get through it.


FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING 2 - LIABILITIES & O.E.     -2.50
COST ACCOUNTING                                                           -2.50
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING 3                                             -2.50
MANAGEMENT ADVISORY AND CONSULTANCY     -2.50


>> CALL THESE GRADES AS "MISTRESS"... or in Tagalog, KABIT! haha




ADVANCED ACCOUNTING 1&2 (3rd Year)


I wanted to pass the subject... I just don't have the drive. I sometimes ask myself, do I really want this?


I found out that I got the lowest score in the exam. Wow! I computed my semestral grade, and boom! I FAILED.

I've already seen it coming, but I didn't know that it's that painful. *drama!

These past days, I've been out of my mind. I lost the 10% focus that I have for my major subject. I forgot my goal. I lost the interest. On a Saturday night, the very friendly SOCOTECO scheduled the 10-hour brownout in our area. We had no emergency lights... I tried using my phone's flashlight but it only gave me headaches. I was worried of my dry eye condition, so I opted to just sleep...

69.12...


That's my semestral grade. Sadly, I didn't reach the cutoff grade this time. This has been what I'm waiting for. At first, it was absolutely hard to accept the fact that after all the efforts of trying to be good at something I'm not really in line with, I would just fail at the point where I'm just a year away from surviving it. SAKIT DIAY BAYA. OJT NA OH! haha!

But as a lot of people comforted me, I felt better. I started ACCEPTING IT. I'm not going to be an accountancy student anymore, unless I would retake the subject. I don't want to extend for another year. You mean another year of burden? Another year of struggle without the people I used to be with? Another year of expenses? I don't think I can still fight anymore. *CHARMOS!

But that's actually the fact. If you ask my closest friends, they advised me to retake the subject. I thank my parents on the other hand for letting me decide for myself. They know the difficulty that I'd been through. "Kung saan ang tingin mong gusto mo, dun ka. Kung gusto mong mag-shift sa course na gusto mo, gawin mo," my mommy said.

I got torn between the will of not giving up for the BSA degree then take the chance of extending another year in school and shifting to a less pressure degree which can still hand me my diploma on March 2013, BSAT. It's been days after I found out my final grade and still I hadn't decided yet. So I went to seek for the advice of the person who might know the best, our Program Head, Ms. Java.



Ms. Java's advice


The first time I went to her office, she advised me to shift. As for her observation, she told me that I was very relax... passive. I don't have the attitude of becoming a CPA. I don't oppose her. She's very right. I also see that. As I've said, I don't have the drive. It's like I'm just attending my major subject because it's a requirement and nothing more.

"There's no question about your intelligence, but there's a problem with your attitude..."

MAY TAMA KAAAA MA'AM!!!! hehe

From that point, I felt shame. Shame because I was guilty. Her advice of me shifting to BSAT was a little complicated during that time, as I have to retake a subject that I've already earned. It was a long story actually. I thought, if that's the case, maybe I should just stick to my BSA course. I would extend for another year. I don't want to but I have no choice.

Everything was set and decided on. I honestly felt so little every time I hear my classmates talking about their OJT stories. I don't know if they had observed but every time they bring up the topic, I kept myself busy and pretended like I was not in the room. But if they didn't notice that, now they know. hehe

I've already prepared myself for an unoccupied summer this year. My classmates will be busy and I will be at home idle. I started applying again for online jobs to keep me busy. But days later, I received a text from Jane telling me to go to Ma'am Java ASAP. I just finished doing the laundry that afternoon and was about to sleep. But as soon as I read the text, I jumped off the bed and took a bath.

I knew that Ma'am Java called me for a confirmation. I was almost there. I had almost told her that I'm retaking. But before I could say it, she explained to me the changes if I shift to BSAT or go under probation.  I was surprise to find out that if I would go under probation, I wouldn't have to wait for next year to go on my OJT program. I can have it this year... but still I would be extending a year for the 4 units that I can't get this coming AY 2012-2013. If I choose to shift to BSAT, I would not retake the Peachtree subject. To make it short, the complications are solved. I can graduate still on March 2013 and have my OJT this summer. Big thanks to our Program head for finding means to make our decisions easier to bear. I REALLY HAD APPRECIATED IT. :)

I almost asked ma'am if she's kidding me! But of course, I can't and I won't dare. She explained to me the advantages if I would just shift and won't risk another year of time and money for an accountancy degree which in the first place is not my passion. "There is more to life than becoming a CPA," she said.

I agree. Maybe that's the reason why I wasn't motivated to do my best during the examination week. No matter how I see my classmates striving their hardest to study for the departmental exam, it still did not move me. I felt like I'm looking for something that was not even there.

So from the moment I went out her door again, I finally got my head straight. I finally had my decision. I don't want to be a CPA. It isn't my dream. I can't live with backroom jobs. I SUCK AT ACCOUNTING. And even if I take the board exam, I will have doubts about myself. This ain't for me. Oh my... I was such a LATE BLOOMER to realize these things just now.

WHAT I WANT TO BE...


So I belong to the BSAT-4 now. I am not ashamed of that. After all, it's my decision. Maybe becoming a CPA would give you a higher salary and pride, but I guess, that's not at all what I'm after for. I plan to take an MBA degree, in God's time. And if my finances would permit me, I would enter a crash course for films or journalism, maybe. I know that my heart belongs there.  It's just not possible at the moment.

This is my journey... my 3 years in accountancy had taught me a lot of things which I would treasure for all of my life. This is not the end of my path to reaching my dreams... it's just the beginning. I pray that God would help me learn from my mistakes and that He would guide me through all my ups and downs in life.

GOODBYE ACCOUNTANCY, HELLO NEW LIFE! :)














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