Welcome to Iloilo!!

     Days before our flight, I actually had second thoughts on going to Iloilo to attend Fr. Nonoy's ordination due to a couple of reasons. First, is that our uncle who was the reason we decided to come in the first place, cannot come home because he has some important matters (work-related) to attend to. Second, I thought that we may be a little out-of-place if we go there, considering na wala kaming ibang kakilala na pupunta din dun. Kung 'di lang talaga dahil sa plane tickets, we wouldn't have even considered of pursuing our trip to Iloilo. 

     Thankfully, that mindset changed when I befriended some of the priests who're also attending the ordination in Iloilo. They were there during my graduation celebration, and they were at our house for 2 days. I also became their tour guide to the Divine Mercy Shrine in El Salvador. They were a lively bunch and were also very friendly, that I thought that if they're also coming to the ordination then it may not be as bad as I think it would be.

From left to right: Fr. Gerome, Fr. Ernie, Fr. Sonny, Fr. Ham, kuya Noel, Fr. Rommel

     So ayun, off we went to Iloilo, together with the fathers, of course! It was approximately a 50-min ride and we arrived in Iloilo just in time.

pictorials just before take-off

At Iloilo International Airport (upon arrival)

     The van which will take us to Badiangan is already waiting for us together with our sundo, Ate Maki. On the way, the fathers bought Baye-Baye, a delicacy in Iloilo. We had our share and it tasted good. It was the first time I tried Baye-Baye. Moving on, after around 45 minutes of travel, we reached Badiangan and were kindly guided to the house we'll be staying at. Thinking back, it was a big house! It even had an underground. I heard it could house 40 people!

     The Badianganons lead us to our bedroom and helped us settle there, while also getting our snacks ready! Talk about hospitality! I was shocked to see the snacks that they offered us. It was Pata soup, Puto, Fresh Lumpia, Tikoy, paired with softdrinks! I don't usually eat snacks this heavy but the Pata soup smelled so nice and I wanted to taste their version of puto, tikoy, and lumpia. And I wasn't disappointed! All tasted great! I ate so many that I thought I could do without dinner.

From left to right: Yellow Fresh Lumpia, Tikoy, Puto, and Pata Soup.

     We had a little chat with the Badianganons who were in the house and found out that they were church parishioners and volunteers. They talked about the history of their place and also some stories about Fr. Nonoy. They spoke in Tagalog but their Ilonggo tone made it hard for us to understand what their saying sometimes. But still, I was very glad that unlike what I originally thought, the people there were very accommodating and friendly. The funny thing is that they tried pairing me up to the son of the owner of the house. Lol. But overall, I was still glad that they welcomed us like we were very important guests.

     Then dinner time came.. and it was like just 2 hours after we had the heavy snack! Well, I said I could do without the dinner, but how could I refuse if the Badianganons insist we eat. As I always say, good food will always have a space in my stomach! I'm glad I had dinner, I tasted all kinds of dishes cooked Ilonggo way. That night, I swear I literally was full!! No joke! :))

Approved FYPS

     

     After more than a year of working on our Final Year Project Study (FYPS), it's officially done! I can't exactly put into words my feelings of happiness upon completing all the requirements for our FYPS. No, actually happiness is an understatement. I'm very proud of what we've finished! 

     I can still remember the days and nights we've spent reading, writing, calculating, experimenting, editing, and re-editing for this masterpiece to be what it is today. Of course, we got major help from our respected and beloved mentor/adviser. I can't count the times he made us edit our paper! From the quality of the figures used, to the format of the paper, and to the technicalities. He was so into making us edit our paper to almost perfection that I thought we would never be able to finish it. Though I think the lack of time 'till graduation contributed a lot to him approving our paper. I think if we still had ample of time, he still wouldn't approve our paper and would instead let us edit our paper 'till eternity! Haha. Well, whatever the case, I'm still glad that we finished it!

Our approval sheet signed by our mentor, panel of examiners, and college dean

     I didn't think that seeing this piece of paper being signed by all the concerned people would bring so much happiness to me!

The disc containing the soft copy of our study

     The case cover is cute, isn't it? It was edited by one of my co-proponents, Poloy. He's competitive by nature so I think when he saw the cover of the other group, he made sure ours will be better! It's convenient to have a competitive groupmate, right? I mean it in a good way ha! :D

Dinner with our beloved mentor

       Our Starch-lignin group, being able to win the Best Study 2013 award during the Final Year Project Display Program (FYPDP) and the Algae group, being a Kinaadman Research Centrer (KRC) awardee/ recipient, we were able to get a hold of some cash. Naging mayaman kami for some time XD. We acknowledge the fact that we wouldn't have made it this far without the help of our beloved mentor, Dr. Cascon. After being chosen by the department to represent the ChE department for the FYPDP, our mentor didn't fail to make us feel his support. He acted more than what I expected a responsible mentor should. Let's just skip the sentimental part and move on.. Anyways, he'd given us his attention and dedication beside his busy schedule. Personally, I have really learned a lot from him. Here we go again being sentimental.. pardon me. :)

     As our little way of thanking our mentor, we coordinated with the Algae group (which is also his advisee) and decided to treat him to a humble dinner. It was kind of funny how we cared so much about how we looked in front of our mentor. I thought I was the only one who prepped myself up, that's why I wasn't able to hide my amusement when I saw Jennifer, Jecca, Nece, Mikel, and even Russel put something on in their faces. Even Dr. Cascon smiled as Jecca applied powder to her face in front of him!! Hilarious, aye? XD

    Continuing, at first I thought it would be a kind of awkward to be dining out with our mentor. I thought of some possible topics for conversation starters that we could probably use during dinner time (but I wasn't really able to use it!). It really was kind of awkward at first, we were literally pushing each other to start a conversation not leaving out our mentor. Fortunately, the atmosphere changed and it didn't feel that awkward na. We were able to talk about lots of things during dinner and we even joked about how Dr. Cascon should not record the results of our final exams. He's our professor for our plant design class and we had a difficult time answering the final exam he gave us (though he constantly repeated how easy the exam he gave us was).

With the Starch-lignin group, Algae group, and our mentor at Hukad, Centrio. 

     The dinner went out well. Our mentor was able to laugh at our jokes and we were also forced to laugh at his! hahaha. Joke lang po! We also took time to criticize the Halo-halo we ate. We thought it was like an iced Benignit! And then again, joke lamang.. Mga buwaya, 'wag magalit please.. ^_^

     We're just very thankful that our mentor took another fraction of his precious time to dine with us. So touching! I just hope we were able to convey our gratitude to him.. Again, thanks for everything, sir! :))

Final defense, successful!

     We actually planned to have our final defense on Wednesday but we had a hard time looking for the panels available on that day. So the best option, schedule the defense earlier, so Tuesday it is! We only had a night to prepare (from the making the powerpoint presentation to reading and to reviewing the concepts and literature), that's why I was a bit hesitant. Because of my nervousness, I woke early (even before my alarm rang) that morning on Tuesday. Then my Tuesday began!

     While waiting for our turn for the defense (two groups were scheduled before us), my nervousness didn't leave me. One part of me is very confident. At the back of my mind I thought we can get through this without fail for we have already defended once during the FYPDP, but another part of my mind thinks that this defense is much scarier. First of all, this time the panel are all chemical engineers so they can easily identify if we committed a mistake somewhere (during our experiments or even in the calculations part), and secondly the time is longer (maxium of 2 hours/group).

Taken right before our final defense (Credits to Dennis)

     To make the story short, we were able to defend our study. The panel had some additional recommendations, but overall, I think we did just fine! We were also commended (I think) for having a very dynamic way of presenting. We were also told how cute the three of us look! Hahaha. Finally, I can say that we're done with FYPS! We just have to edit the paper according to the format and further BEAUTIFY it, enough to satisfy our mentor. My Tuesday which started with hesitation ended with so much positiveness, brightness, gladness, and -NESS!! Basicall, we nailed it!!

wagas na coffee breaks

     During these past few weeks, if you have visited my facebook or twitter accounts, you may have noticed how I've been uploading pictures of the cups of coffee I have during my coffee breaks at home. Lately, I've been really drinking coffee just to keep myself awake during these busy times and my successive bilar-bilar moments. Whenever I feel like my brain is lagging or worse not functioning at all, I have a dose of coffee. So far, the coffee is serving its purpose; whenever I take one, I feel my energy and "intelligence" coming back to me. LOL. It's during these days also that I've tried various kinds of coffee. I've even started appreciating the coffee we have at home (which my mother is happy about). Please allow me to share the different brands/kinds (however you classify them) of instant coffee I've been having these past weeks. :)

1. Nescafe Classic with Coffee-mate

     The ever present duo in our kitchen. Ever since can't remember when, my mother has already been a fan of this Nescafe, and I think her favorite is the Classic since as I mentioned, it's always in the kitchen. XD There was also a time when she successively bought the San Mig coffee but I don't know, didn't noticed when she switched back to Nescafe. Yeah! So anyways, the funny part is that I can't quite get the right proportion of the Nescafe classic, coffee-mate, and sugar that suits me best. I mean, every coffee I make ends up tasting differently. Oh well, at least it helped me be awake, and for that, thank you NESCAFE! :D

2. Moccona Latte

     This coffee from New Zealand also showed its wonders and proven itself to be an effective study-mate of mine. Of course, the foam it has will always be a plus for me :) Moccona has variety of flavors by the way. I think I was also able to try their Decaf, Classic Medium Roast, and Cappuccino. I'm not sure though if this amazing coffee is available locally..

3. Nescafe Chocolatte

    Yes! Another Nescafe product, it is! I kinda liked this variant of Nescafe. Love how the chocolate taste was highlighted in every sip! Not to mention its good aroma!  Naks! 

4. Jarrah Coffee Sensations (Bavarian Bliss)

     Another enticing instant coffee I met - the Bavarian Bliss from Jarrah for you! One sip from its cup and I'm good to go! The sleepy neurons in my brain would instantly recover from just the smell of this coffee. lol. Exaggeration aside, this coffee really works wonders. I mean, I've also tried making iced coffee from this (the recipe is printed on the label) and boom! I was captivated! It tasted like an iced coffee from a famous coffee shop! nyahahaha. It's sad that the one we have at home is near its exhaustion.. and I don't think this is available locally. tsk3x. I wish another Jarrah coffee would find its way to our kitchen soon! <3

5. Kopiko Kopiccino

      The new instant coffee I discovered (please understand that this isn't literal) - Kopiccino! Well, this was introduced to me by my cousin. I thought of giving it a try and guess what? Of course I enjoyed my first cup of it. Even during the making, I enjoyed designing (if you can call that a design XD) the coffee with the chocolate granules which also came with the coffee. I was so inspired that I actually took a picture of its first ever cup I made and had (the pic above). I even posted that on my facebook and twitter accounts! Now, my classmates are also trying it and so far, they've also enjoyed it from the making to the last drop of it! 

SA MGA BABAE, TAKE TIME TO READ. FOR GUYS HOPE YOU READ THIS TOO. :)

     As I browsed through facebook early this morning, I came across this post. After reading the post, I can't help but share this. It is said to be written by a boy. Whoever that boy is, I salute you!! So here's the post:

 "Ang mga babae, madaldal/mabunganga." Oo, wala talagang tigil ang bibig nila sa pag-rachada sa kakasalita. Lalo na sa tuwing pinapaalala nila sayo na oras na para inumin ang iyong gamot, kapag nagtatanung sila kung kumain ka na ba, kapag ginising ka nila sa umaga upang hindi ma-late at sa mga pagkakataon na nag-aalala sila sayo at tinatanung kung nasaan ka na at bakit hindi ka pa umuuwi. Walang duda, madaldal nga. Hayaan mo na, balang araw, siguro magbabago din sila. Tipong maririnig mo lang ee "Oo", "Hinde" at "Pwede". Para kayong naglalaro ng Pinoy Henyo. Romantic siguro ng buhay nyo nun. "Ang mga babae, mashadong sentimental." Sinabi mo pa. Tandang tanda nga nila ang petsa at lugar kung saan kayo unang nag-date, isinulat niya din sa kanyang diary kung ano ang mga ginawa ninyo, nakatago at ingat na ingat siya sa mga larawan nyong dalawa, daig pa niya ang Smithsonian sa pag-aalaga ng mga iniregalo mo at kahit kailan hindi niya nalilimutan ang mga importanteng okasyon tulad ng anniversary, monthsary, weeksary o birthday mo. Nakaka-inis ba? Ok lang yan, malay mo next time, hindi na siya ganun. Tipong i-aasa na lang niya sa Facebook ang iyong kaarawan. Tapos tamang post na lang sa wall mo ng "hapi bday". "Ang mga babae, emosyonal." They cry about movies. They get teary with a romantic novel. They blush and gasp upon seeing a picture of a cute dog or a cuddly baby. Bakit ba ganun sila? Buti na lang tayo hindi. Kinikimkim lang naten lahat ng emosyon sa loob hanggang sa sumabog at atakihin sa puso o di naman kaya ee magpapakalasingtapos magwawala at maghahamon ng wrestling. Di ba mas logical un? Madalas pa mag-imagine na ikakasal kayo sa simbahan. Lagi nag a-iloveyou, imissyou, take care at mwah mwah sa text. Asar ka na ba at nacocornyhan? Ayos lang yan. Darating din siguro ang time na titigil siya at isesend ang mga un sa iba. Women are probably the greatest gift to men, from God, beside beer and sizzling sisig. At para sken, women deserve all advantages, lalo na sa pag-ibig. Sana lahat ng babae ay maging masaya ang lovelife. Sana, walang babaeng heart-broken, kasi, tayong mga lalake, we're meant to pursue them and it's okay if we fail from time to time. It's the way nature intended it. Gaya ng isang leon sa usa o pag-ikot ng earth sa paligid ng araw. Mas okay kung tayo na lang ung masasaktan. Ee sila? Isipin mo, nagkakaroon sila ng "dalaw" at nababaliw kada buwan, nabubuntis at nahihirapan ng 9 months, at pinaka matindi sa lahat, kailangan pa nilang panatilihing makinis at walang buhok ang kanilang mga kili-kili. Ano ba namang pasayahin sila at gawing "scar-free" ang kanilang buhay pag-ibig. And if you are with a great gal, do everything to make her happy. Don't ever break her heart. Wag kang magpa-uto sa mga statistics, na nagsasabing, mas marami ang babae sa lalake, kaya okay lang mang-chiks. Ano pa bang gusto mo? Hindi pa ba sapat na minahal ka niya sa kabila ng iyong pagiging engot at kawalan ng Romantic DNA sa katawan? Malaki man ang papolasyon nila sa mundo, napaka-liit ng tsansang makakilala ka ulet ng katulad niya na magtya-tyaga sayo. Tandaan, pansamantala ka mang maakit ng naglalakihang pulang high-heels o maaarteng makintab na sandals, mas masarap pa ring umuwe sa nag-iisang tsinelas ng buhay mo. :)

my zombie life

     Those who are close to me probably know how bad I am at staying up all night. I don't know, even how important that tomorrow's quiz is, or how far I am to completing the assignment, my eyes would really close on their own at some point; but since this semester started, that changed.. By some driving force, my eyes are staying open whenever they need to be open. I mean, when the first semester of this school year started, we've been bombarded with lots of assignments, requirements, quizzes, and activities in school. Amazingly, I was able to keep myself awake during the night on those "hectic" times. Then the month of August came, and came with it were several holidays. To put it simply, I kinda got used to the holidays and "nothing-to-do" mode again that when September came together with the complete recovery of our favorite instructor, I felt like I was caught off-guard. I mean, one day I was like enjoying all the free time in the world, even having the luxury of watching lots of movies and everything, and then the next thing I know, there's a ton of schoolwork to do to be passed TOMORROW! as in insigida!! And with the finals week approaching, I knew right then, it was time to say goodbye to my early sleeping time and tanga times..

    For the last two weeks, I only had an average of 3 hours of sleep daily. I usuallu sleep 12am and wake up as early as 3am. My classmates though aren't sleeping at all! SERIOUSLY! Hoooh! Kahit gaano karami na ang dapat gawin, di pwedeng di ako matulog! Based on experience, parating may masamang nangyayari sa'kin if I don't sleep at all. You don't know how much pressure I'd feel whenever I wake up at 3am and find my classmates still online and showing signs that they're still awake! But this is the way my body system works and I'm already accustomed to this system so I've got nothing to complain.

     During the first few days of the sleep-deprived nights, I still had energy the next morning to go through my day in school, but eventually, as my sleepless nights continued, I feel like I'm exerting double the usual effort I apply in doing things. I get tired more easily; even climbing the stairs of the engineering building is making me catch my breath! Not only that, I also noticed that my maldita side is showing itself more often. I get irritated and angry easily. I sometimes raise my voice for no reason at all. Haaay, sakit sa mga kulang ug tulog! At some point, I found myself just spacing out. I also slept in my classes. My 'reaction time', as in the time it'd take me to react upon hearing something, declined! Even after hearing a joke, there's that lag time before I'd laugh.. You can probably imagine, eh? I can't even imagine how I looked like during those times. :D One night also, while I was doing an assignment ('di ko na maalala anung assignment yun, sa dami ba naman ng assignments na ginawa ko this week and last week), I found myself recalculating something over and over again. You know what's worse? I get a different value each time! The I knew I had to get a dose of coffee. XD

     Two weeks more to go and this semester will be over. There are lots of requirements to be passed, lots of activities to be done, and lots of lessons to be studied. So I'll give up the hope of being able to enjoy lengthy hours of sleep in the next 2 weeks.. I just hope that my body won't give up before I do. >.<

     Who said the life of a 5th year Chemical Engineering is easy? It is not! And it will never be.. I just put to mind that all these hardships we're going through right now are necessary for us to be excellent chemical engineers in the future. As one of our instructors said, "At least anad na mo mabilar." Immune na kung baga.. Lol. Salamat kaayu sir! But in all fairness, he has a point. So right now, we just have to endure and keep moving forward! Tomorrow is another day with another requirements! This is for my bright future so no more complaining.. AJA! XD