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

Call me Maybe trip

     Honestly! If you go to Youtube now then search for CALL ME MAYBE, a lot of videos would be coming out; all of which are from various people around the globe who uploaded their versions of the parody. One might wonder why anyone would want their faces posted on Youtube for the public to see. I, myself can't stand the idea! So I was hesitant at first when one of our classmates suggested that "we" also make our own mv for the song. They didn't stop encouraging the whole class though! They made me watch some Call me Maybe vids uploaded to youtube (though I only watched those made by some famous personalities ;p).. then boom! The idea of us making a video didn't feel bothersome anymore :D

     I think the scenes on this video was shot for 2 whole weeks or something. As you'll see later, I've been really participative in this video.. it's as if I didn't hesitate at first at all!! LOL. Craziness is really contagious you know, being with these crazy people (my classmates) made me crazy also! hahaha. I bet they won't agree to that statement though. After all the efforts (really?!) we exerted to come up with this video, I can't help but share this to the world. We may be called crazy, childish and attention-seeker by the rest of the world but I think the most imprtant thing is that we made this as one batch and that we were all enjoying and were happy while we were making this (all's good when everyone's happy, right?). This will be the last year of our stay in school and the last year of our lives as chemical engineering students so we better enjoy the remaining months!! Oh! I know I'm sooo right!!  Let's be crazy and freeeeee!!  Nyahahaha XD

     So without further ado, here it is... our Call me Maybe trip:

Night out with Kao pipz

     It was already 3 in the morning when I went home this morning from our night out. It was my first time going home that late from a night out with my friends so I already expected some scolding from my mother. I actually had an ample lot of scolding before she or was it me that first fell asleep! Either way thank goodness one of us slept first, if not the scolding could have continued 'till sunrise! I unfortunately woke up 3 hours after I slept so as you probably imagined, I was a little bit bugnutin that entire day. BUT! Whatever the consequences of that night out I spent with the "Kao people" I swear I didn't regret it one bit! SWEAR!

     While waiting for the other "Kao pipz" who are still in Jasaan, we decided to start KTV-ing. The temptation was really hard to resist. At first we just thought of staying at the waiting area of Willsbar and wait for the others but hearing those out-of-the-tune singing the people at the other rooms were doing, we figured we can do better! LOL. To make the long story short, we ended up getting a KTV room of our own and started singing! unsa paman diay?! 

     After about 45 minutes, two of the "others" came as we prepared to end our 1 hour KTV-ing and proceed to Thai Me Up! Manlibre daw si sir (dapat daw i-omit ang sir) Benborj nah! As Michael suggested we walked from Willsbar to Thai me up (ambot unsay nisulod sa amung mind nganong nisugot mig baklay). I don't usually walk that far of a distance but this time I did because what's at stake is the hot chika we were sharing while walking. Considering the long distance we've traveled (and we actually took our time pa talaga), you probably can't imagine what in hell did we talk about... don't ask me, i'll never tell bwahahaha XD. Let's just say it was very interesting that it really made me enjoy that walk bigtime! 

     When we arrived in the meeting place for dinner (around 8 pm), Benborj who's supposedly the one we should wait for arrived earlier than us! Huh! That's what we got from taking our time walking while chika-ing. Shortly after we started digging in. . 

       

      Sir Aljohn then arrived moments later. After some picture taking and short moment of chika-chika the group decided tap Galam KTV Bar in Carmen as our next stop. Then off we went to Galam! It was very full that I thought we'd just be going home without being able to sing but we patiently waited in their waiting room and just entertained ourselves with the music videos they were playing. It came to a point that we very much enjoyed the music in the waiting room that we danced our asses off. We were carried away that we thought we were the only ones in the room. We'll it was kinda true, we were the only ones in the waiting area but we didn't took into consideration that room behind those wall of glass. We were all shocked when the glass (which is actually a sliding door) opened and someone went out from it. Ahuh! What you're thinking is right, behind those dark glass wall was a bunch of people who probably (I say definitely) saw what kabaliwan we just did! I can't imagine how foolish we might have looked to them. Laughter - it was the only thing we could afford to do upon the discovery of the said room! Haaaaiiixt. 

     After all the waiting, picture taking, attempts in singing and dancing, and a little bit of "strong-ing" in the waiting area, we were finally led to our room! I think it was about 11 p.m. when we entered the room. We sang our hearts out, danced with all our might (does that even make sense?), shouted at the top of our lungs, and jumped with like a rockstar. So we basically just let our energies flow out! XD

     Then it was time to go home. Fortunately, our beloved sirs took us home (see how lucky we are to have them as our bosses???). Actually, if not for the fact that sir would be sending us home, I wouldn't have stayed 'till 3 a.m. !! We'll what happens next is as stated in my introductory paragraph above. 

     It may have been short but this moment is really worth keeping in memory together with all the memories we had in Kao. tsk3x. I sure am missing my OJT-ing there. >.< If by chance this night out should happen again in the future (ezei), I'm sure we would again be going all-out with our singing and everything! XD

Ang huling araw sa KAO

     We've now come to the last day of our 300-hour OJT in Kao. I still remember on the first few days of our stay in Kao, it felt like a lifetime waiting for that 300 hours to be over, but now that we only have 8 hours more to stay in this plant, I actually felt sad. I know that I will be missing this whole bunch of people we've met here. To convey our message of thanks to them, we (me, Steph, Bob, Nece, Michael, and with the special participation of Russel) brought in some foods to share for which we stayed up all night to make. . .

     It was around 10:30 a.m. that day when sir Aljohn asked us to present our material balance for the Kimeta and Glycerine concentration plant. Sir Aljohn and sir Toto were the only ones present meaning they're the only ones to critique the presentations we made. ^^, Even though they were able to see some loopholes in our presentation, I think it was still a success. The very fact that we've learned a lot is enough for me. (it may sound "miss universe"-like but i'm dead serious!)

     Then guess what follows after our presentation? (Since this is not Dora the Explorer I will not wait for you to answer that question..) Tama! Kainan is what followed our presentation. The first batch to have their share is our beloved supervisors and manager. Di man pud tantong mura mig nagpasipsip bah? We also invited the people who made our stay in Kao a roller coaster ride (if you know what I mean). The cute thing about that tsibugan time was that there were no more saucer left so the others (including me) had no choice but to use the cups plus stirrer as a substitute of the saucer and fork!! Wonderful isn't it? You can really see how people would get very resourceful when it comes to foods!! Well, I'm one of those resourceful people I was talking about.. ^^

     This blog post wouldn't be complete if I won't present to you guys the foods we prepared. The first one I'm about to show is the mango float beautifully prepared by Bob (I'm not sure though if Michael would agree to this... if you know what I mean...)

     We also made spaghetti and chocoballs (which sir aljohn called chipmunks). After around two hours this is what remained of them...

     I know that what we've prepared wasn't that grand at all but I really hope we were able to made them feel how thankful we are for all the things they've done to us. This last picture of the foods we prepared summarizes the message we hoped we conveyed successfully...

     THANK YOU KAO... till we meet again!

my ending up in Kao

     Me having my on-the-job training at Kao was all but a coincidence. It all started when our ojt coordinator posted in facebook that there are 5 ojt slots available in Kao and it's preferable that upcoming 5th year students would take it. Our coordinator then asked to see a list of students interested and only then would he draw lots for the said slots. Being the only 5th years online, me, Russel, and Jennifer commented on the said post to count the three of us in. A lot more from our batch commented minutes later. I was contacted by our coordinator the next day that I am one of the 5 chosen to have our ojt in Kao. Only then did the happenings sank onto me. I thought of three things that made me hesitate: 1. Kao which is in Jasaan is more than an hour of travel from our place; 2. I was told that the training in Kao isn't good; 3. According to our calculation it would cost me P85 for my back-and-forth fare everyday. Well, to make this loooong introduction short, I decided to just take the slot; Together with Michael, Stephanie, Nece, and Bob, we went to Kao and started our 300-hour OJT.

     As my previous blog post would entail, we had a rough start in our OJT, we've met people who'd say not-so-good things about us, people who'd look to us with their "stronger" faces, and people who'd watch our every move. Thankfully, after a month's time we've been very used to this things already that we started not caring what the others would say and how others would see us. We've also met wonderful people during our stay there, and as shocking as it may seem, those supposingly "evil" people proved to have their good sides also. So, we continued our journey in Kao and just went with the flow but still with care of course. 

     The words about Kao's not-so-good training I've heard before have been proven to be untrue. We actually and sincerely learned a lot of things. We may have had a lot of idle or tanga moments but whenever it was time for the serious talks and discussions, it's there that we work our brains to exhaustion. During our stay there, we were taught to use our critical thinking ability, to answer questions using our previous knowledge plus our creative imagination. Due to our lack in actual experience (palusot) we aren't able to give the right answers to some of the questions though. We heard laughs, we saw different facial expressions, and we've been put to not-so-high level of humiliation whenever we give them our wrong answers. At first it made me feel uncomfortable but later on I kinda got used to it already and just laughed together with them and just eagerly listen to the explanation of the correct answer. Presenting and talking in the presence of smart people and people who very much know the field makes me nervous and hesitate to talk at all but hey! if I can learn and be corrected of my not-so-right ideas if I talk and listen to this people then go! By now, I've kinda learned not to take to heart their laughing and everything. Maybe we were just being over-sensitive but these really happen in the real world, right? So I figured we should better have a good feel of this for us to get used to this scene.

     We'll be leaving Kao soon (our 300 hours is almost up)  but with us is a lot of things we've learned inside. This may sound mushy but I think we'll never forget the Kao people we've encountered there during our stay. ^^

OJT-ing

nece, me, and steph busy-ing ourselves with something I can't remember now =)

     If you happened to read my previous post regarding my first impression of the people where I have my on-the-job-training, you'd probably think that the people who work there are very monstrous! Mind you, I thought the same way, but after being there for almost one and a half months now, my views kinda changed now. The "people" I mentioned in my previous post didn't change to being angel-like or whatever - let's just say that I found some other qualities in them that is actually likeable! I'd give it to them, they have their cute side also >.< though only seldom do we see that side of them LOL.

using the white board to make our ideas clearer

     Continuing... we've grown fond and accustomed of the workplace we've been assigned but we're still not letting our guard down. Nerve-wracking questions are sometimes thrown to us randomly and if no "acceptable" answers from us will be heard, we're done for! More often do we not know than know the answers though, and when the right answers are explained to us we'll be just stand/sit in awe (with rainbows coming out of our mouth) of how amazing and bright the question thrower is. We've been kinda used to this situation already but it still makes us uncomfortable sometimes. I've made it to a point though that I should just use this time to learn new things, which is actually the main point of an OJT, right?

solving problems or practicing pen spin? ikaw nece ha!

 

     Whenever there's time, we "scan" and run through the Perry's Handbook for Chemical Engineers and find something that seems interesting and of course something we can understand. I'm surprised though that almost everything in the handbook "seems" interesting that I thought that it was really a waste that i don't read the handbook I have at home. 

     During our stay in Kao, we've been constantly reminded by different chemical engineers that it familiarizing the handbook's content as early as now will help us a lot during the board exam.

     

     We've been going to the field these days but since it is prohibited to take pictures of the plant, I can't post any pictures here. The only pictures I can show you guys are the ones taken inside the control room. This one was taken in the utility control room:

     The supervisor of the utility control room kinda explained to us how this "switch board panel" works but since I can't quite understand the electrical aspect of what he's explained I didn't bother remembering it. I actually tried asking Steph, Nece, ad Michael but coincidentally we did the same! >.< We just studied the different processes under the utility department.

studying the educational documents of the utility department

    See? We've been busy learning and studying during our OJT! We're not just sitting on one corner of the central control room doing chismisan, we're also making the most out of what is given to us! We're so good, right? No need to answer because I know we are! Bwahahaha XD

White Island revisited!

     After our Ardent Hot Spring adventure plus the "extra" activity my cousins did last night while I was sleeping [click here for the whole story], you would expect that they'd have no more energy for the activity of the day, surprisingly, they still got up early and got ready for out White Island adventure! We had our breakfast first since there are children with us. We then took turns for the pump boat ride to White island which was also taken care of the Paguia's Cottages. 

     I was on the second batch to go to the island. Of course, we didn't forget the snorkeling gears! It was supposed to be for rental but since we're just family (whew!) we "borrowed" 4 sets of it. Haha! 

     When I saw the boat coming back after the first batch was delivered to the island, I hurried and excitedly hopped on the boat and had the privilege to be taken this photo:

me on the pump boat that would bring us to the island

     

with my cousins getting off the boat (white island)

   How I've missed this island! It's still as pretty as before! It can still keep you in awe! I still find this island cute - you know, seldom can you see a small white island seemingly floating on the sea! Witness its beauty:

     Those umbrellas are the only shade you can find in this island. Those umbrellas are for rental though. I forgot how much they paid for it though. Here are some more pictures of the island.

      Who wouldn't want to dip to the sea in a paradise like this? I was so eager to swim that I even forgot to put on some sun-block lotion!! It didn't matter much though, so long as I had fun! >.<

     A vendor went closer and advertised these seafoods he had. I don't know what that's called but I think I've tasted those spherical shaped something before and if my memory's right, it tasted really good especially with suka. 

looks yummy, right?

     The snorkeling gears we had were also put to good use. We saw fishes under water but the most amazing fish I saw was that white flat fish which seemed like a normal white sand at first but when it suddenly moved (actually it actually kinda "crawled") we found that there were a lot of them at a certain area! 

       

     The fish we saw kinda looked like the one below. It really camouflaged in the whiteness of the sand! [Photo from seafriends org]

 

     It was almost noon when we decided to go back (we were feeling hungry already); a big family picture was first taken before going back. Here are some of the fun shots!

    That short trip of ours to Camiguin was really an enjoyable one, but it's not the beauty of the place that made that trip worthwhile, it was the fun we shared between us that made the mini trip perfect. The place won't matter, as long as you're with the people close to you, it'll be perfect! The camera isn't enough to capture the enjoyment and fulfillment we felt during that trip because we were together as a family. I really am proud and at the same time thankful to God to have such a big and very happy family. I'll be looking forward for our next get together, and I hope it'll be soon. =)

Camiguin! all over again..

     April 23 - the day that was especially in our calendar! After hearing the mass that Sunday in our beloved hometown, Dampil, WE joyfully went to the Balingoan port where we'd ride a barge to Camiguin. It was not our first time to be in Camiguin but we were all excited because it's been a long time since the WHOLE bunch of us went travelling and laag together. 

on our way to the barge (at Balingoan port)

On the barge

     I don't know if one should amused or annoyed but as usual, these children who climb on the barge and entice the passengers to throw coins to the ocean are still there. I'd give it to them, they're really good swimmers and divers! Throw off coins to the ocean and they would immediately jump and get it. Even though I know that they're already used to this, it still is unsafe for them to climb and jump like that so I personally think that this action should not be tolerated.

one of those children I described just now

     Just as the barge went, I settled in my seat and enjoyed the sea breeze while listening to my playlist. The others were busy talking and taking pictures and EATING! =D

Baby Jedrick obviously enjoying the ride

     In the middle of the vast ocean,we were given an extra treat by our dolphin friends (as in a lot of them). I've heard that there really are dolphins in that part of the ocean but every time we go to Camiguin we're not able to see one. We were very lucky this time that we've witnessed it. All of the passengers enjoyed the what would seem to be a show prepared by the dolphins. There were a lot of them - they were swimming together with the barge and even displayed their amazing synchronized swimming talents! The dolphins made their performance even more exciting upon hearing the passengers cheer for them! It was really a very overwhelming scene! Very much overwhelming to the point that we were not able to take pictures/video of it! LOL. 

Oh! But if you look closely at this picture you'll see a silhouette of a dolphin submerged  in the sea

    It was around 4:30pm when we arrived in the Benoni port of Camiguin island and took us 30 minutes of travel to Paguia's Cottages (owned by my cousin's husband's family =D). Oh I could give you their contact number if you want! This time around they prepared a big room for us (13 beds). After we settled, we had our dinner and decided to go visit Ardent Hot Spring as we always had whenever we're in Camiguin.

Dinner

enjoying the hot spring, aye?

      When we returned to the cottage and prepared to sleep I felt exhaustion all over me ;p and I accidentally fall asleep! Falling asleep early was the greatest thing I regretted in our stay in Camiguin. All my cousins spent the night outside talking nonsense-but-oh-so-enjoyable stuffs and of course with the eat and drink all you can portion! It's not everyday that we'd be gathered together and talk and have fun! If only I was still awake...

Just before I "accidentally" fell asleep!

   Our adventures for the next day will be featured in my next post! >.<

The following link will bring you to the facebook page of Paguia's Cottages:  Paguia's Cottages [click here]