Three days to go and back to school mode. Ambivalence. Glad that I will finally have something to do and sad at the same time because after a week I’m sure I don’t want to do what it is that I have to do.

Almost three weeks of sem break and I incredibly wrote zero blog entries. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Ironic right? During the hell sem I was looking forward to sem break so I can post as many entries as my creative juices can squeeze. Nothing came out. Just poor attempts. I’m exerting every effort I can muster now so I can at least finish this one and this entry can gain some internet real estate not like its million predecessors.

Writer’s (feeling) rut invaded me for the break. I would type a few words then I’d hit the delete button. Just like that and the thoughts that I have managed to type were lost into oblivion. But last sem even if I have 20 deadlines to meet, 56 exams to pass, and 8 more stages at Cake Mania to finish I still find time to let my blog know I haven’t forgotten it. I guess that I get most of my ideas and thoughts on the lame adventures I go through during schooldays. I don’t know why I feel the need to immortalize my stories and post them for the whole world to read. That is, if anyone does read them. Well for one, it keeps my few ounces of creative juices from totally evaporating.

Now I’m not really sure of what my topic is. This is one those anything goes blog entry.

I enrolled last Wednesday. No Enrolment Eskapeyds to tell. The enrollment was a breeze. We’re done after an hour and a half. Boring. Five sems down and three more to go. Until now, I’m still amazed of the wonders of prayer. That and a lot of cramming helped me so I can still check continuing and regular student on my form 5 last Wednesday. I know that I’m far from a model student. Get college done and over with so I can get a life.

My Vierhundert friends are laughing at me because I have an assignment during the break for my 2nd sem class. It sucks but I’m okay with it really. We need to have a 20-hour job experience of any manual work. So I, Kei, and Lorine chose car wash. It was fun! Plus I had something to do aside from playing Cake Mania, Build-a-lot, and Capitalism II… and reading books, from A Time to Kill to A Millionaire’s Mind… and watching TV series and all sorts of movies… and losing a lot of hours in ZZZZs. The thing I hate about the assignment is the paper work. Hello? Why not just pass a one-page reflection paper and pictures. Cut the other craps. I don’t know why CAMP profs love to torture themselves and torture the students as well. I get it that no one likes to check 26 boring papers that talk about elbow extensions, dexterity, gross prehension patterns, maximum amount of muscle strength, need for ability to follow instructions, and so on. So if they don’t want to check one (what more 26?), we definitely don’t want to write one, why the hell give an assignment like that?! We can all save ourselves a lot of energy, neurons, pen ink, and electricity. And we can help the environment by not using papers. Hehe. If you’re wondering why I’m fuming about this assignment… one, it is toxic, two, it is lame, and lastly I haven’t type a single word about it! By the way, it is due on the first day of class! If you want to add some misery to your life, apply for a degree in CAMP.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m beginning to like my course. About time I think because if all goes well I’ll graduate after three sems. It’s quite hard to imagine what would happen to me with a diploma framed, no allowance, officially part of the unemployment statistics, and still not in good terms with my course. I just don’t get it why they have to subject us to unnecessary pressures and hardships. The operative term is unnecessary. But what can I do? They come with the package.

I’m still thankful for everything. For my God. For my family. For my friends. For my *ehem* education. For every blessing… because life is beautiful and I’m extremely glad that I’m living one;)

I’m supposed to be studying for my Physiology exam on Monday but my neurons are begging me to stop and to let them relax for a while. They said that they want to go on a Caribbean cruise for a while. I’m afraid that they might stage a coup d’ etat so I let them go. They might take long because they hinted of getting a tan in the Bahamas so let me blog first. Blogging relaxes me:) By the way, my neurons are spoiled brats. They grumbled to me of exhausting them too much when I was actually just reading the title of the hand-out! Bad neurons.

Let us see if anything happened interesting to me… Ah! Yesterday was interesting:)

I had an Anatomy exam at 8 in the morning. Biomechanics of the Upper and Lower Extremities plus Nerve & Blood Supply of the Lower Extremities. Difficult as usual. Weird also. Imagine shaking hands, waving your hands, mopping the floor, fencing, golfing… all alone while seating. We all looked stupid. Cute… but stupid. Hehe. Exam was over by 10.

Then had to pass the 180 fieldwork papers. Accumulated dump trucks of photocopied hand-outs again for the exams next week. Which is also equivalent to a gigantic decrease of the net worth of my wallet:( I made Lorine angry by reading her reflection paper. Ooops… Hehe. Ang kulit ko. Then Lieto Septem minus Lorine was off to the College of Medicine Library to borrow Guyton’s Physiology. This serves as my security blanket. I don’t read it. Katabi ko lang matulog. AS IF the contents of which will miraculously go into an exodus and go into my brain. If it happens, I swear, I’m going to write to Vatican. Then we had lunch at mcdo. Then I and JJ accompanied Iya to buy her godchild some rock star ensemble at Gingersnaps. By the way, the kid is just 3 years old. Imagine her in a shirt with blazer and skinny jeans. Cute! Ninang Iya doesn’t even know her size. Susko ha. Hehe.

Then I went to MOA. Haha. Andami kong oras. Parang hindi finals month. I did what I had to do there then rush to Natio. I had to buy a book. Genius me, I forgot the title and the author. Haha. I was dying to buy that book and I CAN’T remember the title. Amf. I saw it at Natio Megamall last Sunday. By the way correction regarding my last post, there is a Max’s resto at Mega. I stand corrected:) How did I realize my stupidity and probable bad publicity for Max’s? I went to Mega. There I saw the ad of Max’s. Enewei, if I can’t find the book at MOA then I’ll go to Mega! Haha. I can be extremely determined if I want to. Now… if I can just put that perseverance in the context of studying, I’m sure I’ll save myself from a lot of troubles:)

I was beside myself with elation (haha… exagg) when I saw the book. There sitting discretely at the shelf where I saw it last Sunday. Bought it without second thoughts. Are you wondering what the book is and how special it is for me to travel the vastness of EDSA just to get a copy of it? It is a coloring book:)

Oopps. You got me. Of course it is not a coloring book. I assure you my sanity is still intact. Unless of course it is a coloring book of Prince Pierre Casiraghi:) Basta. Secret:) I just fell in love with it at first sight. But I stopped myself from buying it last Sunday to see if it would still mean something to me after a few centuries. Barely a week after our rendezvous and there I was standing in the queue, seconds away from legally owning the book. It is quite expensive too. It really depleted my already negative pocket. By the way, I finished the book at around 2 this afternoon. Worth every penny:)

Back to my Friday impulsive adventure. I suddenly realized I was hungry. Went to Krispy Kremes. Poof. Crowded. I contented myself with takuyaki balls and siomai at the food court. I didn’t know I miss siomai and takuyaki balls a lot. Ate lots of them. Hehe. The gluttony in me. While I was immersing myself in the ocean of takuyaki balls, siomai and lemonade someone approached me. Creepy. Tapos sabi niya, “Hi! Taga-UP rin ako. Pwede ka ma-interview for a survey?” I was cracking my brain on how she found out that I was from UP. Then I saw  “Medical Library U.P. Manila” printed proudly at the side of Guyton’s Physiology book. Hehe. For the spirit of Christmas and since she is an Iska too, I agreed. The survey was about the environment so my nose was bleeding the whole time.

Then time to go home. BUS RIDE!!! Need I say more? Maybe when I’m extremely rich I’m going to buy a bus:) I love bus rides. Got stuck in Makati traffic. But a bus ride is still a bus ride:)

My neurons are back with a little jet lag and beautiful tan. But I guess they are ready:) Time to attack the Physio hand-outs!

I’ll make one quick post before September officially ends.

Barely 2 hours from now my toxic month will start. I need all the prayers, coffee (this is ironic, I’m not a coffee drinker but coffee is usually equated with toxic student life, so let me join the bandwagon), and sleep I can get. My next post will probably be on the last week of October. That is… if I survive:)

I figured it will be a long and extremely difficult journey before I can start to be in touched with my sanity again. So as a way of bidding goodbye to my relatively easier encounter with the first 4 months of the first sem of my junior year, I tried to enjoy my day earlier. I lavished on the very few & fleeting minutes I had with myself.

After attending mass at the Kerygma Feast, I went to Megamall. It has only been my 2nd time there since June this year. See what I mean about getting a life? The tortures to my leisure life… Thanks junior year. I wanted to eat at Max’s. Poof. No Max’s at Mega. Italianni’s is out of the question. I didn’t have enough time to rob a bank. So well… I just found a place with a view of the Ortigas skyline. So i tried it. The usual meal I like when I’m depressed. Ebi tempura & gyoza. Yey! Parang nag-Karate Kid lang ako ah. I wanted to drop by Krispy Kremes. Hehe. I have to get my doughnut fix. Too bad. I was so full I just couldn’t bring myself to buy a single doughnut. This is odd though. The only reason I used to go to Mega is because of Krispy Kremes. Maybe I was just afraid to be condemned to hell because of gluttony.

Then I rode a bus. I love bus rides. They allow me to think. I just love bus rides. See? Somewhere in Makati, I received the message we were expecting since Friday. Bad news. No guarantee about my comprehensive initial evaluation tomorrow. Great. But it didn’t dampen my spirits. After all… I was enjoying my bus ride:)

I finally ate at Max’s for dinner. I always get what i want! Hehe. I love the buko pandan dessert. It reminds me of dinners with Vierhundert Club at Max’s Baywalk. I miss them. I forgot (and sometimes, intentionally forget) my obligations to the club this sem. I really try to make up and attend meetings but my UP life just wouldn’t allow me. I will try to make up, really make up this sem break:) We have to straighten some of our investment decisions before we go home this December. Business + OT = Me. Haaay.

Life is still good because I know my Big Daddy up there will not allow me to succumb to the pressures of junior year. Hey junior year, I’m not afraid of you because my GOD is bigger than you:) Isama mo pa ang freshie at sophie years! Hah!

Yep… the only reason why I’m still hanging on… my faith – God, Jesus, and the rest of the folks up there in heaven:) Life is still beautiful.

I logged-in at my ym just minutes ago (that is 2:15 am for the disoriented) to check some offline messages.

I was shocked to see my blockmates still online. All with almost the same status shouting: busy doing IE*. Yikes! This really got me scared. I’m not doing my initial evaluation documentation draft because of some freakiness during my initial evaluation fieldwork. My client suddenly canceled his appointment. Ergo, I was left with no client to perform my initial evaluation practicum. Dang! And guess what… the OT 179 team has no back-up plan. Aside from rescheduling it of course. Wow!  How helpful. More of this drama when I’m not angry anymore. My emotions would block my logic and would render my write-up rubbish.

Back to my blockmates… I’m pretty sure they started writing their IE drafts at around 6 or 7 pm. But if they are still doing the documentation eight hours later then it must be one insanely difficult paper! Uhmm. This paper is due at Ma’am Mae’s desk today at 12:00 NN sharp. Good luck. But more of goodluck to me. I’ll be doing this paper next week. Together with THREE exams and fieldwork 1 for physical dysfunction. That is more insanity than I can handle. My schedule will be so toxic I wonder if I’ll still be alive by Saturday.

*Initial Evaluation

Just great. Tomorrow is OT 179 2nd Lab Exam and here I am burning with fever.

Tomorrow is my last chance on performing decently in an OT 179 Lab Exam. If you would recall my last post, nagkalat ako sa unang exam ng OT 179. I should pass this test or else… good luck to me.

I can’t missed the exam tomorrow. I would have to go through a lot of sufferings if I will. I have no choice but to take the exam. Runny nose and all. I can’t go to a doctor at this unholy hour, can I? I have to wait until Tuesday or maybe after the exam tomorrow to go see one. I have to make do with paracetamols or anything my mom would recommend to help me survive this night. Fortunately I don’t have to drag my burning body to Mercury to buy meds. Times like this my medicine bag comes in handy. A little anecdote about my med bag… during my freshman year, I asked extra funds from my folks because I needed to buy some painkillers and boxes of salonpas for my fencing class. For one, I really do need to buy painkillers because if I don’t I would end up in an orthopedic hospital. But I was also planning to keep the change from whatever amount they send me. Hehe. Scheming me. I don’t know if my mom can read thoughts or what but instead of sending me money they sent me “the med bag” complete from Salonpas to Propan. From then on I can’t use “to-buy-medicine-excuse” to get some extra funds from my folks:) I have smart parents.

Newie, back to my misery… I was actually feeling bad since Saturday last week. But it was not really that bad-bad. I thought I can handle it and besides I started feeling better last Thursday. So I put off going to my doctor. Voila! Around 6 this evening the fever is back with vengeance. No notice whatsoever.

Why did this fever choose to invade me a night before my exam?! I find it hard to concentrate in absorbing my notes with this pesky dripping nose and with my head aching like it is being drilled. How much more tomorrow? Would I be able to remember the verbatim instructions of the Bay Area Functional Performance Evaluation? Remembering the venue of the exam is already too much.

This also means that I have to miss my MRL and Physio lectures in the morning.