before school starts

I also thought about posting stats before I read the blog post of someone *coughpatcough*.
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Summer Activity 1: OJT
or otherwise known as Summer Internship Program for Outstanding Students. Neat, huh?
Highlights:
-worked on a Chemical Engineering concept almost alien to me
-gained a few good acquaintances
-ate processed food which is actually good (in taste)
-ate sardines with calamansi and asin for the first time
-had first tequila shot
-saw not one, not two, but THREE real, full-blown chemical plants, namely, Shell Tabangao, Malampaya and of course, JG Summit Petrochem
-rode a shuttle bus for the first time
-first real job
-first timecards
-first corporate presentation complete with supervisors grilling (me, not fish or meat)
-slept in own room with aircon
-lived with aircon for almost 24 hours
-lived in Batangas
-read two classics: Les Miserables (Hugo) and Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Twain); both books are political
-attended a party
-knew more about valves
-worked in a full-blown plant (obviously, I can't hide my joy)
-had a very wonderful (and beautiful) mentor
-ate Batangas goto--no rice, just soup with pig parts, and doubted cleanliness of food, also had cholesterol intake that should have been ingested in a year
-finally passed STAR Tollway
-scorned a hypothetical "Eva" for not cleaning house and causing havoc one Saturday night when we weren't in Batangas
-had wonderful time with Mils and Carlo, eventhough there was a need to give them space
-gossiped a lot about several people instead of working
-wore a hard hat and safety jacket and safety shoes
-bearated by HR person
-had fun, over-all

Summer Activity 2: (Almost) Boundless Bakasyon
-watched TV
-slept till noon
-awake till 2 am
-eating (understatement)
-partying (nephew Ian's birthday party, MSF scholars party and Grad Party)
This vacation was concluded when I started work. It was an almost boundless vacation because I thought I can have this summer to bum around and rest my weary brain for two months. But no. Worse, (or better) I had a lot of brain work because of Summer Activity 1.

Summer Activity 3: Baguio Cityyyy!
It was like going to Baguio for the first time. The last time I went to Baguio (also my first time) was when I was six years old. The only details I remember is that I saw Pres. FVR in the flesh for the first time (that was big for a child like me then, like the British seeing the Queen), the loud cannon sounds before the PMA graduation and that it was cold. But evrybody knows that it is cold in Baguio.
Highlights:
-holy week (Wed-Sun), so no meat for Friday
-ate fresh Broccoli
-ate strawberries
-endured 8 hours of travel (to and fro) in a packed vehicle
-visited Manaoag church for the first time
-watched 7th heaven marathon on studio 23
-went to Mines View, Camp John Hay, PMA, Strawberry Farm (in La Trinidad), Good Shepherd Convent (sweets!), Burnham Park
-boated in circles (and rotated) in Burnham Park (we looked silly)
-tried the 'Clean Comfort Room'
-climbed up a mountain road
-had lots of fun, especially because of bonding with family members

Had a very eventful summer. And happy that Summer Activity 2 did not extend as expected, but instead, had work. Thank God. :D

potatoes? tomatoes!

I am currently absorbed with doing work. Although I suffer from it (and the chronic bad canteen food), I find a bit of joy in doing stuff like that, however hard (it's giving me headaches!) it is.

Found out about something horrendous this week. Actually, most of us suffer from two things (out of a lot): prejudice and generalization. Just because a tomato is ugly doesn't mean it's rotten. Just because a tomato is rotten doesn't mean all tomatoes in the box are rotten. Like I said, we suffer from these injustices but we also, subconsciously or otherwise, do these to other people. Why waste a perfectly good tomato just because one is traumatized from a rotten tomato in the past? That's not fair for the other tomatoes (which is weird because tomatoes don't have feelings) because they grew up nicely, but are still neglected because of the prejudice and generalization they experienced. I know it would take a deluge or tsunami to wipe the earth of all people who do these things (so that means all of us), so are we doomed? Of course we are. We even vote for underqualified senators, corrupt governors and mayors and lazy councilors. Anyway, all we got is one another and we would be stuck with the people around us for a very long time. So, I think a little cooperation would help. A little compassion and unprejudiced thinking will make the world a better place. (Ah! World peace! World peace!) Or a better tomato sauce.

It would seem that we got sucked into playing Text Twist like the other guys there at PED, but we really have a game of our own. However, one day, we just played Text Twist and never looked back. So, it's not a matter of we did it because they were doing it, let's say, we had a different inspiration to do so. But, why am I so defensive about this thing? I've no idea.

I am one of those UP people shaking their fists in the air for the CRS team. Or the ChE Department. Or the unpopular professors/instructors. Anyway, I am fearing that I would not get the ChE education that I paid for, thus I might graduate knowing a little, thus I might fail the Boards, or pass the Boards but suck at work, thus have a miserable life. Sometimes wethink these problems are insignificant, but they aren't. Unfortunately.