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| Theme of this year's Sikolohiyang Pilipino Primer |
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| (From L-R) Moira, Pat, Wel, Ehmmel & Dianne |
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| Wel, I, Pat, Ehmmel, Dianne |
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| Photo op of Moira |
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| Lovely handicrafts made by the mental health consumers at PMHA |
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| Moira and I wearing our newly-bought bracelets :) |
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| Psych peeps! L-R: Karla, Denry, Bianca, Pat, Wel, Moira, I, Lois, Ara, Gennie, Alex, Charlene, Ruan, etc. (Sorry, I don't know the names of the last two girls.) |
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| Buffet dinner with Psych peeps! Top from L-R: Jhen, I, Ate Aleng Bottom from L-R: Pat, Kristelle, Badette, Angie, Moira |
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| My loving best friend and I :) |
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| Jhen and Ehmmel with Sir Jay Yacat |
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| DEMM's Lunch at Kamay-Kainan, Market! Market! |
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| The reason I managed my almost 4 years in college: DEMM <3 |
"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, that's why you call it present."
After getting busy with school Intramurals (Sorry, I didn't get to make a blog post about it! However, you can see the photos on my Facebook account), I was engrossed in finishing my thesis and preparing for my final defense. A number of school works has gone in a blur. So, I became excited when we got to have our 'kinda' R&R in Manila. As a senior BS Psychology student, a seminar, wherever it'd be handled, is simply a time for leisure already.
First off, we visited the in-patients at National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong. Good thing, I already spent my practicum in clinical setting and knew how it felt to be near people who have mental disorders. Nonetheless, it didn't stop my body from reacting to the awful smell coming from the patients. Yes, I do understand their hygiene there but if you, dear reader, are the type that is sensitive when it comes to odors and the likes, please be warned. So, let's get back to the main topic. Seeing those patients made me miss my client in CCMH, the one I handled during my practicum. *cue in happy summer memories*
We went to the main branch of the Philippine Mental Health Association in Quezon City after. And then, we were toured around the institution. They only accept out-patients, though, so it was not the same with the previous one. The fun thing there was we got to see the mental health consumers and the products of their intervention services which were the extreme cutesy of all handicrafts. By only purchasing a product, we were able to help them in some way - not only in monetary purpose but also in emotional upliftment. It felt so nice to see the smiles on their faces knowing that new people were visiting them and buying their crafts. My heart was so touched that I bought 3 bracelets - 1 for me and 2 for my friends, May-Ann & Harriet.
To get some rest, our bus driver brought us to our usual choice of place to stay during our MNL seminars - The Contemporary Hotel in Sta. Mesa. My friends and I settled ourselves in room 304 for almost an hour before actually preparing for the night's trip. It was my first time to eat with a whole lot of Psychology students (I was with 10 of my classmates, a junior & more than 20 sophomores, I think?) at Tramway Buffet Garden. Honestly speaking, I myself already ate in different buffets but this one would probably make the least of the list. I didn't like the soup, for starters and the only good food for me there was fried rice and steamed siomai, knowing that the buffet offered several more dishes. Nonetheless, my tummy was full, not that happy, but then, it's full. We went back to the hotel and tried to take a rest immediately but then, who sleeps so early when you're with your friends, right? I was in full slumber at 11:30, I supposed.
Call time was 7 in the morning. All our bags were packed and we're ready to go (hehe). We had our breakfast inside the bus, Jollibee hotdog and egg combo with rice (I was expecting it's fried rice, but nah). Then, we headed to the main venue of our seminar - Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa. I was the most excited one to go there because my best friend is currently attending there as a Human Resource Management student. We haven't seen each other ever since our mini-summer get-together, so I badly missed her presence and her annoying laugh. First off, our group went to the third floor of Ninoy Aquino Library and Learning Resources Center and signed our names at the registration then went straight inside the Bulwagan Balagtas. Sir Jay Yacat, the first speaker, as always, has shared his insights about Sikolohiyang Pilipino and how to raise awareness of it for our fellow Filipinos. After his meaningful talk, my best friend texted me that she was already outside Bulwagan with her friends and I immediately excused myself and went outside to see her. Boy, I really missed her. And yeah, she missed me too (she told me so). She introduced me to her friends and though I already knew their names because of the innumerable stories shared by my best friend, it was better to really meet them in person. And then, my best friend and I got busy with our short catching up. It felt good knowing that even though we lived so far with each other, attended different universities and haven't talked much because of hectic schedules, our friendship still is getting stronger through time and distance. After our much-awaited chikahan, I promised her that I'd be back after our seminar and went back inside. Sir Jayson Petras, a young professor from UP Diliman, was the second and last speaker. He talked about the continuous spread of Filipino language across the world and that Sikolohiyang Pilipino might have a chance to be also known not only in the Philippines but also in other countries. The program ended with ice breakers led by the hosts from another participating university. Honestly, they were plain boring and didn't establish good rapport with everyone in the audience. (Or was I the only one who noticed?) After the program, I took the opportunity to have a picture with the said speakers and also did a favor for my classmate, Jhen, to also have a photo op with them, especially Sir Yacat, because she, alongside my dear friend, Ehmmel, has idolized Sir Yacat ever since our Research 1 subject last semester (their topic is under SP). So, the photo ops were already done. I introduced Ehmmel to Roselle, my best friend. Dianne, Pat and Wel weren't able to meet Roselle because our professor asked everyone to hurry back to the bus for us to get lunch. *sigh* I believe there will always be a next time for this. :)
We arrived at Market! Market! at around 1pm. At first, I was thinking of going to Aura to eat at 4 Fingers but I realized I was too tired to walk a long way so my friends and I decided to eat at Kamay-Kainan. Pat and Wel wanted otherwise 'cause Pat suddenly craved for pasta so they ate at a different place. We, DEMM (Dianne, Ehmmel, Mags and Moi), were happy because our tummies were finally truly happy! Kare-kare was simply THE best. <3333 After our palatable lunch that was worth every penny +VAT, we roamed around the mall and bought different stuff for ourselves and pasalubongs for our loved ones. Although I was coughing for a week, I still ate Oreo blizzard (my favorite, huhu, sorry, dear tonsils). Photo ops of our OOTDs were done before going back to our bus and the day was capped off with Jhen's 'DJ Love' antics and laughter was shared by everyone in the bus.
Thank You, Lord, for Your guidance in our yet another remarkable journey through further knowledge of our chosen field. Everything happened in quite a blur but it was worth a blog post.
Ang sarap maging sikolohista. ;) (seriously & sarcastically speaking)
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