To my Economics students at SJFS
October 27, 2009Stop reading anything from here! This is not educational (just enough for classroom chismis!)
Go here:
http://socscistudent.wordpress.com/
And make your internet time more worthwhile!
On the unfairness of life
October 18, 2009
This would be too immodest of me to say, but I have never ever been irresponsible when working with a group. I always try to be dependable. I hate letting people down. So, as much as possible, I do my best, delivering what is required of me. Of course, it took a toll on my health; too much work aggravated my hypertension. I thought I can relax a little and collect what I owed from Fate, this should-be last undergraduate semester of my life.
But nothing’s fair in life.
It’s too painful to think that I may not be graduating this semester because of one failed subject. I’m not overly-grade-conscious, but I do value my reputation. Despite the many difficult courses I have taken, the only academic subject I failed was CS 11. I’m not a bright student, but I take my studies seriously. I have always demonstrated the resiliency and diligence expected of me, though, personally, it was far below the level of most of my former classmates.
There’s a limit to how much I can blame my misfortune on others; ultimately, the fault is mine. I should have not let others handle such an important project. I should have taken up the leadership position from the start and not sit around, expecting someone else would. Some people are yet to learn that their actions or inaction go beyond their lives. Not all UP students know what the words “honor” and “excellence” mean in their personal and social lives. It’s not too late to learn (and this may well be the most important lesson for you). I should have been wiser.
Periculum in mora.
* I was being too OA here. There’s still a slim chance of passing the subject in question, that is, if I ace the final exam.
*****
More on the unfairness of life… I got a 1.00 from my favorite prof! (Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t use unethical means to get this grade).
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting anything lower than that.
.
July 30, 2009
Here’s another Morning Musume favorite (they’re my flavor of the month):
If there’s one word I always associate with Japan, it is cherry blossom or sakura. The cherry blossom is Japan’s national flower. The cherry blossom, considered by the Japanese as the flower of all flowers, is a felicitous symbol. However, cherry blossoms have also been connoted with the glory of fighting to death (falling softly on the battlefield) or the transience of life and beauty (petals are easily swept by a strong wind).
花より団子 (Hana yori dango) – “Dumplings over flowers”; it refers to the preference for tangible goods or practical concerns over elegance and beauty.
花に嵐 (Hana ni arashi) – “Flowers before the storm”; bad luck follows good fortune.
***
It’s amusing how conversations can easily flow from “G-shots” (an elective surgical procedure wherein the sensitivity of the G-spot is enhanced) to Marxism, national poverty, then to “sustainable erections.”
***
Friendship gets in the way of fulfilling personal promises.
***
Behavior does not always dictate identity. Respect of self-identity involves not making quick assumptions, especially regarding a person’s sexuality.
***
The reviews look pathetic to me. Well… it can’t be helped. I must abide by the rules. And besides, the rules are practical.
***
I hope I get a decent grade in my NS 50 exam. The exam was not easy, but not too difficult either. My NS 50 professor is the type that enjoys giving “realistic” grades.
I did well in my NS 5 exam relative to my classmates but it was way below my target score. And that’s NOT comforting.
I have become very GC these days. At least I’m just competing with myself.
Hard, harder, hardest
July 26, 2009
School toxicity levels are rising! I have so many closely-spaced requirements to meet in less than a month.
29 July – First long exam in NS 50 (It would be a 2-hour essay-type exam on the historical and philosophical backgrounds of evolutionary concepts, basic issues causing conflict between believers of evolution and believers of religion, cosmological and geological evolution, extinction and extinction events, and biodiversity.)
31 July – 7 August – Impromptu speech in Comm. III (I’m having a hard time finding a knitted sweater to match my blue short-sleeved polo, or a tie and slacks to go with my borrowed long-sleeved polo – I hate business attire!)
12 August – Submission of film reviews in STS (The films to be reviewed are I Robot, The Island, Aeon Flux, Bicentennial Man and Minority Report.)
14 August – Deadline for the checking of interview questions in DS 123 (My partner and I were assigned to interview Dr. Edelina de la Paz of the UP College of Medicine on the topic “Challenges and Prospects of Community Medicine: the Philippine Experience”.)
21 August – Deadline for the DS 123 AVP on Philippine Health Issues
***
“What a delight to have friends come from afar.”
This well-known Chinese expression (sorry, I don’t know the Chinese characters for it) is included in the opening lines of the Analects of Confucius. The complete sentence goes like this: “To learn something and then to put it into practice at the right time: is this not a joy? To have friends coming from afar: is this not a delight? Not to be upset when one’s merits are ignored: is this not the mark of a gentleman?”
It’s really a delight to have friends eager to help me despite the distances between us.
I hope someday I will be able to cross the same distances and be of help to them. I will!
***
So there was this bitchy sorority girl who once said, in class, that she isn’t a virgin anymore and that she enjoys not being so.
What can I say? WOW!
***
I’m not going to be around tomorrow because I’m going to watch the SONA.
***
Is Globe Broadband really slow? My mother thought of applying for it but a neighbor told us that Globe Broadband is slow, even the 1Mbps plan (which is around P 1,300 per month.) I did a little math and found out that my internet expenses at my favorite PC shop never exceeds P 800.00 per month (and that includes the electric bill for the PC and airconditioning and the free food I get every once and a while), and I’m satisfied with the speed. I have so many things to do that I may not be able to take advantage of the unlimited internet usage stipulated in the plan. The only drawback is that I can never seed torrents and that I’m limited by time; after all, the PC shop is not a convenience store open round-the-clock.
Maybe it can wait. When I have a stable job, I’ll upgrade my PC and apply for a PLDT phone reconnection. I’m planning of taking the more expensive plans (beyond what our current budget can accommodate) to suit my needs.
***
Hindi naman sa naging lalaki na ako all of a sudden, pero crush ko yung isa dito. Yung nasa 0.55.
Naming names
Finally, I now have passable, authentic Korean and Japanese names (aside from the Chinese name I have chosen). I made it a point to choose names that are similar to how my given name is read and spelled.
Korean name: 민재룡 / Min Jae-Ryong
I don’t really know what the surname means or connotes, but, considering that Koreans have a very limited pool of surnames, I guess I don’t have that much of a choice.
My sister helped me choose the name Jae-Ryong. My first choices were actually Jung-Hwa and Jung-Hee (probably the same as Chung-hee of General Park Chung-hee) but I didn’t really like them. My sister has heard of many Korean television characters with the name Jae so she thought I might like it. I added the Ryong part as the equivalent of the second syllable of my given name. Jae means “respect” while Ryong means “dragon”. In Korea, dragons are considered benevolent beings connected with water. That suits me well since, as I have found out through dozens of online tests and my own “face reading”, I’m a water-person.
My name has a hanja equivalent, but I like my name in hangul better.
Japanese name: 湊峙朗 / Minatoya Jirou
My first choice for a surname was Minami or “south”. However, two of my friends thought that Minami sounded like an appliance or candy brand. Only three other Japanese surnames I know have “Mina” in them: Minabuchi, Minamoto and Minatoya. I don’t like the sound of Minabuchi and I find Minamoto too historical. The Kanji symbol for Minatoya means “port” or “harbor.” Water is still there!
Jirou is fairly common boy’s name in Japan. It usually means “second eldest son”; it is a relative of the name Tarou (eldest son) and Saburou (third eldest son.) But Jirou can be spelled in many ways, and there lies the name’s varied meanings. For my name I chose the characters 峙朗 – the ji [峙] means “soaring” while the rou [朗] means “bright.” There is the aspiration that I will soar high towards brightness or light. Cool, don’t you think?
I have the choice of just transliterating my name to Mina Jiriku (in katakana) (ミナジリク) but I fear the Japanese might mistake my Mina with their word for “the name of God” or “everyone”.
***
It’s fun giving yourself a well-thought of name, even if only informal. My parents weren’t that intelligent to have given me a more meaningful one.
