Basically Thesis

“

Some things happen to remind us of how little we still know.

“

This was from something I drafted on June of last year. I was going over the files in my laptop and found this. It’s very timely, actually. I had just gone through something, where this is very much applicable.

Yes, my dear friends, I am talking about thesis.

This semester, I decided to take up the course that involved making a thesis so that I would be able to graduate on May instead of on October. Everyone said it would be a recipe for disaster, taking thesis and OJT in one sem. I refused to listen, once again being the defiant person that I am.

And true enough, it was a disaster. Almost.

A semester lasts for about 5 months, but for some reason, our batch ended up with less than 2 months to make our thesis. Yes again, we only had one sem to do the whole thesis, proposal and all. So anyway, I decided to take charge, as I often do, crafting the paper work, looking for a company, etc. I thought it was unnecessary to seek my group mates (there were 5 of us) for help, because I figured I could do it by myself.

My goly, how wrong I was.

The week before our intended date for defense, the HR manager of the company, which I contacted to be our subject, told me that our thesis objectives were not applicable to their company. Basically, I was doomed. I mean, how was I going to look for another company and make the whole thesis in a span of a week?

I told my group mates about the state of our thesis. Luckily for us, a classmate suggested the printing press that was doing the yearbook and was located just near school. I texted the owner’s secretary to communicate our intention. My mind was racing, thinking of other companies that could possibly be our subject. I texted two others. Hours later, the secretary of the printing press replied, and she said that the owner was willing to help us. Hope had been restored.

In a span of a week, we were able to finish our thesis paper. We were ready for defense by the following week.

That day, we bought pizza, which we wanted to eat ourselves, to impress the panelists. However, they weren’t. There was much, too much to revise on our paper. It was far from acceptable, I knew. It was rushed. I was disappointed, most especially with myself. After just 20 minutes, we were dismissed. I broke down.

I was ready for my group mates to disown me, kick me out of the group. After all, it was my fault. I didn’t ask much help from them from the beginning. And now, 3 of them could possibly not be able to graduate.

I was surprised. Pleasantly.

When they realized I was crying, they came to me and they tried to get me to calm down. I apologized to them, telling them it was all my fault, explaining everything I did wrong and what I could’ve done differently. Instead of blame and finger-pointing, I received encouragement. They told me that we were in it together. They said we could do it, because we were a team.

I didn’t personally know each of them. I’ve been classmates with two of them, but only one of the two I had chatted with. The other two I just met and had gotten to know during the duration of this struggle.

With much faith from them and from other friends, we were able to do it. We were able to have our thesis approved on the very last day. I thank them for being patient with me, and to this day, I’m still surprised that they thank me.

Just yesterday, our grades for thesis were given. I was happy to receive such a high mark, which I still think I don’t deserve. But more than anything, I’m happy that the three boys of #TeamPansit, as we call ourselves, will be able to #marchonMarch. ^_^

This semester had not been easy. But it has showed me that there are people, whom I can call real friends, if only I open up to them. For a long time, I’ve hesitated and have been very cautious (the reason to that is an entirely different story), but this time, I think I’m willing to try.

Aye to that! : From Twitter

After being hurt so much, it's hard to trust that much again. It's hard to open up to people and become vulnerable to that much pain again. Sometimes, we appear to be heartless. But hey, we're only protecting ourselves. Our hearts seem so fragile; we think it might completely break the next time around.

Time passes by and we gradually learn to trust again. Though still secretly scared for the possibility of pain, we become more open and, maybe someday, less fearful.

Getting New Frames (EO)

It was October of last year when I got my fabulous pink frames as an early Christmas gift from my mum.

Close to a year later, they gave out on me. You see, the end piece and the temple (right part) of my eyeglasses decided to part ways one morning. The screw in the hinge/s was intact. It was the little extension hinge (?) after the screw part that separated from the temple. (*unfortunately I wasn't able to take a photo of the damaged frames)

courtesy of readers.com

Is this even helpful? Lol

I went to EO to have it fixed, but unfortunately, they said that it couldn't be repaired since the little extension hinge couldn't be soldered to the temple. Soldering would melt the temple, which was made out of plastic.

I've always preferred plastic frames, but after this incident, I had second thoughts. So anyway, the good part is that it was still under warranty so I availed of it.

They asked for the warranty card and told me to write a complaint letter. They would then send the letter and the damaged frames to their main/head office in Manila to have it assessed. Eighteen days later, I received a text message and a call saying that my eyeglasses were ready for pick-up.

The next day, I went to pick it up and I was glad to know that I was able to get the warranty. They replaced my frames, but this time, they gave me a red one, since there were no more pink ones available.

Well, pink frames, it had been a good year. I enjoyed being all girly with you. But this time, these red frames call for fierceness. Haha. Okay, I'm starting to get sentimental.

I know they're just eyeglasses, but when you rely on them for dear life like I do, they're more than just that. I'm trying to get used to having such a strong-colored visual addition to my face, but I'm pretty sure I can rock these new red frames.

Thank you to Executive Optical - Ayala branch for being of such kind assistance to me, including when I had to purchase contact lenses whilst my eyeglasses were to be shipped off.

A Series of Unfortunate Car Accidents

Do I have a sign that says, "Bump me"?

Really.

Only a year since I got my license and I've already been in four major car-related accidents. Emphasize on the 'major' since I will exclude the occasional jeepney-closing-in-on-me-that-my-side-mirror-gets-folded incidents, yea.

First one was probably just a week or two after I got my license. I accompanied my aunt and uncle to the hospital for a check-up. I left the car (Crosswind) in the parking lot.
There was this Vios that refused to start. The owner called a towing company to tow her car. Unfortunately, the hook that was attached to the car broke, and guess what was behind it? Yes, my poor car. I was paged from the hospital and I rushed to the parking lot because I thought my car was blocking the way. Imagine how shocked I was when I saw the BIG dent on the right passenger doors. 

I was shocked and I didn't know what to do. I called my mum, because it is her car, but she was unreachable. I called my dad instead and he gave me instructions.  Fortunately, my aunt and uncle were there to accompany me. We prepared the necessary documents and went to the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) office. In the end, the towing company shouldered the expenses to have my car fixed.

I can't remember when the second one happened. It was most probably between January to March of this year. This time, it was my boyfriend's car. We  had just halted to a stop light at an intersection near school. We were talking, when suddenly this Starex rammed into the back of the car! 

We got out of the car and saw what a wreck his car had become. The sad part was that we also rammed into another car, an SUV (I can't remember if it was a Montero or a Fortuner). My boyfriend called his dad. I didn't want to leave him but he told me to go since I had class then. With my jaw and my knee aching, I went to class. Later on, he told me that the Starex had lost its brakes.

Third one was May 2013. I went to Lapu-Lapu because I was tasked to bring my sister and her friends to a beach resort during their outing. Before going to the resort, one of the stops was PTT Gas Station across Gaisano Grand Mall Mactan because they bought food somewhere near there. I was, once again, harmlessly parking at the back part of the gas station, near its convenience store, when this Vios, again, recklessly backed up to the car. It was like the driver wasn't even looking!

Having the right passenger doors damaged AGAIN, I was devastated. I called my mum and I received a scolding. She told me to get the Vios driver's information and to go home right away after I drop off my sister since I was getting into a lot of accidents already. The driver turned out to be a foreigner. He agreed to meet me the following day to pay for damages after I get an estimate of how much it would cost to fix it.

The fourth one, and hopefully my last, happened just last Friday. This time, it was closer to home. First pane below will show you where I and the jeepney were. We were running at approximately the same speed, when the white 62C jeepney suddenly turned left because of another jeepney that was stopping in front of it.

The front right side of my car was damaged, specifically misaligned signal light and slightly cracked bumper. The more unfortunate part of it was that the jeepney did not stop to talk about the accident. It just drove on. I went home and talked to my dad. He was so mad because of the hit-and-run incident. He called his policeman friend and reported the incident. I talked to him, gave him the jeepney's plate number, and he said that they would put an alert for that jeepney.

~

Now, friends, I am not proud of the accidents I've been involved in. It has gotten me thinking about my driving, but recalling everything (except case 2), I can't say it was my fault.  I feel sorry for my mum and her car, and sometimes I think about not driving anymore. However, if I stop driving, all the driving lessons will be put to waste. I guess I just am unlucky.

So, my driver friends, please be careful. Follow traffic rules diligently, and put your seatbelt on. Also, just give way to public utility vehicles because the drivers will just scratch their heads or run if they do bump you.

Keep safe, everyone!

Review: Voice Overload

All hail, chocolate lovers!

This Voice Overload is a "creamy choco sandwich with rich choco coating", so it says in the packaging. Well basically it's chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. Chocolate crackers with chocolate filling coated with more chocolate!

I expected it to be as chocolate-y as ever, but when I took a bite, I was impressed. It doesn't have that very strong über-chocolate taste. For something that looks and says that it's "overloaded" on chocolate, it tastes really good. It doesn't have a nasty aftertaste, too. The sandwich itself is quite thin, but I guess that's how they did it so that it won't be overdone. It has just the right amount of chocolate. :)

Chocolate lovers will ♥ this, and those who aren't as fond of chocolate will enjoy it as well. I highly recommend this to everyone.

OOTD: Marketing Convention

It's that time of the year again. Haha.

This is the look I wore to day two of the event.

Photo credits to my mum. I didn't know what she was up to though, why she made me bring that rose in the photo.

I didn't want to be so formal, so I decided against the blazer. I opted for an orange button-down top instead. I also wore a classic black peplum skirt and a black suede wedge shoes. (More details on the top and the skirt here.)

For accessories, I wore a silver cross necklace, which is my mum's, and a simple watch with blue straps.

Orange button-down top - Forever21

Black peplum skirt - South Shores

Black suede wedge shoes - Janylin

White structured bag - Michael Kors

Watch - XOXO

Also, I had my hair in a basic rope braid.

 Watch out for a post all about hairstyles you can do on short hair (as in pixie cuts and the like!), which includes this awesome braid. :D

OOTD: Acquaintance Party 2013

Last July 19, Friday, we had our acquaintance party. It was the first one I attended since I transferred to my current school, so I was excited.

with my twinnie, Danielle Iris :)

with Phem
(cape uneven because of my bag)

And yet again, I have no full outfit shot. Haha. These photos are the most decent photos of my outfit that night. Pardon me. T_T

Anyway, I didn't want to spend a lot on my outfit so almost everything I had on is my mum's. The dress, necklace, booties, and bag are hers. I only spent for my belt and my headband. O diba? :D

Photos of similar items:

A week before the theme for the party (Black and White) was announced, I saw my mum wearing her cape dress. After I knew the theme, I instantly knew that was what I was going to wear. Haha. I cinched the waist with a belt since it was waaay loose on me.

During the disco part of the program, I put the cape of my dress above my shoulders so it would be more comfortable.

The above photo is similar to the shoes I actually wore. The heel is the same, and it was also lace-up, although they weren't of suede material.

I couldn't find a photo similar to the bag I had, but it was a leather bag of ecru shade.

Shoes - Gibi

Bag - Angels Collection

Necklace - ForMe

Headband and belt - SM Accessories

Watch - Anne Klein

I can't give other details on the dress since I don't know where my mum bought it and there was no tag on the dress itself. But I'm sure there are similar cape dresses available in your local boutiques. :)

Moving on to makeup.

It looks like I haven't done much, because yes, I actually didn't. I have yet to practice putting on much, much makeup that looks good in photos.

Base:

Myra Moisturizer

Revlon Colorstay Aqua Mineral Makeup

Revlon Photoready Powder in 020 Light/Medium

Brows:

Revlon Brow Fantasy in Dark Brown

Eyes:
E.l.f. eyeshadow primer
Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow in 525 Siren
Maybelline Eye Studio Ink Pen Eyeliner in Black
L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara in Black Brown

Cheeks:
Maybelline Pure Blush Mineral in 01 Pink

Lips:
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in 010 Raspberry Pie

And, of course, let's not forget the nails! :D

I decided against black on an early thought, but as I was about to paint them, I decided to go with it anyway. But, being Demi Dawn, there has to be a pop of wierdness. So here they are.

Caronia Nail Hardener & Base Coat

Caronia Regular in Black Velvet

Bobbie Glaze in The Big Bang!

Caronia Regular in Colorless

Bonus photo:

This is actually part of a bigger (group) photo. I thought I wasn't included so I made this face. Haha.

~Hope you enjoyed this outfit post. Till next time. ;*