Dice game!

After my final exam at Basic Chinese 2, my teacher taught us how to play the dice game. I thought it will be a difficult game. But it was easy enough. A dice game is a game of chance. Ergo, you just have to give all the dices a good shake in your hands, then throw them all in the bowl. If you get a certain number of dices to show up, then you get to pick a prize from the designated prize groups. There were four groups all in all, ranging from the lowest-priced prizes to the highest-priced ones. I didn’t win the big prizes. Just the small ones. I brought home two packs of cookies, one bag of fish crackers and a bottle of iced tea. Prizes were generously provided by my classmate Richard, who is also the “class valedictorian.”

Last day of Basic 2 classes on Saturday. I am not looking forward to it since I would very much like to continue learning. I am finding myself too ravenous about languages. My enthusiasm is so thick, I could tear it with my teeth.

First day of Korean class

First day of Korean language class with my officemates. Teacher is Sarah, the new girl at work.

Starting to mix up Japanese, Chinese and Korean. Have final exams for Chinese class tomorrow...a formal Chinese class at the Confucius Institute.

Teacher is a bit strict and serious, but begins to soften up when she remembers we're her new officemates. Must emphasize that it is extremely nice of her to teach us Korean for free. She teaches Korean twice a week as some sort of a part-time job.

Another bright note: I realized I already know some Japanese and Chinese. Now I'm throwing in some Korean, too. Soon, I will/might master East Asian languages. Very good for my plan of pursuing Asian Studies after Communication. You know, for MORE postgraduate studies.

Boss is in China right now, promoting Jesuit education. I wonder if she'll let me tag along in the future as some sort of translator. Dreaming.

No Wawi =(

T. and I went to the Ateneo Art Gallery yesterday afternoon to attend Artspeak. Artist Wawi Navarroza was supposed to speak, but we found out that Wawi can’t come because of a flat-tire in Pateros. So the talk was cancelled. Sadness. I so looked forward to her talk because among the three winners of last year’s Ateneo Art Awards, her collection was the most imaginative, IMHO.

On a brighter note, her talk is rescheduled on Wednesday next week, July 23. She’ll be sharing the limelight with MM Yu and Lyle Buencamino.

P.S. I can tell that so many people share the same sentiment. Aside from me and T., a lot of other people also went to the Gallery yesterday just for that talk. In a strange way, the artistic part of me reveled in our collective enthusiasm.

Grad School Student Council

Someone's too enthusiastic about grad school. And it's me.

During the orientation seminar this morning, someone from the Interim Graduate School Student Council spoke about services and plans for this school year. I got excited.

Not that I was a student leader in my not-so-distant college life. I didn't even bother voting. Instead, I channeled my energy into finding books on feminism and Plath at the library. But all that's changing.

Maybe it's because it was only after realizing the hard work and life-long learning that a thriving career entails that I understood the value of education. I need knowledge and wisdom to navigate life. Work, meanwhile, is the proving ground of everything I've learned. So at the end of the day, everything balances out. And that's what I really need.

I have no plans of running for president or anything of that sort. However, I want to help. I was thinking that if there's a committee that matches my qualifications, then I'll be there. I have an idea which area I'll volunteer in. I must email the council soon.

As for my work, I feel the need to get out there. I mean, out into the world. I can lead myself. I can pretty much steer myself to work conscientiously. And when I need to work with others, I'd like to think that I can work with a team (There are occasional misunderstandings caused by varying levels of intelligence. But that's normal, because not everyone can grasp concepts quickly like me...Ok, I kid. Or maybe not. Typical Atenean. Atenean with the EQ of a 12-year old, that is).

The question now, therefore, is whether I have the courage to get out of my comfort zone and (gasp!) actually face people other than my officemates. You know, to get out there and apply all the knowledge and skills I've managed to acquire.

Someone obviously needs practice. Maybe holing up in the library wasn't such a good idea?

Research and scholarship

I got a clue on what my calling could be last Thursday, while waiting for my brother to fetch me. Because class got dismissed 15 minutes early and I had nothing better to do, I checked the bulletin boards around Leong Hall and realized what exciting intellectual, artistic, and cultural lives the people of the Sociology and Anthropology Department leads.

The entire faculty have particular fields of interest. It seems like they devote their lives to research, to finding what makes their passions flow. Most of the people in the pics are smiling, so it proves how happy they are in their work.

Being a researcher is not something I considered before. But as I think about, it seems like a good fit for me.

For one, I am a thinker. My first ever boss, back when I worked in a magazine, pointed this out. I had good ideas, and my creativity showed, but felt short on implementation. I would rather think and dream, rather than get my hands dirty. My former boss also said I tend to be a happy-go-lucky person like him.

This brings me to reason number 2: I love being out and about. Sure, I am the silent type. I may be quiet on the outside but I have a lot of things brewing inside. The things brewing inside me force me to think. And for me to think, I need silence and lots of space. Open space. That's why I love walking around Ateneo when I have writer's block or when I need to conceptualize something in my head.

I love to travel and explore different places and cultures. I love museums and history. I love going through piles of books, audiotapes and what-not for the sheer thrill of discovery. I love technology and all the snazzy promises it holds for the future. I love seeking the how's and why's of things. I love learning about everything around me.

Three, after the answers have been found, I'd love to write about my experiences and findings in the most eloquent, passionate and engaging way that I can. I'd love to write about it both in scholarly and literary forms. I can do it.

Four, embracing my strength as a thinker is the best way to live.

So there. That’s another path to consider. Hello, world.