Iska Memories

this great photo is by Marlon Hacla on Flickr

The main pitfall in attempting to study at home is my own lack of emotional quotient. The concept of delayed gratification (i.e. getting on the internet after I finish covering my scheduled material for the day) is something that simply flies out the window when temptation is too tantalizingly nearby.

I admit it, I am losing steam. I just want to get this exam over with. Not that I am ready for it, mind you, except maybe to flunk it big time. So, if I suddenly stop blogging on this site indefinitely and seem to have fallen off the face of the blogosphere, you can assume the worst.

But... I digress.

Thanks to my internet addiction and lack of focus, I've decided to answer this UP Centennial Meme I picked off my old friend Peng's page instead of trying to decipher my notes on colon cancer. Yes, like many other blogosphere wanderers, I'm a bona fide Iskolar ng Bayan from the University of the Philippines - from college in Diliman to medical school in Manila.

To other fellow Iskos and Iskas in the blogosphere, I'm sure the following questions will bring back a truckload of happy memories.



mga isko at iska, sagot na!

To commemorate our centennial year...
University of the Philippines

1. Student number? 95-22806

2. College? College of Social Science and Philosophy, Diliman. College of Medicine, Manila.

3. Ano ang course mo? (What did you Major in?) BS Psychology. Doctor of Medicine.

4. Nag-shift ka ba o na-kick out? (Did you shift majors/Courses or were you a kicked out of your College)? No. I was the quintessential goody two-shoes all the way.

5. Saan ka kumuha ng UPCAT? (Where did you take your entrance examination?) Far-away Math Building in Diliman, on a Sunday afternoon.

6. Favorite GE subject? (General Education classes) Humanities I; but PI 100 comes a close second because of our quirky professor who brought us to Mount Banahaw.

7. Favorite PE? Social Dance - despite the fact that there were only about 3 boys in our class, our teacher used to wear her jazz panties and tights Superman style, and it meant having to cut lunch short to commute to the gym by 1pm.

8. Saan ka nag-aabang ng hot guys/girls sa UP? (Where do you hang out to check out the hot babes/dudes?) At ISSI, while working as Registration Assistants in Diliman - we used to check the registration forms and return Form 5's to fellow students after they paid their tuition. Which means this was a semestral thing. All those periods in between? Seriously long dry spells.

9. Favorite profs? (Favorite Professors?) Dr. Nilo Ocampo (PI 100), the late Dr. F.G. David (Psych 160 - Neuropsychology), and Professor Sto. Domingo (Psych 118 - Field Methods)

10. Pinaka-ayaw na GE subject (least favorite General Education class)? Science Technology and Society - a completely useless waste of time.

11. Kumuha ka ba ng Saturday classes? (Did you sign up for Saturday classes?) No. Wednesday classes, though, yes.

12. Nakapag-field trip ka ba?(Did you join any field Trips?) Twice to Mount Banahaw for PI 100 and Psych 108, and to Taal and Anilao for Humanties II.

13. Naging CS ka na ba or US sa UP? (Were you ever a College Scholar and or a University Scholar) A few semesters.

14. Ano ang Org/Frat/Soro mo? (What Organization/Fraternity/Sorority were you a member of?) UP Pre-Med Society, The Philippine Collegian (for one semester), ICTUS, Psychology Association, Phi Lambda Delta Sorority (in the College of Medicine)

15. Dorm, Boarding house, o Bahay? (Did you stay at a dorm, boarding house or did you live at home during college? ) Mostly I commuted from our house.

16. Kung walang UPCAT test at malaya kang nakapili ng kurso mo sa UP, ano yun? (If you had your way, what was your dream course/major?) Creative Writing - which was actually my second course on my college application... but I passed Psychology, and the rest is history.

17. Sino ang pinaka-una mong nakilala sa UP?(Who did you first meet at UP?) You know what... I cannot for the life of me remember. :)

18. First play na napanood mo sa UP? (First play you watched in UP) Paulit-ulit na Pagguhit ng Bilog... or at least, I think that was the title of it. Great writing.

19. Saan ka madalas mag-lunch? (Where did you usually eat lunch?) At the PMS tambayan. But my favorite lunch was the Chicken Roll from CASAA and the porkchop that used to spill off the plate from Chinatown - also in CASAA. Best fishball stand? Mass Comm. Best Isaw? The one near Kalayaan.

20. Masaya ba sa UP? (Was it fun in UP?) Most definitely! My world really opened up when I went to Diliman. And besides, that's where I learned how to drink. *evil grin*

21 . Nakasama ka na ba sa rally? (Did you ever get to go to a rally?) Once in Diliman for a tuition fee increase protest, and of course I was there in my medicine whites at EDSA Dos.

22. Ilang beses ka bumoto sa Student Council? (How many times did you vote for Student Council elections?) You know, I'm not sure. But I'm sure I did a couple of times at least.

23. Pinangarap mo rin bang mag-laude nung freshman ka? (Did you ever aspire to graduate with honors when you were a freshman?) I was a girl who had plans of going to medical school in UP, too. Enough said.

24. Kung di ka UP, anong school ka? (If you didn't go to UP, what school would you have gone?) Probably De La Salle University, as part of their first BS Human Biology (straight medicine) program. I seriously thought about it after I passed the screening, but in retrospect I'm so glad I decided not to save up on a couple of years and turned it down.

In the spirit of fun and being a fighting Maroon, I'm tagging on-line buddy Manggy, my going-south mentor Chino, batchmate, Raymond, and Megamom for this one. And any other UP grad who feels like taking a walk down memory lane is free to answer this meme and link back!