365 of 365.
Hello everyone! It's the end of the year once again. As a tradition for my blog, I always see to it that I get to post a year-ender even though I'm not active in the blogging world anymore. After all, this blog is where I document my life as far as my public, share-worthy one is concerned. So without further adieu, let's start with the sharing of my 2018 highlights.
Well, I must say that 2018 is a year full of new experiences and opportunities. This post may not be as complete as I wanted it to be because this is a crammed up post since I have been doing academic requirements for the previous days, which is why I was not able to start drafting this post sooner, but anyway, here are pictures and captions to talk about my highlights for the year.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own all of the photos in this post. I would like to credit all the owners of the pictures that are not mine, which I kinda lost track who these specific owners are, and I apologize if ever one of you get to read this post. Haha! Thanks a lot.
Once again, let's proceed.
January to March 2018
I decided (or agreed) to run for (or join) our student council. This is a first insofar as my stay in this university is concerned. At first, I was hesitant to do this because you know how Law School is, right? But then I thought how I was able to manage my time well during my first year since I was still able to do well in my acads, so I decided to give it a go. After all, I was class president during my first year in Law School, so why not take the chance?
Well, it turned out that this is one of the best decisions I made for this year because being a student council opened me to a lot of opportunities, and this, I must say, is one of the biggest contributors to my highlights for this year.
April to May 2018
Since I won the student council election (or shall I say, the student body assented for me to become part of it), I started doing my duties as one of the officers, such as joining our meetings and this orientation leadership seminar that we had last May. It was nice getting to know my fellow officers and appointees in the student council.
June to October 2018
I am finally on my 2nd year in Law School! I was really excited for this school year because by the time I finish this year, I would then be halfway to graduating (hopefully, in God's will) and eventually taking the Bar exam soon. But then again, I can say that this school year has been testing us if we have what it takes to be a lawyer, and firstly, to pass the Bar, since we were encouraged more to volunteer in class and to fix our handwriting, as well as to answer questions better. My professors have been doing a great job in guiding us to the right path, and I'd like to thank them for that.
Aside from being on my, shall I say, climax school year (?), 2018 is also the year when I had first experienced long distance travels, such as this one when we went to Davao City to attend the Association of Law Students of the Philipines National Convention. Did I tell you that prior to this, I have never traveled outside Misamis Oriental in my life? Well, now you know, and again, this is my first time traveling far, specifically this time, in Davao City. You can say that I was ignorant at first and super excited about it, but thankfully I was able to contain that excitement, I think? Haha. Anyway, here are more pictures of my experience, where I also discovered new things along the way and met new people as well.
I was with my fellow student council officers during this experience. It was fun being with them!
A picture of the ALSP family. Credits to the official Facebook page of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines.
We took a tour around Jose Maria College, and this is one of the many pictures that we took.
..and more pictures. Haha!
I received freebies such as this one.
..and we also tried new food such as this pizza.
We stayed at Panorama Summit Hotel, which is also a good hotel. This is also near the airport, they say. We took a land trip going to Davao City, by the way, so we weren't able to take advantage of that convenient distance. Haha.
I got to listen to Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio in person about the island dispute issue.
..and I was also able to listen to Former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno for her message to us.
Overall, I had a great stay in Davao City. A big thanks to our student council for giving me this opportunity to join such a prestigious event. I hope that soon enough I'll be able to experience more events like this.
When we got back from Davao City, I was in for good news, since during our 1st semester General Assembly, it was announced that I got into the Top 10 of our batch for the second semester, the school year 2017-2018. I finally have evidence for this, unlike last year. Haha! Thank you so much, Lord!
November to December 2018
November was when I had my first Bar Operations experience. I was not in this photo because I got so tired and I wanted to sleep, which is bad timing for me. Huhu. But I swear, I took part in this endeavor, at least by just observing since again, I'm still new to this experience.
Anyway, it was a great experience overall, especially since this is again my first time to travel to Manila, and it was also my first time to travel by plane, and it got me really excited once again. I was also treated like a maknae during this time because presumably, I was the youngest among the pack and the one with the least experience when it comes to these things. Like my Davao City trip, I was able to familiarize myself with a new environment and I was also able to try new things. Here are the pictures during our Bar Operations and during our stay in Manila.
My first plane ticket! Yaaaay hihi
An obligatory this-is-my-first-time-to-ride-a-plane selfie. Haha!
Kit essentials for the Barristers.
The view from the condo unit we were staying. Such a nice view, isn't it?
A view from the mall we went to. Another great view. Hihi
Outside the gates of the University of Santo Tomas, because apparently we weren't allowed to go inside while the Barristers were taking the Bar exam. Haha
My peers told me to try this Dairy Queen ice cream because apart from this not being available in the city where we live, this tastes really good, and yes, it did actually live up to my expectation. I'm glad I got to try it. Dairy Queen should put up a branch here in Cagayan de Oro City.
Caught up with a close friend back when I was in my undergraduate years. Shoutout to Lovie! Hihi
All I can say about my Bar Operations experience is that even though it was very exhausting and that we didn't get enough sleep until the night before we were set to leave Manila, this is a fulfilling experience, and I highly recommend Law students to take part in this volunteering endeavor. We were able to support the Barristers in our own way by distributing to them their kits and cheering them on, among others. I really hope that they would all pass the Bar exam. Fighting~!
Another good news came during the month of November, which is the Dean's List announcement during our 2nd semester General Assembly, where it was announced that I became part of the Top 10 once again. I thank God for this since I never thought with great certainty that I'll make it this time because honestly, this was the semester where I thought I'd fail some of the subjects, but thankfully it turned out that I aced them all. Again and again, thank you so much, Lord!
We move on to the month of December, which is when we get to see these lights in our school. I just got to take a picture of it because it's such a beautiful sight, more so that it's after the Xavier University Festival Days, so there aren't any people in sight when taking this picture.
December is also the month with lots of parties, and our Epsilon Beta Kappa (EBK) Society year-end party is one of them. This day was also my highlight of the year because I finally became a full-fledged Resident Betan. Now I can formally call them my EBK family. Hihi. Thank you so much!
Well, I guess that's it for my 2018 highlights.
As a final note for this year, even though I have shed a lot of tears throughout the year and I was doing my best to survive that one semester which tested me not only as a student, but also as a person in its entirety, and that I was struggling to keep living up to everyone's expectations, I learned to be stronger. I must say that I have learned to contain my breaking down moments as well. I just hope that I get to maintain this kind of strength.
Aside from that, despite all those breakdowns all throughout the year, these were offset greatly by all the blessings that I have received, such as those first time experiences, new friends, great opportunities, academic achievements, and most importantly, supportive parents who have guided me consistently, not only for this year, but for all the previous years that have gone by, and I hope that they would both be present as well when the time comes that I'll finally get to be a lawyer and make them proud, and that goes the same for the rest of my family.
I would like to thank everyone who has become part of my 2018, especially those who have contributed all the good for my year because if it weren't for all of you, my 2018 wouldn't be that bearable. To my family, friends, professors, and all other important people for the year, I hope you would still be part of my 2019 soon, and the next years to come.
Last, but not the least, I would like to thank the almighty God, because if it weren't for Him, I wouldn't have a sense of hope and faith as I go on with my life. I hope that for the next years to come, I will get to strengthen my faith in Him. Thank you so much, Lord.
As for myself, thank you for surviving 2018 and making the most of it. This was a year with no major regrets, and I hope that 2019 will be a better year for me as well.
Till here, and till next year, everyone! Have a happy new year, and cheers to the year 2019~!
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