thankful for small things

I thank God for the small things that normally I would just take for granted. But it has caught my attention how blessed I am for the past semester.
I am thankful to God for the strength he has given me to endure the 1st semester of adjustment here in Ateneo - the new people, the new environment, the heavy study load. Without God supplying me with strength, I wouldn't have made it this far. Sometimes we think that we are able to endure it on our own, but that is not how it really is.
I am thankful to God because He has and still continues to give me good health. There may be times when I may be feeling not so good, but never have I really gotten sick. For this I am so grateful. Being absent can mean a lot, especially here in the law school. It would mean a difference of having a 60 (absent when called for recit) and a minimum of 70 (called but cannot answer) or better. It would be so difficult to miss a day in class.
I am thankful to God for supplying my financial needs - for the dorm, the photocopies, as well as my everyday meals. Never have I gone hungry and had nothing to eat.
I am thankful to God for letting me have as my blockmates a good group of people.
I am thankful to God that I am doing well in school.
I am thankful to God for everything.

grades...

last night, nov. 9, was the scheduled release of our 1st sem grades at 6pm. many of my blockmates were online and waiting for them. finally, one by one the grades were uploaded. the grades were being uploaded per subject.
the first one that was uploaded was persons and family relations, the heaviest subject for this sem, being 4 units. what a joy to finally see my grade. and then constitutional law was next. then criminal law. these were our major subjects. i let out a sigh of relief. the grade for two of our minor subjects also came out - philosophy of law and legal profession. the other three subjects have not yet come out until now (nov. 10, 10am).
but one sad thing is knowing that one of my closer friends/classmates did not do well for the first two majors. hope he doesn't get into a depression, because while i was chatting with him last night, he was starting to feel it. two of my closer friends/classmates also failed constitutional law. so despite feeling happy at seeing my grades, i feel sad because of what i found out about my friends/classmates.

pag-uwi sa aking pinanggalingan

it's been three long years since the last time i went home to my birthplace of davao city. i flew there on the night of october 31 with my mom. there was quite a downpour upon our landing at 8:55pm, which was 20 minutes early than our ETA. after arriving at the house, we ate a little then rested for the following day was going to be a long day at the cemetery.
Nov 1 (Thursday) - we went to the cemetery at around 9am, which was later than the usual 7am of before. my dad went also. we brought two cars. nakakainis lang bcoz my dad brought his bunso from his second family (strike 1). for me, ok lang un kung wala dun si mama. but the thing is my mom was with us. konting delikadeza (dont know if tama ung spelling) man lang sana. for those who know our family history u know why i said this. hindi man lang ba siya nag-iisip?! anyway, enough of that. it's over na. we ate lunch at the cemetery. went home at around 2pm. after that we left the house after a short period of time and went to this place that sells terno na pambahay (batik ata ung term ni mama). she and my grandma shopped for an hour while me and my eldest brother waited in the car while watching a dvd. we also went to my ninang and stayed there for like an hour. after that we went home. after an hour at home, we (my brother, grandma, mom, me) went out to eat dinner. medyo nawala pa nga kami pauwi bcoz my brother didnt know the road so well. wrong directions from my grandma kasi. hehe. after dinner we stopped over at the house of my grandma's sister (who i call IMA, which is a chinese term). stayed there for maybe half an hour. we went home afterwards and rested bcoz the following day we were going to the farm, leaving at 4am.
Nov 2 (Friday) - couldnt sleep. tossed and turned for like 2 hours. finally able to sleep at 1:30am, woke up at 3:30 bcoz we were supposed to leave the house at 4am. but no, we didnt. strike 2 for my dad bcoz he didnt even bother to call that he will not go. we found out at 4:20am when my grandma called him up at his house. probably it was his 2nd wife who "ordered" him not to go, knowing that my mom was also going or something. if he wasnt going, he should have at least called to inform us, right? shame on him. anyway, we were still able to go to the farm. we left at 7:30am and arrived there at around 10am. the travel time is shorter na since the road was already cemented almost the whole way. (before it takes around 4 hours) my grandma cooked lunch at the house, and after eating we went to the farm (proper) na. almost two hours ata inispend namin. we were able to leave at 3:30pm, an hour and a half late than our ETD. bcoz of the traffic we arrived at the house at 7:30pm. which was WAY later than was expected. our original plan was to leave the farm at 2pm so that we would arrive in the city at around 5-5:30pm, with enough time to shower before dinner. but no, and all bcoz of my dad. if only we had been able to leave at 4am as planned. we were late picking up my ninang who was going to treat us to dinner. nakakahiya tuloy sa kanya. at least i texted her, and later my mom told her the reason why. anyway, we went home at around 9:30pm na, and all of us were so tired na, especially siguro my brother who drove for at total of around 7-8 hours that day.
Nov 3 (Saturday) - IMA called at around 6:30 or 7am, inviting us to go to this resort that was not so far away, around 45minutes to an hour's drive away. at that time, we just woke up. we arrived at her place after around 2 hours bcoz we packed some of our stuff away na in preparation for our flight later in the afternoon. the original plan was to go to Eden, but that day it was closed for other visitors bcoz a company reserved the whole place ata, so went to nearby Loleng's and ate lunch. after a half hour of taking in the view and walking, we left the place na. on the way back to IMA's place we stopped to buy pasalubong (durian yema, macaroons, tart, etc.). after spending a half hour at IMA's place saying good bye and stuff, we left na. on the way back to our home, we stopped by for 10 minutes to see mom's friend. at home, we quickly packed our stuff, at the same time the sister-in-law of my late grandpa came and talked with us for 10 minutes bcoz that was the only time left. after that we left for the airport at around 4:15 ata (which was already late considering that we planned to leave the house at 3:30). we detoured to buy my other brother's request for siopao. at the airport, my mom's friend came to give her suha. and then we checked in na. un pala delayed by 20 minutes. after staying a bit at the airport, in-announce na mededelay pa lalo ung departure. so in total we were delayed for an hour. we finally arrived in manila, in the house at 9pm.
over-all, it was not really a vacation kasi mas pagod pa ung feeling ko nung pauwi na kami, e dapat ang vacation is relaxing, destressing, which did not really happen during our time in davao bcoz of our super hectic sked. but at least we got to see our relatives, which was one of our objectives or our trip there. sana next time it won't take me another three years before being able to go back.