Your Universe

Thank God for Powerbooks sale (along with a very generous mother), I got three delightful treats for myself last Sunday: The Lucky One, The Magic, and The Secret. After reading terrible reviews on Goodreads, I had nothing but regret for the latter one. I only got it because I always believe what Oprah says. Note to self: Never again. But good news always comes after the bad: my reading speed had some progress -- I can now  finish a 300++ page book in roughly around 24 hours -- I know, I'm no expert compared to others. But still, winning moment for me.

I'm sorry Nick (ay close?) but the book did bore the hell out of me. All I wanted was for it to end so I don't put my 315 pesos to waste. Taken from my Goodreads account:

Typical Nicholas Sparks novel. Set in North Carolina (which is his hometown, that's why), someone always dies. Always. And The Lucky One is not my favorite of all his works, must I say.  It started out in a really, really slow pace; with uneccessary details about the characters that just prolonged the agony of reading. It was, to an extent, boring. Nothing exciting happened 'til I was halfway through the book. There were also a lot of repetition -- I mean, it's just full of sentences that has the exact same meaning, yet being echoed twice or more. Again, typical Sparks novel. For me, the story is too good to be true. Well, after all, this is a fictional book. On the upside, I found solace in some of its characters. I liked Ben who reminded me of myself as a kid, and maybe even as a grown-up, having a parent with [too many] high expectations. I also have a fascination for Zeus, the dog, because of one thing: he is a dog. And way too smart for one. I must also concede that I was an inch close to falling in love with Logan's character, but then I realized he was, as well, too good to be true. "Men like that are just products of the mind," I pondered. Nana was a joy, too. Her metaphors were really of great help in expanding my vocabulary. Plus, she's so strong, youthful, cool, and I could really use a grandmother like her. I love mine, though.   Final word: the book deserves its 3 out of 5 rating. And here, I'm not rating the author, but the book alone. Sparks' still on my favorite writers' list.

Favorite quote: "She was struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people." So true!!

By the way, highway, the title was no way related to the book. However, this Rico Blanco song has a lyric that says "You can thank the stars all you want, but I'll always be the lucky one.." Hehe, witty. Goodnight!

The world needs us

In all honesty, I consider Psychometrics Lab as the busiest subject of the semester. From the intelligence tests that looked into my brainpower to the personality assessments that defined who I really am, there’s definitely so much going on every three-hour meeting. I think one of its objectives is not just to detect the presence of relevant psychological characteristics, but also to know the extent of my perseverance – how patient and determined I can get in answering hundreds of questionnaire items, checking my partner’s works, or in interpreting the results. In spite the nerve-racking job, to me, the tests were of great help. All of it uncovered aspects of myself that not everyone, even I, can notice.

I see that the psychological report we made by the end of the semester as the nitty-gritty of the entire course, for it recapitulated all that we’ve learned about ourselves and our partners. Putting the word “Psychologist” under my name also motivated me to push through this endeavor. At times I feel low, I just think of the first Psychological Report I made and it keeps me going towards the fulfillment of my goal. The learning experience was entertaining because it showed us how real Psychologists are like. A lot of tedious work we have, sure; but these tasks made me appreciate my course even more. I realized how important we are and some people may take us for granted, but really the world needs us.

 

No moral hypocrisy intended

Must I admit, I initially thought Social Psychology was boring, but my five-month-long experience proved otherwise. To me, Social Psychology is the most interesting subject I’ve for the semester, and Sir Paul didn’t fail in showing me how amusing and [strongly] socially-defined the world is. The entire course provided me a deeper understanding of others, and most importantly, of myself. Not all the time we get a detailed explanation of the reasons behind our actions, and rarely do we get to internalize aspects of our personality and attitudes. The topic helped determine my social identity, and in this time of experiment and confusion, it is satisfying to know you are being guided by such information.

Perhaps my favorite topic (out of the 11 really looooong chapters) is Attraction and Intimacy. Love being [I guess] the greatest feeling in this world, I find no reason not to consider this interesting. I think I’m at a point in my life where relationships – be the mutual ones or friendships – are of vital importance, and knowing exactly how a Psychologist should handle them was of great help. It lead me to value even more those around me, and also guided me in choosing the people I want to be part of my life. Like what I said, the world we live in is strongly defined by those around us. The way we act, the way we think, and the way we feel are all shaped by others. And knowing the kind of people I should surround myself with guarantees me that the right path is what I’m taking.

I didn’t want this course to be over with, but I don’t want to repeat the subject (Hah!). However, like enduring relationships, all good things come to an end. Guess we have to move on to a bigger step towards the fulfillment of our dreams  – and I hope we all do (no failures, please!) – but the learning doesn’t stop here. In the coming years, I will try [hard] not to forget the things I was taught, and I will continue wading through our social thinking, social influences, and social relations even outside the classroom and beyond our books.

All words are meant with no moral hypocrisy intended. Thank you Sir Paul, really. :)

Never, never, never quit

When Louise informed me of the tentative election results, my initial reaction wasn’t shock – it was more of numbness and it was a strange feeling must I say. I kept denying the fact that this could be the end of my dream. Then came the moment I realized it was pain I have inside – I would’ve cried in front of the class have I not controlled myself. I tried to act normal, not ‘cause of feelings of shame over what just happened (after all, it’s gonna be out in the open), but because I am not yet ready for the huge wave of sympathy coming my way. It’s going to make the pain worse, or so I thought.

To get away from everybody, I turned my mobile off, stopped tweeting, and locked myself in a room together with my laptop and Social Psychology book. I decided to study. But in the middle of reviewing, I cried. It was undeniably hard to keep myself focused with other things when all I want to do is spend the night shedding tears, or somnolently detaching. I reached for the nearest uplifting book: the Bible. I looked for a verse that, in a way, I can consider as God’s answer to my prayers. After quite plenty of pages turned, my eyes got tired. Perhaps, it’s the really, really small font that made my visual system retreat from its search, or maybe God wants me to find the answer within myself. I lit up a candle and took a moment to reflect -- the process was too long I almost fell asleep, but in the end, it served its purpose. When done, I was able to collect the pieces of my heart that was shattered. And that’s when I found my inner strength: my faith.

I realized that I shouldn’t give up, I shall believe. There will always be humps that will shake up my life, but I’m for sure God will always be there come the time I stumble and fall. After all, I took in mind what I learned from past heartaches: life is no smooth-sailing; there will always be hurdles to cross, roadblocks to conquer, and setbacks from which to recover. Before anyone gets the chance to victory, they must first learn the art of losing, and find the beauty in it. I know I have two options: to stay at this low point I am right now, or pick myself up, dust off my knees, and continue fighting. I will stand up and take the entire experience as part of my growth as a person. Cliché as it sounds, but a [hopefully] bigger door is still being made, and soon enough, it will be open for me. For the meantime, I’ll stick to my belief, that He always has his reasons for putting us in difficult situations. And these bumps? These actually make the journey to success even more interesting, because it sharpens us through learning.

To end this entry, I will borrow a four-word quote by Winston Churchill: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER QUIT. The fight isn’t over, let’s keep going, shall we?