AWSDC 2013 – Countless Experiences, One Description – PHANTASMAGORICAL! :D

It’s been a few days since I left Thailand yet I still can’t get over everything that happened. Honestly, everything is just starting to sink in and I still vividly remember every single thing that happened.

A blend of excitement, scorching heat, pad thai, fried crickets, free ice cream, cute stuff toys, heated debates, disappointment, late nights, bi-polar emotions, sentimental songs, unique stories and sad goodbyes made up the first international tournament experience of mine, the Asian World Schools Debating Championship.

With my “Movie Marathon” group!! Really enjoyed rolling around the pool and eating fried crickets! =))

Who would’ve thought that I could learn so much about debate, life, and the world in a span of one week. This one week flew by so quickly that as I got back to my home in Manila, I was still in disbelief that my Thailand adventure was over. 

Although I wasn’t able to visit the Thailand safari and ride the renowned elephants of Thailand, simply eating authentic Thai food already showed me the beauty of Thai culture. I was overjoyed as I got to pig out on Pad Thai, my favorite Thai food, on several occasions. The atmosphere in Bangkok was also very different. Day or night, the city seemed to always be very vibrant and busy. The numerous number of spas in the street was also quite shocking.

This experience also helped me get to know my teammates A LOT better. It truly is during these types of tournaments and experiences abroad that you really get to know people better. Even if we didn’t meet our expectations and even if we know we could’ve done a lot better, I’m sure that all of us learned myriad of things through this experience. Lessons that I’m sure will stick with us for the rest of our lives! 😉

With the Xavier Team! We definitely all learned a lot from this experience!

Greatness Doesn’t Come In An Instant

One of the most important things I realized in this tournament is that debate is just like everything in life. You have to work hard in order to get good at something. Going into the tournament, my teammates and I didn’t really work as hard as we were suppose to and it showed.

Chem Camp 2013 Theme Song – Little Wonders by Rob Thomas

One song in particular that I played during our sink concerts in Chem Camp that really got everyone emotional and sentimental was the song Little Wonders by Rob Thomas. There probably isn’t a better song out there that can sum up the entity of the experience in a few lines. The lyrics really encapsulates what an experience it has been for most of us.

Here is a copy of the my favorite lines of the song:

In the end we will only just remember how it feels

Our lives are made in these small hours

These little wonders, these twists and turns of fate            

Time falls away but these small hours

These small hours still remain

Source: http://www.metrolyrics.com/little-wonders-lyrics-rob-thomas.html

For the Music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsT2URr1Igc

The bolded part is the part that really struck a lot of us. Most of us, going into the first day of Chem Camp, did not know what to expect but as the hours, days and weeks flew by, a countless amount of little but meaningful wonders definitely took place! It’s amazing how one “Chem Camp” can bond and bring together unique students with a myriad of different personalities coming from such diverse backgrounds.

OUR LIVES WERE DEFINITELY MADE IN THESE SMALL HOURS, THESE LITTLE WONDERS, THESE TWISTS AND TURNS OF FATE…..

Chem Camp may be over but all the little wonders, all the twists and turns of fate, and all those small hours will definitely, without a doubt, still remain! ❤

-DOitChoco

Chem Camp Day 2 – Seeing Things From A Different Light

Another day at Chem Camp and another day of learning and seeing things from a different light. This is one of the things that I’ve really learned from the first two days of Chem camp, to see things from a different perspective. Like our teacher said, everyone sees things differently. For instance, an ordinary person would see a chair as a chair, while a chemist would see a chair as a set of molecules bonded together.

It truly is crazy how everyone sees things differently but at the same time, that’s also what makes life so beautiful and what allows us to grow as persons. At times, we are so boxed in that we forget to see the light. It never hurts to listen to what others have to say for they are human to and they have a reason for their beliefs.

Chem Camp so far has really helped me appreciate life more and the beauty of the different things around us. I can’t help but be inspired how chemistry is present everywhere around us and how it has led to the creation of countless things that we use in our everyday life. For instance, the ink of permanent markers are made from non-polar materials while the ink of washable markers are made from polar materials. The secret behind this is that like attracts like so since water is a polar solvent it can wash away the ink of washable markers.

Our teacher was also really good in giving analogies and relating chemistry concepts to real life. One of my favorite comparisons of his was the one about bonds. He mentioned how the more bonds carbon molecules have, the harder to break them apart. The truth can also be said about bonds in real life. The more bonding times and moments we spend with friends, the harder it is to break us apart.

Aside from these real life lessons and applications, Chem Camp has also given me the opportunity to do experiments that I’ve never even done before. For today, we had a blue printing and tie-dying experiment. Although these may sound really simple, it was really fun going through the process and at the same time bringing out the child in me as we tie-dyed our shirts with different colors.

It’s not everyday that you get to be with teachers and friends who see Chemistry in such a different light from the rest of the world. I am really fortunate and thankful to God that I was given the opportunity to be part of this Chem Camp. I use to be really skeptical about the importance of Chemistry but I think I’ve seen the light. Everything truly does have a purpose and maybe, my hard work during third year in Chemistry actually paid-off and resulted in my being invited to this camp!

“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality.” -Tim Burton

-DOitChoco

Why Life Doesn’t Have A Rewind Button and How Trying Times Bring Out The Best of Friends……..

Why Life Doesn’t Have A Rewind Button and How Trying Times Bring Out The Best of Friends……..

This weekend was another one of those roller coaster rides and what happened was something more of a dream. If only life had a rewind button, I’d want to experience this weekend all over again, but you know what, life doesn’t. But as you all know by now, there’s always another way to relive the magic of such awe inspiring moments, and that way is through reminiscing and writing about what an amazing weekend it has been.

The highlight of this weekend that was really a heart racing, eye opening and tear shedding experience was the Sweet Sixteen Birthday Party of a friend of mine. This party was something I was looking forward to for the entire week for I knew it would be full of firsts, and was a first itself. As you know, it’s just recently that I’ve broken out of my shell and started truly exploring what life really has to offer. To put it into perspective, it would be my first time to really go to a “party” with drinks and all, outside of family gatherings.

I really didn’t know what to expect and quite frankly, everything that happened is still sinking in. To start-off, me and my friends were actually really early, which was obviously a first, for I usually don’t arrive 30 minutes before the said time. Arriving early, actually gave me and my friends a chance to explore the place, since it was also our first time to go there. It was not until an hour and half later when the people really started coming in and the magical night began.

I got my first taste of cocktails which had around 5-10% of alcohol which wasn’t too bad, but nothing special either. Although my friends were telling me to try the “shots” which had around 40% of alcohol but I didn’t think it was worth it and I didn’t want to take the risk especially since it was my first time. After seeing what happened to some people who did take the higher concentrated ones, I think I made the right decision not to. Getting drunk or even tipsy is something I don’t plan on experiencing in the the near future. I just don’t understand why people have to drink those kinds of stuff. Is it to feel high? Is it because they don’t want to be KJ (kill joy)? Is it because they just want to be “cool”? Is it because of peer pressure? Is it because they want to get tipsy and be able to express their feelings? Is it because they want to get drunk and forget all their problems? I really wouldn’t know for sure, but what I know is, there are many other safer solutions and options to everything I just stated, but then again, who am I to tell others how to live.

I guess everything in moderation is still key, but what moderation is differs from person to person. One can have a high tolerance to something, while another person can be allergic and just a little can trigger a reaction. We are all different and only you can tell what your limits are.

It’s funny how in life, experience is still the best teacher. We never really listen or fully believe what other people say without experiencing it first-hand. It’s just different to actually go through it yourself, and be able to say for yourself that I did it, but at times, one must know his/her limits. We are still human beings, and we all have limitations. We only live once, and life is too precious to just throw away doing something stupid and senseless.

Nevertheless, the saying “What doesn’t break you, only makes you stronger,” is also very much true. We are only human, and we will make stupid decisions that may put our lives in danger, but I’d like to believe that God has a plan and everything still happens for a reason, we just have to find the silver lining in things. No doubt, after everything that happened yesterday and how things turned out, I now believe in miracles!

Each and every person in this world has something that they regret doing. Nobody is perfect and we will make mistakes, but that’s what makes life exciting. We will make wrong and stupid decisions, but instead of regretting about something that can’t be changed, we should just learn from the past, and move on.

Another thing I learned during that party is that when you’ve shared a bond with a person before, even if you hate him/her at the moment, life has a way of reconciling the two of you. There will be a time when you’ll need each other and this is something that I was proud to witness. It really is amazing how tough times truly bring out the best in friends for you are able to see who is there for you even during the shittiest of times and even when you are at your lowest. This is the case even for friends who aren’t in such good terms for during trying times, your true self comes out and you put aside all your disputes and possible hate for each other. The feelings one has for a person will always be there, and no matter one might say, deep down, he/she still cares.

Attending this sweet sixteen most of all made me realize how fast time really does fly by. It was only just like yesterday when I was still locked up in my room playing with my toys and not giving a damn about the world. A few years later and I’m hanging out with friends and just enjoying the little things. No doubt, this party was truly special in so many different ways. Aside from the many firsts and the fact that I was able to spend time with friends, I was also able to see how life can be harsh but at the same time, teach you how to appreciate the little things for we truly only live once.

I will never truly understand life, and how things work, but you know what, I’m not gonna let that stop me from enjoying each and every day I’m given.

I’m just truly thankful to God for all the blessings I’ve received throughout my life, especially for friends who make life mean so much more. To end this post, I’d just like to thank the birthday girl, Kristel, for a truly mind-blowing and memorable partayy. Happy 16th Birthday! Stay High, and keep enjoying every day, week, month and year of your life. 🙂

As I end this blog post, I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe life is better off not having a rewind button. If life had a rewind button, we’d be too caught up in the past and trying to change our destiny. Things happen for a reason and there are some unwanted things that will happen to send us a message about life. We just have to dig down and find this message. Aside from this, with a rewind button, magical moments like these wouldn’t be as special anymore for we could keep doing it over and over again. Moments like these are special for they only happen once (for instance, a person only turns 16 once in his/her life), and so we end up treasuring it for the rest of our life.

This weekend has truly been incredible, and it’s time to close another chapter in my life, and look forward to hopefully, many more magical moments.

-DOitChoco