7-list: College Bucket List (and Lessons I Learned for each one)

It's been a month since my last post. I don't know anyone but myself who cares that I haven't been updating, but if ever there's still someone that does check my blog from time to time for a new post, forgive me (again) for neglecting my blog.  Can you believe there's less than a week left in January--which means..graduation season is just just just around the corner! (I hope posting this doesn't jinx my graduating) It's so close yet so far! I'm excited yet exhausted. So exhausted.  I wanted to share with you some of my goals which I listed down when I knew that I would be graduating later than usual. I did this so that my being delayed wouldn't have gone to a complete waste. You know how I mentioned previously that I love lists, right? Well, it's super helpful to remind you of your goals and what you need to accomplish. It's also such a nice feeling to look back on the list and see how far you've come--how much you've actually accomplished without knowing so!
1) Be on the Dean's List

good student daw kuno :P

You know what's funny? I made it into the Dean's List the semester I did not try so hard. The same thing happened to me in high school! I'm a type-A overachiever kind of person, so I always try to give my best in whatever I do. I'm my own worst critic as well, so when I fall short, I always give myself a hard time. I'm such a control freak. I often find myself frustrated when things don't turn out the way I want to, but you know, that's not how the world works. Life is unpredictable, so I have to learn to roll with the punches.

2) Get a job

I worked for SOUL Lifestyle for a year while studying because I only had like, 16 units per sem. When I got my job, I learned how to manage my time more effectively (scheduled posts on Facebook, hello!). I also learned how to go for what I want. That was the time I was contemplating on working for the fashion industry because that was the time blogging and styling was so big in Manila but not so in Davao, so I wanted to get the Davao market as early as I could!! I wanted an advantage. I wanted to build up my portfolio, my network, and I wanted to gain experience that's why I applied. I was 20 years old then. When I look back at that time in my life and now, I can't believe Mimi and Jun trusted me enough to hire me: I was so young!

Some layouts Aidx and I styled:

 

Plus, we had the Bloggers' Soiree with Cheyser and we got Vern and Verniece before they were the social media stars they are right now!

3) Go on exchange

Of all the things on this bucket list, this is the one I didn't expect to come true! That's why I'm so grateful that it did. I skipped class for this and from this experience, I learned that truly, you can learn as much, if not more, outside of the classroom's four walls. Don't be so caught up in academics. And I learned that dreams do come true, if you work for them. There's no such thing as luck. We make our own luck, we make our own fortunes.


4) Be a student-leader

Why did I want to be ChE representative? First, I wanted to graduate knowing the younger students. I mean, I was part of a batch of about 120 ChE students in UP and I knew most of them; how can I not get to know most, if not all 200 ChE students of AdDU? Second, I see things I wanna improve, projects I want implemented. I don't know if I was ever effective implementing them though, but at least I want my suggestions to be heard. 
Third, I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I'm so despicably lazy and selfish, I'm always used to looking out for only myself. However, being an officer requires you to attend activities, etc. so I had to go to events even though I didn't want to. Being an officer isn't all that bad though. I like disseminating information and sometimes I like doing SEC work more than I like doing school work. I like that I was able to meet different people and I like how we come together for one cause. The perks that come along with it are okay too. But just like love, being an officer isn't just for the fun parts; you also have to be there for the hard parts.

What have I learned about being an officer? Well, for one, it's a thankless job. You sacrifice a lot, but if people don't like what you or what you do, you'll never hear the end of it. It's not enough to want to help, sometimes people want you to fit into their mold of what leader they want. And since you have a lot of constituents, does that mean you have to shift into different molds? I learned to stand with my principles and identity. I'm not a helicopter kind of leader who micromanages. I trust you enough to do your job on your own and call me when you need help. I'm not a dictator who tells you what to do; if you wanna go then go. If you don't then don't. I learned to take things with a grain of salt. You can't please everyone. People who look out for your flaws are too busy ignoring their own.


5) Be part of a research project

One of my goals was to be a BPI-DOST Awardee. Why? Cause I know you'd get to win Php25,000 if you get chosen as one of your school's winners (pera-pera lang talaga. I'm ashamed *monkey emoji*). And your photo gets plastered on posters in different schools (Sige Farrah ipakita mo pa kababawan mo hahaha). Sadly, my grades did not qualify. 
Still, when my teacher was picking students for the research project, I did a Katniss and volunteered myself as tribute, even though the project wasn't mine. But I had fun doing research work. It makes you feel like you have something to contribute to the world. And it's such a good feeling when the theories you read about align and support your experiment's findings. And to be honest, it almost feels like you're a winner yourself when your group mate gets the BPI award/nomination. :) 

6) Be thin for grad photo
I guess I can tick this off! I'm not as thin as I want to be but I'm definitely thinner (HAHA thinner. Okay, I weigh less) than I was before. I can't post my graduation photo yet cause I don't have a copy of it yet. 
I started my fitness journey September 2013. Although I stopped (and gained some weight back with my sedentary 5th year life, sad to say), I learned how to control myself, especially when it comes to food. I'm not a HUGE eater, but I definitely am a sweet tooth, so that probably contributed a lot. (Isn't it ironic though that for someone who's such a control freak, I'm such a YOLO "Yes" girl to food? FML). I learned to be disciplined. I learned that I can do things I never thought I could do. Like, I got into boxing. I learned that I could do burpees (!!) and run a few kilometers, which are things my highschool-PE-hating-self would have dismissed. I just needed to give it a try and not care what people thought about me. I realized that a lot of times, I stopped myself from doing the things I wanted to do because I was scared of what other people thought.


7) Sing on stage

This is the only thing left off my college bucket list! I put this on my bucket list because...why the hell not? I auditioned for OCTAVES (the music pool of the Engineering & Architecture division) but I guess I was so nervous that my voice croaked so I didn't get in. I generally don't like trying when I know that I wouldn't succeed/know that I'll look like a fool that's why it kinda stung a little when I didn't get in. What I learned from that though is to believe in my own abilities. Just because I got rejected, doesn't mean I'm bad. Maybe I'm not the right fit.

This marks the first of my countdown to graduation series! I guess you can say my "senioritis" is starting to act up. Hope you liked this post and learned from it? Haha

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