The Winding Road to Being a Chemist

When I graduated in College in the year 2005, I couldn't apply for work yet. I can't because I don't have the license to do it. I mean both, literally and figuratively. So after I took home my diploma, I still need one more qualification in order to be 'fit to work'. And that is to pass the Chemists Licensure Examination.

This week, batch 2011 exprerienced what I had gone through few years back. Thus inspired this writing.

When we were still in the process of studying how atoms and molecules behave, we already heard pulsating stories that go with sitting down in that Room in MLQU, trying to figure out the best answer, and praying before and after knocking out the first and last item in the 2-day examination. We have heard tips like reading from cover to cover just one General Chemistry Book and you are few steps getting that seemingly elusive license. Fact is, every year, only half of the examinees pass the test. To give you a better picture, in our batch there were approximately 500 takers. And every year the number plays around that figure. The examination is done only in one venue ever since and that is Monzon Hall in Manual L. Quezon University.

My living in solitude now and liking it actually started when I reviewed at the University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City. And that's where I developed my coping mechanisms. And then I realized it is fun to live independently. I derived so much fun in making decisions for myself. And until now, I am still loving it.

The 3-month review ended very fast and in September of 2005, we were put to a 'test'. The time to face our own fear. To duel against that risk of failing. To soldier on 'til the end of that grueling 2-day battle of solving problems.

Arriving in Manila a day before the exam, our professor, Maam Barrera, advised us not to open our notes and books anymore. So off we went to Glorietta in shorts and slippers with very little money to spend. That was my first time to be there. Not to mention that that was also my first time to ride an MRT. When we arrived at the hotel at the onset of darkness, we were all tired and exhausted, to the point of forgetting to browse our notecards before we dive in our own beds.

Then that BIG day came. That was September 8. We said, Today and Tomorrow serve as our judgement days. We arrived at MLQU around 6:30 am. Then we searched for our rooms. I felt the jitters all over me. My knees weakened as I went up the stairs to the 4th floor of the building. As I searched my name, I felt the shortness of my breath. I was gasping for air. When I found my name in the list posted at the door, I thought I'd faint so I doubled my steps so I could sit down immediately. My hands were uncontrollably and profusely sweating. I said my prayer and I felt a little better.

After the first day, little conversations transpired in our group. We were shocked, terrified, and now unsure of what tomorrow might bring.

The 2-day exam was over. We managed to smile although it was very fleeting. Sure, the exam was over but the whole package has not been opened it. Although memontarily, we managed to talk more frequently and giggled and laughed but there were still moments of silence, of pondering, of thinking deeply the vast sea of uncertainty that will come. There we found the company of beer to loosen our rigid thoughts and deep thinking.

Another horrible event took place when we were on our way to Dumaguete. The plane had some engine trouble. We were suppose to land already when the plane moved up higher and directed to an opposite direction. Before we knew it, we were already advised to deplane and transfer to another aircraft at Mactan Airport in Cebu. It was very gloomy that day. The weather must have conspired with what we felt that time.

Thank God, we arrived safely on that same day in Dumaguete. We parted ways with very low energy.

Now came that dreadful part of waiting for the result of the exam. I arrived home Wednesday afternoon and I knew the result will be out Friday morning. The waiting time was very traumatic. I did not go out of the house. I don't like talking to anyone. So I just ate, prayed, and slept. Friday morning came. I was already very nervous. That I believe is an understatetement. I did not want to search the result myself. You know the pain that goes with browsing the names one by one as as they appear in the alphabet and not seeing your name there. OH NO! That would be very devastating. So I just watched out for any sound from my cellular phone. If I pass, for sure someone will inform me. If I did not make it, I expect no news at all. Unless a classmate decides to be very rude. So I was just staring at my phone and closely monitoring it. Then I heard a beep. I said, "this must be it". I read on the screen "One text message received". Then I felt the sudden surge of nervousness. It was from a classmate, Joy Adalia Bertoldo. And it read, "Jay Congratz! Chemist na ta!"

Win P50,000 pesos in the Rizal Sesquicentenary Literary Contest

To celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal, the University of the Philippines-College of Arts and Letters (UP-CAL) and MyRizal, in cooperation with the Office of the Chancellor, UP Diliman, sponsor a nationwide essay writing contest for Filipino college students.
Contest Rules
The contest is open to Filipino college students (undergraduate) in the Philippines.

The contest has two categories: essay in Filipino and essay in English.

The essay should be original, unpublished (in print or online), and consists of 5,000 words.

Theme: ”The Relevance of Rizal Today" in English and "Ang Diwa ni Rizal sa Kasalukuyan" in Filipino.

Participants are limited to join in one category and the submission of one entry to the category of choice.

Entries must be written by a sole author. Collective authorship is not allowed.

The last day of submission is on 31 October 2011, 5pm. Mailed entries must be postmarked not later than 31 October 2011.

Entries must be submitted together with the properly filled up entry form. Entry forms are available at the Office of the Dean, College of Arts and Letters, 2nd Floor, Rizal Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

Entries must be submitted together with the endorsement letter of any of the following: teacher, adviser, department chair, college dean, or university president. The letter must recommend the entry and confirm the author as a currently enrolled student in the college/university.

The entries must be submitted or sent in four copies together with the filled up entry form and the endorsement letter to:

U.P. Jose Rizal Sesquicentenary Celebrations Steering Committee
Office of the Dean
College of Arts and Letters
Bulwagang Rizal
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City 1101

The author is responsible for ensuring that the submitted work is original, she/he is the sole author of said work, and it does not infringe on the rights of other authors.

The board of judges will evaluate the essays blindly, i.e., they will not know of the authors’ identities. UP-CAL will name the members of the board of judges.

The entries will be ranked based on the content, originality, style, composition, and organization.

Winners will be announced in time for the performance of the opera Noli me Tangere at the U.P. on November to December 2011. Winners will receive the following cash prize

First prize: P50,000.00

Second prize: P30,000.00
Third prize: P10,000.00

The copyright to the entries remains with the authors. However, UP-CAL and MyRizal have the right to their fair use like publication and teaching resource. No additional compensation will be awarded to the authors.

View the full poster for more details here. Entry forms are also available at the link provided.
Date and Time:

October 1, 2011 - 12:00am - October 31, 2011 - 12:00am

The Art of Evaluation

Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment Result

You're personality type is Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perceiving (ENFP)
Summary

Warmly enthusiastic, high-spirited, ingenious, imaginative,. Able to do almost anything that interests them. Quick with a solution for any difficulty and ready to help anyone with a problem. Often rely on their ability to improvise instead of [preparing on advance. Can usually find compelling reasons for whatever they want.



Detailed Result


ENFPs direct their energy towards the outer world of actions and spoken words. They seek to develop new potential, explore new possibilities and create new situations that yield the expectation of something better. They often enjoy work that involves experimentation and variety.


What makes an ENFP tick?
The Dominant function is the perceptive one of iNtuition. Characteristics associated with this function include:


Likes looking at information from a global viewpoint, spotting patterns and relationships, that lead to an understanding of the key issues
Focuses more on possibilities for the future than the here-and-now
Enjoys change, challenge, and variety

The perceptive iNtuition function is extraverted. That is, iNtuition is used primarily to govern the outer world of actions and spoken words. The ENFP will therefore:

Try ideas out, to explore new possibilities and discover, by experience, which ones work
Change procedures to see if any improvement can be made, rather than just operate them
Be interested in evolutionary development, but with an eye on the strategy.
Be more interested in exploring ideas than bringing them to closure

The iNtuition function is primarily supported by introverted Feeling judgement, That is, Feeling judgement is used primarily to manage the inner world of thoughts and emotions. This will modify the way that the iNtuition is directed, by:

focusing the (outer world) iNtuition on ideas and possibilities that relate to people
inwardly appreciating the contributions of others, though not expressing it that often.
internally rejecting any options that clearly conflict with the ENFP's values - though the rejection might not be expressed or seen to others

The classic temperament of an ENFP is Apollonian, or Choleric, for whom a basic driving force is the search for meaning or purpose.


Contributions to the team of an ENFP

In a team environment, the ENFP can contribute by:

acting as a catalyst for change, and encouraging the team to change together
focusing on areas of agreement and building on others' proposals
where there are areas of disagreement, exploring a wide range of options to see if a point of agreement can be found.
contributing creative ideas, particularly those involving people
including others in the process of developing ideas and vision, and being very accepting of contributions, even of varying quality
generating team spirit though the ENFP's own energy and enthusiasm

The potential ways in which an ENFP can irritate others include:

losing sight of the main purpose of the discussion and going off at tangents
initiating too many projects, and not being able to deliver on all of them
talking too much
introducing too much change, and not leaving well-established, workable routines alone.
making errors of fact
wanting to pursue ideas without fully thinking through the consequences in, say, cost terms

Personal Growth
As with all types, the ENFP can achieve personal growth by developing all functions that are not fully developed, through actions such as:


being selective about starting projects, and producing plans to help identify which ones can be delivered
pausing and thinking, and recognising that others will accept the ENFP and his/her ideas more if given sufficient time to make their own contribution
being more accepting of existing routines that work well
investigating the facts, and documenting them, before interpreting what they mean
listing options and undertaking a formal process of evaluation against criteria, including a cost benefit analysis
changing his/her vision to fit more closely with what is possible
expressing the appreciation that is felt towards others

Recognising Stress
As stress increases, 'learned behaviour' tends to give way to the natural style, so the ENFP will behave more according to type when under greater stress. For example, in a crisis, the ENFP might:

involve people in brainstorming ideas
be democratic about choosing the solution to use
provide a lot of drive, but try to do too much
make errors of fact, or ignore routine matters that might nevertheless be essential

ENFP’s careers

Counsellor, Trainer, Designer, Writer/editor

OSA 2011 and some Sidetrips



THE CHEM SOC BOOTH. THE TRADITION LIVES ON. I REMEMBER THAT IN 2004 WHILE WE CONSTRUCTED OUR OWN, WE HAD TO FEEL THE SWEAT FLOWING AS WE HAMMER WITH OUR SEMI-CARPENTER MEMBERS OF THE ORG.



BREAKFAST AT SANS RIVAL

MERIENDA



COLLEGE OF PERFORMING ARTS ORCHESTRA AT THE LUCE AUDITORIUM




OSA AWARDEES (L-R): MRS JACKSON IN THE FIELD OF NURSING LEADERSHIP AND MRS EDNA CALLEJAS MIJARES IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN CHEMISTRY




WITH DR. FABIAN DAYRIT, PRESIDENT OF THE INTEGRATED CHEMISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES




WITH DR. AGUSTIN PULIDO - FORMER SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT



WITH MISS SILLIMAN 2011 FROM THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN. SHE MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST WINNER FROM THE COLLEGE EVER SINCE THE PAGEANT STARTED.



WITH DR. BEN MALAYANG III - SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT. BACKGROUND IS THE FAMOUS SILLIMAN HALL, THE OLDEST STRUCTURE IN THE UNIVERSITY




THE SILLIMAN CHURCH AS BACKGROUND WITH THE HUNDRED YEAR-OLD ACACIA TREES



The Art of Performing

2011 Installation of Officers and Induction of New Members