Haaay.. i'm back!! Sa wakas!! Tapos na NSTP ko! E kasi naman noh, everyday NSTP ko, including weekends. Kaya talagang busy at pagod. From 8am-5pm yun. Pagdating ko sa bahay, para na akong lantang gulay. Three hours ang byahe pauwi, kapag minalas pa ako, makakarating ako sa bahay ng 9pm na. Nga pala, sa MANILA ZOO yung venue namin. At eto yung pinasa kong written report sa prof ko.

FIELD EXPERIENCE
I was assigned to the second batch of volunteers, which started on the fourth of May, until the eighteenth. The first batch is composed of 29 volunteers, while our batch only have 11 members, including two Fine Arts students.

The different works given to us are: roving (going around the zoo, preventing offenders from teasing and giving snacks to our friendly animals), feeding (well..feeding, just like it is), sweeping (probably the hardest because we have to sweep the floor, with rhythm, while the wind is continuously trying to irritate us by making the leaves fall off the trees), watering the plants (which is really enjoyable, until the hose ran out of water), cleaning of the lagoon (a little hard because the lagoon just doesn’t run out of tiny leaves dropping from the trees, thanks to the wind), and other miscellaneous stuff.

We were expected to be at the zoo by eight in the morning. But since I felt all excited during the first week, I usually am the early bird of the group, arriving a little after seven. We have our lunch break by eleven-thirty. Either we go to Harison plaza, Go-2-zoo, or the carinderia near the entrance of the zoo. We go back at one in the afternoon, and our day ends at five. Same thing goes the next day.

We have our Daily Time Record (DTR) signed by our trainer, Mr. Manuel Dapadap, or Sir Manny, as we call him. Aside from that, we also have a daily logbook where we sign when we arrive and just before we bid farewell. We were also required to wear our ID labeled volunteer! so that other personnel will be able to know us, and so that the nice lady at the boating ticket booth will let us use the boat for free.

Since there were only eleven of us, we don’t have rotation of duties. Those who are able and willing may grab the broomstick, and have a battle with the wind, or they may grab the hose and have a battle with the water. Either way, natural forces just won’t make their job any easier.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
The Manila Zoo personnel really are a nice bunch of people. Sir Manny, for one, is the best trainer, and I’m not saying this just because he’s the only trainer I’ve ever had, but because he really is very, very cool. He can relate with us, he can talk to us about anything, he can sympathize with us, he can do all those things that bonded children and parents do. So, I can’t say I have anything against them, because I don’t. The guys at the photo souvenir section also are really nice. They let us put the snakes on our shoulders, and we often use our free time to bond with them (the snakes). There is, I guess, only one person that I do not like. It is no big deal, it’s just that she made me frown. Twice. *hmph*

I bonded with my fellow volunteers, even with the two students from FA. There’re only eleven of us, so we came to know each other well, and we’re usually together when we’re not doing anything. So, again, I don’t have problem with them.

Our job/work is not hard, but it’s not easy either. Just like what I mentioned above, only the natural forces makes our lives harder. The visitors don’t feel bad when we tell them not to do this or do that, or not to sit on the swing so that kids-who-don’t-have-the-guts-to-tell-adults-that- they’re-depriving-them-of-their-enjoyment can now sit on the swing. I was also able to feed the elephant up close and personal. I love our job.

I guess the only problem I encountered while taking up NSTP in Manila Zoo is my travel time and distance. I live the farthest from the zoo among the eleven of us (I live in Angono, Rizal). At morning, I have to leave two hours before our working time. When luck strikes me, I will not encounter any traffic. The hardest is going back home. Standing inside the LRT and the MRT is just crazy. Buying tickets is crazier. And the line in the jeepney terminal in Crossing is the craziest. Sometimes, I’ll arrive home at already nine in the evening, tired and hungry. My friends said I have no right to whine about it because I chose Manila Zoo over Marikina. I guess they’re right. I don’t have any regret choosing Manila Zoo. So, I just tell myself…”Girl, this is how life’s gonna be when you start working. Better get used to it.” And mind you, it is effective.

VALUES
In this NSTP, I learned to wake up when my alarm clock goes “wang-wang” in the morning. I can’t really say I learned punctuality, because sometimes, I’m soooo early, and sometimes, I’m late, so I think it’s something at least close to that. Patience, of course. There’s also friendliness and cooperation with the Manila Zoo personnel. I also became closer to the animals. I can sympathize with them. And then there’s this time when we assisted with the animal show and free food-giving for the children in Manila. I enjoyed their company. I don’t know if it’s a value, but for my own dictionary, I call it “flexibility with company.” It’s like you act according to your surroundings. Adaptation. When you’re with kids, then be one with them. It’s something like that. I can’t explain it well, I’ve always been a horrible explainer. Hehe.

RECOMMENDATION
Of course I will 100% recommend Manila Zoo as an NSTP venue! I told you I don’t have any regrets choosing it over the forty-minutes ride Marikina. Volunteers will meet with different kinds of people. There’s so much exposure to the outside world. Every experience counts. All the hard work pays. All the happy moments blasts!

As of my beloved college, Asian Institute of Tourism (AIT), I guess it should always conduct its NSTP course on interactive places, just like the zoo. Field work is field work. Forget about papers. There is more experience in the field (literally), than with all the paper projects that other colleges do. NSTP in AIT is effective. I’m happy with it. I’m happy with Manila Zoo.

******

Pinakagusto kong part e yung patambay-tambay namin sa mga Zoovenir photo. Andun kasi si Alvin, Mike, Jonelle at saka si Eugene. Yun yung papat na ahas na laging nakasalakbit sa balikat namin. Lagi kaming andon. Hehehe. Balak pa nga naming bumalik don eh, dumalaw lang. Siguro naman libre pa din entrance fee namin. Hehehe..Ayun, yan lang naman. Sa susunod, baka dumami na ulit post ko. Ü

haaay.. ang tagal na pala.. sobrang busy, sobrang pagod... haaaay... next week, kwento ko lahat. hehehe. miss ko na kayo!!!Ü

got this one from camille

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Copy this whole list into your journal.
2. Bold the things that are true about you.
3. Whatever you don't bold are false

01. When I was younger I made some bad decisions - acts b4 thinking..that's me..
02. I don't watch much TV these days - masyado naadik sa rpg eh.
03. I love psychodelic mushrooms
04. I love sleeping - syempre!!!! but i hate my dreams.
05. I have loads of books - siguro hindi super loads. koleksyon namin ng kapatid ko.
06. I once slept in a bathroom – not once. kapag ginigising ako ng maaga, punta agad ako banyo, kunwari wiwiwi, tas maiidlip na ako.
07. I love playing video games
08. I adore marijuana
09. I watch porn movies
10. I watch them with my father -haha
11. I like sharks
12. I love spiders
13. I was born without hair and I still have no hair
14. I like George Bush
15. I am cool – hehehehe
16. I have changed a lot mentally over the last year - every year ata, pero hindi malaki yung changes
17. I have a jacuzzi and a Porsche
18. I have a lot to learn
19. I carry my knife everywhere
20. I can be really really smart – nakakagulat minsan. promise!!
21. I've never broken someone's bones
22. I have a secret
23. I hate snow
25. Punk rock rules
26. I hate Bill Gates!
27. I love Chinese food
28. I would hate to be famous - never liked to be famous
29. I am so not a morning person
30. I wear glasses
31. I don't need glasses
32. I have potential - siguro naman db??
33. I'm pure Japanese
34. My legs are two different sizes
35. I have a twin
36. I wear a padded bra sometimes
37. I can ramble on about absolutely nothing – tanong nyo pa...
38. I'm left-handed
39. I hate llamas, but I'm one of them
40. I don't like horror movies
41. I suck at climbing, but I love it anyway – nung gradeschool ako, takas kame lagi ng barkada ko, tas aakyat kme bundok. hehehe. umm.. dati nung bata ako, gumulong na ako sa bundok. totoo!
42. People hate me usually
43. I love pop music
44. I hardly ever go to bed before midnight - super early morning person.
45. I hate parking fines
46. I know the national anthem of my country by heart – kaso hirap nya isulat.
47. I know more than two languages - english at tagalog. tas kaunti ng japanese.
48. I can spend too much time on the computer – oh yeah..
49. I often want to throw out the computer in a window
50. I live on a ground floor
51. I don't like chocolate
52. I'd like to be more original
53. I've lied – always been good at it.
54. Cocks are my favorite birds
55. I want to conquer the world
56. I wonder what happens when I die
57. I've read all books about Harry Potter
58. I love my dog!- super super
59. I love to exercise
60. I hate chemistry with a passion and math, too! – ha!
61. I love to write but I wish I could be as interesting as some people - promise, dami kong fanfics na ginawa na hindi ko tinuloy!
62. I like changes
63. I hate going to class
64. I am afraid to die
65. I hate dish washing with a passion!
66. My hair is long, brown, and incredibly curly
67. My nails are nine inch long
68. My favorite color is black
69. I like to sleep on the floor
70. I am hopeless at cooking
71. I sucked my thumb when I was little
72. I should be doing something else rather than doing this
73. I am online a lot
74. I hate government
75. I don't have a girlfriend/boyfriend - not planning to have one on the moment.
76. I'm too nice for my own good
77. I love to read, I read as much as I can- kaya nga pinagtyatyagaan yung Holy Blood, Holy Grail eh.. *pfft*
78. I don't trust newspapers
79. I like debating
80. I live in a wagon
81. I clean my room once a month
82. I'm scared of american fast food
83. I have a third eye
85. I don't trust any religion – especially niw after reading the 2 books..
86. I used to play with barbies only because all the other girls were doing it
87. I wanted to be a super hero when I was little
88. I like listening to wind chimes
89. I'm very disorganized
90. My hair is long and straight
91. I earn a lot
92. I don't like spicy food
93. I keep a diary
94. I can't do cartwheels
95. I can be very lazy
96. I'm sarcastic more often than not – ako..?
97. I think my hair can be annoying
98. I could be sensitive
99. I love being "ab-normal" – some people think im strange... hmm.. ako..?

Hmm..it's been a while since i last updated...
There's nothing much to tell, nothing much had happened...

As of now, im busy for 2 reasons:
(01) playing Star Ocean. Very, very nice rpg, but the battles seem chaotic. All characters are smashing and bashing each other at the same time. Next thing you know, the enemies are dead. or you are. *Pfft*
(02) reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail. I think 90% of the infos in The Da Vinci Code were taken from here. So, you might imagine that i am on the verge of losing my... trust. It's really mind-boggling. It was published way back 1982, i think. It contains lots of names, places, etc, and if you stop reading it for more than 12 hours, you might forget what you had just read on the last chapter. You might get lost. *Pfft*

And now i am...

Im shattered. (nah! im exaggerating.)

But it did struck a nerve. A hell lot of nerves. I think it struck my whole nervous system.

Im confused.

Everything's just so accurate. Everything's so interrelated. Everything's so... true, maybe?

I think we're living in a lie. We could be living in a lie.

This makes my head spin....

The Mona Lisa. The Last Supper. The Holy Grail.
All the symbols and signs. They all mean something. They all came from something.

Before, i was interested in the arts. Now, i wanted to have a research on the whole life story of Leonardo da Vinci. And all his works. And Isaac Newton's gonna be next. Argh!!

(if you wanna share my insanity, read The Da Vinci's Code!!! Highly recommended. You won't be able to put it down. A must-read!!!)


******

Maika/Mayee, wala akong makita sa site mo. Pic lang ni Nuriko.