Time for a post!

Wow, it’s been a while since I posted:) Panic mode na kasi ako eh! The second half of the semester always goes by so fast. Feeling ko naghahabol ako lagi! hahaha...Anyway...

Thank God for family

For a while, I’ve been contemplating acquiring a student loan so I don’t have to worry about where I would get the next payment for my tuition. Recently, I’ve looked around and there really are not that many plans that are international-student-friendly. One of the loan plans I looked at is based on income...hello, I’m a Graduate Student! We don’t make that much money! The loan officer said usually the most she can give would be 10% of my income. That’s not even a dent on my tuition!

So after desperately looking for a loan plan and not finding any that would work, I decided to speak to an aunt of mine. I would’ve asked my sister, but she’s already paid for our airfare for Thanksgiving AND Christmas. And I also know she has to recover from her trip home:) I know how expensive that could get! So anyway, my aunt decided to lend me the money, interest free (which beats the 12% interest on most of the loans the banks offered me...beats charging it to my credit card too). On top of that, it’s a pay-when-you-can deal. How great is that? And I feel so blessed to have such supportive relatives!

After our conversation, I truly felt this weight lifted off my shoulders. I’ve been stressing about this for a while now. I hope that I really get a teaching assistantship next year so that I won’t have tuition fees to pay anymore. I just keep telling myself that this is an investment and it will pay off sooner or later. Preferably sooner than later:)

Legacy of Excellence

This is a rather cool event that my college is sponsoring. They are bringing to campus alumni who have done well in the “real world”, especially those who have donated funds for scholarships. This banquet is a chance for recipients to meet their benefactors and to express gratitude. I’m all for that. Every little thing helps! I’ve been fortunate enough to have a supplementary scholarship (no matter how small) every semester. So I’m excited to meet the people who have helped me out. This year, the scholarship I received is actually one established by my major professor. She and her husband are so generous and supportive of graduate students. Dr. Shanklin is awesome. (And the woman can do two days worth of work in one! Amazing.....If I can be ¼ as productive, I’d be set!)

Break...finally!

Thanksgiving is fast approaching...and that means the Cabildo mini-reunion is just around the corner, too! My sister is flying John and myself to California so that we could participate in the family affair. CAN'T THANK ELLA ENOUGH!!!!! I can't wait...

• I need the break! Need to get out of Manhattan for a while.
• I'll see my bro and his family. I miss my niece and nephews. They've also been asking for Tito John so they'll finally get to see him.
• I get to meet cousins I never even knew I had! hahahaha. Of course I get to meet my dad's cousins, too. I wonder what funny stories they have to share...hahahaha.
• I'll get to meet up with Rai and Tet. Excited to meet their significant others...plus Tet's baby of course.
• It's California! I get to eat my Jollibee Champ and Chicken Joy, Chow King halo-halo, Goldilocks sago't gulaman, and Red Ribbon black forest! yessssssss!
• I'll get to bring back some longganisa, chicharon, pulvoron, and whatever else I feel like raiding from my brother's pantry/ref (like I always do! hahahahaha).
• Hopefully we'll get to visit my Mom's brother too so they can meet John. Day trip to Sacramento and SFO is in the works...if my brother can arrange for it:) woooohooooo!
• I'll get to take lots and lots of pictures...time to experiment with the digicam and actually play around with all the features:)
• It's a chance for John to see some live gigs...I hope Rai hooks us up with some cool (yet affordable) shows! Thanks in advance, Rai!
• I need a break! Can't say that enough!

But first, gotta get 2 major projects done. There goes my weekend! It's okay, I'll make up for it next week! Woo hoo!