Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Admitted to INSEAD!


Woot! I made it!!

Two days ago, I got a call from my Admissions Officer saying that I was admitted for the MBA Class of '22D in Fontainebleau! I couldn't contain my excitement-- I started planning right away! I now have an insead.edu e-mail address and because of this, I can access the INSEAD student portal. And I just recently found out that there are tons of things to do prior to the start of the program. Aside from the preparations needed for moving to a different country, there are also readings, coaching sessions, and webinars. Plus, I have to learn a new language in 7 months!

So far, these are the things that need to be done in the next couple of months:

- Pay the first instalment of tuition

- Take language classes

- Request UP's Office of the Registrar to send my official Transcript of Records to INSEAD

- Find an accommodation so that I can book early! Leaning towards Marcel Lods

- Finish readings

Monday, October 12, 2020

Completed Harvard's Principles of Biochemistry Course

 



I wanted to be productive during the quarantine so I took this Biochemistry class on EdX by Harvard. Clearly, I didn't know what I was signing up for! I spent 4-6 hours a week, watched over 90 video lectures ranging from 8 to 20 minutes each, and took multiple session and unit assessments. It was definitely much work! I go to the office Mondays to Saturdays so I don't have a lot of free time, but I'm glad that I finished it! It feels so fulfilling knowing that I worked hard for it.

Sunday, August 23, 2020

My Daily Schedule - Quarantine Life

 

A friend of my boyfriend read the book The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma and started applying the learnings from the book to his daily life. He was very happy and satisfied with the results and said that it had a profound impact on his wellbeing. I haven't read the book (but I will, once I finish the books I'm currently reading), but basically, the book suggests the following: waking up early for some peaceful quality "me" time before starting your day; following the 20/20/20 rule, which states that you should spend at least twenty minutes each for exercise, reflection and meditation, and learning; and obtaining balance between one's four interior empires - mindset, healthset, heartset, and soulset.

With this in mind, I came up with a daily schedule that I hope I can maintain.

5:30 am - Wake up
5:45 am - Read the Bible and pray (App: Bible)
6:00 am - Exercise (App: Downdog/Freeletics)
6:45 am - Meditate (App: Calm)
7:00 am - Read (Monocle)
7:30 am - Get ready for work
8:30 am - Work
5:00 pm - Go home and take a snack
5:30 pm - Play the piano
7:00 pm - Watch shows/Leisure
8:00 pm - Dinner
9:00 pm - Read/Relax (Nighttime read: Sapiens)
9:30 pm - Sleep

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Life Updates

Photo taken at the Sydney Opera House, March 2019

Well, 2020, it has been one hell of a ride. We're not even halfway through the year but so many things have happened to the world, and mostly bad

The biggest threat the world is facing this year is controlling the spread of the COVID-19. Countries closed down establishments, disallowed non-essential work and activities, and halted all kinds of travel. This is the first time I experienced this, and it's scary. What's worse is we don't know when it's all going to stop. The next several months seem bleak and uncertain. 

The government implemented an enhanced community quarantine in our area, which means, only those working at companies involved in provision of healthcare, and utilities, and the manufacture, delivery, and sale of food items can go out of the house to work. Aside from that, only one person for each household is allowed to go out to buy the family's necessities. 

My family business is distribution of food items to supermarkets, groceries, and retailers, so we still go to work, but we operate on shortened hours and only with a skeletal workforce. To make the most out of my extra time at home, I made sure I was productive. These were some of the things I worked on during the quarantine. 

Monday, April 20, 2020

Boracay 2020


This is the first time I visited Boracay after the six-month long rehabilitation, and boy, was it amazing! The beach was perfectly clean, no trace of trash anywhere. There's a security personnel stationed every few meters that made me feel absolutely safe to walk at night. And the annoying salespersons who keep pestering you to avail their beach activities? They're gone! They were replaced with licensed ones who are compliant with regulations.

The reason why I came to Boracay in the first place was because Ryan and I was invited to a wedding at The Lind. The wedding was beautifulnice and intimate, just with close friends and family. We spent four days in Boracay and felt that they weren't enough!  

Monday, April 6, 2020

Spartan Race 2019 Alviera



I joined the Spartan Race twice before-- I did the Sprint (6km) in Alviera and the Super (13km) in RD Hill. Training for the race takes a lot of time, patience and dedication, which can sometimes be hard to juggle with work. I decided to join the Spartan Race one last time, the Beast (22km + 30 obstacles) in Alviera last October. 

For my training, I woke up at five to run in the mornings. And on the days that I didn't run, I went to the gym to lift some weights. It was difficult and tiring, but definitely a lot of fun! 

It was incredibly hot on the day of the race, and there were some areas where there was no shade at all. Towards the end of the race, I barely had enough strength to walk. Finishing the Beast was such an achievement for me because I hate running! Also, on this race, I got to convince my brother to join me. Passes for Sprint were sold out so I signed him up for 21km Trail instead.

I'm very thankful for my gym friends who trained and raced with me, and which made the experience much more enjoyable (our group photo at the bottom of this post)!

Monday, March 30, 2020

Japan 2019: Osaka + Kobe


And here we are on the last leg of my Kyoto-Osaka trip! I'm a bit tired writing at this point lol (this is my fourth post today), so I'm just going to list what we did on the last leg of our trip:

- ate ramen at Ichiran
- went to Osaka Castle and rode the Osaka-jo Gozabune boat
- went up the Umeda Sky Building
- had fluffy french toast at Hoshino Coffee
-had yummy unlimited sushi at this random place in Dotonbori 
- took pictures with the Glico man and shopped at Don Quixote
- ate Kobe beef (AMAZING!!- worth a trip to Kobe)
-had lots and lots of Gyudon
- was treated steak because it was my friend's birthday

Now that I think about it, it seemed like we did nothing but eat, eat, and eat! Haha. Until next time!

Monday, March 23, 2020

Japan 2019: Universal Studios


My favorite part in every vacationa visit to a theme park! I'm still a kid at heart and I love love love going to theme parks. This is quite funny but my theme park tradition is ordering a turkey leg for snack. Every time I go to theme parks, I always have to have a turkey leg. It makes my visit complete. Lol.

In USJ, I especially loved the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I am a Harry Potter fan and I've read all the books immediately after they were published. This place is truly memorable because it was where I got my very first taste of butterbeer! And to add to that, we were lucky that we went on this trip in October, since Halloween was approaching, the park was horror-themed! There were horror houses, and at nighttime, the park staff dressed up as monsters or zombies and they roamed around the park to try and scare you! HARRY POTTER + BUTTER BEER + HORROR HOUSES + TURKEY LEG = HAPPINESS!!