A memory from my master's in UP Diliman

When I looked at my Facebook Memories today, photos of my master's lab notebook appeared. A flood of memories resurfaced in my mind. I started my master's in Environmental Science at UP Diliman in 2007. I technically did not finish the MS degree, but I obtained a postgraduate diploma in environmental science This means I finished all the required coursework for envi sci students, and more. It's because I extended my stay in UP up until 2016 and this required me to take two more subjects as penalty courses, wow. Hahaha. Then one time, I did an AWOL, I was unable to enroll my residency in UP, and I needed to go up to the Chancellor to reinstate my status as a graduate student, haha! 

Anyway, here are snippets of my lab notebook:

Such notetaking I learned from my undergraduate Biochemistry degree. In one term (we do a trimester per year), we have AT LEAST TWO CHEMISTRY LAB CLASSES. And in these classes, we needed to write and submit our lab journals prior to class. The sections are: Introduction, Materials and Method (glassware and equipment, drawing included if you're feeling diligent; reactants used, molecular formula and weight included, with drawing if organic chemistry lab; and of course the whole experimental method), Results (this is where you record everything), and Discussion section. After our experiments, we needed to submit a typed lab report where we discuss our findings prior the next experiment. And this went on for four years (for me. others graduated in three years), excluding my labs in biology. Including my labs in biology, my gad, half of my life in undergrad I really spent in the lab. If my math is correct, we have at least NINE chemistry lab classes per year, and we have three years for the whole degree, that's 27 lab classes! So you can just imagine how ingrained in us is the value of writing and keeping a lab journal/notebook. 

Chemistry was fucking difficult. But I really enjoyed it. Perhaps if the Chemistry Department isn't such a downer, a judger, and prejudiced against the underperformers (which I was at that time), I would have pursued a graduate degree in chemistry. 

Oh well. I'm glad to have proven myself otherwise. I have a master's degree in ANU, and I'm taking my PhD in the U.S.. I think I have come a long way since my bachelor's graduation in 2006. It took me quite a while, a bit longer compared to others, but hey, I'm here now in the US. 

Padayon!!!