ADNU Welcomes San Pedro Calungsod

Para Kay INA

It was Traslascion last year that H, E and I decided to document the procession. We didn't know that we had to seek permission from the Archdiocese of Caceres so we could situate ourselves in the nicest spot. We ended up doing ninja moves just to take those photos. But this year, we became part of the official photographers for the entire duration of the Peñafrancia Festival. What made it worth it? We had access to the tower at Metropolitan Cathedral and the view up there was really enthralling!

Side A Live in ATENEO

How Dugong Atenista Saved My Aunt's Life

Today was supposed to be like any ordinary day. Until I got a text message from my mom that my aunt, one of her younger sister, was in Mother Seton Hospital waiting to be checked-in a room and is scheduled to have blood transfusion. Her platelet count was too high and her hemoglobin was too low. My aunt said that it's anemia and that her doctor still has to check if it is because of lupus or malignancy. There was also this anticipation that we might transfer to St. John Hospital if my aunt couldn't get a room at MSH.

I arrived 7:30pm at the emergency room of MSH. I asked the nurse at the information booth and she directed me to Row 9 where my aunt was currently resting while waiting for a room. My aunt looked normal at first but her paleness was quite disturbing. I honestly thought that she was okay; she was chatting with her visitors, she was joking and she was even seated on her bed.  However, her bestfriend, Auntie Susan told me that we might need bags of type AB blood for my aunt. Without thinking twice, I started calling the staff of ADNU's Office of Student Affairs.

By practice, whenever a student, an employee or an Alumni would need a bag of blood from the Blood Bank, the first office that they would run to is ADNU's Office of Student Affairs (OSA). OSA has been conducting a bloodletting drive twice a year, one in July and the other is in December. The number of donors has also been increasing every year. I had the chance to donate blood thrice, I think, and it was because of the fact that my blood type, AB, is very rare. I just wanted to make sure that if anyone needs an AB blood type, there is one available. I never really thought that I would be needing the same bag of blood that I once donated, tonight.

It was 9:00pm when my aunt was finally admitted to a room. Her best friend and my other aunt, mama's eldest sister, was trying to talk to the nurse-on-duty at the Laboratory if the hospital could provide the blood tonight. The nurse said that there was none available at BMC but when Auntie Mary called Dr. Litam, we learned that there are two bags available in BMC. The problem was, we need a clearance from the barangay and other requirements that I never took note of. While the nurse was explaining all these requirements to us, I told her that I was a blood donor in Ateneo and I have the same blood type as my aunt. Her face lightened up and instead of putting us into so much stress, she issued us a promissory note and she just asked me to request the letter of endorsement from ADNU tomorrow. Immediately, we went to BMC, told the same information to the nurse-in-charge and in 20 minutes, we were driving back to MSH carrying the two bags of type AB blood. Later by midnight, the blood transfusion will take place.

I am really grateful to ADNU's Office of Student Affairs for making it easy for us to have access on our much needed hemoglobin. If Dugong Atenista was never implemented, it might take days before we could have that two bags of blood. I am also deeply indebted to the anonymous donor who was so selfless in donating his/her own blood knowing that much preparation is also needed before one could really qualify as a donor. Thank you also to my friends who helped me get in touch with OSA and to Tim who stayed by my side and kept me strong.

So to you, who is reading this, if you have an opportunity to donate blood, do so. You will never really know when you might need it back. Your name might be anonymous to the recipient but I swear to you, that person will forever be grateful to you because you, ANONYMOUS DONOR, gave that person the chance to live again, to be with his family for countless days and to be a possible donor in the future.

Please, support ADNU's Dugong Atenista or any bloodletting drive organized by your community.

One Shirt. One Plate.

In ADNU, I have a group of friends where people would often refer to us as LIGAYA. I blogged about LIGAYA in 2011, the same year that our group was formed. I can never forget that day when we strolled along the quiet corridors of Ateneo, taking pictures of people piling up plastic bottles, volunteers gathering inside the Christ the King Church and the solemnity at the roof deck of the Entrepreneurship Building (I was still working for the DAVPO then). Then the five us suddenly became LIGAYA.

What was really overwhelming was that some members of the ADNU community would address us as if we were like a package deal. Like if a department/office needs volunteers, LIGAYA would be enlisted, to the point that some people thought that the commitment of one member of LIGAYA is considered a group commitment. Of course, we also had rough times, we would have dissenting opinions on matters but what really bonded us was our respect for each other's differences.

Early 2012, LIGAYA thought of coming up with a program to support the FEED A SCHOLAR program of the College Admission and Aid Office. We initially agreed to sell shirts and have a portion of our sales donated to the Feed A Scholar program but we were never able to move on with our plans. Our plan remained as an idea. However, during the 3rd quarter of this year, our desire to support the program was finally realized. The group regularly met and had to finalize every detail, from the name, to the design up to the division of functions.

NOW, I am so proud to share that BLUE GENES DESIGNS was officially launched yesterday, August 28, 2012. We came up with two shirt designs in time for the Penafrancia celebration. We were also able to finalize our program entitled ONE SHIRT. ONE PLATE which means that for every shirt that you buy from us, you are already donating one meal to one scholar.  We really hope that this program will expand in due time so that we could also try to extend our assistance to the HS scholars.

Tintin Risked

by: Karl Llorin

Tintin laughed
Tintin wept
Tintin reached out and got involved
Tintin shared her ideas, dreams to each one of us
Tintin loved us and is loved in return
Tintin lives
Tintin believed
Tintin tried
Tintin risked
Tintin is really something
Tintin suffered
Tintin learned
Tintin changed
And if you did not notice, Tintin grew
Tintin is free

(Based from risk poem)

Be The Boss Of Your Stress

 

APC's first offering for the school year. Hope this will help a lot of our non-teaching personnel :) God bless us and all our works for Him :)