Of Blue Skies and Green Leaves

 

I see these views every single day, and I always fall in love at this place's simplicity. It is also a fact that catching a glimpse of these scenes complete and lighten my mood.

These are taken using my camera phone. Not even thought of (nor the least bit creative) since it was scorching hot and I had to very swiftly take the pictures. But don't get me wrong - I am passionate about photography. And if all goes well, next year I will have my own DSLR camera.

A Cold Saturday Morning

It was supposed to be a warm and blissful Saturday morning. The sun was hovering outside, shedding its resplendent rays, and yet the air is cool and breezy. I had exactly eight hours of sleep and lucid dreams. Nothing can seem to ruin the mood.

But as you might have well observed, I'm a magnet for unfortunate events.

Just when I thought that everything will be all right, time will prove my assumption to be otherwise.

I don't know what the problem is - well yes, I do have an idea, of course. But whose fault? I can pinpoint the mistakes of each side, but who is the person who is singularly committing the most error?

Maybe it's my brother - somewhat rude, irresponsible, brash and stubborn. He is a master of getting his own way, and forcing people to follow what he wants. He despises being reprimanded, and that is quite stupid of him. Everyone living under this roof has all of the reasons to sermon him. The way he shouts back to his parents, the way he goes about his life . . . It's just plain wrong.

Or perhaps our parents.

Daddy is short-tempered. And although we're rarely at bad terms with each other, he and my brother are always in a fight. He becomes annoyed at the slightest trivialities, sometimes without even knowing the other side of the story. And worse is, he can say the harshest things. It could be unintentional, only brought about by passion . . . But still. It's already been said. My brother might not understand yet, but I do know that Daddy cares for him with such an intense affection. Sometimes, Dad doesn't just have an idea how to express himself in the best way.

And my Mom. Mommy is tactless and has a difficulty in keeping her mouth shut. She would speak at the most untimely moment, sometimes for good, but oftentimes it only made things worse. Albeit she would act as the peacekeeper mostly, sometimes it wouldn't suffice to disseminate the flame. After all, what's done is done.

I don't know, I don't know.

All I'm certain is: a day wouldn't pass without an argument between those three.

[And even now, I hear their yells resounding from above.]

The Chaos Returns

If I were to write about all of the problems related to college degrees that I encountered in the span of my succinct 17 years, then I would undoubtedly be able to produce a series of books. That is just a glimpse of how massive my dilemma really is.

I definitely won't delve into the history deeper, because if I did I might not be able to finish this post soon. The history calls for another story, in another time. For now, I suppose I better talk about the present. About what is happening in my mind.

Ever read my previous posts under the same label?

You might have thought that I was already completely certain I would pursue BS Development Communication.

Well, yes, I thought so too.

Of course I never forgot about Geology. It was always at the back of my mind. In fact, when my parents confirmed my decision about staying in UPLB, I responded this way: "Yes, I will finish BS DevCom. I would just take up a second degree in Geology after I graduate." I was still that passionate about it. And I would admit that there were instances when I would be tempted to transfer. But I was able to contain myself.

Barely, though.

And indeed, the desire seemed to explode soon enough after being contained for a while.

Now, I am considering of transferring again. The situation has reversed, 95% I would be transferring to Diliman, and the remaining 5% is the possibility that I would continue with DevCom. Quite ironic though, when I made that decision, the College of Development Communication received its title as a Center of Excellence from CHED. Such a perfect timing.

But no. I think I am quite certain I will choose Geology instead. I am obsessed with it, desperate to learn more, motivated to become a part of a scientific community.

I mentioned this to my mother a few hours ago, and it took some of my will power to do that. Her reaction is a bit . . . How should I call it? Too neutral, I suppose. And as usual, all she said was: "The decision is yours."

So am I absolutely sure this time? I am. The only hindrance is this:  Will I be able to transfer successfully? Will my grades suffice? Will I pass the interview? Only time will answer these inquiries.

Perhaps another factor that made me rethink is my DEVC 11 class. I remember a CDC instructor saying something like this before: "DEVC 11 will be the turning point. If you took it and didn't enjoy it, then shift to another course. Because it's basically the kind of thing DevCom practitioners will be doing in the future."

I don't really think that I can do what we're doing in DEVC 11 right now forever. I'm just not built for interviews, talking to people, being sociable, etc, etc. I am wired for writing and science. And I've read somewhere that writing is a necessary skill for geologists.

Please let me be a Geology student next A.Y.

Experience as a Personal Guide Book

Upper Campus, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Gathering data in the field is an entirely new experience for me. I might have read something about it before, yes, but doing the actual activity itself is a different matter altogether. My unforgettable experiences? No doubt, I could go on and on probably produce several pages about it, but I would only focus and the ones that had imprinted on me a more profound impact. After all, at the end of the day, it’s not the scribbles and notes in your paper that matter, but the change that happened to you brought about by what you experienced.

I met new people, and that alone is already a wonderful and unique experience for me. Not being a sociable person, I don’t tend to be really conversational to strangers. But somehow, I can say that during the interview and the field work itself, I was able to come out of my shell, even if a little. I am hoping DEVC 11 will help me achieve that goal. Second is, it was my first time ever to step inside a government institution (PCAMRD-DOST and ERDB-DENR) and the air inside was not how I expected it to be. It was rather like an academic edifice – with so much knowledge pouring, many bustling activities and scientific pursuits. It was a nice and comfortable place to be in.

While in the field, I’ve had some moments of realizations and contemplations. When approaching complete strangers to interrogate them, be it a worker or the head, we must always maintain proper decorum and showcase utmost respect as much as possible. They are spending a few minutes of their precious time to help us, and we should be very grateful for that effort. That being the case, we should immediately state our point directly and waste no time; but, of course, we must do that in a proper way. There’s no use rushing and pressuring them. The second of two things that I’ve realized is this: be an effective listener. We’re asking them a series of questions and explanations. We had better listen well.

On the other hand, what didn’t work well, or wouldn’t, for that matter? Don’t ask simple questions. Ask questions that would provide an intelligent and thoughtful answer. We must have prepared thoroughly before approaching them – that is, research whatever is researchable about them to be able to formulate meaningful inquiries. There are two things that I would do in the future, especially if I were to make an expert interview. First, as I’ve said, research. Second is, to prepare a few questions beforehand as not to burden myself in thinking of a question at the time of the interview.

Let’s move on to the next phase of the activity, which is gathering data and information about the news topic. When I did my research, I wrote the possible keywords regarding my topic that I could think of, so it would be easier to locate data in the four sources (printed, internet, online database and offline database). Also, I tried to broaden the things that I would seek, but of course, not to the point that such information would be too vague it’s useless. I would make sure that there is a relationship to my topic. (Like what I did on mine: I considered soil erosion, my topic being flooding.)

This is only the first step towards mass media writing. Before, I thought this whole activity would be easy. But of course I was mistaken. It doesn’t only require a person to be persevering, but very patient and articulate as well. Indeed, as Ma’am Mia had said, comfort is not a priority. We must not think of ourselves. We must think of the people we involved in this situation, such as the interviews. We must even sacrifice a little, for best results.

The Decision to Pursue DevCom

You would admit this: there are certain instances when you feel so ecstatic and content, as if nothing could ruin your mood, as if your day had been perfect. Such is how I currently feel. Somehow, it seems as though tons of things happened this day. I feel an overwhelming sense of achievement and productivity, like I was able to spend less than half of the twenty-four hours in the best day that I could.

Before I made the decision of pursuing BSDC, I felt . . . rather like an empty shell. Like someone without an identity. Or perhaps, someone who hadn’t wholly decided what that identity really was. Yes, it was exactly that. Sure, I’m taking up Bachelor of Science in Development Communication at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños. But somehow, it didn’t really appear like that back then. Whenever someone would mutter unpleasant words about my either my course or my school, I wasn’t really affected. My mind was still wired this way: Who cares. I’m transferring to Diliman next year, anyway. I was acting as if I were indeed a student of BS Geology in UP Diliman. I was completely, unfalteringly, certain that that wish would happen the next year.

But no.

It was exactly on the twenty-seventh day of October when I made my decision that I would stay in UPLB. It was during that particular period wherein I would spend many times contemplating, murdering my brain to let me choose properly, and the likes. I was beginning to be depressed, even. What was I supposed to do? I didn’t know. All I was aware of back then – and I still am – was that I loved both Geology and DevCom. I couldn’t choose. I couldn’t decide which was the weightier of the two.

And of course I had to choose only one.

After more musings, stumbling upon some inspiring stories and articles, I suddenly felt that “Aha!” moment when a bulb of light would emerge beside your head with that standard ting sound. It started to make sense. If I loved DevCom as much as I did with Geology, then why would I part with it? It’s already there, so close, already within my grasp, and I would just stupidly let go of it just because I liked the other one too. Be content with what you have, as I have often heard. It was so simple, that’s why It was so difficult to make the decision.

Here’s the good side: DevCom already has everything that I could ever wish for. There’s the journalistic aspect – writing, writing, writing, reporting. I wouldn’t get tired of saying this: Writing is my passion. It’s something I can’t live a day without. And quite literally. Then there’s also the artistic part of it [all the things that I am highly interested in]—photography, visual designs and video production. And the best part! Science, science, and science. I can actually write and study science at the same time. I couldn’t ask for more.

And the bad side?

There’s none, actually.

And after making the decision of staying, I felt so happy, so free of worries. From then on, I was so proud I was a DevCom student. And even more so, a UPLB student. The identity was molded. I felt whole, I was content.

A while ago, we went to PCAMRD, SESAM and ERDB for the exercise in DEVC 11. Honestly, it was my first time venturing into government institutions (PCAMRD, DOST; ERDB, DENR), and the air inside was not suffocating at all. The people were very accommodating; it was a center of ongoing learning. They didn’t give off any sign of hostility. Despite the fact that they were obviously very busy, they still entertained us.

Admittedly, I’m more of a writer than a speaker. But after that experience, I somehow felt like I could do the latter too, if I tried very hard. Luckily, I was able to interview the people there. And even more fortunately, my [how should I call it?] annoying trait of being an anti-social didn’t interfere. I did what I had to do quite well. After all, I suppose every journalist/ reporter, etc needs to have “makapal na mukha.”

I felt really giddy when I was finally able to enter SESAM. Perhaps I am too excited and way ahead of my current situation, but I had entertained the idea that if I wouldn’t continue having Geology as a second degree, I would definitely pursue an MS in Environmental Science. I love the environment.  But when we went to ERDB later on [My first time being on that part of the upper campus.], my admiration for Forestry heightened as well. To be honest, I was tempted to write BSF in my UPCAT form before, but somehow I didn’t. Not that I regret the decision, but it would be lying if I say that I hadn’t thought of taking up Forestry later on.

Maybe I will.

There are so many possibilities.

You know what? Somehow I like the idea of working in places like those – R&D institutions or anything else related to science, especially the environment. When I graduate, I would really prefer working in places like those [PCAMRD, ERDB, DENR, etc.] than ABS-CBN or GMA. Too mainstream. Perhaps you’d think of how idiotic that is, but I don’t really care if the latter could provide me more money.

Somehow, as much as I love writing, I still feel sometimes that I can’t correctly explain how I truly feel or think of a certain thing.

In the end, I’ve concluded: I won’t stop with BSDC. After receiving my degree, I absolutely won’t stop there. I would go on learning.

“Do what you love, the money will follow.”

That quote never fails to inspire me.

The Wonders of Google

Synthesis . . .

Google is a very effective search engine. And in my own honest opinion and based on my experience, I will unhesitatingly say the Google is actually the best one there is for me. No nonsense whatsoever. 

The people living in this digital and information era are no doubt a very fortunate bunch. Yes, I cannot even imagine how the world was back then - when you'd have to scour through mountains and mountains of books, venture to many libraries, etc, just to get the information needed in an assignment or so. That is one hard work. 

Good thing, with the emergence of the internet, we can find what we need in a matter of seconds. The negative side of it, though, is this: with so much information available these days, whenever one would make a search, thousands and thousands would appear. Until in the end searching in the internet will seem like no easy job at all.

Google has foreseen this and was able to make searching the internet easier and less tiring to the users. Google is very effective easing the process of finding information in the internet, as I have mentioned earlier. The techniques are very useful, and the advanced search does make everything easier.

I am thankful to the filtering part, and the organization of contents to its various forms, either images, videos, etc. In a nutshell, and for the nth time, Google is very effective.

. . . . .

I am a BS DevCom student. And as such, I will be doing tons of research in the future. I have mentioned most of those that I consider relevant already - filters, advanced search, excluding terms and including the synonyms, and thus forth. All of those will be very important in the future. And even now, in our DEVC 11 (Introduction to Mass Media Writing) class where we would back up our field research with digital ones. The Google Scholar might be very helpful as well.

The Wonders of the Internet

Search results are not the same in every search engine.  There are some less known search engines that provide very little results. With Google, Yahoo!, and other more popular ones, though, the differences are very minimal. Still, there is no denying the fact that so much results could appear.

. . . . .

Word order in a search item does not matter. After all, the results don't necessarily show the order of the words. It would only provide the results that contain the words, but the order doesn't really matter.

. . . . .

The Palace of the Light of Faith

The Palace of the Light of Faith is the English translation of the Arabic phrase, "Istana Nurul Iman Palace." This magnificent edifice contains 1,788 rooms all in all, including 257 bathrooms. With the exception of the latter, there are 1,531 rooms. If I were to sleep in each of the room per day, it would take me 4.19 years to be precise.

It was fairly easy to find the answer to that question. For the purposes of clarity, let me demonstrate it step by step.

1. First, I searched the number of rooms in The Palace of the Light of Faith. I found what I needed almost immediately, but I verified it in three different websites to be certain.
2. I then deducted the number of the bathrooms from all the rooms.
3. When I finally knew the exact number of the rooms that I needed (that is, with the exclusion of the bathrooms), I divided it by 365, which corresponds to one year. Then the quotient to that is the answer.

. . . . .

In Google, what should you use to include synonyms of a certain word from your results (for example, "schools" in "top schools in the Philippines)?

Google is undoubtedly a very convenient search engine. And mastering the techniques and strategies in searching are very necessary skills that a person living in the digital age can be armed with. After all, with the seemingly unceasing strings of information being posted online every second, it is quite strenuous to seek exactly the things that you are in need of. Thousands, and even millions, of results could appear in your face. And instead of being of help, it could only frustrate you. After all, how in the world would you be able to dig through those mountains of information?

That's where some of the techniques would come in handy.

All right, let's take for example that you want to know the "top schools in the Philippines". The word "schools" is a bit vague, and it will most likely garner too much unnecessary results again. For effective searching, one has the option of changing the keywords or manipulating them, such as using the synonyms. In the example, here is what we could do put in the search bar: "top schools OR university OR college in philippines". Remember that when you are opting for the synonyms, put the word OR in between the words.

. . . . .

The sun rise in Nice, France today took place at 40 minutes after seven A.M. this morning. With Google, acquiring an information such as this one is fairly easy. All I did was search "sunset in nice, france" and I immediately got the answer I needed.

Image source: http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq49/precious_postcards/Brunei%20Postcards%20Swap/istana4.jpg