GIMP

School is right around the corner. It literally starts next week for me. As an executive board member for this year's Biology Society, we are working double time to make sure that everything is set in place to welcome the incoming Bio freshies. As one of the PROs, one of my duties is to handle the incoming elections for the 1st year batch representative.

Another thing is that just recently, I was announced to be on the Executive Board for the Biology Majors Alliance of the Philippines (BMAP). They put me in-charge of the Promotions and Publicity, which is a good thing since I'm basically online 24/7. As part of the Promo and Pub committee, it is my responsibility to produce the different posters and fliers for our different events, which leads me to the reason behind this post.

In order to entice freshmen to apply for batch rep, the PROs (Melo and I) need to create a poster to catch the attention of the students. Now, usually, I would probably be the last person on earth who would do this. I mean, leave the photoshop to the experts, and leave the instagram filters to me HAHAHA. Well, it just so happens that I'm also the OIC for the Arts and Promotions committee, which means I'm one of the people in charge of this. I'd usually get Ate Cams, 4th year batch rep, to do this for us. However, I felt like it was time for me to step it up. I can't always rely on her and other committee members to do this, especially since majority are seniors. Another is that I'm leading the promotions committee for BMAP, which means there's a lot of pressure on me to produce some eye catching posters. So, since I wasn't doing anything, i felt this would be the perfect time to start letting my creative juices flow and start practicing.

When I found out about the posters, I was in Anvaya cove at the time with no laptop, only my iPhone. I had no way to note down my ideas except for notepad. I came up with 2 concepts, one of which was also thought of by another member of the council. The first one I came up with was top model inspired. It basically was a dark, gradient background which focused on the middle, as well as a silhouette of a man and a woman. The font on top would be similar to the America's Next Top Model font, with metallic, gradient colors. It would read "BioSoc's Next 1st year Batch representative". The details would follow underneath, specifically Melo and my contact information. It would also bear the logo of the Biology Society and the University of Santo Tomas.

Here's the final outcome. The background was changed because it wasn't exactly how I pictured it. In fact, the background looked very plain. So i decided to look for a more interesting background. Luckily, I was browsing through my iPhone wallpapers and saw this number. This was perfect for me. I also changed the title. I added "The Search for" at the top because there was this huge space on top that needed to be filled. I still stuck with the top model theme, match the font as well as the silhouettes of the man and woman.

Later on, Tisha (the assistant secretary) commented that it looked to much of a pageant poster, rather than searching for an officer. After this, I decided to change the silhouettes to head shots so it would seem less "pageant" and more election. In the end, it looked more like a kiddie version that what I had imagined.

My second idea was an old school, western, Wanted poster. Ciara was the first one to comment this, so I decided to go through with it anyway. Not much to say about it except that I tried to keep it as authentic as possible. I only changed the texts just a little bit so that it would fit our situation more. For the silhouette, I used the icon on facebook for users who don't have a profile picture. I edited it a little to look darker, and a little older. I also searched for fonts that had a western theme that was often used on wanted posters such as this.

At the end of the day, I felt good. It felt good because this was a product of my hard work. I felt like I had accomplished something because it was a product of my hard work and dedication. I also felt that these were decent enough to publicize and be posted around the third floor. At the end of the day, what I did was for me more than anyone. I not only designed some posters for BioSoc, but I also taught myself how to use GIMP.

Before I go, I'd just like to send a shout-out to my bro JB. He really helped me while I was in the middle of creating my first poster. He was there for me everytime I had a question to ask, and whenever I needed advice. Love you bro!

Big thanks as well to all the people I went to for their opinions on what I should do, what fonts I should use, etc etc to make my poster better. And thanks as well to the YouTube videos I searched up when I was lacking ideas on how to do something.

BTW, I know these posters aren't the best. But for someone who just learned how to use GIMP in 24 hours, I felt that these were good enough.

Keep Dreaming.

BioSoc 2013 || May 24-26, 2013 || Kim Siong Community

(C) Franz Del Rosario

I spent my weekend at the Kim Siong community in Silang, Cavite. I can't go into the specific details of what we did (I don't want to spoil the surprise for future LTS-ers). I just want share my experience as a whole, and how it changed me.

One of the highlights from my experience was meeting all the people who attended. The heads, assistant heads, core members, and even the facis. I would've never met any of them if I'd never attended or been part of BioSoc. I would've probably met them at some point during our journey together, however I don't think I would've been able to memorize their names or gotten to know them as well as I did during that weekend. I know now that I've found a new family in BioSoc <3.

In addition to that, one of the most important things I've learned this weekend is camaraderie, teamwork, and trust. Through all of the activities that we underwent, the usual theme behind it was how "the project of one, is the project of all" and how we should always be there for one another, through thick and thin. We learned that sometimes, we need to trust our gut instincts and take a leap of faith. We learned to trust that we always have each others backs and that someone will always catch us.

That's basically the gist of what happened last weekend. Hope you learned as much as I did

Keep Dreaming.

Davao! [Part 1]

So I just recently came back from Davao a few days ago and I wanted to share my experience with you guys. Overall, I fell in love with Davao. As I traveled from the airport to our hotel, I was at awe with my surroundings. The place game this sort of rustic, cozy, provincial feeling. Yet at the same time, it still had that city sense which made it more modern.

May 15, 2013

Our flight was scheduled to depart at 6:30 am. We decided to play it safe and be there 2 hours before the departure time so that we could check our luggage in and settle in so that we wouldn't have to rush when we get there. Between 4-4:30, we were already checked in. In order to pass the time, I went over to the laptop station and continued my FRIENDS marathon (I was about halfway when I started). This was my first time to fly a plane without my parents with me, it was just me and my sisters. I was a littler nervous at first because I didn't know what to do or where to go, but it turned out fine in the end.

We got out of the airport in Davao at around 8:30. The man who picked us up (he was friend of my dad's) told us that the Inn we were staying at was about 14 km away. A big difference between Manila and Davao is the way people estimate distances. For example, my house to Manila would be about an hour's drive. However, places in Davao are measure in kilometers. In my opinion, I think people should start estimating in distances rather than in time because sometimes time is ineffective because of different factors (traffic, weather, street conditions, etc).

Once we got to the Inn, we transferred rooms to a bigger one because the one initially given by the company my dad works for was way smaller. Our room was on the first floor, and was closer to the front desk and had wifi access, so it worked out in the end. We went to the cafe/restaurant that the inn was partnered with and had breakfast (I only had a piece of bread with some nutella on it before I left for Davao). I was hungry enough to order some bacon and eggs with garlic rice since I didn't eat anything on the plane since I was asleep for the entire trip (I fell asleep before we took off, and woke up just as we were close to landing).

Once we were ready and our dad was done with his conference, we first went to SM Davao to purchase tickets for the Pearl Farm beach resort for the next day. After having merienda at KFC, we took a cab to our next destination: The Philippine Eagle Research Center.

So, when we got to the research center, the place looked really cool. The buildings looked old, but it didn't bother me. The place was very nature-y too, it was filled with trees and a lot of different types of plants. We strolled through the park and saw many types of eagles nesting around. Some were quiet and peaceful, while the others were just plain noisy. To be honest, the entire place kinda creeped me out. I have this irrational fear of birds, and just being around them made the hairs on my arms stand up. This place was especially creepy because there were birds out of cages, on perches, with their legs chained to the ground or something (whatever, they were chained). The thought of any of them escaping gave me goosebumps. But aside from that, the experience was pretty cool. I was able to appreciate the beauty of the place.

For dinner, my dad took us to this place called Jack's Ridge, which is a huge compilation of restaurants  as well as a sort of resort since the place has an amphitheater, a pool and some cottages. We ate at this restaurant called Taklobo. Our table had a great view of the lights of Davao City. The food was amazing as well, especially their kare-kare, lechon kawali and Marlin, which were my faves of the night. The only thing that seemed off was the prices, particularly the centavos, because they seemed American. Usually, we'd get centavo prices that end with 5 or 0, like 0.50 or 0.75. But here, the centavos were like 0.63, 0.42, 0.89 etc. But other than that, the food was terrific.

That's it for now folks!! I'll update you guys on what happened the rest of the trip on the next few posts! Byeeeeeee!!

Keep Dreaming.

No Place Like Home

(C) Kris Sanceja

It's May, which officially means that school is right around the corner here in the Philippines. Since I was in need for another blog post, perhaps it's time to reflect on my ADMU-UST experience this past year.

So when I was deciding on which University to attend, I was torn between these two. Ateneo because it's become my second home. I mean, after spending 12 years there, it was pretty hard to leave. UST was also up because I knew that if I wanted to be a doctor, this was the place to go. Like how some universities are known for producing specific professions, UST is known for producing doctors. Also, I felt it was time for a new beginning. At least if I went to UST, you could probably count on your hands (and maybe feet) the number of people who knew who you were. This was a chance for me to start fresh, where people didn't know you or what you did in the past.

Fast forward to the first few months of school. During the first few days of school, I felt like an outsider. Sure I was part of our facebook group before the year even began, but things were so different once we met in person. When I walked into the room, I kept this stern, straight face, which probably lead some of my blockmates to think that I was masungit or something (oddly enough, some of the other MC and AHS people got the same reaction, so it must be a Katipunan thing hehe). And it seems like those who were in the group before school didn't seem to recognize me. Back then, my profile picture was the "photo shoot" during graduation, so my hair was styled differently, and I wasn't wearing glasses. But once school started, I was wearing my glasses and i was semi-kal. I could hear people whispering around like, sino yun? or si Howee ata yun? and shit like that =))

Probably the entire semester, I dreaded being there. It was nothing against the school. I mean, the school was amazing, the people were really friendly, and I really felt like what I paid in my enrollment was being put to full use (for most of my classes anyway). I really felt like I was in a good university, and now I know why it's a part of the top 4. But for me, there was just something missing. Like there was this whole in my heart that wouldn't close, no matter what I did. Now, you might say that I might just be homesick for Ateneo, considering I was there for majority of my life (12 years to be exact). I was feeling like an immigrant in a foreign land. It didn't know anyone, I was in an entirely new culture. For the most part, sure, it was homesickness. But later on, it felt like homesickness to the next level. Again, there was something missing.

In between the first and second semester, i found time in my schedule to go back to the high school (I forget the reason). But for some reason, as I was roaming through those hallways, as I passed through the EDSA walk, it felt good to do so. I don't know why, but I was invigorated in a way. It felt like a brand new energy flowed through my entire body. This was the feeling I remembered when I was a student back in high school.

Once the second semester began, I started feeling better. I still missed my alma mater, but for some reason, I was actually fine being away from it. I think my body had already adjusted to my surrounding, to the new environment. As the months passed by, I learned to love and appreciate my school more than I ever did at the start of the year. By the end of the year, I knew I had made the right decision to transfer to UST.

Yesterday, I came back from the Ateneo. I went to the college area before lunch because I had an interview for the Biology Majors Alliance of the Philippines (BMAP) with the outgoing executive board, as well as some of the members of the board of directors. I met up with Galo to have lunch with him since he had to wait for Natya to finish her summer volleyball class. After a little trip around the college (we were near the JSEC, but we headed back to Xavier hall because I needed to withdraw money; we didn't know there was an ATM machine there), I was feeling a little nostalgic again. I haven't been there since the high school fair last January, and the college area was definitely unfamiliar to me because I'd only been there to submit application forms and have Jaz Reyes sign a contract for Avenida. I think I've finally gotten closure because as I roamed the campus, I didn't have that clingy feeling of wanting to transfer back. The only thing that was on my mind was how different my life would've been if I stayed.

No matter how long I leave, whenever I come back, I know I'm welcomed with open arms.

My home away from home.

Keep Dreaming.

Happy Earth Day!

In honor of Earth Day 2013, I've decided to share some of my earth tips that I've always found helpful that you can use in school. Please mind that this is from a student's perspective.

1. Turn the lights off when not in use

When I was in high school, my class used to turn off the lights during our lunch and recess breaks. The main reason we did this was because some of us liked to use the breaks to catch up on sleep, so they thought closing the lights would help them sleep better. This is good because it not only conserves energy, but it gives the classroom a "cooler" setting because you don't get the heat from the fluorescent bulbs.

2. Reuse old school supplies

Not only will some of these provide nostalgia from time to time, but it'll save you a ton of money as well. Now that I'm in college, I re-use some of the old filler notebooks from high school, as well as a pencil case I've had since 3rd year high school, and for the entire first semester, I used my bag from 4th year.

3. BYOB (Bring Your Own Baunan)

If you're like me and you come from a high school were there are food stalls that sell food in those paper-covered-with-plastic containers, this won't only help you save the environment, but help you save some money.

4. Save Water, shower together

So after PE class, some of my blockmates and I tend to get really sweaty, so we decided to shower together. No, not literally together under the same shower cubicle at the same time (Well, we've done it once or twice when the place was really packed HAHA). But what I mean is that you share cubicles. For example, there are 4 of us taking a shower. So instead of using 4 stalls, we'll use 2 stalls instead (1 per pair). We'd usually wait it out, and take turns. Like when one of us has to soap, we'd step out of the stall and let someone else rinse it out.

5. Use public transportation/carpool

From grade 6 up until 4th year high school, I carpooled with on my good friends, who just happens to be my neighbor! Also, I know a lot of friends who commute on public transport going to and from school. This not only saves money you'd normally spend on a lot of gas, but you'd lessen a lot of the fumes that would be released by a lot of cars.

6. Re-use old papers

As a biology major, I've had to make a lot of reviewers in order to memorize shit. Also, I've had to sketch a bunch of shit as drafts for many different projects. Instead of writing (or occasionally printing) them on new sheets of bond paper, I prefer doing this on old sheets of papers I've used before for projects and stuff. I seem to never run out of reusable, one-sided papers.

7. Buy secondhand books

Now that I'm in college, I don't get my books during enrollment period. I have to wait for my prof to tell me that I need a certain book before I go out and buy one. Lucky for me, the biology society has a program where upperclassmen sell their old texts books to undergrads and freshmen who need the books for their classes. It'll save you money because books like this usually go for a fraction of their original price, and you'll lessen the paper needed to print new books.

Those are my tips for the day. Hope you'll be able to use them like I have :)

Keep Dreaming.

Some people shouldn't be allowed to use technology

One thing that really pisses me off is when people claim to be upset on social media, like twitter or facebook, or even when they tell you personally that they're upset. Now, I find this particularly annoying because whenever I ask that person if something's wrong, they end up saying that they're fine or that yeah something's wrong but never expound. Here's an example of one of my conversations with a friend a few days ago:

Me: What's up? You okay?

Friend: Nope

Friend: :((

Me: What's up bro?

Friend: None bro :(

*end of conversation*

This pisses me of because I am the type of person who likes helping other people out. And this person I was talking happens to be a close friend of mine. This is irritating because this has happened so many times. You always let people know that something's wrong, yet when they try to help you out, you put up this barrier that prevents them from helping you out. Especially since it seems like you could use a little guidance here and there.

Another thing that irritates me is when people send in late replies on purpose. By this, I mean those who see the messages, yet refuse to reply immediately for whatever reasons they have. I can understand late replies if you saw it some time after I sent it to you, but if you see it immediately and don't reply, that's where I get pissed off. And to add to it, it gets even more rude when you see that person tweeting away especially if they use the same device for both texting AND tweeting. I mean, what's the point of replying to a message/text after 7-8++ hours, especially if the text was looking for an immediate response. I just think that it's rude and a waste of load, especially if there isn't an valid reason behind your late reply.

I honestly don't know what to do with this person. I think I'm just gonna lay low from my friend. If they miss me, they'll let me know. point blank.

Keep Dreaming.

Trusting your gut instinct

Everyone has this feeling right? When you need to make a decision, and you're torn between the choices. There's usually this voice telling you to pick a certain choice. Usually, there's a reason behind this and I don't think most people trust their gut instincts. Sometimes, the person would focus more on what others or society would demand from them, rather than what they personally feel would be the better choice. I just don't feel that people often listen to that "voice of reason", especially in a world where the youth's motto is YOLO (You Only Live Once).

So this reason for this post is something that happened to me recently. So tonight, just like any other night, I was just browsing the internet when I get this friend request from a stranger (let's name her "Lisa"). So Lisa adds me up on facebook, I'm automatically curious as to who she is. So I decided to check out her profile. The first thing I checked out was the about section. All I could find there was that she was from UST, so I presumed she was a batchmate of mine. Then I checked out her photos, which were mostly pics with friends as well as ads for ladies dorms around UST. So, after what I saw, i was still hesitant to add her since I didn't know who she was. There was this gut feeling I had not to accept, but I went ahead and did so anyway. This is where I should' ve listened to my gut.

When I accepted her, I prayed that I would avoid one of those conversations where they immediately message/chat you up and introduce themselves and shit. Well, turns out she did exactly that. She gave me her name and said that she was an alumnus of UST (both my course and med proper). Then she started spamming me up with adverts for ladies condos around UST (which I honestly don't understand, since I'm clearly not a woman). So once she did, I turned off my chat, but she still kept leaving messages in my inbox. Being as socially awkward as I am, I blocked her. I didn't know what to do, I just felt so afraid because I didn't know what to do and what her deal was.

Lesson learned. Always trust your gut, no matter what. That way, whether you succeed or fail, you only have yourself to congratulate or to blame.

Keep Dreaming.