Sweet Dreams Cover

Three of our choir members (Philip Lorena, Beryl Lopez, and Poch Garcia) performing an acapella cover of "Sweet Dreams" by Beyonce at the Nursing Idol 2011. Arrangement by Kim Sarmiento :)

I'm so proud of them I couldn't help but post a videoclip in my blog. :))

Nursing Idol 2011

Two more days to go and another load on my shoulder is removed. I’ve been stressing the past few weeks for the finals of the Nursing Idol. From the auditions to the event promotion up to the grand finals, I’ve been pretty obsessive compulsive about it. Almost every day,  I make a new list of the things to do, kept on reminding the members about their tasks, and coordinating with the student council. Now who could blame me? This project was sponsored by our organization of which I currently am the president so I have to do everything possible to make this event as perfect as it would. The students of our college deserve no less than a great show on the night of the 29th.

After seeing the VTRs of the finalists hours ago, I had this surge of energy, or maybe excitement, all over me. I was just drawn to them as they were singing a part of their audition pieces and promoting the event in the end of the clip. From the Nursing Music TV page where the pictures for the online voting award were uploaded, I just can’t help but smile at the comments below the finalists. Some comments were even off-topic to the contest: “Ang ganda talaga ng apo ko! Ikaw na mananalo dyan” Huh? Pageant ba ito?haha

After the stress I went and will go through the following days, I know it will all be worth it.

Who’s your bet in the Nursing Idol? Here are the VTRs of the contestants:

Parallel Play

It’s surprising you give everybody

things I thought were mine alone,

things I started to hold possession of,

 with my frail hands and ambivalent mind.

This moment of histrionic outburst

Is a grievance to a sport played less fair.

I guess I was the one who didn’t play

by the rules I was informed with

Now I clasp on to what remains still

-a sad song, tears, and a damp pillow

Realizing that this affair is

“Exclusive, maybe, but not entirely.”

Parallel play is a form of play where children play adjacent to each other, but do not try to influence one another's behavior. It usually involves two or more children in the same room that are interested in the same toy, each seeing the toy as their own. An observer will notice that they occasionally see what the other is doing and then modify their play accordingly. The older the children are, the less frequently they engage in this type of play.(from Wikipedia)

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Written based from a random source of inspiration – either from stories of the people around the author or story concepts that spring forth from the imaginative, random mind of the writer. 

Dito sa UST, “No Money, No Entry"

The University of Santo Tomas recently made a new enrollment policy of not accepting promissory notes, banning the issuance of “pre-enrollment forms” to those who may want to reserve slots but are currently short of cash, and not allowing students with previously unpaid accounts to enroll. (with reports from The Varsitarian) With the implementation of this new stringent policy, students who can’t pay the minimum down payment for installment fees are likewise not allowed to enroll. 

This announcement was posted through a memorandum which circulated during the final examination during last semester. During the days of enrollment several signage bearing the words “NO PROMISSORY NOTES ALLOWED” were clearly displayed.

Here's the memorandum from the Vice Rector for Finance:

Aside from the fact that the announcement was done on a short notice and did very little to provide ample time for the parents to prepare their pockets, I believe that this policy is again an incident of lack of consultation with the students. No dialogue was done with the student body. The policy making rested solely on the administrators. We, the students, had become passive recipients of this memorandum, forcibly fed onto us and we, like abused children, apathetically opened our mouths to whatever gustatory dread awaits us.

Good thing not everyone accepted this policy with open arms.

I was talking yesterday with a leader from the Anakbayan-UST Chapter who spearheaded a move against this policy. Together with the Central Student Council president Lorraine Taguiam, they went on a dialogue for the reconsideration of the policy. On November 23, 2011, the Varsitarian released an update announcing that the administrators lifted the policy.

The University will be entertaining late enrollees starting today, while promissory notes will be accepted again but will be subject to the approval of the Treasurer’s Office - Central Student Council 

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When you come to think of it, the policy is in itself covered with a dark shade of elitism. It presupposes that if the student can’t pay the exact fee on time, one's right to education is rightfully waived. In another way we may ask, “Has education been confined only to the elite who can afford it?” This also speaks of the commercialization of education where issues of money come first before the fulfillment of the university’s mission, which is to provide education, so to speak.

It must be an arrogant statement for a student to demand education without doing his part by first paying the tuition fees, but then again, due consideration must be given by the administration since not every family can afford to produce money in time with the enrollment and some even technically depend on promissory notes to enroll.

To sum up, I suggest consultation must be done with the students with regard to such policies that directly affect them. As per the university administrators, they must carefully consider the possible consequences of the proposed policies so that the interests of the students are not sacrificed by a less than effective administrative process.

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I enjoin the student councils and organizations of the different colleges, let us continue to do our part in protecting the students rights and interests. May our functions extend more than that of organizing activities. The student body technically gave us our positions and it is but just that we work for the people we serve and not for another party. Kudos to the CSC President Lorraine Taguiam, Anakbayan and other students who participated for this feat!

Duet by a Soloist

At the stage, the singer stands alone

under the dim light. He sings his piece

like an elitist who discriminates –

heads up, ears only to hear his own voice

Traverse through the two-staffed measure

singing to himself both parts. Disillusioning

himself by trying a measure so high a pitch

– fit only to be sung by a mezzo soprano

The song goes on, perfectly, yet bare

On the walls resound the divine tremolos

that can only reach thus far, pervading

‘til the curtains meet again in the end.

He sighs exasperatedly, waiting for

a sound to emanate from the space beside him

Yet in a distance, he hears once more

A  voice of a lovely soprano singing a new song

Are you Mine?

Are you mine forever?

Or just for the moment?

Do I measure it in seconds?

Or do I count for a lifetime?

Shall I see you every waking moment?

Or shall you fade quickly like a dream?

 Shall you stay in my memory?

Or will you fleet like a thought?

 But what’s the point in asking,

if all I know is I am yours?

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Written based from a random source of inspiration – either from stories of the people around the author or story concepts that spring forth from the imaginative, random mind of the writer. 

Photo from here

Above Average

ABOVE AVERAGE. This is the minimum IQ grade requirement of an aspiring UST Nursing Freshman. With the high quota and high applicant turnout (considering that it almost has 15,000 applicants every year – Ma’am Maila from the Dean’s office would attest my claim) the college has every year, can we surmise that the 400 qualified enrollees are the cream of the crop (in terms of intelligence) among all of those?

Well, I don’t think works quite that way. 

Let me explain why in 3 points:

USTET

Undeniably, having a high score for the entrance examination can be a valid measurement of an applicant’s academic proficiency. It might depict either  the precision of the thinking faculties or the perseverance of a person. 

But how about the other aspects of intelligence?  A good score is just but a reflection of either how well you take the test or how much you’ve prepared for it.

IQ TEST

I am reserved with the idea of this cutoff IQ score being as one of the factors in the freshman screening process. First of all because it leaves no room to what psychologists call as divergent thinking where innovation, creativity, imagination, and invention are highlighted. Rather the IQ tests adopt the convergent way of thinking where a “right” answer is what the students must arrive at. The latter is exemplified by the use of IQ tests to test one’s capability to notice the difference between abstract shapes and figures.

Can we say that the act of “finding the right answer” can be a valid measure of one’s intelligence?

In the real world we are not confronted with multiple choice questions answerable by the letters a,b,c,d. 

The answers to life’s questions are always subjective and such solutions for it will only be left to be justified by the person. 

If we would accept that there is a “right” answer, this would be contrary to the popular cliché “There are no wrong choices in life” which will be most likely be followed up by the phrase “But what matters most is how we deal with our choices”. Believe me, I’ve heard this line at almost every self-help speech and the speakers would definitely save your egos by agreeing to this popular saying.

TO EACH HIS OWN

The theory of multiple intelligences explains this beautifully. It states that every human has the same level of intellectual capacity yet differ in the area most developed. This is the reason why the segregation of students based on their exam grades is quite a narrow-minded idea and should be looked upon for its effects. 

Admission to a certain program must be more liberalized and should also evaluate the different aspects of intelligence of the students. Although, yes,  I would agree that no test for multiple intelligence currently holds much water. 

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The picture above was taken from one of the masterpieces at Art 19b at Cubao Expo. The concept of having a Filipino version of chess is quite interesting don't you think?.

Cultured Performance

After the applause our performance yesterday, I realized one thing:

A cultured performance begets a cultured applause.

For a cultured performance like is a painting carefully done with every stroke calculated and details so intricate. It deserves a silent respect, not jeers and purposeless yells. A wordless applause that is communicated between the audience and the performer without each party even realizing. An applause so cultured, it’s actually heartwarming.

On Winning

 Hearing criticism on the validity of a win is one of the things a winner must endure. There will always be someone who will question either the performance or the taste of the judges. Bakit nanalo to? Bakit nanalo yan? Pano napili yan?

Yes, hearing disapproval from people may really too hard to accept but the art of enduring it is I think part of maturity. This is one thing I’ve learned by joining our college merchandise design contests. Now, I understand the meaning beneath the cliché that says people have different tastes and are entitled to their opinions. Some will like it, some will don’t. Dati nadedepress ako pag nakakarinig ako ng something na hindi maganda about sa design ko. But now, I learned to shrug it off and listen more to the not so good comments (most of them thrown unknowingly that the designer is just beside them), build from them, and do something better the next time I have the chance to do so. 

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My entry won on BLUEPRINTS: The College Shirt Design Contest. My design will be the official shirt of the UST College of Nursing for this year. Yay! :)

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Here’s another random thing: Once I see my designs get printed or made, I suddenly have this aversion on wearing it.