Pride Week: Open Minds. Open Hearts.

Continuing with rainbows, this week is apparently UP Pride week. Huzzah for equality!

Grabbed from UP Babaylan

This poster has been making its rounds in different social media, so I thought I might as well share it on my site.

UP Pride 2014 activities start today and I'm happy that my class is close to the venue. I can attend! I'm looking forward to Friday's Pride March, too.

It's great that UP Babaylan and many other organizations go to such great lengths to help support, promote and celebrate LGBTQA awareness. I'm all in in keeping an open mind as well as an open heart. How about you?


Edit: It's sort of timely that Emma Watson, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, gave a speech on feminism for the HeForShe 2014 campaign. More cheers for equality!

Rainbows and Cheers

With this year's UAAP Cheerdance Competition scheduled on Sunday, the College of Human Kinetics hosted this year's Pep Rally last night. As usual, our very own UP Pep Squad performed their complete cheerdance routine and their group stunts number. Twice.

Grabbed from UP Pep Squad

I think I got my motivation back

Just before he sang "Bitiw", Yael of Spongecola thanked UP for being such a wonderful audience yearly during UP Fair and praised it for having the cream of the crop populate its student body. He was rooting for us, Iskolars., and I'm really grateful for it. It wasn't their songs that tugged at my heartstrings in particular; the little anecdote he shared to us about a conversation between him and his mother did.

Mom: Anak, galingan mo ha? [Son, do your best, ok?]
Yael: Oo naman! [Of course!]

Finals are too soon

Before I drown myself in the depths of the sea of lessons I have to review and suffocate from the lack of social life, I would like to take this moment to appreciate life.

*long awkward pause*

If anyone out there would like to share something extraterrestrial, supernatural, a witty bit of wisdom, now's the right time.

And then here comes some memes to keep us from getting insane as the final examinations week, a.k.a. "Hell Week", otherwise know as the death of me, gets nearer by the second, but let's keep optimistic, shall we?

True story. We just got the news today.

Halloween costume suggestions

I passed by a few toy stores today and they were already displaying costumes for Halloween. Since October is just two days away and Halloween is another month's wait, I decided to make a list of possible costume ideas that people with similar taste as mine would like. It's funny that I'm making this but I'm not really a fan of dressing up. Maybe I'll have fun this year and try doing one of these, even if it entails for me to cross-dress  So without further ado, here we go.

Polarity

This is really a super-duper late article that I shouldn't even be trying to finish because (1) the event took place weeks ago, (2) I still have homework and lots of them, and (3) remembering the night gives me the feels-- that falling sensation in the pit of your stomach, the instant increase of your heart beat rate, and the smile that doesn't leave your face until you realize that it's there. So here we go!

Nobody told me that a night with chemistry majors would be fun. It was a Friday night, September 14 to be exact, when our batch of applicants hosted a party called Polarity. It was a dinner party with a talent show featuring Inversion, our official batch name as this semester's applicants for the UP Association of Chemistry Majors and Enthusiasts (UPACME), and lots of fun games, which I organized. (Proud program committee right here!) It was a Noir-inspired night of mystery and madness and fun-- more on the happy-crazy-parteh side of madness, not the dark Imma-kill-you-and-torture-you-and-possibly-kill-you-even-more-when-I-feel-like-it. (Where did that come from?) Must be because of the three words: polarity, noir and inversion. Get it? Get it?

Rain won't dampen the Filipino Spirit

From the deep abyss of her bed, the blogger gets up as if one of the living dead.

Somehow, I do feel like a zombie because of the consecutive days of suspended classes due to this infernal weather of torrential rains and strong winds that poured from the weeping heavens. I may complain about my academic hiatus (that I shouldn't have in the first place because I still have a pile of school work to finish) and how it made my mind mushy, but that would be very selfish of me. However, I would definitely tell everyone how proud I am of the Filipinos who helped their fellow citizens in the recent calamity. It should be noted that the calamity did not reach any storm signal. It was not even a typhoon but monsoon rains-- heavy monsoon rains that went on for more than 24 hours at that. It was also preceded by the typhoon "Gener", so I think the effects of the previous rains were not, uhm, washed off yet.

Teaching Building

Finally! Here are some photo evidences of the new teaching building.

Institute's logo

Three floors of Chemistry

This is the new building of the Institute of Chemistry in UP Diliman. I'm so proud of my home institute! Can't you see the pride oozing in every corner and curves of these written words? I finally took some shots last Monday after our CWTS class (an alternative to the military training in ROTC).

By the way, our institute is accepting donations of cash or kind or air conditioner or room sponsorship. Names of the sponsors and donors will be engraved on a steel plate and displayed in a glass case at the first floor lobby, where anyone and everyone can see. Our institute, its teachers and us students will be very pleased.

Finals start tomorrow

"I'm going home, to a place where I belong

Where your love has always been enough for me"

- Home by Daughtry

Finals

Lookie what I did with Meme Generator!

Ha! Well, that's just about it. To all students out there whose final examinations are coming, may you be an Isko from UP, an Atenista, a Lasalista, a Thomasian or any college student for that matter, be strong, have faith and study hard. Even if you have piles of homeworks to do like I do, keep calm and finish them all. Don't let your inner demons turn you into a lazy bone. We can do this!

And this is what I do to when I'm supposed to finish my pile of school work. Teehee.

A Night of KontraKultura

Before the month ends, I want to share some photos of what I'd like to think as the highlight of this month, and probably one of the nights I shall cherish as a college freshman.

You see, UP-Diliman held its annual UP Fair on February 14 to 18 at the Sunken Garden. Each night was sponsored by organizations, fraternities, sororities and what-not. As in any fair, there were concerts, food, anything-for-sale bazaars and rides (the perya way). I was not fortunate to ride the Ferris wheel, Space Shuttle or whatever rides there were. But I am happy to have stood in the middle of the Sunken Garden with hundreds of people to watch bands after bands on a Wednesday night, a school night. I do not regret staying up late on a school night.

So there I was enjoying the KontraKultura concert, taking pictures of the many celebrities on stage, including Gary V, Yeng Constantino and Spongecola. I want to shout a big THANK YOU to Nikki Tan for lending me her DSLR for the night (though longer lenses would have been nicer in my spot in the crowd). The concert and the camera made me a happy child that night.

It's the KontraKultura: A Date with Destiny.

Le Kalay Wacky Friday

Finding free time for me is hard, especially during the previous weeks when I have long exams, quizzes, plates and data sheets to face. I was not only busy with acads stuff but with events in my dorm and in my school.

Our dorm held the Kalayaan Residence Hall Week (Kalay Week, in short) from February 7 to 11. Themed after the movie "No Other Woman", Kalay Week was baptized as "No Other Dorm". Our house council prepared different events for each day, like eating contests, open house and, a Kalay trademark, the Wacky Friday. Wacky Friday is the day when most, if not all, residents of the dorm wear anything and everything, as long as it is not nothing. We go around campus in our wacky outfits. We even had a parade around our academic oval.

Here are some pictures of Wacky Friday, most of them I took.

(Part of the) Wacky Friday Parade

Just Test Takers Passing

I was one of the lucky people who first shared the link in Facebook and spread the word that the UPCAT results finally came out. I have checked the results and so far most of the people I knew who took UPCAT passed. I just don't know whether it is their first choice or last. But even so, CONGRATULATIONS, future freshies!

Just about this time last year, I got excited with all the test  results coming out. Boy, I was so happy head over heals when I saw my names in every results site of the entrance tests I took. After getting the results, I had the time of my life deciding where to study.

Pasalubong Festival 2012

My body is sore, I want my voice back, I have a stuffy nose and a mountain of schoolwork that should be finished tonight, or before day break tomorrow. But before I write speeches, journals and a kick-arse formal report on an experiment, I would like to share yesterday's highlights.

Kalayaan Residence Hall, my dorm in UP, held a Pasalubong Festival (Pasa Fest, in short) yesterday where dormers brought the specialties of their regions. Pasalubong is a Filipino term for a traditional homecoming gift, so everything yesterday was given for free to everyone, dormers and visitors alike.

Kiddie-Party-themed Acquaintance Party

Last night, I attended the kiddie-party-themed acquaintance party of our corridor.

Yes, it is already the second semester. Yes, it is a little too late to "get to know" each other in our floor. But, surprisingly, there were people that I only met as a co-corridor last night. It was both weird and satisfying. Weird because we have been passing by each other without eye contact and never knowing what we have in common. Satisfying because I met new people and not just new faces. At least I am now sure that I am in the midst of more awesome people, right? As I always say, better late than never.

First floor girls kids again for the night. 

Congrats, again, UP Pep!

I just read that the Philippine Cheerleading Team won third place in the mixed cheer category in the 2011 Cheerleading World Championship held in Hong Kong over the weekend. The UP Pep Squad led the Philippine team and this is their second win for the year. I hope that in the next CWC, the Philippines will bag the championship. FTW!

Here is the performance of the Philippine Team. Enjoy!

The UP Pep Squad also participated in other categories. Studio 23 and Balls will air this year's CWC, according to ABS-CBN Sports' Facebook page.

Congratulations UP Pep Squad! Congratulations Team Philippines!

BTW, I got them from CoolBuster.net and IAmJammed.com.

It's My Fifth

What's supposed to happen now?

UP has welcomed me and my fellow freshmen to our second semester in college. But unlike the last semester, we finally experienced the reality of enrollment for every isko. But if you want to know, you have to go through it first. I just think that it is harder to understand something that is explained than something that is experienced. But at the end of the day, the feeling of satisfaction after being officially enrolled is just ecstatic.

And yes, my Form 5 was signed by none other than Doc Q. FTW!

I got paid zero!

UP Fight!

I finally have a school to cheer on and they are the winning team, in the cheerdance competition of course.

Let's give it up to the University of the Philippines Pep Squad for bagging another championship in the Samsung UAAP Cheerdance Competition (CDC)! I am so proud of the UP Pep Squad, of being part of the UP community and of myself for choosing UP, in the first place.

So here's a post dedicated to the UP Pep Squad. UP Fight!

Click on the picture to get the full effect of a .gif file. I got this from Tumblr (c) to its rightful owner

The whole squad went blonde for this year's performance, which was Madonna-inspired. For weeks, I have seen the cheerleaders and their -dos looked so stunning and striking, even from afar.

My Rock Star Teacher

"You 'kinda' like his discussion today. Just kinda?" Val quipped at me.

"Well, yeah. I guess so," I replied.

"You have got to be kidding me. I like all of his discussions! Social Science 2 is my favorite class and, yes, he is my favorite teacher. And you just 'kinda' like today's discussion?"

Our Social Science 2 class just finished. We were walking out the Palma Hall building as we talked. I have to get to another building soon because I have a long examination waiting for me on the next period. As I walked down the avenue, I can't help myself from replaying my conversation with Val.

Of Exams

I am (brain) dead for the night.

Today, I took my second long examinations in Chemistry 16 in the morning and Trigonometry late in the afternoon. Chemistry is considered as one of my major subjects, weighing a hefty five units. The long exams I have taken with this subject would be worth more than a hundred points. On the other hand, Trigonometry is lighter in weight and has exams worth just about 50 points. But do not be fooled by the point systems. Both subjects are as complex as ever.