Life goes on, co-students

Every time Manila experiences heavy rains such as this, every student looks forward to one thing - suspension of classes.  No matter what reason, whether students just feel lazy to go to school because of the "cuddle" or "bed" weather, or they just need more time to accomplish all of their requirements, for whatever reason, every student looks forward to class suspension.

What comes to my mind, and probably to the minds of other Ateneans, is how adherent Ateneo to government announcements on suspension.  It has been an issue whether the local government has control over Ateneo regarding this matter or not. (You may want to read the clarification of Sanggu regarding the suspension protocol of LS here.)

I remember speaking to the LSVP, who was my professor in Statistics and is currently in sabbatical leave, with regard to how he decides on suspending classes.  As a person of Mathematics and Computer Science, he looks on the profile of the student body, where do students mostly reside and where the students usually pass to go from their location to the university, and compares it to the reports and projections of PAGASA and other entities.  If a large percentage of flooded areas involve the places where most students reside, that's when he decides on suspending the classes for the next day.

The procedure makes sense.  Looking at the numbers, if most of the locations where students reside already experience heavy rains and floods, there is really a need to cancel the classes.  But the rarity of suspensions being made by the university fills doubt among students.  We see floods go high on televisions. We hear evacuations ongoing through our social networking sites.  Yet, our dear university doesn't announce any suspension.

In my opinion, what we only see is just a portion of what the university sees.  Do we have the profile of student body? Do we have specific statistics of which of those heavily-flooded places have our co-students? I doubt we know such things to boldly claim that a lot of students are stuck in those flooded places.  Our definition of "a lot" is highly subjective and we don't hold any support to our claims.

In my opinion, CHED knows this idea that the only thing we know is the status of the location where we are. With this, CHED gives us the capability to decide among ourselves if we can make it to school or not, during these times through the memorandum being circulated online.  How professors adhere to this memorandum is a different story.

Life goes on, I say.  Instead of raging too much in our social networking sites, I think we should continue to do our responsibilities as students.  Being jealous with other universities is not inevitable but they have a different group of students, and unfortunately, their student profile is not the same as ours.

Maybe instead of writing this post, I should go back attending to my requirements. *sigh*

Comments? :D

Junior Term Abroad: A Challenging Exploration

               They were saying that one benefit of going to JTA is the taste of independence.  Independence was not a new thing to me.  I lived here in the country only with my siblings since my parents are living abroad.  However, independence in another country is a different thing.  Everything would be foreign – people, signs, culture, language. It wasn’t what I’m comfortable with.  Definitely, the experience of JTA brought me a new perspective on things and I knew myself more; academics were just a second thing to me.

You’re just one of them!

               During my stay in Korea, I met a lot of people of different nationalities and I have kept in touch with a few of them.  I have even befriended some street food vendors there.  Even though you’re so proud of being an Atenean and a Filipino, you don’t have to brag that you are foreigner on their land and you are the boss.  In the Philippines, some of us might have a mindset that we should take care of the foreigners, be hospitable to them, to give them a good impression of our country.  In other countries, you are just one of them, nothing more, but probably less.  But I don’t say that you deny being a Filipino.  You should know your position in the society.  Follow rules. Act like how they act. Learn their culture. Learn their language. Be one of them! This would give you a new perspective and understanding of things around you since you would be thinking like one of them.

Be bold and explore!

               I went to Korea, with a few Kpop groups in mind, knowing the basic Annyeong Haseyo and Kamsahamnida, and zero knowledge about Hangul.  Going into JTA made me discover and learn a new culture, foreign to me.  Having a little ammunition for the travel, this didn’t stop me in experiencing the JTA and it encouraged me to go for more.  I didn’t stop wandering around Seoul.  I even went to Gyeongju, a province on the east coast of Korea, where probably less people know how to speak English, alone.  I even tried exotic delicacies such as Sannakji, raw live octopus.  If you could go out of your dormitories for three days straight on weekends, party all night, eat fried silkworms and do bungee jumping (which I didn’t because I couldn’t), do it! If you can’t travel to another province alone here, then do it there! These are the things you can’t experience here.

Should I still study or not?

              Absolutely! Don’t forget that you’re there as a representative of Ateneo and of the Philippines.  You still have responsibility despite these opportunities.  C’mon! You have been a student for years and I’m sure you know how to multitask things without compromising any ;)

Comments? :D

My Leadership Style

I took a leadership survey from AIESEC and it tells that I am a PERFORMER.  Here are the details:


Key Characteristics:
• Goal/Results-driven
• Commitment to Results
• Personal Effectiveness
• Stakeholder Focus

You are customer and results-oriented. You know that people have limited time. Words and ideas may be important to you, but you care most about actions.

As a team member, you are effective both individually and in group work. You are most comfortable however when you have ability to drive the management and working style of the group. Your orientation toward goal achievement makes you a role model to others, and often means you will looked at as the standard for work ethic.

In a position of being a leader, your emphasis on making things happen will be important. You may find a place tracking projects, or on the ground in the thick of the action. One risk: Be careful that you don't let your focus on action go too far. It's important to plan, too!

In the workplace, your values mean that a desk job may not be for you. Perhaps you might want to make ideas reality by working in implementation teams or becoming an entrepreneur.


Now, what's your leadership style? :) Take the survey: http://bit.ly/youthspeak2015

Comments? :D