Mantianak Botanical Garden and Zoological Park | Misamis Oriental

If you're looking for a place to be reconnected with animals and enjoy the diversity of this kingdom,  you don't have to go as far as Manila Zoo anymore. The Mantianak Zoo Eco-Park in Misamis Oriental is one of the growing tourism hubs in the province, housing around 80 different kinds of animals. The zoo is located in Sugbongcogon which is about 90 minutes drive from Cagayan de Oro City.

Visiting to zoos is an interesting thing. Though, I have to say that this is probably just the second time that I went to a zoo. And I went here with my family 'cause I also want to see a tiger. According to the zookeeper, the tigers eat about 8-10 kilos of meat everyday to stay healthy and remain strong. 

This place is great for the family's leisure time. They have an area where children can just play around and ride the donkey. It can also be a good spot for recreation as it also has a playhouse and a mini-zipline adventure for children. The zipline only costs 30 pesos.

The entrance fee in Mantianak Zoo is 100 pesos for adults and 50 pesos for children. It's surely going to be worth it as you get a closer look at the beauty of flora and fauna in its most accessible state.

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Asenso Iliganon: The 2013 Business Month Celebration of Iligan City

“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” -  J.K. Rowling

In a resolution approved by the City Government of Iligan City last August 22, 2011, the month of October was declared as the Business Month of the fortress city of the south, marking October a month of highlight celebration for budding entrepreneurs and businessmen who all contribute in the economic growth of Iligan.  The celebration, which is also called ‘Asenso Iliganon’, showcases the limelight of an empowered resident of Iligan who takes pride in embodying the values, character and resiliency of a true Iliganon. Asenso Iliganon imbibes the message of excellence and development that Iliganons should live in their visions.

The Business Month Celebration is inspired with many visions.  These are the following:

  - To revitalize the trade and commerce in the City of Iligan by bolstering its image as the new Investment Destination of Mindanao
- To provide an avenue for the local business  sector for crafting their own visions, missions, plans and strategies which could enhance the business climate in Iligan
- To institutionalize the holding of business conference/conventions, regularize trade exhibits, and strengthen the opportunity of the small players (small and medium entrepreneurs to showcase their products
- To strategically perk up the economic activities that increase the sales of products and services of local stakeholders in the conduct of business activities and the entire month of festivity. 
- To bolster the interest of the local stakeholders that will spur economic development , thereby increasing  investor confidence in the local government unit
- To encourage the local stakeholders to conduct festivities and business activities through international and national conventions , seminars, trainings, exhibits trade fairs and congress in order to ensure a steady stream of customers and buyers of local products

The City of Iligan has a lot to look forward for this 2013. With the new set of city government officials, the promise to economic lift has been relived.

This year’s Asenso Iliganon celebration is not far-fletched from this goal. Just like last year, the city will be showered with different business opportunities for both micro-scale entrepreneurs and businessmen in the metro.  Here is the activity schedule for the month of October:

The Iligan Night Market

To start with, the re-opening of the Night Market is a good sign in the direction of Iligan City’s cooperative business-friendly climate for micro-enterpreneurs. The Night Market do serve as the avenue for SMEs to showcase their products. With the gaining popularity of second-hand clothes or ukay-ukay along with street vendors and mobile stores, the Night Market is still a trendy spot for night-goers who just simply want to have a taste of Iligan’s best during the night.

Certainly, the Night Market has been a one-stop hub for would-be enterpreneurs and is a great avenue to introduce their product lines to the Iliganons and tourists.

Social Media for Business Summit

We all know how internet has transformed the socio-political landscape of today. It has made information reach the other side of the world in a matter of seconds. Apparently, the social media is one effective avenue for marketing business precisely because it’s the best point of convergence for people.

Indeed, major information outlets such as television channels and newspaper companies are already tapping on the power of social media in for the channelling of their products to their consumers. They wouldn’t have to go to the offices of these companies for inquiries or even purchase of their products. Sometimes, you can even make a purchase online and they will do all the shipping and delivery.

The Social Media for Business Summit aims to give first-hand information on how to optimize the use of social media for businesses. An effective social media marketing plan will surely get a boost for businesses and this summit will look at that opportunity to give a boost to the local stakeholders here in Iligan City.

The Iligan Business Night

The Iligan Business Night is the meeting of the city’s prime businessmen and leaders from different organizations and industries. It’s a night for socialization and networking where these entrepreneurs can meet-up and talk about the different strategies in businesses. One of the main highlights of Iligan Business Night is the group activity wherein participants will be divided into different groups and they will have to come up with diverse and unique business ideas that the city could possibly tap.

More than that, it also re-establishes a firm network of collaboration for the different owners of businesses and industry representatives. The value of cooperation shouldn’t be undermined and the private sector must be full-force in envisioning their corporate goals with the development of Iligan City.

Iligan Business Unity Fun Run

Organized by the Iligan Bay Chamber of Industries, the Business Unity Fun Run is on its 2^nd year of implementation right now. The activity aims to send the message of unity in engaging into physical activities while imbibing the vision of development towards the city.

This fun run will be graced not just by the enterpreneurs of the city. This is open for registration to everyone who wanted to participate in this event for Iliganons. It inspires the message that in order for people to be successful, they have to be healthy and active in pursuing their goals.

The Trade SME Fair

Image Courtesy of 'Iligan in Focus'

Other than the Night Market, the Trade SME Fair also envisions the empowerment of micro-scale enterprises and small businesses through showcasing of their products to the Iliganons. The Trade Fair exhibits happen at the 2^nd Floor of the Gaisano Mall from October 11-13, 2013.

With this, people will be given the chance to get to know better the existing products and services that they can take pride from here in Iligan City. It’s also worth noting that in fairs like this, we are able to bring forward the unique and growing products of Iligan City such as the Piaya de Iligan. This is where the humble beginnings of Sukang Pinakurat and Cheding’s Peanuts happened.  

These are just some of the highlight events of the 2013 Business Month Celebration. There are still a lot more to look forward to and you have all the options in attending the event of your choice.

The launching of this year’s Iligan Business Month is set this October 7 at the Anahaw Amphitheatre.  The event will be attended by the city’s dignitaries most especially the City Mayor and the rest of the local government officials. This will then be followed by a motorcade and a press conference.

Asenso Iliganon is more than just a celebration. It’s a movement for an empowered Iliganon who strong-willed enough in speaking for the truth and be dynamically involved.

The success of Iligan City lies on the collaborative efforts of its constituents and Asenso Iliganon is a perfect avenue to show our active participation with the city’s activities. There’s no other way but looking at this as an opportunity of coming together and celebrate Iliganon’s empowerment.  

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Footprints of the Skeptic in Camiguin Island

I've been to a couple of travels lately and I feel guilty not being able to blog about it. I still say that travelling is my only luxury, though I don't  feel pride with the veracity of the "onliness". 

In the last week of April, I went to Camiguin Island with three of my friends who are game enough about it. Good thing, the trip became a catalyst for us to realize that we wanted to take more travels together in the future. And so we booked a flight to Boracay and and we'll be taking an international vacation next summer. Hopefully, the HK trip will be pursued. 

So much for it, yes we kinda prepared for this trip. And the biggest proof for that is our pesudo-meeting which ended up with me doing the rest of the job.

And with all the prior research done, here is the itinerary that I made! I actually followed Pinoy Adventurista's template but I made some adjustments. 

TRAVEL ITINERARY TO CAMIGUIN

1^ST DAY APRIL 27, SATURDAY

ASSEMBLY: JOLIBEE AGORA, 6 AM

06:30 AM - CDO - Balingoan
08:30 AM - ETA at Balingoan Ferry Terminal
08:45 AM - ETD for Camiguin
09:45 AM - ETA in Camiguin
10:00 AM – Benoni Port to Ferabrel Resort
10:30 AM - Check-in / Fix things / Lunch

10:30 AM – Mantigue Island
03:30 PM - Katibawasan Falls
04:30 PM - Sunken Cemetery

05:00 PM – Back to Hotel / Prepare for Dinner

06:00 PM – Ardent Hot Spring

08:00 PM – Go back to Ferabrel Resort

2^ND DAY APRIL 28, SUNDAY

06:30 AM – Wake-up call

07:00 AM – Free Breakfast at Resort

07:30 PM – ETD to White Island

08:00 AM – ETA in White Island
11:30 AM - ETD from White Island

2:00 PM – Shop for Souvenirs

02:30 PM – Ferabrel Resort

03:30 PM – Pack-up things / Bound to Benoni Port

03:45 PM – ETA in Benoni

04:00 PM – ETD from Benoni to CDO

06:00 PM – ETA in Agora Bus Terminal

Notes:

ETA – Estimated Time of Departure

ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival

Expenses

These are just some of the major expenses that we have incurred individually. The prices vary most especially for accommodation and transportation rentals. 

We just died after tasting the awesome Kangkong in Paras Beach Resort

We didn't account the food expenses because we were not in budget for the food in this travel. But I'm sure there are a lot of affordable food around the area. I just think that the best way to get closer to an area's cuisine is to try their best dishes. It's a matter of balancing the cost. That doesn't mean you have to always go expensive. 

There are a lot of restaurants in the island. And they take pride from the best seafood dishes that they have, which is why all of my friends agreed that the best meal in the trip was the one taken in Mantigue Island.

In Mantigue Island,we ate grilled Bangus, seaweeds and shells. I really love the whole setting of eating with the fresh air all around, and it just feels so stress-free. You can forget all of the problems in this area, most especially with the food that they offer. 

But of course, you can also find awesome food in other restaurants. 

One of the most memorable restaurant that we visited is the J & A Fishpen and I've read about this place in a review made by my friend. But her review and mine seems to be in the opposite directions. 

This place seems to be not-so-friendly to customers. They offer you a menu but almost everything that you order is unavailable. So what's the point of giving the menu, right? Plus, they charged us for the cottage. So we left the place instantly because we don't want our day to be ruined. And we feel sorry for the "trisikad" driver who drove our way to the place. We still owe him. But since we haven't tried their servings. I wouldn't be too mean to say you shouldn't go here. 

Anyway, we always charge bad vibes to experience. 

More than the food, Camiguin Island is well-known for its white sand beaches. To tell you the truth, the main island doesn't have any white beaches at all. But there are two islands set off from the mainland that boasts its powdery white sand beaches. 

This is in White Island. It's a pure sandbar in the sea, purely sand with no trees and all. You have to rent a boat that costs P400.00 round-trip and it can accommodate 4-6 people. It's just really a kilometer away from the Paras Beach Resort so it was an advantage on our side. Philip was kinda hesitant of going to the sandbar but I think he enjoyed it well, most importantly in this photo.

I think the best time to go there is 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon. That way, it's not too hot and you wouldn't have to waste too much on sunblock. Save it for a whole day in Mantigue Island.

In the White Island, all people are advised to leave by 4 pm. Even those people selling in the area also go back to the mainland. Now I'm not sure if there's a history of this island disappearing during the night but what I do know though is that there's a similar case in Agutayan Island. 

This is the setting when we left the area. 

I had it big 'cause this is my favorite photo of the island.

Other than the White Island, we also went to other tourist attractions in the mainland of Camiguin. Travelling around Camiguin mainland is something that you can do in just one day. You just have to rent a cab or a motorcycle in the Benoni Port and you're good to go. If you wanted to enjoy the best of the place though, bring some friends with you. I think solo backpacker stories and barkada trips are way different. But for a place like Camiguin, it would be a lot more fun to be with your friends or family. I mean, would you really enjoy swimming in these very nice beaches alone?

This is the restaurant in the Taguines Lagoon, somewhere near J & A Fishpen, definitely a walking distance from the Benoni Port. This is where we went after that misery in the orders in J & A. 

From what I've researched, Taguines Lagoon is actually man-made. Aside from the 2 restaurants around the area, you can also opt to go ziplining. 

Fishing in the lagoon is a perfect afternoon chill most especially because it's adjacent to the shoreline, complementing a perfect sunset view. 

While we were on our way to the Sunken Cemetery, we passed by this "Mahiwagang Bato", as how Jolo would call it. I have seen a couple of my friends who went to Camiguin before taking a picture in this place so upon seeing this view, I instantly asked the driver to stop so that we can take pictures. 

Our goal for the trip is to visit the main attractions. I know there are other not-so-popular places to go and I wanted to profile them sometime. But it takes guts against safety, money for solo backpacking because not all of your friends would certainly want to go risky explorations and most importantly time. 

The main highlight of our trip is the half-day in Mantigue Island. We went there in a Sunday morning. It's also the very reason why I could hardly finish this blog because I feel like we have too many experiences to account for in the island. We did snorkeling, forest trekking, Syok Sendiri, chat with other tourists, ate seafood and many others. We just felt like spending the entire day in the island to chill  if not that we have a trip to Balingoan to catch. Let the photos tell the rest of the story. 

And that ends our Camiguin trip. We had a lot of fun. Everything is amazing. We've been to some places where we didn't take pictures like Ardent Hot Spring Resort and Guiob Church Ruins. 

One of my favorite photo subjects every time I travel is sunset. Sunsets are naturally beautiful. They just give us a colorful end to a day. But more than that, sunsets remind us that regardless of how colorful the days of our lives are, everything is bound to end. And what matters more is we get to enjoy every fold of it.

On another side, it tells us that temporary goodbyes mark new beginnings, that we have tomorrows to look forward for. And our interpretation of it defines our attitudes towards life. Our next trip together is in Boracay this December. 

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at 22 :)))

Yes, I'm turning 22 today!

At 22, I must say that I've been through a lot. But after all, I'm still alive and kicking. And I don't think there's something that can make me feel too bad about something. I'm happy and I've learned to be and I will always try to be. I'm young and this world deserves my smile. On the other end, I must say that the greatest accomplishment probably at this age is maturity. I think I've been through the worst and the best and what I just simply wanna do now is live in the middle of everything. But here is a list of the things that I have done (at least those I can remember) since my last year's birthday.

• Try some extreme adventures (upside down ziplining at Maria Christina, Oblation pose at the top of a dangerous baluster in Maribago Resort, climbed the topmost cliff of Dodiongan Falls, swam against the rapids of Tinago,etc.)
• Do/encountered some weird things (wore nursing shoes and played against the waves in Centennial Beach with Ate Shugs. we literally got many bruises after this one, special pizza delivery, confronted a thief in a fastfood chain, writing a pile load of complaint letters, got chased by a psycopath, almost got drowned in Tinago, etc.)
• Being a freelance speaker. (Biodiversity Forum, Blogging Seminar in XU, Mechanized Infantry Brigade, JCI and other environmental and peace forums. )
• Getting lost/left. (I got lost in an EFL country. I was accidentally left in Sec Cup. Me, Karen and two other friends got lost somewhere in a forest/park uptown in CDO in search of a pool. 
• Reunion/Pleasure trip/Travels. (Iloilo with Mel, Mark, Kez and Mik. Sierra Madre/Cordillera/Quezon/Laguna - DYEA. Baguio City / PACSA. Bohol /Itransform. Cebu (3 times) /Internship/Plant tour and Itransform, Indonesia and Singapore) 
• Winning Contests (2 Int'l (Concern and IBC), 3 Nationals and a couple of local). 
• Got hired as social media associate, aside from my web dev't work. 
• Met new friends. (JCI, Rotaract Uptown, Silahis, 350, DYEA, IBS, and many others) I'm very thankful to all of them. 

I also have a lot of rejections, frustrations and heartbreaks and that's very natural. We just don't have to focus on the negative things. I really like the rise from ashes stories. Be optimistic 'cause whether we like it or not, there's always a positive side of everything. At 22, I'm happy and I wanted to continue what I have started. :)))  

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Realizing Developmental Agenda through Empowerment of Youth Potentials

 “Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake … and to face the challenge of social change.”  - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The slopes of social participation have been slowly changing. The bureaucratic barriers of politics have been slimmed. The direction of national development is now more decentralized. And the rights of the once unheard are now in the ladder of mainstream attention.

Each of these things symbolizes the political revolution that the youths of today are experiencing. The facet of empowerment now trails to the grassroots of the community, catalyzing the strength of a social agenda by vibrant participation.

Technology: Benchmark in Harnessing Youth Potentials

The advancement of technology earmarks the new generation of transformational youths. The digital age has been a living combat to the accusation that a commoner will always remain unheard. As we continue to cave the path of social innovations, we give voices to people who have an unbiased view of the socio-political landscapes in status quo. Technology abridges youths to be instruments of national development with their fresh ideas and unique innovations. With social media, we engage more people to become more responsive to national issues because we can prop information in the open. 

Corollary to that, we can utilize a rich multimedia content to facilitate awareness programs through websites and graphic creations. That way, we’re harnessing human potentials and talents to educate people about different advocacies. And a perfect example of which is on how Twitter and Facebook can be used to improve transparency in elections.  Through the use of mobile phones and its applications, youths are empowered with rights to protect their votes through facilitated reporting of electoral violations. With more accountability and transparency in governance, we can inadvertently seal a better promise to development through active civil vigilance.

(taken from http://infworm.com/become-a-young-leader)

Participative Youths in Social Innovations

In development, the best way to move forward is to learn from our history.  And it is the history of having a centralized power that hinders us in becoming involved in the process of carving solutions. With the borderless ideas that we have in a more globalized world, we also have a platform of infinite possible solutions to the diverse problems.

And we have more empowered youths in the micro-scale who are taking their own initial steps to improve their communities. We have community projects about liter of lights, flood barriers, artificial coral reefs, awareness programs to handicapped people, and many more. These projects should be profiled by the state and be tied-up with private corporations who are willing to fund these community programs.  In this manner, we empower genuine solutions to problems in grassroots level.

Investment to Youth for Labor Force and Knowledge Production

Scholarships and subsidies to state universities return a promise of national progress.  The state should continue to offer vocational and non-vocational programs for the youths with varying interests. The state’s role is to offer options for the youths to harness and improve their raw talents to be able to contribute to the state in the future. In a way, youths will be developed individually with their fueling desire and passion.

If we open our eyes in seeing what youths can do, we will realize that we’re keying in an eminent social driver who will rule the change to development. If we re-live the youth of the past, awaken the youth of today, and empower the youth of our future, we will live in a community that is more responsive to the global challenge of making development a social culture.  

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Strolling in Iloilo

Last February, I found myself strolling in Iloilo City. This was probably my first trip out of guilty pleasure and  it turned out that everything was just worth it. 

The first thing that I could say about Iloilo City is that it has a lot of monuments and ancient churches. I could really say that the city must have gone through some rich history. And I think beyond that, the people love the way they preserve these monuments. This can be shown by how preservation efforts of these areas were also very apparent. 

I love photo walks. I just think that the best images are captured in their most natural angles. This is one of the busiest circles in Iloilo. I remember being here when I was 12 years old and nothing has really changed a lot. 

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I and my bestfriend Mel went to the Filipino-Chinese street. Since Dinagyang Festival has just ended, the highway was closed to give way to the festivities. It was a perfect opportunity for bikers and people who love walking to take the street freely. During regular days, this highway is labeled as one of the busiest highways of Iloilo City. 

THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN AT THE ILOILO ESPLANADE

Here is my bestfriend, Mel. We call each other 'Bee'. And I'm always happy to have her around. She's probably one of the most talented people I know. The girl was a band vocalist before and she knows how to play the piano. She's an artist and she draws very well. Indeed she had her painting and poster exhibit in a mall in Bacolod last year. And she's very great at photography, photo and video editing. At the bottom of all these things, she told me to never settle in mediocrity. We were partners in almost all projects in our summer school in US and sometimes, she edits my work and make it excellent. We take crazy vids together, dance and sing together in our cultural performances, as well as talk about crazy stuff in the bus. I think she's someone I can easily relate to. She was the one who told me that excellence is a virtue and we should always strive to be in our best shape for everything.

This is the other side if I take a photo from the cathedral. The photo of the cathedral above was taken just right across this street. Actually, that tower out there is in a dinosaur park. I just didn't take a photo of the dinosaurs because they kinda lost their aesthetic values. 

And then we did our traditional jump shots. 

Everything was fun in Smallville, the party capital of Iloilo City. 

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Music and Rants

On Graffiti

One of the things that I really like about our school is the presence of many graffiti. And I'm not really one of those people who are fond of doing the writing, 'cause according to my high school teacher and with the help of my friend Philip, that's is called Barbarism. But as of the moment, I don't wanna call it that way. I think a graffiti is a creative expression of thought. It gives us different perspectives of people on things that possibly, they can't say straightforward and for any other reason. 

For the upcoming days, I'm going to share to you some of the interesting graffiti here in our school, most particularly those that I find in the College of Engineering, Arts and Sciences and also in the School of Engineering Technology. 

02.03.2013

On the first day of our search for awesome graffiti in school, here's what I found. "Lisud ang COE?" Along with a couple of my friends, all we found are kinda nasty graffiti since those about love were covered by the new painted walls in colleges already. 

On Dress Code

I'm not a fan of dress code, and I'm blunt about that. I don't think it's necessary most especially in the context of a State U. Of course, I'm rational enough to understand that private schools like Sanitarium has to impose one since obviously, it's kinda in line with the fact that all of the students there are medical studes and the administration take it as part of their uniform. And I also consider that it's a reasonable reminder for flirty girls to not wear shorts in school and cave in their professor's vulnerabilities, only then to justify why shorts are called as such. And hands down to efficient private schools like Xavier who have successfully shown how their school uniforms complement the cleanliness of their campus. 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we should have a school uniform too 'cause I know it's going to be an overnight landmine digging a rage of financial complaints by tomorrow. What I'm saying is you can't have it both ways. You can't say that you allow it but only to a certain extent. Why do we allow the wearing of hijabs during board exams? It is because we respect differences in religious views and the state preserves that value. If the same state upholds freedom of choice and the exercise of that choice as long as no one is harmed, why do we allow a policy that constrains individual freedom of expression of the studentry?

Yes it is. A person's way of clothing himself is a way of self-expression. It's not claiming luxury to wear red hair in school if you want to, unless some hair colors can kill your seatmate or blind your professor. On that point, that would be a big harm and we don't want that too. And wearing earrings as a guy shouldn't  bother your teacher on becoming a good teacher, neither you becoming a member of the A-Team for topping the Dean's List, if your only goal is to look like a Japanese Pop Star. 

If you wanna go in school living under the theme, "Everyday is Korea!", in a perfect winter clothing match for a sunny afternoon, why would the school care? We call this school a world-class institution, but we don't allow borderless interests. It's when you attempt to homogenize expression inside the context of that learning institution that you begin hampering the exploration of a non-mainstream knowledge. Obviously because you look at students as students and not as individuals who have different affinities, interests and possibilities. 

When I went to UPLB last November for an exclusive tour on biotechnology, I saw this guy who looks like Bob Marley. He was so into his music with his earphones on, and  singing along 'Budotz' music while walking. And I'm not going to talk about the earphones because that's going to trap my stance in a deadlock. I'm talking about his long Rapunzelish hair that I kinda find cool. Who knows, right? Maybe the guy, that you think is a member of the ghetto rasta is the school's official OA. Over-Achiever. 

What if my pants, my only pants, were bitten by rats one night and I was left with no any other friggin' choice? Will the guards let me in, granting that I'm late for an Elay class, and the holes in my pants are not Dalmatian 101 designs, for God's sake? Unfortunately, they're not as considerate as they were. 

And I'm going to show you why their dress code is only based on the weather of the day. 

Wait. I'm not going to mention anymore how they allow sexy girls to get in only if they're sexy enough on their standards. I'm also not going to mention that the dress code is not being imposed to people who have cars. It's sad to think that there are no guards roaming around the campus to check if the dress code is being followed. I tell you, I change to sandos and wear earrings in campus, but it's totally fine. But it's the same security body that has guards everywhere to check if you're wearing an ID. 

So let me get into that. An ID is only necessary when there's a need for identification. Therefore, that's at most reasonable for IDs to be inspected at the gate. But why is UP and any other school in the Philippines not doing what IIT is doing - which is again, assigning guards to roam around and look for who's wearing the ID or not?

"What if giigang ko diri tungod sa ID sling? " Let's be open-minded guys. There are various reasons why a student can't wear his ID in school and we're just wasting pennies on paying a guard to do that. Or maybe it's just another profit-making scheme to collect 20 pesos every time someone  is caught not wearing the ID. 

What if I go for lunch for a while in IDS canteen at the midst of a stressful laboratory exercise  in Chemistry Department?  What if you have to bring something to a friend to CASS while your ID is in Physics Lab attached to your borrower's slip? Will these guards listen to these valid excuses? Or are we again up for an irrational policy that is mandated from an upperhand somewhere?

Why are we required to wear ID in the narrow Exit Gate? Isn't it their very own failure if they had let an outsider go inside the campus? "Nagkaguot na ang mga tao sa gamay na exit, inspectionun pa jud tagsa2 kung nag-wear ug ID. " Have you ever asked what they are looking for?

No ID, No Exit Policy. Only in our School, Our World-Class School - Creator of Unique and Creative School Policies. 

On Music

Never settle in mediocrity. Compete to nobody else but yourself. Your place in this world is not going to be secured by someone else - but you. 

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Old Photographs and Written Stories

The story of a wallflower, the perks of being the one unnoticed, the life of a Charlie in his freshman high school year with his graduating senior high school friends... Aren't we pretty like Charlie at one point in our lives? These are some of the lines in the movie that I particularly like. 

"And the people in the photographs always seem a lot happier than you are."

I believe that genuinely happy people don't have to assert that they're happy for people to think that they really are. If they do, there probably is a gap somewhere.And that gap will prove that they're not as happy as how they want to paint it for others. There must be some insecurity somewhere. And it's true that people in the photographs always seem a lot happier than we are. Maybe it's because everything that happens right now will all end up as stories. And by the time we happen to share our own story, we wanted to paint it as happy as it was when it really isn't. 

"We accept the love we think we deserve"

We all deserve the love that we get, so much so that our relationships are reflections of how we act on love and its tails. It's so easy to mask a perfect relationship. It's so easy to pretend that you're happy when you truly aren't. So you always have to ask yourself, "Are you happy with the love that you have right now? Or is it only because it's the love that you think you can have on that moment, and you're still longing for someone else?"

"I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with people even if they could have. I need to know that these people exist."

In this kind of world, it's difficult to solicit one line of interest with someone else. You can't have all the time to catch one's person's attention and ask him to listen to you. And I really like people who have the time to listen. Because sad to say, this world is full of conceited people who have so much to say about themselves, and there's very less of  those who are willing to listen heartfelt. Sometimes, they do it out of obligation. They listen out of fear that they might lose you, or they might lose a position in something or what. Regardless of what it is, we always look for those people we can find commonality with simply because we always want to be understood.

So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.

If there's one thing that I have learned lately, it is to be honest with how I feel about things. I don't wanna fake out emotions only to appeal to people that you like or feed on to their expectations. I'm tired of social validations and judgments that will always exist regardless of whether you do anything or you do nothing. The best thing that you can do is be real and see what these people have to say. For on such same moment, you can perfectly pick the right persons worthy of keeping.

“Sometimes people use thought to not participate in life.”

There it is. Who does standardize what life there is to participate in anyway? The lines are blurry because what could be the standard to life of a party animal is different from a thought-mover whose access to life is founded by his thoughts. But then again, we can't homogenize the platform.We can't even say if we're living the life we're supposed to be living right now. 

But one thing I'm sure - all these things are going to turn out as stories. And me right now, writing the life that others are living, is certainly happening. I just have to feel that my world isn't about me sometimes. 

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Must-Watched TV series: A Countdown Review

Television is probably one of the greatest inventions of  humans. And I claim that on the perspective of how it  is able to catalyze future innovations that are based on parallel models, as well as how television has shaped mindsets, values and cultures. Media can affect how a society works. And as much as we argue that what transpires in the television are reflections of day-to-day observations in our daily lives, it can actually come across the other way around. And it is that maybe it has also changed our beliefs to how its creators want us to imagine what our societies should be. This is the singularity approach of enticing the social subliminal consciousness and wanting to slowly simulate a transforming society that is bound by elevations from the current set-up that we have.  

Recently, I have been very hooked to Hollywood TV series, commonly those produced by CW. They really set the bar high when it comes to television production. Since they air only one episode in a week, they are able to produce quality productions. Comparing it here in the Philippines wherein media companies tend to produce so many television series, it could reach to a point that it's becoming more blunt that creativity is dwindled with the repetitiveness of the  story lines. If they just got themselves stacked with one good baseline plot and dynamically look at different dimensions of the characters, which is the case in US, they would have had come up with better television series that would last through the years. 

ARROW

Arrow is a story about a billionaire brat in Starling City who got stranded in an uncharted island for 5 years. Everyone thought that he died together with his father in a yacht accident. After having surpassed the threats in the island and got through an unexpected rescue by some Chinese fishermen, he goes back to the city with a mission. And that is to correct the mistakes of his father by fighting crimes and corruption based on a mysterious list. With his bow and arrow skills at hand, will he be successful in toppling those who go against his line? 

Arrow is so far our typical Thursday watch not just for my classmates but also here in the pad. It is full of action with interesting twists in the story - on how his long time bestfriend Tommy found his way to Oliver's ex-girlfriend Laurel's heart, how Laurel still love Oliver despite being in relationship with Tommy, how Oliver's sister Thea is madly in loved with Tommy, or how Oliver's mother sabotaged the yacht incident and is one of the culprits in the city's horrific business scheme, and all other things. People of all ages should watch this awesome show.  

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

If you're fond with reading reviews before you even watch a certain television series, for sure you'll never miss recommendations in watching this talk-of-the-town sitcom. How I Met Your Mother, consistently on the top of rating charts, is an eccentrically humorous show about a father in the year 2030 narrating a story to his son and daughter about how he met their mother. The episodes will kill you laughing, though it's unrealistic     on some moments. An example of which is the aquarium with a scuba diver that shows up every time someone gets dizzy or hallucinatory. But then, who really cares right? If you need a good laugh, then this is the right show for you.

GOSSIP GIRL

Gossip Girl is kinda interesting. But if you're busy with academic matters and more, don't start watching. You might get hooked up on this. You'll realize later on that Gossip Girl is actually a guy, idiot. The show starts with this famous line, "Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan Elite." I like Serena, a lot to the point that I come to stalk her every single day in different social media platforms. Some people are just so good at turning their sexy angles on and wear them naturally. GG has been acclaimed for its critical success in fashion influence and putting New York in the spotlight. XOXO

Here are some of the other TV series that you could check on. It would be better if you read on reviews or read the plot. You can also have a catch of its trailers. These three series are still on air and you can watch episodes online. But if there's one thing I'm sure of - it is that these shows will never fail you. 

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

CSI

GREY'S ANATOMY 

Hopefully, Philippines could come up with better television shows now, more than just the repetitive 'Other Woman' stories. There are lots of creative film directors in the competitive sea so they should be tapped. After all, these television shows can affect upbringings, perceptions and values. Their effects should never be missed out, as much as we want to advocate what's ours first over the others. But with a comparative mind, nothing beats the lenses of curiosity and weighing what's worth watching after all. 

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