Author: Vanessa Martinez

I first entered UPLB with a heavy heart because I did not have any trust in my self or to my skills and I didn’t know exactly what college life has in store for me. I was very anxious at first because of that.

On the second week of our weekly writes for our DEVC11 blog, different categories were given to us and we were asked to rate ourselves based on our skills for that category. I rated myself objectively and I realized that, unfortunately, I have a plethora of things to improve.

After how many months of travails and hardships, the semester has finally ended. Looking at myself and to my skills, I can say that I improved in some categories such as in being industrious and intelligent. If I were to rate myself again at this point of the semester, then I can give myself an uno (from two) for those categories. I also kept my passion in reading books. Although we were bombarded by many readings, I still managed to read my favorite stories when I have the time. The semester did not kill my love and passion for reading, instead, it made me more eager to read books.

There are many things that I need to pass through in order to be a great development communicator in the future, and, if there is something I am hoping for the future, that is for my skills to improve. As I move to another higher level, I know that the things that I learned in DEVC11 will be of great help. Some of my skills will be polished and I will learn new, important things. In the future, my new set of learnings will be vital for me to get a perfect rating (hopefully) for every skill or category.

https://drive.google.com/a/up.edu.ph/file/d/1-IA3SOw4HaFxNNP_d-CT2BB56cqVkXFk/view?usp=drivesdk

Christmas is the best time of the year. It is the season of love and laughter, the sesason of the December lights and the season of toys and joys. Watch how the Los Baños community unwrap the december magic by lighting up the christmas tree found in the University of the Philippines Los Baños!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eteeC7MP3zIXrfysy4wTbJOIg4Hj-mWP/view?usp=sharing

Dear past self,

Having been standing at the periphery of high school and college life, I know you are confused as to what college life has in store for you. Several dramas await you, so I will give you pieces of advice for you to be prepared and to overcome those.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FOUeycvoZXlrV440o1W5ebtUJTPODXyJ/view?usp=sharing

• Take down notes

The first thing you should do is to take down notes because not everything can be found in the powerpoint presentations of your professors. Also, even if you have a great memory, you cannot remember everything your professor says. In taking down notes, jot down only the relevant things and not everything that the professor says. Effective note taking skills will help you focus and remember more.

• Read books, not memes

Sure, memes are a way to find happiness during your dark and gloomy days, however, too much memes can take your focus away from reading books. Books are a gateway to another dimension. When you read, you will get varied thoughts about something because books can show you different perspectives in life.

• Study in advance

Cramming is not effective for you. I have truly realized that after the nonstop “I should have study earlier” mindset that I always think of every time I get to know my exam scores. Study smarter, not harder. Study in advance, and do not pull an all nighter the night before the exams.

• Have enough sleep

If you do not have enough sleep, then you couldn’t focus on everything that you are about to do. The demands of college life may be tough, and you might not have the time to study in advance, or to do the tremendous amount of work, but I think there are situations that could be solved by applying the concept of time management. Getting enough sleep is one of its benefits.

• Be patient enough

Sometimes, things do not go as planned. There will always be rejections, snafus, problems, dramas and many more, and that’s okay. You should be patient enough so that you don’t lose your cool easily. Deciding abruptly and being frustrated will not solve anything. Losing your temper is a way that will make you fail.

Life’s demands may be a burden: academic related problems, parents’ expectations, peer pressure, the prying eyes of our neighbors, and many others. However, we should not let life’s dramas to take a toll on us. After a tiresome week (or day), it is essential for us to recharge our batteries. One should not allow his/her life to be a continuous cycle of studies, work, studies, and work again. It is important that one knows how to “chill.” Chilling is similar to the words relaxing and unwinding. Here are the things I do that can help you learn the art of chilling.

The first thing that I do is finding a serene place with good lighting. From there, I bring my favorite book and drink with me. Once I start reading, my focus shifts from the outside world to the fantasy world. All other unnecessary thoughts fade away. My desired tranquility is attained plus, my mind is clear, at ease and away from stress.

The second one is that I watch my favorite shows. When I feel anxious and burnout, I binge watch my all-time favorite animes and tv series. I find comfort and solace just by watching the shows that give me nostalgic feels. Maybe because deep inside, I long for the time where my only problem is how to effectively convince my mom to let me stay up late at night.

The last thing that I do is decluttering. A clean environment contributes to the creation of a clear mind. Since I feel stressed when my workplace is messy, I declutter very often, especially in my dorm. What I do is to get rid of things that are not needed anymore, putting my things in their proper places and arranging my books and notes.

Chilling once in a while is not bad. At the end of the day, you should still do what makes you comfortable. Something that could make you feel at ease is what’s important. Do not stress yourself with little things. Everything else can be worked out, as long as we have the art of chilling within us.

All the drain leads to the ocean…so chill out and enjoy the motion!

Ana Claudia Antunes

October means halloween is just around the corner, but for many students, Halloween is in the first week of October. October 5&6 marks another season of UPCAT or University College Admission Test. Many students gathered in different UP campuses in hopes of becoming a future isko or iska. Among those hopefuls are Cristin Salcedo and Kurt Brian Daine Punzalan, both hails from San Pablo City, Laguna.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hg3jMzpmA7OhtLAY3uV8k9OYIJTwCxN3/view?usp=sharing (image link)

Cristin Salcedo is a grade 12 Humanities and Social Sciences student from San Pablo City Science High School. According to her, her dream school is Ateneo but she took the UPCAT because she doesn’t want to waste a once in a lifetime opportunity. Her course choices are Political Science, Agribusiness Management, Economics and Org Communication.

“Last na tinake namin ay reading comprehension tapos last 10 minutes na lang eh mga 310 pa lang ako. Hanggang 350 yung may shaded na abcd. Nag-iisip ako kung manghuhula na lang ba ako ng 40 items omg HAHAHAAH Tapos pagtingin ko sa last page ng booklet, hanggang 320 items lang pala yung UPCAT. Thanks God.”

This was Cristin’s most memorable UPCAT experience.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uYXPdN7EDUrHJ_X2zW5tbDgYM3VsFs9G/view?usp=sharing (image link)

Kurt Brian Daine Punzalan is a grade 12 student from San Pablo City Science Highschool taking up the strand Science, Technology, Engineering and Management. He shared that he took the UPCAT because he wanted to pursue his dream course which is Computer Science. According to him, the exam was not that hard because he was prepared for it.

No matter what the results will be, these young minds have told me that taking the UPCAT was already a success for them. They are already conditioning themselves because they only have few months left before they set foot on a heavier battle: COLLEGE.

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Exams are an inevitable part of our journey as students. Those will and will always be a part of our student life. Even though exams do not define our worth as a student, it is still important to do our best in studying. While some of us study in advance, there are still some who often spend an entire night to study the lessons for the whole semester. So, if you’re still unsure of how you can survive the exam season, most especially DevCom exams, then maybe these lifehacks can help you.

1.Do not cram – The main reason why some students cram is because of poor time management. Set a time only allotted for studying. Prioritize your exams first before anything else, especially if you will be doing something which is not as important as your exams. Study in advance so you will not cram and you can sleep early the night before the exam. This way, you will not be sleepy during the examination period and the lessons will be retained better in your memory.

2. Take a break – Do not push yourself too hard when it comes to studying. Take necessary breaks to avoid information overload. Studying all day will not help your brain retain memories. Also, get enough sleep. Do not punish yourself by studying while you’re sleepy as this will not help to make you remember the lessons well. You will most likely be stressed when you do not take breaks while studying and too much stress because of studying can result to unfortunate things like memory loss and depression.

3. Ask for help – There is nothing wrong on asking for help especially when you feel deeply burdened because of the immense stress a topic can put om you because you don’t understand it. Wanting to ask someone for help is not a weakness but a strength. Do not hesitate to ask help, either from upperclassmen, from fellow students or from your professors. Asking from help is important especially when you’re struggling in class.

4. Isolate yourself from distractions – There are many temptations everywhere. Even when you are studying, it is very easy to get distracted. A slight glimpse at your phone could result to hours of nonstop internet surfing. So, too avoid getting distracted, put your phone or gadgets away from your study area. You could also find a quiet place so that your focus will only be towards your notes. You could also try to put on some music for studying to block out the noise from your environment. If you are still easily distracted, then remind yourself of your goals for the future. Remember why you are studying and why you should ace your exams.

5. Understanding > Memorizing – Don’t just memorize something without understanding its meaning. Sticking to memorization can give you a false sense of accomplishment as it will only mean that you did well in your tests just because you memorized the terms but has no understanding of their natures and meanings.

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After weeks of nonstop procrastination, sleepless nights, battling with the heat of the sun and constantly waiting for the weekend – the time has come. My first month as a Development Communication student has passed. I still couldn’t believe how fast it was. One minute, I was packing my things for my college life. The next minute, I already passed the first month of being a college student. For that first month, I already experienced both highs and lows that college life has to offer (and many more has yet to come). Here are some of those lessons.

1. Prioritize your health – Balance your time and learn how to stop when you feel exhausted or burnout. Your health is as valuable as your grades. Know your limits and don’t push yourself too hard. Have a rest first and try not to be overwhelmed with your school works and upcoming tests.

2. It is okay to say no – Speak what you truly feel. It is okay to say no when you don’t feel like doing it. Do not be afraid. If people will cut ties with you for saying no to them, then so be it. Let them go. You can never please everyone. If they are truly your friends, they will understand you.

3. Be independent – It’s not every time that someone can go with you wherever you want to go. Learn to understand that people are busy living their lives, trying to survive college. If you want to go out and eat but you have no companion, then you should still go out and eat. Establishing a sense of independence will help you be more confident and will help you stand on your own feet.

4. Stay away from people who are bad influence – There are many kinds of people. Among those are people who can make you move ahead and those that will hold you back. If the people you are associating yourself with are among the latter, then stay away from them. If they are manipulating you, pressuring you to do things against your will and making you feel bad about something which you didn’t intend to do, then stay away from them.

5. Stop comparing yourself to others – You should learn to develop having your sense of self – worth. We are created to be different and unique, not to be clones of each other.

No matter what happens, try to enjoy college as much as possible. Your four years (or more) in college will teach you valuable lessons more than you’ll ever know.

I recently experienced my first field work as a Development Communication student. The activity that we (me and my two other classmates) have undertaken was to gather details for a Community Directory. The assigned barangay for us was Brgy. Baybayin in Los Baños City, Laguna. We obtained a list of the barangay officials and their position, the barangay’s telephone number and many more.

The three of us went to the barangay during our vacant time which was 12 pm to 1 pm. Fortunately, Brgy. Baybayin is just near the campus so we had the time to have lunch first before going there. Right after we arrived at the location, we used Google Maps to locate where the Barangay Hall was but we did not saw it. We just followed our hunch and we arrived at a nursery school. We thought that it was the barangay hall because there was a sign outside. Good thing that there was a kind passerby who told us where the barangay hall is located.

I learned a lot of things during the field work. Here are those things that you can employ for your future interviews and data gatherings:

My experience really thought me well. I cannot wait for another field work again so that I can learn new things and skills again that I can surely use in the future.

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If you’re new to Development Communication, choosing what items to pack is no easy feat. You probably realized that there are a myriad of things you need for this course. So, before setting foot on this course, take a look first at these rundown of the top 5 gems that development communicators in training always have with them get through the chaos brought by college life.

The first one to climb the list is “smartphone.” With the help of the internet, this allows students to download academic related applications and access information on the go. It can be used to search for current events since development communication students need to know the latest happenings. It is pretty handy in times of emergencies as it is used to call for help, either through text and calls or through chat. It can also be used to keep track of the time and to set reminders to beat deadlines.

Your hands will suffer the consequences of long intense hours of writing and note taking. Good thing there is a laptop. It can serve as a substitute for your notebooks and papers when you are taking down notes. Since it is very handy, you can take it with you so you can easily do your projects anytime and anywhere. Information access is also fast because it can connect to the internet so you could expect a myriad of information right at your fingertips.

Never ever store your files in your laptop and smartphone ONLY. Be sure that you have a backup storage in case something bad happens. You can use a flash drive for storing and accessing files without the internet. Among cloud services, google drive and dropbox are the most easy to navigate with. Both online platforms are protected with password so your files are definitely safe. Next time, before entrusting a file to an email you sent to your professor, copy it first to the file storage mentioned above just to be sure.

In this digital age, pen and paper are usually neglected because of the emerging technologies. However, pen and paper are still essential materials as these can be used to take down important notes. When your gadgets are already exhausted, you will still comeback to the traditional pen and paper to review or edit your notes.

Trees need sunlight to survive. Sadly you are not a tree and too much exposure to sunlight during field works is harmful to you. Also, you’ll never know if it will rain. So, to survive your fieldwork, water and umbrella are an essential.

by Zen Igaya, Vanessa Martinez and Cruzette Mejia

Los Baños – Bañamos festival held its annual Himigsikan battle of the bands event on September 20, 2019 at the General Paciano Park Gymnasium. The competition was between 8 bands, duking it out on the stage with over P25,000 on the line.

Out of the 8 bands, each had three songs and twenty minutes allotted to them, some of Laguna’s finest bands from different walks of life incorporated different styles of music and harmonies to create a festive event for the people of Los Baños.

Out of the eight, three bands would make a smashing podium finish. The first of them would be the 2^nd runner up, FTMT took home a respectable 10,000 php in cash. Their proficiency in classic rock and funk rock made their performance a great closer as the eighth performer of the night. With their kinetic rendition of ‘Banal na Aso, Santong Kabayo’, they rocked the stage and the audiences hearts.

Coming in close in the 1^st runner up spot, Musika RIzal that brought a unique twist with their sound by incorporating jazz rock through a saxophone and a synthesizer. Their fusions of r&b, reggae, and jazz rock were crowd pleasers as well as their bombastic stage presence. Each and every one of their members did not hesitate to show personality through their playing and through their expressions on stage.

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But in the end, the one to bring home the bacon would be the Maria Band, brandishing jazz sounds with brass instruments, funky bass and a melodic guitar. They were out in their uniform clothing and their energy exploded through the roof once their final song was nearing its end. Their energy, stage presence, sound and cohesion were the best of the night.