Batangas ang trip namin, yahoo!

Out of town kami sa Antipolo, Rizal! Yahoo!

    College life is a very complicated phase to anyone who only has a few years of schooling tog o before hitting the world big time. One thing that a college boy must always remember that there is a vocabulary of college-related terms that one must at all times remember. They may be universal college terminologies or those exclusive to your own college/university.

1. Course names- Today, Pinoys have an easier way to say college terms without any nose-bleeding. Usually these courses have codenames so it is easy for the students to remember. Popular codenames are POLSCI(political science), MASSCOM (mass communications), MED (medicine), IT (information technolgy), and many more. Courses exclusive to their respective schools have popular names from itys initials)  like in CSB, MMA (multimedia arts), CDA (consular and diplomatic affairs), CA (computer application), MP (muisc production), TA (theater arts), etc.

2. “Prof”-Prof is a uniquely pinoy term since in other countries, “prof” is considered vulgar since professors are greeted with undue respect. But in here, wheteher you respect your professors or not, “prof” is a better application to them (since it was their generation who started it all anyway). SO the choice is yorus if you wanna call him/her, “prof”, “professor”, or “propesor”.

3. “C-Break, U-Break-This are Lasalista terms with the former used by students of DLSU’s sister college, CSB. They’re short for College Break and University Break respectively. It’s usually a time for students to go out and make malling, eating out, or anywhere near the campus as long na di ka lalayas afterwards. Nakakabulol ang pagsabi ng college at univeristy nang paulit-ulit so it is better if we call it in shorter terms.

4. “Org”-short for organization, orgs are in a way like high school clubs except it really caters to the inetrest of the students. In Benilde (and I guess in La Salle), orgs are part of the Student Involvement Unit which are realy composed of students. Orgs were created to bring out the hidden potentials of us collegians and at such, organize events kaya nga sa TV, daming mga inaadvertise na events na sponsored ng mga college orgs. One plus side sa orgs is that they have team-building activities with venues from as far as NASUGBU and ANTIPOLO and get to now the orgmates during their overnioght stay. Oh yeah, orgs each have a wicked set of names like DEBSOC, KINO EYE, JMA, etc.

5. “EMO”- short for “emotional”, I’m much surprised that this previously exlcusive YM term have already crept into the vocabularies of everyday people. Probable cause? Maybe due to the fact that this was used by YM users on a practical basis outside the LCD screens of their computers and there you have it. Instead of telling someone that he or she is getting emtional, the teller would say “Hey, you’re getting too emo”, or in the verncaular, “feeling emo ka ‘no?” and “Magpapaka-EMO ka pa?!”. A related term to “EMO” is “EMO mode” wherein one is getting emo at the moment, meaning he’s entering into a mode of emtions thus called “EMO mode”.

6. Nosebleed-Actually I only heard about it as an expression last May the 23rd, during our frosh orientation. When we say that ‘our noses are going to bleed’ it means that we’re gonna have a hard time thinking what to say, up to the point that our heads would rise up as if we’re having a nosebleeding moment. This expression applies to those who find it difficult to speak in practical English on their foreign classmates or during lectures where one was to speak in English. In DebSoc, I would apply this term ti myself as I have difficulty on my debatin skills considering I’m a neophyte to the field.

7. Frosh-short for “freshman”, I cam to know the word when I was given a brochure about our frosh orientation. The plural form of frosh, they say is “froshies’ but I find it no suitable to saynit as such since ‘frosh’ as a singular sound so formal so I’d rather go with the plural form of “froshes” which sound a lot better! Freshmen is a comon term in pre-college days, particularly in high school but no so here in CSB and in La Salle. I wonder so in other colleges and universities.

8. Upperclassman/men/woman/women/persons/people-People belonging to the higher batch and ultimately the graduating batch. I’ve already come to know about the term during my high school days but it is not used to refer to it in the elementary and secondary levels. In grade school, there are “lower grades and high grades”, as high school have “lower and upper years”. In the tertiary levels, “lowerclass” seemed to be out of use, maybe because it sounded very negative. Froshes can cal the higher batches as upperclass people but the upperclass people themselves cannot call those below them as lowerclass although ‘froshes” “sophomores”, “juniors” and “seniors” are good alternatives.

Visit this p[ost for any word update!

Go! Blazers! Animo Benilde!

    Today is July 1, roughly 3 months and three days after Saint James Academy Batch ’07 graduated after more than four years of laughs, thrill, sobs, and triumph in the Catholic school who prepared us to the gruelingc calls of college life. Thus I call my new series of life in college/post-highschool life as BUHAY KOLEHIYO.

    During my years in SJA, I noticed that after alumni have graduated from highs chool, they come back (at least four months, in time for the annual Enigma) with a whole new look. Alumnuses (sorry if I violated English laws), come back with long hair (kung minsan kalbo na), and a long-dormant fashion sense now awakened. Alunmnaes come back with their hair either got prolonged or shorten, and wear more fashionably “loud”. These, according to my Gepsych instructor, are signs of freedom given to them by college life right after their permanent leave from high school.  What is taboo in the school is now embraced by many alumni.

    Those are the exact things that are shaping the members of Batch 07. Many have enrolled into many colleges and universities, the exclusive, the prestigious, and the popular ones located in Manila, with the Pontifical and Royal University of Sto. Tomas taking a big share from the batch 07 population (I’ll go to SJA for thestatistics in case I’m wrong), followed by sectarian and non-sectarians schools like De La Salle University-Manila, University of the Philippines, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, San Beda College, UPHD, St. Paul Manila, St. Scholastica College, Mapua Institute of Technology (soon to be Malayan Colleges), Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Ateneo de Manila Univeristy, and a whole lot more. There also some members going to study abroad such in a case of a batchmate who is the son of my dad’s college buddy while those prefer to study in the provinces.

    Of course, the Jamer image of Batch 07 will slowly erode with their eventual assimilation to their new schools. Terms like “Iskolars ng Bayan”, Thomasians, Lasalistas, Atenistas, Letranites, Bedans, etc. will become an ever common word for all of us and by the time we graduate, say 3-5 years later, we will call ourselves as Lasalistas, Atenistas, Iskolars, Thomasians, Tigers, Blazers, Altas, Heavy Bombers, Stags, Knights, Archers.

    Since it the first term (in the Benildean school year) has just started, we’re still kinda shy with our new blockmates, since they are in the same position as us. But in the following days, we started grouping together, knwing each oher a little more and eventually disperse to form barkadas within the block. Take the case of some fellow Jamers who are frosh Benildeans, though separated with each other, they found comfort withtheir new found friends and they can all be seen together laughing, with or no contact with other block sections unless you know one of them or that they are your schoolmates in high school.

    Gold and blue are the school colors of Saint James, but you ain’t be seeing it nymore as you have to raise the colors of your new-found homes. Green-white for La Salle, Maroon for UP, Blue for Ateneo, Gold for USTe, Green-white-balk for Benilde, red for San Beda, Gold-red for Mapua, etc. I don’t know but the feeling of being proud of the colors of you college stemmed into your personality. Cheering on every event, whether they are the NCA, UAAP, or any other, feel mo, super proud ka na naiwawagayway ang mga kulay ng iyong mga paaralan.

    Eventually, after around two terms, initial frosh block sections will dissolve and the froshes will be mixed and assigned to a new section with a whole new set of new faces. you will have to forge new relationships for never can the bonds existed since high school can help you cope with changes but will drag you down.

    Never do we know what college life can offer to us, never can we expect what will happen but we will know a little part of us, a part of us that we never realized that itw as there all along. We find ourselves discovering who we really are and what we can really do. Oppurtunities to show our talents will give us the freedom to do our things, things we failed to show in hign school.

    A change in look is alos evident. Old secular colleges may still have to wear uniforms but hey, there’s no qualms about our hair so bear with it. While liberal ones encourage to dress what we wanna dress although to some parameters with due respect to the inistitutions we are attending. Uniform or no uniform as long as you neveer regret to study to that school is okay.

    The bully will be bullied, the bullied will be brave, the brave will be scared, and the scared will become a better person. The popular does not always have to be top and that the not so smart guy can shpw what he’s really made of.

The life of alumni in their college years isabout to unfold as we become more comfortable to show it all. What we thought we can’t is actually the opposite. Academics is still there but it will no longer going to b like those in high school. As we create paths for ourselves, from the courses that we have chosen to pursue. Nothing can hinder us to achieve what we can do.

    Alumni of batch 07,  proud and true Jamers. values instilled in us will give us guidance to new challenges ahead. Moving on with our lives, but holding on to what was taught, what was then ignored, will soon be redeemed. Who wil make a mark, who will make us proud, who will make us ashamed, how will we ever survive. Are we to part ways for the better good.

    Iyan ang mga tanong sa isip natin. Hindi natin alam ang gagawini. Pero bilang mga alumni ng Saint James, alam natin na kahit baguhin man natin ang itsura natin, kahit pakaluhin man o pahabaan, gugupitin ng maikli tayp ap rin ito. Kahit hindi madali, kaya natin ito. Buhay natin bilang alumni ng SJA ay panghabang buhay, dahil atyo pa rin ay babalik sa ating pinanggalingan. Kahit kung tayo ngayo’y hinuhulma ng ating mga bagong tirahan, may lugar pa rin ang ating eskwela sa ating mga puso, isipa’t damdamin.

Our lives as alumni have just began, so just live it.

    Ateneo De Manila has been classified with UST and San Juan De Letran as hero-producing schools, as well as future artistas (with La Salle taking the lead). I know some famous Atenistas like Dough Kramer (Season 69 ng UAAP now with the PBL), Chris Tiu (also UAAP 69 but now at PBL), JC Intal (UAAP 69 and now with Harbour Centre of the PBL), Atom Araullo of the now-defunct BREAKFAST show with Patty Laurel, Jose Rizal (after transferring from then-hellish UST, no offense), and the infamous Joseph Estrada (yah, my Mom hates him too). One of its latest products is a recently-graduated is the rising band from the recent band-wave of 2004 and 2005, Spongecola comprising of Yael Yuzon, Gosh Dilay, Armo Armovit, and Chris Cantada.

    Well, why in the heck am i mentioning a band that plays alternative music with mooshy lyrics mixed with rock-on sounds with a vocalist who can’t seem to make his voice sing from mellow to rockish while in a live gig (based from my observation)? The sad truth: I’m addicted to their sounds.

    I got to know about Spongecola back in 2005 when “KLSP” came out on MYX. I didn’t really watched the whole MV, just parts of it shown during the summary of  the top videos on the Daily Top Ten and the Myx Hit Chart. I also heard part of the chorus (“Kailangan bang pagbigyan, kulang lang sa pansin…). Sad but true, I’m not really into alternative music much, except for npast bands like the Eraserheads, Rivermaya, Bamboo, and those pop rock acts I grew up with during grade school the past decade.

    My first impression about the band was further sustained by the releae of their second single (also debuted at Myx) with another mooshy song titled Gemini, with a narrator saying lines from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and featuring Yael’s brother Yani as Romeo. Well, sad to say I also didn’t have a good first impression with the song either. An added plus is their live cover version of Crazy for You during the Myx Mo! concert (in contrast with their “remastered” version palyed as theme song of The 101st Proposal back then in ABS-CBN).

    I don’t know why but things changed when I heard on the radio waves (and on our classroom computer) on a new song played by Spongecola, “Jeepney”. The song has two different versions, one is the acoustic music video version and the album version. The albujk version really changed my perception on the band’s sound. I admit that Yael is not that a good singer for mushy rpop rock songs with love themes but I guess he made pretty good combination with their playing of “Jeepney”. When the MV of Jeepney was shown way later than did the airing of the album version on the radio, it was also as good as the former, with Yael sounding much better with the acoustic sound (last year, someone inserted a live acoustic version of “Jeepney” which I later acquired before the end of the school year).

    Added to my renewed appreciation of the band’s music is the showing of “Una” on Myx. Their song fitted perfecctly with the director’s concept of the music video. However, I think Yael should have let the second voice parts to his band mates if he’s gonna sing the whole song as a solo, maybe he would leave the second-voice parts behind. But over-all, it is good.

    Maybe what made me even more appreciative to the music of Yael, Chris, Armo and Gosh is the release of their first single from their sophomore album (Transit) which was used as OST for Komiks: Pedro Penduko. The song is catchy and is in line with the purpose of the show (Huwag kang bibitiw bigla, huwag kang bibitiw biglaahaha…), I even made a spoof of it like “‘Wag kang lilingon bigla…’wag kang lilingon biglaahahaha”. Nge….! They use the song whenever Pedro is about to do something heroic both on the opening credits (all 4 versions of the credits) and on every episode (with an added choir touch). Their MV was good too, them riding on top of MRT and all.

    Now with the curse part, what made Spongecola literally stuck into my head was when I made a burned copy of the band’s first album from a copy my sister borrowed (although she’s not totally kissing over them). At first I only listened the song’s like Jeepney and Una but now that I’m in college, I need something to keep myself pre-occupied while riding on the LRT all the way home. So I used my burnt copy and set my CD player on random, so I get to listeb to all the song’s from “Palabas”, all 14 of them (22, Partisan, KLSP, Neon, On The Floor, Stone’s Throw, Jillian, Lunes, To the Sky and Cunning, Una, Dragonfly, Gemini, Jeepney, and Closure).

    As of right now, I’m having LSS from listening from too much Spongecola. Even without the help of lyrics, I can somehow remember some parts of the songs’ words (…maybe this is paradise).

    Their songs also seem to be perfect BGM for any slideshow movie that I may make, with “Closure” I already have it used for one.

    So my brain now’s “maybe little addicted, maybe i just can’t get out of this, maybe it’s just too soon to say” and that my brain is now filled with “fireflies, take a trip to paradise”.

END