Startup Camp Bohol and Cebu: Microsoft for Startups

Startup Camp Bohol and Cebu happened on May 7 and May 9 of 2015 respectively. Stars aligned that I was able to attend both which really gave me more insight on how the Bohol and Cebu communities worked. Other than that, I got to learn more about Microsoft's ventures into Startups through Mr. Arnie Locsin, the tech evangelist of Microsoft. They had more speakers in the Cebu camp though; the community being as diverse as it is. That's because the intended second speaker at the Bohol Startup Camp had to rest at the clinic for the day _{(lack of sleep and stress. poor sir Allan)}.

Two Microsoft programs were highlighted during the Startup Camp. Microsoft BizSpark and Microsoft Azure. The former is a program created by Microsoft for startups. Under it are similar programs like Microsoft BizSpark Plus and Microsoft Ventures, each with their own set of perks. Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform created by Microsoft for building, deploying and managing applications and services through a global network.

Microsoft BizSpark

Basically, if you get accepted into the Microsoft BizSpark program, you get $750 worth of Microsoft cloud services for three years. That includes Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Cloud Solutions and all Microsoft software. That's already $150 for five developers. 

"If you are a software startup and not a consulting firm, are in operation for less than 3 years, making less than 1M$ in annual revenue, you WILL be accepted. " *

In applying, it also helps to have a legitimate website domain name and custom email address.

If you are successful in your BizSpark application, you can then apply for BizSpark Plus with a stricter acceptance basis and regimen. Word of advice: before applying, sort out what resources you need and make sure that the BizSpark Plus program is really something you need at the current stage of your startup.

The BizSpark Plus program provides $5k per month as opposed to the $750 per month in the regular BizSpark program. Some startups fall out because they upgrade too early. Their consumption barely reaches a thousand dollars and yet they are applying for the BizSpark Plus program, only leading to their team's termination as their consumption is considerably less than what is given to them. So choose wisely.

Microsoft Azure

The portal enables you to create databases, websites, applications, virtual machines and everything on the cloud with your Microsoft account. It provides PaaS and IaaS services and supports many other languages and frameworks including many Microsoft software.

PaaS vs IaaS vs SaaS

IaaS, or Infrastructure as a Service, means that the cloud computing service provider takes care of setting up the Virtualization, Storage, Networking and everything it needs to setup an environment where you only have to worry about the operating systems and other stacks above that.

If you want to only worry about your code, the PaaS, or the Platform as a Service, is the model you're looking for.

Startup Camps will be happening at Ilo-Ilo and General Santos city next so if you're near the area, check them out! Stay tuned for updates via the TechTalks facebook page!

Baji Art Exhibit 2015: "Ang Pangutana ni Inday"

The Baji Art Collective is an all-Boholana, all-genre, multi-arts alliance. *

All of it's members are Boholanas who are either based in Bohol or have lived in Bohol for a certain amount of time. I was fortunate enough to have been friends with Dalareich  as she was invited by one of the Baji members, Atty. Alma Aparece, to see the exhibit so I got to tag along.

(photo © Dal)

My first thought as I entered the exhibit area was that Bohol really needs a gallery because the lighting in the space does not do the art displayed justice. On a better note, the exhibit organizers did a great job with curating the works displayed and stepped the experience up a notch by having someone walk with you as you view the works to explain the artist's intention and feelings as they made the artwork. I was fortunate enough to be paired with Rain Calimbayan, whose photographic works were also featured in the exhibit.

The works on display range from traditional paintings, digital paintings, photographs, collages, prints, sculptures and much more. It was an interesting experience for me as I was able to delve into the mind of an artist through their medium of choice and the intention they wanted to portray through their work. I do consider myself as somewhat of an artist, but I have yet to seriously explore other mediums than digital art which made the experience all the more thrilling considering my sister will soon be in the ranks of these talents in the near future.

One of the more thought-provoking pieces for me was the painting in the far right of the picture above entitled "Pretty Flowers" by Vide Tirol de Juan. Why, can one wonder, is it that the woman's reproductive organ is often described as a "flower" in most literary works? Why, of all things, a flower? Is because of how precious it is? Of how beautiful it becomes as it blossoms? You tell me.

These works are best experienced in person as seen below. I've also included a brief description for each to tickle your fancy.

A painting that describes the capabilities of a woman today.

Sculpted by the artist to portray her life so far and her dreams for the future.

Artwork painted and embellished by hand on to this reused shirt.

Individual style holds such importance in all industries today and creativity plays a critical role in that. As art is treated as an "extra" in the Filipino culture today, and most especially Bohol, I urge young artists, art enthusiasts and even those that need a push of color into their weekly routines to come and visit the exhibit at the University of Bohol and witness the grandeur and stories of these works face-to-face. It will be open for as long as the school is and it will be ongoing until the 20th of March. _{(Men are welcome to view, of course haha)}

All Boholanas are welcome to join Baji. You can submit your artwork, meet the members and attend their events for free and all you have to do is to commit your time and talent to these lively group of empowered women. Click here to visit their Facebook Page for more information.

A Friend's Viral Fame: Justin Bieber of Bohol

I honestly have no recollection about how I met Alexis but I know it was through her partner, Cyril, who was an old classmate of mine. She was already mildly popular at my college when she performed a few numbers in some events featuring her signature Justin Bieber voice with Cyril's badass acoustics so when she was performing live at a booth near where my friend Clint and I were lounging about, we just had to take a video of her knowing of the possibility of it going viral.

True enough, two years later, she's on national TV and getting a bunch of offers to perform at JB fan events in other cities. Her talent, partnered with Cyril's skill and support, got a lot of traction in the city and she's made quite a name for herself as the "Justin Bieber of Bohol". We shot a music video of her with the help of my videographer friend, Ray-an, a year after the hit of the first video, which in turn, was also featured, abeit really quickly, on her feature on TV.

The pair eventually took on the name JAM-C and are looking for more opportunities to show their talents. 

It was really heart warming to see a lot of positive feedback from local supporters in both her videos, the best thing being most of them from the Visayas. I wouldn't really say the video has gone "viral" enough, views currently being only 300k, but it made me happy to see local media, viewers and freelancers jump at the chance to help promote local talent. I know JAM-C still has a long hard path to stardom, identifying their uniqueness in the industry being the most important and difficult challenge, but it makes me proud to see them work hard so far to get to this point. To see more of their videos, drop by their YouTube channel and leave a like to show some love.

Sizzlin' with Bloggers at Just Sizzlin'

As one of the pioneering members of TechTalks Tagbilaran, it was always that shared dream of local businesses collaborating with communities to get the most out of our new found connectivity that drove us to hold the activities we are organizing today. Bohol, being an admittedly more difficult market to penetrate, makes it hard for business owners to focus on growing their business while they worry about when the next customer will walk through the door. Because of that commonly known fact, we didn't expect such opportunities and learnings when I contacted Just Sizzlin' for the Bohol Bloggers' first regular meetup.

Bohol Bloggers with Just Sizzlin' owners (center) VJ Racho and Pamela Descallar 

Located along a small street not too far from the city center, Just Sizzlin' is a grill for the young and fresh visual thinker. With bold designs and their killer signature typographic style _{(which I really liked)}, the personality their brand brings packs just as much a punch as their house specialty: the Flaming Chicken.

The Flaming Chicken

And what a house specialty it is! A common scene in the restaurant is a moment of silence before the waiter sets your dinner on fire followed by a chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs" and a flurry of smartphone camera shutters going off. Served on a sizzling hot platter with a side of vegetables, the Flaming Chicken is the most theatric dish on the menu. So much so that it garnered its own line of "who can take the best Flaming Chicken picture" fanatics amongst the regular customers.

I found Just Sizzlin' a few weeks before they opened through their efforts in social media. The spunk they brought as they presented themselves to the public was the main factor that brought me in. Also considering that they were the first restaurant in the province to value the power of social media was another point for me. The restaurant's owner, VJ, disclaims that the real brain behind their campaigns was his girlfriend, Pamela, who is now also managing the marketing aspect of their business.

VJ, Pamel and the Just Sizzlin' crew

Just Sizzlin' boasts a capable staff lineup that only keeps on growing in both quality and quantity as the establishment flourishes in the city. They have only been open for a meager seven months but they are going strong for such a young company with just as young owners and staff.

VJ sat down with us _{(which was a heartwarming gesture for me, let me tell you)} and answered a few questions before explaining to us the house specialties.

From left to right, top to bottom: Baby Back Ribs, Pork Popcorns, Chicken Lillipop and Garden Salad

The Flaming Chicken is easily in the number one spot but the second place is awarded to the Baby Back Ribs and I can see why. The sauce's texture from the Baby Back Ribs was divine and not at all too overpowering. My only recommendation though is that they add a little more flavor inside the meat. or you could slather a piece in the sauce before you eat it, both ways work.

The Pork Popcorns and Chicken Lollipop were great appetizers as they were great finger-foods. Suggestions on putting them on cups to-go, perhaps?

And don't get me started on the Garden Salad with the Asian Vinigarette. The flavor just spreads when you take a bite and the vegetables were crisp and fresh. The vinigarette was a new twist to me as I usually eat salads with thick sauces so sprinkling in the light condiment was both new and delicious for me.

But for me personally, the best dish, which VJ recommended to us when asked about which dish stood out besides the popular ones, was the Sizzlin' Gambas.

Sizzlin' Gambas. My favorite.

Normally with an orange sauce, Just Sizzlin' uses a special brown sauce to mix in with the shrimp and vegetables in the platter giving it a beautiful smell and explosive flavor. The shrimp tasted sweet and soft when I ate a piece and I found myself finishing most of  the platter without much help from the other bloggers.

The buzz in the cafe was wonderful for our whole stay, too. The staff were attentive and the owners were just as accommodating considering this was a first for any business in the province to have bloggers over so I loved the attitude their brand brought. 

All of this greatness comes in the right package with affordable prices and an easily accessible location making it perfect for yappies and even families all over.

The business plans to expand further into their property, setting up an air conditioned partition and an exciting revamp in their menu soon so I look forward to seeing what they do with the business from here on out.

Overall, Just Sizzlin' has wonderful food, a dynamic brand and is perfect for the young professional, families or, spoken through my own experience, your barkada. _{(Cheap prices, hearty food and great desserts let me tell you; I love their Fried Ice Cream)}

Thank you, Just Sizzlin' for being such a great place to be and don't forget to follow them in their Instagram and Facebook accounts for promos and special events they dish out every now and then. Keep rocking, guys!

Don't forget to give their Trip Advisor page some love by leaving a rating and review once you've been. I know I had to leave one.

Can you guess which one's your favorite? 🍴😋 Photo grabbed from @ilovecheriemae Follow us on instagram and post your pics with hashtag #justsizzlin

A photo posted by Just Sizzlin' Bohol♨️ (@just_sizzlin) on Dec 19, 2014 at 5:07pm PST

Bloggers' Adventures in ANDA, Bohol

Bloggers of Bohol and Cebu

The event initially started from an idea by Dalareich as explained here but, to her surprise, PIA (Philippine Information Agency) Bohol's sir Rey Chiu offered to organize an event to not only empower Bohol's budding blogging community and to help Anda's toursim efforts but also to spread the giving spirit.  

Eventually, an outing with Bohol and Cebu bloggers was scheduled on the 20th and 21st of December this year. More bloggers signed up for the event and brought along their bundles of joy for the intended gift-giving during the trip.

USAID-sponsored transportation with the awesome tour guide, sir Rey

We all started at Chocoreich Cafe as a meetup point for everyone. The early birds, including myself, got to know a lot of new faces both from Cebu and Bohol. The most notable meeting for me was being introduced to Kim Mainit. I wasn't a big fan of cable t.v. so I had no idea who I had the privilege of talking to. After a proper introduction, I was blown away by how a person that has achieved so much remained humble and real and continued to just be his fabulous self during the whole trip.

I also met a lot of new, awesome bloggers during the trip and it was my delight and honor to be able to spend a weekend with them and to be able to see them do what they did best.  

Rice fields at Lila, Bohol (thanks, Gilbert)

On our way to Anda, Bohol we had a lot of fun listening to sir Rey and his stories of Bohol, it's people, culture and past. Heck, I've lived in Bohol for ninteen years and even I had no idea about the beliefs and stories behind my home province.

He talked about Bohol's Great Sinkhole that stretches along a cliffside along the coast starting at Tagbilaran's Cathedral. What's most peculiar about it though was the iron ladder officials found in one of the crevices that leads to a restaurant across an antique shop. Another story is about the great kingdom of Dapitan which explorers called the Venice of the Orient that settled in the straight that sits between the mainland Bohol and the island of Pangalo. It's riches were of gold and many more stories originated from that fact.

The most important fun fact to me though was that the Loboc-Loay River actually sourced the krill and plankton that was needed to attract the migrating whales and dolphins in Pamilacan Island. If locals did not know it's value and abused that river, it's bye-bye to Pamilacan local's livelihood.

After a few long hours, we finally arrived in Anda and stopped over to the ANDAKidz Community Center to do some volunteer work. After meeting the kids and sharing the holiday spirit with them, we then moved on to a Mystic Cave Tour in Lamanok Island. 

Life or death across the last part of this rickety bamboo bridge

To get to the boats that would take us to the island, we had to cross a long bamboo bridge and for those less confident of their physical ability like me, the struggle was real. The handles virtually disappear in the middle of the stretch of the bridge, leaving you with a thin platform of bamboo floor to walk through as the sight of dark, pointy mangrove roots stare back up at you as you look down. At the end of the bridge are just three or so long poles of thick bamboo that you have to balance through, sometimes without handles, as water splashed against it's base poles. And I don't need to talk about this experience after we came back form the tour when night came. It was fun in the end, though.

Our competent paddler and the beautiful sunset boat ride

We were graced with calm seas that day, thankfully, as the boat ride to and from the island were easily my best parts of the whole tour. The local paddlers and tour guides were kind and careful and easy to talk to. They tell us of the best seasons you should come, which is in the summer, and a few fun facts they know about the site that the tour guide doesn't mention. Don't forget to give them a smile, a tip and a good conversation. It's well worth it.

Notable attractions in Lamanok Island

The island itself was a sight to behold with evidence of the local's culture and practices, the shamans being the most memorable. A fossilized clam is seen on one of the cliff sides proving that the sea level was way past where it is now a thousand years ago. Red Hematite paintings could be seen in one of the top crevices, and even a grave site and a previous dwelling place of an accused witch exists in  the island. Locals still constantly visit the area to do worship and rituals, the pilgrimage to a cross on a windless crevice in the mountain being the most relatable one to me with the devotees being Catholic.

Meals by the beach

After the long trip from the island and volunteer work with ANDAKidz, we all retreated back to our pension house where we would be staying the night. Before we could go inside the house though, we enjoyed a seaside dinner and breakfast the day after at Quinale Beach Bar, just a few walks away from the house. The food was great and the waiters were attentive, really awesome after a whole day of trekking.

The view from the top balcony

A walk away from the beach bar is the pension house we stayed in. With one large room costing one thousand seven hundred and two smaller rooms at the bottom costing around one thousand two hundred, each room with sizable bathrooms, air conditioning and a full kitchen at your disposal, this is an awesome place to spend your Anda stay. I only had to pay a measly two hundred for everything for there were eight of us in that one large room. The care taker is a kind old lady that brings you warm towels, extra mattresses and a good conversation.

My most favorite part of the whole house is the fact that the church and beach are just a walk away with only a large field of grass separating the three places.

The ceilings have beautiful classical paintings of saints and Christ by local artists

Some of the bloggers and I attended the seventh dawn mass at the nearby church and were the ceiling paintings breathtaking. The most peculiar part of the mass for us was the part at the the end where the priest himself announced the community's upcoming activities and parish's liquidation reports for the holidays. It was new to us yet made us appreciate their parish even more due to their priest's participation.

Sunrise and mornings at the beach is beautiful

After the mass ended, we decided a trip to the beach was due. A walk away was the white beach with sand as fine as flour. It was low time when we came but because of that, we were able to walk on the shore and enjoy the cool feel of it. We even saw a few local children play soccer in the damp but flat sand.

The statue of the American soldier symbolized the coming of troops from World War II when the Japanese that escaped from Leyte were hunted down by American marines, much like the coming of McArthur.

Cave pool hopping

Most of the itinerary of the second day revolved around visiting popular cave pools in Anda. A few note-worth ones were Kabagnow Cave which was literally a huge hole in the ground with crystal clear cyan brackish water. None of the divers were able to dive in it since access wasn't easy. It was a good few feet drop into the cave before you could hit the water and even then, the depth was so alarmingly deep that they couldn't assure the bloggers' safety.

The next two were Tibao Cave and Conbento Cave where the bloggers were able to take a dip in and was shallower than Kabagnow Cave. The latter was more accessible as it had a proper concrete stairway leading down built in. Conbento Cave got it's name since it has a crevice that resembles an altar. When you see it's entrance, you won't think the cave pool was as wide as it was unless you actually enter it and see the expanse of it.

The former, Tibao Cave, was visually larger than Conbento Cafe but deeper as bloggers were able to dive into it from a decently high rock.

Locals also frequent the area and officials are looking into educating them of a cave's life and hoping to preserve these natural wonders and keep it as clean and well-maintained as possible unlike the infamous Hinagdanan Cave.

After visiting a total of five (or so) cave pools, we then moved on to Anda's second and third best resorts as rated by USAID. The first one, J&R Residence was introduced as a "middle class" resort but it easily goes past that rating. Despite it having limited rooms, the place is well worth the stay with a clean pool, beautiful view and the immediate shoreline at the bottom.

The second resort we got the privilege to visit was Flower Beach Resort. It offers diving courses mainly and sports a very private shoreline as it is enclosed between two large rocks on either side. A driving, bartending, HRM and vocational course school called Florence also operates under the same owner. They also have a nightly film showing of classic 80s bands in the evening for the guests to enjoy.

Singing and orations

The trip ended with a group lunch at one of the food courts in Anda and a long, fulfilling road trip back to Tagbilaran with live performances from the beautiful Kim Mainit and Ka Bino Guerrero. Hearing Cebu's best heritage interpreter's take on old Cebuano poems made me see a better light on our native language as it sounded beautiful and held so much hidden and sometimes humorous meanings and metaphors; something I couldn't dream of appreciating if not for his performance on the tour bus aisle.

Happy Dalareich and Cebu Bloggers after a successful trip

With this event, we hope to let the world know that there's much more to Bohol than the wonderful Chocolate Hills and famous Loboc River Cruise. Eco-adventure is highly emphasized in the province of Anda and if you're into nature, peace yet full of adventure, Anda is the place for you!

For budding bloggers in Bohol, feel free to join us in future activities by connecting with me and sending me a link to your blog so I can invite you into the group. Lots of fun new activities up ahead so don't be shy and leave me a message :)

Lastly, check out these bloggers' take of the world by visiting their blogs:

http://ppyonghaven.tumblr.com/

littlegelahgirl.blogspot.com

http://www.baktincorporation.com/

http://www.matudnila.com/

http://elroyrobin.com/

http://worldkodachromes.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/bloggersofcebu

boholic.com

http://curiousonion.blogspot.com/

Volunteering with Bloggers at ANDAKidz

I've had the privilege of working with ANDAKidz before when they needed some shirts designed and printed for the kids under their program so seeing and being able to work with them again in their home town really put a smile on my face and helped me get a clearer picture of the people behind this wonderful family.

ANDAKidz during their soccer clinic

During our bloggers' trip to Anda, we caught a glimpse of the kids during their sponsored soccer clinic in the fields by the beach before we met them personally at the Community Center. PIA (Philippine Information Agency) Bohol donated a full sack of "indestructible" soccer balls for the kids and got some instructions over with them to facilitate an activity with the kids. To say that grins and cheers were everywhere is an understatement.

Robin and Birgit

The bloggers met Robin Gurney and Birgit Naur; founders of ANDAKidz. I meet Robin a few years ago from my first job with ANDAKidz but this was my first time meeting Birgit. Both are very passionate and kind people that literally give everything they have to those in need. ANDAKidz's Q&A explain a lot of their reasons behind staying and helping improve Anda. One of those endeavors is the Community Center that they are setting up for both the kids and adults. It is also the project where the bloggers volunteered for, other than the gift-giving.

Plastic bottle "bricks"

The Community Center is planned to house the adult's livelihood activities, programs and meetings during the day and will serve as a learning center and library for the kids when they're done with school in the late afternoons. The idea is to open the space to everyone in the community keeping the kids as the top priority.

The Community Center under construction

Construction of the center is still ongoing with a lot of the raw materials used being recyclable materials. Instead of purchasing concrete bricks, plastic bottles full of sand are used. For ventilation, hollow bamboo tubes are used, alternating between rows of plastic bottles, to allow the wind to breeze through. Aside from the windows, recycled clear beer bottles also allow light to seep through creating a peculiar yet beautiful glow inside the center.

The cleaning team (photo ©  Dalareich)

The bloggers were divided into different groups depending on the type of labor they would be doing. The more muscular bloggers were responsible for scooping and carrying cement and the heavy-lifting of treated wood to the construction area. Others were assigned to clean the empty glass beer bottles to serve as makeshift window panes for the center and others were tasked to tile the walls, laying down a sheet of cement and either rows of plastic bottle bricks or hollow bamboo tubes. And of course there were also those bloggers that were doing the actual blogger's work by interviewing the kids and personnel and doing the documentation. 

Scrumptious snacks by the TAFIAS

TAFIAS or Talisay Fishermen's Association is an association of fishermen in Anda, Bohol and were responsible for the snacks we had after our volunteer work. The Taro Ice Cream was easily my favorite above all of their other products. The fact that it's home-made with all natural ingredients that they grew themselves is a huge plus for me. ANDAKidz is also partnered with them, helping not only the fishermen but also their family, giving seminars on other alternatives for livelihood like weaving or, like in this case, food production. Other than the Taro Ice Cream, they also have Taro Chips, Tialpia Chips and Polvoron con Taro. They even sell Taro Flour!

ANDAKidz dishing out their wit against the bloggers

Kids didn't stray from the spotlight since a bunch of them arrived from their soccer clinic just as we finished our snacks break and man were these children smart! When I look back in my elementary and early high school years, all I remember is collecting Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and crumpling thick wads of paper to throw at each other but the kids of Anda have another thing going and that's riddles!

I suspect the most popular kid is either the best riddle-teller or riddle-solver. They gangaed up on us, mostly against Angela and Dandreb, to tell us all their wiley riddles in the Visayan tongue. My confidence in my intellect and self-esteem plummeted down when I couldn't even answer half of the riddles they threw at us. Here are a few I managed to take down to remind me of our defeat:

"Gamay kay negro, Pagdako kay mamistiso!" (While young, is dark, when old is white)
Answer: Aso sa Cigarilyo! (Cigarette Smoke)

"Tigbas, tigbas, di matigbas!" (I'm not sure but basically it means, "Hit and Hit but can't be Hit")
Answer: Tubig! (Water)

"Usa ka bay, usa ka tukod!" (One house, one pole)
Answer: Payong! (Umbrella)

The second batch of  what I brought for the kids

The last activity of our stay with ANDAKidz is the gift giving. Initially, it was Dalareich who wanted to simply give chocolates to the kids in celebration of Ginto Luxury Chocolates' launch but generous hearts attract others, it seems, as sir Rey Chiu of PIA Bohol offered to organize a bloggers' event that we had the privilege to attend. So along with the chocolates, bloggers brought some clothes, books, school supplies and goodie bags full of essentials for the kids' families. Everyone had a swell time and people brought so much that there were left overs!

Chocolates, a goodie bundle and some supplies for the kids (photo © Dalareich)

All in all it was a wonderful experience working with ANDAKidz, meeting the people behind it and the kids that started it all. As a call to action for anyone willing to work with ANDAKidz, their goal is to have at least one activity a week for the kids. Any and all volunteers are welcome to help out in the community. Volunteer painters can go over and hold a quick painting workshop for the children, volunteers that know how to dance can teach the children basics of their preferred dance style, or even those that simply want to lend a helping hand can come over. There's something for everyone! 

Birgit even told us that there was a pair that visited a time ago. Neither knew how to paint or dance but one could juggle. So, what they did was bring everyone to the beach, bought snacks and gave the juggler a few bamboo sticks to juggle with and they put on a show for the kids. It's was a fun afternoon for everyone.

For more information on how to help ANDAKidz, check their website at http://andakidz.org/. They can even help you find lodging and a decent priced Anda, Bohol tour to spend a wholesome vacation with your friends or family. 

Thank you, ANDAKidz for being so welcoming and we'll definitely see you again in the future!

My Alma Matter Leveled Up

The big finale

I just came home form my alma matter's _{(Bohol Wisdom School)} Foundation Days evening show and I knew I just had to write about how much the school had changed since the last time I was a student there four years ago.

New "Big Ass Fan"s in the gymnasium 

I've been to the school a few times in between the years during long breaks whenever my friends and I decide to visit and I've seen the improvements under construction. But seeing it all now in person, especially the upgrades in the gymnasium, which I will be talking most about in this blog post, just awes me at how much they have improved over the years.

Now, I am a bit bitter that they decided to add all the cool new facilities right after my batch graduated. I mean, we were the ones tasked to imagine a better layout of the school, which was more or less how it looks like now, and had to make a miniature version of that idea, but yeah. That's life.

The first thing I noticed when I got to sit inside the gym as the presentations started was the big ass fan that that hung in the gymnasium ceiling. Two of them taking up almost all of the space up there which was really cool-looking _{(and dangerous if you've watched Happy Tree Friends)}. A huge problem when I still attended the school was that whenever we had an activity at the gym, it would be just so freaking hot to even concentrate on what was happening. 

I'm glad that they managed to sort that one out considering the amount of people there that evening. I mean sure, it was still warm but not as oven-roasting as it was year before. Now, the presenters on the floor could actually breathe while dancing while us at the bleachers could at least feel a breeze every now and then from the fans. 

Bohol Wisdom College in costume

Recently, the school managed to set up a small college that offers programs on education and I really look up to these students for managing to choreograph not only themselves, but even some of the kindergarteners' presentations while balancing their own workload as the school shoves a truck load of responsibility down their throats and not to mention extra expenses for those costumes.

Another improvement that I really want to point out is the awesomely cool sound system and synchronized projections on the new projection screens. I mean really. Even back then I was kind of the techy kid, working on event powerpoints and manning the sounds, on occasion, and setting up the projectors and other related media. Back then you couldn't understand shit from the sound system. It had a horrible echo to it, faulty wiring and even the speakers themselves crack every now and then on extended talks.

Now, the sound system is clear as day with mics working like they should and I heard the even have those small mics that presenters wear during dramas or plays. The music for dances were exceptional too. No weird echos or audio that couldn't be understood, it all worked perfectly! 

The best part about the new media equipment though is the live feed from a camera they put up for the kids outside to be able to see what was going on inside the gym. One of the problems we had as students was that we couldn't see the students' presentations that came before ours. Now, they put up a large projection screen outside for the later performers so they wouldn't feel too left out as they waited for their turn to perform.

And last but not the least, though, was the establishment of an Arts Club that takes charge of the school's decoration and painting the stage for events! Back then, it was just me and my adviser working with the school's maintenance staff on setting up various props and painting really simple backgrounds for events but now, they have resources, more members, and the same adviser I had years ago working and mentoring these kids into creating stunning designs like the picture above. I'm proud to say my sister is a part of that club and man has it taught her so much about herself and her skills. They even got their very own Arts Club room which was super neat. We had to work on the gymnasium floor or the field at the back of the school to make larger paintings like this back then so seeing the school give importance to the smaller clubs makes me really happy.

Now I'm not saying the school has improved to the point of perfection, as I'm still not aware of how much the curriculum changed, but comparing this particular facility of the school, the gymnasium, with what we had before, it really did get better over the years.

Other improvements also included the air conditioning of the rooms, upgrades in the laboratories and a new building to house the new kids in various year levels after the K-12 implementation so there really is more to see in the school and it just makes me feel proud that the institution I spent twelve years of my life in really stepped it up and improved.

Bohol's Cosplay Scene: It's Getting Better!

Cosplay brings out the best in everyone

To be fair, I'm not an active cosplayer, as much as I would've liked to be but I've been a fan of anime and a supporter of Bohol's anime community for years now so seeing the improvements and changes along the years has been heart-warming.

Only a friend and I cosplayed at school back in 2011

Cosplay was such a far-off term three years ago. People were pretty tolerant with it, though. A few looked at cosplayers either strangely or wanted to take a picture with them, most were indifferent. Sure there was the typical back-stabbing but no reports of assault or anything of the sort from what I heard. Which was good.

Anime fans in Bohol already existed but a lot of us were pretty "in the closet" about it, not really acting out or dressing up for our passions. As the years went by, I saw more and more people go out of their shell and opened their minds. BisCUIT was then formed, probably the oldest cosplay group ever established in the province. Eventually events like Komikaze pop up with various artists that previously have never touched the subject matter, now dabbled in cosplay photography and armor-creation. And before you know it, schools themselves were hosting cosplay competitions for the students.

The largest mall in the province so far had then started to host an annual cosplay competition. The costumes and acts were pretty mediocre at first with flimsy costumes and horribly-made props but as the years went on, the acts, cosplayers and props improved year after year and attracted everyone from all walks of life to either participate or spectate, producing gems like these:

Parents have started getting their kids to participate in either competitive or casual cosplay and a sight that would've been strange to see three years ago is now a pretty normal occurrence which makes me really happy. Hopefully, the art of cosplay will be even better represented and appreciated in the future. Sure, not everyone likes it and a lot of people have misconceptions about it but with the passion and raw love of the people I've met during these experiences, I just couldn't help but appreciate the Boholano's open-mindedness about this form of self-expression.

Proud to be Bisaya: There is still Hope

Well this week's events were pretty consecutive. Wednesday was TEDx University of San Carlos and Thursday and Friday was Geeks on A Beach, which I was privileged enough to attend. I'll be posting about said events separately in different posts so we'll get to the details later. What I really felt like writing immediately about though was the urgency Kaloy Uypuanco, one of the GOAB speakers, and Insoy Niñyal, one of the TEDx speakers, talked about regarding the Visayan youth's lack of faith and respect of their own language. 

Daghan kaayo kog gihunahuna lately, until ganihang kadlawon it dawned on me.

— Sinugbang Sugbo (@SinugbangSugbo) August 17, 2014

"I've been thinking of a lot of things lately, until dawn came, it dawned on me."

  Insoy Niñyal's Sinugbang Sugbo is a Twitter account for his many witty and refreshing Visayan jokes

Although true that many of the youth today find our native tongue, which in this case is Bisaya, not the most appealing language to listen to perhaps due to our radical Westernization. I personally had the same prejudiced mindset until quite recently. But, it is also true that lately many of the youth have started realizing this paradox of "finding one's language baduy" as an error.

Many of you following this blog may have recalled us, my classmates and I, shooting films for our multimedia projects a year ago. The most popular one, which was our rendition of the Papictura ko nimu, Gwapo music video reached 35,651 views as of August 24, 2014 and a lot of comments from the Visayan youth complimenting the song and the film itself that was made in the modest island of Bohol.

I understand that number doesn't qualify the video to be "viral" but, to be fair, I personally hadn't expected such a response especially from our kabayan youth. I get at least 3 notifications a day, as of now, whether it be a comment or a share, from our youth praising the song's lyrics, quite specifically how endearing it was, and the artistry that was put into the work _{(especially Hannah, the leading lady's cuteness haha)}.

What I found funny was, while we were splitting up into groups before shooting began, all the teams decided, completely by coincidence, to work on purely Visayan songs for our music video project. We only realized it when we all stopped to compare our works mid-way. We all got so hyped up about it that we brought that excitement to our second project, the short film, and all groups still did them in Visayan.

Music Videos:

Balay ni Mayang

Chinita

Short Films:

Ikaw na ang Gitakna

The Short Film Project

After shooting and airing our works, we felt so proud that we did our stories justice. And it actually helped that we did them in Visayan because we could freely and fully express ourselves in our films without the fear of pronouncing anything wrong because the Visayan language made us feel at home. 

So there is a change. The youth will understand that your efforts, to those who strive for this cause, are not in vain. My suggestion, as proven by our Papiktura ko nimu, Gwapo music video, airing quality music videos that show a clear story about the Visayan song written will enormously help the understanding and relation the youth feel about the song. Because face it, we don't really understand all the Visayan words out there and a little shove would be great for us to be able to relate with it.

Oh, and for those curious to know which short film won over ours, it was Love, Alora. The language used was Tagalog.

And I encourage you, young Filipino artists, to please please please make homage to your home country and language. Do not accept that our culture is dying and that we have to do something to keep it alive. I have a few plans myself on how I can contribute to this and you should start thinking about your master plan too. As a parody to Aomine's catchphrase, 

"No one can save us but us."