The GPS/GIS Song

I was thinking of ways to make my future classes fun and engaging when I remembered I have been doing this ever since I was a student. I have been making seemingly difficult topics easier to understand. How do I do it? With something I believe I am good at: Music!

I wrote a song (Read more to see lyrics) when I was assigned to present / report about GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographic Information System) in my GE1 subject. Mind you, this is a college class and it still clicked. :) Too bad, I don't have a video of me singing it.

Climate change as a threat to national security

Climate change 

Climate, as described in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the average condition of the weather formed over all parts of the world.¹ In contrast with the word – 'weather' – it is often mistaken for, which refers to relatively short-term environmental phenomena such as storms², climate is composed of weather patterns that extend over much longer periods of time.

Image from http://operationnaturechronicles.wordpress.com

The climate in the Philippines is tropical and maritime, similar to the climate of the islands situated just above the Equator, just like the countries in Central America. The country has a average annual temperature of around 26^o Celsius, except in Baguio, which is elevated by 1500 meters above sea level, where the average annual temperature is around 18^o Celsius. It also has a high level of relative humidity, the moisture content of the atmosphere, due to the combination of its warm temperature and its surrounding bodies of water. The country is also known for having an abundant rainfall. Based on the temperature and the distribution of rainfall around the country, two major seasons were recognized in the country: the rainy season that occurs from June to November, and the dry season that occurs from December to May.³

Recently, the country has been experiencing extreme weather events such as typhoons. Although, typhoons coming to the Philippines, which are coming from the region of the Marianas and Caroline Islands of the Pacific Ocean⁴, have been a fixture to the country's natural climate, it had been more frequent and more destructive in the recent years. Typhoons such as Nitang in 1984, Uring in 1991, Rosing in 1995, Reming in 2006, Frank in 2008, Pepeng and Ondoy in 2009, and this year's Pedring have claimed many lives, destroyed many agricultural lands, and left the country with billions of pesos worth of damages.⁵

On taking Art Studies 202

On taking Art Studies 202

by BRT Baylas

The only reason I took Art Studies 202 (Perspectives in Art Studies in the Philippines) was to make up for failing Art Studies 2 back when I was an undergraduate. It was not the grade I was after, but the feeling of finishing something the way it was supposed to be finished.

I put in a lot of effort in Art Stud 2: reports, exams, projects, and other requirements because the subject was something I am interested in and I really liked the way it was handled; fun and engaging. It was just, at that time, I was also engaged with my organization’s activities that I failed to attend to my classes. The professor, being consistently firm and strict, gave me a grade of 5. I failed not because I was not good but because I was too lazy. It was depressing.

So, during the pre-enlistment, when I saw a similar subject handled by the same professor and offered at a convenient time, I thought it was a sign. I immediately grabbed the opportunity to redeem myself.

When I enrolled in the subject, I never thought how unrelated it was to the path I am trying to pursue until it was discussed on the first day of the class that the cognates we are taking should in a way support our planned thesis topics. 

I am currently working on information systems, databases, and technology-related researches. On the side, I deal with laws on information: copyright, intellectual property, freedom of information, and other legal researches. How can Art Studies be useful in my planned thesis topic?

Brenda V. Fajardo's "Ang Inukit na kaalamang bayan ng Paete"

Brenda V. Fajardo's "Ang Inukit na kaalamang bayan ng Paete"

by BRT Baylas

Siningbayan or folk art, according to the Museum of International Folk Art, is an art created by a community with shared values, and is passed from generation to generation through established traditions. According to Fajardo, understanding folk arts in a particular community is essential in grasping one's culture, and recognizing one's local and international identity (3). The products that make up a community's folk art are concrete proofs of artists' values and beliefs.

Photo by Angelsketch

Paete, the Carving Capital of the Philippines (Presidential Proclamation no. 809), is a 6,301.625-hectare town at the northeastern part of Laguna. Paete is popular for its woodcarving, an industry that provides for seventy percent of the population's livelihood (from Paete website). Carving has been part of the life of the people of Paete since, or maybe even before the Spaniards invaded the Philippines. It is one major reason why Brenda V. Fajardo, the author, has chosen Paete and its carved crafts as the main focus of the study. To understand Paete's cultural identity is to understand their art.

Elena Rivera Mirano's “Subli: one dance in four voices” and Thick Description

Elena Rivera Mirano's “Subli: one dance in four voices” and Thick Description

by BRT Baylas

Whenever we hear the word 'subli', most of us would think that it is a type of dance. Some of us have seen it being performed on stage, while some probably had the chance to perform it in school events. In Elena Rivera Manalo's work, subli is more than just a dance. 

(c) From: CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Arts, vol.5 (1994), p.106