Creativity, Attack!

"A ship in the harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for." - John A. Shedd

Creativity is usually one of the criteria being considered when judging poster-making contests, dance competitions and other events that involve the use of artistic skills. Hence, many individuals associate creativity with the field of arts alone. They think that one can only be creative when painting, drawing, designing gowns, performing onstage, shooting a film and whatnot. However, creativity is not limited to these activities. Whether you are an author, a scientist, a musician or simply a student, you can be creative.

Restructuring patterns in the mind is what creativity is all about. Instead of sticking with the traditional way of doing things, you must be able to play with your imagination and thoughts in order to come up with something new, fresh and interesting. This may not be an easy task because developing new ideas really needs your time and effort. How can you stir away from the cliché plots of novels? How can you make an invention more efficient? Creativity, therefore, implies challenging yourself. Now, this force to create is actually complemented by another force which is already built in the human system—the force of entropy.

Entropy gives us pleasure when we are comfortable or relaxed. It includes the urge to curl up on the sofa and to put on headphones and just listen to music. Creativity and entropy, then, are two opposite sets of instructions since creativity is to challenges as entropy is to relaxation. If this is so, how can the two complement each other? Creativity requires thinking and thinking requires expending energy. Without entropy, we would easily exhaust ourselves. Thus, for every person, the force of creativity and entropy must be balanced. Most people, though, enjoy relaxation more than the challenge.

Another point about creative people is that they perform active entertainment. Discovering or designing something new brings them pleasure and so by thinking out of the box, they do active entertainment—they themselves are finding different ways to enjoy as opposed to passive entertainment where an individual only relies on others to make himself/herself happy. This enjoyable experience of a creative person is what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls the “flow”. What else do you think could possibly happen during a flow?

There are actually elements of flow that creative people often mention, according to Csikszentmihalyi. These include: a) there are clear goals every step of the way b) there is immediate feedback to one’s actions c) there is a balance between challenges and skills d) action and awareness are merged e) distractions are excluded from consciousness f) there is no worry of failure g) self-consciousness disappears h) the sense of time becomes distorted i) the activity becomes and end in itself. All of these reflect the qualities of creative people. They all love what they do and so the task becomes almost effortless. They prefer to challenge themselves and this leaves them highly focused.

Imagine what it’s like if there were no creative people. The world would certainly become boring since all the technological equipment that we’re enjoying today are products of creativity. The poems, stories and songs composed before would still be the ones we’d be using today. There won’t be any change in fashion. Most importantly, there would be no progress in thought. The beliefs and ideas of our ancestors about themselves and their environment would just be passed on to us. As an individual, we, too, don’t have a chance to grow. We can’t expand our skills, values and way of thinking. Creativity, therefore, is essential for the personal and cultural growth.

Valuable things do result from the work of creative individuals and I believe that everyone is capable of doing so. We should just at least try to get out of our comfort zone and take on challenges. Let’s push ourselves to become better.

Bakit Nga Ba Tayo Nag-aaral?

"If you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime studying, planning, and getting ready for it. What you should be doing is getting started." 
- Drew Houston

Aminin mo. Mahirap at nakakatamad mag-aral, lalo na kapag 'di ka interesado sa kailangan mong aralin.  Kahit may gana ka at nasabi mo na sa sarili mo na, “Sige na, mag-aaral na ko.”, di ka pa rin makapag-aral kasi the moment na nagsimula kang magbasa, lahat ng mga unnecessary na bagay ay biglang nagiging kawili-wili. ‘Wag kang mag-alala, normal lang to. Kahit ako, nakakatamaran ko  rin mag-aral. Syempre, kung papipiliin ka: aral o libang?, panigurado, libang ang pipiliin mo. Sino ba namang tao ang gusto mahirapan?

Kung ang iniisip mo sa salitang “aral” o “tuto” ay paghihirap at pagaaksaya ng oras, diyan ka nagkakamali. Sa araw-araw nating pamumuhay sa mundong ito, 'di tayo tumutigil matuto. Sabi nga ni Bruce Lee, “Life itself is your teacher, and you are in a state of constant learning.”

Hindi lang classroom ang venue upang matutunan ang mga bagay bagay. Kung mapapansin mo, mas marami kang matutunan sa labas ng classroom katulad ng pasesnya, pagbabudget, at disiplina. Ang mga lessons sa school, inaaral mo 'to para magexcel ka sa career na gusto mo. Ang lessons ng buhay, inexperience ito upang tumatag ang iyong kahusayan sa pakikibaka sa buhay.

Bakit nga ba kailangan nating mag aral o matuto ng mga bagay bagay? Bakit nga ba kailangan nating tumuntong sa college para mag-aral? Hindi ba mas magiging practical pag sa bahay ka lang nag-aaral through online resources?

Ang college ang stepping stone para makamit ang iyong mga pangarap. Upang makamit mo ang mga pangarap mo, kailangan mong magsikap at magsunog ng kilay. Hindi straight line ang paglalakbay patungo sa mga pangarap mo. May maeencounter kang bumps along the road a.k.a. mga bagsak, terror profs, insufficient allowance, etc. Pero di lang math o science ang matututunan sa college. Matututo ka rin ng mga life skills na  tutulong sa’yo para maging isa kang responsableng mamamayan.

Isang pribieheyo ang makapag-aral sa college. ‘Wag mong baliwalain ito. Naghirap din ang mga magulang mo para makapag-aral ka. Ang tanging bagay mo nalang na maibabalik sa kanila ay magsipag at mag-aral ng mabuti. Para sa’yo din yun. Kung di ka mag-aaral ng mabuti, mapapariwara ang buhay mo. ‘Wag mong isipin ang mga panandaliang tagumpay. Think long term. Isipin ang magiging buhay ng pamilya mo ‘pag hindi ka nag-aral ng mabuti. Gusto mo ba silang mahirapan?

Para di ka mabore sa pag-aaral isipin mo ang kinabukasan mo. Mas maayos na maghirap ka sa simula at puro sarap sa dulo kesa puro sarap sa simula tapos sa dulo ka maghihirap.

O sige na guys. Mag-aaral pa ako ng magic(math). Good luck sa pag-aaral nyo. Tandaan niyo, think long term. :D

You. Can. Do. It.

 “Some people can never believe in themselves until someone believes in them.” - Sean (Robin Williams) of Good Will Hunting

It may be true that life has a lot of resources, people to accompany with, wisdom, hopes and dreams but all of them certainly die when someone, just someone tells you “You can’t do it”.

Gifts, they are born with us. Efforts, we live with them. Support, we seek for them for life. That the true challenge of life is to look for people who will love us, trust us and will never leave us.

 

Let’s say we are from UP Baguio. We all passed the UPCAT, some were contented to stay, some were not and planned to transfer at UP Diliman and some had to attend another university first but eventually came back. Everyone has to be critical to take the right decision for our long-term goals in order to meet the expectations from the GIFT we have. Sometimes we fail to think that 99 percent of the gift we have plus 1 percent of effort is our only fuel towards success but hell no. We also need people!

Will in the movie, Good Will Hunting is a prodigy but an orphan; he had a foster parent who abused him. He had a terrifying childhood that eventually shaped him. He was gifted with intelligence but lacked of family to support him. He feared help and new relationships because he was afraid of being left out and of being hurt. All of these hindered him to realize the significance of what he can do with his gift to the extent that he never welcomed it and be more interested of being a janitor.

In comparison to our lives of being Iskolar ng bayan, we all claim to also having a gift. While the government is helping us to nurture it, we also help ourselves and so our families because we have expectations to meet. We are playing a role of being “Pag-asa ng Bayan”. After all, this is our only purpose. We are all under training in one campus; struggling with academics and with relationships. And in the midst of these struggles, we will want to give up and even pray to God if He could just take back that gift. People will look down at you and your grades are just too depressing. I’ll tell you, the technique is easy, reload your motivators. Look for someone who will believe in you, and will say, “You can do it”. Good luck mga Iskolar ng Bayan! Kakayanin natin to para sa Bayan.

Backpack Backpack!

College life can be compared to the TV show, “Dora the Explorer”. To reach such places, you will have to equip yourself with the right items in you backpack. If you don’t, you will have trouble reaching certain places. You will need friends too, such as Diego and Boots, to make your journey easier and more worthwhile. For now, think of me as Dora.

First, we’ll have to go through at least four landmarks to reach a fantastic place called GRADUATION. According to our map, the trip to Graduation may be more difficult than you think. You’ll surely encounter lots of hurdles and mountains so it’s important to consider the things that we’ll put in our backpack in order to survive.

To tell you the truth, the four places are almost the same. Yet, the path gets harder as we move farther. So, the first set of items that we should put in our backpack is our academic skills. In college, it’s not enough that you sit in class and listen to the teacher. It’s very important to grasp the full meaning of all the ideas presented to you or else you’ll be in trouble. You’ll be needing them in the next landmarks, like a prerequisite. Moreover, I am warning you that there will be a lot of papers and reports along the way. You better make sure that you’re working on your written and oral skills. Another part of the academic skills is your good study habits. Study habits that work best for me may not be the same as yours. For instance, I may be most productive at night while you’re better off in the morning. I may not be used to cramming but you’re perfectly fine with it. Hence, it’s up to you to find out when and how it’s best to study, remember and apply the information that you learn.

Next on the list are your intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. You have to have a healthy relationship with yourself and with other people. You should learn how to deal with your professors, classmates and staff. Once in a while, you’ll be needing help from these people and besides, you’ll be seeing the same faces for quite a long time. Also, you won’t be so frustrated if you have friends to share your problems with. Learn to laugh, smile and have fun but with the right people. Choose the ones that will help you handle the pressure of college life correctly. Choose the ones that will help you grow.

The last item that we should bring in our backpack may be often overlooked but it’s equally as important as the first two. Academic, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills are nothing without practical skills. You can’t survive the college journey if you’re bad at budgeting, managing your time and maintaining good health. Do you think you’ll pass a long exam by reviewing ten minutes before? And what’s the point of studying and hard work if you’re always sick and absent?

Now, let’s have a recap. What are the essentials that we should put in our backpack? You’re right. We need academic, intrapersonal, interpersonal and practical skills. Although, I just have to say that we can actually acquire and develop more of these skills as we go along. And how many places do we need to visit before getting to Graduation? You’re right again. Uno, dos, tres, quatro! I think you’re ready now. Good luck amigos y amigas!

First Times

First time mo bang magkaroong ng haggard na ID picture? Mawalan ng payong? Maibaba sa UB ng taxi instead na sa UP? First time mo bang gumamit ng blue book? Ng syllabus? Pumasok nang hindi naliligo? Magsuot ng tsinelas everyday? First time mo bang hingalin ng sobra sa paglalakad galing sa CSS patungo sa CS? O kaya naman ay malate kasi dikit-dikit ang mga classes mo? First time mo bang “bumaba” at “umakyat” mag-isa? First time mo bang mawalay sa pamilya mo?

Okay lang yan! Napagdaanan din namin yan! Ganyan talaga ang buhay sa UP Baguio. Mahirap masanay sa simula ngunit masayang maranasan ang ganitong mga “first times”. Ito ang  huhubog sa iyong pagkatao, at dahil dito, mas makikilala mo ang iyong sarili.

Ngayong nasa kolehiyo ka na, kailangan mong matutunang maging independent at maging madiskarte. Kung dati ay may  gumigising sa’yo tuwing umaga, ngayon wala na. Kung dati ay may naghahain sa’yo ng hapunan tuwing ala sais ng gabi, ngayon wala na. Kung dati may naglalaba para sa’yo, ngayon wala na. Kung dati may namamalantsa para sa’yo, ngayon wala na. Alam kong mahirap mamuhay mag-isa at malayo sa pamilya. Wala ka nang maaasahan kundi ang sarili mo.

Nakakatakot bang mamuhay mag-isa? Gusto mo na bang bumalik sa mga magulang mo? Bro, college student ka na. You need to leave your comfort zone. Kailangan mo ring marealize na ang ganitong feeling ng culture shock at homesickness ay normal lang. Walang mali sa’yo kaya hindi mo kailangang magemo-emohan. Huwag ka ring magkakamaling magdrugs o uminom gabi-gabi para lang malunasan ang iyong kalungkutan. Hindi iyan makakaganda para sa iyong pag-adapt at pag-adjust sa bagong environment.  Kaya, sa halip, tratuhin mong opportunity ang mga pagsubok na napapagdaanan mo. Kumbaga, gawin mong adventure ang college life.  Mag-explore ka ng mga lugar na di mo pa napupuntahan sa Baguio. Makipagkaibigan ka sa mga bloc mates mo. Magtry ka ng Cordillera foods. Embrace the new culture. Soon, marerealize mo na kaya mo palang mamuhay mag-isa, and masaya ito. :)