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Recollections and reflections: Revisiting 2013

Richard James Mendoza

The year has been quite remarable! to say the least" # lot of things have trans$ired in this

rather unique year! %hich have contributed to my $ersonal &metamor$hosis!' so to s$ea( frommy emotional rollercoaster involving a failed attem$t at romance! to the struggle of $erforming a

balancing act bet%een my formal schooling and activism! as %ell as a brief $assacaglia into the

%orld of $rofessional gaming )$ro*gaming+"

,-t's #M#*zing./! or is it

#s usual! things haven't gone too %ell in school! %hether it is my studies or the eisting system

that the university currently uses! %hich the $eo$le colloquially call the ,racle"/ ith regards to

my studies! admittedly -'ve become lacadaisical and have been found lacing in motivation

ever since - enrolled for a second course last year! %hich is the 4achelor of 5cience in

-nformation Technology )45-T+" My reasons of enrolling again %ere rather su$erficial! es$ecially

the second one: - didn't %ant to flounder around 6ust because -'m 6ob*hunting! and - %anted to

$ursue romance %ith someone %ho! unbeno%nst to me! had already left the cam$us before

graduation )if you %ant to no% more! as me in $erson+" f course! $lans rarely go the %ay

they should and this became a &buzzill' to my motivation in taing schooling seriously" 4ut then

again! have - ever taen it seriously

There are forces that %ere outside my control! such as the racle system %hich %as

im$lemented around July 2012! in the middle of the trimester" #imed at re$lacing the old 7-5

system )%ith the ece$tion of the Technical 8ducation de$artment! %hich still uses the old

system+ %ith the ob6ective of im$roving services and other 9R mumbo*6umbo! it did the eact

o$$osite of ,im$roving services"/ hen it %as im$lemented! it %as $retty much the case ofstarting from scratch as the faculty became busy in in$utting data into the database! %hich

caused a s$ie in internet usage! thereby consuming large amounts of band%idth %hich caused

the s$eed of the cam$us internet to slo% do%n" This incident $rom$ted the #M# ead ffice to

change the %i*fi $ass%ord as a tem$orary solution" This %as 6ust one of the $roblems that came

%ith the racle"

# manifestation of the harsh nature of the ne%ly*im$lemented system bared itself for all to see

as evidenced by the long)er+ lines at the Treasury and #ccounting ffices caused by slo%er

$rocessing of transactions" ;ines became longer as they reached into the second floor of the 4#

building" -n the 7-5! it didn't really matter if the lines %ere long or if $eo$le had multi$le

transactions since those %ere easily $rocessed" 4ut %ith the racle! %aiting in line became an

agonizing e$erience for everyone" - remember a time %hen - %as going to $ay the tuition for

my eams( it too me almost three hours 6ust to com$lete a sim$le transaction" -t %as only

around

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=! - a$ologize about %riting all this rather nonsensical stuff" 4ut - $romise that -'ll %rite a

se$arate column about the investigations -'ve conducted inside the cam$us because this

stu$idity has to sto$" Time and time again have the administrators $romised to us that the

system %ould im$rove ,net trimester"/ 4ut ho% many more ,net trimesters/ shall %e have to

%ait until the system really im$roves

#n encounter %ith $ro*gaming

-'ve been $laying video games since - %as around seven years old! but - only became dee$ly

interested in $rofessional gaming )or $ro*gaming+ 6ust recently" #fter %atching those $layers in

the game ;eague of ;egends! - thought that maybe someday -'ll become a $ro*gamer! even if

for 6ust a short %hile" 5omeho%! this almost came into fruition in a tournament last July" - came

%ith my brother %ho %as one of the members a no%*defunct team in order to %atch them $lay"

#s teams had to register their manifest! to borro% a term! they found that one of their members

hadn't arrived yet" That time! - became a last minute substitute 6ust to com$lete the team's

attendance for the meantime )a team requires five members %ith at least one substitute+"

;ucily! the time for their bracet's set )a series of matches+ %as moved to the afternoon and so

the last member arrived 6ust in time for the games"

>nfortunately for me! that also meant that - %asn't able to $artici$ate in the tournament as a

$layer" >ltimately! the team landed in the to$ 1? after a lo$sided match %ith a team s$onsored

by 7ooler Master" -t %as a ba$tism of fire! as %e have called it" #s a consolation $rize of sorts!

ballers %ere given to teams %ho $artici$ated in the tournament"

The road to activism

- can't say for sure as to %ho or %hat had made me become enlightened to the things around

me! but - do recall that - got to %atch for the first time an activist documentary called ,#lasan!/

%hich covered the strie in acienda ;uisita and the massacre that ensued after guns %erefired against the farmers and their families as %ell as sym$athetic activists that resulted in seven

fatalities" -t %as riveting! to say the least! %atching $eo$le being harassed as they fought for

their rights"

5ometime in May this year! - %ent to a forum at >9 @iliman %hich discussed about the 2013

senatorial elections and the 975 machines" -t %as there that - got to meet several members of

#nabayan! a youth mass organization" #fter the forum! - %as invited to go to the 7omelec in

-ntramuros %hich - agreed" -t %as there that - %as a$$roached of becoming a member! to %hich

- declined at first" -t %as only a fe% days before Aoynoy's 5A# that - %as oriented about the

organization and became a member" My only thought bac then %as ,- don't no% %hat %orld

-'m going into! but -'m taing my chances any%ay"/ 5o far! it has been interesting"

5ummary

There have been many instances %here - regretted my decisions! more so the case in my

schooling" 4ut - didn't really %ant to tae this $ath %here - am no%( - %as sim$ly led into it by

some Will infinitely stronger than their own,to $ara$hrase 9aul ;aurence @unbar" -t's not

going to be a ha$$y ne% year for me! but that's another story %hich -'ll %rite about net time"