Preparing for the Future: Blunders to Avoid in Choosing a University

“I have seen people spend more time choosing a car than they do choosing a college. A college education is going to last a lot longer than a car” –Mark Fisher

Malcolm X was once quoted to say that education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

From this sentiment, we can readily assume that a good future is hinged on how well you prepare for it today. One of the essential preparations an individual must do to ensure a good future is to secure a good education. After all, education is the gift that prepares and sets you for life. In this regard, choosing a good university to attend right after your secondary educational years is pivotal to ensuring good education. More importantly, good schools can contribute to better employment in most cases. With all these considered, choosing a university to provide you with good tertiary education should be something that requires deep contemplation and much deliberation.

After all, choosing a good college is akin to selecting the instrument to pave the way towards your future. Unfortunately, most students who just graduated secondary school would not be as decisive in selecting a college as they ought to be. The prospect of choosing a school that would set you for life might be overwhelmingly intimidating insomuch that students are often at a loss as to where to start. For this reason, determining what you want to do and what kind of career you would want to have are two tasks paramount to choosing a college. The earlier you can decide the easier choosing a college will be. The Philippines has quite a lot of competent universities from DLSZ (De La Salle Zobelle Vermosa) to Ateneo de Manila—it is just a matter of picking one.

However, as the task is often fraught with complications—from deciding what you wish to do in life to determining whether the school is located in a good location—it is inevitable for some students to make mistakes. Unfortunately, when you will be paying a premium for tuition not to mention mapping out the foundation of your future, making mistakes should be something you should avoid. To ensure that this does not occur, here is a list of common mistakes you ought to avoid committing yourself:

Do not rush the process

Determining which college to attend takes time so you should not rush it. Some of the things you can do to start your university selection process is to take a look at the list of high performing universities in thePhilippines and then identify which schools offer the course you would want to take. Remember, choosing the right college is a lengthy process that requires a lot of time and research. With this in mind, take as much time as you can in researching a good school for you. Do not wait until the last minute or arbitrarily choose a school just to satisfy a requirement.

   Do not be a follower

When you are unaware of what you want to take up or what kind of school you should attend, you would inevitably end up choosing the same schools your friends or significant other chose. Understandably, it would seem like a good idea considering that you will still be with them and be able to spend time with them while you are in college. However, remember that this is one of the most pivotal moments in your life. What is good for your friend and significant other might not necessarily be the same for you. More importantly, your future is at stake here so you need to make decisions for yourself. Besides, if your relationships are strong, they can transcend both time and distance so you need not worry.

Following a legacy

Another error most students commit in choosing a college is selecting the same college their parents had attended out of parental pressure or because they believe it would work to their favor as well considering their parents are alumni in their respective universities. Unfortunately, choosing colleges your parents had attended or your siblings chosen might not be in your best interest. Like stated above, you should strive to make the best decision for yourself and explore your options. Find the college that can align your career goals with your personality.

Rebelling

In contrast, you might want to consider colleges that you parents do not wish for you to attend. Likewise, this is counterintuitive to your plan of attending a good university. After all, your parents might have excellent insights as to which college you should attend and which ones you should not. More importantly, if you are doing it out of spite then it would inevitably lead you to regretting your decision. Choose a college because you believe it is a good school and would fit your career aspirations. Choose based on what you want and not for any other motive than that.

Relying on reputation

While it is advisable to select competitive schools that have been awarded various accolades over the years, you should also determine whether or not the school will be a good fit for you. Just because a school is prestigious and highly-ranked does not perfunctorily mean that it would be the right school for you. Do not equate prestige and illustriousness with quality of education. It all depends on your style of learning. Some students benefit more from smaller classes and might thrive and excel in lesser-known universities.

Image source

Discover Philippines: All You Need to Do About the Philippine Nightlife

“There is no night life in Spain. They stay up late but they get up late. That is not night life. That is delaying the day. Night life is when you get up with a hangover in the morning. Night life is when everybody says what the hell and you do not remember who paid the bill. Night life goes round and round and you look at the wall to make it stop. Night life comes out of a bottle and goes into a jar. If you think of how much the drinks are it is not night life” –Ernest Hemingway

The nightlife scene in the Philippines is unlike any other.

Influenced significantly by Western culture, there might be some aspects in Philippine nightlife that allude to the nightclub scene commonly found in the United States. However, there are also several aspects about it that make it so unique. For an instance, the nightlife in each district is so drastically different than how you would find it in another city. Makati nightlife is associated with upscale living insomuch that you can find some of the most luxurious and exclusive bars and nightclubs here. Other towns are also known for their distinct brand of nightlife—whether that may be a simple night at the pub or a speakeasy that is frequently patronized by up-and-coming writers, singers, artists and poets. Indeed, nightlife in the Philippines is so vibrant and colorful that everyone needs to experience it—whether they may be a local and even more so when they are a foreigner. Regardless of what your poison might be, the Philippine nightlife caters to everyone and you might find something just for you. Everything is there—from laser light discotheques, karaoke bars, underground music gastropubs and exclusive VIP clubs. There is always something for everyone’s fancy and kind of play during the weekend.

So, if you have been looking to hit up some nightclubs or bars this upcoming weekend, here are some of the things you might want to know before going on that nocturnal jaunt:

Friendly attitude towards foreigners

Filipinos are known for their hospitality. In this regard, a foreigner would not have a hard time striking up a conversation with a local. In fact, they may even expect Filipinos to initiate conversations with them first. More importantly, Filipinos have an excellent command of the English language so communication would not be a challenge. Aside from that, foreigners are basically treated like celebrities in the Philippines insomuch that most Filipinos would be receptive to accommodating them. Although things might be relatively different in low-end establishments, you can still expect Filipinos to be welcoming to foreigners.

English-speaking nation

As stated above, Filipinos have an excellent grasp of the English language that communication would hardly be a problem at all. In fact, this is seen as one of the many advantages when it comes to partying in the Philippines as most of the locals can speak English. Even the poorest urban communities can speak Basic English and would be able to accommodate tourists without a hitch. However, even if your trip to the Philippines does not necessitate the reading of a Filipino phrasebook, knowing a few key phrases will earn you extra appreciative smiles from the locals—just for trying!

Unique alcoholic beverages and food

Filipinos love their booze just as much as they love to eat. For this reason, most of their alcoholic beverages have food matches to further improve the taste and the drinking experience. A local drink that is a must-try to beer drinkers is the Filipino local staple for libation, the San Miguel Beer or simply called San Mig. This beer variety comes in a variety of forms from the classic pale pilsen offering to the super dry variant. Apart from alcoholic beverages and spirits, there is quite a number of recognizable American fast food establishments in the Philippines. Recently, there has also been a growth of Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisines inside shopping malls.  However, if you truly want to experience the diversity of Filipino cuisine, take a stroll in one of the Sunday food night markets and food bazaars. There you can find a range of unique food offerings and flavors all in a single place. Have a taste of the local street food as well as Filipino “pulutan” or finger food and beer matches said to enhance the taste of your alcohol.

Love for KTV

Filipinos love to song—that much is evident from the series of KTV bars you can find in almost every nook and cranny in a major city. In fact, you might even find a standalone one in a local store with a singing patron to match. Indeed, a Filipino’s love for singing has no match and it is something you have to witness for yourself should you ever find yourself in the Philippines. Even those without the gift of vocal prowess can be found singing and belting out tunes in karaoke machines. After all, it is more about your performance rather than the song. So, do not be afraid to try your hand at karaoke too. Let go of your inhibitions by belting out your favorite songs.

Image source

Cinemas Today: Four Reasons Why People Do not Go to Movies Anymore

“Movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash, we have very little reason to be interested in them.” –Pauline Kael

The movie culture is dying.

While there are weekends and perhaps opening nights wherein we see long queues, it is ever so rarely and if they are there, it means a new blockbuster is showing in town. It is undeniable that streaming websites such as Netflix and Hulu contributed to the progressive decline in movie attendance. After all, why pay an exorbitant amount for a single movie when you only pay a meager sum to access a movie library with diverse titles? However, rising cinema tickets and streaming services are not the only two reasons why cinephiles turn away from the movie theater. Much like anything else, a multitude of factors have caused the further deterioration of movies and as a result, diminished the entire movie experience. Back in the day, Saturdays were made for children matinees, summers had several blockbusters and there was always a rainy day screenings. Unfortunately, the modern day movie-goer has perhaps become rather cynical in his or her selection of movies as all of these once-considered cinema staples are now obsolete. Instead, they have been replaced by blockbuster after blockbuster which in turn, would cause the Cineplex to play the same title for an opening weekend---and constrains people to relegate to home media for the lack of options. Do not get me wrong, blockbusters still feed the cinema business and keep it afloat. However, a series of blockbusters do not really give movie-goers a wide movie-selection for which they can refine their film preferences with. Indeed, movies have gone mainstream and resultantly stale insomuch that it affects those who consume them. In any case, if you have found yourself planning your next movie weekend and are currently scouring the Glorietta Cinema Schedule, here are a few of the interesting facts why not a lot of people might share your weekend plans:

Rising movie prices

Back in the day, an elementary student’s daily allowance would be enough to pay for one movie. Indeed, going to the cinemas was not so much of an expense back then with tickets costing us less than a hundred pesos. Theaters were lenient on what food you can bring as well even going as far to allowing patrons to bring their rice meals inside. However, those are all things in the past. A movie excursion nowadays, thanks to ballooning movie budgets and more expensive projection equipment, is significantly more expensive. Features like IMAX and 3D screenings would even set you back further and for posh screenings such as Director’s Theater and the like, you would be charged even more. In sum, this is to say that going to the movies is an exorbitant expense and if you made a habit out of it (together with your family nonetheless), it can already be considered a small luxury.

Inconsiderate movie goers

Everywhere we go, we encounter people with no regard for others and atrocious manners. However, there is no other place more saturated with rude and impolite people than the cinema. It seems like the skyrocketing movie ticket prices do nothing to deter this type of audience and it can really dampen your entire movie experience. Back in the day, movie screenings had a strict policy in admitting small children after a certain hour. Today, it seems like all that would bar children from attending movies is the MTRCB rating. Unfortunately, these little tots can be quite the nuisance in movie theaters—particularly if they get rather restless. They get impatient and as a result would scream, cry and just be an overall distraction from the film. The same can be said for adults who, at their age, should have known better. For this reason, an adult’s disregard for common courtesy would be even more aggravating than a child’s. They talk on their phones or incessantly keep it lit much to the distraction of others. People have grown so accustomed to seeing movies at home that they seem to have given up on all sense of good manners. In any case, it does nothing to elevate your movie experience which brings us to the point: Why spend a lot just to jostle with other movie patrons who have absolutely no regard for common decency?

Home media

With the rise of re-releases of popular movies, home media has become mainstream with more and more people opting to wait a bit rather than spend money and time to go to the theater. After all, it seems more economic to buy a movie release you can repeatedly watch rather than go to a one-time screening. However, even then, movie attendance was still at an all-time high. It was not until the advent of internet streaming services such as Netflix, Iflix, Hulu and the like that the cinema industry took a serious blow. That, in conjunction to the constant piracy of just-released films has caused movie ticket sales to plummet in some areas. After all, with the rising movie prices coupled with rude movie patrons, it would make so much more sense for your pockets to just simply pay an annual fee than pay for a one-time screening.

The internet

No doubt, the internet has contributed to the steady decline of movie ticket sales. Much as television once eroded the standard movie-going audience, the internet has largely kept people at home. The World Wide Web is rife with entertainment options that are not as linear as simply watching a movie. It gave rise to a new kind of audience that is perhaps, a bit more discriminating that the movie patrons back in the day. Today, the internet gives them a vast selection of movies and on top of that, games as well. With the internet being a competition to be reckoned with, cinemas can potentially see a further drop in attendance.

Image source