DLSU Employees' Workout Program

A twelve-week fitness program designed for staff and faculty members of De La Salle University.

DOWNLOAD THE WORKOUT HERE

Rivalry: Ateneo-La Salle Musical

"Rivalry" is a play that puts the famed blue-vs-green pissing contest between two of the top private universities in the Philippines on-stage in a musical.

Blue vs Green, since 1939.

DLSU UnivWeek 2012

Today is the day! Wear our school colors GREEN and WHITE proudly today, February 17, for the culminating party and concert of University Week 2012!

Green is More Fun in DLSU!

Join us as we celebrate our Centennial University Week today.

We have food stalls and apparel shops at Yuchengco Hall Lobby, Central Plaza, and SJ Walk, and Miguel Walk! Indulge, shop, and have a blast, the Lasallian way!

Party and concert begins 5pm onwards. Entrance is free for all Lasallians.

Photo by Andrew Pamorada.
"Wear Green" poster by the DLSU University Student Government.

DLSU Back in the Day

I saw these great pictures of my Alma Mater, De La Salle University, on my Facebook updates a little earlier. DLSU is situated smack in the heartland of the capital city, and it's quite a different sight now. 

Pictures are all courtesy of Lasallian alumnus Mr. Bibera, from his photo album "Nostalgia Manila".

Circa 1925.

Circa 1930s.

Post-Second World War.

St. La Salle Hall, circa 1970s.

St. La Salle Hall aerial view, circa 1970s.

Taft Avenue, home of DLSU, early 1980s. No LRT island yet.

St. La Salle Hall, circa 1980s.

Aside from being a beautiful school (we're quite famous for featuring Neoclassical architecture on our halls), the images above depict Manila at its finest, in my opinion. Note the clear, blue skies and the visible sky. Currently, there are almost a dozen condominiums surrounding De La Salle University (I live in one) and the skies are grayish-blue at best due to all the pollution. It's my dream that the Green Zone project* may help bring back Taft Avenue to its glory days as a gorgeous, sexy campus.

A hundred years on, and we're moving for a clean, modern look with the Centennial Hall, expected to rise by June 15, 2012. That's another blog post, though.

Jay~

I cannot thank Mr. Bibera enough for these images and making them publicly available. Animo La Salle! Pictures retrieved on January 28, 2012 from photo album "Nostalgia Manila". 

De La Salle University was known as De La Salle College when these images were taken. The creation of De La Salle - College of St. Benilde paved the way for DLS College to be DLS University. Just some info :)

*The Green Zone is an institutionalized project to turn Taft Avenue (from V. Cruz LRT 1 station to Quirino LRT 1 station, respectively) from the most polluted place in the Philippines (in terms of air quality) to the cleanest. Launched on January 18, 2012. Expected results between 2017 to 2022.

My Green Dream

The picture says it all :)

Taken on Day 2 of the first ever Green Leaders Conference, hosted by De La Salle University.

Good air = good runs :)

What's YOUR Green Dream?

Jay~

Back from the Dead Like a Makavelli..

I apologize for the silent stretch. I've been busy with De La Salle University's first Environment Week. A blog post on the week is in order! Stay tuned.

Jay~

Animo Christmas! Concert

Member of the Lasallian community? Come this Friday!

In line with De La Salle University's Centennial Year, the Lasallian Community is having the FIRST EVER Animo Christmas! Concert on Friday, December 16, 2011 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm at the De La Salle University Amphitheater.

Watch our very own Lasallian Bands and Singers, DLSU Alumni, representatives from the different sectors, De La Salle Brothers and many more as they render us Christmas Performances! Skittlez Crew will also be performing our Remix 2011 championship piece here :)

Guest singers and bands such as PUPIL, AKAFELLAS, KUNDIRANA, CLAYTON RISNER (International Youtube Singer) and others will be performing as well ;)

SEE YOU THERE!

Note:
Unfortunately, this event is only open to the Lasallian community (students, alumni, staff, and students from the other sixteen Lasallian schools).

Jay~

Dream Green on Facebook

Dream Green, the official green webpage of De La Salle University.

This is where you will find important and interesting information on the environment in general, as well as environmental efforts from the university, its community, the Philippine government, and the world in general.

Do you need to be a Lasallian to find the information here relevant?

Of course not! Just by liking this page on Facebook, you are already supporting the environment by choosing to stay informed and aware of the environmental situation not just in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, but the world at large.

So what are you waiting for? Support us and like us on Facebook! :)

Dream Green

Jay~

Remix 2011 Animotion Aftermath

 My missed Remix turned out pretty well, after all.

Skittlez Crew was crowned champions last night :) The first back-to-back and three-time Lasallian champions. On that note, I believe many thanks are in order.

God

Thank you for the armor, and for joining us on the stage last night. 3x, and it would not have happened if You did not help us do the impossible. Thank You for keeping our hearts and our minds safe.

Skittlez Remix 2011 Team

All of you made me SO proud. An 11-person team with 9 first-timers as champions? Amazing. We won this last year with virtually full veterans, and we won this again with mostly newbies. I suppose this proves once and for all that our system works beautifully. I am so proud to have been your 'papi' once upon a time. More than the trophy and the bragging rights - which will be substantial - the real prize here is having proven to yourselves that anything and everything is possible when you set your eyes and your effort towards it. Papi Rocky said it best: "We're just going to party on stage." We cannot lose so long as we have our +1 up there as well ;) One love, forever chyeah :)

Skittlez Crew and Community

The Remix team would never have done it without each and every one of you. From the moral support, to the financial assistance, to the unwavering devotion and love you have given to them for the past two months or so, thank you. Non-compet members, alumni, camera-persons, video-persons, friends and family, I know you guys have given so much, because I've been with all of you for most of this journey this year. Non-compet and newbies, you will all be the next Remix team members, and I am so happy and confident to see that the family is in such skilled and capable hands. You have no idea how much gratitude and pride the older, alumni members such as myself feel towards all of you. One love! <3

La Salle Dance Company

What a job you guys have done. Because of the standards that you have set, both in your performances and in your competition pieces, the level and degree of Lasallian dance have vastly changed for the better. I look through Remix '07 videos, and having watched the competition last night, it is easy to conclude that the quality of dance that we have now in our Lasallian schools is so much richer and entertaining. You've pushed all the participants to higher limits whether they like it or not. Congratulations on the clean-sweep this year, and thank you for organizing an avenue for so many talented groups of individuals to express their God-given abilities.

Remix 2011 Participants

Thank you for the good fight. It is said that competition is the mother of innovation, and we have consistently produced new and exciting choreography and concepts because all of you drive us to better ourselves. For the 'old guard' crews such as ComOne Ground, Cadence Uprockin' Crew, Team Elite, Absolute Movement, and Vital Legaci, Remix would be so much more boring if all of you weren't in it. My heart beats a little faster with excitement and nerves when your respective crews take the stage. Together, our respective crews represent and build up the dance community of DLSU and DLS-CSB. Let us all continue producing entertaining and sick pieces for our audience to enjoy! For the new crews, please do NOT ever stop plying your trade. Dancing is an art form, and like any trade of skill, it takes time, patience, and diligence. I am sure that with the right combination of these, your crews will enjoy a long and fruitful life in the Lasallian dance scene.

Audience

Last but not least, thank you. The cheers lift spirits, and your continued patronage of the art of dance do not just make better dancers and performances, but better individuals as well.

Quite possibly, the best Remix ever :')

We were ten in 2007.

Jay~

Remix 2011: Reminiscing

 With three days to go, it's all too real:

I am no longer competing with Skittlez in this year's Remix dance competition.

Remix has been something of a life "mile-marker" for me. This particular competition has brought out the best - and the worst - in me, as well as allowed me to discover a talent I never thought existed. For me, it has been more than a college dance competition. It has become a memory that will last my lifetime.

My beloved dance crew, Skittlez, was formed mid-2007. These ten students who comprised the founding members were all dancers who did not make the cut in our university's official dance team. They got to know one another, and formed a colorful and crazy crew which competed in Remix 2007. I missed this Remix; I did not know enough dance to save myself.

Fast-forward a year later and we grabbed our first championship.

In Remix 2008, a bunch of friends have grown to be inseparable winners, when just a little over a year prior, they "weren't good enough". How fortunes have changed!

In 2009, my crew suffered a loss (we placed second on the score-cards and fourth overall due to scoring technicalities) that I took personally. It was my first year as the crew's "Papi" - our leader - and losing the championship will ever be the black mark on my dancing life. It fired me up and drove me to instill discipline in the crew, teaching as many of these kids under me the value of never settling for 'good enough' and never ever resting on one's laurels.

We avenged this slight on our status as the premier dance group in 2010.

As I held that championship trophy on stage in front of a couple of thousand people, I felt the anger of loss dissipate into tears of joy and affirmation. We are the best.

Vindicated :')

This year, we will prove again that we are the best.

Whatever comes out on the judges' scorecards, one thing is for sure. Skittlez has left a true legacy in the Lasallian community, and we have created not just a dance group but an honest-to-goodness community and family. This is our fifth Remix and our second title defense; we will not give this so easily.

Remix 2011 Official Poster.

In the short history of Remix (and dance in De La Salle University in general), no crew has ever had the number of members that we have had (over 80 currently), no crew has ever produced dancers of such caliber as to be literally world-class, no crew has ever produced students of such academic esteem (22 Dean's List students last term), and no crew has ever shown as much love as we have to our beloved Green and White. We will continue to give shows and performances to all Lasallian groups and organizations for free, because we love dance so much that we refuse to put a price on it. We will continue to admit anyone and everyone in, because talent can develop from nothing. We will continue to share our philosophy and creed of One Love, Chyeah, because we are one in everything that we do.

Saying goodbye at his despedida to one of our most beloved supporters, Br. Armin Luistro, FSC.

This Saturday, I might go all teary-eyed because I won't be on stage defending the quirky, crazy family that is Skittlez. More than that, I know those tears will be for the legacy of winning, success, and love that we have created in the Lasallian community. I will miss dancing with Skittlez, but they are in good hands and will continue to be examples of faith, service, and communion to every one we encounter.

We love, we hate. We succeed, we fail. We win, we lose. We stand, we fall.

We have gone through everything, and still here we are.

Here we are.

Five Remixes on.

Here we are.

We will win. 

'Champion' is not a number.

Jay~

Run for Pasig River

See you there! I'll be doing my usual 3k.

Registrations end Nov 15!

Sign up now!

De La Salle University registration booth is located at the St. Joseph Hall lobby.

For more information, please visit Run for Pasig River 2011.

Jay~

Class Suspension: A Battle of Perspectives

This is a direct response to the many people - Lasallians and non-Lasallians alike - who have bashed DLSU's decision on delaying class suspensions due to tropical storm Juaning. I hope these would enlighten many minds, because ignorance isn't bliss; it's an avenue for embarrassment.

Earlier today, a storm battered northern Philippines and the capital, Metro Manila, experienced flooding and heavy rain. Beginning around 9.00am up to lunch time, schools from the north (Quezon City) started suspending classes. Southwards, schools followed suit and suspended classes as well. My alma mater/workplace, De La Salle University, refused to suspend classes at this point, thus starting a Twitter brat-fest and online flooding of complaints. I will address this from the point of view of a former student and as someone who is aware of how the school administration functions.

We Care, So Stay
Perhaps the bashing that ticked me off the most was the accusation from many places that the university administration "does not care for the well-being of its students". This is simply silly to the point of stupidity. In the middle of heavy rains, suspending classes (and in turn, closing the campus) would mean thousands of students at and around Taft Avenue - one of the busiest roads in Metro Manila - would be subject to said rain and floods. I suspect that many students were simply lazy to attend classes, due to the well-known fact that many students just do not want to attend their classes YET still hang around the campus or in nearby establishments. I believe that the logical, responsible, and rational action - which we did - was to keep these students in their classrooms, safe, dry, and warm. What about those at home? You are in no pressure to attend your classes if you believe yourself to be in imminent danger from doing so. University students are young, thinking adults, capable of making decisions for themselves. Exercise those brain cells!

Playing Tough
Some have also accused DLSU of "acting tough" as we were one of the last universities to suspend classes (around 2.40pm). The sky was still bright and sunny - though it was still raining) - at around noon-time. I know this because many people, myself included, were still crossing Taft Avenue at lunch time, looking to grab a bite. Calling it off late was not intended to be an "act of toughness" - it was an act of prudence and patience. There's a big difference between the two, as any self-respecting rational human being would know. Suspending classes early when the day was still bright and that there was no direct mandate from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) would have displayed nothing more than hair-trigger decision-making, something the DLSU administration simply does not do. That's that.

Hypocritical Complaints
This must be the worst of the lot. It is no secret that many students cut their classes. Heck, I used to do it on a regular basis (though in my defense, I had unlimited cuts and absences for 5 terms). I do not understand at all the complaints of many students when they cried out for DLSU to suspend classes when many of them absent themselves from said classes on a regular, non-stormy day. I will have to say that more than half of the students crying out for class suspensions just did NOT want to go to their classes, for whatever lazy and selfish reason. Truth be told, the school is not chaining any one student to their classroom chairs; if you want to leave, then leave. Thinking persons would know if their respective lives are in danger - you are under no obligation to "subject" yourself to any form of "danger". Also, I do not understand why said students feel so pressured to attend their classes when, again, these same students would willingly cut classes for any random reason, from a DoTA session to "just because". Hypocrites.

Also:
Perhaps the worst critical thinking thought process I've seen on Twitter was the following premise rationale:

Premise 1: Heavy storm is directly causing many accidents.
Premise 2: DLSU is not suspending classes even though there is a heavy storm.
Conclusion: DLSU's non-suspension of classes will cause accidents, perhaps injuring Lasallians.

Um, I'm sorry, but your IQ is approximately 22.
No, make that 21.

For those who were genuinely troubled by the rains and the floods (this means you were literally staring danger - heavy rain and floods - in the eye), you would know by now that this is not for you. In fact, from messages to me and several conversations around the campus, I know that many of you are in the same thought-train as myself. Thank you for the non-bashing and supportive comments earlier in the day. It helped that there are thinking people out there :)

With those points said, I just really hope more would understand how difficult it is to suspend classes. There are processes to be followed, because a university's primary function is to provide education to the students within the halls of said university. Suspending classes at the first sign of rain is a decision devoid of rational and informed thought. And just to clarify, yes, it angered me that many acted bratty when it came to the delay in suspending classes. Yes, I know I have offended the delicacy of some students, but you know what? Please use the following checklist:

• What are you paying the university for, if not to attend school?
• Would you receive qualityeducation by hanging around instead of being in class?
• Are you a thinking adult who is able to make rational and logical decisions?
• Are you a thinking adult who is really concerned about your self-preservation?
• Are you aware that you are not obliged to expose yourself to danger?
• Did you know that patience is a virtue?
• Are you really in university, or are you still in high school?
• Do you like peanuts? I love peanuts.
  

If only the mouth (and the fingers) were slower than the brain :)

Oh, and when the university finally suspended classes?
The new complaint was that now, it was much too late. ROFLMAO.


Jay~

One Archer's Crane Accident

Late yesterday evening, a mishap occurred where a construction crane situated high up on Eton's One Archer's Place apparently fell and then was stuck hanging over the side of the building. It was hanging directly on top of Agno Street, the main street that Lasallians use to get from the main campus to three other buildings situated outside (Science and Technology Research Center, Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC Hall, and the Don Enrique Razon Sports Complex, respectively). The security officers of De La Salle University Manila quickly closed the street, resulting in many students having classes in the STRC to be stranded for a while, with many others unable to reach the main campus.




The white building on the left is the Br. Andrew Hall, while the lit building on the right is the Sports Complex.
Pictures taken using Nokia C3-00 at 2.0 MP.

This is a worrying trend with regards to safety for Eton Properties Philippines, because last year on the wee hours of Valentine's Day, a fire broke out on the then-under-construction One Archer's and just recently, several workers were killed at Eton Tower Makati when a gondola that they were riding went on a fatal free-fall. Three very serious incidences of safety issues for a property developer is something to heavily consider, I believe.

It is also much more worrying because many of the residents of One Archer's are students of De La Salle University Manila.

Jay~

DLSU Classroom Utilization

For those who have been wondering about the mythical "six-days-a-week academic schedule" of De La Salle University Manila, it does NOT mean that students will be attending classes for six whole days; rather, six academic days will be used while keeping the standard four-day undergraduate week of La Salle. It will be:

Mondays - Thursdays

Tuesdays - Fridays

Wednesdays - Saturdays

It's rather efficient, in my opinion :)

Source:
De La Salle University Office of the Chancellor
DLSU Intranet Archives

Jay~

UST: New Home of the Bar Exams

My alma mater, De La Salle University Manila, has traditionally been the venue of the Bar Exams, with lawyers-to-be gathering inside the campus to take the exams that would make or break their legal future. However, a grenade attack last during last year's exams, as well as the construction of our new Centennial Hall have made the Supreme Court of the Philippines reconsider the venue of the exams. That honor now goes to the Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas (or University of Saint Thomas, but no one in their right mind would call it that here in the Philippines).

Popularly known as "Uste" (oos-teh), UST is the oldest university in Asia at over four-hundred years. Founded in 1611, it is also the largest Catholic university in the world in terms of student population in a single campus. Uste is definitely one of the best universities in the country, and is famous for the medical disciplines that it offers.

I also cannot help but think that as much as I love the neoclassical design of La Salle structures, Uste's New World feel is also pretty breath-taking:

UST's crest.

UST's varsity crest.


Well then. I suppose the Bar Exams have found a fitting home :)

Read more here; pictures from here and here. UST history courtesy of UST website.

Jay~

Murder on the Pitch

De La Salle University's Men's Football Team crushed Ateneo de Manila's Men's Football Team in the opening football match of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) football season.

5 - 1

All our goal-scorers were rookies; two bagged a brace each, and another a single goal, while AdMU scored just before halftime. In any case, it could not stop the inevitable La Salle demolition of the Ateneo team at the final whistle.

5 - 1 is a thrashing, no two ways about it :D

Read more from this Yahoo! article by Sid Ventura and our official UAAP website.

Jay~

DLSU May Have To Forfeit Unbeaten Streak

This was something that I knew about a couple of days before it was released. A tad bit disappointing in terms of potential consequences, but in my opinion, the noble thing to do, looking at the big picture.

One of my mentors and father-figures, Sir Edwin Reyes, spoke with me regarding this issue, and we were both in the same mind that coming clean and admitting the mistake first - an honest mistake at that - of our university would do all parties well. In the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), there is no space to make errors such as the one my university did. I'm very proud that not only did we own up to this error, but we are willing to face the consequences as well.

We are, after all, Lasallians.

Full article here.

Jay~

So Long, 2010!

It's been a year of ups and downs, but I've been lucky to have way more ups than downs.

Thank you to all my friends, new and old, for having stuck with me and our friendship for yet another year. I can never express my gratitude to you guys. I know I met many of you in university, and then I just left (I graduated, okay, not expelled :P) but I am sure we will all still keep in contact, what with the many online-based social networking sites we're all using now. Haha.. Here's to another year of friendship!

Thank you to my parents, for the endless moral, emotional, and financial support this year. I'm a graduate from a good school, and I hope I've made you both very proud. This has been an awesome year; thanks for being a part of it.

Skittlez Crew! This year gave me my third Remix dance competition with you guys, and I am honored to have led you guys for two years. I'm so proud and honored to have won two championships dancing beside all of you, when just a couple of years ago, "I wasn't good enough" to be a 'proper' dancer. How things have changed, and how we've all grown! We were champions of 2008, and this year, thank you for the graduation gift of being champions of 2010. Through ups and downs, you have all proven yourselves to be a true family, in every sense of the word. I love you guys, more than words can say. You've been there for me on my first week in university, my final week as a student, my first day on the job, and so much more. ONE LOVE, through and through. Thank you for making my 2010 absolutely amazing.

I have to thank my alma mater as well, De La Salle University Manila, for the high-quality education I received from this wonderful institution. I didn't know at first why the hell I took up a liberal arts course here, when I was coming from a science background with my Cambridge A-Levels. It was a decision that made me fall in love with politics, political science, world and international systems, as well as society and culture in general. Thank you also for my very first job. I can never be grateful enough to our President (and my boss) Brother President Jun Erguiza FSC. You saw something in me, trusted me, and have become so much of a father-figure to me. It's truly difficult to leave Taft when one is taken care of so well by a great academic institution. Here's to our Centennial next year, La Salle! Animo :D

Last but not least, the icing on the cake, thank you PJ for being that special someone who is willing to be beside me through thick and thin, and I think we've gone through enough to justify my saying that :P You've been nothing short of awesome, and you're unbelievably cool and laid-back. I know I can be really uptight, but you've slowly made me a more fun and outgoing person. Oh, and you're just so gorgeous on top of it all! LOL. If my 2010 was already freakin' great, you made it perfect. I'm looking forward to many more New Year's with you :) You make me better, in more ways than you know. You're the absolute best.

Happy New Year, and let's all welcome 2011!
Another year, another chance to be a better person.

Life has been great, 2010; I'm sure it can only be better :)

Jay~

Graduation

Welcome to De La Salle University - Manila's 159th Commencement Exercises :)

I am now a proud graduate of DLSU - Manila, one of the best institutions of higher learning here in Asia, and in my heart, what has sculpted and defined who I am today.

Alright, I'll let the pictures go ahead and do the talking :)
Held at the Philippine International Convention Center, October 9, 2010.











Yes, I had a pretty good week :)

Jay~

159th Commencement - Rehearsals

Graduation rehearsals and distribution of academic regalia.
Pretty fun to see friends I haven't seen in weeks..

I'll let the pictures do the talking.









It's the big day this Saturday!

Jay~