Anniversary Dinner 2011

Last August 13, 2011, the University of the Philippines Geological Society held an alumni dinner at Ral’s Restaurant, UP Technohub. It was a celebration of the organization’s 54^th anniversary. It also turned out to be a good luck party for the 2011 graduates who were about to take their Geology Licensure Examinations a week later. It sure was a night filled with sumptuous food, good music, laughter, some reminiscing, and even inspirational remarks from our alumni.  It served the purpose of catching up with everyone, as well as gathering up to celebrate our beloved organization’s foundation, and continuing success.

           The program started with a welcoming remark from the current president, Conchitina Yu, and followed by two song numbers by Chryselle Ultima Mancenido. Then, an eat-all-you-can buffet dinner was accompanied by serenading music from the band.  After everyone enjoyed their meals, the hosts of the night, JP Mendoza and Hariette Laroco, surprised everyone with a video prepared by the members. The video was a slideshow of pictures from different batches as well as messages and greetings from current professors in NIGS who are GeoSoc alumni. At the end of the video, good luck messages from some resident members were dedicated to the fresh graduates. Then the graduates, Jigo Mismanos, Richard Ybanez, Karizz Morante, John Dale Dianala, Kevin Guellermo, Gaea Roselle and Jillyka Julianda all gave their thank you and inspirational messages after they were given good luck charms for the upcoming examinations.

The presence of Dr. Roger Laraya and his wife was also acknowledged by the hosts. He was called in to give a message for the organization. He obliged and not only did he talk about praises, but also gave tips for the undergraduate geology students and pointers on choosing our partners in life. We were all humbled by his stories and advices on life itself. According to Dr. Laraya, a geologist must choose an understanding partner, for we all know, that fieldworks require us to be away from our homes most of the time. Indeed, he was able to make his point through to all of us listening and with that, we were sincerely happy for his presence that night. As he was about to leave, pictures were taken for documentation and remembrance purposes.

Games and videoke sessions made the night much more fun for everyone who was there until about eleven o’clock pm. Undeniably, University of the Philippines Geological Society is a one big happy family of mixed personalities united for only one goal, excellence (on top of all kinds of stress, academic pressure and social life).#

- Dana Marie Sunga

Read Full Story...

GEOLOGS 2011: THE BIGGEST GEOLOGS

The University of the Philippines Geological Society held its annual Geologs Quiz Show last July 13, 2011 at the National Institute of Geological Sciences 2^nd Floor Lobby. Geologs 2011 was also brought to you by Philippine Mining Development Corporation. The Geologs Quiz Show is an annual interactive contest about everything and anything under the sun. This activity provides fun and enjoyment for the students being not only fun but also informational. This is furthermore a way of promoting camaraderie throughout the community, specifically/mostly, the U.P. student body and faculty. Questions from the names of real-life actors/actresses to the tiniest details we barely notice in our everyday UP life are asked. Some being nonsensical, but then, that is all we need sometimes, a little sense of humor.

             The theme for this year was “THE BIGGEST GEOLOGS” adapted from the show “THE BIGGEST LOSER”. This Year, twenty nine (29) teams from around the university grounds participated in this marvelous occasion.  The quiz show started at around 6:15p.m with a light-off effect where the hosts Lawrence Custodio and Mary Rose Gabuyo pranced around to the tune of CHOCOLATE by Soul Control. The next exciting part was the introduction of the five (5) showcases by the Showcase Boys and Girls. Again, the lights were turned off and the music was played as the extravagant show of showcases transpired leaving the spectators begging for more. And then it came, the most anticipated part of the event, the “Game Proper”. The game is divided into three (3) parts; easy (Warm up! round), average (I’m so Sweaty na! Round), and the difficult round (Last Lapse na! For the Win! Round). The objective of the players was simple…to answer the questions correctly within the given time limit.

             Another plus to the game show was the showcase rounds. In these rounds, a team may win one of the five (5) showcases presented in the game; given that they answer the question right and hopefully get their team number picked out by the event coordinator.  The showcases presented this year are as follow;  “Hinog na ang prutas mo teh at koyah showcase” (Fruits showcase), “I’m so sweaty showcase” (Towel, Gatorade, Measuring tape showcase), “Piniga ko prutas mo! Four Seasons pa! Showcase” (Fit n’ Right showcase), “Mag-gatasan tayo showcase” (Nesvita and Busog Lusog showcase), and “Sabay ka sa Giling ko showcase” (Exercise DVD showcase). As an added bonus, each of the Showcase Boys and Girls grooved the vicinity as they gave the showcase to the lucky winners.

              Then, it came, the final part of the game show… the awarding of winners. It was a grueling game and all but only the best has been bestowed the most. The 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd prize has been given to the teams that were Jologs enough to answer the Geologs questions. The 3^rd prize was 150pesos and a gaudy hula-hoop. The 2^nd prize was a mouth-watering 500pesos and a very jumpy jumping rope. The Champions and the most Geologs team… the “Team FPJ” gained the 1^st prize composed of a whooping 1500pesos, flashy wristbands, and a giant check that was especially made for the champs.

               Overall, the game started and ended pretty well, running smoothly all throughout… with respect to the view of the audience of course. There were some technical and physical problems that transpired but it was nothing UP Geosoc can’t handle. There was even a part where our event judge Kim Ilao had a short debate with a contestant with regards to a question.  In the end, that mini debate seemed to be an extra fun part of the show. Nonetheless, this year’s Geologs has been an enjoyable and pleasant experience to everyone and has served its purpose… to foster companionship throughout the community body, students and faculty, and other guests. The event has been a success and I hope for another fun-filled and exciting Geologs Quiz show in the future.#

- Angel Renel Yu

Read Full Story...

GeoSoc Mine Visit 2011

  Geosoc together with other geology students went to Padcal, Benguet to visit the mining area of the Philex mining corporation last April 2-3, 2011. This activity aims to broaden the knowledge of the geology students in the field of mining, to give them a background of the mining industry, and to expose them to what they will be doing in the future if they choose to pursue mining.

                We first visited the Philex museum. There we found samples of rocks, in different forms, commonly associated with gold. Models of the mining processes can also be viewed inside the museum. This gave us an idea of the complexities of the mining industry and also an overview of how the whole mining stuff works.

                After the museum, we went to the “core log house” which stores hundreds or even thousands of core logs that were drilled recently or even years ago. These served as references to where the mining should take place. This core logging, highlights the main role of the geologists in the mining industry. They are responsible for the directions of the drilling. They will identify the rocks present in the core and then they will know the orientation or position of the minable materials such as gold through association. It may sound simple but the task should be carried out with utmost care and thinking because each drilling costs a lot of money.

                Next to the “core log house” was the assay laboratory. The team demonstrated to us the preparations they do for the analysis of the samples and for knowing the percentage composition of each sample. There, we observed under a microscope a flake of gold embedded in a rock.

                After the laboratory, we proceeded to the briefing and distribution of the equipments for our trip underground. Everyone was excited to descend underground with the complete outfit and gears. The whole trip was tiring but fun and full of experience. We were able to see the actualities of mining especially the part on exploration. We were also able to observe the organization inside the mine – the different roles the people play in order to carry out the mining process. For example, the role of mining engineers, mechanical engineers, geologists, etc. It was just amazing to think that we were actually in the core of the mountain thousands of meters from the surface. And with us were huge tanks and bulldozers very busy on their respective tasks.

                Next was the “mill operations”. This is where the processing of the ores gathered from the mining production lines take place. The end products here are the extracted important metals from the ore ready for export or transport for further processing. The process involves big machineries. The process seemed to be complicated but according to the metallurgical engineer that toured us, “It is just as simple Chem16.”

Philex provided us with free accommodation in their student dormitory. There, we stayed overnight after that long busy day. Even though everyone is tired, we still had time to do some recreations. The hours before going to sleep served as bonding time for all the students who joined the mine visit. Thanks to Philex.#

- Kimberly A. Ilao

Read Full Story...

Binibini Ba 'To 2011

Last February 23, 2011 was the day of the awaited Binibini Ba‘To, the annual male cross-dressing pageant held by GeoSoc for the College of Science. The event was included in the week-long celebration of the College of Science week, together with other events like the Big Band Theory (battle of the bands) and the CS Idol, as a result of the partnership done with the College of Science Student Council (CSSC). The theme of this year’s Binibini Ba‘To was “Victor’s Secret: The Clash of the Heavenly Bodies”, in coordination with the theme of the CS week, Big Bang.

The participants for this year were UP Association of Biology Majors (UP ABM), UP Association of Chemistry Majors and Enthusiasts (UP ACME), Agham Youth, UP Chemical Society (UP ChemSoc), UP Department of Science and Technology-Scholars’ Association (UP DOST-SA), UP Geology Majors Society (UP GeMS), UP Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Society (UP MBBS), UP Pre-Medical Honor Society (UP PMHS), UP Pre-Medical Society (UP PMS), and UP Marine Biological Society (UP MBS). Before the pageant, a photoshoot with the contestants was done with the UP Optics in the NIGS AVR in preparation for the exhibit to be released a few weeks before the event itself. They had a shot with their casual outfit as a male, and a bikini shot as a female.

The exhibit, which served as a teaser for the event, contained information about the contestants, and their male and female photos. The exhibit was a silhouette of a female with wings made from cardboard painted black and with highlights of silver on the wings. It started roaming around the CS buildings a week before the event until the event itself.

A few hours before the start of the event, everyone was busy preparing – the backdrop, the venue, the projector, the lights, the stage, the props. But when everything started, everything went smoothly. The hosts of the event were Emmanuelle Manoguid and Roxy Saguido, two very funny and energetic students from the College of Mass Communication of UP Diliman. The three judges who participated in the event were Mr. Raymond Rodolfo from the National Institute of Geological Sciences, Mr. Jason Petras from the Fil. Department and Ms. Pat Bringas from UP Babaylan.

            The first part of the program was the opening dance number led by some members of GeoSoc, which eventually led to the entrance of the contestants. Then came the wings part, in which the contestants showcased their wings made up of recycled materials, all while wearing their bikini. And after each walk on the stage, they all promoted a certain product from Nivea in their own way. This served as the act-it-out portion of the program. This was followed by the talent portion, and we must say that the contestants this year put a lot of effort for their talents, for they all presented really great in their performances. Last, but definitely not the least, was the Long Gown and Q&A portion. The contestants wore their beautiful dresses and were asked to pick a paper containing the name of a judge that will give their question.

Before the announcing of the winners, a quick intermission number was done by UP SIKAT with the song Telephone by Lady Gaga. After this, the contestants came back on stage wearing their wings for the announcing of winners. For the minor awards: the Binibining Aries award (we need not explain this in full detail) was awarded to UP MBS; the Gon-duh Wings award (contestant with the most beautiful wings) to UP MBBS; MaCASHiopeia award (contestant who garnered the most number of votes by the piso-per-vote system thru the use of vote boxes) to UP Pre-Medical Honor Society; Ms Supernova award (contestant with the best talent based on the scores given by the judges) to UP GeMS; and Ms. Planet of the Apes award (most manly-looking contestant) to UP ACME. And for the major awards, third place as Bb. Pandaigdig was UP GeMS, with a score of 87.22%. Second place as Bb. Bulalakaw was UP MBBS with 88.89%. And for the first place as Bb. Pangkalawakan and this year’s winner of Binibini Ba‘To 2011 was UP PMHS with 93.10%. The contestants were awarded with prizes from Folded and Hung, Jobs DB, Marks & Spencer, NIGS Canteen.

After months of preparation and everyone’s time and effort, the Binibini Ba‘To was a huge success. This was also the most attended Binibini Ba‘To (according to the CSSC) event. Everyone had a good time, and was thankful that everything went out great. We assure you that next year would be an equally or more successful event. We hope to see you next February for Binibini Ba’To 2012!#

- Marga Mahor

Read Full Story...

Make the Luv-A Flow 2011

               Last February, the UP Geological Society brought about the “MAKE THE LUV-A FLOW” in the National Institute of Geological Sciences. The activity aims to promote camaraderie, fun and entertainment during the most anticipated love month. Included in the list of activities were the wedding booth, dedication wall, chocolate selling, and Mr. and Ms. Luv-a Flow. Also, the first ever PROM NIGHT was held last February 11, which serves as the culmination night for the Make the Luv-a flow week.

            Among the activities in the Make the Luv-a Flow week, the Weeding booth was indeed the most famous and exciting, as real-life or asaran-generated couples exchange their wedding vows with complete wedding stuff for an awesome wedding. Some weddings appeared to be the Wedding of the century (Leong-Mancenido and Bornilla-Calanno) as their whole class attended the wedding. Even the Deputy Director for Student and Academic Affairs, Dr. Tarriela, witnessed how emotional these couples were as they exchanges vows even though everything were just made–up weddings.

            Seems like everyone have some unspoken sweet words towards a special someone or maybe it was just all about having a sweet tooth. No wonder, the dedication wall and the chocolate selling were a huge sensation during the week. As an added twist, the chocolates have small curled paper inside which resembles that of a fortune cookie. Some of the more famous fortune is “mabubuntis ka mamaya… magtimpi!”

            Another exciting activity during the week was the search for Mr. and Ms. Luv-a Flow. The pairs were chosen based on their popularity as couples and their overall sweetness even if they are not really in a romantic relationship with each other. There were six couples which competed for the title namely: PaJak (Patricia Quimora and Jake del Prado), JanRari (Janelle Marasigan and Merari Rosaroso), MacKira (Macky Bernardo and Kira Gauce), MarEsca (Mark La Rosa and Cesca Llanes), DominIce (Dominic Guballa and Ice Ortiz) and AngelinaJolly (Angel Yu and Jolly Sulapas). Voting was done during the entire Luv-a week and the couple who garnered the highest votes was proclaimed Mr. and Ms. Luv-a Flow 2011 during the Prom Night.

            Speaking of the Prom Night, the perfect way to end the week with a big explosion of kilig and love was to have a night of acoustic music, slow dancing, games and of course, sumptuous hearty food. GeoSoc and Heart Angela’s Food shop, also known as NIGS canteen, headed the first ever Prom Night with masquerade as the theme. Also, this special night was made in collaboration with Cravings food group and all the NIGS organizations namely: Cwm Zenana, UP Rockhounds, UP GeMS and IOGF. The idea was to organize a simple yet cozy party to celebrate the love month as an institute. But the attendees were not limited to NIGS people; in fact, many other students from the College of Engineering and the other College of Science Institutes like MBB participated in the magical night. The acoustic romantic songs were performed by various talented NIGS students which were part of the partner organizations. Also, the UP Music Circle performed and charmed the crowd with their golden voice. Another highlight of the night is the announcement and coronation of Mr. and Ms. Luv-a Flow 2011. The votes were tallied and the love team known as AngelinaJolly got in the 2^nd place which entitled them for a romantic street food date within UP. The grand prize of having a romantic dinner date for two at Cravings restaurant in Katipunan was given to Mr. and Ms. Luv-a Flow 2011 - Pat Quimora and Jake del Prado also known as PaJak but later they said they preferred to be called as JakPat. JakPat had their first dance to the tune of Corr’s Runaway. The night ended with fast party dancing and lots of fun pictorials in the photo booth.

            Overall, the entire Make the Luv-a Flow week was undeniably a success. Since its first occurrence in NIGS, it has improved in terms of production and the incorporated activities. Surely, Make the Luv-a Flow 2012 will be much awaited and UP Geological Society will have to bring better and bigger explosion of fun and love during February. #

- Claris Canta

Read Full Story...