Surprise!

Surprise!

This, indeed, is the catchphrase that played over by stubborn mind for a couple of months now. This word, that was born due to a word play with some friends became an expression I and a number of people share.

I have entitled this blog "Surprise!", because I have finally blogged after a 10-to-the-nth years.

To be honest, I decided never to open my blog after I resigned in the publication I was in. I just do not want to touch the increment details. What's important is that I have had overcome those 'dark days' and I have officially commenced my life's golden age. The golden times is marked by the presence of this blog (as an index fossil marks a beginning of a stage. hehe. Geology stuff.)

Wanna ask what happened after an eon of quiescence? Well, this overview will do:

First, I am proud to tell you that after I resigned nearly over a year ago, I have became a full time rock-mineral-mountain-mapping addict. Yes. The campus journalist who was crazy for scouting news-worthy events and appealing feature articles is now a science freak whose interest is in something others have almost no idea in.

I am proud to have summarized Dana's Manual of Mineralogy, the Bible of Minerals; and I am ambitious to make a summarized version of this for release. I am currently working on another book. This is giving me a hunch that I will be engaged in Geology researches in the coming years.

Dana's Manual of Mineralogy cover page (1848)

In the second semester of SY 2013-2014, I, together with some friends had geological mapping in  Manlipac, Bais City. Manlipac is a mountainous area, about 300 masl (meters above sea level, a, Geology jargon). We made an open traverse in a select area; and we produced a map of it with the scale of 1: 2500.

#TeamSurprise boys near a fault in a sandstone outcrop.

My team's first geological map. Scale 1:1,000

In this mapping activity, I became close with nearly catatonic people (just kidding), who crack very humorous (sarcastic) jokes that will either make or destroy your day. Let me give a sample.

Friend A: Unsa man nang Philippines? (What is Philippines?)
Me: Unsa man? (What is it?)
Friend A: Kato man nag pens ni Philip! (That is Philip's pens.)

See? Isn't it jaw-dropping? Oh, here's more:

Friend B: Kabalo mo unsa ng Fita? (Do you know what Fita is?)
Me: Unsa man? (What is it?)
Friend B: Kato man ng si Fita sa Hunger Games! (He's the Fita from the Hunger Games.)

And guess what? Friend B even made a meme of it. Here it is:

I'll respect whatever emotions you feel right now. I'll be zip my mouth. Leave a comment if you want to explode. *insert grin here*

Even if these friends of mine are crazy, I consider them as family. This is because they know how to make me chuckle at my stressed, bad hair days. hehe. I hope you'll met them sometime. By the way, they are the same people I talked about earlier in this post. We call ourselves #TeamSurprise. (Reasons implied in text.)

A picture of #TeamSurprise eating at McDonalds. Happy crazy people. From left to right Jossel 'The Hearthrob' Punay, In blue, Omar 'Boy Surprise at ang Pasimuno ng Lahat ng Kawaleyhan' Soberano, In jersey, Dan 'Boy Printer' Rubas, Vincent-Ann 'Girl Guwapa' Villegas, Kris Marie 'Naseye-ne-eng-lehet' Obnimaga, Rio 'Sponsor at Naseye-ne-eng-lehet II' Ruelo and The Agonized Loner.

Leaving the publication gave me new perspectives. These perspectives gave me new thoughts and ways of leadership. I have succeeded in leading a speech choir group. We won champion in a college competition. More so, I was Secretary of the Geology Students Society in our university. I am now elected Vice President for External Affairs.

NORSU-GSS Logo

More so, I am the president of our Youth Worship Culture, a group consist of young adults in our church who worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth.

The Youth Worship Culture celebrates the goodness of God on Friday nights. See poster above for details. I hope you guys will be there to worship our God with us. 

I think that will be all for now.

See you in my next blog!