A week of trials and glory. Bringing honor and pride. I'm on cloud nine!

The events of this week will be something that I will remember for the rest of my life. This week, I competed in two competitions outside the university. 


The first competition was the PHILTOA (Philippine Tour Operators Association) Quiz Bee that was held last Wednesday. Me and two others represented the university for the competition. We competed individually. We all made it past the elimination round into the semi-finals. Unfortunately, our efforts came up short as none of us were able to make it to the Top 10 to advance to the finals which will be held next month.


The second competition was the ITTE (International Tourism and Trade Expo) Quiz Bee that was held yesterday. We were still together in this competition. This time, it was a group competition. This time, we were able to redeem ourselves and we came out as CHAMPIONS!

Photo ©Kriskyn Cabrera

This week has been a great experience for me, this is something where I have everything to gain and nothing to lose. It has been a great honor to represent the school in these competitions and bring glory to our university. I'm sure this is the beginning of greater things to come in the future. I am so happy we were able to achieve a lot of things with only a short time to prepare for the competitions. It was only last week when we were called to compete in these competitions. Now its back to the regular grind of schoolwork. This experience will make me more inspired to do better in the different subjects in school.

So once again, I like to thank my teammates Ate Kriskyn Cabrera and Ate Marian Buenaventura. It has been a great honor and privilege to be your teammates in these competitions.

I also would like to thank our coaches Ma'am Jane Devanadera, Ma'am Joreen Rocamora, Ma'am Connie Ang and Ma'am Amy Turaray as well as the other faculty members for the support and guidance throughout the week.

We would also like to thank our families, our classmates, our friends, our batchmates and the entire CTHM and Thomasian community for all the support and prayers. We could not have made it this far without all the love and support you have given us.

And of course we like to thank God for all of this is not possible without your love and blessings that you have given to all of mankind.

ONE FOR UST! VIVA SANTO TOMAS!

ONE HRM, ONE TRM, PROUD TO BE AT CTHM!

I'm on CLOUD NINE!

K-Smoove

Rare are the times you get to experience royalty. You guys feel any different? Because I feel AWESOME!

Yesterday was a compelling day for me. It started when Queen Sofia of Spain visited UST as part of her visit to the Philippines. There were no suspension of classes since her visit was only for a short period of time.

Photo ©Kaiz Del Mundo

As we waited for her arrival, a crew from Solar News (if you're familiar with channels like BTV, Solar Sports, Jack TV, ETC, 2nd Avenue, etc.), well this was their news crew. So yes, they came to me and asked me for an interview about the Queen's visit. It was funny, as soon they asked me for the interview, people behind me went further bac. I really hoped they will show it on TV, unfortunately it never happened as the story of the visit was shown in passing. Still, it was a very compelling experience.

Then came the moment, at around 10 am, a convoy of cars reigned down the streets.

Photo ©Karl Carandang

With a Mercedes-Benz car with red plate "1A". We saw the Queen up close waving to the people including us who were at the side of the street. She looked beautiful, with her beige dress that stands out. The car came to a stop at Plaza Mayor then the Queen stepped out of the car, walked down the line. Payed tribute at the statue of Miguel de Benavides (the mind behind UST.) and made her way inside the Main Building walking by the red carpet that was set up along the plaza. Though we were not able to get closer to the Queen since security was tight. It was a great honor and an experience that only happens once in a lifetime.

Then later in the day, I began my training for the quiz bee I will join outside the university. To improve my knowledge and be at the best position to advance to the semi-finals. I feel thankful that all my past and present advisers and my coaches are very supportive because I'm not only going to represent myself but also the university. The eliminations will be on Wednesday so I'm hoping for the best outcome. I have a lot to gain and nothing to lose no matter what happens. I'm going to make the best of this moment. I hope the same commitment I give in this competition, it will translate in my other endeavors in life.

This day was one of the best days of my life. I will always cherish this for the rest of my life.

I feel AWESOME.

K-Smoove

June has come and pass. Hello July.

The month of June has come and pass, and now the month of July is here. A lot has happened in June so I look back at some of them.

It's been three weeks (2 make-up classes on Saturday's) since we came back to classes and a lot has happen. Well, first CTHM will now do the Tiger Day (which was done in previous years by the College of Education) on the last Friday of each month, so I better stack my closet with yellow shirts. Then of course the planning of our event which will come maybe late August or early September. Of course, there was time to see your blockmates and PEEPS around UST and meet new PEEPS a long the way. I admit, I was a little off from my usual self during the first three weeks of the school year (at one point, I got sick and had to be at home for the entire day). I better find a way in a short amount of time to knock off my distractions and get myself focused once again. Since the NBA season has come to an end with the Miami Heat winning the championship and LeBron James' title quest has come into fruition, and of course the NBA Draft where the New Orleans Hornets select Anthony Davis with the #1 pick. June also saw the disbandment of my favorite boyband of all-time in Westlife after 14 years of great hits.

Now we welcome the month of July, we are now in the rainy season with a lot of rainy weather coming up. I could also be looking for a big break this month and I hope to do more things this time around. Also, the 75th season of the UAAP also begins this July. I hope UST will come out big this year, especially in basketball, and a lot of other things to come this month. You don't know what will happen this month, so like I always say, ENJOY THE RIDE!

What's next for me in July? We'll see.

K-Smoove