The Radical Thinker

“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”

― Socrates

People of different continents have listed their elite roster of radical thinkers--people whose thinking gets at the root of things, or sees what is not plain to see. Jean-Paul Sartre in the field of Philosophy, Maria Montessori in the field of education, and a few more you can find over the internet. But who cares about this people? Yet there's one radical thinker I know and appreciate because he has somehow affected (sometimes very challengingly) the way I think and he's celebrating his birthday today :)

So happy n'th birthday Sir Julius Mabanglo! I have been generous in letting you know that you're one of my favorite professors in RTU but I'm telling it again (in a blog this time) because it's your birthday! :P

[caption id="attachment_205" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Back in 2010 after my group's defense in ComSys Design :P[/caption]

 

Thank you for those challenging questions you frequently throw at me which annoy me sometimes because I didn't know the answer, but which make me really think after. Hehe.
I'm not sure why other students do not appreciate the way you teach in a classroom setting but I'm glad to have a different perspective about it. Because your style makes me THINK, be RESOURCEFUL and INITIATE to learn! :) Learning should not be spoon-feeding, after all, eh? For one's education is his own responsibility.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PO!!! God bless your family :D

 

 

Virtual Journal Shift

I have known myself to be someone who writes a lot. In fact,  I wanted to take up Journalism back College but God above had a much better plan for me that I ended up being an Engineer. There are many things that interests me and my way of appreciating them is through writing--not necessarily the formal type though.

     I remember back in college, I loved to write down notes and thoughts during classes. I brought bulky study notebooks (which only a few college students would have) per major, say Communications or Electronics. I also always had my personal journal (we call them Diary back in elementary days) where I wrote insights, my quiet moments with God, Bible verses and God-revealed meanings, prayers (answered and unanswered), short-term and long-term goals, preaching lessons every youth Friday and Sunday service--pretty much everything that feeds my learning-inclined personality. I even had a mini finance journal for a detailed account of everything I spend/earn (if any) in college. And I make sure I brought them everyday, that's why I was tagged to always have heavy bag! Great thing is I lived in a boarding house near RTU, so it was still convenient.

     I wrote! Because I didn't wanna forget what I learned. I didn't wanna lose track of my prayers and goals. I wanted to remember events and people that marked my life. I wanted to have something that will remind me of what my weary heart could forget once it becomes busy and preoccupied.

     But how come I'm writing the 1st paragraphs in PAST TENSE? I'm broken to realize that I've been losing my passion to write, consequently, losing my desire to apply and remember what I learn and hope to learn. Who's to blame?

     I'd like to think that THE SUDDEN SHIFT OF REALITY INTO VIRTUALITY (if there's such a term) is subtly affecting almost every aspect of our life. This has not just promoted a transition to virtual socialization and expression as in the case of facebook, twitter and blogging, but also the with the way we approach and face learning. Instead of carrying around a pen and a notebook, we already have laptops, netbooks or netpads to write drafts, reminder or notes. The weight and functionality convenience of smartphones have already substituted for bulky journals. But a problem we face is that being always in front of the screen isn't contributing much to our focus. Who among you has aimed to finish a particular task in front of a computer yet failed to do in a minimal time because of games or facebook, etc. running in the background? You literally have the (virtual) world in the touch of your fingertips!

     And so being aware of this, I resolved to use this thriving technology to my convenience rather than lingering on how I used to do things in the past. I recently discovered the program EVERNOTE (available to both computers and Android phone) which allows me to create notebooks and have them synchronized in whichever device I use as long as I have access to the internet. And so as long as I have battery and 3G/wi-fi, I can fetch and update notes :)

     What a solution! I thought I was just lazy and apathetic. Oh well, SHIFT HAPPENS :)

My virtual notebook

[caption id="attachment_195" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Evernote's features[/caption]

Taking the Board Exam?

Well this is for you! (With review files attached)

[caption id="attachment_182" align="alignright" width="300"] My favorite song that season ^_^[/caption]

I realized  that the October Board Exam for Electronics Engineers is fast approaching and I just wanted to share my 2cents (because it's already in the past) but which could mean thousands to you since you're about to face this giant in the present! And even if you're taking the Board for another course (Electrical, Accounting, whatever), this post could be a helpful encouragement :)

It’s probably the refresher/coaching season already among review centers and they’re trying to feed your brain with so much information and materials that you wonder if you’re digesting them properly. Well, your BRAIN is your 2^nd to the strongest link and your main tool in getting a positive result from that 2-day draining exam. And so how do you tame this buddy? Well you could read some articles over the internet but the following studying habits worked for me: DISCIPLINE spelled out in the following items.

1.       Study on your own. Your review center session lasts only for some hours/day. What are you gonna do with the rest of the day? Read, solve, memorize, compute! Here are some tips:

• When reading multiple-choice questions, don’t bother to read the choices. The key here is FAMILIARIZATION because not everything that you will read will pop up from the Exam. Familiarize yourself with the question and the answer. IF you read the choices, your brain will think that you’re familiar with them also, diminishing your chance to remember the correct answer to 25%.

[caption id="attachment_163" align="alignleft" width="175"] Ooops! I thought I said study? :P Power napping at PERC's library.[/caption]

• Have a place conducive for studying. Don’t study near your bed or soon you’ll be magnetized by it to sleep. For my case, the boarding house that I landed in near my review centers wasn’t really good so I manage to maximize my stay in the center’s library. (Super thanks to PERC for their facility ^_^)


• Have a scribble notebook (segmented per subject) to put important terms and notes so you won’t have to search through your books when you need to recall it.


• Post important Formulas and tables on your wall!

• By refresher season, you should be integrating all that you have studied. You probably have read the basics. Now it’s time you apply them into answering problems.


• Teach others. Retain-ability is greater when you teach what you've learned to others :)

2.       Set-up a Daily and Monthly Study Plan. Well this one you should’ve done early on as soon as the review period started but it’s never too late. Daily plan includes a schedule of your ROUTINE for the day. Since you literally have TONS of review materials to familiarize your brain with, you should put them on schedule according to their importance. You have 4 SUBJECTS:

• Math : As you may have already heard, this requires practice so this should be part of your everyday schedule. Give it at least 1-2hrs a day and stretch that time to solve as many problems as you can (which is also scheduled according to topic i.e., Differential & Integral calculus, Statistics, Geometry, etc.). Try to solve using just your calculators since SPEED MATTERS. This way, your brain sharpens all the more since it’s already doing the writing and solving at the same time.

• GEAS: This includes computational and objective skills. And so you may want to set up 1-hour to compute for GEAS problems such as Physics, Eng’g Economy, Strength of Materials, etc, and another 1 hour to read and familiar yourself with QUESTIONS and ANSWERS (not Questions and Choices).

• ESAT and ELEX: You should have finished by now reading textbooks for these subjects. What you should do now is review those concepts through Questions and Answer. If something’s not clear, then get back to the book for that specific question only. DON’T READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER anymore. A number of hours per day. You could do ESAT and ELEX every other day.

Monthly Plan sets a specific time frame that you aim to finish a particular material. You may target to finish a particular review book/material per week.

[caption id="attachment_160" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Here’s a sample of my daily and monthly sked back in Sept 2010.[/caption]

3.       Allot time for REST, PRAY, FOOD and NOTHING ELSE. If your brain is your best buddy, these things are your brain’s best buddies (not you, because you’re making it work too hard haha)

• SLEEP should be adequate and timely. 6-8 hours should be. Anything less than this is overbearing to your brain and body. Extended sleep diminishes your time to study, and you may not wanna consider that. And NEVER STAY UP LATE AT NIGHT and WAKE UP LATE IN THE MORNING.Your brain follows the natural body clock and so you’re killing your brain cells by making it work past its normal working hours. MATH makes your brain hyperactive so DON’T PRACTICE SOLVING MATH AT NIGHT if you wanna stick to your sleep-early goal.


• REST as in during the day, take up a break. You may take a power nap to rest your brain and body.


• 
  
  [caption id="attachment_173" align="alignright" width="150"] Lunch with classmates after the review class[/caption]
  
  FOOD eat healthy food and MINIMIZE JUNK FOOD. Eat before starting your review session. Eat biscuits while solving some problems. :)


• NOTHING ELSE. Skip for the mean time playing games, hanging out with friends, watching movies (Okay, I broke this rule when I watched Despicable Me ahaha. I have allotted a little LEISURE TIME back then, to remind myself that I’m still human). Don’t take alcohol also, it kills your best buddy’s cells!

 

[caption id="attachment_170" align="alignleft" width="150"] Attending Youth Service in UBelt with review friends :)[/caption]

4.      Seek GOD. PRAY. Need I explain why? I said previously that brain is your 2nd strongest link because GOD is your STRONGEST link. That you should not doubt because when everything fails, HE DOESN’T. And pray that His will be done during this season of your life. I hope you’re not just coming to him this season because you’re in great need. I hope even after you pass or fail this, all the more that you stick with Him! Remember that he Has great plans for you that you may not know now. And TRUST GOD, NOT YOUR REVIEW CENTERS.

[caption id="attachment_161" align="alignright" width="166"] Now here's one good mentor I got. We just ate right after the board exam, food c/o EDGE ^_^[/caption]

5.       Get Wisdom! Find people who will encourage you. Reviewing can be so draining that you wanna give up at times. But friends with wisdom gained from experience can bring your spirit up! Mentors can share what they have gone through and you may just be spurred to do better. Attend Church Services so you’ll be reminded that Nothing’s Impossible for God! Board exam may be impossible for you but not for Him :)

All this we can boil down to DISCIPLINE, PRIORITY and PERSPECTIVE. My perspective back then was to TOP THE BOARD EXAM. That way, even when I fail that goal, I’d still be a passer. That’s what exactly happened on my first take. I wish I could have done better in GEAS but I joyfully accepted what the result was. GOD REWARDS HARDWORK! :)

[caption id="attachment_166" align="aligncenter" width="300"] My board exam results. :) Could've done better but I'm super satisfied[/caption]

I'm also sharing all the files that I have used. CHECK THIS OUT. This is encrypted with a password but I'm willing to reveal it upon request. You may put your email address in the comment section below and I'll send you the code. Facebook message is also possible. You may also wanna check my Review season photo album :)

God bless you all EXAM-Takers!

**If you appreciate this and feels it's helpful, why not share it to others? Use the Facebook share button below :)  

My Top 5 Themes