HFDS111 and Sigmund Freud

For some facets of the theory, I can actually call myself a Freudian believer. I strongly believe in the power of the subconscious mind. That everything we do is what we really intend to do, we may not just be aware of it. I also believe that jokes are always half-meant. And the ever famous Freudian slips.

As part of our course outline in HFDS111 - Personality Theories, we will be discussing the lenses or traditions in determining personality. The first tradition is the Psychodynamic Theories.

And one of the most popular in the field of Psychoanalysis is Sigmund Freud. I will not delve much into the details but basically, Freud believes that personality is greatly determined by the biggest part of our mind - the subconscious and the unconscious. It is usually represented by an iceberg, as seen in the image below I downloaded from Google (credits to the owner).

Freud's Provinces and Structures of the Mind represented by the Iceberg

As seen in the image, there are three provinces of the mind: the conscious, preconscious (also called the subconscious) and the unconscious. What we usually see is only the tip of the iceberg. The same's true for the human mind, according to Freud. We can only see the conscious mind, which is only the tip of our whole personality.

While studying Freud, we are asked to record our dreams immediately after we wake up. Dreams are the "royal road to the unconscious". It is where our unconscious thoughts manifests in our conscious mind through symbols which may be of manifest or latent meaning. And more importantly, dreams, for Freud, is wish fulfillment or a repetition compulsion of a trauma. 

That is to say, I'll be blogging my dreams in the future and try to apply the Freudian psychoanlysis in determining my personality. 

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Introducing Oneself: The Creative Way

Introducing yourself. Getting to know your classmates. Drawing your self-representation. These are usually done during first days of each class.

However, some of our professors get a little bit... creative.

During our first day for our EDUC102 (Theories and Principles of Learning) class, my professor instrcuted us to do a visual representations of ourselves. However, we need to use a triangle in doing so. She argued that having that kind of restriction will help the students to be creative.

Usually, for this kind of exercise, I have my standard self-representation which is a mirror. Mirror because I reflect the attitude of the person I am with - not reflect in the sense of I will copy his/her attitude, but in the sense of I can adapt and be flexible towards the other person's attitudes and mood swings.

Because we need to use a triangle, I need to think of something else. After minutes of deliberation, I came up with this:

The long thread that represents freedom, because I live faraway from my parents, residing in an apartment near my university. The persons holding the thread are my parents, giving me the support I need even though I'm faraway, holding me in line wherever I want to go. The triangle is a small, but integral piece connecting me to my parents. Lastly, I represented myself as the balloon, always flying and soaring, but is ready to burst anytime.

Indeed, the subconscious mind is truly powerful. I have said the aforementioned reasons in a whim, just to have something to say because it was my turn to explain. However, after analyzing, I realized that somehow... the balloon representation of myself is a lot better than my standard mirror. It fits perfectly, capturing my innermost thoughts about my strength and weaknesses I've never given much thought about before.

My other classmates have drawn a slice of pizza (she says she loves to eat so a pizza's the first thought that came to mind), a chick (it was cute how she used the beak as her triangle!, I forgot her explanation though), an arrow (pointing to the left because he's an activist and and upward to represent being progressive), a tree (because she's strong and resilient), among many more.

It was indeed a nice way. and a creative one at that. So, using a triangle, what's your visual representation of yourself?

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My OJT Experience - in a nutshell

Summer. Beaches. Vacation.

However, a vacation full of novels, mangas and animes is not possible this year. According to our BS Development Communication curriculum in UP Los Baños, we have to take our on-the-job training this summer. Back in March, I thought, “Goodbye fun summer; hello work”. Little did I know I was about to experience one of the best, if not the best, summer vacations I’ve had in my 18 years of existence.

Being a part of the Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA) Team of ANSA-EAP for more than one month has allowed me to experience things I never thought I would enjoy. On the first day of our internship, we were brought to a meeting for one of the pilot projects of CPA, the performance audit of the CAMANAVA Flood Control Project. There, we met COA directors, auditors, engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other CSO stakeholders from across the country, like the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG). Frankly, I was starstruck to see some of our government’s high ranking government officials. And as our internship progressed—after a series of meetings, seminars and workshops—the experience of working with the composite audit team is really unforgettable.

Being an enumerator for a day.
Photo taken May 29 during the Solid Waste Management Survey at Brgy. Commonwealth, Quezon City.

I also experienced fieldwork by accompanying survey enumerators as they interviewed the residents of Barangays Commonwealth, Kaligayahan and Tandang Sora in Quezon City to check the local government’s compliance in the Solid Waste Management Act. We get to meet the residents and talk to them. But the experience did not stop with that; we also got to experience processing survey data. It was my first time doing such a task, and I must say that I had a love-hate relationship with MS Excel during those weeks. I learned how to use pivot tables and conditional cell formatting, which was also an unforgettable experience, not to mention a newfound skill.

Moreover, I’ve had many realizations during my stay. In a nutshell, I can now confidently say that Development Communication is using communication to promote social change and to empower the people to drive their development. And its usual audience are found at the grassroots – the farmers, the fisherfolk, and the masses, as we call them. During my stay in ANSA–EAP, I’ve realized that DevCom is also applicable to the urban sector, not only in the rural areas. This became very apparent to me in CPA’s second pilot audit, where we conducted community scorecards and focus group discussions with conditional cash transfer beneficiaries and the local health service providers in Marikina. I’ve realized how important a dialogue is in finding solutions to problems that are there but are not always given due attention. I’ve also realized the importance of framing and reframing ideas in facilitating meetings; this skill really helps people understand each other better in constructive engagement exercises. Lastly, I realized, yet again, the importance of people participating in every process – from planning, to implementation, down to monitoring and evaluation of the activity. Indeed, participation makes people informed and proactive in bringing about positive change to their communities, which is a step towards developing the country.

I expected this summer to be full of work—and indeed, it was. However, it was work that I found I loved and enjoyed doing. I discovered my passion in working for an organization that is people-oriented. And even though it lasted only for a short while, working in ANSA-EAP gave me many valuable experiences and lessons that I will take with me as I return to the university as a student and later on, as a Development Communication practitioner.

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Reflections: Interpersonal Communication

This article was originally a reflection paper submitted to Sir Wini Dagli, my instructor on DEVC70 (Interpersonal Communication) CDC, UPLB. 

DEVC70 taught me things I’ll never know otherwise. It taught me to appreciate things I have always taken for granted. It made me know more about myself.

I believe that knowing oneself first is very essential to the work as a development communicator. This is because, we need to be better persons – one that can communicate the message efficiently and effectively. With IC, my belief that I was a sanguine, a personality type that would be best described as the "talker" vanished. Now knowing that I’m choleric phlegmatic, or the "doer watcher", I can now do tasks with more ease because I know how to deal with them.

IC also taught me that in order to build good relationship with others, I must be at peace with myself first. After all, how would other person be able to understand me if even I don’t understand myself?

Moreover, my relationships with other people have also gotten better. After the Repertory Grid Analysis, I’ve dealt better with those persons carrying all the constructs I hate. Not that I don’t approach them at all, but I approach them with care, trying to keep an open mind about them, and listening intently to whatever they have to say.

Lastly, I believe IC helped me in my communication in small groups. Nonverbal cues are something all of us know without actually knowing that we ‘know’ it. But with DEVC70 emphasizing those attitudes that most of us do unconsciously, I can understand people better now. After all, message sent is composed of the verbal message accompanied by the non-verbal cues that may further support or contradict it. And adding the previous knowledge I’ve also learned about myself, I can be a better facilitator in these kinds of small group discussions.

Interpersonal Communication is the heart of Development Communication... after DEVC70, I think so too. IC is very much needed, because as Freire said, dialogue is the way for people to reach conscientization and the unfolding of their potentials.

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I believe

This is an activity for DEVC70. Getting a pen and a paper, and with an open-ended statement, "I believe..." write the first 20 things that would come into mind that would finish the sentence. You would be surprised to know the things you believed in, and the priority in which order you remembered them. Here's mine!

I believe...

...in the Lord God our savior.

...that people can do whatever they want as long as they don’t harm themselves or others.

...that women are equal to men. 

...that people can free themselves from sin, if they just sincerely repent.

...that people are hypocrites when they say “sorry” but plans to do the mistake again.

...that animals should be treated properly.

...that sooner or later, our water will run dry if we don’t do something about it.

...that women are more expressive in their emotions than men.

...that flowers and plants grow better if people talk and sing while watering them .

...that a girl will seek a boyfriend at a young age if she will not get that love from her father.

...that jokes are always half-meant.

...in the power of the subconscious mind.

...that people don’t need to study basic higher Mathematics (Trigonometry, Algebra, Calculus etc.), higher Science (Zoology, Botany, Taxonomy etc.) if they won’t enter in those disciplines in the future.

...that the environment plays a big role in the moral, social, cultural and formative development of a child.

...that flirting is a two-way process.

...that not all handsome men are really men.

...that one need not buy signature clothes if they are smart and creative enough to make a treasure out of Ukay-ukay stuffs.

...that education is investment.

...that people are naturally good.

...that trust, once broken, can never be returned to its original state.

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A fail attempt at Visual Design

As part of my major (Educational Communication), we are required to take DEVC141 (Visual Design and Techniques). And apparently, I'm not that gifted with the arts. My drawing skills are on par with an elementary student, and my photoshop design skills are somehow near average.

For a bonus exercise, we are tasked to do a logo challenge. I am to create a logo for Tito Ding (a staff in Devcom), and his business of selling kropek. 

And voila! 

Behold my output as a result of a futile attempt at designing, huhu. Now that I think about it, I made Tito Ding's face (yes, I stalked him on Facebook and downloaded his photo haha) look like KFC! LOL. And look at that prawn dangling on the letter P! Credits to the owner of that google image. Haha.

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Self-representation: Personal Logo

My very own personal logo.

This output is for my DEVC141 class - a personal logo. I really hoped I have portrayed myself well via this illustration. 

I used a lipstick, a kissmark, and a heart at the end of my name. I wonder what people thinks about it? Haha. I wanted to show I'm a bit girly, kikay and quirky at times. Haha.

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Reflections: Development Communication as a field of study

This article is originally a reflection paper submitted to one of my courses, DEVC70. I posted it here because I think it roughly provides an overview of what my course is and especially and what I think about it.

            When I first entered the college, I have no idea what course I am taking. I thought it was something similar to Communication Arts, Mass Communication and BS English to some extent. Indeed, I wrote this course in my choices because it has ‘communication’ in it. So you can really imagine my surprise when our first lesson way back in DevC10 was poverty.  I have no idea why we’re talking about poverty, why we’re talking about malnutrition, the poor poorer and the rich richer, why we’re talking about development. That’s when it hit me: ‘development’. I thought Development Communication was about improving communication tools, media or something like that. But I realized I’m extremely wrong.

            Development Communication, as a discourse, is not focused about communication. It is mainly about development... the development of the nation and the people in it. How are you going to communicate to the people to improve their lives? To unleash their individual potential in order for them to grow and develop without needing any help anymore? Indeed, it is the use of communication in development.

            Communication in development... communication for development. What’s the difference? I believe that DevCom nowadays is more on the first: communication in development. Maybe back then, back in the 1970s, when DevCom was first introduced, communication is just a tool for development - an external factor that is used for the society’s upliftment, that aside from communication there are many other ways for development. But now, I believe that DevCom evolved, one way or the other. It does not only use communication as an external factor, but communication is in development. It is now something internal, something necessary for people to develop. It is rooted deep in there; that without proper communication, whatever means people would use, development will be inefficient and ineffective.

            After rethinking everything, one would question: isn’t the main purpose of the discourse too ideal? Too noble? Too good to be true? Well, at some point, yes, it may be. It may be too ideal and not all of those ideals are feasible in reality. But then again, if we ourselves are to lose hope on us, who would bother go out of their comfortable lives and help us? We just need to have a positive approach on things. We can make the objectives of the study of Development Communication come true little by little. Maybe this is also Dr. Quebral’s realization when she changed the definition of the discourse from a ‘speedy transformation’ to a ‘planned transformation’: development need not be rushed, it just needs to have a specific time frame as a goal or a guide. We can take improving ourselves in our time, at our own pace. And if each and every one of us will use, apply and spread the values DevCom is sharing, then maybe, the Filipinos of this generation can experience being a citizen of a first-world country. We were once there during Marcos’ regime. Of course, we can do it again... with people participation, the right attitude and the right mindset. 

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LB Christmas Memories

"Christmas is in the air."

How can one truly know if Christmas is coming? Apparently, if the month contains the suffix -ber, Christmas is already near. The wind is cooler than any other seasons. Lanterns and Christmas lights are everywhere. It's December. Definitely, it's Christmas.

This is the first time I've experienced celebrating Christmas away from home, not technically though. (for from 20 onwards, I'll be home during the Christmas break.) The atmosphere is different. Near the main gate of the campus, an enormous Christmas tree is standing there. On the other side, you could see a life-size Santa Claus on his sleigh with all the matching reindeers. On the center part, there was a "Belen" where Jesus is visited by the magis.

I was quite happy and proud that I belong to UPLB because these decors were actually televised as it was featured on a news channel. (He-he). Really. 

But then, why are the decors only at the main gate, until C-Park? I often asked myself that question. Every night I come to those sights either to take a picture or just to reflect and rekindle the spirit of Christmas in me, I find myself walking in the dark road of the insides of UPLB campus to my dorm. It's quite sad that after I gained my Christmas spirits, it just suddenly flies out of me.

Aside from that, I was actually irritated because a lot of people come to the main gate every night just to take pictures of the decors. Then they would spend their time there making the place a little too full of people. Then,  I'll ask myself over and over again... "What do they think of the campus? A tourist spot?" Is that the main reason for building the decors? >.< 

But, I can't blame them though. It's such a nice spot to behold. 

Still, we must not forget that decors are only symbolisms, representations of what Christmas is really all bout. Christmas is the time where love and happiness is spread. Also, it's the birthday of our Lord God and Savior. :)

PS:  Bakit 'yung Belen may Second floor? At animal ang nasa second floor? Tapos, si Jesus, nasa First floor lang? Ha-ha. 

This might be offensive. Pardon me. :) Just one of my illogical thinkings. :D

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