Down the Rabbit Hole

Nominations for this year's "Natatanging Kabataang Lagunense" (Outstanding Youth of the Province of Laguna) is now being accepted! The deadline for entries is March 15 .  Here are the qualifications: Bonafide resident of Laguna province for the past five years Age: 15-30 years old Single In- or out-of-school youth Exemplary character (certification from a faith leader or teacher) Nominees should show evidence of: Community involvement or service Leadership accomplishments Awards, honours, commendations, citations received Scholastic achievements Last year, we, the nominees, submitted copies of our certificates in scrapbooks; a shortlist of five nominees were interviewed by a panel of judges. The winner was announced during the Anilag 2010 festival. This year, nine nominees will be selected and the winner will be named during the La Laguna 2011 festival spearheaded by Gov. ER Ejercito. This year, nine nominees will receive P2,000 each while th...

The Awarding Ceremonies were held on March 11 at the Laguna Cultural Centre. My parents and my siblings were unable to attend the ceremonies, but Ate Madie, Trisha, Tita Mely, and Tita Lucy went with me. =) When we arrived, I heard people asking my aunts if I was the scientist because they saw my signature (a lot of people scanned my portfolio?!?). Winners in other categories were really impressive. I couldn't believe I joined the ranks of heroes and of famous people I only normally see on the television or read about in the newspapers. I couldn't recall the names of the firemen and policemen who were all involved in the search and rescue operations in different towns after floods wreaked havoc all over Laguna in 2009. Other awardees included  Jiggy Manicad (GMA) and Sol Aragones (ABS-CBN),  broadcast journalism;  Lahing Kayumanggi Dance Ensemble , dance;  Maria Rachelle Gerodias , music;  Irma Dimaranan,  film and television; Ricamela Palis, ...

A week after I submitted my portfolio, a representative of the Selection Committee called up to inform me that I was a finalist, and I was up for interview on March 3rd at the provincial capitol.  When I got there, I met the other four finalists. Two of them are teachers; one in high school, and the other in university. One of them is a member of a dance troupe. The other one is a budding politician. This photo was taken right before the panelists began with the interview portion. While one was on the hot seat, the others were downstairs, talking. As it turned out, all of us learned about the award when the forms were handed over. Plus, we did not realise that the interview is part of the competition. It was very to easy to build rapport with the finalists, hence the difficulty in remembering that we're competing. When my turn came up, I was faced with the challenge of making the interviewers appreciate what I do as a scientist since I don't think any of them is i...

I know I haven't told many people about me participating in the competition. I had kept it very close to heart until the awarding ceremonies. So now that the results are known, I thought I might share my experiences during the competition. Each year, the Anilag Festival recognises residents in Laguna who have excelled in their chosen fields. This year, Ate Madie and Ginny (my cousins) convinced me to join, effectively nominated me into the competition. Nominees were given a week to organise a portfolio of their achievements, obtain letters of recommendation and clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and provide an executive summary of their achievements. Here's the catch: everything needed to catch the Selection Committee's attention should be fitted into 20 pages, max. I thought these things would be easy enough to gather. However, as I was gathering my documents, I realised that it wasn't as easy as I thought it was. My papers were in disarray; ...

I was officially star-struck being in the same table as Jiggy Manicad, having a photo with Sol Aragones (both awardees for broadcast journalism), and being on stage with Gov. Ningning Lazaro and other officials at the provincial level. To top that all off, I had the pleasure of being among the five finalists for the Gawad Natatanging Kabataan (Outstanding Youth Award)... and ultimately getting the prize. High heels and long gown didn't stop me from taking photos, but I couldn't move too much with my talent of tripping over stairs, so Ate Madie shared the picture-taking assignment with me. =) Thank you to Ate Madie and to Ginny for getting me involved in this competition; and to Bob and Melissa for the glowing commendations; and to my stage aunts (the stage mother called up right after the ceremonies) for being there with me.