Gruezo, Ezequiel
Joshua D. STS
X2
Reaction on the Birding Activity
UP
Diliman has always been known for being a nature haven at the heart of the
city. Because of this, many birds tend to flock in the university – a sign of a
good and healthy environment. Other species stay temporarily for the season,
while others stay for good and build their habitats in the campus. This is a
sight to see for a normal passerby, and to those who have bird watching as
their favorite hobby. Moreover, the birds have become a familiar subject for
photographers, and they are also constantly being studied by researchers.
During
the birding activity, we were asked to walk randomly in the Science Complex for
roughly 20 minutes, and find as many birds as we can. Since it was broad
daylight, we only saw a few birds compared to when one goes birding before or
during sunrise. Still, we were fortunate enough to see a few – like the
yellow-vented bulbul, a brown shrike, a long tailed shrike and the common
sparrow, just to name some. They were found on the grassy and undeveloped parts
of the Complex, and only a few were seen in the built up areas. Many were seen
flying above the Complex, while a few were seen staying in their nests.
Unfortunately,
recent studies involving these birds show that their population is decreasing,
due to many building constructions inside the campus premises. I think that
these developments are inevitable, since they are for the welfare of the
students, teachers and staff alike. Remedies have already been done to address
this problem, like planting fruit-bearing trees that will attract more birds,
but I think more steps have to be done to conserve these birds. In my opinion,
they can be conserved by avoiding unnecessary construction, improving the university
landscape by making it bird-friendly, or by identifying specific places and
plots as birds sancturaries so that it can be protected. Also, we can do our
part by just taking care of our surroundings. Even the simplest things that we
can do for our environment, can also be a big help for the birds. If these
steps and many more conservation efforts can be done in the near future, I
think that even after 10-20 years, many people, including myself can still go
bird watching in UP like the way it is today.
The
talk and the activity made me more conscious about the presence of these birds
in the university and its importance in keeping the balance of its environment.
Also, the activity taught me to become more appreciative of these creatures,
since it was my first time to go birding. For once, I did not care about them,
and just walked around the campus to get to my classes. Furthermore, I also
realized how lucky we are to have a campus environment filled with lush greens,
that also serves as habitat for many creatures, like birds, and how I can do my
part to conserve it.
Gruezo, Ezequiel
Joshua D. STS
X2
Reaction on the Social Climbers and Food for Thought
Monkeys
are considered to be our closest relatives. They use their big brains to get
through everyday life much like us. They also tend to have different
personalities and social classes, just like our society. Different conditions
and physical adjustments paved the way for their evolution thousands of years
ago, which eventually lead to us. Humans eventually multiplied, adjusted to its
surroundings, and are now the kings of this planet.
In the
documentary, it was first shown how different species of monkeys deal with
everyday life – like how capuchins use their inquisitiveness to search for
food, and how howler monkeys use excellent color vision to eat non-toxic
leaves. It also shows how “social” these monkeys are – from monkeys applying
piper leaves to each other as insect repellant, to the social classes of the
macaques. It also discusses how some species of monkeys use their cooperative
behavior to alert each other of incoming predators, just like the tamarins.
They also forge alliances with other animals for the same purpose, just like
how they signaled each other when a makeshift leopard came to them. It also
showed how other species learned to take
risks after changing habitat, just like how baboons did in the grassslands.
The
big brains of monkeys really help them to survive everyday's challenges. It
also goes to show that monkeys are similar to us in many different ways – only
that we are civilized. Monkeys don't use brute strength or pure speed when
getting food to eat, but they use their intelligence. They also value
relationships, grow in different personalities, and socialize with each other.
With the documentary, I appreciated these similarities even more, and get to
know these creatures deeper.
The
second part of the documentary showed how we evolved into what we are now.
Starting from monkeys who stood upright because they need to stand on water,
down to earliest forms of humans who hunted using animal tracks. It also showed
how we adjusted to our surroiundings and learned to control it – like what was
did in the Arizona desert. Using the latest advances in technology, we learned
to manipulate everything around us and use it to sustain humanity. Also,
through the use of advancements, not only did we conquer this world, but we are
also starting to conquer out of this world, through our walk to the Moon and
our plans to colonize Mars.
We
should use our big brains to our advantage, and for the common good of others.
Moreover, we should use present advancements not only to sustain ourselves, but
also help in conserving our planet. Sure, we are planning to colonize another
planet, but there is still one Earth, which gives us the things to live. As
kings of this planet, we must be aware of what is happening in the world, and
become responsible for our actions. If we can control the environment we live
in, I believe we can also conserve it.
Gruezo, Ezequiel Joshua D. STS
X2
Reaction on A Beautiful Mind
For
once in our lives, we would meet this one person who is academically gifted –
able to solve anything in his field. People would applaud and give him the due
recognition he deserves. But the world is not parallel and life is not perfect,
and everyone has a fair share of crests and troughs. Despite being a very
bright person, he also might have encountered big slumps that have affected him
greatly in his life. In the award-winning film, A Beautiful Mind, this man
would be the Nobel Prize laureate, the brilliant John Nash.
In the
movie, John, despite being known for his smarts, have faced a lot of
challenges. He first faced the challenge of not publishing anything, and the
danger of not finishing his graduate studies. Fortunately, he overcame the
pressure of publishing, and lead to his well-known Nash equilibriium. The next
challenge was the biggest, and was the revolving conflict in the later parts of
the film. He basically needed attention – attention that he did not get from
people around him. This lack of attention got him imaginary friends to talk to
and give him the attention he needed – from a lack of a true bestfriend in
Charles, to a lack of someone younger to talk with in Marcy, and the lack of
recognition he wanted to have in Parcher. This lack of attention ultimately
affected all his life, and lead to his lifetime sickness, schizophrenia. This
sickness also gave even more challenges to his and his wife's life – the
failure to care and find time with his child and wife, and giving his wife the
burden to carry all the responsibilities. But eventually, after years of
battling with the sickness, he was able to fight it and ignore his
hallucinations, although it was not an easy task when he was still starting to
ignore them. This ignorance lead to greater things, and he had brought his old
life back – from returning to the university and eventually teaching again, to
rekindling his relationship with his wife, building a relationship with his
child, and of course, winning the prestigious Nobel Prize for his equilibrium
and his work on the game theory.
John's
story is a story of overcoming a series of challenges, whether how tough or how
hard it could be. I find inspiration in this, and I can say to myself that if
he has overcame something like that, I could also go over my personal
challenges and roadblocks. As for schizophrenic people, I think the only things
that would make them happy and loved is understanding and acceptance. They are
disabled, and I think chemical medications and therapy would not be enough if
we ourselves cannot understand and accept them. Maybe in time, they will also
be brave as John and ignore their hallucinations so that they can live a normal
life if they know they have someone who understands them and willing to accept
them for who they are.
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