Destination Davao: Ready, Steady, GO!!! (Part 2 of ?)

Conventions are usually good sources of new knowledge about whatever field an individual engages himself or herself with. I’m sure each of my colleagues had achieved some kind of learning as a result of this convention experience. Of course, not wanting to lag behind, I, too declare that I have learned something impeccable in this convention…

NEVER.CRAM.YOUR.PRESENTATION. E-V-E-R.

No matter how busy you are or how sick you are, do something about your presentation—and I don’t mean just the slide presentation but the ENTIRE content.

Gist: Our presentation is a part of the symposium on youth research, and me and my former students (let’s call them N and P) were supposed to work on “peer groups and the youth”, a.k.a “The Barkada”. Because P was busy killing herself to get a M.D.-M.B.A degree, N and I were left to take care of things. Well, how that turned out was, as I’ve said, was something I’ll never ever do again. N and I spent the first day of the convention creating the content (don’t you just hate it when after a rush of brilliant ideas, none of you bothered to take note about it and afterwards, none can remember what each other said? >_<) and the morning of next day, polishing the slide presentation. Yes, our “boss”, DSM, knew what we were up to (...wait—what?? SHE KNEW?!? O_o). In the end, our presentation went fine, we (actually, I) did go over the time limit but all was good, I think.

So kiddies, the lesson here is when you see the other big kids preparing for a presentation DAYS BEFORE the actual event, it’s best that you do the same, lest you want the convention to literally breeze through without you knowing it.

Um, right…on to the pics. There’s not much (and you know why).

Day 1 of the convention. Upper left panel had to the 5 of us making a fool out of ourselves before sporting a "professional" front at the convention proper. The upper right is us getting acquainted with our first snack meal (some of which I would miss due to cramming T_T but I was determined to get the bigger meals! Hell, I’ll be missing most of the lectures—there’s not way I’m giving my food away ; ). There’s a new addition to our whacky fivesome and that’s the one beside P—let’s call her R. The lower left pic was taken during the host dinner by Brokenshire College, and beside it is the gate of the resort the main function/plenary hall can be found. Things would’ve been peachy keen if only the chairs didn’t sink when planted on the grassy areas—it felt like quicksand sometimes.

This is my co-presentor, N. Left pic was on Day 1—those nippa hut cottage thingies witnessed how we tried to look like we know what we will talk about the next day. Middle pic was Day 2, presentation day and it looked like we winged it! (Though seriously, even if it looked like we did, I do not recommend cramming like that). Right pic was, IIRC, taken after the symposium was over—I mean, seriously, you think we could grin like that if it was prior to presentation?! (unless I’m wrong and this WAS indeed taken before we started—to which my brain can no longer function well enough to explain why I don’t remember when that happened).

Finally, the big kids from the land of green. All of them have been affiliated with the Psych Department at one point. I won’t do a roll call on who’s who—unless you, dear reader, fancy anyone in particular (to swoon over, or simply make fun of), then, ask me who he or she is.

So that’s part 2—told’ya it was short. Next update, maybe in a few days or so, would document what the big kids are really like when they are miles away from the department…without their wiser mentors.


To Be Continued.