Mischievous Mig

Juan Miguel Bernardo BS Architecture 17

[miguelificent]

5K

Your five thousandth.

Temporary.

Replaceable.

Forgettable.

I feel, somehow, worthless. When will I meet someone who would risk his time just to have a conversation with me. Someone who will initiate everything. Someone, who is either near, physically or near, emotionally. Someone, who will listen to my unending dilemmas.

-Dauphinx

[archatlas]

Tehama One in Carmel

The Tehama One house, designed by US firm Studio Schicketanz, is located in Carmel, a scenic beach town about two hours south of San Francisco. The residence is situated within the exclusive Tehama development, featuring a golf course and private estates. A mix of modern and agrarian references, the home rests on a knoll that is dotted with scraggly trees and looks toward mountains in the distance. 

[howtomusicmajor]

How to Survive Finals

Finals week is almost here and I, personally, am sick as a dog. It is Not Good. However, this being ill thing has shoved me into survival mode, which has reminded me of the important parts of surviving finals week!

Drink lots of water. Water is good for you. Dehydration leads to headaches, and constant sugary drinks lead to sugar crashes. Both are sucky, so just drink water!

Don’t come within five feet of me. I am currently a hive of filth and disease, laden down with most maladies known to man. Just stay away.

Remember sleep is your friend. Sleep is so good. Start studying NOW, so you don’t feel the last minute urge to ignore sleep in hopes of getting two more facts to stay in your brain.

Remember real food is your friend. Eat a vegetable that hasn’t been fried, you heathen. Your body will thank you and you will not feel like a garbage dump.

Try to start papers at LEAST three days before they’re due. There is NOTHING worse that trying to write a paper the night before it’s due, especially if it’s more than five pages long. Start early!

An uneventful finals week is a good finals week. Just because your friends are going to Walmart at 2 am to bother people does not mean you need to go with them, ESPECIALLY if you have a final before noon. Sometimes, being bored during finals week is the preferable option.

Go forth and make good decisions.

[miguelificent]

Ang dalawang blog ko na walang kwenta na ngayon. saabernxx - est 2013. madaming pinagdaanang theme, from anime hanggang sa binago ko yung content naging fashion-oriented yung blog ko, iba-iba din yung naging username nyan hahah. miguerruuuu - eto naman yung personal blog ko, more like a diary na ginawa ko din nung 2013, 3rd year HS pa ako noon. Password protected yang blog na yan hahahha.

[miguelificent]

November 7, 2016 Monday

Okay so nagstart na talaga ang second sem, actually last November 4 pa kaso walang kwenta yung mga pangyayari haha. Analytic Geometry, 2:00 - 3:00 P.M. Walang gaanong nangyaring maganda, Math kasi bes huhu Design 2, 4:00 - 8:00 P.M. JUSKO LORDE!!! HINDI KO INEEXPECT NA MAGIGING PROF NAMIN YUNG SECOND COUSIN KO NA ARCHITECT! Like pakakita ko sa kanya and pagtingin sakin, parehas kaming nabigla hahhahahaha. Anyway, di naman kami close, isang beses ko lang siya nameet nung nagreunion kami ng Sabeniano Clan (Father's Side) last July. Naalala ko nung tinext ko pa yung Daddy ko na, "Daddy, gusto ko makilala yung pinsan kong Architect." Magkahiwalay kasi kaming table noon ng Dad ko hahahha tapos ayun tinawag siya ng Dad ko tapos ako, nag-usap kaming tatlo then sabi pa ng Dad ko, "Oh JM, siguro mas mabuting gawin mong idol ang pinsan mo." Ngayon, idk pero it's kinda awkward talaga, pangatlong beses na to na nangyari sakin na pinsan ko teacher ko hahaha.

[miguelificent]

Last last day (September 26, 2016), right after I woke up, I was surprised when I opened my phone's notifications when I saw the tab "Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach liked your tweet." (non verbatim). At first, I thought that it was just a fan account, so I didn't even bother to take a screenshot of it. When I opened the tab, I was like "OMG, For real?", then opened the account, and yes, it's legit, it's the Miss Universe! I took a screenshot of it & posted in my social networking sites (FB, Twitter & IG), & for the second time, she liked it in IG. Even though I didn't get a response from her, I was so happy. I feel so honored that the Miss Universe liked my illustration-post. ❤

[miguelificent]

6:14

Hindi pa ako natutulog tbh. Nagplate pa ako kanina tapos di ko tinapos. Bongga!

[miguelificent]

Blog Name

So I came to decide to make use of the name “Mischievous Mig” (sounds jologs right? ehe).

How did I come up with this idea?

Back in elementary, I was asked by my former crush to get the book “Mischievous Meg” (nothing special tbh). Then right around 4:40 A.M., I was bothered by the idea of reviving this account and with what name should I use. I suddenly remembered the book, “Mischievous Meg”, I used to know what “mischievous” means then forgot it, so I searched for its definition.

Google defines it as:

(of a person, animal, or their behavior) causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way.

It seems accurate & it describes me well… I guess…

From Meg to Mig…

Back in elementary (again), “Migz” used to be my nickname (so jeje right? like duh, that was in 2010). I did change “e” to “i” only.

I may still change the name of this blog in the future. (Everything is Provisional, so don’t hold onto it.) -mejo hugot 😂

[miguelificent]

Pang-ilang Beses.

Yes, yan ang title ng entry na ito. Pang-ilang beses na ba ako gumawa ng Tumblr account? -Almost 5 (check my previous entry) Pang-ilang beses na ba akong nawalan ng motivation? -Madami na eh... Pang-ilang beses na din ba akong nag-install at nag-uninstall ng Tumblr? -Madaming beses na din... Hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa rin nahahanap ang motivation ko sa pag-blog. Madami na akong ginawa from Anime to Fashion to Personal, hanggang ngayon di ko rin mahanap kung saan ba magfofocus ang blog ko. Hoping na itong blog na ito ay magkakaroon na din ng SILBI. PLEASE HELP ME!!!! ... So, Hi everyone! It's been awhile 😉

[arkitektomasino]

Thesis Delibs 101

I have been in hiatus for the past months, because I am too busy at work and a lot of things. The next generation of Thesis Defenders are in the run for tips and advice from the graduates. I personally admit that I had my own cold feet and “I almost gave up” moments. But as a successful defender, and now a graduate, here are some of the things that I learned from my experience, and from my fellow graduates as well:

1. Get Up, Dress Up & Show Up.

This is the basic. If you really want to pass and graduate, don’t you dare do the “NO SHOW” thing when it is your time to defend your thesis. 

You’ll surely panic on the day itself, most especially if you’ll do the binding, printing, plotting, and everything you need to prepare beforehand. Even if you’re in the run, keep yourself together- tight. Believe that you will make it, even if you think you are running late, still go. 

These “Parang di na ako aabot”, “Parang di ko yata kaya”, “Baka hindi ako pumasa”, “Ayoko na”, etc. kind of mentality will just kill your vibe. Always be optimistic. Don’t let your fear overpower the hard works and sleepless nights you’ve been through for more than a year. 

2. Know Your Thesis By Heart.

A good presentation is not only based on your realistic renders, design solutions, strategies, planning, and the like; it is deep in your heart. 

You surely are the one who made your plans right? You have your research with you. You may not run over all the information and facts, but you have the basic knowledge on what your thesis is. 

That’s why you were given the chance to choose your thesis, it is in order for you to dedicate your heart on what you think is your calling. 

Show your jury that you are confident enough on what you are telling them. Show them your burning passion. Even if you may not know some of the answers to their questions, you will get through it if you know your thesis by heart. Come on, believe in yourself and your thesis. That’s the major key.

3. Don’t Compare Yourself

So what if there are a lot of your fellow students that can make realistic renders? While yours are too basic.

So what if you are in line with the design competition champions? Do you consider yourself as a mediocre? Or a loser? 

So what if the guy/girl before you got flat 1.00? Do you need to beat it? How sure are you that you can’t have the same thing?

5 years is a tear jerk roller coaster ride, it’s hard and painful. You will slowly realize that your knowledge and skills are not good enough, but never ever compare yourself. Each one of us have our own ways in coping and surviving college life, you are already a step away from your dreams- will you just give up? Really?

No plans are made 100% identical. Neither is your thesis. So are you. 

Smile, yours is unique in its own tiny ways. 

4. Carry Confidence. 

You will surely get some cold feet, hands and a shaky body. I know it’s hard to keep calm, but you need to. Or just hide it with your confident smile. Stand straight, and do it like a pro. If there will come a time that it is really hard for you to make an eye contact, look at their foreheads. At least you won’t be bothered by the facial expressions they make to distract you. 

Just be confident. Like you know what you are saying, and you mean it.

5. Eat

No sleep? or worst… No Ligo(Bath)? 

I have seen a lot of students who showed up restless, tired, oily, stressed, and name it all- they exist. But even if you’re cram skills and clutch tendencies arrive (and evident), don’t forget to eat! At least eat a single piece of bread, drink water, and gather yourself together. 

The worst thing that can happen is you passed out. 

6. Have A Checklist!

Do not forget anything at home! Even if you look like a backpacker ready to climb a mountain with the amount of things you need to bring with you, don’t mind. Just bring everything. 

Back up files! Not just one or two, but three or more. Flash drive, External Hard Drive, CD, MicroSD, put your thesis in it. You’ll never know when will the PC drive nuts over a single presentation. There are a lot of people who failed due to technical reasons. 

Bring your own laptop. Even if the Dean’s Office/Faculty provide one. 

Thesis Book, Print Outs, A3, 15x20 copies, Boards, Etc., Bring what you need and probably would need. 

7. Listen Eagerly.

When it is the Q&A part already, always keep your ears and mind together. Listen well to the questions. While you listen, make use of that opportunity and time to think at that moment. If you understand well the question thrown at you, you can respond at your best. Just Focus. 

8. Pray.

When all else fails… No you will not fail. So does a prayer. :) Send your heart out, and pray that things will go well. All Is Well. 

Whatever is the result of your defense, at the end of the day you will just thank everyone, and everything you’ve been through. Finally, it is over. Hard works do pay off. You have proven that all through the years that you are in an architectural school, you have sum it up with a single idea that will matter- for you, for your audience, family, friends, and to the nation. (LOL) 

But seriously, what matters most is YOU DID IT! :) 

[archatlas]

[archatlas]

#LoveWins

This post will turn one year old tomorrow, what a year, so much has happened that it feels like this occurred a long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away…). If anything the SCOTUS decision, like the election of a black President or the proposed amnesty towards immigrants, has made the haters scream louder and be even more violent against those they seem to perceive as the enemy.

To all my followers, be safe, be strong and stand tall. In order for this to get better we all have to push forth together.

Images via + via

[miguelificent]

I may not be good in writing. I may not be good in grammar. I just want to express myself.

[makingmyselfstudy]

Mental illness is terrible and can make life really difficult, so I’ve compiled this masterpost to try and make things a little bit easier.

DISCLAIMER: Just because I find something helpful does not mean it’s best for you. Also, I am not a mental health professional.

TIPS FOR IN SCHOOL

See what learning support is available, and if possible find out what others have used. What, if any, extra support is available to you? You might be able to have extra time on exams or take them in a separate room if that would make things easier.

Also look into emotional support. If you have a competent counsellor/nurse/any kind of support worker in school, talk to them. That being said, I had an absolutely horrible experience with a school support worker, and it’s 100% okay to ignore the in school support offered if it’s not helpful or even bad for you. If you need to, seek support outside school and keep seeking until you find something that’s right for you.

Talk to your teachers. Explaining that your mental health is not great, even only vaguely, can be really helpful in the future as it can make them more lenient with deadlines and more tolerant of absences for appointments or self care.

Speaking of absences, take days off if you need them. Email your teachers to find out what you’re missing and get notes from people in your classes to catch up on either during your day off or when you feel better. Your health should always come first.

Write down your homework and deadlines, either on your phone or in a diary of some kind. This should make it easier to keep track of what you need to be doing and stop you worrying about forgetting things as much.

If you feel like you want to be left alone, bring headphones. Find a quiet spot in the library and try to get some work done, and people should see the headphones as a sign you want to be left alone. If not, wanting to work in peace is a good enough reason to not want people coming over.

TIPS FOR STUDYING AT HOME

Write to do lists. If long lists stress you out, make multiple small lists based on the urgency of the task and ignore the non-urgent ones until your workload seems more manageable.

Work for as long as you feel comfortable and able to. If you can do two hours, great. If you can’t even do five minutes, that’s okay. As I said, your health is more important.

I’m going to get a lot of gasps from this, but work in bed if getting up and working at your desk seems too overwhelming. If it’s a choice between not working or working in bed, bring your work into that pillow fort. You’re accomplishing something, and don’t let anyone tell you it’s not good enough.

Whether you’re in bed or not, make your workspace as comfortable and organised as you can. Studying is rarely fun, but making it as comfy as you can sometimes helps you gain the motivation to get it done, and organised spaces can help to decrease stress.

Listen to something calming while you work. I recommend making something with noisli or the Animal Crossing soundtrack.

Remember to take breaks. Don’t push yourself until you can’t work anymore or you have a breakdown, pace yourself.

MOTIVATION AND SELF CARE

Keep a record of what you’ve done. Seeing all you’ve accomplished can be a nice morale boost and help keep you from feeling too down. Having a studyblr or some kind of journal is a good way to do this. This can also help if you have problems with memory.

Don’t sacrifice hobbies for school. If you’re mentally ill, finding something positive and fun is a rare thing. Cut down around busy times if you really have to, but don’t let it go.

Find a healthy emotional outlet. This might be exercise, talking to friends, using a site like the thoughts room to vent, making, drawing or writing something, hitting a pillow or scribbling your anger and sadness away. It might be something I haven’t thought of. Anything that deals head on with your emotions and doesn’t hurt anyone is a good outlet.

Similarly, find distractions for when you don’t want to deal with your emotions. Some of the above can also work as distractions, but so can pampering yourself, playing video games or app games, reading a book, listening to music, watching a film or TV show, going out somewhere you like, looking at pictures or videos of cute animals, cooking something, organising your space, or anything else that’s not harmful and lets you escape your emotions for a while.

Try not to compare yourself to others. In studying or anything else, you do you. Try to focus on meeting your own needs rather than whether or not a popular blog has the same study techniques or self care routines as you.

Don’t push yourself more than you can handle. Motivation is great, but if it leads to a mental breakdown, you’ve gone too far. Try to be aware of how much you can manage realistically. I don’t want to stop you giving 100%, but know what your 100% looks like and don’t harm yourself trying to go further. Instead, try and slowly change how much your 100% is.

Sleep is important for your health and for the quality of your work. No one works well on three hours of sleep. If you have trouble getting to sleep, try some kind of familiar background noise. I recommend the Harry Potter audiobooks read by Stephen Fry because I am in fact a giant loser.

Listen to other mentally ill people’s tips and advice on coping to try and work out what strategies work best for you. Tumblr (and the internet in general) has a lot of resources, and hopefully I’ll be adding to some of those in the future with more specific posts.

SOME RESOURCES

MIND - mental health charity, provides guides to a lot of different conditions and ways to cope.

Online Mental Health Support - a list of IM, chatroom, and email support options.

Worldwide Suicide Helplines - a list of phone numbers for multiple different countries.

That’s all I have for now, if you have any other suggestions feel free to let me know either here, through my ask box or through tagging me in a post!

[lifeofan-architecturestudent]

Great question.

Creativity

To be a good designer you have to be open to different ideas or methods. I’ve noticed that I’ve been designing the same way in studio for the past 2 semesters and my projects have been too predictable. I’m now learning and hoping that next semester I’m going to think differently. I’m going to open my eyes to different design. So creativity is important. It opens up new and more sources of inspiration for projects.

Critical Thinker and Analyzer

Starting to look at things in a more critical way really enhances your idea and knowledge of architecture. Simply looking at a building and finding it interesting does not help. Answer questions as: What do you find interesting? Why is this space designed this way? How does the light enter the space? Are the materials used specifically? Finding the why’s and how’s of architecture.

Producing Work

Being able to produce clear ideas, one needs to be able to produce clear drawings/sketches. Whether you prefer hand drawn or computer generated is all up to you, but being able to produce good work really matters. You can’t possibly communicate a design idea without visual content, we are designers, we are visual people.

Time Management

This is probably one of the most important things about being an architect/architecture student. Most people won’t probably get a set routine till second year or even third year, but when you do, stick with what works for you. Remember to put work before friends. Unfortunately you have to sacrifice time with friends to get things done. But this isn’t the case if you are really on top of your work. Get things done early, don’t leave things for a later time, and be productive. 

Communication

Being able to present or propose an idea is key. Listen to others and how they present their ideas, pick up what and how your professor talks about precedents, and expand your vocabulary. Try learning new words to explain your ideas.

Technical Abilities

No firm wants to hire an architecture student who thinks only in theory or whimsical things. Really understanding how a building is put together and stands is important. Employers look for those who really understand how their design is structurally supported. Something good to put in a portfolio would be some structural drawings or sections. Also knowing how mechanical and electrical systems work.

Problem Solving

In school now we have professors to help guide us through our problems, but by your forth year you should have a strong sense of correcting yourself. I think that once you enter a masters program you really develop a greater sense of problem solving.

Love for Architecture

Lastly, to get through architecture school and to become an architect you need to have passion. One without passion won’t be able to produce a design in comparison to one who shows love for the subject. Love what you do.

There are a couple more things relevant such as: Business Sense, Collaboration, Vision, Listening Skills, etc. I hope this helps you get a better sense of what we do!

-Jess

[thriveandlearn]

Constantly losing focus while you study be frustrating. We will go through some of the top study tips that can allow you to focus and study effectively.

Remind yourself why One of the key things that help us maintain focus no matter what, is by getting really interested in whatever we are doing. So find a way to make your topic interesting, relatable and practical in your life.

Remind yourself that you want to study to expand your worldly knowledge, to graduate, get into a field that you can flourish in, and provide some value to the world with your awesomeness. Also try thinking in metaphors and whatifs. It’s your mind, no one else has access to it, so think of wondrous things to make yourself want to devote the next few hours of your life to the task at hand.

Before studying

Plan out what you want to accomplish and give yourself a time limit. For example, I will read 10 pages from my psych textbook in 30 minutes, or I will spend 1 hour researching the key words for my report.

Get enough sleep. Ideally around 7-9 hours. If you sleep earlier, you may need less sleep, but please never do less than 6. Constant sleep deprivation is deteriorating for the brain and body.

Eat foods that help you focus. Which include blueberries, green tea, avocados, spinach, kale, salmon, nuts and seeds. I often have a spinach, banana & kale smoothie with matcha green tea powder, but you can combine some of the ingredients in a quick sandwich if you like.

Your brain mainly works on sugar, but you need to temper it with a protein or something with low GI, to reduce any blood-sugar problems which can lead to sudden tiredness. A quick way to find a a balance is to opt for a fruit or healthy smoothie.

Be aware that if you study right after having a heavy meal the blood circulating around your brain reduces and goes to help with digestion, so you may feel less alert. Smaller meals can help.

Take supplements that help you focus: fish oil, omega 3, Ginko Biloba, vitamin B12, Co-Enzyme Q10, and iron.

Identify whatever distracts you and find a way to minimise it. So perhaps you can go to a non-distracting environment, if that is an issue. I prefer libraries or coffeeshops.

Surround yourself with motivated people. If you can befriend the top few students in your class, or at least be on nicer terms with them, hopefully their studiousness will rub off on you.

Have all the stationary and materials you need at hand.

Set up a reward system, but avoid food as a reward as it can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. Instead try a relaxing activity, or hobby. Pretty much any incentive you can think of that will help you cross the finish line.

While studying

Prime - Spend 2 minutes skimming or figuring out what you will be going through.

Drinking game - Keep a bottle of water or two next to you. Drink a cup or a half cup worth every time you get distracted for more than 5 seconds.

Put distractions in their place - Write down any distracting thoughts in a small notebook. But remember it’s not supposed to act as your pretty bullet journal, but you can make another spread for if it you like. I made a small notebook the other day to write down quick thoughts that I would otherwise dwell on. It helps me direct my thoughts appropriately to what I’m studying, and still have those important ideas to refer to later.

Motivate yourself - Write out exactly why you want to be a [insert awesome career position] in detail with examples. Keep that page or post-it on hand and look at it when you feel yourself losing focus. It can give you a motivational boost and can inspire you to keep going. Sometimes I like to visualise specific scenarios of how I could help people once my finish my studies.

Take strategic breaks - Remove yourself from your study space and think of something else for a few minutes. You can get a snack, walk around, do a quick workout, look outside, and notice nature. Practice being present in the moment. Listen to of the world around you and get out of your head.

If you feel you can not sustain your concentration on a task for too long, you may switch between two different yet equally important tasks. But try to do a big task for at least 20 minutes, you never know, by then you might like it. Some studies show, it takes 20 minutes to really get into concentrating on something.

Reduce as many distractions as you can, including turning off notifications and wifi, putting you phone on do not disturb or airplane mode, and try blocking apps.

Track how you use your time. I like the apps ‘Now and Then’ and ‘Moment’ for iOS. So you can see how much you have accomplished or slacked off.

Write draft first. Edit and prettify later.

If you’re in the final stage, focus on the fact that you have made it this far and that you’re almost done.

Try to make it fun somehow, perhaps with strategies you used when you were a kid.

Use as many senses as you can.

Record your voice and say whatever you are reading or writing in different accents.

Draw quick doodles next to whoever you are doing to help you remember it better.

As long it’s not your first draft, feel free to use colourful pens, highlights and tape to keep you engaged.

After studying

Revise whatever you have accomplished just before your break, by quickly skimming through your most recent notes or readings.

Consequent revision schedule. The best way to remember what you have worked on is to revise it in specific intervals, after you have studying it. So after five minutes, in that evening before bed, the next day, at the end of the week and then in three weeks.

Reward yourself, as long as you feel like you ended up accomplishing something you couldn’t before.

You can try out each step for two days each to see which strategies work best for you.

I hope these tips can help you, and feel free message me if you would like more details for one of the points :)

[miguelificent]

Ngayon ko lang nalaman na meron talagang nangyari na di ko gusto nung nalasing ako huhuhu 06072016

[miguelificent]

Nakakamiss naman yung meron kang squad, since bago palang ako sa Arki, of course wala pa ako totally masyadong ka-close, sa mga upperclassmen naman at least tatlo may kilala nako sa mga 2nd year(mga kabatch ko sana) mga 7 naman sila at yung sa mga kabatch ko ngayon isa palang.

Nakakamiss maging isang dictator, yun kase ang tawag ng squad ko sakin. Apat kami na magkakablock nung 1st yr BSA, actually, classmates kami nung HS from 1st yr to 4th, edi bongga haha haha haha.

Wala. Namimiss ko lang talaga sila pero mas sinunod ko pa din ang gusto ko talaga :)

P.S. Feeling ko nasa new school ako, kahit 5 years na akong UNCeano haha hahaha