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Being a Creative Writ-Eng'g student.
They say most people today are always a half, a quarter, a part-something. Half-American. Half-Chinese. One-fourth Norwegian. Fifty percent blue-eyed. Twenty percent with hitchhiker's thumb; recessive gene. You get the idea. My parents are full-blooded Filipino, I was born and raised in Manila, and I have no significant clarifications regarding the pronunciation of my surname. I have always been a 100% something for most of the things in my life, and I had no intention of having it otherwise - or so I thought.
Looking back, I think I have spent almost half of my stay in UP with my heart leaning a little bit towards one college in particular, in that one building that's all the way on the other side of the Acad Oval. Not that I have ever considered shifting - God, no. I love my course and my department too much to even think about belonging someplace else. In fact, if only I could have taken more electives, I would have signed up for at least one class in every department in our college. I love CAL, I really do.
But I love more people outside CAL, and quite honestly, they all belong to one place, that of angas, intellect, and moneyed alumni: the College of Engineering.
Half of my barkada is comprised of students from Eng'g (or who used to be from Eng'g). Several of my previous crushes (emphasis on previous!) were from Eng'g. My first friends outside my barkada were also from Eng'g.
I've had a lot of people come up to me and ask if I already shifted to Eng'g. That's because I spend quite a hefty amount of time either with Eng'g students or being in places associated with them. I do have my own affairs inside my college, but more often than not, I feel like I've been adopted by affiliation.
It comes as no surprise then that I spent the last school week of the year practically loitering around Melchor Hall again. After all, it was Engineering Week, and who's to say I can't be a part of it?
Karla, Andee, and Ria being vain as usual
Spot Miss ERG! Gwapo by day, chicks by night!
Someone is being molested in this photo.
ERG people!
On the Eng'g Steps is the place to be.
Spotted at the Lantern Parade! A rare Pokemon!
Before Ms. Eng'g
At the ERG home front!
Behind-the-scenes at Ms. Eng'g
Ms ERG with his (her?) "Mommies"
Eng'g Week has always been magical for me - from the epic org-bashing Smokers Night, to the concluding battle of beauty/kapogian Ms. Engineering, and everything else in between. It's where friendships are sealed and affections are affirmed. The promise of a better second semester lies in the secrets that unravel in the midst of Eng'g Week - well that's what's happened to me, at least. While this year held no surprises, it was still particularly special for it was my last as an undergrad. I spent it with my friends, just like I always did, and I couldn't have had it any other way. I am really, truly hoping this won't be my last as a UP student ;)
And so, to the College of Engineering, thank you for making me feel like a part of you. For the memories, for the friends, for the love - I owe you big time, Eng'g. Here's to you!
(photo credit: Ria Esguerra)
Labels: UP
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Being a Creative Writ-Eng'g student.
They say most people today are always a half, a quarter, a part-something. Half-American. Half-Chinese. One-fourth Norwegian. Fifty percent blue-eyed. Twenty percent with hitchhiker's thumb; recessive gene. You get the idea. My parents are full-blooded Filipino, I was born and raised in Manila, and I have no significant clarifications regarding the pronunciation of my surname. I have always been a 100% something for most of the things in my life, and I had no intention of having it otherwise - or so I thought.
Looking back, I think I have spent almost half of my stay in UP with my heart leaning a little bit towards one college in particular, in that one building that's all the way on the other side of the Acad Oval. Not that I have ever considered shifting - God, no. I love my course and my department too much to even think about belonging someplace else. In fact, if only I could have taken more electives, I would have signed up for at least one class in every department in our college. I love CAL, I really do.
But I love more people outside CAL, and quite honestly, they all belong to one place, that of angas, intellect, and moneyed alumni: the College of Engineering.
Half of my barkada is comprised of students from Eng'g (or who used to be from Eng'g). Several of my previous crushes (emphasis on previous!) were from Eng'g. My first friends outside my barkada were also from Eng'g.
I've had a lot of people come up to me and ask if I already shifted to Eng'g. That's because I spend quite a hefty amount of time either with Eng'g students or being in places associated with them. I do have my own affairs inside my college, but more often than not, I feel like I've been adopted by affiliation.
It comes as no surprise then that I spent the last school week of the year practically loitering around Melchor Hall again. After all, it was Engineering Week, and who's to say I can't be a part of it?
Karla, Andee, and Ria being vain as usual
Spot Miss ERG! Gwapo by day, chicks by night!
Someone is being molested in this photo.
ERG people!
On the Eng'g Steps is the place to be.
Spotted at the Lantern Parade! A rare Pokemon!
Before Ms. Eng'g
At the ERG home front!
Behind-the-scenes at Ms. Eng'g
Ms ERG with his (her?) "Mommies"
Eng'g Week has always been magical for me - from the epic org-bashing Smokers Night, to the concluding battle of beauty/kapogian Ms. Engineering, and everything else in between. It's where friendships are sealed and affections are affirmed. The promise of a better second semester lies in the secrets that unravel in the midst of Eng'g Week - well that's what's happened to me, at least. While this year held no surprises, it was still particularly special for it was my last as an undergrad. I spent it with my friends, just like I always did, and I couldn't have had it any other way. I am really, truly hoping this won't be my last as a UP student ;)
And so, to the College of Engineering, thank you for making me feel like a part of you. For the memories, for the friends, for the love - I owe you big time, Eng'g. Here's to you!
(photo credit: Ria Esguerra)
Labels: UP
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She's a modern lover; it's an exploration, she's made of outer space
Hello, I'm Karla Bernardo. If you Google my name, you will find the Wikipedia entry of a Canadian serial-killer (and trust me, you do not want
to read about that - but I'm sure you will because now you're curious), which is why I suggest you type Bombastarr instead so you can stalk me better.
I spent eight-and-a-half years of my life in the University of the Philippines, where I graduated with degrees in Creative Writing and Juris Doctor. It is also where I learned how to speak a bit of Italian, got a taste of the best tapsilog, and took striptease for PE.
I love telling stories, as much as I enjoy finding them.
____Want more?
Featured Works
Stargirl ( Cover story for Nadine Lustre, Scout, January-February 2017)
Surreal / So Real (at Scout)
Ode to a Great Love's 17-year-old Self ( Love.Life, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Postcard from Diliman
( Youngblood, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Writer for Philippine Law Register
A Call to Arms (January 2017)
Expecting the Expected (March 2016)
Former Writer for Stache Magazine
The Hero's Journey (June 2013)
The 8 People You Become In Your Youth (June 2013)
The Best Bad Idea That Is Argo (April 2013)
Mike Ross Remembers Everything You Don't (August 2012)
Style Between the Riffs (August 2012)
Book Lovers Never Sleep Alone (June 2012)
A Spectrum of Change (December 2011)
Digital Art (October 2011)
Elements of Style (June 2011)
In Her White Dress (All-Art April 2011 issue)
Morning After Pill ( Fervore: Literary Folio 2013, UP Portia Sorority)
How To Make a Blueberry Cheesecake ( Kalas: Kalasag Literary Folio 2011, UP College of Arts and Letters)
January 14th ( 100: The Hundreds Project, UP Writer's Club)
An Ode to The
Pillow Book (at New-Slang)
Introductions (at TeenInk)
One by One (at TeenInk)
Ask, and you shall be answered
Got a comment, question, violent reaction, love letter, or random piece of information you want to share with me? Just fire away. I don't bite.
(I changed my form and went back to Freedback because Ask.fm's being a bitch, requiring people to sign up for accounts before asking questions. Because I love you guys, I tweaked my ask box a bit, so that the questions will now go directly to my e-mail, but I'll be posting the answers still on my Ask.fm for convenience. TL;DR - I'll still be getting your questions so no worries. You're still free to harass me / send me your love.)
Answers
Most Frequently Asked QuestionAre you a pornstar?No, I am not a pornstar, stripper, or your friendly neighborhood call girl. It's just a fancy pseudonym with a long history, and two R's. Rawr.
Bombastarr.com
Bombastarr is my personal blog and my little corner in the Internet since 2005. Yes, I started writing here when I was 13 years old (aka when I was very angsty, hormonal, and always gushing at the littlest things) -- ergo, you'd have to forgive me if you come across an old post that reeks of immaturity and slightly unpolished grammar. I did a lot of growing up here, and from the looks of it, there's still a lot of growing up to do, so I don't think I'll be leaving this place any time soon.
The domain, Bombastarr.com, was purchased on June 2014 and
launched on July 2014, on the blog's ninth year (and fifth month, to be exact).
It's crazy to think that this blog is now thirteen years old, because (1) that seems like an eternity in internet years, and (2) that means if my blog were a kid, it's a teenager! That's insane.
Here's to more tales, explosive and otherwise.
So, why Bombastarr?
If you've been living under a rock and think I'm a threat to world peace or an object of covetousness, sorry to disappoint you, folks: it's just a fancy pseudonym.
As in most things, it started in high school. It began as a joke between me and a couple of friends during our freshman year. We were practicing for a field demonstration dance which involved the use of shawls, and being the crazy-always-trying-to-be-funny person that I was (or I always attempted to be) I started doing poses with the garment. Someone started taking my picture using my phone, and one shot looked like I was posing for those B-list movies (or should it be R-list, as in R-rated?) of the vegetable-nomenclature variety. #IKYWIM. Hence, the word, "Bombastarr." Yes, very cheeky, I know, but for a 13-year-old, it was quirky enough to figure as a username. That was 2005, right around the time I trying to decide on a URL for a new blog. It's been a lot of years since, and what started as a joke became something I've eventually embraced as an identity.
Despite the many other chances I've gotten to permanently move (to Multiply, Livejournal, Tumblr, Wordpress; to a bigger platform where I can earn or use the blog as a venue for commerce), I've come to realize that Bombastarr is something I can never truly leave behind. It is a place I've grown to appreciate and love because it is a place I can call my own. It's a venue for my rants, my views, my writing. It is home, and it is who I am.
Bombastarr is a glimpse of my life: the thoughts, ideas, and stories that shape it into what it is, and what it will still become. This journal has been with me for all my crazy, often embarrassing adventures, but I'm sure there will be more anecdotes and feelings and people to write about. Which is something I'm really looking forward to. After all, you know what they say about the greatest stories - sometimes, there's still a lot that's left unwritten.
Credits and thank you's
This blog is hosted by PhilHosting.net, and powered by Blogger. The layout is coded entirely by me.
Photo hosting: TinyPic, Photobucket
Question box: EmailMeForm, Ask.fm
Copyright © BOMBASTARR
Elsewhere, she wanders
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