So after a few months of waiting it is finally here. I am finally taking the entrance exam to University of the Philippines Graduate School’s Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning this Saturday. I remembered the last time

I went to pass my requirements was last May 12, 2017 and expected the exam date last June 3, 2017. Luckily they postponed it maybe because of lack of enrollees and they extended the application deadline to June 16 and scheduled the exam this July 8, 2017.

For a quick background, I am to enroll to this course as a major requirement of my work here in the City Planning and Development Office of the Iloilo City Government. This is the first step as after completing this one, I will then proceed to the Masteral course for Urban Planning.

To Wiki quote, “Urban planning is a technical and political process concerned with the development and use of land, planning permission, protection and use of the environment, public welfare, and the design of the urban environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks.

An urban planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning for the purpose of optimizing the effectiveness of a community’s land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically analyzing land use compatibility as well as economic, environmental and social trends. In developing the plan for a community (whether commercial, residential, agricultural, natural or recreational), urban planners must also consider a wide array of issues such as sustainability, air pollution, traffic congestion, crime, land values, legislation and zoning codes.”

With little to no background to this field, I think I am obliged to study and learn and also as a part of my job position. I have been attending related seminars and workshop such as on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction but the correlation still seems vague. Hopefully upon taking this course, I can be knowledgeable of the role of an urban planner and help design and develop accordingly based on the current state and data available of the city.

Wish me luck this Saturday.

Since I started serving in the government office, it seems to be that I always feel swamped with all the things that I needed to study and learn. With just a background on computers and web development, it was a new level for me. Sure I did a few reads before starting this work but as expected, it was insufficient. It felt like a huge meteor strike of ideas and concepts that impacted at the same time. I am trying to cope up but it should be done one step at a time, and that is the enemy. After office felt very exhausting and I still spend time thinking of solutions while getting familiar with the setup and terms. Those abbreviations are just too hard to memorize.

I just wish that this will be slightly mended once I start my study on urban planning with the diploma course on DURP or Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning. This is the first step required in my job description as PDO I, and it will be followed by a Masteral in Urban Planning. That would mean a lesser time for me to play in MtG tournaments, given that I am already short of time in updating our Standard decks or brewing archetypes.

Now, I am wishing for a long weekend holiday and the next one is on holy week. That would mean though that general cleaning should be done on my room at the HQ. No rest for the wicked as they say. *Sigh*