List of Things I love about THE Pautakan

When I realize that October is approaching, two happy thoughts enter my mind: relaxation and excitement. Relaxation because October means sembreak and excitement because it is Pautakan month! Yey!

My love story with the Pautakan started when I was in Grade 6 and I was asked to be part of the elementary Pautakan team of Don Bosco Academy. I was no stranger when it comes to academic contests because I’ve joined quite a number of intra-school competitions but participating in Pautakan 1996 was my first time to represent my school versus other schools. I was fairly confident about our team because I thought we were smart enough. But I guess I over-rated us because our team placed a measly 5th out of a field of 6 teams, haha.

And now it’s October once again and while this month is no longer relatable to relaxation anymore (I’m on a trimestral schedule so October is actually a month of regular classes), I am still most definitely excited about THE Pautakan. So for this month’s column, I will list down the things I love about Pautakan which makes me this effing excited about it!

It introduced me to the UP Aguman

Pautakan paved the way for me to know about the UP Aguman. Back in 1996 when I competed as a Grade 6 pupil, I thought Aguman was a campus like Diliman or Manila. Funny how I only got to rectify that notion only four years after when I joined Pautakan as a senior high school student. Haha!
When I applied to be a member of our beloved organization come college, to be part of the institution that organizes the Pautakan was one of my main motivations. Although I probably would’ve applied anyway if I weren’t a Pautakan baby, I suppose I wouldn’t be as motivated and determined to finish the application process. You see, when I was an applicant, it never crossed my mind to quit, even when the going got tough because to be closer to the AguPips back then and be an AguPip myself was all I cared about. And of course, to be part of the org that holds the Pautakan! Haha!

I’m a sucker for mental challenges and competitions

Although I’m not really mentally geeky in an I-can-solve-this-Sudoko-puzzle-in-30-seconds kind of way, I do love events that test my knowledge of my interests (geography, entertainment, general information & trivia, etc). Well, I will let the campus-wide reputation of Sikrams speak for itself, hehe!
Although in the Pautakan, we AguPips are the ones who ‘give out’ the test because we make the questions to be answers by our contestants, it is still just as exciting for me because I guess, it’s a geek thing to want to know if other people also know what you know. Haha!

Pautakan preparation gives me a certain high

Okay, so maybe this does not include the gruesome aspects of the preparation like exhausting all our contacts for sponsors or finding a supplier and maker for our trophies and medals, but when it comes to the nitty-gritty, stressing over Pautakan is actually something I enjoy.
Squeezing my brains out for topics for questions; writing and phrasing these questions; proofreading them by reading them aloud as if I am the quizmaster (quality Pautakan questions have a certain feel when you read them aloud, haha); sorting and classifying the questions; debating with other Pautakan addicts/experts whether or not certain questions fall under General Information or Current Events; having a good laugh at all the hilarious stories incorporated into the problem solving questions; formulating the wittiest Intriguing Questions to induce the wittiest answer from the contestants – all these tasks catapult me into mental bliss. Haha!

The Pautakan dynamics itself is an exciting one

I don’t think you can find another academic competition with contest mechanics as eventful as the Pautakan’s. Some contests are as straightforward as simply having Easy, Average and Difficult Rounds and that’s it – the ‘best’ team is declared. Some contests have buzzer-type rounds to see who survives the elevated pressure of having to mentally outdo the other teams. Now put all these elements together and add a few more rules that make a team truly and literally work their way to the Championship title – now that is really something else.

“The Pautakan – it’s sooo big, it can’t fit in this paper”

This statement was born out of nowhere when Pie (then the Pautakan 2005 Project Head) asked me to make her a Pautakan teaser (colored and fancy glossy posters were still unheard of back then, haha). We wanted something that would reflect the prestige of the event. I really had no idea where that idea came from, but I just suddenly blurted it out as a joke. But then we realized it’s not such a bad idea, because after all, it is true.
The Pautakan opens up the quiz bee season each academic year. Whichever schools emerge on the top tier will definitely hold their heads up high in all of the succeeding academic competitions for the rest of the year.

I am proudly a Pautakan baby

I competed in 1996 and 2000. I never won, but the experience was not any less enjoyable and meaningful. The Pautakan really made me assess myself, my competence and my goals. The experience really made me aim for more, to not settle for mediocrity, to raise the ‘bar’ — which apparently, is the real underlying goal of the Pautakan.
For this, the Pautakan will always hold a special place in my heart. And add to that all the wonderful memories I’ve had because of Pautakan, whether as a contestant, as an organizer or as an Aguman member.

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I’ve only missed 1 day out of 27 Pautakan days since 2000 (I missed the first day of the 2006 edition because I had a machine problem to pass at UP). Having to miss two days of this year’s edition is obviously going to be hard, haha, it feels like I will be on a withdrawal syndrome or something during those two days. But at least I will be able to attend the third day wherein I can join the AguKids in celebrating the eventual success of Pautakan 2009 and in honoring the eventual Pautakan 2009 Champions. =)

I actually dread the day when I will be unable to attend at least one day of the Pautakan. I know that time will come because sooner or later (hopefully sooner, haha) I would have work and I might be too busy with it or have other more important appointments. Who knows, I might find myself in working in another country someday, and obviously, even if I am not busy, geography would be a huge dilemma. Unless, I will be rich enough to have spare change to afford a quick trip home just so I can attend the Pautakan. For now, I will savor each Pautakan day I can still attend.

Do you know that at the start of every third day of the Pautakan, I actually feel melancholy because I know that it will be the last day of the competition and it would be another full 12 months before I would feel again the kind of euphoric state that only Pautakan can bring? Weirdly silly, right? Haha! Well, I don’t deny my addiction. I am Joeven Rex Dizon and I am a certified Pautakan addict. And I am not looking for a cure anytime soon.

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