I'm All Done!

At last I'm done with my blog. "Graveh, kapoy!".

Exhausting!

Tiring!

Pressure!

I'm done with the blog project and it was fun but exhausting too. "Laliman mo 500-words and 5 entries per week. Mura na siya ug equivalent sa two periodical test".

"Salamat, kaginhawa na ko ug tarong kay mana ko!"...

P.S.
Sir dedication ra ni ha!!!

Poem on Us!

Seasons of Life

I found my friendship on spring

It was like a flower blooming to the extreme

Where everything was in harmony

No one dares to ruin everything

When friendship occurs on summer

The sun was hot and still warm

Feeling the warmth of each other’s love

Caring for those who are in shiver

In fall, I saw leaves falling

Leaves and soil are just becoming one

Wind is beginning to blow on us

And leaves of trees try to peel away

During winter, coldness blankets the air

Things get frozen and chilled

Including important things for us

Causing us to go on our separate ways.

- Tany-

Loneliness: A Poem Critic

Loneliness is such a sad word, isn’t it? It is not new to us anymore, for we experience this feeling almost every day. At the end of every day, when warmth of love disappears in our life we feel loneliness in ourselves. We feel this situation wherein we feel down, experience a feeling of depression and low self-esteem.

Loneliness is a universal phenomenon because all living experiences this kind of situation wherein there is minimal of human contact physically, mentally, spiritually, psychologically and socially.

Our existence also causes existence of loneliness. We all need each other and if we don’t fulfill this law of nature, we experience loneliness which is a very difficult and very unexplainable word.

What does loneliness means? Here is a poem, which does not follow poetry but it still does for it connotes a meaning. Every symbol reflects something and this something that we input in our minds are being interpreted by our minds creating a story and therefore understanding the topic more.

A poem does contain a lot of interpretations and the poem I am going to interpret will be just one of the many interpretations. The difference of our interpretations does not matter, for it expresses and lets our individual minds to work in an imaginative way. The topic will be about loneliness by E. Cummings:

l (a

le

af

fa

ll

s)

one

l

iness

Would you believe this is considered as a poem? Well you should believe that this is a poem for it expresses a meaning to the readers, which is one of the aspects of a poem.

In the first stanza, the letter “l” which means one, meets letter “a”, an article, that also means one or single. If you are only one you are lonely. The apostrophe means that they are separated from each other or they come from different worlds.

The space means that there is really loneliness going on between the two of them.

After they meet which is in the third line, the letter “a” turned into another letter which is “e” and the “l” still remains. The second person already adjusted to the environment.

In the fourth line, the letter ”l” turned to letter “a” and “e” turned to “f”. There is somewhat like an adjustment between the two. The first person adjusted to the second person while the second person also adjusted to the first person as well.

In the fifth line, there is like an exchange of something. This something could be love. There is a mutual relationship going on among them.

In the sixth line, the letter “f” and “a” then turned back into letter “l”. The letter “l” is in typewritten form which outputs the number one. The personas then go back to being alone as what is shown in the next line. This loneliness may be because of some misunderstandings or even a great conflict between the two of them.

In the eight stanza, we see that the letter “l” change to letter “s”. It means that the persona is adjusting to the environment despite the fact that his/her friend is not their anymore.

The ninth and tenth stanza shows the same meaning, one. The persona is still experiencing the sorrow of being lonely. This is also showed in the space after it.

On the last line, we see that the letter “l” changed to small letter “i” which means that it becomes humble. Together with the letter “i” are letters “n”, “e”, “s”, “s”. The persona already gained new friends. For the persona, it is really a need to be humble and adjust really to the environment to attain friends and to acquire happiness and not loneliness. Through the persona’s experiences with his previous friend, he learned a lot of things that in order for a friendship and happiness to last, he/she should be humble enough.

Loneliness is a very painful condition wherein we try to avoid it as much as possible. To disregard loneliness, we try to make new friends and adjust to the new environment. This person will try to be open and to be humble in order for him/her to meet new friends that will make him/her happy again. For a loneliness that we feel, a leaf falls for it is a self-destructing process. Once a leaf falls, all the others will also follow to fall. It is very contagious and we feel that we are not of self-worth.

LOVE: An Act of Will, Not of the Heart!

Love: A very deep and hard word that cannot be explained by people who experienced it. Even I cannot explain what love really means. When we fall in love, our heart beats faster. We say that when our hearts beat to the extreme, it means that there is love. But the question is, is it enough to say that when our heart is involved in this kind of feeling we can call it as such?

In the modern day, maybe this explanation will be accepted. We don’t see love as a romantic thing but rather it is a trend in the society nowadays. It is such an instinct for a human to love. We seldom see people involved in such kind of relationship lasts for a lifetime. Love is not a thing that we can just throw when our hearts doesn’t feel the extraordinary feeling anymore.

We discover love by accident and not just when we feel it. Love involves two people. We can call it love if there is mutual relationship. It can either be to your lover, mother, father, brother, sister, classmate, friend and many other people that make them special in your life.

Love is mutual. You feel it because there is willingness between the people involved. You cannot call it love if only one person loves and the other is not. It is love if there is sharing. It is love if it is true to your heart. It is true love if you’re open to one another and most especially, it is love if you are willing to accept the person as a whole-his/her strengths and weaknesses.

Love is really blind for it sees only the good side in you. It doesn’t look on the bad side for you accept the person as who the person really is. As what I’ve said it is not acquired only by one person but rather it is acquired by two people. Love is beneficial for it comforts someone in times of the difficulty. Your love for other person doesn’t bring you down but rather it inspires you. We can really say that love excels a person and never discourages one from achieving from his/her dreams in life.

The beating of our heart is only the result of the love that we acquired from the mutual relationship between two people. The willingness of the two people to accept each other makes the heart grow fonder.

Love is a thing that is being shared and not only experienced by someone. We try to love the person because of the love he/she has given and shared to us. He/she teaches us how to love by doing something that makes us happy and appreciate that thing that he/she does. By this appreciation, we acquire love.

Love is a very contagious thing that cannot be treated unless no one will practice to love anymore. If people learn and share love, love will still exist in this world.

Love is an act of will and not by heart!

Opinion On Being An Only Child!

I really envy those families who are complete: a father, mother and children. My family is not complete physically but I am fully satisfied of my situation now. I have a loving mom and a caring grandmother. My mom is a single parent. Since 1 year old, my father already left us. But having no father is not a hindrance in achieving my dreams. I don’t think myself as an incomplete being having no father at all. I am in a situation where my life is stable even though there are a lot of misunderstandings between my family. Well we can’t really take that away because that has been always constant in our lives.

It really comes to a point that what if I had siblings? Based on my experience as an only child, my mother misses me immediately even though I’m seconds away. She really takes good care of me because she’s afraid that I might get into danger. Sometimes, I really get irritated with my mom because I want to be independent in the sense that I make my own decisions. She thinks of me still as a little boy but I’m not. I’m now big and I can do things on own. I don’t want to be treated like a small child because it only makes me dependent to her. My mother has been so overprotective with me. She still thinks that I cannot make good decisions on my own. I want to prove to my mom that I had already grown up.

I understand why my mom is doing this because she doesn’t want to lose me but sometimes we need privacy and we need to work on our own. We will not succeed if we depend on others. I really don’t like to be treated this way because it only makes me futile. I want to decide on my own and to help them in the near future through my own efforts.

This is also what I learned being an only child that I became more independent because I realized that I will not succeed if I will always depend on my parents. Because of the over protectiveness of my parents, I want to acquire freedom. I need time to decide on my own and I need privacy. I realized that this is my life and I have the control of my life. It is I who will face the consequences of the decisions I make. If they make my decisions, it will not be that sincere for me to accept the consequences.

Those are just some of my opinions. Despite the reasons why I don’t like being an only child, I still thanked God that even though I am in a broken family, I still have my mom and my loved ones beside me who are still there to support me. I also considered it lucky for me to be an only child because my entire parent’s attention is in me.

My mom and I became close friends because we have the opportunity to share each other’s opinions, problems and comments. I treat my mom as my best friend. I tell her my problems and because she knew that I’m already big enough to decide on my own, she let me decide on my own provided that I would also look on the possible consequences that I will be encountering. My bonding with my mom is so much strong. I am very “lambing” to my mom whereas if I have siblings, I will not have the chance to be that close to my mom because the love she will be sharing will be equal to all.

All I can say that being an only child is not that boring. Even though, you have no siblings to share your problems with, your secrets and your crushes, your mom will be the substitute and in return will cause a more strong family relationship.

Cebu City Sports Center

The Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), then known as the Abellana Oval, had a rich history before it attained its present form.

In 1993, the whole country was gearing up for the 1994 Palarong Pambansa (National Games) and the Visayas region would play as host. Among the Philippine cities and municipalities, Cebu City came out on top as the prime choice. Through the efforts of Cebu City Councilor Augustus Young, Congressman Antonio Cuenco, and Congressman Raul del Mar, Cebu won the bidding for the hosting of the event after they justified Cebu's feasibility for hosting the games.

The foremost question on the mind of the organizers at that time was "Where would the games be held?" The answer that hardly required any thinking was Abellana Oval. The next logical question was "Could Abellana Oval handle the number of guest athletes and competitions from all over the archipelago?"

The organizers realized that, in its state at that time, Abellana Oval could not take on the task. So, the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS, now renamed to DepEd, or Department of Education), together with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) proposed the renovation of the Abellana Oval and the construction of additional facilities which could accommodate the different events of the upcoming 1994 Palarong Pambansa. Cebu City, being the host city, spearheaded and supervised the construction and was given full funding and support by the national government. Cebu City Councilor Augustus Young was appointed overall director of the project.

Detractors of the project doubted whether the project could be finished on time. Councilor Young, though, was quick to assuage the public's doubts through various media, especially in the local print and broadcast media. The project was finished on time, indeed, true to Councilor Young's promise. (A similar pattern of detraction and doubt with regards to finishing a construction project on time arose recently last year during the building of the Cebu International Convention Center.)

Among the improvements made to the Abellana Oval was the rubberization of the oval itself, consisting of 400 meters of world-standard material and specifications. A stadium that could accommodate 12,000 to 15,000 people was also built. Other facilities built in the complex included a 50-meter by 25-meter swimming pool with ten lanes, a 15-meter by 10-meter warmup pool, a gymnasium, a ballroom, a workout area, and multi-purpose rooms for various indoor sports and games such as chess, karate, and scrabble.

The successful construction of the new sports center, now appropriately renamed to Cebu City Sports Center, gave way to Cebu's hosting of the 1994 Palarong Pambansa—CCSC's first successful hosting of a major event.

CCSC's second chance at a bigger event came in November, 2005, when Cebu City played host to the 2005 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. The sports center was the venue for the opening ceremonies, as well as for seven game categories. Brandon Velasquez said that the preparation for the 2005 SEA Games was very tedious and took up a lot of the organizers' time. Everything went well, though, and the Cebuanos were hailed once again by the international community as a very hospitable people.

With the new Cebu City Sports Center, Cebuano athletes now have a place where their skills could be for future local, national, and international competitions. In fact, from being tenth or eleventh in the rankings for different events, Cebuano athletes rose to fifth place on the charts. The increase in ranking surely gave the Cebuanos much pride in their athletes. The Cebu City Sports Center would hopefully encourage local athletes to perfect their skills and inspire them to excel in sports.

Besides being a sports facility, the Cebu City Sports Center is also the venue for the culmination of the annual Sinulog mardigras held every third Sunday of January.

The Cebu City Sports Center has made a lot of difference in the sports activities of Cebuanos. Because of its accessible location and its world-class facilities, the sports center has encouraged the development of different kinds of sports, as well as inspired many Cebuanos to engage in fitness and health-improving activities. Many go to the sports center for an early morning jog (or walk), or an early morning dip in the swimming pool. Many others go there to play badminton, or to work out at the gym, or to practice ballroom dancing.

DrameFest on its 32nd Year!

Last March 2, 2007 at exactly 6:30 pm, the DramaFest was held in the University of the Philippines High School Open Stage. This is an annual event which is awaited by students, faculty, parents, guests and most especially the UP Alumni. This year, UP High is celebrating its 32^nd DramaFest. It became a highlight during that night because aside from its nice weather, the stories were portrayed excellently by the actors and actresses of the different productions. There were only two productions that competed with each other, the Quevedo Productions and the TAnikala Productions. The Quevedo Productions was the production name of Section Gonzales whrerein Euvic FErrer was their Production Manager while Jann Krystel del Mar was their director. On the other hand, Tanikala Productions was the production name of Section Tan wherein RAzel Paldo was the production manager while Artsron Sumabong was the director. Before the start of the event, the performers were not only the ones who were scared of the output of their effort but also the people behind the excellent interpretatioin of the different stories. The two productions were very early and very busy preparing for the start of the event. The technicals, sounds and lights were tested to make sure that they function when its their turn to perform.

Who is behind this big event that all people are waiting for? It’s none other than Dr. Primitivo Ereno who is behind this main event that is usually celebrated during the Fourth Grading Period of the Fourth Years. Before this event, the Seniors were first exposed to Ensemble Acting which is the ABAKADA, the evolution of the Philippine culture, that is celebrated during the Communication Arts Week. For Fourth Periodical Exam, this genius man, let us choose from two options whether it will be an exam or a through a production which is the DramaFest. We, ourselves, chose DramaFest for we don’t want pressure during the Examination Week. Our effort was very fruitful for it gained a lot of good comments from the jurors. It was polished since we had the Critique’s Night wherein we had a lot of flaws in our presentation.

The first to present was the Tanikala Production, which was my production group, with a play entitled, “Bulag” which is a script written by one of the UP students of batch 1990 who was Anna Lee Loquinario. We had to perform the play twice because of the some technical errors especially the House Lights. During the second performance, although the House Lights was not that good, it was well presented because you can really feel the intense emotions of the characters portrayed. I was one of the characters of the story. My role was a squatter. Unfortunately, during the second turn of our presentation, I broke the bottle which caused danger to the characters during that scene. One of the main characters cried in the play because of the trauma he experienced when the bottle broke. After the presentation, it was applauded by the audiences and we can say that it is all worth it. The last part was so intense and was emphasized by Gayle who portrayed one of the main characters of the story when she said the word, “BULAG, BULAG. BULAG!”.

The second to present was the Quevedo Productions with a short story entitled, “Sa Ngalan ng Ama”. The short story was written by a scriptwriter. The story was all about a family which was under a militaristic rule of the father. The father was so strict, disciplined and always on the time. The members of the family had been always following the old system of the “padre de pamilya” until one of his son joined the rebel because of his care for the rebels because these rebels had also the same principle as that of the son. It was so happened that these rebels are the major enemies of his father. During their confrontation, words cannot just explain the reason of the son. It came to a point where all of the family members expressed what is their feeling on the harsh dictatorship of the father. This moment cause the death of the son. This story was full of emotion because I saw some parents who cried because of the presentation.

All I can say that our DramaFest is worth striving for. All our efforts was satisfied when the awards were given. The technical awards went to the Quevedo Productions while those on the Major Awards were grabbed by the Tanikala Productions. Once again, we thank everyone who believed that we can do this tough job and also to our parents as well who understood us whenever we arrived late at home. We are hoping for another fruitful DramaFest next year!

Graduation Stresses!

This April, we will end our high school term in the University of the Philippines High School in Cebu. The four years was so fast for us because we finally came to the point where all of us will have to bid farewell to our schoolmates and to the faculty as well.

Before we make it to the Graduation, we still have to accomplish a lot of things before we bid goodbye to them. We still have to pass a lot of requirements especially in our Research. The research paper was the fruit of our hard labor where we spent our blood and sweat in it. It was exhausting doing this early exposure to the College life. Suppose to be, thesis should be done when we reach College but not in the University of the Philippines where Academic Excellence is the aim. I think all of us were stressed about the Research paper. Since the beginning of the Research subject in Third year, we were already stressed. From the proposal down to the Final copy of our Research paper that will be bound, it was a very crucial and tough job for it will be displayed and use as a basis for the coming generations.

Next week, we will be going to have our Final Periodical Exam. This time, our topics are very hard for it is accumulated from the beginning of the school year. It will be also very stressful because we need to double-time and study well for the Exam for this will be the basis if we will graduate or not. We should be very careful in answering these questions and we hope that we will get high scores. I also hope that all of us will graduate from this Alma Mater which we treat as our second home. The Exam will run for three days with two subjects for two consecutive days and only one subject for the third day. At least, we will not be so stressed on the third day.

Our suffering does not only end there, we still have to submit some of the requirements such as the Graduation Song for our Music class, Biographies of Economists for the Economics class, Production Album in Filipino and the blog for our English class. After the Exam, we still have to double time to submit all our requirements as soon as possible because some of the teachers will go out-of-town to attend meetings, live in other countries and work there and have their vacation. UP High is already late for vacation.

We also have other requirements such as payments for the Prom pictures, class pictures and even the sinking fund as well. I think after we graduate, our pockets will be empty. Not only that, we still have to comply for other teachers of our deficiencies. The clearance signing will be a trouble day for us for we have to be cleared immediately for us to enroll in other campuses. For the UPCAT passers, we will also have to comply for our College Admission in UP High in the assigned dates for us.

After all these exhausting things, we still have to practice our graduation ceremony. I think this practice will not be overloaded anymore because I’m sure that some of us are already cleared. “Some of Us”: I repeat!

This will be the stresses we will be encountering before we go out of the realms of UP High same as what we’ve experienced when we were still in the lower years. Even though it is very stressful, it is still enjoyable for we experience the same pressure together!

Second Thougths on My Future!

For the second time around, my mind messed up again between two courses which I both like. Will I pursue BA Psychology or should I shift to BS ComSci? It is a very hard decision of which I must think quickly to catch up before the enrolment in University of the Philippines Cebu College (UPCC) comes.

At first, my first choice was really Psychology. During those days, I am really interested much in Psychology. I want to understand myself and also my environment through their behaviors and to know what is on their heads. I like Psychology because I like to work in companies, banks and even in schools as well like a teacher or a guidance counselor. I scanned Psychology books and I find them to be quite interesting. But my love for Psychology disappeared because of what Mdm. Hermosa, the Public Speaking Class Adviser, told us. She said that nowadays, the center for excellence in UP Cebu is BS Computer Science. She told us that Computer Science is the best course offered in UP Cebu but there is no assurance that if you take this as a course you will pass. She said that about 5% of the students who took up this course passed and graduated from UP.

Computer Science has been my next option as a course in College. I like this course because first of all, I like computers especially programming, troubleshooting and etc. I find out that when you take Computer Science, you will have a Calculus as one of your subject and because of that I find it to be more interesting because I already knew some of the topics about Calculus. At least, I have already a foundation for that.

Second, when I applied for the DOST scholarship, one of my courses that I checked was the Computer Science field. I also applied for the STFAP of UP Cebu. If I will not be given the chance to be a STFAP scholar, at least if I will pass the DOST Scholarship, I will still have a support.

Third, is that before you graduate, there are already offers for you to work on big computer companies. You will have a sure job after you already graduated.

Fourth, is that I can still use my previous knowledge in Mathematics. All my sufferings in the Math subject will still continue. It is so much painful to know that after you graduate in high school you will stop learning Mathematics which is part of our life. Since I already started it, I can still extend my knowledge in Mathematics especially Calculus. Mathematics and Science as well are fields that has a really a big help nowadays. Even if you don’t become a Computer Programmer, you can either go to jobs that involve Mathematics such as a Mathematics teacher.

Fifth, it has a high salary when you already applied for a job. It is not that difficult to find jobs that need Computer Science graduates for this course goes with the modern technology.

Sixth, in UP Cebu, the training is very intense and you will really be molded.

Seventh, if I graduated, I will have the chance to go abroad which is one of my dreams in life to improve our life better.

I still have confusions about this matter. If you read my previous article about this topic, I stated there why I like Psychology. My aim for all of this is to find job easily after I graduate and at the same time learning.

Computer Science requires a lot of analysis while Psychology requires a lot of research. Computer Science requires a lot of studying while Psychology requires a lot of reading, analysis, interviews for their research and the researching itself. For Psychology, it is not really my type reading a lot of books, communicating to the people or even researching in the internet for previous studies. That really makes me bored. The Psychology in UP Cebu is mainly on research while for Computer Science it requires application.

I better go with application, for the world needs application of ideas nowadays to improve the lives of the people.

It is a challenge for me and I hope whatever my decision will be, it will be successful.

How I Want to Be Remembered After I Leave High School

Four years before, I started to enter the realms of UP High School. At first, I was scared because I thought my expectations will fail. That expectation is to have more friends and that I can find real friends. When I was in elementary, I was really active in class and also when it comes to my classmates and friends. But after I graduated in elementary, the world had its counterclockwise direction. A lot of changes happened; I started to become silent and sometimes a loner. Loner, not in the sense of being alone but in a sense of going out with only few friends which is still my best friends until now. I started to become sensitive with my environment during that time. That was not my real attitude. My attitude is that of being happy, active, jolly, joker, friendly and not that silent type of person. That is really who I am. I am a childish person because since I was young I didn’t have a sibling to play with but I played with my friends. If my friends are not there, I used to play alone guided by my grandma because my mom had to work.

When I entered high school, I started to have a low self-esteem and low self-confidence. Sometimes, I got sad and depressed because of my low self-esteem. I am a type of person who really loves to have friends but since I showed them at first that attitude, the silent me, they thought that I am not that friendly and approachable.

I told myself, that if I will continue that kind of personality, I will easily lose hope because of lack of inspiration. My inspirations in life are God, my family and my friends. When, I think of them, I gained hope. Because of that realization, I learned a lesson.

The lesson I learned is the saying that, “Be yourself”. If you are being yourself, you will learn to know your strengths and weaknesses. Because of what I did when I entered high school, I had a hard time discovering the real me. It came to a point wherein I got stranded in an island because I lost the real me. But with the help of God, my family and friends, my inspirations in life, they rescued me from the misery I experienced.

I understand that we have to adjust to our environment but we must bear in mind that we should adjust accordingly by making sure that we don’t forget our real identity and personality. Once we adjust, we forgot ourselves. Thanks to my batch mates, who are one of my saviors. They led me to the right path. I will not forget all the memories that we have shared and experienced together. I really thanked God for giving me such good classmates and also good friends. I can really say that they are really different from other friends that I’ve known. In good times and in bad, we all held hands and we have recovered from the tragic events we’ve experienced.

Guys, you molded me into becoming a good person.

Thank you so much for being part of my life. Thanks for making my high school life enjoyable and memorable.

This is what I wanted to be remembered when I leave high school.

BATCH 2006-2007! GOD BLESS AND GOD SPEED!

P.S.
“ Amardz kayo ko! Hehe!”

"Tan-Aw Ra Ba, Ibog Ka!"

The Look

Strephon kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
And never kissed at all.

Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,
Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes
Haunts me night and day.

n Sara Teasdale

This is a two stanza poem by Sara Teasdale. This poem, even though it is short it has a deep and big meaning if you will really scrutinize each stanza and if combined, you will have a generalization which is meaningful.

In the first stanza, Strephon and Robin kissed the girl but Colin expressing his love not by a kiss but through a look in her eyes.

In the second stanza, Strephon and Robin’s kiss got lost suddenly just because of Colin’s look in her eyes. The persona in the story longs for Colin’s expression of love after she saw that look.

I believe in the saying that the eyes are the windows of our soul. Maybe because the eyes are not only for seeing things but also for commanding our feelings. When we talk about soul, it is somewhat connected to our feelings and emotions because we cannot see soul but rather we feel that we have soul because without our soul, we cannot do things or even move. We will be futile if we have no soul. It is also the same if you’re ask if you can see things in your mind like mental pictures. Do mental pictures really exist in your brain? The answer is that we can’t see it but rather we experience and feel that we have mental pictures in our head.

In the selection the saying, “Eyes are the windows of our soul”, is the theme of this story. I will not elaborate much on love because this saying tells it all. I believe that all of us experience this kind of feeling like in the two-stanza poem. For me, just a look in the eyes has a deep meaning to me rather than a kiss. But I’m not saying that I’m a “feeler”. We can’t really deny that. A “look” is very meaningful even just for a second. I think that it is an instinct of a person to feel something with just one look. A look like I said has a lot of meaning and it depends on us on how we react on that thing.

Looking is much more sincere than actions and words. Like for example, we can tell if a person is sincere, if we can see in his/her eyes that he is really sincere and only our instincts can determine that.

It is our eye that sees everything and it is also our eye that connects us all. It is hard for us to answer why a look is more significant than expressing things through actions or words. Maybe because, we are not aware of it. We are unconscious about it and for me; it is really sincere if we don’t have an idea about it. Just like in love, for example, if we are to ask why we love that person and we don’t know the reason, we can really tell that we are sincere because we don’t let our brain think but rather we trust our feelings and we rather follow them. It is our feeling that makes a thing special.

Once again, to summarize it all, the selection only tells us that it is more memorable for us of a look than an action or a word. Like a picture, painting a thousand words, a look says a lot of things. It is window to our soul, thus by looking, it enters our soul thus having a deep meaning for us that only we can understand and appreciate.

That’s all and thank you!

Meeting Titanic's Younger Sibling!

Titanic has not been new to you because it was a world renowned sinkable boat believing to be an unsinkable one. It was in 1912 that Titanic was made and it was one of the ships that made a record in history. Here comes its younger sibling Duolos, that was constructed in 1914. Just two years was there gap, not knowing to be one of the surviving ships nowadays.

I only learned and knew these interesting facts when my classmates and I went personally to visit this amazing and magnificent ship. I really can’t believe that MV Duolos was still in its existence. Ninety-three years of exploring the seas and oceans of Mother Earth was its route. It was still in its existence because it was constructed under God and only God can ruin and sink the ship.

MV Duolos was constructed for a reason and that reason is to fulfill an act started by Jesus which is to do good. It had its visit to Cebu this year once again with an aim of bringing knowledge to Cebuanos by bringing books which can be the source of more wisdom and experience as well.

When we went there, different races of people welcomed us with their big and warm smiles. This ship also symbolizes that races are not a hindrance to do good and that everyone of us even not of the same race can still count on each other because we are all created by one, God. God created us for a purpose, just like the MV Duolos which is to serve the people.

We went to the MV Duolos together with the Third years last February 15. We arrived there at about 1:30 pm. We were welcomed by the different races of people and an orientation was made, narrating the purpose of Duolos’ visit. We enjoyed their presentation to us and after the orientation; we proceed immediately to their bookstore where different kinds of books were sold. Even though the books were expensive, it has still significance to the readers. Some of these books cannot be found here in the bookstores of Cebu for it comes from outside of the Philippines. There books are all meaty and has lessons.

I didn’t bought anything because my money was just enough for my needs in school. What I did was just to scan the books and after, to gaze at the sea of Cebu which I find to be great and refreshing. It was my second time to experience being on a ship.

We explored the ship and I found out that it was great to stay there because it is like a home. After touring the place, farewell was our answer to them because everything has to end but we will not forget the experience we had in our stay in this great ship.

This was a once in a lifetime experience because the ship had its visit all around the world to bring service to people all over the continent. This people serving in the ship are only volunteers and are paid by their own efforts through selling things which can also benefit them and to their buyers as well.

This ship is an epitome of volunteerism. There is a spirit of volunteerism in MV Doulos because people serving here only lives and earns in their own effort by helping one another not just to supply their needs but also to serve others as well.

MV Duolos is a ship guided by GOD and that’s why it is still existing until today!

Why Do We Celebrate Valentines Day?

This was my topic during the impromptu speaking we had during our English time with Sir Em-Em. We had this activity December, I think? Well during that time I don’t have a clearer view on Valentines Day because I was thinking more on Christmas.

Since it’s the month of February, or shall we say the month of the hearts, I would like to tell you what Valentines for me is.

During Valentines , we can notice that the air is filled with love. Not made just by lovers but also for people who treasure their loved ones as well. This month gives importance and let us realizes that we need to thank those people who loved us and we love us also. It is the love that keeps the world go round aside from money which is not that important in this world.

Chocolates, flowers and heart-shaped things are all around because these things symbolize love and the Day of the hearts. Yes, this is true because we really need to thank these people who loved us because without them we will not learn how to love and be loved. It is a nice feeling that someone loves and treasures us.

During the Valentines Day, we had no classes because there was a unitwide seminar for the teachers of UP High. What I am busy doing is our CyberFair. I had to take pictures of our assigned venue which is the Abellana Sports Complex. Together with me when I went there was Czarina. When we went there, we noticed that the Abellana High School had lots of vendors that sells flowers, chocolates and heart-shaped things. They have no formal classes and some of them were in the grandstands of the oval while others were outside of their rooms bringing flowers. I think those flowers were for their loved ones or lovers. The school had big speakers that played love songs. The whole venue was really perfect for lovers although it was for sports and recreation. I have the time to explore and find out what Valentines really means for people nowadays. They go out with their girlfriends or boyfriends during this special day. That is what Valentines means to them.

For me, it is not only the time for their girlfriends or boyfriends but for those people who treated them special. Love makes us all special and that’s why I like to love. It is one of our natural rights second to the right to live, the right to love.

Love cannot ruin someone compared to money although it can cause pain when we are being heartbroken or hurt by our loved ones. I really don’t envy lovers during Valentines Day because I have lots of admirers and lovers who loved me for being who I am. The people I’m referring to are my parents, friends and those people who love me.

During this event, I am happy that people love each other. There will be no trouble if everyone loves each other. But we should not limit this day to our lovers because the real meaning of this special day is our love for each other; that we are given such feeling for us to make each other special and to make us more inspired to strive hard to fulfill our dreams.

Valentines isn’t just loving someone but making others special through our love. Love cannot be explained by words because only action does it.

" A Study on the Effects of Rice Hulls on the Leaf Intake of Golden Apple Snails"

This is the title of our research study which we are very busy doing with because of the incoming Sci-Tech Week. The Sci-Tech Week will be this February 19. Based on our data we gathered, we have concluded, that rice hulls are really good for snail management. I will be going to tell you why rice hulls are effective in golden apple snail management.

Golden Apple Snails (GAS), scientifically known as Pomacea canaliculata or Golden “kuhol” in the Philippines is a freshwater gastropod native to South America that was introduced to the Philippines in the 1980’s. The escargot industry, which used GAS as a staple food and as a source of income for the farmers, did not develop much. Because of this, the snails were released and escaped and accidentally went to ricefields.

The GAS imposed harm to farmers because they cause crop destruction to rice and taro crops. They cannot be managed that easily because they reproduce very fast and that they are very voracious eaters. They are considered as the “100 World’s Worst Invaders”.

Overall, there are existing control methods in managing GAS. However, these measures can either hustle the farmers or can even impose danger to the environment like the chemicals for example.

GAS are very sensitive to harsh conditions. When they are exposed to harsh conditions, they secrete mucus- like substance which is their mode of defense. When they excrete mucus, there is a mode of an action of a molluscicide. When they excrete mucus, they become weak because of dehydration and will eventually result to the desiccation of the snail.

One of the things that snails are very sensitive to are materials having rough and abrasive property. That’s why the study focused on the rice hulls as an agent to control these apple snails.

We used rice hulls because of two reasons: 1.) Rice hulls have an abrasive property that results to the excretion of mucus-like substance by the snails and 2.) Rice hulls are waste and contribute to a great garbage problem here in the Philippines. This has caused a big problem to rice millers who end up dumping and burning these wastes.

This study entails the use of rice hulls as an irritant to golden apple snails to discourage them from eating too much of the rice and taro which has been so important to us people.

This study tries to find out effects of rice hulls on the leaf intake of golden apple snails.

Based on the data gathered and the findings, the conclusions were 1.) Rice hulls are effective in lessening the leaf intake of Golden Apple Snails.; 2.) The application of more amount of rice hulls effectively lessen the leaf intake of GAS because rice hull has its abrasive property that discourages the snails from eating too much and; 3.) The rough surface of the rice hull irritated the snail that enables them from secreting mucus which is their defense mechanism from the abrasiveness of the rice hull that eventually weakens them because of dehydration.

The study was successful in identifying rice hull as an agent to control and manage GAS. This research study is very beneficial to rice millers and some farmers throughout the regions. The results of the study may provide the rice millers a better way of disposing these rice hulls. For the farmers, on the other hand, these hulls will serve as a method of managing golden apple snails.

This study recommends that to further lessen the crop destruction caused by the golden apple snails, the farmers are recommended to apply rice hulls to farmlands instead of using chemicals. To make use of rice hulls, the rice millers are recommended to turn these over to farmers. To expand and improve the study, the future researchers are recommended to tackle other variables such as agricultural wastes or even the procedure. This study will provide much needed information in creating such studies.

Chika Galore on Our JS Prom!

Last February 9, that was Friday, we had our JS Promenade. The assembly time was 4:00 pm and I arrived there at exactly 4:00 pm. When I arrived there, I met the students of Science High School who also held their JS Prom in the same venue which is the Waterfront Hotel. My mom was the one who was very busy preparing for my coat and tie. When I arrived at the Arctic Hall in Waterfront, I saw my classmates and schoolmates in their very elegant gowns and coats. That affair was very formal for me because during that event we were not treated as students but rather we are treated as adult people. My mom was there to escort me to Waterfront and I can see her very big smile because of gladness. She told me that she was happy because she can see that I already grown big and I’m now ready to enter the world of being an adult, a responsible adult. I also saw our teachers also in their fabulous attires.

The affair was started by the presentation of the ladies with their escorts. My partner was Carla and Jessica of III-Bocobo, i think? We had our walk on the aisle and a post in front of the presidential table with our teachers there staring at us and to other students as well with a very big smile. After the presentation, an Invocation was made led by China followed by the Welcome Remarks of Patrick Pata. After the Welcome Remarks, dinner was served. The buffet table was full of very delicious and mouth-watering foods. Personally, I like all the foods and I was bloated after I ate 2 plates of different kinds of food. We had to go to the Rest Room back and forth because of the food and the cold place as well. The men offered their coats to their girl partners because they were wearing gowns.

A tribute was offered to the Seniors by the Juniors after the dinner. Different songs of the present time and the classical times as well were sung. We really enjoyed their presentation to us. After the tribute, a Prophecy was presented still by the Juniors to the Seniors. The Prophecy tells about or narrates the lives of the Seniors after 10 years. The production was very nice and we were all touched by their effort to make us happy because this will be our last stay here in UP High School.

It’s time for the Seniors to have their Legacy. Legacy is the part wherein the Seniors who have their own legacies or characteristic bequeath their titles to the next batch which is the Juniors. The bequeathing of responsibilities is considered to be the highlight of the affair. This is a very significant part because the Juniors who have no idea of their titles will be given the chance to be known based on the characteristic, talent or skill in which they excel.

After the bequeathing of the legacies, a bigger responsibility was given to the Chairpersons of the two sections of the Third years. A key, which is a symbolic icon, is a proof that they accept will all their heart the big responsibility that the people expect them to do.

Picture taking of the class and batch was made after the bequeathing of responsibilities and after it the informal part of the program was followed.

The Search for Junior Prince and Princess, Senior Prince and Princess and Prom King and Queen started the informal part. Gayle Lorraine Tallo and Mark Quimbo was the nights’ Prom Queen and King. They started the Royal Dance and then followed by all of the “students” inside the place. After the Royal Dance, the Disco, which is most liked by the people, was followed. The people all grew wild but became serious when the last song for the last dance was played.

After the disco, all of us sang the Fellowship Song which is the “Ill be There For You” by the Moffats. The affair was ended by the singing of the university hymn, the “UP Naming Mahal”.

For me, the JS Prom was very enjoyable and memorable too. This will be our last Prom in UP High School and we will not forget all those memories we had.

A Time to Pass Responsibilities!

What I am going to take up now in this section of my blog is the Junior-Senior Promenade. JS Prom is not what we think of finding love. It is an event wherein the Seniors, or let us just say the older ones, finally pass their responsibilities to the next generation because the higher ones who took the responsibility will leave the campus.

In reality, there are really times that we need to pass these responsibilities because we want them to learn how to manage or lead members and to be responsible enough because we are now adults and our role in the society is to make a significant difference. We let them experience what responsibilities we’ve taken because time will come that these next generation will soon replace us and our country and society needs such responsible people.

A lot of people are afraid of responsibilities and I think that only children should not be given responsibilities because they have more things to learn. These people who are coward of responsibilities surely will not progress because he/she is not trusted of things because he/she is not that responsible enough.

Nowadays, responsible people are very few. A lot of people are very carefree and does think of their personal needs. They think of the present rather than the future which is more important because the present is the foundation of what will happen next. It should be assured that we should have a good and strong foundation in life for us to succeed in our life and our career as well.

JS Prom is the time when these young people we think before are now ready to take the path of an adult and ready to face their challenges by themselves without the help of their parents anymore. They will act like ladies and gentlemen because soon they will become parents who will also mold a future leader.

JS Prom also teaches us how to be aware of the society; that we should be conscious enough because we are already molded because of the stages of challenges that we’ve been through. It realizes us that we are no longer the little children of our parents; that we are already old enough to accept responsibilities and we don’t need the help of our parents or other people to solve our problems because we are already supplied with knowledge that enables us to think of correct and wise decision. In addition, it also realizes us that we are the next batch of generation to take the lead, take care, and protect our next generation who will soon replace us in the future. All of us have turns when it comes to responsibility and it exempts no one for it is a must to accept this deed. Without it, our life would be meaningless for we are created to be responsible enough to serve others. We were born for a cause and that cause is not to serve ourselves but to serve others.

JS Prom is not merely for finding a loved one but rather find someone who will accept the responsibility because we love them and we won’t let the next generation to suffer just because the older generation is not that responsible enough.

All of us have responsibilities we need to fulfill and do. Passing responsibility that teaches our young ones is the real essence of JS Prom.

Am I Ready For College Life in UP?

When I was talking to Jessa about our research project, she told me that the results for the UPCAT were already been posted in the internet. When I heard that news, I told my mom that the results were already posted. My mom during that very moment was the one who was very excited to look for the results. During that time, I was not expecting that I will be included in the list because during the test, I skipped a lot of questions. I was worried about the one-fourth deduction for wrong answers, so to play safe, I only answered those questions that I have a sure answer. I told my mom that she better not to expect me to be included in the list. I opened our computer, connected the internet and logged on to the site of the UPCAT results. When I clicked on the link, the site had an error. I thought that maybe it was because our internet connection was slow so my mom sent me to a café and still there was error. So, I decided to go home and open again my computer and thank God, when I searched my name, it appeared. My mom was so happy and so do I. I passed my first choice-course which is BA Psychology.

Because of that results and because I will be studying in UP, I had some questions to myself that; can I really adapt to the environment of UP College where the people here are liberated and intelligent as well? Can I survive UP College? Is BA Psychology the best course for me in UP? These are the things that come into my mind. Because of the confusion that comes on my mind, I asked my mom, why she likes UP to be my school for college. She told me that UP offers quality education and low tuition fee compared to other schools in Cebu. She also told me that this school is the breeding ground for respected and famous persons of the country. Because of those things that my mom had told me, I agreed to her that UP will make me a better person and will help me succeed in the future. It is my great honor to study in this school where people are free to express their opinions and share their knowledge.

What I don’t like in UP College is their dilapidated and haunted buildings. Well, I can’t argue on that because I’m not the owner of the land.

I am happy that when I go to college, I can still visit my UP High School where I spent my whole high school life together with my classmates and schoolmates who have become my friends. I also hope that when I will enter the realms of UP College, some of my high school classmates are still there so that I will not be lonely when I started studying there.

I am really thankful to God, to my parents, to my teachers and friends and to all who believed in my capabilities. On this next stage of my life, I hope that my college years will be as memorable as my high school years.

Reflections on Being Taught By Students

Last January 25-26 2007, the University of the Philippines had an activity known as the Know Your School Day (KYSD). The activity only lasted for two days due lack of time because the Finals for the school year has started and there are still lots of activities that are needed to be done. In preparation for the activity, the students who wanted to apply for positions like teacher, principal and other school personnel filled in forms that are approved by the teachers they are going to take place during the two-day activity. Before approval, the student teachers underwent an interview with the teacher and if permitted shall teach the students on the day he/she is assigned to teach. During the opening ceremony, these student teachers were introduced to the students and were given the right to take charge of the school.

During the KYSD, I didn’t apply for any position because of the jobs I need to finish that week. Personally, I like to apply for positions because teaching has always been one of my dreams in life. Specifically, I’m not that interested in education much but I’m really fond of sharing knowledge to the public. During this event, the spirit of volunteerism is present because the students are willing to contribute their knowledge to their fellow students without any in return.

During the two-day event, student teachers were present during our different subjects in our class. What I noticed on the student teachers was that they really love to conduct tests on students. It is also a very good experience for me to be taught by students. I feel comfortable when a student teacher teaches us because I know that they are that approachable. Well, it is also comfortable when our real teachers teach us.

Sometimes, I can compare them to our real teachers. I prefer teachers to teach rather than student teachers because teachers already have the experience and how to apply their lessons in our daily lives while those student teachers depend on their belief in explaining things. Teachers already have mastery in their subject matters that has been one of the skills of a teacher for his/her students to understand the lesson well. Teachers are more preferable because I can really understand them better than student teachers. Sometimes it is disadvantageous to have a student teacher because students tend not to respect them because they know that they are all equal in knowledge and capabilities.

This has been a very nice opportunity that at least students who taught during the KYSD experienced the importance of teachers. For me, what I’ve learned in the KYSD is that we should respect and love our teachers for they contribute to our knowledge and serves as our second family.

After the giving of tokens to the teachers during the closing ceremony, I realized the importance of teachers in my life such as working hard on their lesson plans just to teach their students. Teaching has not been an easy job for it offers one self to another. It has a sense of dedication, a commitment. I really appreciate teachers because they are not only earning big but they also contribute to society. Teachers are one of the foundations of the society.

Because of the KYSD, even though I did not apply for any position and stayed in front of the whole class, I can really feel the hardships of a teacher; that being a teacher is not an easy work. I salute the teachers and the student teachers as well for they have patience for us despite the noise and the chaos in the classroom during their classes. As a student being taught by students and also by teachers, this is what I’ve learned from them, a reflection of which I am always experiencing in school.

Course Dilemma!

Dilemma! What is dilemma? It is a situation in which somebody must choose one of two or more alternatives. If you are in a situation like this you are confused and the decision depends on you. That is what I’m experiencing right now, I am in a state of dilemma. What kind of dilemma? Well, in a “Course Dilemma”?

This year, I will be graduating from high school and will be going to the College level. Fortunately, with the help of God and prayers of the people who care for me, I passed the UPCAT examination. I am one of the students who will be given the chance to study in this prestigious and known school.

I will study in UP with the course of BA Psychology. I made it on my first choice. I was able to make it to the quota. Before I took the UPCAT, there was a form given to the applicants that asked for possible two courses in the same school. What I filled in was in UP College in Cebu with BA Psychology as my first choice and BA ComSci as the next. Actually, I am not that sure what will be my best course until today. The two courses really conflict me because I love them both.

I like Psychology because I want to understand myself and the behavior of other persons. On the other hand, I like Computer Science because since I was small, I am really fond of experimenting computers. That was what I thought when I was still not taking the UPCAT. It is not only what I like but what jobs are available for me when I already graduated in College. My mom asked me if I really want them both because personally she likes me to take up nursing. The reason why I’m not in interested in taking up nursing is that the nurses’ nowadays are so many. I am not sure if I will pass the exam in nursing if there are a lot of us competing for jobs abroad or in the Philippines. Also, the reason why I don’t like nursing is that I am not that immune in medical procedures or even blood. Nursing has become monotonous in our country and I don’t want to add on this monotony. I want a course that can both help me and also can earn money for the future of my family. That’s why I chose these two courses. Computer has been widely used nowadays while psychology can help me to understand behaviors of people and warn me on possible dangers.

A lot of people really influenced me to take up Psychology including Madam Maglasang. Madam Maglasang helped me to choose this course. She said that if I will take up BA Psychology which is industrial, I can work in banks, schools and even in companies. Working in a company and later managing a company has been my dream. I want to be an entrepreneur someday. I want to be a Chief Executive Officer of a company. I also want to guide people who lost their ways through counseling but I would appreciate it if it is in school just like what Madam Maglasang has been doing. Not only Madam Maglasang but also my cousin, who has been a Psychology graduate, who influenced me. He can understand and explain the behaviors of people around him but not all the time. He let me read books on Psychology which I found to be interesting. That made me chose BA Psychology as my first choice.

Even if I already passed the BA Psychology, I still think of BA ComSci as a course.

People say that first year in college has been an experiment stage of students who will be practicing their future jobs. We can still change our courses because it is our future that is at stake here. We must chose the things that we think is right for us. According to the saying, “Huwag kang magsalita ng tapos”, that our decisions in life are not final because only one is constant in this world and it is CHANGE! Change depends on us!

Our "Gasa Sa Gugma" Experience!

“Gasa Sa Gugma” is a charity for the destitute elders. It is where elders who were abandoned by their family and relatives are placed. It is where elders are taken care of people who have not been part of their bloodline but dedicated their lives to them. I really appreciate these people who took care of these elders. Even if they received low salary, they still offer their services to the elders with no return.

Last February 2, 2007, the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS), a Fourth Year subject, had their charity work to this foundation. 64 Fourth Year students, together with their teachers: Ms. Rodel, Mdm. Nuñeza and Mdm. Maglasang, had their service to these people who need much of our attention and care.

I was one of the 64 students who went to the charity. We brought food and prepared some entertaining performances for them. We went there about 2:00 pm and we rode in a bus where some of us felt excitement while others felt don't. We had in our minds that we will be going to deal with these people and these people will not be that interested with us. But when we went there, it was a touching moment that the elders gave us a warm welcome. There were so many elders in the foundation. These were all cases of abandonment.

There was a mass which started 3:00 pm. We brought and guided the elders to the chapel to attend the mass.

During the mass, a lot of students were outside the chapel. They had the time to talk with the elders left outside the chapel. Some students cried and became emotional because of the experiences and stories of the elders. Physically, I didn’t cried, but deep inside I also felt what they had in their hearts.

When I saw the elders, I suddenly remembered my grandmother and I was so thankful that my grandmother was still with me. I was really touched when I went there especially when I met Lola Natalia. At first, Lyndel and I approached her and she had her smile on us thinking that we were her friends. That’s why we had interesttalking to her.

Lola Natalia was so friendly to us even if she cannot hear that much. We interviewed her and she was so talkative despite the ear problem she is experiencing. We found out that her real name was Natalia Alcover. She had one daughter named Dina and one granddaughter that she didn’t remember anymore. She was from Bolinawan, Cebu. When we ask her about her family, she just said that they were in the foundation. She likes to hum and sing. When we ask her about some of the songs she knew, “Matud Nila”, “Waray-Waray” and “Inday” were her favorites. We had a great time bonding with her.

After the singing, Lola Natalia narrated her story. She suddenly cried when she remembered the things about her past and Yolike was touched by her story causing her to cry also. I really got angry with the family of Lola Natalia that very moment because they left her.

Lola Natalia is still active but she cannot walk that much and just prefer sitting because her feet is so weak. She just sings everyday while sitting on a bench.

The mass ended almost 4:00 pm that stopped our conversation with her. We had no more time to have our gathering with the elders. So, we decided to just leave our foods to them as a sign of our love and care for them.

There was a heartbreak experience when we left them. What we thought of fun was an experience and realization for us. We suddenly remembered our grandparents and we had a very good time with them.

I am thankful that I have given the chance to meet and help them even for just a short time. I hope that I can come back soon to the place called, “Gasa Sa Gugma”.

The Problem With Women Is That....

In a boy-to-girl relationship, we can’t really avoid misunderstandings. These misunderstandings are caused by either differences in them, the disagreements within them or the actions done by one of them.

Based on what I see in my surroundings, there are really problems about some women and also to men as well. But in this entry, I will specify more on the problems of women.

For me, based on what I see in our society nowadays, here are some problems that I noticed about the opposite sex:

First, some women are indeed sensitive. Sometimes their sensitiveness become over. This is because they rely more in their feelings and emotions. They decide more through their feelings. But I’m not referring this sensitiveness to all women. If the woman is so sensitive, maybe she can’t tolerate what she’s not capable of doing. We often think that women who are sensitive lose hope immediately. They can’t stand on their own. They need help from people to help them solve their problems. They are dependent and easily affected by criticisms.

Second, some women are so talkative and noisy. Women can’t really stop their mouth from talking a lot. Sometimes their talkativeness can lead to spilling one’s beans which results to controversies and lead to trouble.

Third, some women are trouble-maker. Some women do cause trouble especially when it comes to love life. They also cause trouble when they are being overtaken by someone who is of the same sex. A lot of fights are done by women because of insecurities.

Fourth, some women are moody. Some women depend on their emotions which also affects their mood. Some women really can’t control their emotions that’s why women are really unpredictable. Maybe that is also the reason why women are not that approachable.

Fifth, some women are jealous-type of person. They tend to keep things. They don’t want to share things especially if it is related to feelings for example when it comes to their loved ones. They want much attention from these things. Some women became sensitive when they are just taken for granted.

Sixth, some women are extravagant. They do spend money for their personal satisfaction. Women are “kikays”. They are very conscious about their health. They rather enjoy than suffer. They do not think about threats but rather look for people who they can talk with and share their experiences and problems.

Seventh, some women are weak. There self-appraisal is lower than men and they tend to criticize their selves. They have no confidence in their own performance and they tend to go to the suggestions with other people. They are not that independent.

Eight, some women do not think as a whole they think locally and specifically. They only think on what is present and not the future. I wonder why male do excel in a lot of things. Maybe this is because male think as a whole and think for possible risks. Men do take possible risks than some women who think locally and does not take possible risks because they are afraid that their feelings will be affected.

What I am referring above are the problems about some of the women. Based on what I noticed, this is my personal view on the problem of some women. I think men are women are equal in their capabilities and problems as well. The one’s who have problems with men are the women while those of the women are men not mentioning the third sex. We are only the one who are making these problems.

My Last KYSD Experience!

This year will be the end of our high school year. We are now going to college and adjust to a college life. One of the activities that I will miss in UP is the Know Your School Day (KYSD). In this activity, the teachers will give the students a chance to teach their co-students. The KYSD for this school year was held last January 25-26, 2006. This activity is a two-day activity to give time to other activities for this school year. There was a decision in the SC that this activity will not continue but because the students like this, it continued with the full force of SC. This activity was a rush-activity for the SC but still this activity was a success not only to the students but to the teachers as well.

During the opening of the KYSD, the student teachers were presented and introduced to the students. These student teachers will have the authority to discipline and teach their students. During this days, the student teachers will no longer be a student but a teacher but for their period only. Almost all of the students in the first year, participated in this activity actively and least for the fourth years. Maybe, because the fourth years are overloaded nowadays because of their different activities that they will be involved after the KYSD particularly the JS Prom, Sci-Tech Week, Family Day and the DramaFest. After the introducing of the students teachers, a symbolic key was given to the students with higher position such as the principal and the assistant-to-the-principal. These students with higher positions shall govern the UP for two days. These jobs are not easy for they use their brains and their leadership as well for the improvement of the campus.

If something is opened, it should also be closed. After two weeks of student teaching the event was successful even though it was for a meanwhile. The students were made to sign in a card designed by SC with teachers on it. In these cards, the students will have the time to thank for the teachers that made them who they are now. The emcee for the closing ceremony was Ella that made the event entertaining to everyone. In the closing program, the students pay a tribute to the teachers of UP High. The students showcased their talents to the teachers through a song. The second year students played their flutes for the teachers while the fourth year students made an original composition for the teachers. While singing the theme song of the KYSD, the students gave the teachers a little token which are the cards where the students had written something. I can see from the faces of the teachers that they were really happy. The students were also flattered because of the smiles of their teachers. The students really prepared for their tribute despite the fact that their time was limited.

After the card-giving, Ella mentioned the names of the different teachers of UP High that made us what we are now including the teachers that already went outside the realms of the school. That time was so emotional for us students and for the teachers as well. I really thanked God that these teachers became a part of my life. They changed me into a better me. They correct my mistakes and give advises. They did not just teach what is on their lesson plans but also the things in life. This would be my last KYSD experience and I hope that I will see these teachers again when I go outside UP High campus. Once again, I salute you my teachers! Thank you and I will never forget all of you! I love you all!

The Week It Was! - Part III

During the second period of our CWTS class, Mdm. Maglasang held a meeting about the UPCAT results and the questions related to UPCAT were given sufficient answers.

Since Yolike was assigned in the card design for the teachers on KYSD closing program, I was assigned to collect the cards which the students have signed in it to give thanks to our beloved teachers. After the KYSD Closing Program, for the third time, we had our Promenade practice. During the practice, we were taught how to do the waltz. The practice almost ended late and already exceeded 6:00 pm. After the Prom practice, the IV-TAN students including me immediately went to our room to finish our projects. Three projects should be submitted: Calculus, Health and Music Periodical. Good for the advisers of these subjects because the deadline would be until 9:00 pm and Sir Basadre had to stay late in the Faculty Room because he practiced the participants of the MTAP, which is a Math contest to be held in Abellana. Hazel, Michael and I were already hungry that’s why we ate our dinner in Royal Café located near the school. We almost ended our dinner by 7:00 pm and hope that no more students are left in school but we were wrong because a lot were still inside the campus to finish their projects and requirements. For the third time, I arrived at home late but I still need to work on our Research revisions from Chapters 1 to 4 to be submitted on Saturday. I almost finished the revisions at 11:00 pm and I have to sleep because I need to wake up early for the Academic Mentoring Program in Hipodromo. I left the house by 7:00 am hoping that there are a lot of MAKE Volunteers but when I arrived, I just saw a few number of volunteers which are all fourth years. We were nine students who went to Hipodromo Elem. School. We will be conducting an evaluation for us to determine if they have learned something from us. The Mentoring Program was supposed to be whole day during that day but I decided to attend the morning session because I have to go to Abellana Sports Complex to take pictures of the place for our CyberFair. When I got there to school, Doanne told me that my group mates were there in the internet Café because I tasked them to print the Research revision that I made. So, I went immediately to the Café and then we passed it to Mdm. Baltazar through the guard because we knew that the principal had just left the school.

I went home and inquire Christine if she already borrowed Olga’s camera for our picture taking. I was sad because she was not able to borrow because the camera was brought by her sister to Manila. That’s why what I did was to sleep for a while and then continue on making the CyberFair web design. After that, I sleep again and my mom woke me up for dinner and I noticed that my eyes were red and I was really stressed. My mom asked me, “Son, how’s your week?”, and I replied her, “Mom, it was a stressful week ever!”

The Week It Was! - Part II

During Thursday, we had an opening of the Know Your School Day. The student teachers were introduced to their students. So after the bell has rung for the first subject, the student teachers began their job. But for IV-TAN, Sir Em-Em gave us the good introduction of our busy day by tackling some sensuous topics. We were all amazed and we have fun during that day. Good that no one replaced Sir Em-Em because he was one of a kind teacher. He is not a boring teacher not like other typical teachers that we see. He is full of sense. He relieved all our stress on that busy day that we had.

After the English subject, we went to our Computer class and our subject teacher was Ms. April Dichos which is a look-alike of Ms. Hazel Avergonzado. Again, we had to work on our CyberFair which is a stressful job. We also had test on Economics which was conducted by our four student teachers: Shedyl, Christine N., Eldee and Sunshine. They also included our past lessons which we already forgotten and also the current events that we have no time to watch news on the television because of our hectic schedule. After the Economics test, we proceed immediately to the Practical Law Test which is very hard because it is based on the 1987 Constitution. The answers to the questions should be word by word. After the two consecutive tests, we had our Prom Practice and we ended almost 6:00 pm. Again, I arrived late still with lots of work. First, I studied the two Science Digest because we will be having the test by Friday on the first period of the day. After I finished reading the second digest, I immediately worked on our Research that took me two hours that should be submitted by Friday. I was very tired that time and I don’t know what to do because all the assignments and projects overlapped each other. Good for me, that I finished working on my Music Periodical by Tuesday and my Health that was already printed. There are still things that need to be worked on like the Calculus Bring Home Exam and the KYSD matters. After, I finished doing my Research revisions and also the Chapter IV of it, I went to bed almost 11:30 pm. I have to wake up early because I need to review on my Science Test and also the work on my Calculus Bring Home Exam. Unfortunately, I woke up very late that’s why I’m in a hurry to school to finish it but I still arrived at 7:20 am. I have to review on my Science Test and I set aside the Calculus Bring Home Exam. I didn’t take my snacks because I have to work on my Calculus Bring Home Exam and fortunately, I’ve finished it. After Recess time, we had a test which I find easy because I was able to ask how to solve for problems like that. After the Calculus period, we had the final judgment if we will be having our DramaFest or not and fortunately we had the script that’s why we will continue on this activity. Since we haven’t printed our Research project, I asked my group mates to print it but because of the lack of time and the CWTS class the printing was not that good. We had a technical problem on the Chapter IV that I encoded that night before. That’s why we have to ask an extension to Mdm. Baltazar, which is our Research teacher and our request was granted. We had an extension up to Saturday only. During that lunch time, our Student Council (SC) adviser called for an emergency meeting on the KYSD which will he held by 3:15 pm. I have to double time because the next class will be CWTS and I need to be in the proper uniform so that I will not get a demerit.

The Week It Was! - Part I

Last week, I find myself occupied with lots of stuff! We have no classes last Monday but what I did was to face in front of the computer doing my two remaining entries for the blog. It took me three hours to finish my blog because I ran out of topics. It is really difficult to do this stuff because I really have no interest in narrating my experiences but I find it fun because once I’ve typed a sentence, my hand can’t stop from pressing the keys of the keyboard. I made it on the deadline but here comes again 5 entries for my blog. After the blog, I went immediately to our CyberFair. I find codes and styles for our website. It is really a tough activity since we are still learning it in school and here comes our web designing immediately. It really irritates me because I was assigned in the designing and the arranging of the contents.

The day after that was Tuesday, right? We had our NCAE test. I forgot what the meaning of NCAE is but one thing is for sure, it measures and determines which career is suited for us based on our skills. I was assigned in the Gonzalez room and our test took about 5 hours or more. Personally, I don’t find the test difficult because I know that its aim was to measure our skills into which course we should apply. I think our test ended at 2:30 pm. I also distributed application forms for those who want to be teachers for the Know Your School Day (KYSD). I think the fourth year students were not that active on the two-day KYSD. I was happy because I thought I can go home early and finish our web designing but we are told to stay until 4:30 for the Prom practice. We ended about 5:30 pm and I was very exhausted because of the practice. I arrived at our house late with lots of test especially on Physical Education which is all about the game soccer and the Science Digest.

During Wednesday, it was the start of our regular class, the first day of our Fourth Grading Period. Supposed to be it should the start of the Know Your School Day but unfortunately, it was transferred to Thursday. So, we had a two day, KYSD. I will talk more on the KYSD on the next entry of my blog. Our classmates were very busy preparing for the Science Digest test but our professor didn’t come that morning. April and I met him 30 minutes after the bell has rang. He said that our test will be postponed to Friday. The people who didn’t study well were so happy including me but for those who did were so disappointed. We also had our homeroom with the agenda of the KYSD and the Dramafest. I distributed and received application forms from a few people of IV-TAN. We had a 50-50 chance on the DramaFest. If we can’t submit a script on Friday, then the decision of the Production Manager is that there will be no DramaFest for IV-TAN and we will continue on our Filipino Periodical Test. This is because the DramaFest is equal to our Filipino Periodical Test. After our last period, all the boys of UP High went to the covered court for the P.E. test. All of us from First Year to Fourth Year had the same test. The questions were indeed difficult because I didn’t study well. So I deserve a low grade on that test. My answers were an educated guess, I think! Now, I remember why I didn’t study my P.E. lessons; it was because I did my research, CyberFair and Music Periodical before the day of the P.E. test!

A Warm Welcome!

Hi! Good day bloggers! I'm Nathaniel Lopez Gopinathan, 16 years old. I live in 1529 J. Labra Street Guadalupe, Cebu City. I am the only child of Emelda Lopez. My name's quite strange, right? Both my first and last name has Nathan in it. I am living together with my mom and my grandma. We are only three living in our house but my neighbors are our relatives so I'm not quite bored. My cousins always visit our house day and night. I was born on August 30, 1990. My zodiac sign is Virgo and my Chinese Sign is Horse. My motto in life is "Continue to live by your dreams". My priority in life is God, my family, my studies and my friends as well.

I am a serious type of person, a very mysterious one. They say that silent persons have an awkward mind. For me, it is definitely true. I usually stay at home. When I was still in the elementary years, I used to go out and play with my friends but now not anymore. My friends have grown big. They are now busy with their studies and their private lives just like me.

Let me share you my favorites. My favorite color is blue and white but it depends on my mood. My favorite American show is Charmed- the three gorgeous good witches of San Francisco. My favorite hangout is my home because it is where I eat a lot, sleep a lot and play a lot. There's no pressure here except for the errands that my parents always asked. Sometimes, it is boring here in my house because everyday I clean. My mother has been always strict about cleanliness of our house. Sometimes, I become disappointed with my mom because she always asked me to clean. But that's alright because she gives me my personal and basic needs. She does her responsibilities on me.

I am a moody person. I don't laugh a lot. I used to laugh a lot when I am with my friends. My favorite music is todays hits. Rock is not really my type. It irritates me unless the lyrics penetrates me, deep down inside! I am a religious person and not a happy-go-lucky but I tell you I'm not Kill Joy. My favorite pet is Lassie, a dog of my cousin. She is like a German Sheperd. My favorite station is ABS-CBN. Fruit salad has been always my favorite desert and oh, also ice cream. Actually, I have a pharyngitis, an allergy due to dust, smoke and other strong odors. When I am attacked by my allergy, I can feel the aching of my ear.

When I was in Elementary, I used to study in Guadalupe Elem. School and we were classmates with Michael Angelo. He was our valedictorian and I was the salutatorian. UP High School was my high school destination. I realized that high school was tougher than elementary. I started to change. Well brought about by puberty! After one year of stay in UP, I started to have many friends and learn to interact with them. UP has been a quality school for me. The teachers here are very friendly and very thoughtful.

My hobbies are watching T.V., listening to the radio, playing any games, internet surfing and texting. Reading has not been my interest that's why I'm practicing it now because I know that it can really help me a lot. I easily get bored in our house because I don't have any younger siblings. If my mom would be given the chance to have a baby again its alright with me. Our gap would be so much far. Even though I am the only child, I am not a spoiled brat because my parents disciplined me.

I am an independent person because based on my experience, I used to live with no siblings at all but my parents have been always there to support. When I am with my parents I become dependent. I think that's normal because I am longing to see them because they also go to work.

My mom is the breadwinner of our family. She does the work outside. She is an office clerk of an export company- the Cebu Flamingo Inc. Meanwhile, my grandma does the household chores and I also help her in doing it because she is old and she needs my help in doing these tough jobs.
I have my cousins with me during day and night who have been always there to play with me. In fact, my two other cousins have babies now but still we act like the same before.

I have plans of taking Psychology, Computer Science and Business Management. My first priority is Psychology. I have already taken a test in University of San Jose Recoletos. If I will not pass the UPCAT, then I would go to USJR. I already took the test in USJR and i thank God that i passed. My mom and I both like San Jose because a lot in our family and relatives including my mom graduated from this school.

I have so many things to type on this blog but unfortunately it takes everyday to remember all the things in myself. Once again, WELCOME!!