Uniting and Taking Action For One Goal

                The past months were very busy months for me. We had a lot of work to do. Tough works, difficult tasks, and several hardships came across me and my team or group mates.  We joined the National Cyberfair that was launched last February 2011. Although it was hard to create a website, it was also a lot of fun and it was a very enjoyable experience.

                This experience I had was the first time that I joined a competition involving many schools and a lot of fellow students. I enjoyed it although at first, I was hesitating in joining the said competition. I was hesitating because I’m not really good at creating a website. It’s a good thing that I took the challenge and accepted the tasks that were waiting ahead of me.

                Our Category in the Cyberfair was the Local Culture, Music, and Arts. We chose to create a website about a very famous festival in my hometown Baguio City. It was called the Panagbenga Festival. It focused on flowers which were very common in our place. I enjoyed gathering more information about this festival and I also enjoyed taking pictures of the festival. Of course, I had some difficulties in helping create the website but it was all worth it. I am very thankful to all my friends and group mates who helped in creating our website. Through this competition, I was able to be more close to my friends. I am also thankful to Mr. Vincent Tabor for teaching us HTML, CSS and helping us in a lot of ways.

The theme for CyberFair 2011
is "Take Action and Unite!"

Youth are challenged to publish original research projects that focus on how the positive actions and contributions of their local citizens have the power to improve, preserve and unite their community.

"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction." - John F. Kennedy

In partnership with the World Future Society, students are also encouraged to also prepare for the future - by thinking about the possible future, the probable future, the preferable future and the preventable future. Projects that best illustrate "future thinking" are invited to the World Future Society international conference in Vancouver, Canada, July 2011, "Moving from Vision to Action."

Source: http://www.globalschoolnet.org/gsncf/

                I learned a lot during the Cyberfair competition. It helped me be more cooperative. It also helped me spend more time and be closer with my group mates. I learned the important value of teamwork. It also helped me realized the importance of flowers. I will never forget this experience. I will value it for the rest of my life. :D

                By the way, the site we created could be seen in http://baguioinbloom.info/ 

The Magical Feeling of Love

Valentines day just passed and I just thought of making a blog about what's celebrated in this day, LOVE. What is love? Why is it so important? Different people have different opinions. I would like to share some of my thoughts and experiences about this topic, love.

Love is everywhere. There are several people whom we could love. These are our family, our friends, our relatives, and many others. We love them because of the love and care they show. But have you experienced feeling a different kind of love? A love wherein you feel extreme happiness, joy and it seems like you want a person to be beside you forever?

There are several definitions and quotations about love. Two quotes really caught my attention because these quotes are really true based from my experiences. 

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness." and Margaret Walker once said, "Love stretches your heart and makes you big inside." These two quotations are really true. I experienced and felt these.

There is this person that I have fallen in love very deeply. She always brightens my day and completes me. I couldn't be happier whenever I'm with her. The first thing that comes into my mind when I see her is that I love her and I hope we could always be together.

The first time I saw her, I really didn't expect that I would fall in love with her. At first, we were just friends, not even really close friends. When I got to know her better, I didn't realize it but I was starting to like her. I found her so beautiful, inside and out.

As I realized it more and more, I decided to tell it to her. I told her and I was surprised because she told me she had a crush on me too. I felt so happy and it felt like my heart pounded for joy. We became even closer and this crush that I felt started to develop into what we all call, LOVE.

I courted her and showed that I really loved her. She responded to me with a "yes". This "yes" changed my life. It made me feel like the happiest guy on earth. Since then, we became even more close. Our relationship became better and better. She also showed me that she really loved me. I never felt this way before. She showed me deep affection that would make me complete. She made me feel loved.

Today, we've already been together for almost two years. In these times, we had problems but we were able to solve them all together. Right now, I know that my love for her is true and I really care for her. I could feel that she also feels the same way too.

I know that right now, we need to focus our studies first. I understand it and I know that we need to do this in order for us to have a bright future. But I will be able to wait. When the right time comes, I promise that I'll be the one to hold her tight and never let go.

My love for her is true and I know that it will never change, no matter what happens. The first thing that I want in this world is to make her happy.

I love you, Shermaine.

There is nothing to fear as long as COURAGE is here.

John Maxwell's blog gave me realizations on something in life that could never be avoided, FEAR. In my 15  (nearly 16) years living on earth, I experienced this terrible feeling. Sometimes, I find myself very scared of what could happen. Sometimes, I feel that life is so cruel and unfair. But what could I do? Fear is something experienced by everyone. As long as you're human, you would surely experience fear. Some people might seem "fearless" but deep inside, they also feel fear. Wonder why they seem so strong and fearless? They just know how to face their fears and have the courage to go on.

We should all face our fears. If we continue to be scared, nothing will happen to us. We must all have the courage to go on even if we have fears. COURAGE is all we need

Music Is Medicine, Music Is Sanity

What is music? What is it’s purpose? Well in my opinion the definition of music depends on the person who listens to it. Some say it is an art whose medium of sound, some might think that it is an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner, or any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds, the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments. Others could also think of it as a past time or a hobby or an interest. Well for me, music is much more than all of this. I guess some people just don’t understand what music is for. Music can make a person change a whole lot. It could influence one in a couple of seconds. The more music a person listens to, the more it could do a lot for him. Listeners of music might get to a point where he gets “addicted” to it where he couldn’t sleep without it. No matter who you are, music could influence your likes and dislikes and even your whole being. The proof is that many people dress based on the music they listen to. Some dress up like rockers, some dress up like gangsters because they love hip-hop and some dress like “emos.”

Music will never die.  Music will live in the hearts of people forever. It may change, but it will never fade away. Music has evolved a lot since it was discovered. The kind of music that generations of people listen to migh change but music will always be a part of humans.

Probably, all human beings know what music is. Almost, if not all, already heard music. Many people appreciate music, and many loves it and listens to it everyday. I never knew a human being who HATES music. I think that all of us likes music. A person might like a kind of music that another doesn’t appreciate but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t like all music. Animals also appreciate music. Some animals, when listens to music, moves to the rhythm. There are a lot of animals who are brought to talent contest because of their ability to dance. Who could say that they don’t want to listen to music? Well that’s what I think anyway.

Can music really be medicine? What does it cure? Many people might be intrigued. In this talk, I can relate a lot. Robert told a story that made me realize how music could do much for a person. The story was about how music made a person go from sick and rageful to understanding, kind, and good. The man got a disease and it changed his life forever. He dropped out of school and he became homeless and in a state with such misery that no one would ever dream to be in. He became insane and mad as he wandered the streets. He became worse until he met a musician. He asked the musician to teach him how to play the violin. The musician accepted it. At first, he was afraid not for himself, but for the mad man because if he started talking about scales and other complicated stuff, the man might get worse so he just started playing music.  As he the musician played, he noticed that there was a profound change occuring in the man’s eyes. The man’s manic rage was transformed into understanding, curiosity, and grace. It was like a miracle that he was able to play the violin. The two were able to talk all about music. He was able to relate to music and be in a peace of mind. He was able to become a brilliant musician.

Music is medicine and it could make insane people sane again. It can put the mind into a state of peace and make it organized to think. It could give one a family of musicians that could understand and show him love. As a fellow musician, I can truly relate to this. Whenever I feel uneasy, I just listen to music and I feel fine again. When I’m sad, music could cheer me up. I think that without music, there would be something very important that is missing. I feel that my life would be hard without music. Music could really be medicine for some people.

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”

Source of the video:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/robert_gupta.html

A Mouth-Watering Experience

                      Food is one of the greatest gifts of God to all of us. All of us could never live without food. Besides, who doesn’t want to eat anyway? There is no one here on earth that doesn’t feel hungry. I myself am a food lover. I eat all the time but luckily, I don’t get fat. I’m going to post about food. I’m sorry if I make you hungry but I hope you’ll enjoy this post!

I don’t go to restaurants and fast-food chains much but I listed my favorite of them. Probably, my favorite is Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC for short. My reason is that I find their chicken very delicious. Since I was a kid, my mother brings me to KFC for lunch or dinner and until now, I still find their food mouth-watering. One more thing is their gravy. I find it so awesome and extremely delicious. They also often add new recipes to their menu and I find them pleasant for my tongue.  

I’ve also listed some of the food that I love to eat.

My first of the list is of course, rice. Filipinos love to eat rice. And because I am a Filipino, I also love rice. It makes me full everytime I get hungry. Rice is also heavy to the stomach so it takes quite a long time before you get hungry again. The good thing about rice is that there are a lot of recipes that would be great with rice. Another great thing about rice is the fried rice or “sinangag” as we call it here. It is rice that is of course, fried and mixed with other food such as vegetables, meat and others.

Food for Breakfast

As much as possible, I always eat breakfast. I don’t want to skip it because it gives me energy throughout the day. I don’t know about you but for me, without breakfast, I feel weak and unable to do a lot of stuff. I am unable to think well in school when I skip breakfast so I make sure I eat a lot in the morning.

One of my favorites for breakfast is the traditional egg and bacon especially if it is with rice. It gives me the appetite to eat a lot in the morning. The truth is, I am an egg lover. I find eggs delicious and it is also nutritious so it’s is something that I always eat. I am also a meat lover. I prefer meat more than vegetables. That’s also the reason why I like bacon.

I also prefer for breakfast Hash Brown. I eat Hash Brown for breakfast not only because it’s delicious but is also easier to eat. Whenever I’m almost late for school because our family overslept (laughs), I tell my mom to cook ready-to-cook hash brown.

Beverage for breakfast

During breakfast my favorite drink is hot chocolate. It helps me to be awake early in the morning. It also gives me energy for the day.

Food for Lunch and Dinner

Bulalo

I really love to eat something that we call “bulalo” to go together with rice. It is a famous Filipino dish. It is like beef stew. The main ingredient for it is beef so the soup is really tasty. It would go great especially if the atmosphere is really cold. The downside is, it is full of cholesterol.

Lechon Paksiw

This is something that I rarely eat but when I do, I eat a lot! Did you ever feel like you’re already full but you still want to eat more? Well I feel it whenever I eat this dish. I just can’t get enough of it. It is a common dish for us Filipinos. It goes along with rice. The soup is so delicious when you mix it with rice. You should try it sometime. 

These are my top two favorite Filipino dishes and I plan to post more some other time.

Beverage

For lunch and dinner, I only drink water most of the time but I also drink soft drinks, juice, and iced tea.

Other Food That I Love to Eat

Pizza

Almost everyone, if not all, knows and loves pizza. Pizza is just pizza! It very delicious! Who could resist eating pizza? Well not me. I sure love pizza. I’m sure you do too.

Pasta

I enjoy eating a lot of pasta. I just can’t get tired of eating them. I’m not really a pasta lover but I still enjoy it a lot.  From spaghetti, Lasagna, and other pastas, I just eat a lot when faced with these tempting, delicious food!

As you can see, I really love to eat rice and dishes that goes well with it. In my three meals a day, you can always find rice. I plan to show more of my favorite food some other time so be sure to keep in touch!

Links to the images I used:

http://esltogo.wordpress.com/

http://chen22.blogspot.com/2007/06/kfc.html

http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/02/28/how-to-cook-rice/

http://schoolyardmusings.blogspot.com/

http://recipequeen.twinterviewing.com/recipes/cheesy-hash-brown/

http://sunshineandlemonade.blogspot.com/2008/12/weekend-winners-games-people-play.html

http://ekusinero.com/2009/08/bulalo-beef-stew/

http://pinoyfoodblog.com/recipes/lechon-paksiw/

http://www.sogoodblog.com/2009/06/22/lemonade-iced-tea/

http://twu.ca/life/parents/touchofhome.html

A Disturbing But Very Important Topic

We had a talk or seminar in school held last Saturday (September 18, 2010) about a topic that we, the adolescents, must be concerned and alerted about. I did not want to attend this talk but the school said that it was compulsory for our clearance. Thankfully, I attended the talk and it was worth it.  I learned and realized a lot of things in this talk. I would like to share everything that I learned from this talk. The talk we had was all about Human Sexuality which is something that all of us in this earth especially that pre-marital sex is occurring everywhere. They started the program by enlightening us on what human sexuality really is. Do we really understand Human Sexuality? Most of us might think that Sexuality is all about intercourse, people meeting in bed and other sexually related actions. The truth is, sexuality is not only about the common thought of it. It is not only expressing ourselves as sexual beings, but it is also about who we are as persons. Everything that we do is affected by our sexuality. Boys  act how they act because of their being a male, and girls act how they act because of their being females.  They said that there are only two sexes: the male and the female but there are four genders: the masculine, feminine, effeminate, and lesbians.

                One of the focuses of the talk was teenage pregnancies. One of the major problems of the world is teenage pregnancies. A huge percentage of teenage girls get pregnant even before finishing high school. This is not something that we should be proud of. Teenagers who get pregnant are of course, not yet ready to have a family. This could cause the “misguided” teens to have the child aborted. This is even a sin similar to murder! The speaker of the talk showed us several videos that show the harm that pre-marital sex could cause. Who wants to have sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted families, and misguided lives anyway? It made me think. Adolescents really need guidance. Why do teenagers engage in sex anyway? They said that most of them engage in such because of curiosity, pleasure, desperation to keep a relationship, and fear to lose a loved one. No matter the reason, it is still not right. Having affection is not bad as long as you know your limitations. We need to control our emotions and think well about the consequences of our actions before doing something that we might regret someday. They also showed us some pressure lines used by people who want to have sex and they gave us the proper responses in such lines. They also showed the hardships of a mother who is about to give birth. I believe that because of this, the ladies in our school realized that they are far from ready to bear a child.

The talk got quite boring so I didn’t listen to some of what the speakers said but I still learned a lot from them.  I know that everything they told us is very useful in the lives of each one of us. The more we look into it, the more we can see the importance of having this talk. I hope that they reached into the hearts of each one of us and I hope that they made an impact in the minds and lives of everyone who participated in the talk.

I believe that the talk was very important. It focused on helping us realize that all of us aren’t ready to engage in sex. It provided us with guide on why we need to avoid pre-marital sex. I suggest that other schools should have talks like this in order for us to have a better world and a progressive country.

Rushing things could cause troubles. As they say, “There is a right time for everyting.” We should learn how to wait for the right time and if we do, this would give us a very happy and satisfying life.

As a Louisian, the talk really had a great impact on me. It made me aware on the current situation of teenagers like me.

“If you wait until the right time comes, everything you waited for will be worth it.”

Do we really need this?

Noynoy Aquino, The elected president of the Philippines, announced his 10-point basic education agenda. These are his plans for the education system of our country. What are my thoughts on these?

1. 12-year Basic Education Cycle.

His intentions might be very good but I still don’t see the big necessity of our country for it this time. I can see that this can be beneficial to us but I also see some bad points about this. First of all, are we really a lot left behind from other countries? Though most countries adopt the 12 years of basic education, I still have a lot of doubts that our country needs this. I know that this would be helpful that students would learn a lot more. I understand that this could fully harness their potential, talents, and abilities to think better as they grow older and this could provide a better preparation for college. With all these benefits, I believe it may also cause more problems for our country. This project would cause a lot of parents to suffer more. Parents would be a lot more burdened to work extremely hard just to pay expenses. This could cause the inability of parents to send their children to school. Isn’t it that a lot of students aren’t able to go to school because of poverty and inability to pay for the tuition fees and other expenses in school? If this project would be implemented at this time, the number of children who are unable to go to school would greatly increase. So I strongly suggest that Mr. President should think about it very hard. The Philippines is not yet ready for this.

2. Universal pre-schooling for all.

                In my opinion, this is much more beneficial to our country rather than the first of his agenda.  This would help a lot for the teachers. It would make children at a great advantage especially that it AVAILABLE TO ALL CHILDREN REGARDLESS OF INCOME.

3. Madaris education as a sub-system within the education system.

                For me, this is very thoughtful of P-noy considering that Muslims need it very much. This is a very good way to show that we consider our Muslim brothers as equal citizens of our country.

4. Technical vocational education as an alternative stream in senior high school. 

                This is the agenda that I agree the most. It would make a lot of benefits for us high school students. This program will help us to better prepare for college. In my opinion, this should be implemented.

5. “Every child a reader” by Grade 1.

                I think that this should be implemented as soon as possible. Why would we observe it only in the school year 2015-2016? This would be very helpful to the future generations.

6. Science and Math proficiency

                I hope that this would really be implemented. This would provide smarter students for our country. I hope that our country would be able to have enough money for this project.

7. Assistance to private schools as essential partners in basic education

                This would be very good for the country. This would give a lot of benefits to the private school students.

8. Medium of instruction rationalized

                I think that this is great considering that this will be a great help for the Philippines to be at par with the world.

9. Quality textbooks

                This is good as long as the government will have enough money to provide these books. The students of our country would be very happy if this would be implemented at once.  This would provide better education.

10. Covenant with the local governments to build more schools

                This would be very beneficial to us but I think Mr. President should give it more thought. Should we really be spending more to build schools?