High School Intramurals 2006

Every University or school has it’s own intramurals for elementary or for high school. By the way, do you know what is the true definition of the word intramurals or in short, intrams? Intramurals means involving students in the same school; intramurals sports. It is also defined as within the walls or confines, as of an institution.
Do you have intramurals in your school? We have our own intramurals in our school. It happened on the last week of November 2006. And we, the freshies were first timers in this event in the U.P. High School. This activity is full of fun and excitement. It is the events wherein you can play the sports that you know such us the ball games: volleyball, basketball, badminton and many others. You can also play board games such as chess, scrabble and dama.
In our high school intramurals 2006, each one of us has participated in playing different games according to our abilities. The contestants for these games were from different year levels. Each year level has different code names such as the Fabulous Freshies, Scorching Sophies, Juniors Kilatz and the Extra Hot Seniors. Because we are still first timers, we didn’t won in the overall and we rank last but here are some games that we have won. The overall winner for the intramurals 2006 was the Extra Hot Seniors since they are very used to the games and knows very well the rules and mechanics of the game.
We have won in the following games. We ranked first in chess girls with our contestant Jurrine Valencia, who defeated the juniors. We ranked second in scrabble with the contestants Rheena Maye Sesbreño as board number one; AnnRey Penensoro as board number two; Emme Angelique Generoso as board number three and me as board number four.
We also have musical competitions and cheering competitions. In our cheer dance competition, we won the third place. The musical competition includes the solo, duet, doble cara and pop dance. Unfortunately, we did not won in the pop dance because our contestants do not have enough time for the practice. But, in the solo competition we won the third place with our contestant, Helena of section Villamor. She sang the song “I will survive”. For the duet, fortunately, we won the first place with our contestants Rosa Gabriela Sanchez and Leejee Moody Zamora. Their winning piece was “Bring Me To Life”. They won the first place because they really have angelic voices. In the doble cara competition, we also won the first place with Fidel Ricafranca as our contestant.
In our intramurals 2006, we also have various kinds of booths. For the first years, we have the Gotcha Booth; for the second years, they have the Marriage Booth the juniors have the Handcuff Booth; and the seniors have the Jail Booth. We have these booths to earn money for our sinking funds and also for having fun.
I really can’t forget this one-week event because it is our first time to join this kind of event and we really have fun.

A Great Day! My Father's Birthday

January 16 is a great day. This is the special day for my father because it is his birthday. I woke up very early to surprise my father’s birthday. I gave him four mini cupcakes.
After surprising him, I did not go back to sleep but, instead, I took a bath and get ready for school. I arrived in school very early I did not get late. I listened well to the discussions of my teachers because this day seemed to be the last day for the review for the periodical exams on January 17, January 18 and January 19. We also have a mastery test in our English class. Some items are easy but some are too difficult to answer. After the test, our English teacher, Sir Elmer Montejo, dismissed us and I hurriedly went home. At that time, we are having a class for a half-day because we were given time to study our lessons for the periodical exams on the next day.
When I arrived home, I study my lessons well. After, I helped my mother and my father in preparing some food s because my aunt (in my father’s side) will be coming to attend the birthday celebration of my beloved father. Because she didn’t want to disappoint my father she went to our house. She arrived at four thirty in the afternoon. She ate her dinner with us with much enjoyment. After some time, she became very worried because my grandmother reminded her to go home early. Then she was preparing herself to go home. She brought with her two puppies because it is one of her purpose in coming to our house. She brought the puppies home even if she was too loaded with the foods that my parents gave her to be brought home. We went with her to where she could ride a vehicle. We let her ride on a vehicle going to Colon. When my auntie got into the vehicle my elder sister and I went home and continue our celebration, together with our parents.
My father was very happy for we are complete with the participation of her close sister. He thanks us and even kissed us for joy and promised us to be a good father always. He told us to be always good and study our lessons harder for he will try his very best to let us finish our studies. He also hugged my mother and thank her for her undying support for him and for us our kids.
This birthday of my father is his forty-second birthday. He is also thankful to our most Prevalent Father for letting him arrive until this day. He even shed tears and leap for joy because for him this birthday is his most unforgettable birthday he ever experienced.
For me my father is also the most responsible father I have ever found. I am very lucky to have him as my father.

Wonders of Being a Child

How I wish I would forever be a child. But I cannot help but accept my growing me. That is what most people say. If I don’t feel like growing old I would have lived with Peter Pan in Neverland where they say children never grow old. But I know things like this does not exist, because we are in a real world. Thus, we grow whether we like it or not.
What’s the first thing that comes into your mind when you see children playing around? I enjoy just seeing those kids roaming around having no worries at all because I remembered those times when I was still a kid like them. It’s nice being a child because a child has no worries. All he does is live his life and enjoy it as much as possible. There are those unlucky ones who were not able to enjoy the benefits of life. We are lucky enough to have our family to support and give us what we need in this chaotic world. There are lots to think about being a child, all those wonderful childhood memories.
Funny, isn’t it? When I remember those times when I was still a kid. There are thousands of memories but only a few can be remembered. I can’t stop giggling and staring at the baby pictures I have because they remind me of how cute and funny I was before. I will surely miss those times when I only got to play and not thinking of any responsibility.
Children don’t carry any burden because they are not prepared yet and that is what I love about it. I guess everybody wants to be worried free but we all have to grow and face responsibilities and realities in life. One good thing about being a kid is that all you do is play around, eat, sleep and of course, learn and discover a lot of things. It feels good to be a child because everyone’s attention is on you. That’s true, especially if you do things that please most of the people. There are still a lot of things that a child pleasing in their own way. Sometimes, the children are even the ones who ease the pain of their love ones by just giving them the warmest hug that only a child can. The happy moments, the wonderful thoughts of being a child will play a big part on our lives because what we were in the past will affect who, we will be in the future.
Childhood could only happen once in a lifetime and perhaps you will miss one half of your life if you were not able to enjoy it as much as every child should. We all go to a different stage in our life after childhood and we cannot go back because the days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from our prevalent Father above and if we don’t use these God given gifts, He carry them as silently away. I know no one lives forever and we will all grow up into that somebody we wished of becoming to, but all those sweet and wonderful memories of being a child will forever remain in us.

Teenager's World

Teenagers are those people at the age of thirteen to nineteen. It is said to be that youth at this stage is hard to handle.
You are so lucky, when I was your age . . . these and a lot more are some of the most unpleasant words we often hear from our parents. Sometimes too irritating, other times very reasonable. But whatever sermons may come from our parents there is only one thing common to us teenagers, and that is we don’t care.
Many studies were made recently on why teenagers behave in a manner that is really irritating to the grown-ups. According to some books, teenagers act that way because their brains frontal lobes are still developing.
I think grown-ups need not treat teenagers in a manner that they are not too harsh to be true. As a teenager myself, I hate being told because when they do that, I feel like I have no freedom to express myself and it seems like they don’t trust me. But I know my limitations also, and I know when to be silent and when to react.
Teenagers nowadays to include myself are hard headed. We love to contradict with other people’s decisions. No wonder, when grown-ups pinpoint our mistakes, we become more rebellious and less affectionate. Many said, we are too difficult to understand, we are unpredictable and adults don’t know what is on their heads, the next thing they know, they are surprise. We are imitative. We love to imitate other people especially those that they idolize. Actresses, actors, band members and others of their abilities and social status are usually the people that we love to follow. We, teens love to explore and most of these are usually against our parents like smoking cigarettes for instance, are some of the things they do for curiosity sake.
If you want to be a part of the high-class group, you must own the latest cell phone model. You need to listen to rock or pop music to be with your friends. Sometimes being a teenager would mean a big spender. Teens need to spend a lot of money in order for us to look and act cool. Some of us are going beyond our limit, that’s why some of them are engaged in drugs. But they didn’t realize that with their involvement in prohibited drugs, they are trying to destroy their lives and their future. And who will suffer after, it is still they.
The memory of my mother’s daily words is still fresh in my mind, every morning “ you are so lucky, when I was at your age I used to walk a hundred miles on my way to school with only five pesos in my pocket. I even picked up guava fruits from the hills in exchange for five sheets of paper.” Then with my mother’s sermons, though irritating, I learned a lot from her experiences and when I make comparisons, I have come to realize that I am the luckiest teenager in the world. I have parents who always give me good moral values and incomparable parental love. To us all teenagers we should live our lives to the fullest because teenage days come only once in our lifetime.

Scrabble as my Favorite Sport

A sport is an active pastime; diversion. It is a specific diversion, usually involving physical exercise and having a set form and body of rules; game. The word sport is derived from the Middle English sporten, meaning to amuse.
Do you have your own favorite sport? A favorite sport is a sport you like best or the sport that you love to play at most times. It can be your pastime. You can play your favorite sport when you have nothing to do at home or in school or when you are bored.
Like many others, I also have my own favorites including the favorite sport. My favorite sport is Scrabble. Do you know why scrabble is my favorite sport? It is because playing Scrabble is fun and introduces new words that you haven’t known and discovered yet. It is fun forming different words out of the seven letter tiles.
By the way, Scrabble is a word game for two, three or four players. The play consists of forming interlocking words, crossword fashion, on the Scrabble playing board using letter tiles with various score values. The biggest score value is ten and the lowest score value is zero. The letters that correspond the biggest score value are Q and Z; while the letters that correspond the lowest score value are the two blanks or MB. Other letters contain the score values eight, five, four, three, two and one. This game is also related to the English subject. It is because it includes the English lessons such as forming plurals of nouns, principal parts of a verb, words with affixes and words with suffixes.
The materials for this game or the playing tools are the scrabble board, four letter tile racks and the letter tiles. The letter tiles contain different letters from A-Z with score values. The letter tile racks hold the letters while you are waiting for your turn and the scrabble board is where you will put the letter tiles with formed words. This game also uses a scoring sheet for the list of scores in every turn and, of course, a pen for writing the scores. By the way, to win this game, you should aim of having the highest score among the other players.
Playing Scrabble contributes to your knowledge in English. In Scrabble, you can gain a lot of knowledge especially in forming the plural forms of nouns and I spelling skills.
Scrabble can be played anywhere because the Scrabble board is handy. Actually, it is mostly played indoors and whatever season we have, whatever is the weather; you can always play it any time.
I am encouraging you to play this word game, Scrabble, and you will surely have fun and can gain a lot of knowledge from it. You will have fun especially if you will learn how to play the game.
Other sports are also fun and exciting. I even play many of those such as chess, badminton, dama, and others. But, I won’t change my favorite sport because I know how to play the game and it is an educational game. Playing Scrabble is really very fun and exciting!!!

My Favorite Pet

A pet is a domesticated animal kept for pleasure rather than utility. Some examples of pets are dogs, rabbits, cats, chickens, fishes, birds, hamsters and etcetera. Do you have pets at home? Which of those pets of yours do you love, like best or which of those is your favorite?

My favorite pet is a dog. I like dogs because they are very pleasant to nice and kind people but are dangerous and bites people who were unkind towards them. They are also faithful to the person that loves and cares for them. Dogs are said to be a man’s best friend. It is because of their characteristics and traits that I have mentioned earlier. By the way, before I go on with my essay about my favorite pet, the definition of a dog, as defined in the American Desk Encyclopedia is a carnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, usually with long legs, long muzzle and bushy tail, that lives by chasing its prey. Many of the dogs live in packs. Domestic dogs are members of the species Canis familiaris. By the way, packs here are defined as groups of animals.

As what I have said earlier, my favorite pet is a dog and I actually have four of them in our house. I named them Tricker, Mally, Sweetie and Wendy. But, unfortunately, one of my beloved dogs died and that is the one named Wendy. She died because she was killed, cooked and eaten by my unkind relatives. She was killed without our permission and we were really shocked when we heard that she was already dead. Let us leave that unpleasant memory of mine. Back to my favorite pets, my favorite dog is Tricker. He is very playful and nice to us. He always chases a cat. He is also wise, intelligent and very protective to us. He can really be called a man’s best friend. I can say that he is very protective in the sense that when he sees somebody, who he thinks that will harm us and cannot do anything good for us, he barks at them scares them and sometimes chases them but does not necessarily bite them. I can say that he is wise because whenever he sees us dressed for a walk, for school or for malling, he immediately rushes or runs out from our house so that he would not be tied up inside our house. We only tie him up inside our house if all of us will not be staying home.

Mally, one of my pet dogs is my second favorite. He is still a puppy and is very cute. His color is brown. He is also playful and always goes with the big dogs in chasing the cats. He always bites my school uniform when I arrived home. His mother is Sweetie. Sweetie is my dog that guards our house including my aunts’ and uncles’ houses. She always barks at suspicious people that she sees. She also howls when she sees something horrible at night.

Those three dogs of mine were also good pets. It is because whenever I’m stressed from school; my stress can be relieved with their help because they make me happy.

A Family Affair to Remember

A family affair is a big event where in the members of the family including the relatives will be united and the long time friends that haven’t met for a long time will meet again. It has an aim to unite the members of the family especially the ones that has arguments with each other to reconcile and unite in one memorable event.

The family affair that I am talking about is the Family Day that happened recently in the University of the Philippines High school in Cebu. It happened last February 25, 2007. I can say that it is a family affair to remember because in our Family Day, the members of the family including all the relatives were united by this activity. The long time friends that haven’t met for a long time will meet through this activity. This activity is really effective in uniting the family members, relatives, friends and classmates in one memorable event. This is also the day that they will cherish the memorable memories and moments that happened in the past.

There is so much that happened in our Family Day ’07. Since this is our first time to attend in the Family Day in U.P. High, we really have fun and excitement. There are games, and contests. We even won in the highest seller of raffle tickets and we also won in the biggest participation because others bring their relatives, friends and former classmates. It is also in our section that won in the earliest person that arrived first in the U.P. high. It is because he came in the school at twelve o’ clock in the midnight of February 24, 2007.This student that I am referring to is my classmate, Ariel Latras. This is the day that our projects in school were displayed in our Home Technology Room for the Open House. This is also the day that our hand made letters such as the Love letters and the Thank You letters for our parents and sisters were given to them. This is also the day that we presented our Seagull Dance entitled Lapay Bantigue in the open stage. We offered this dance for our parents.

I am also very happy on this day because my classmate, Axl Rose Arnejo, came to the school. She happened to come to our school because she was brought by Rea Jeanica Sabijon, my classmate recently and my classmate in my elementary years. I am very happy because how I wish we will have our batch ’05- ’06 reunion so that I can see again my former classmates and friends.

If there is a happy thing, there is also a sad thing. It is because Madam Erlinda Gallo, our Science A, B, and C teacher and class adviser had her farewell speech and she was crying when she delivered her speech because she was a teacher in our school for many years (about two decades) and she is really a good teacher but now she is going to retire because she wanted to stay home. Even my classmates cried too.

As a first timer in U.P. High’s Family Day ’07, I can really say that it is fun and exciting!!! I hope that it could also be fun and exciting next year!

Being a High school Student

Life is full of trials and challenges. It is made up of complex processes and steps, but these processes were the ones that will lead us to success.

High school education is just like elementary education. It is also important and it is also one of the complex processes and steps that we will take in order to success in life’s trials and challenges. It consists of the more complex levels and these are first year, second year, third year, and fourth year high school. High school is actually a secondary education which consists of those levels mentioned above.

I am a high school student. I am recently studying in the University of the Philippines High school in Cebu, a school for the poor but deserving students. I am yet in first year high school or what they call freshies or freshmen. I can say that being a high school student is hard because a high school student has many, big responsibilities to do, especially that I am studying in a challenging type of school.

But, being a high school student is also important because you can learn and gain a lot of knowledge that is needed for having a brighter and better future. I can say that it could also be fun and exciting because in here, we can meet new friends, new classmates and new teachers. You can have someone to lean on when you have some problems. In this university, the teachers and the students have nice relationships with each other because the students can approach them anytime they have problems because the teachers in this university were very pleasant and approachable.

Being a first year high school student, studying in the University of the Philippines in Cebu is also a challenging and competitive role because every student in this university is determined to compete for the honor roles or rank in their own homerooms and in over all. It is also pressuring because there are times that many of our subjects have tests or quizzes in the same day and especially that the test is about fifty to one hundred item test or a Chapter Test in Science A, B, or C and in Social Science. It is also hard for us to study because at most times, I go home late in the afternoon.

Even if I am yet in first year high school, our school activities and responsibilities were yet much, hard and very pressuring. It is because in this type of school, UPians (students in U.P. High school) were trained earlier and they also have advanced lessons for their brighter future. And, if we complain about those many activities and responsibilities, the teachers would answer us, “That’s what UPians are”. UPians don’t complain about hard and much responsibilities and activities. It is because they were qualified and enrolled here because they were poor, but fortunately deserving students.

But, these trials and challenges (I am referring to the much school activities and responsibilities) can be passed and solved if we only study and strive harder. Studying and striving harder is also the only way to pay back for all the sacrifices, hardships and love that our parents have provided just to educate and support our daily needs.

Aim High and Hit It

Each one of us has our own uniqueness. We are unique in many ways. We have different hobbies, tastes, ambitions and likes and dislikes. Speaking of likes, most of our students today are fond of autograph signing. In signing the autograph of their friends, there is one question asking about their motto, and one of those mottos is “AIM HIGH AND HIT IT”.

To think simply, to aim is to direct a weapon at someone or something. Like for instance, a hunter who wants to hit a wild pig, a bird, a deer, and others, must aim well to get many of those he is hunting.

As for the children and youth of today, to aim is to direct one’s efforts and purposes at something; meaning to say, to have ambition in life, to have a goal and try to reach that goal and fulfill that ambition.

According to the Random House Webster’s Dictionary, ambition is an earnest desire for achievement, distinction, wealth or power.

Every unique individual has its own unique ambition. There are those who desire to become lawyers, others want to become doctors, nurses, engineers, actresses, actors, singers, dancers, priests, nuns, managers, accountants, teachers and so many others. If an individual desires to become a successful lawyer, then that individual surely hits his goal. Setting a goal, aiming it, no matter how high it is, if it is done with faith in God, with patience and with strong will, surely the goal of success can be acquired.

My unique self has an ambition of my own. Since I was at the age of seven, I already dreamt of becoming a very good professor someday. This is a dream which is very possible to happen if I will just pursue my studies despite of the hindrances that occur. I am a daughter of a poor family. My father is only a driver and my mother is only a housewife. The income of my father could hardly support our daily needs such as the food we eat, the bath soap, the shampoo, the toothpaste, the detergent for our clothes, the payment for our monthly electric consumption and me and my sister’s daily allowances. I have sensed the budget difficulties that my parents are suffering. They even borrowed much money from my grandfather in order to send us both to school everyday. I pity my parents and I understand that all their sacrifices are for our bright future.

Knowing all the sufferings that my parents are carrying just for our own good, I am challenged to go through my ambition. I know that my success will lessen their burden. Mine and my sister’s success are the great victory of our parents.

With God’s blessings, I have passed my elementary days with my torn uniform and smiling shoes with an allowance of ten pesos a day. Now, I am ongoing for more struggles for higher educational attainment, with my fifteen pesos daily allowance. I have to study harder in order to fulfill my dreams and look forward to the day when I will be one of those professional and successful individuals.

I must think positively not giving any chance to financial problems to hinder the fulfillment of my ambitions. I will give my parents a happy result of all their sacrifices by hitting the high ambition that I am aiming.

The Lowly House Help

She is often referred to as dumb, a word too unkind indeed to describe a person whose service and loyalty can sometimes be better than that of real relative’s. The word house help itself is already at a very low position. Yet the way many people treat their house help is self contradictory.
While they consider her to brainless to get anything right, they often trust her enough to run their household in their absence, as they pursue their careers or businesses.
The maid usually roams around the house with a sad expression on her face. It is easy to tell that she is neither comfortable nor proud about her job. She approaches her tasks quietly and with nervousness. It normally takes her three repetitions before getting anything right. That, of course, is enough to drive her masters crazy.
She knows how to do her job right, but she just has such fear of making mistakes that she works inefficiently even the simplest chores. She is actually intelligent, but she is so insecure that she felt herself out of tasks which she already knows perfectly well how to do.
Back at home, she is a respected daughter or sister, always to be consulted on important family decisions. But here at work, in some abundant household, she is often treated as a less significant creature than the family dog. When Tricker refuses his food in the morning, he is sure to be in the vet’s clinic by noon; but the maid still has to do the laundry even if she has fever.
We call the servant Neneng even if it is not her real name. She is Tessie, Nena or Josephine. Neneng asks her masters the same questions over and over. She would ask, after doing it for the past three years, how to operate the washing machine. She would tell her Ma’am that someone called but would not remember the caller. When her Sir asks for coffee, she puts in salt instead of sugar. It’s no wonder she is always screamed at and dealt with harshly.
But if house helps were more efficient and better composed, they probably would not be in such a lowly job. If she was better educated, Neneng would probably be working in a lawyer’s office or in a call center. Or, even if she works in a home, she would not be a mere house help but a governess. Then she would be receiving much better pay.
The right way to handle Neneng would be to treat her with respect and understanding. It is not easy to be on her part. For sure she wants better abilities but didn’t have the chance at education which her masters had. She is where she is by circumstances beyond her power to conquer. That’s bad enough for her; there is no need to make it worse by expecting her to be more.
It won’t help to shout at her or to kill her to breath at every mistake she makes. It is better to sit down with her and discuss her slips as soon as things have cooled down. She needs help to get beyond her terrors of making mistakes. She needs to know that her masters are on her side and want to support her. It is, therefore, important that her masters find out the best way to do that, for her good and their own.
House helps may be intellectually inferior but they are not stupid. Treating them unkindly, on the other hand, is the worst kind of stupidity. They will hear better when talked calmly. They may not get it right away the first time, but being patient with them is well worth it. It’s often the mental weakness that wouldn’t mind or couldn’t tell when they are getting the downside of the deal. Their loyalty, once earn, is often unshakable.

Elementary Years

Elementary education is important and one of the steps that we should take to reach the success of our goals in life. It is an education, actually, a basic type of education that consists of the primer grades one, two and three and intermediate grades four, five and six. It is actually defined as teaching the basic subjects of education or, of relating to a basic type of education. It is a simple and rudimentary type of education.
My elementary years were hard to forget. They are my treasured moments in life that I will cherish forever. It is where I have found the true value of friendship. We really have fun and nice memories together with our classmates because since the first grade in our elementary education, we are already with each other until we reached and graduated in the sixth grade. We really had many bonding activities with each other.
I studied and finished my elementary education in Talamban Elementary School. In my first grade I elementary education, I have no such treasured moments except for one and this is when I ranked sixth in our classroom. I didn’t expect to have this rank because I was just a transferee from a regular or a hetero section and I was transferred to the Science Class section.
In my second grade, I also have this one treasured moment and I am referring to when I was the one chosen by our teachers to sing in a school program. I sang the song “Yesterday’s Dream” and they dubbed me as the little Regine Velasquez.
In my third grade, it is not, actually, a treasured memory but a memory that I wanted to forget but it keeps on entering my mind. It is because that memory of mine is when we had a review for the Metro bank Math Challenge, and I and my partner didn’t go there. It is a terrible memory because the day after it, our teacher scolded us and we were very scared because she was a strict and terror teacher.
In my fourth grade, we have met a new teacher; actually, she is just a substitute teacher of our adviser, Mrs. Sonia Cogtas. She is a very good of ours. She substituted our teacher for months because our teacher that time had a maternity leave for her baby’s health purposes and hers.
In my fifth grade, I have many memories to and experiences. There are happy memories and sad ones but unfortunately, I only remembered one. This is when our student teacher gave me a letter and a small gift because at that time, she is going to leave us. She gave me a letter and a small gift because she admires my characteristics and attitude. I was very happy when I received those small things because it means a lot to me. By the way, do you want to know what is inside the gift? A rosary was inside the gift and I am keeping it with care because it is a special gift for me.
In my sixth grade, there were also many memories to cherish and I remembered a lot of them. Some of those memories were when I joined contests. Some of those contests that I have joined were the following: (a) Math Contest held in Banilad Elementary School, where in I placed second; (b) Metro bank Math Challenge held in Zapatera Elementary School, where in we placed sixth; (c) Division Metro bank Math Challenge held in Mabolo Elementary School, where in we placed fifth; (d) Metro Quiz held in Ayala Center Cebu, where in we placed second; (e) Press Con held in Zapatera Elementary School, where in I placed seventh in Copy reading English; (f) Inter Public Elementary School Math and Science Quiz Bowl held in the University of the Philippines; (g) Science Quiz Bowl held in our school, where in I placed first; (h) Division Science Quiz Bowl held in Mabolo Elementary School, where in I placed fifth; and (i) Milo Little Olympics held in Abellana National High school, where in I played the sport, Scrabble. I really enjoyed joining these contests especially the contests held out of school. And, because of these activities, I ranked first in our class.
Those treasured moments of mine were the memories that I will cherish until I grow old because those were my memories that happened in my elementary years. It is really fun and exciting being an elementary student.
Let me extend my great gratitude to my teachers in elementary, my parents and most of all to the Supreme Being for their support and for letting me experience those moments and without them, I cannot reach this far.

Reflections on Teachers and Teaching

Teaching is a tough work. It is hard to teach students especially if they are not paying attention to you or if they are making fun of you because they know that you are just a student teacher. Now I know what the teachers experience. They are trying hard to explain and let us understand the lessons well and they are doing this in order for their students to have a lot of knowledge so that they can have a better future and can find and apply for a better job. They are also trying hard to earn money for their family needs and to support the education of their children. They even sleep late just to prepare for the lessons that they will tackle on the next day and to compute the performances and grades of the students, which they are handling. On our Know Your School Day Activity, the teachers let the students experience how hard is teaching some students especially the mischievous ones.

In our Know Your School Day Activity, I applied and experienced teaching in our Filipino subject. It is a group teaching and we are seven in the group. My teaching mates are Janelle Faith del Mar, Jeny-vi Bartolome, Jurrine Valencia, Irene Gonzales, John Rhey Balmori and Rosa Gabriela Sanchez. We really have fun in teaching our classmates because my co-student teachers are both humorists and are really very witty. We discussed some of the stanzas of our Filipino book, Ibong Adarna. At first, in our introduction, we prepared games for them. Their task is to find some of the words hidden by Janelle everywhere in our classroom and to position it in the board. After it, we called a student, who did not partake in finding the words, to let his/her arrange the words accordingly to form the heading of the lesson that we are going to discuss. After the game, I and my co-student teachers read at least two stanzas each. After the two stanzas, we discuss what it meant and read on the next two stanzas and so on. After the seven of us have read, we let our classmates read the rest. After letting them read, we discuss the stanzas of our lesion one by one. Then, we answered the activities in the book orally. It is about Identifying the Synonyms of the Words. I did not feel bored when I am teaching my classmates but instead, I felt very blissful and I really have fun teaching them especially, as what I have mentioned earlier, my co- student teachers were humorists. But, at first, I really felt nervous, very tensed, and I was also shaking because I was not used to it. I was not used in standing in front of the class and report or discuss a lesson.

My Know Your School Day experience is so great and full of excitement! I will really apply again for a student teacher in my second year here in the University of the Philippines High School in Cebu, but of course, I will try again in other subjects. I hope it will also be fun and exciting on my second year here in the university.

My Companions in Life

Do you know what makes a person happy? Some material things make a person happy such as nice and expensive jewelries and money but above all those silly things, friendship and friends make a person happy. If a person does not have any friend at all, he or she will become lonely, and she will also be alone in a corner. There is a saying that goes like this, “A friend is the key to happiness”, so you must treasure all your friends because they are someone you can count on to. They are your companions in life that can help you in the times of your needs and lifts you up whenever you are down. They can also be your inspiration when you need, to success in life’s trials and challenges.
I have many friends and companions in life. Some of them are my classmates today in my high school level, and also some of them are my cousins and neighbors. My closest friends are, of course, my cousins especially Eleanor Narboada, my favorite cousin. Do you know why she is my favorite cousin? It is because of her characteristics and traits. Her characteristic or trait that I admire most is being an understanding person. She has showed this trait of being an understanding person when I am scolded by my parents because she always understands my side but, of course, she also encourages me to just follow whatever they want because it is only for my own good. I also admire her being generous and kind because whatever she has, she does not hide it, but instead share it to us. One trait of hers that I also admire is having a sense of humor and being a comedian. It is because she always makes me laugh and she brings laughter to everyone. She also plays joke on me but I won’t get annoyed because I know it is just a joke to make me and others laugh.
My closest friend and best friend in my former classmates in my elementary years was Jaisel Cortes. I have a high regard for her being a friendly person because she has many friends but among all her friends I am her best friend and closest friend. She is also a comedian and plays joke to every person she meet up sometimes because of her jokes, she could hurt some people and get involved in some arguments but, of course, I will be on her side but, I would also encourage her to do the right things that should be done. She is also a good friend because when I told her the right things to be done, she will not get annoyed to me, but instead do something to improve herself.
Recently, my closest friend in my classmates in high school is Jen Rose. Even though, we’re not best friends, but, she is the one that I think my closest friend. She is not just a comedian like my other friends but, she is also good and kind to me. Whenever, we have pairings in our Math class, Music and other subjects, I always choose her because I know she can be a good partner because she cooperates in doing the tasks assigned to us.

A Love Affair with MV Doulos and Books

Love is a word with a countless meaning. It is so broad that each one of us has a meaning of our own.
According to the American heritage dictionary, love is an intense affection and warm feeling for another. Several meanings from different minds which sometimes come in a form of song, like for instance, “Love is a many splendor thing, It is a nature’s way of giving and a reason to be living.” Some other meanings from different sources said that LOVE IS blind, love is not jealous, it is giving, it can even move mountains and most of all love conquers all.
In my own opinion, love is a strong fondness or enthusiasm. It is to like or desire enthusiastically.
Actually, students are fond of reading novels, magazines, newspapers and books as well. We can’t help saying that many of us are in love with books to count me as one. Being in love with books, I always try to find ways and means and much time to be with them. A perfect timing for the news about MV Doulos’ visit to Cebu is really exciting. I am filled with so much joy and very much interested to have a love affair with MV Doulos and books.
MV Doulos is built in 1914 and is only two years younger than the Titanic. It is said to be the World’s Largest Floating Book Fair, carrying six thousand different book titles across the oceans to reach the different parts of the globe. It consists of three hundred fifty volunteers from fifty countries live and work together onboard. Doulos seeks knowledge, help and hope to the nations. Since 1977, Doulos has visited more than a hundred countries, welcoming over nineteen million visitors onboard including us.
Last February 13, 2007, at 1:00 in the afternoon, Tuesday, we went there with some faculty members. We were divided into two batches. The freshmen and the sophomores belong to the first batch, while the juniors and the senior students belong to the second batch. We went there by hiring public utility vehicle, two vehicles for each section. When we arrived there, I am overwhelmed with the mixed feeling of joy, nervousness and enthusiasm. Joy, because the time to be with MV Doulos and books has finally arrived. Nervous, because it is my first time of going up inside a ship and I am afraid of falling down into the water since I don’t know how to swim. Enthusiasm, because being with the floating bookstore is enjoyable. It is actually a great day for me meeting the international crew and enjoying looking the different books the ship carried. We also tour on some of the different parts of the ship. We also had a film showing about the history of MV Doulos. How wonderful and beautiful the ship, its parts, its crews, its books and all the people around!
I bought from MV Doulos around one book with the limited money I have. I was about to buy many books but due to poverty, I was not able to do it. But never mind, I already enjoyed experiencing being there and let my eyes have them all while I was there. I can’t express in word the happiness and enjoyment I’ve felt with my love affair with MV Doulos and books.
To the University of the Philippines High School Management and faculty, let me extend my great gratitude to you for giving me the opportunity to be with MV Doulos and to be with those interesting books they brought.

My Two Most Unforgettable Experiences

Do you have some experiences in life that is very memorable to you or that you really can’t forget it? It may be a sad or an exciting experience in life. By the way, an experience is an apprehension through the mind, senses or emotions. It is an activity or practice through which knowledge or skill is gained; it is also an event or circumstance, undergone or lived through.
My first most unforgettable experience was when we went to Busay in 2003. I went there with my family including my mother, my father, and my elder sister. My cousins, aunts and uncles also went there with Caryl Joy and Jenica Chelsie, the cousins of Luchie Mae Narboada, my cousin. It is really my unforgettable experience because it is my first time to go in that place and I really have fun, excitement and thrill. We have explored all around the “Nature’s Park “but not all the corners of it. We have seen some wild animals like snakes, and other reptiles. We brought cameras and we took some pictures of our precious memories and first time experiences in that place. Some of our experiences are the ones that I will state in the following sentences. We have crossed a V- shaped hanging bridge and we had a thrilling experience because whenever we step on it, it swings from side to side and we feel very nervous and very tensed because we might fall from it. Since, I am yet in the third grade in elementary at that time; we played in the playground there. We rode on the swings, seesaws, climb up the monkey bars and slither down the slides. We also tried the 200- step stairs but we didn’t finish it because they said that they saw a snake and all of us were afraid of it, so all of us went back down, running as fast as we could. After, we went to a wishing well and stated our wishes one by one.
My second most unforgettable experience was when we went to Taptap last February 4, 2007, Sunday. We went there with my mother, father, sister and the other choir members of Pit-os. The reason why we went there is because we, the choir members of Pit-os are going to sing in their mass because it is their Fiesta Celebration. I really can’t forget this experience because it is also my first time to go there because last year, I was not yet a choir member in our barangay. It was very cold there because it is found in the mountains. They say that Taptap is like Baguio City because of their cold climate there. We felt like freezing there because their climate is really very cold especially in the night. Since we left from our barangay at 12:30 and we arrived there at 2:00, we have taken there our lunch because they invited us in their Fiesta Celebration. And, since their mass in Taptap is at 5:30 and ended at 6:30, we have also taken our supper there. I also have fun there by texting and texting and texting with my classmate, Frances. Then, we went home after we have taken our supper. That’s the great experiences in my life that I really can’t forget! My two most unforgettable experiences are really full of fun and excitement!

What Do Stars and the Sky Tell Me About Life?

Life is said to be the property whereby things live. Despite the vast knowledge that has been gained about life and the form of life, the term still lacks any generally accepted definition.
According to the New American Encyclopedia, life on earth is an incredible variety of forms- over one million species of animals and three hundred fifty thousand species of plants. Speaking of a million species of animals to include ourselves as one of these, and is considered the highest kind of all animals. Yet, despite superficial differences, all organisms are closely related. The form and matter of all life on earth is essentially identical, and this implies that all living organisms shared a common ancestor and that life on earth has originated only once.
Life comes from one and only creator who is the most loved, respected and the most prevalent Father of all that is God. He created everything including the non- living things that surround us. To mention a few, he created the sky, the moon, the rivers, the seas, the lakes, the sun and the beautiful twinkling stars in the sky. These beautiful twinkling stars tell me that life really is worth living. They are telling me how meaningful and colorful life is.
There are times that the stars in the sky are unseen due to heavy dark clouds that usually try to cover them from our naked eyes. But even if it is hard for them to escape from the clouds they always find ways and means to recover and shine brightly as if nothing happens.
Just like us, when we experience a significant loss, rejection or betrayal from our loved ones, we are often deeply wounded. We blame ourselves for being weak and inferior. We even throw to ourselves the negative words, thinking of our stupidity, cowardice and failures.
Life can be cruel and unjust. It can shatter our dreams, destroy our plans and even take away our hopes. We don’t even know tears come running down to our cheeks just because of the hopeless situation we suffer.
But the fact is, life has chosen us to enjoy its wonders and to unravel its mysteries. Whatever it is that life is a hold for us, no one else can accomplish it but we.
Looking back to our elementary days, we thought life was very easy. Whenever we have problems, our parents were always there for us, guide us and give us the solutions. But now that we become a little bit older, life becomes more uncertain, treating us as worthy of facing challenges and finding solutions to every situation. We are now capable of finding ways to help us carry on with life. In this way we started to understand the meaning and the color of life. When there are no frustrations we cannot feel the real happiness.
Today is the best time to explore and to discover who we really are and how we can make the most out of life. We are able to know the things that are for us and the things that are not meant for us. Knowing these we will be able to fulfill and to live the kind of life that we desire. Hopefully, we will be able to reach for our dreams and ambitions. We must learn to be patient for the times that we’ve been hurt, for after this, happiness and success are ours. These experiences give us the reason to live and enjoy life, then make the most out of it.

Nature

What is meant by nature? Nature, as defined in the American Heritage Dictionary, is the intrinsic character of a person or thing. It is the order, disposition, and essence of all entities composing the physical universe, physical world, including living things, natural phenomena, and etcetera. It is also the primitive state of existence. It comes from the Latin word natura which means natured.
Have you seen the beauty of nature? If you haven’t seen it, look around your environment and you can notice and realize how beautiful the nature is. It is, of course, beautiful because it is made by the Almighty God, the Father. Nature includes all the creations of God such as the plants, flowers, trees, the sun, moon, stars, rainbow, animals, the greatest creation of God- human beings, and all the components of the universe. The three major creation of God are plants, animals and human beings.
Plants are those organisms characteristically having cellulose cell walls, growing by synthesis of organic substances, and lacking the power of locomotion. It is also an organism without a permanent woody stem, as distinguished from a tree or shrub. It comes from the Latin word planta which means plantable. Animals are those organisms distinguished from a plant by structural and functional characteristics, such as the ability to move. Human beings are referred to as us.
One of the creations of God that struck me most is the rainbow because of its colorful appearance. As what I have known, it has seven different colors and those are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The colors are produced by sunlight’s being refracted and totally, internally reflected by spherical droplets of water. A rainbow as defined in the American Heritage Dictionary, is an arc of concentric spectrally colored rings seen in the sky by an observer looking at rain, mist or spray with his back to the sun.
But, sad to say that our beautiful and clean nature today, little by little is being destructed and wasted by some people in the community. They are cutting down the trees in the forests without replacing it. Even the small trees are now being cut down. This is known as the deforestation. Deforestation is the excessive cutting down of trees. Others are also destructing our bodies of water such as the rivers, seas, oceans and lakes. They are polluting our water resources. They are throwing their wastes and garbage there. As the effect of this activity, some people get sick because they are getting their source for irrigation in some bodies of water, most often in rivers. They can get the diarrhea illness from the polluted and dirty water. They can also get some serious diseases if they continue to throw their wastes in our bodies of water. Others are polluting the air. We should remember and put our minds that without air to breathe, we won’t be able to survive in this world. So, if we are polluting the air, we can breathe polluted air, instead of clean and fresh air. As an effect, we could get some lung diseases that could be fatal and can lead to death. One of the causes of air pollution is the fumes coming out from the cars and jeepneys. Another is from the factories- the smoke that comes out from it. Another is the fumes coming from the garbage and wastes. Air pollution is also related with the cutting down of trees. It is because when we cut down trees, no more trees will give us shade and absorb carbon dioxide, which is harmful and can pollute the environment. So, we must protect the nature and we should not pollute and waste our natural resources because in the end, we are the ones who will suffer of the bad doings and activities that we have done.