Reflection

         HIGH SCHOOL NEVER ENDS

         First... Second... Third... What comes next?

         The Fourth... The LAST quarter. The finish line of high school, and the nearest to the world of more reality.

          I can still recall the times I was still studying in the private school and never imagined the life of a student in a public school. I have to admit that when I was still young, I never wanted to study in a public school. Though I knew I will.

          At first, I didn’t like here in Ilocos Sur National High School. I didn’t want to study here because of course I came from a private school.

          But as the months walked by, I have realized that ISNHS was not that bad.

          And as years came by, I have realized that ISNHS is the BEST high school. 

          Teachers are great, jolly and intelligent, and they share things and experiences which could serve as our inspirations and guides. They moulded us very well that we will become very successful in all our plans. The products of this school really are successful. To our advisers, favourite teachers, teachers, thank you for guiding us throughout the years.

          To my friends, thank you so much for walking beside me. Fellow students, thank you so much for trusting me, and letting me lead you and walk with you too. To my admirers in the campus, thank you also for being such inspirations. To my best friends, I couldn’t have met you if I didn’t study in this school. Thank you so much for always being there for me. Thank you for being crazy with me. Thanks for all the fun. Thank you for adding me in your circles. God truly gave me you.

          And of course, to my parents… I thank you for putting me in the right place. Thank you so much for sending me to ISNHS. I am who I am right now, and I will be as successful, like you, in the future, because of you two. You are indeed the best parents someone like me could ever have.

         

          We are about to graduate. But we won’t leave. This is not the end, but just another beginning. College? Please don’t come too sooner. I will miss this school. I will miss all my teachers, all my friends, and everything in this school. I will never ever forget you all, and I will always keep on coming back for you. It’s hard to say good bye, but we must do it. Oh, you got me on tears.

          One thing is what I am sure of:

          HIGH SCHOOL NEVER ENDS!

My dream, My future

My Dream Is…

When I was younger, we used to go to Quezon City and sleep in Project 8. I have a second cousin who was studying architecture at the University of the Philippines, Diliman that time. I call him Kuya Sherwin. And the apartment we lived in for weeks was his sister’s.

                I see his things, his table, his stuff and all and I was still so fledgling young that I didn't know what those are for. All I wanted was to play and discover. So when I looked over some of his stuff, I saw drawings of houses and infrastructures. So then I bought a large Barbie notebook, and that is where I drew my dream house.

                Yes. At my small age, I already had the design of my house in the future. I also drew different houses there. But, sadly, I can’t find that notebook anymore. I lost it. All I can reminisce is that my dream house was a three-storey building, and it has garages, a pool, and a grassy part beside it. I can’t remember the other details.

                Actually, my reverie is not the house. I apprehended that my dream is… to finish the same course which is Architecture. Along the road in studying in elementary and high school, I also had different hopes and dreams for my course in college and my work in the future. I had different views of my vocation.

                But now that I am about to graduate in high school, I realized that my real dream is to draw houses, buildings, to create designs for people, for societies and for the world. My dream is to lure a superior world. My dream is to become an architect, and that is my future.

CHANGE ARISES WITH ME

Everyone hopes to see it. Everyone wants to feel it. But is everyone working hard to achieve it?

CHANGE ---- A six-letter word which means to make a shift from a certain position to a different one, a course to another, to replace, to alter, or to undergo a modification of something.

                Many desire with anticipation of obtainment of this “big word”. For example, Filipinos want to conquer a change in the government, for better. We want to remove corruption, dishonesty, shady transactions, fraudulence and deceitfulness. We want a healthier system of the government. We don’t see all the good, but we see the bad, so we want change. We speak like we, ourselves, can be better than them. But, do we take our own leaps in creating the change we want to see? No, we don’t. Why don’t we make ways to twitch change with ourselves?

                “I’m starting with the man in the mirror, and I’m asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer.”

                Let’s grab this song of Michael Jackson as an inspiration and a must-be-widened lesson. Small things make vast differences. That’s why, change begins within each solitary one of us, whether be a girl, a boy, a short one, a tall one, a student, a teacher, a father, a mother, an underemployed, a worker, and especially, the youth, because the youth is also the hope of tomorrow.

                “If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change…”

KANNAWIDAN Ylocos Festival 2014

          The Kannawidan Ylocos Festival 2014 is a feast that preserves the stunning cultures , customs and traditions of Ilokanos. There are a lot of festivals in Ilocos Sur, Philippines, but this one may be the most colorful and the grandest, as some say. The cultures of Ilokanos are to be proud of. In order to showcase these, the Kannawidan Ylocos Festival has tons of festivities and exhibit to promote our unique products and preserved cultures.

          The week-long celebration drew hundreds of local and foreign tourists because of the festival's more exciting and entertaining activities this year, as Governor Ryan Singson said in one of his interviews before from local news channels. I myself even watched, attended or joined some of the activities such as the Dancing Fountain and Fireworks Display, Parade of Vintage Cars and Bicycles, and Bamboo Live in Concert. I was also one of the students of the province who were awarded at the Siglat Iskwela Awards last first of February. 

          Now on the festival's 5th year. it had already established its identity as the prime festival of the province.
          Here are the schedule of the events of the grand celebration last January 29 to February 9, 2014. Source: http://www.ilocosdaily.com/2014/01/kannawidan-ylocos-festival-2014.html

Happy new year everyone. Do you have resolutions like I do? 

No "Me Version 2.0"

                “Sana November na, para Sem. Break na tapos birthday ko na, tapos Pasko na, tapos New Year na.” That was my line last September 2013 or earlier. Some people wish New Year to come sooner because they want to restart or make a change. But, is it really the change we are longing for? Or, just the New Year itself?

                For me, we do not need New Year to start change. We can always change for the better. We can do it and it doesn’t matter any time of the year. I mean, I am unlike others that they wait for New Year to change.

                But then, on New Year, we can always revamp into a new us. You can get a new you, and I can get a new me. It’s the New Year I’ve been waiting for, not the time for transformation/ But, it doesn’t mean I don’t believe on resolutions. I want to renew some of my worst attitudes, for some revision. I will stabilize on the good ones.

                I want to lift myself up, kiss the sun and dance with the clouds this year. Well, of course, not literally. I want to see stuff in a new perspective. I want to get more productive. I want to do whatever will be written on my plan books. I want to travel more, too. I want to delve in to more things. I want to earn better hobbies. I want to achieve ore goals. And, I will continue my missions in life to be able to do these.

                That is a generalization of the recast. But, I know I’ll always be me. There will be no me Version 2.0. There won’t be major transformations. Those are just resolutions and goals for 2014.

REFLECTION

“Take one step at a time. There’s no need to rush…”

                Another step in high school has already been written in history – the 3^rd grading period. It was one not-so-easy challenge, and perhaps, not too hard.

                In ICT, we learned a lot of things, more on application. We finished activities on creating web pages by what is said to us in the procedures. We did it even on our own. We made our group project entitled Arts and Culture of Vigan City, and we created a web page for it by using Notepad in Microsoft. We applied what we know about various tags and in HTML documents. We also posted our blog requirements.

                Over all, 3^rd grading would probably be called the lightest quarter in all the four. Our projects were hard, not “so hard”, and not “really hard”. And I had changed by being more time conscious.

               

Christmas

Some songs say that it’s the most wonderful time of the year, some say that it’s the time of giving, some say that it’s in our hearts. Some even add up Frosty the Snowman, and some sing about Rudolf the Red-nose Reindeer. Sometimes, it isn’t even Christmas if it hasn’t snowed, or bells don’t jingle, or Christmas lights don’t bring up the streets.

                What really is Christmas? Maybe for you, it’s the gift-giving. Or maybe for you, it’s the holiday… perhaps, the holidays. Kids would probably think of Christmas just like that. Kids don’t really understand the true essence of Christmas that well.

                Christmas refers to the birth of Christ. It means that Jesus was born. Our Saviour, our King and the Son of God was born. Christmas means that Mother Mary’s baby, Jesus, already went out fr5om her womb. Christmas also teaches a lesson that we must be as humble as Jesus, for He chose to be born, not just reign as the Son of God. He chose to be born in a manger, not in a really good place. He chose to live in the normal life. We should be as humble as He is.

                It also shows not just the existence, but the presence of love and hope. Christmas day exists because of love. That’s why they say “Gove love on Christmas Day.” And that’s why a lot wish every day to be Christmas. So by showing love, the traditional way is to give gifts to people you share love with. That maybe the most awaited part of Christmas to those who are materialistic.

                Christmas is on December, and this month on some countries and places usually brings snow. That is basically why snowmen and White Christmas became famous.

                There are a lot of misunderstandings of “Christmas”, but the real meaning of it is the birth of Christ. A deeper meaning of it is the line “And man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day.”

              EQUAL RIGHTS AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

In the United States, there is this so-called Equal Rights Amendment, and United Nations had the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The ultimate aim of these two is to ensure gender equality.

                When we say gender equality, it means that there is an equal treatment to men and women. Neither one of them should receive favourable and preferential treatment. UNICEF describes that gender equality “means that women and men, and girls and boys, enjoy the same rights, resources and opportunities. It does not require that they be treated exactly alike.”

                So when we say that there is equal treatment to each gender, it implies that they are provided equal chances by law in democratic activities, social institutions, and there is an equal pay when it comes to work. There is an equal opportunity to get a good job or employment or education, and equality in the utilization of human funds and resources.

                Philippines is also a country promoting equality of the genders. Not only men are allowed to enter politics, but also women. Both men and women are great leaders in the country. Last Oct. 28, 2013, one transgender even won in the Barangay Elections as the Brgy. Captain. The third sex is included in the gender equality. They also have rights in gender equality.

                Having equal rights and equal opportunities of genders is one way to achieve sustainable progress and development, greater economic prosperity, welfare, and better life and future.