Christmas in our Hearts

It’s already been a part of our lives and become a tradition that we, Filipinos and Christians, celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate it in many ways such as Christmas Parties, giving gifts and exchanging cards. It was also pleasurable to visit different houses singing Christmas carols. It’s also the perfect moment to commence family gatherings or reunions.

During the 25^th day of December we celebrate “Christmas”. It’s a special day to all of us because it is when Jesus Christ was born. In preparation for that, we celebrate Midnight Mass which is popularly known as the Misa de Gallo. I am glad not because I've fulfilled my desire to complete it but because I have a great moment with God, giving him thanks for all the blessings, graces and guidance He showered upon me. Do you know why the colors of the candle of the advent wreath are purple, pink and white? Each candle represents something. The purple candle represents LOVE, the pink candle represents JOY and the white candle represents that Christ has come on this day.

The most important part of celebrating Christmas is we must be all present in the family gathering, even though we just have few foods to eat as long as we eat “Noche Buena” together. But  nothing more lonely than celebrating Christmas with incomplete members of the family, they can't come home because they are numerous miles away sacrificing everything just to support and finance the needs of his/her family.

Even though we're not complete in celebrating Noche Buena, we’re still very thankful because we have a better life than those people staying at the streets or whom we call the “beggars”. One of the true essences of Christmas is SHARING. We share the things that we have that some people may not have and will really need it in their lives. The true essence of Christmas is not giving wonderful presents nor exchanging cards but it is about how we celebrate and give importance to the Birth of our savior, JESUS CHRIST. We must LOVE each other, not just on this day but for the rest of our lives so that we can attain HAPPINESS AND PEACE FOREVER.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ALL OF US!

BE FAIR

Why do we need to be treated equally? The reason behind it is so that it will be fair to others. We all know that we people are all equal in the eyes of God. “Equal rights, equal opportunities.” What does it mean?

We all need to be fair in all things in life and we have the freedom in every action that we do. Are you aware of the laws that we have in our country? I think some people were unaware to it. We must know the importance of these laws. It was put up because it emphasizes that we all have the rights.

                An example to this theme is there must be an equal chance between boys and girls in all aspects of life. Some thinks that women can’t do the work or job of men. They just think of that women must just stay at home and do the household chores but it’s not. Women can also do the work of men. Especially nowadays, it seems like the world was already changed, because men were already staying at home doing the household chores while women were working.

AN ENVIRONMENTALIST? I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE ONE OF US!

     Are you aware about the Climate Change? It is one of the main problems of our society nowadays. An example of climate change is the El Nino, which can bring a dry summer for some and wet winter for others. In the past few decades, scientists have discovered that our planet’s climate has been changing at an alarming rate. They are also actively working to understand the different causes of this problem we’re facing. The following are some of the factors in which those knowledgeable and well-informed people noticed the reason behind it:

·         Forcing Mechanism which includes Solar Radiation, Orogeny, Continental Drift and Thermohaline Circulation.

·         Contribute more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, which may lead to the ozone depletion and global warming.

·         The exploitation of people on natural resources, such as fuels, gold, black sand, trees, etc...

·         Improper disposal of their garbage

We are all capable of influencing Climate Change in our world through our different actions and activities. And the fact is we are afraid and doesn’t want to face those risk brought by them.

But as a simple person, have you ever wonder how can you contribute to save and protect the place where we belong? All of us can play a dynamic role in saving our Mother Earth. As a student, I encourage you to be cooperative and support different clubs in your school, especially Science Club, with their different operational plans in conserving our natural resources.

To all the teachers or mentors, with due respect ma’am/sir, I do request you to do the first step in conducting a seminar with the main theme on how to save our planet.

            We are the one who introduced Climate Change and yet we have the ability to eradicate them step-by-step. It would start from me, then you, then all of us. Inspire, motivate and challenge others to be an environmentalist and do their part!

Treasure Every Moment

It’s like it was just the opening of classes yesterday, and now the second grading period is about to end. Time really flies so fast. We have almost 5 months more to go, so we must already enjoy staying in this school.

It was really fun to study lesson that is all about this subject. We used notepad in our activities. I had learned that using the start tag, end tag and tag attributes was really helpful in making our activities more presentable. It looks better with these tags.

All I can say is “life gets harder” because as time passes  by we encounter things more complicated that makes us feel that life really gets harder. Maybe I can say that this grading period was harder than the last. But it was not really that hard. I had again enjoyed this grading period. I had learned many things that will help me expand my knowledge about something.

Another grading period had done, so I had still 2 more grading periods to improve my grades.

When life gets harder always remember that “there are always challenges to every success in life.” I need to study harder for the remaining grading periods. I will review well for the incoming periodical examination. I MUST get a high score! Good luck to me and to my classmates.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF!

           The celebration of the Science month has already ended. Hello October! It’s time for the English month with the theme “Upholding English Proficiency for Communicative Competence.”

        My 1^st post on this 2^nd grading period  

was all about my insights on the theme of Buwan ng Wika this year, and now it is all about the theme of the English month. Our language “Filipino” is all we need to use in speaking with our fellow Pilipinos in our native land while our language “English” is the most important language to used Worldwide, that’s why we called it as the “Universal Language”.

        Why do we really need to learn speaking the English language? It’s for the reason that this language is all we need wherever we go so that we can communicate with others. Learning this language was very hard. Correct grammars, spelling and Proper Pronunciation is all we need. It’s not that easy to use this language and all of us commit mistakes, so we need to try harder. “Don’t give up easily.” 

Start learning the language while it is still early so that we’ll not be hard up someday and all we need is to improve it. I’m sure that you will enjoy and have fun in using the English Language. So, LEARN THEN TRY TO SPEAK ENGLISH FLUENTLY. In order for us not to be hard up in learning the language, reading books will help us.

For the sake of the future generation, CONSERVE ENERGY!

        Technology, technology, technology. What exactly is the meaning of technology? Each and everyone of us knows what technology is, but not all of us know the consequences of it. Technology have contributed many things in our society same as through with Science.Time flies so fast and things were also changing so fast, but the fact is we are not aware of it.

It was already a tradition of our school to commence the Science Month. This was made possible with the help of Science Teachers and Club Officers. This helps us, students, to elaborate our mind about those things that we have learned inside our classroom. This year, the focal theme that was told to us was“Scientricity: Energizing Science Clubbers for Sustainable Energy.”But the question is “What does the theme wants us to convey? What is this all about?”

          I was really hard up in understanding the theme because I don’t have any idea about this. It takes time for me to unlock the real sense of the theme.

As I have stated a while ago, technology have many contributions to our daily life but do we know that using technology we also consume energy?We all know that we need energy in our lives. It is very important to all of us and it is essential to all living things.We all need energy in order for us to survive, so we MUST need to learn how to conserve or sustain energy. To conserve energy is not only for our own good sake but also for the future generations and most especiallyfor our mother Earth.

Are you aware with the popular song that was entitled “Kapaligiran” by Asin? If not, please take time to hear it. This year’s theme was almost the same with the theme of that song. They both want to convey that it is not bad to develop but we should be concern about the future.

          People were motivated to change for the better, they are working hard. They were trying their best in order to improve it. Maybe people were also challenged because as time passes by their idea were also increasing. The theme just wants to remind or to inform us that we need to conserve energy for the future and for the next generation. Help our mother earth so that there will be progress and there will be no regrets in the end.It’s still early to make changes, so work and change for the better.

When I met them, My Life became Colorful

   This year, we celebrate the teacher's month on the 5th day of September until the 5th day of October. When we're still a child, our parents were there to teach us many things. They were also with us. They help us in many things. They help us in making our lives wonderful that's why they support us. As time passes by, we're already growing up and we must have to broaden our knowledge. As we grow older, we need to understand things better. With these, our parents decided to send us to school.

   In school, we meet our second parents and they are our "teachers". They were the ones who teaches us so that our knowledge will be broadened. They play an important role in our lives. There will be no doctors, nurses, engineers, architects and other professions in our society if teachers aren't around. We all know that it's not easy to become a teacher. They sacrifice a lot, they need to have more patience in teaching their students. They share the knowledge or ideas that they have so that we can learn from them.. Teachers had taught me many lessons, not just simple lessons on the four walls of the room but also lessons in life. They also share pieces of advice to their students.

   There are so many positive characteristics that I can say to our mentors; all I can do is to thank them. When I already reached my ambition in life, it's also because of the teachers who helps, supports and inspires me in my studies. I salute all the teachers! :) I'll never forget them because without them, I may not have a chance to reach my ambitions in life. Thank you teachers!

I Consider Her as my Hero and She Serves as an Inspiration

      In our everyday lives we were inspired by those people that surround us. Each person that we met may have an important role to our lives to make it more beautiful or meaningful. We also idolize them because they light up our world.

      My modern day hero is my grandmother. Even though my mother is in abroad, I'm not longing for her so much. I miss my mom but I wasn't so sad because my grandmother is there for me. I consider my grandmother as my hero, even though she's just an ordinary person and even though she doesn't have supernatural powers just like the hero that we've seen on movies. She's a loving, caring and supportive person, not just a simple grandmother but also a hero. She wakes me up in the morning and she prepares my breakfast. When my father wasn't there to bring me to school, my grandmother seeks for a solution just to make sure that I will be safe on my way to school. Those times that I wasn't feeling okay and I can't concentrate our lessons, she's always ready to fetch me in school and bring me to the nearest hospital. I know that she was really hard up to my condition before, it was still okay for her because she really cares for me and I don't hear any complains at all.

      I'm very thankful that I have a caring grandmother. I'm sure that my mom, my tita's and tito were also grateful to have a mother like her. I love my grandmother! She's my modern day hero.

Be Patriotic, use our own Language

During the month of August, we celebrate the Buwan ng Wika in honor and commemoration to the Former President Manual L. Quezon. This year's theme is "Tatag ng Wikang Filipino, Lakas ng pagka-Pilipino." 

Every Pilipino's must speak the language Tagalog or Filipino. It's the language that was spoken by each Pilipino in order for us to understand each other. Why do we really need to use this language in speaking? In our country, each Pilipino has their own dialect in their places, just like us, we used Iloko not only here in Ilocos but also places neighboring us, we easily understand and communicate our fellow Ilocano by using our own mother tongue. Cebuano, Chavacano, Capampangan, Ilonggo, Bisaya, Iloko are some of the dialects that were used in our country but almost all Pilipino's know how to speak Tagalog or Filipino so that we can easily understand each other. For example, an Ilocano meet a Cebuano, so how can they understand each other if they will not use Tagalog?

I do conclude that whenever we used Tagalog in communicating with our fellowmen it means that we're proud that we are a Pilipino. It shows that we love our country, our native land, Philippines. It also shows that we're not ashamed to use this. When we give respect to our language, it means that we also give respect to our country and I'm proud to say that "I'M A PILIPINO."

TRIVIA: Did you know that at first we don’t 
have our own language? But with the help of Manuel L. Quezon, Tagalog was proclaimed as our Wikang Pambansa. Then it evolves to Pilipino for the reason that there are words that we adopt from other languages. Now it is called Filipino, because there are words that were added from the dialect of different regions in the country.

FILIPINO is our Wikang Pambansa, not TAGALOG nor PILIPINO. PILIPINO is the person, while FILIPINO is our language.

How my mind was honed with technology

“ICT or the Information and Communication Technology is a subject that you can easily deal with.” It’s already my 4^th year to have this subject. When I was still in Elementary, we have our computer subject, but I just learned the simple or basic lessons that we must learn about the computer. It's still fresh on my mind the time when my teacher in computer scolded me. You know the reason behind it? It’s because I didn’t shut down the computer properly. I was grade two then when that was happened.

                Why do we say that this subject is enjoyable or fun? I can say that I had just learned basic lessons on computer before I entered High School, but it was helpful or useful to me. I was not hard up already because I had some knowledge on it. We have lots of excitement in this subject whenever we have our new lessons. As time goes by, my knowledge increases. I had learned how to make animations, edit pictures using the Adobe Photoshop, using the Microsoft Publisher in making brochures, flyers, invitations and many more in the past years. This 1^st grading period we’d learned about the uses of internet, its history and those man behind this changes. And now, I’m familiarizing myself to the BLOG which is a portmanteau or in other words, a blend of the words web and log. This blog serves as our online diaries, or it is our way to express or share our ideas about something or a certain topic.

                I was hard up in making articles to my blog. It feels like I don’t know how to start this post and I don’t even know how to express those ideas that I have especially when we have a lot of school works. I was also afraid that some of it was wrong grammars. But we all know that all of us commit mistakes.

                Even though I was hard up in this 1^st grading period, I will do my best to the next activities that we will have until such time that it will just be easy for me. I can do this! Be a positive thinker Trisha! STUDY HARDER FOR THE NEXT GRADING PERIOD!

A Good Service Deserves an Appreciation

            SONA or popularly known as State of the Nation Address is an oration about the state, condition and situation of the country. It is an annual address by the President of the Philippines to the Congress of the Philippines. It is required by 1987 Constitution of the Philippines and must be delivered every fourth Monday of July at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Batasan Hills, Quezon City.

            Our Honorable President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III delivered his 3^rd SONA last July 23, 2012. It was his longest SONA so far, he had delivered it for almost 1 hour and 30 minutes and received 119-clap all in all.

On that day, I have a class so I was unable to neither watch it nor hear it on the radio but I have the guts to surf it on the internet for the reason that I want to hone my mind about what happened on our native land during the administration of our very own President, NOYNOY.

It was clear enough that the first part of his SONA focuses more on the progress of our economy and the activities that the present administration did.

He was able also to mention about the different laws that he wants to be approve. The loudest applause came after he, the President, urged Congress to pass the Responsible Parenthood Bill, Malacañang’s own description of the controversial reproductive health bill.

I also have my own simple reflection about the SONA of our President especially on the first part. I was grateful to have a leader like him, for the progress of the economy and for little by little eliminating the graft and corruption in our country. Sooner or later the Philippines would not be anymore in the state of poverty because of him. With his achievements and accomplishments he deserves to be called a good leader, and it should be appreciated by every Filipinos. But unfortunately, there are still so many people who dislikes his administration.

We can see that his administration had already done so many activities. That’s why most of the comments of his countrymen were positive but still there are people who criticize and condemn him. They can’t see the changes because they were just depending. They don’t even know how to help theirselves. They’re just depending and expecting from the administration.

Instead of criticizing, why not just they cooperate with him? Share their opinions for him to understand what their plea is. We are his boss, so maybe he has the initiative to hear our own statements.

http://garymariano.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?orderby=updated 

http://talakayanatkalusugan.com/2010/10/26/termino-ni-pnoy/ - sources

Nutrition Month Celebration

Have you ever notice or wonder that we celebrate different activities every Month? An example are the Buwan ng Wika in August and the Nutrition Month in July. Every year, the National Nutrition Council leads the whole nation in celebrating the Nutrition Month, its intention was to broadcast nutrition messages to all Filipino through an important theme. This year 2012, the theme is “Pagkain ng gulay ay ugaliin, araw-araw itong ihain.”

The 38^th Nutrition Month celebration emphasizes the importance of vegetables to our everyday life and for us also to know the nutritional benefits contain in it. Its purpose also was to inspire all the citizens in this country to cook and eat vegetables for the reason that this food contains different nutrition, like for example the vitamin A that is needed by the retina of the eye. You can found Vitamin A on green leafy vegetables.

Another vitamin is the B1, vitamin B1 is important in the production of energy. The following are some examples of vegetable that contains this vitamin: Squash, Corn, Beans, Okra, Potatoes and many more.

Different vegetables contain different nutrition. So eat different vegetables everyday to gain different nutrition on your body.

According to my research, eating vegetables everyday can prolong your life because there are so many health benefits that you can get. So what are you waiting for? Eat vegetables everyday and make it a habit for you to have a healthy life style.

http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/vitamins-nutrition-chart.html 

 http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/vegetables-why.html

http://vince-reals.blogspot.com/2012/07/nutrition-month-2012-philippines-theme.html 

http://tambay-arts.blogspot.com/2012/07/pagkain-ng-gulay-ugaliin-araw-araw.html - sources

A Simple Letter to the President

Dear President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III,

            May the Almighty God bless you and reward you a hundredfold!

           A pleasant and wonderful day to you Mr. President! On my whole life, never did I expect to be given a chance to make a letter address to your good office. But now that I have an opportunity, I would like first to CONGRATULATE you for the success of our motherland. KUDOS sir for a job well done. Secondly to share and comment some of your past, present and future plans. With due respect sir, please don’t feel offended for the reason that this is just only my own opinion. And we all know that a good leader know how to seek the insights and opinions to gain knowledge in leading others.

        First and foremost, your plan about the Reproductive Health Bill Number 5043 or whom you call it Responsible Parenthood. Yes our country is on the state of poverty, but I think that this is not the solution for it. In my own humble opinion the solution is to eliminate graft and corruption.

You also proved us that justice is applicable to every one of us. A specific example of it was when you removed Mr. Renato Corona on his position as a Chief Justice. Although you are not the one who eradicates him, but you are the one who lead the impeachment trial be open.

         Many people depends on you, many people waits on the actions that you do to every trials  or problems of our country. You prove to us that you're deserving in your position. You have many responsibilities in our country because you were chosen to lead us. Many people trust in your ability. We trust in you that you can do all the tasks that were given to you. 

        I hope that you can do all the promises that you have in your SONA, and I hope that you can do more to help our country to progress before your term ends. Thank you and you will always be included on my prayers that the all-powerful God bless you in leading our nations to the right path.

Respectfully yours,

Trisha Joy Tabboga Bautista

Student of Ilocos Sur National High School