Change Begins with Me

       

          People in all walks of life deserve chances to be good, to be better, and to be the best. But it is really easy to say we can be the best, while the truth is, we aren't. It is only in the mind...

          Oftentimes, we Filipinos want changes, We used to dictate others what to do, not knowing that, instead of telling others, we should tell our own selves first. Come to think of it, at times you have extreme desire to have something done and yet you don't feel satisfaction of what is being done because you were not the one who did it. You have to put in mind that perfection cannot be done by others, it must be you doing the things you wanted to do. This I should be telling myself. Before pleasure, duty first. Many times, my parents say that we have to do household chores, helping each other at home, activities which are not so heavy for us. Yes , we do it, but, just when we are told to know. The reason why our parents get mad. Now I know, we should change this attitude. I should change. From this moment on, I will not wait for Mother to command. I will voluntarily do activities at home or in school with my own free will. This is the right thing, I guess...

End of Story

         Finally, its the last grading period. After our periodical exam and meeting our projects, we can finally sit back, relax and have a movie marathon in our classroom. We can use the remaining days before the graduation as a bonding time. After all, this is our final stay in ISNHS and after graduation, we'll go on our separate ways.

          But before that, I would like to share what's on my mind about this quarter. I believe that this is the hardest of all the grading periods and I have proof. Although it's just one it is still crucial- the intersection of the periodical test and deadline of activities and project. It's hard to focus on two priorities at the same time. It seems impossible to finish your requirements and at the same time, review for the test tomorrow . I can't concentrate on the first problem and can't stop worrying about the other also. This is driving me nuts. Oh well, all I could now is to give the best I can and let God handle the rest.

         Despite of this predicament, we managed to learn more about Adobe Photoshop this quarter. We first knew Photoshop during our time in the second year, so having it opened to us again brings back good old memories. We met Ms. Daisy Pantaleon, Mrs. Vera Cruz's practice teacher, who served as our mentor in Photoshop. She shared us her knowledge in photo editing. First of all, the tools and parts of Photoshop were explained and re-freshened to us. Slideshows were presented concerning the steps in photo editing. Although I wasn't an expert in Photoshop, I was able to improve my skills in editing images during our activities such as changing hair color, automating color and contrast, and applying black and white to pictures. 

          Even though Photoshop only lasted on two to three weeks, I had fun with Adobe Photoshop and want to continue using it until I mastered photo editing. 

My Dream, My Future

          At this final quarter, the topic concerning our desired ambition and vocation was repeatedly opened to us. Our various teachers consecutively tasked us to express our future plans. And during this time, my curious parents often asked me " Son, what do you want to become in the future?" These experiences made me realized that I seldom ruminate about my goals in the future and that I haven't entirely approved the course that I'm gonna take. Graduation is approaching so I better ponder fast.

          After some time, I have finally finished my deliberation. What I want to become in the future is a Civil Engineer. In the future in my own free world,  I can see myself sitting on my comfy chair in my own air conditioned room, in front of me is a large desk and on top of it are blueprint designs, pencils, t-square ruler and many more. I am very well known and respected by the people for my establishments. And at that time, I have my own family but I still provide support to my parents who I owe my success. An engineering profession, a happy family and a life without regrets and worries... these are my dream for the future and little by little I will make it a reality.

  

          Our dream determines our future. Achieving your dream means achieving the future you have always wanted. So to guarantee my success, I must study hard and avoid distractions. I will endure and overcome every challenges that will come in my way. I will continue following my parents' advice and doing the best that I can. I will entrust my dream to God and wait patiently for the day it will become a reality. 

Kannawidan: It's more fun in Ilocos Sur

          With the rapid progress of modern technologies, it is no wonder why cultures and traditions are  an antecedence to the minds of the youth. During the early period, people walked or rode horses to reach their destination in a few hours, wrote letters to a loved one in another county, used hand fans in an effort to beat the heat, washed their clothes at the riversides and many more but today, people now make use of vehicles to arrive at their destination in a few minutes, send instant messages to a person abroad via email, cool off using electric fans or air conditioner, wait for the washing machine to do the laundry and many more. Due to technology's many benefits to mankind, people seem to have overlooked its dark sides: influencing people to become slackers, polluting the environment and replacing our culture and traditions in a snail pace. But through festivities, the beauty of our cultures and traditions, our innovative characteristic and our latent abilities are preserved and re-freshened over the years. And we, Ilokanos, have this festival called "Kannawidan".

          The province of Ilocos Sur has recently celebrated its Kannawidan Ylocos Festival. This year marks the province’s 193rd year based on the Royal Decree dated February 2, 1818 separating Ilocos Sur from Ilocos Norte. Prior to this date, the stretch of Bangui in Ilocos Norte down to Luna La Union is called Ylocos which is a term to refer to the coastal inhabitants. It literally meant “from the lowlands”. It’s a province very rich in culture and heritage. Kannawidan means traditions and this province got to showcase all what she has. On January 31 to February 6, 2011 several activities were lined up for the celebration. As an introduction is the popular and astounding dancing fountain blended with fireworks diplay. There was a showcase of every products of the province such as longanisa, bagnet, garlic, bibingka, tinubong and many other foods including handicrafts. There was even eating contests of these delicacies of Ilocos Sur as well as basi drinking contest. Traditional games were played and bingo as well. There was the tribal performance of the cultural communities of Ilocos Sur which is so fascinating. They displayed their talents as well as their indigenous costumes. Bamboo also appeared as a guest artist and had a public concert. It really is more fun here in Ilocos Sur, don't you agree?

          If you missed the show, there's still next year and so on. I know it's a long time so grab your phone, go to calendar and insert a reminder in case you will forget. Next time, come and watch, and bring also your camera to preserve your happy memories in the Kannawidan festival.

New Year New Me

          

          Another year has just ended and a new year has just began. The departure of year 2013 and ,in the same, the arrival of 2014 have recently occurred. Every year,People around the world celebrate this annual event with merrymaking. Colorful fireworks covering the sky, loud noises echoing midst the  night and people exchanging "Happy New Year!" greetings- these are common observations during New Year. And during this occasion, people make promises to adjust themselves or what they called "New Year's resolution". In order to keep up to this world, we must adapt ourselves so that we can overcome the challenges that we will encounter. Consider making your own resolution this year. It's still the first month so it's still not too late to plan some changes to yourself. Think about it.

          2013 was alright for me. It was almost perfect but still I want to remove two unfavorable habits in me that nearly brought me down. One is that every meal, it always take me more than thirty minutes to finish my food. My parents always scold me because by the time I finish, the plates are already washed. I promise that I will eat my foods faster to keep up with them. Another practice is when there's a requirement at school , I always go at the last hour or minute. I promise to pass my requirement early and slowly erase this habit.

          This 2014, I believed that there's nothing else to be changed so I will just go on with my old self. All I can do for sure is to improve myself. To do this, I have to follow the requirements needed for these improvements. First, I want to gain weight. I'm tall but thin so I need to fatten up to balance them both. This way I'll be healthier and free from diseases. I'll gain weight by not missing a single fixed time meals and not leaving a single food on my plate to waste and having a regular exercise. Second, I want to use most of my time wisely. I realized that I always dawdle by watching TV and playing computer games so instead, I'll use that time to review my notes and finish my assignments. And finally, I want to attain better grades. I'm satisfied with my grades but still I want to make them higher. I will study harder and participate more in class so that I can maintain my position.

          Most people can't keep their promises throughout the year but I believe that I can do it. If this happens, I will consider it one of my greatest achievements.

Third Time's A Charm

          Third Grading Period is the best!

          Things are finally going in our way. This quarter, we were able to attend class regularly, take on new lessons and pass our projects and activities on time. Unlike in the first two grading, we had once-a-week classes, incomplete notes and late requirements. Not to mention that our scores in the exam this chapter are higher than the previous two. This time was completely different, it's like the curse upon us was finally lifted. This chapter of our senior high school life was wonderful and it's all thanks to the minor modification to our subject schedule. It was really a good idea to exchange MAPEH and ICT's schedule. This way, we were able to attend  our ICT class everyday and participate in our CAT meetings and drills.

          In this grading, I learned a bunch of things related to the creation of  HTML files. I gained new knowledge on tags which helped us in our project this period. I learned: how to insert images in the HTML file by using the image tag, how to personalize the background by using the bg color tag or body background tag, how to stylize my text by applying the font face, size and color tag, and lastly how to create home links. By applying what we had learned on our project, it obviously became the best among the groups.

         Next quarter will be the last so I want to improve myself even more. I will continue to study hard and participate in class so that I can retain my position in the top 10. I'm getting curious and excited for the upcoming period. I wonder what we'll learn next?

Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities

          Equality means "fairness". To be fair in all aspects of life is just great if it happens in the real sense of the word. In America and other parts of the world, having equal rights and opportunities isn't an issue. Age doesn't matter, personality and other qualification aren't their concern. Unlike here in the Philippines, employment is one big problem. There are times you are fit, but there is no job available for you. Or the job is there and still you are not in for the qualifications needed for that job. What happens therefore is that, one who needs employment doesn't choose anymore what kind of job he or she is going to perform. What really matters is to have an opportunity whether it is a white or blue collar job. Especially at this point in time, it is most important to have an earning to support at least yourself and not to rely on others for your needs.

          On the other hand, equal rights, equal opportunities apply most likely in political dome. That is, man and woman are already mingling in different political positions these days. During the early times, there were only few women who had courage to join men in running for any position in the government. And this is a good sign. Women can now say, "if men can, why can't we?"