Reflection....

Does it ever struck to you that it is already the fourth grading? Or does it ever sunk into you that you will be graduating? This is my life. This is how fast the world revolves around us. This is how the four years that you stayed in your high school will come to an end in a matter of weeks. This is how you will realize that soon, you will be a college or university student.

As a high school girl, I never expected that the days are too short for me to explore more of my high school, though you will say that four years are long enough for you to do the exploring. Sixteen grading periods are almost done. You are only waiting for the examinations and school is done. School is almost over. That’s so sad. I take that back. That’s so, so sad to be true. Imagine the four years of your life. You are stuck with your friends that you treat them as your brothers and sisters already. Isn’t that sad? But graduation and fourth grading is not the end of them all. These parts of our lives will only make us someone that is stronger so that when we face college life, we are ready to battle with our high school memories as our weapons.

Fourth grading is the warning sign that school is coming to an end. Here, you will regain every memory that are temporarily forgotten when the days pass by. In this chapter, friends are reunited again when you have misunderstandings. But most definitely, school won’t be complete without the remembrance of the jokes and teasing you once have done in your room. School is hell during freshman year because you will experience torture from the higher year level. It’s a hell for you don’t anyone. You’re a stranger without someone to lean on. You’re nobody. But when senior year comes, everything will change. You are the boss.

In spite of the pros and cons of school, you will always thank the Lord for bringing you to whatever school you attended. Because in that school you found your first crush, first girlfriend or boyfriend, first terror teacher, or everything that is first in your life. 

But besides all of that, school is where you found the treasure in your life, your FRIENDS. They are the ones who helped you during your crisis and hardships. They are the ones who laughed with you, smiled with you and cried with you. They are the ones who will always be the diamonds in your little treasure box. Aside from your friends, you also found TEACHERS. They are the ones who helped you in preparing your future. They are the ones who gave you trust and shared their confidence with you. They believed in you that you will carry on during life struggles and that you will everything on your path.

My dream, my future

When I was a child, my teachers and parents always ask one thing that stuck in my mind ‘till now: “What is your dream?”  And as I answer their question to me, they always leave something that will help me pursue it, “‘People who have no dreams of the future will not fly far away.” Because of those inspiring words from my parents, teachers, family members and my friends, I always try my best to do everything that I can to make it real and come to life.

One of the best moments in my life was when I was awarded as “Best in Mathematics” in my elementary life. It’s a WOW! A priest was the one who was invited to award us in our recognition during that time. This priest was very good and kind to us, who were still little kids. He always embrace and kiss our foreheads whenever we go to him. As I was called on the stage to receive my certificate and medal, he asked me what would I want to be. And I answered that I want to be a teacher just like my grandmother. And then he frowned. “I advise you to take accountancy instead. There, you can explore more of yourself and your talent in Mathematics. Accountancy is a bigger world, hija. You should take it and dream big. Dream bigger!” And that sentences made me wonder for weeks. Should I? Should I follow a priest’s advice? Or should I just stick to my plans?

After that, I imagined myself as an accountant. Yes! Father is correct. I can be a teacher but that would be as it is, a teacher with kids to be taught. Being a teacher will let you be on one place only and it is happening repeatedly every year but with different people to teach. Being an accountant will let you travel farther. You can explore different aspects in your favorite subject and it’s one thing that I want as school girl.

We all have different ways to make our dreams come true. But, we all have the same starting line and that is to study well. Education will lead you anywhere you wanted to be. Education, as they say, is the key to success. It is true. Education is your passport to your dreams because without it, you will be useless and dumb.

I will try my best to do my dream job in the future, and if I fail or I have problems with my studies, I will keep on dreaming to overcome the problem and keep believing I will have a good life in the future. I will always try to follow my dreams and I will make it my inspiration for every day.The problems that I will have to face are just something that would not make me weaker. 

Problems are meant to make you stronger and better. Problems will teach you lessons that will enhance your capability and thinking. Problems are nothing but problems that you will overcome as long as you have faith and if believe in HIM, because God will always be your wall when you failed. And he will be your only strength when feel like giving up on that dream.

There is nothing impossible in this world. Everything is possible as long as you believe in it. You should make your dream come true and live with it. You should make your dream come to life and love it as if your life depended on it. Hence, my dream, my future!

Change: It starts with m

CHANGE: IT STARTS WITH ME

Life is very crucial. You have to be precise and sure of how you do and act. Some may take it as some kind of a game in their early age but others take it as something vulnerable. Yet life is wonderful. It gives you things to understand, places to explore, and people to know. In life, we do developments. As we start in the base of our pyramid, we open up our books for others to know the simple things about us. Life is like the ocean, you never how far it is from the horizon. Just like us, we do not know when will be our finish lines. We do not know if we are nearing in the end or if we still have to travel miles and miles on the road. But as we continue our journey to the top of our pyramid, we undergo things that may change our views in life. Change is to become different or to make a difference. This change can be for the better or for the worst. We are all capable of changing. And change starts with me.

As we grow older, we realize that we are changing. It outpours to us that we are actually being developed from someone so innocent to someone that is very great. CHANGE, the one and only one thing in this world that is permanent. Our happiness fades but make CHANGE the exception. Our money can go away but never is CHANGE. Nothing will live with us for the rest of our lives but CHANGE sticks to us. CHANGE may be some kind of a silly word but it has meanings that can change the direction of our minds as we travel to our own paths.

Change starts from us. Most people say: “Don’t be afraid to change. You might lose something good but you will gain something better.” I agree not to disagree on that saying. If we want something better, we can start changing now. If we want to be someone new and far from today we can be that someone. We just have to start to change. Changing might be a difficult process, but as long as we are determined and we are faithful enough to ourselves we can be better and bolder. We are always bothered about how we run our lives. We are always concerned of other people’s voices about us. But, can’t you see that they are only insecure and jealous of you because you are better than them? And because we believe what they say we tend to change. Yes, change, but not for the better.

Why don’t we start the good change in ourselves? Why not start it now? Why not say that you don’t actually care about them and that they are only life struggles that we can pass one day? It would be a weight lifted off of our shoulders if we can be strong and if we can stand for our own. I say: I can change!

Whatever we do to ourselves, whatever we decide, whatever we think and whatever we believe, it will lead to change because these things that we view in life are our signs and directions. It is our compass to where we are going. It is our map to our navigation. To be able to change, we have to focus our energy and battery to building new things that would soon be our major concentration and not on fighting the old parts that were once a bother to us.

As a young teen of 16, it isn’t too late to realize how I had turned my life. It isn’t too late to be on the right path and change my direction. This is only the beginning of something new. This is only the start of something better because I know that change starts with me!

Insight: Ylocos Kannawidan Festival

The Kannawidan Ylocos Festival

            Festivals, a way of showing how certain localities show their commemoration and thanksgiving, are events that every Filipino never misses out. It is their source of happiness, a way to show their faithfulness, love and respect. It is also a Filipino’s way to show their hospitality to their visitors not only in their homes but also to the tourists, local or foreigner tourists that explore their hometown. Right after the overpowering Longganisa Festival in the heart of Ilocos Sur we celebrate an event that unites us from heart to heart. Here in Ilocos Sur, one big event never passed in our calendars as we gracefully celebrate our Kannawidan Ylocos Festival!

            Ilocos Sur is known for its preserved beauty spots like the Heritage City of Vigan, the Santiago Cove or Sta. Maria’s Pinsal Falls. Likewise, it is also famed for its history during the Spanish Colonization. The people are known to be brave to their hometown. Nevertheless, the Ilocanos are also known for their creativity especially during festivals. One highlight of the Kannawidan Ylocos festival is the Trade Fair. This is where the locals showcase their One-Town-One-Product, also known as OTOP. Every town of Ilocos Sur is known because of the handiworks of its people to showcase their products. Like how the people of Sinait, Ilocos Sur, show their Garlic Stand or how the patient people of San Vicente carve their elegant furnitures.

            This year’s Kannawidan Ylocos Festival started last January 30, 2015 with an opening program held at the Quirino Stadium. The said festival lasts for two weeks which means that it will end a day before we celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day. The festival holds different competitions which marks Ilocano’s creativity, resourcefulness and sportsmanship. Some of the competitions were Folk Dance, Marching Band and the Saniata where Ilocano beauties compete for a crown. There are also many other competitions which completes the celebration of the festivals. There’s also the Carnival, where Ilocano kids, teens, and families enjoy the rides and other fun games.

            Surely, a festival is a way of popularizing a certain place. And as the heart of Ilocos Sur, Vigan City, was officialy announced as one of the New 7 Wonder Cities of the World many tourists never denied the idea of experiencing Ilocos through the Kannawidan Festival. Many people from different places and localities joined us, the Ilocano people, to celebrate how thankful we are from the bountiful resources and products that are passed from our ancestors to us even after how many years of serving our beloved province.

            Kannawidan Ylocos Festival: A Showcase of Culture & Tradition! Long Live Ilocos Sur!

Essence of Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas

In Our Hearts

                December, cold days, lights, trees, sparkling decorations, stars and songs: several words to describe Christmas. During the last month the year, we celebrate an event that gives the aura of gift-giving and love, an event where we unite and plaster smiles on our faces. It is where we divide our hearts equally to one another. But, what could be the real essence of Christmas? Is it the stars, the blows of the wind, the gifts under our Christmas trees, or the lovely songs that we sing?

                Christmas is an event that moves our hearts together. It is where our families unite for once in every year. Some of them maybe working abroad or in other places in the country but we always make ways to be together as a whole family during Christmas. Maybe it’s the Spirit that Christmas spreads for all of us that makes it memorable and special for all of us. We give gifts and at the same time we receive one. We share our greeting cards and decorate our houses with lanterns, lights and the Christmas tree. The patience that we spread to our families, friends and even our neighbors are the endless love that we share. Those lovely efforts and infinite “Thank You’s” are the signs of how Christmas is important to all.

                Many love Christmas because of the gifts but those are the minor essences of Christmas. It isn’t the gifts or the songs. There is something else on Christmas… It is the birth of our savior, our Lord. Jesus’ birth is the most important event of all. It is our goal and objective to celebrate it. It is the Essence of Christmas.

Reflection

I'm A Step Closer...

Another grading period was over. Time really flew very fast for my liking and now here I am stating my experiences for the third grading period. Well, all I can say is that it is fun yet troubled. But where’s the fun in a plain and ordinary quarter? NONE! And it is better if my third grading is full of dilemma and problems. Because I can say that I had actually survived it with so much lessons and I’m a step closer to graduation which I may say is running closer to me in a fast phase of events and days.

In a couple of months I had actually gained many things. I learned something that had shaped me to a better person. It is to learn how to fight in every battle field and not to go down without fighting for it. That is the essence of my third grading. I became the busy person, joined camps and dances. I filled the teacher’s table with so many excuse letters but I tried and successfully, I coped up with what I had missed. Although it is hard, I fought to grab what I should have learned in the days that I’m out of the room. I passed school works and let my teachers understand why I’m late in passing those requirements in his or her class.

And now, I am about to welcome the last stage of my forth year which I may say is the busiest of the four stages that I have to step during every year of my high school life. But it will no weaken me. It will actually strengthen me because after this, I’m off to college.

New Year, New ME

New Year, New ME

                The birth of our Savior finally ended and still here we are sparing some of our energy to one event that would complete our short vacation. The long wait will finally end as we drag ourselves outside our houses to watch the magnificent countdown for another year to come. Another fresh start, resolutions and bucket lists. It’s New Year, New Me!

It’s been a long 2014 for me but I bet most of you had the same experiences as me, generally. To say the least we had so much fun in the previous year, we faced a lot of troubles yet we had found different ways to solve them. But not most had been solved and are crossed out on our long list of problems. There’ll always be something hanging in our shoulders and are yet to be solved. But it’s worth trying to solve it. And here we are, so excited to welcome 2015.

New Year? That’s when I prepare myself for those extravagant fireworks and firecrackers. That is the time when I join my gang, I mean my family, to set up those things a few hours before New Year’s Eve. Well, it isn’t just for those noisemakers; no one can resist the food in our tables. Hams, cheese, pasta, bread and grilled meat; I hardly can resist those goodness. But what's best is that, we celebrate our New Year's Eve in the arms of our family and we share our biggest smiles with them.

In every New Year, we can’t also pass on our resolutions. We change to someone who is better than the previous year, someone stronger and bolder yet softer inside. That is what’s thrilling in every New year to come. Like me, I always wanted to improve myself, to reach the peak of my ability in a younger age and to be merry all the way to last page of my 2015. If I can be, I will be. And my 2015 will display the BETTER and NEW ME!