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!

Climate Change

                                                                       

“The New World To Come”

                                                         

 

Many may say that as long as life is easy, there’s nothing to worry. Yes! That’s true yet it has so much consequences. Our world, our home is the safest place for us against the universe, the massive universe that we don’t know which is which from the differences of the things around us.

We, humans, create and invent things that ease the life of people. From the transportation, gadgets, food and applications to how they can be turned into something more profitable for us.

And on how they can turn tasks into simpler ones. We are not patient enough to pass the agony of life and its aspects. We tend to invent things that we don’t know what the side effects may be and now the new world had come. Climate change rules our world now. It already transformed our world. We aimed for the better but we never used our brain into a better plane and aspects of life.

 

Yes! We had a big check that we levelled technology and invented useful things. But the mere fact that it has deadly side effects gave it a bigger X mark on it.

We can do a lot of things. We can change the world. We may not save the earth but we can do great things to save humanity. The earth can live and survive without us but we can never survive without the earth. The only thing that we can do is SAVE HUMANITY!

English Month

“Outpouring Hearts and Minds Through

Literacy And English Proficiency”

To outpour is to express a feeling and emotion in a very powerful way. Our hearts and minds are the main recipes of who we are today and what we are tomorrow.

English is a major area in our education where languages, literature and writing skills are stimulated and moulded to each and one of us. Our IQ’s are tested basically through English with a package of how our Reading Comprehension is. Through English, we are able to build a castle of Literary arts and works.

Given that English taught us different areas in our basic living style, it can also teach us, specifically our hearts and minds, different regions of values, honors and builds our thinking abilities into a more special and higher levels.

English may not be our borne language, since we belong to a different country, but it is our second. It isn’t just the language of the America’s or the British people but it is the language where all of us understands and be able to connect with other people. Hence, it is the universal language.

To say the least, ENGLISH is a very powerful field where it contributes so much things. It builds our minds and thinking abilities and it strengthens us to socialize more. And with English, our hearts and minds are made to be our secret ingredient in life.