"An Inspirational Story"

"This story is all about the life of my best friend named Vira.She's a simple girl who values her family so much.She's a strong girl, for she faces whatever problem she encounters with a smile. But despite of her being strong, she has a past that she wished she had never experienced."

Back when Vira was still a child she thought that life was so simple and that everybody could live happily ever after. Every night her father would tell them bedtime stories and her most favorite one was the story about the pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. She even told herself that one day when she’s old enough she’s going to go look for that pot of gold and give to him. Vira have a big and happy family and everything they needed are within arm’s reach for they are raised with a silver spoon on their mouths.

Years passed by and she just turned seven years old. Everything is going smoothly for her but still she wasn’t contented and so she asked God to please give her another baby sister to take care of, since she wasn’t able to take care of Nikkie because she was still a year old when she was born, and promised Him that she will take good care of her. Then a week or two later her prayer was answered when her mom announced to the whole family that she’s pregnant again. Vira was so happy when she arrived and could still remember that memorable day like it happened only yesterday. She immediately took care of her and did not left her side that day and so she was absent from school because of that.

Another year went by unnoticed and here the drastic changes of her life began. She came to the realization that that there are things that aren’t meant to be. That not all stories end with a happily ever after, there are some that comes to a happily never after before their lives really begin. And that’s what happened to her. Her parents broke up without so much ado and it all happened so fast that it came to her like a blur. She never heard or saw them fight, not even once. She still couldn’t believe it even if her mom took her and her two younger sisters to her hometown while her eldest brother was left behind with her grandparents (dad’s parents).She never thought that the day she said good bye to her mother will be the last time within almost a year.

Vira thought it was just a short visit from her hometown to her mother’s family and she even asked her how long are they staying there and why can’t her brother stay with them. “We’ll be going back before you even notice it, honey,” her mother answered her and Vira believed her. The next day she went to the public elementary school of Del Monte, Agusan Del Sur. She didn’t mind it at all or ever wondered why she’s going to a different school since she loves schooling so much. Days became weeks and weeks became months. She is now celebrating her eight birthday and was wondering why isn’t there even a single slice of cake or even just a balloon for her. She found it strange because she was used in celebrating her birthday with a party prepared by her mom and grandparents.

One morning after she asked her mom about when will they go back her grandmother Minda (her mom’s mother) told a painful revelation. Her mom told them that their parents were over long before they got there because he’s dad got another woman. On that day she stopped bothering her mom about questions that she realized was painful for her although she tried her best without lying to them. She never asked her again if when will they are going back and kept it to herself and secretly hoped that that day will finally come because she admitted that life in Del Monte was very different from the life they we’re raised and mom knew that too, though she kept it to herself too. They never talked about the life they have left behind especially when her mom’s around because they know that if she heard them talking about that she’ll be hurt. Then the day that he have been waiting for so long arrived, her grandfather Primo (her papa’s father) came and said that he’ll take them back now. She was so happy as well as her sisters. For almost a year they did not see their grandmother and older brother.

The day came when finally they are back again to the place where she was raised and molded. Everything is fine she keep on telling herself though she knows that it is not. Even if a year has passed the news about her parents separation is still rampant and fresh especially that they are back again. They became the laughing stock and the talk of the town for almost two years. People talk behind their back and made fun of them openly most of them would ask her politely “Hey, Vira, where’s your mom?” and she will answer him that she’s at their house. Then he will ask her again “Then who’s that woman standing there isn’t she your second mother?” then he pointed somebody at a distance when she followed his finger she saw the other woman of her dad. She was so furious but what can an eight years old child do to a thirty year old adult? Nothing! So she smiled at him sweetly and replied “No. I have no idea what you’re talking about, mister.” And she left. That happened a few more times but she ignored all of them. One afternoon while she was playing with her friends most of them knew her history others don’t. She was caught off guard when one of her not so close playmates asked her, “Why is your father not living with you? Instead he’s living at the other house?” She was caught off guard with that question. Luckily she was quick and answered her that her father is working as their driver and her close friends are kind enough to support her and at the same time stop her from asking another question again.

It was the first time that she lied and she was only nine years old. She realized that in order to protect herself and other siblings she have to do that even though she know it isn’t good for they are taught to be honest. Since then they have manage to dodge and evade questions connected to that. Every time she looks at her mom no matter how hard she tries to hide the pain of the separation from them. Vira could still see it clearly in her eyes. She knows how hard it was for her to come back to her father’s parents but she can do nothing about the fact that she cannot support them. What was more painful was the fact that the woman who destroyed their family was one of her mothers’ few friends because her mom was such a silent person and seldom goes out.

I could never fathom how she endured the humiliation and hurt of coming back but one thing is for sure it’s because she loves us too much that she’s willing to sacrifice everything. I’ve seen her fight and withstand pain with head up high. How the experience made her stronger and more resilient, and because of that I’m proud of her. And if ever I’ll be born again I’d still want her to be my mother.

My father was such an intelligent man that is why I keep on wondering how he could do this to us. Wasn’t he thinking about his children? But I never had the guts to personally ask him. I was too afraid to know the truth and I don’t want to hurt him too for asking unbearable questions. I could never forget the day one of my classmate told me that I am such a bad child that is why our father left us. I never knew his reason in telling me that was. All I know is that I don’t want to find out anymore.

Vira was afraid to ask questions for fear that’ she might hurt them. She always tells herself that it’s better to be hurt than to hurt the one you love. Years went by before she finally realized that her broken family could never be pieced back anymore. There are things that are better left the way they are and let them be than try to arrange it even if it’s already impossible. Now that’s she finally understand the whole thing she’s starting to move on. Accept the fact that this is her fate and that she will never see her family again together because so many painful things had happened. Even if they forgive their father it will never be enough anymore. The rip that was created by years of betrayal could never be patched up.

"How do Media affects our values?

"The dictionary defines media as all the means of communication, as newspapers, radio, and TV, that provide the public with news, entertainment, etc., usually along with advertising. Essentially, that means almost anything can be media as long as it is watched."

Media/technology plays a vital role to the change of today’s value system whether it is right or wrong actually depends upon the person using it or being exposed to it. For example when a child or anybody else was exposed to malicious acts and improper ones using the internet, since these kinds of things are sometimes unavoidable and rampant, there’s a big chance that that person might be influenced to do the same. And there the decline of the moral codes our ancestors strives hard to imprint to us will start. For over the years since media became known many people has used it to dupe and cheat others. Granted that you can make a lot of friends from across the world because of so many social sites but, could you tell that the person you’re talking to is a good influence to you?

Tagged is a social networking site based in San Francisco, California, United States. It allows members to play games and to share tags and virtual gifts, and suggests new people for members to meet. Founded in 2004, Tagged is now visited by 6.8 million US users and 26 million users worldwide each month.

Descriptive

This story happened almost twenty-five years ago. Back when my grandmother, Agustina, was still at her thirties as well as my grandfather, Primo. Our house was situated across the public elementary school of our barangay and my grandmother worked there as a teacher too.

It was almost midnight when she decided to go outside the house and wait for grandpa because he’s still not home yet from work. It was full moon so she wasn’t afraid even though there’s nobody else outside at that time. She was mesmerized with the moon shining above her when she happened to look across the street to the school. And there she saw a beautiful woman in a Maria Clara outfit walking or floating perhaps. The woman looked at her way and even smiled at my grandmother then resumed her walk or float; she couldn’t tell really for it all seemed surreal. The woman continued from the first classroom of the first block to the third and the last one then disappeared like a mist.

After seeing that, the hairs at the back of my grandmother’s nape began to rise. She’s so spooked but still she did not go inside and still waited for her husband. Most of the people knew the history of the area and they said it wasn’t good at all.

Until now I was wondering how she was able to tell that the mysterious woman was beautiful with the distance between them. And I feel spooky while writing this one actually! The woman never showed up again but my sister said that it’s true.

"NEWS STORY"

One week ago, Vira Marie,my neighbor, lost her white Japanese Spitz dog.It was Sunday night , while she was watching television,when she noticed that Tifi(the name of the dog), was missing. She thought that Tifi was just playing around.
She searched high and low,checked her dog with her neighbors.She was totally sad, because she loved her pet very much.It was an expensive dog,given to her by her Aunt,during her birthday. She can’t sleep every night,because she was worried about her dog.
Vira thought she will never find again her dog,but to her surprise,a woman named Sandra, returned the little puppy. Sandra said that she found the dog at her garden, playing with her 8 years old son. She did not think about returning the dog to the owner, because she was very busy in those days. But after a few days, she realized that the owner must be worried,because she knew that the puppy was a little bit expensive.
Vira was very thankful, and promise herself to take good care of her pet.According to her, She don’t want to lose her little gal again.

Being Independent

They say everyone in your life that you depend on will one day no longer be around. Some will move away, some will stop talking to you and all of them will vanish-but I don’t want it to happen. I am seventeen years old. Through out those years, I depend on my mother. I am doubtful on my decisions unless corrected or perfected by mama. I am controlled by the thoughts that things might go wrong without her. However, I don’t think she is treating me like a baby but whenever I’m not with her, I turned out to be a careless person.

I consulted mama about my plans of studying in IIT and she said it’s all up to me. I went here, not knowing that it will be hard for me to adjust and carry responsibilities. It came out to my mind that I made a dull decision that I’ll greatly regret. I work alone, prepare my breakfast, lunch and dinner, I wash my clothes, dishes and tried to carry and solve problems .I almost give up. But it made me realize that I must learn to do things on my own or else, I will not survive.

A trip to bohol

Relaxing and enjoying. That’s what I felt during my stay in Bohol with my family. Bohol is a place where you can forget your problems for a while. This vacation was very important to me because when I was still a kid, my dream was to see the famous Chocolate hills.

There are many beautiful spots in Bohol. Like Chocolate hills, beaches, caves, parks and others. Our first stop in Bohol was the Tarsier’s Habitat. Tarsier is the smallest monkey in the world. They are so cute. Its head is round and small. It has big round eyes which are close to each other. Their ears are large, thin, hairless, and shaped like a leaf. The brown and gray fur covering its body is short, thick and soft. It was such a great experience feeding them with lizards and insects. Next, we took our lunch on a floating cottage. As our boat lazily moves along, I can really appreciate the mangroves, coconut-rimmed lagoons and lush green paddy fields. We also enjoyed the mouth-watering dishes served on our table. While we were eating I can feel the fresh air touching my skin. It was a joyful experience, a unique one-indeed; it was like floating on clouds. After this joyful experience, we headed back to the hotel were we stay in. The next day we went to Chocolate hills. It was so wonderful. There are hundreds of Chocolate hills and each one of them has its own name. They look like piles of chocolates. How I wish I could eat them.

Those are the experiences that I will treasure in my whole life.I will not forget this vacation, because after this, i will be far away from them. I will have to go to college in Iligan.

"CONFLICTS"

"You can't shake hands with a clenched fist."
- Indira Gandhi

Conflict is a fight or struggle between people with different interest. It occurs in all social setting, and has a great impact upon a persons day to day life.
It is the struggle which grows out of two opposing forces. If not with ourselves, then with others. You may have conflicts with your friends, classmates,relatives or even with parents.

Dealing with conflicts is an everyday challenge to most people. A conflict maybe small or big. As a child one would consider conflict being not allowed to play with a toy by a peer. During adolescence conflict seems to change being pressured by friends to do something that he don't want to do, which can lead to a problem. These maybe small conflicts, but it will get worse if not handled properly. An adult conflict seems to be taken more emotionally because of how passionately one feels of their personal view. This conflict is very common with couples today. They loose the sense of trust with each other.

A cold shoulder here, a silent treatment there, is just some of the things a person will receive during a fight. Confronting a person is difficult, especially for me because I have a difficulty with accepting my fault. But I learned that I should learn how to forgive and forget. Feel free to ask one another why the person felt that way and what brought up the situations. They should resolve their problem and work out a compromise that would please both sides. Even if its too hard, we should learn to forget the pain and forget the memory.

"The Mysterious Mountain"

After reading the text, I had pictured out the beauty of Mt. Apo in my mind. I had learned its history, why it was name Apo, imagined its picturesque, and learned about the "snow"(sulfur) at the peak of Mt. Apo.


I found this text difficult to read. Because there are some words that are difficult understand, that's why I have to use dictionary most of the time. And there are so many people involved, especially the geologists and historians. It was a little bit confusing but I conclude that Mt. Apo is so magnificent, and I learned how to appreciate its beauty.

"No One Stops to Say "THANK YOU" Anymore"

After reading the text, a realization struck me. I now believe that the generation today is getting worst. Before, respecting each other, especially the elders, is very important and is always emphasize by our parents. Now, it is already long forgotten. I realized that people, mostly youths, are forgetting to behave and act according to the good manners and right conducts learned in school and home. And it really makes me sad because disrespecting others can hurt them. We act recklessly without even thinking the feelings of others. We hardly thank the people who helped us and say sorry to those we have hurt. It is hard for us to utter those words when in fact, it is only short and minimal. Many of us are well mannered. It is stressing to think that the youths, who are supposed to be the "hope of the motherland", is now degrading the dignity for their country.

Are we going to be like this forever? I hope not.When these things continue to happen, what will happen to our world in the next generation? Maybe the world will be full of discouraged and sad people. Hurting others by disrespecting them is rampant.

We would not let it happen. There is still hope to save ourselves from the complete manner destruction. We should not forget to say "thank you" and "I'm sorry", because even if it is a simple courtesy, it makes other people happy. We should always put in our mind that good manners is of vital importance. So we should alot time to practice them.

"Nothing is Impossible"

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination" -Tommy Lacorda


Determination plays a vital role in achieving a goal. It is essential to be passionate about the aim that you have set for yourself.The biggest success stories are of those who have endured all hardships and refused to give up the goal which in all senses was wise to pursue. A positive mindset is an incomparable asset. The positive thinking and outlook is necessary for the success and development of an individual. You must have perseverance as a part of your personality if you wish to be known as a successful individual. A man of perseverance is certainly going to do well in his or her life if principle of perseverance is adopted.

No other human power can match that of determination. Since I was young, I have striven to achieve my goals; I call it a "determination to succeed." Without a "determination to succeed," giving up in life, when a situation seems impossible to overcome, becomes second nature. The methods one uses to overcome the challenges faced in life affects how one acquires success. The key to success in any field is the perseverance of a human being. Success is like a ladder where the person steeping in to it has to undergo a lot of hard work to reach at the top. There would be many pitfalls and obstructions but the fruit will be surely sweet. Hence, one must not run away from perseverance rather should adopt in such a way that you are able to overcome your difficulties with it.

When I was still a kid, my mother will always teach me things that I think I can’t accomplish. Like she teach me how to cook rice, how to swim how to wash the dishes, and etc. I always complain and said "I can't do it; I just can't get it right, it’s impossible.” She will look seriously at me and said "There's no such word as can't." And that was that. She will walk away, leaving me to struggle with my chores.

My mother was right! There’s no such word as can't and impossible. And so I learned a lesson that has colored my entire life, that when you really want to do something, you must never give up, you must never say that terrible word. I learned that no matter how difficult, when something is important, it's not only true that you can do it, but that you must!

HAPPYness

There's no "Y" in happiness. But, sometimes some of us sometimes get it misspelled. Happy is a word which is simply defined by people smiling. In fact, we Filipinos, are noted to be "the most smiley people in the world." Well, what do you think? I can say it's a fact. Calamities have come and gone and yet we still managed to smile, stand tall with a chin up, and moved on.

Have you ever heard somebody saying, "I want to die to be happy"? Never, right? It is because we look at the positive side of a negative situation. That God has given us the chance to experience the ups and downs in life. Yet definitely, being happy depends on how we cope with our life no matter how rocky is the road we traverse. Still there is reason for us to be happy, and never surrender.

Happiness is a new idea. So at the moment, let us live life to the fullest, grab all those opportunities that make us happy, let us not waste our time being sad and lonely; instead, let us love the we love,thank the one we want to thank for, apologize to the one we have offended and be positive at all times. Fro me, it does not really matter how happiness is spelled- whether happy-,hapee-, hapi-, or api-it will still have the same meaning, because what's life for, if well just waste the time God has given us? So, c'mon,smile and be happy.

2012

Activity No. 2

We were warned.

Directed by Roland Emmerich, this is a film on a series of natural disasters of apocalyptic proportions, based on the Mayan belief that the world is going to end of the year 2012. The cast is led by John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton and Woody Harrelson.

The movie features mega tsunamis, cataclysmic earthquakes which seemed to suddenly sprout up one after the other, firestorms, and other forms of obliteration one could only think of.
It all starts when Adrian Helmsley(Eljofor) meets up with Dr. Satnam Tsurutani(Jimi Mistry) in year 2009, before the holocaust happens. They predict a chain of calamities, and Helmsley warns the President of the United States of the impending doom. Heads of state and government then start drastic actions to ensure the survival of humanity(through government personalities were the majorities of those chosen), in secret.
Then, in the year 2012, Jackson Curtis(Cusack) takes his children Noah(Liam James) and Lilly (Morgan Lily) camping at Yellowstone National park. Then they met Charlie Frost(Harrelson), a hermit who prophesies the end of the world.
All Frost said would proved to be true, as Curtis and his family narrowly escape the Yellowstone Caldera's eruption, and a sequence of earthquakes(one of which topples, with an ironic twist, the statue of Christ of redeemer, crashing down on people). The family comes aboard a ship prepared by the government(called the ark), and eventually are saved.
Millions die because of the rise of the waters and earthquakes, and when the flood recedes, the Arks head to the Cape of Good Hope on Africa, which has risen in relation to the sea level.

Watching St Peter’s Basilica collapse. An aircraft carrier upended to descend upon the White House. The Himalayas inundated. The Yellowstone super volcano erupting. It was spectacle beyond belief. Though the events in the movie were hard to imagine, and probably impossible, I would still want to applaud 2012 for its superb effects, which in my opinion is second to none. It helps,too, that this movie was released at a time when we're all feeling the effect of climate change. This will be our warning, our wake-up call.

A Mission To Be Accomplish

All of us have our own personal mission in life. Missions are what keeps us going on. Every person has strive hard to fulfill their missions. Every person has had obstacles in their way that prevented and delayed them from achieving their missions. If we work hard enough we might fulfill our missions one day. So there is always a reward for hard work.

One of my missions for the future is to obtain a sense of being personally fulfilled, regardless of what I choose to do professionally. I want to be satisfied with my decisions and be able to live up life to the expectations I have for myself. As for now, I only have one simple goal that I really want to pursue, and that is to make my family proud and happy. My family is the best and most important possession that I own, and so, by all means, this is my personal mission in my life.

My family and I, wanted me to become successful in life. I will do all the best that I can. I will study hard to finish my studies and have a good career. Just like an eagle that symbolizes great nobility, wisdom, and courage, I'll be a good example to others. I'll never back down to challenges and will never be afraid to reach new heights. Just like an eagle whose always close to God, I'll stand by his words. I'll always see the spiritual purpose of every single thing from its physical and literal meaning. Most of all, I will always believe and trust in God. No matter what happen, I will never let go of His arms. Because I believe that with God, all things are possible.