Love is a Fallacy: The Summary

Have you read the story “Love is a Fallacy” by Max Schuilman? Well, if you haven’t read it yet, here’s a summary:

The story is set in one of the Universities in the United States of America. It is about a guy who wanted to have this girl named Polly. Polly was a beautiful girl, inside and out. Polly by then was dating the main character’s friend and roommate, Petey. At first Petey wanted a raccoon coat because all of the Big Men or should I say the well known people in their school were wearing raccoon coats. He was dying to have one of these raccoon coats. That was when the narrator and main character thought of a way wherein he could give his friend the simple thing he wanted and that he could have Polly. They made a deal with each other that if he finds a raccoon coat, Petey would do anything in return. After their discussion and deal, the narrator set off to his home to spend the weekend where he remembered that his father had one of those coats that Petey was dying to have. He found the coat in one of the trunks in their house and then placed it in his bag ready for him to give to Petey.

When he returned to school after the weekend, he showed Petey the raccoon coat and asked for the thing in return. Petey was kind of shocked by what his friend wanted. He wanted to have Petey’s girl, Polly. He had second thoughts looking at the raccoon coat and away for it but at last, after thinking several times, he agreed to what his roommate wanted. The next day, the main character asked Polly out. He knew that Polly was bit a slow learner. He proved this fact when they dated. He brought her to a restaurant and the only thing she said was that the food was marvelous. He brought her to the cinema and all she said was that the movie was terrific. This was when he thought of a way wherein he could teach Polly some things he had known in their class in logic, fallacies. They had sessions every night under an oak tree and after some time, he told Polly what he really felt. To his surprise, Polly used all the things she learned about fallacies just to tell him that she never liked him. He argued with her so many times but then, he couldn’t do anything. At last, she said that she liked Petey. He was in a rage and asked why she liked Petey. That not so smart guy when he was far better than him. All she said was because Petey had one of these raccoon coats.

The End of the Summary

Hope you learned something in the story “Love is a Fallacy”. It sure was something that’s worth to read. Fallacies or false ideas are just some of the things you get to learn when loving someone. Love is sometimes a fallacy especially when you just love because you want to. But love is a decision you make. Sometimes it can hurt you; sometimes it can make you happy. Just be sure that when you love there are no other people that you can hurt or step on so that it will be an easy journey. Whether love is a fallacy or not, make sure that you pour love over the people around you!!! < = )

A Fallacy

Love is a Fallacy. Fallacy means a false idea or a mistake in reasoning. This is a topic introduced to those people who are taking law. A topic in Logic as well. I’ve read the story “Love is a Fallacy” by Max Schuilman. It was a humorous story with all those twists. Unlike stories with “Love” as one of the basis of its topic, meaning the romantic type of love, the story focuses on love as a kind of fallacy, something that’s not at all that romantic type.

At first I didn’t understand the story because it had so many turns. But as I read through, I’ve understood why “Love is a Fallacy”. Thinking of why it was entitled as such, I read the story again and understood its true meaning. Love was a fallacy for that story because the lead character was thinking that he loved the girl yet it was all for personal reason. He just wanted to have the girl because for him, she was fit to become a lawyer’s wife. He thought that by teaching her fallacies, she could be as smart as he is. But like taking a snake for a pet and eventually you get bitten by it, the woman used all the fallacies taught to her in making excuses that she doesn’t love the guy. Should I say, the main character was someone who wanted to have something just because he was going to become a lawyer and that he was already that smart thinking of outwitting his friend.

I liked the story because it somewhat tells us that love can also be a false idea. Sometimes we think that we love that person yet all we feel is ultimately infatuation. Sometimes, we think that we love that person yet all we feel is ultimately friendship. I mean, what’s the basis for true love? According to my former teacher in English, Madam Manlunas, if you love someone then you are ready to give up everything even your own life just for the sake of the person you love. A very hard and meaning full decision isn’t it? But really, it also makes sense. How could you say you love someone if you’re not ready to risk even your own life? Love is a very mind boggling and heart aching experience. In all that’s happening in our lives, we think of love as the romantic type. Love has all types and kinds. There is the love you feel for a friend. You even risk getting scolded by your teacher just because you want to protect your friend. There is also the love you feel for your parents and relatives. Love really has all types of colors like the rainbow.

Love is a fallacy and that’s what I can say for now. Love doesn’t happen that fast. You need to be hurt, to stumble and you also need to learn how to stand up. Love is a step by step process in which you must learn to value things in the way and you need to take one step at a time so you wouldn’t fall off. The story was somekind of confusing but as you read through, you would understand what the author means when he says “Love is a Fallacy”.

Math: A necessity?

Mathematics as we all know came to this world because of those people who wanted to name things by using units of measurement such as meters, pounds and even grams. Math is branch of science that deals with numbers and sometimes variables or letters. It is useful especially in branches of science like chemistry and physics. Geometry is just one of the subjects under math. More importantly, math is a necessity in our everyday life. Without knowing how to do simple arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), it will be easy for other people to trick you especially when you are in the market or in places of business.

Mathematics is considered one of the most difficult subjects in elementary until you go up to college. There are lots of people who gradually fail and eventually take a “back subject” as what we call it in U.P. According to these people, math just squeezes everything that’s in your mind. You need to memorize so many formulas and do so many computations that for us are just hassle. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to do computations and to come up with an answer. Thus, it is mind boggling. And this subject is the student’s worst enemy. But have we, students, ever thought of the advantages of MATH? Well actually, Math is very important especially in our business and trade societies.

For me, the business men are considered to be the people who are very intelligent when it comes to Math. Obviously because when you say business, it means money. And when we say money, we need to be smart or wise in the budget of our expenses. If the business men do not know how to budget, then it will cause the bankruptcy of the corporation. In a business, money comes in and out. The money that’s not being placed into good hands has a very high probability that it will be lost. In tagalong, we say this quote, “Pera na nagging bato pa”. That’s what most importantly makes up a business for the business men to apply their knowledge in Mathematics.

Not only is Math important for business men but also for ordinary people. Like the business men I have mentioned earlier, ordinary people apply their knowledge in Mathematics and use it in their everyday life. For example, you can apply math in the market. You buy something and pay the vendor but you were given the wrong amount. If you do not know how to count your change, then probably the vendor would be pretty much happy because of his extra credit. Advantageous to the vendor’s part, isn’t it? But if you immediately know what is wrong with your change, then you can immediately tell the vendor the mistake you have made.

Math is really a hassle for students like me because of that mind boggling experience when you are taking the test in Math. But these are just stages in our life as students for us to learn how to do computations to be used as entrepreneurs of the future. I know there will be so many students who would say negative things about this post, but read it properly and you’ll know that math, though it is a very difficult subject, has lots of benefits in our lives. And now, Math really is a NECESSITY in our lives.

Explore

Summer. It’s a month from now. We can now feel the intensity of the summer sun because of the state of our weather. From the cold breeze we experienced over the months of September to December, now we experience the cold breeze only near the seashores or maybe high up the mountains.

The Philippines is known for its beautiful beaches and refreshing atmosphere. And during the summer there are very many tourists here in the Philippines. Some of the places where tourists go are Cebu, Boracay, La Union, Subic, Palawan and many more areas in the Philippines with beaches that can cool and refresh us. There are also some tourists who just want to go to quiet places here like in Baguio, Mountain Province and Bukidnon. But have we ever gone to these places? The answer is no. In my own opinion, it is better that we discover our own country first than going outside the country like going to the United States or even European countries like Hungary, England or France.

During my summer vacation before I entered the University of the Philippines, I spent it with my family and relatives in Cagayan de Oro City, Bukidnon and most of all my father’s home town in Misamis Occidental particularly Calamba. During my stay in these places, I found it very enjoyable especially when we went to that waterfall in Cagayan. A very peaceful place indeed. Before arriving to the place where we can see that falls, it spent us plenty of hours before we saw the beauty of the said natural resource. It was not like Kawasan Falls here in Cebu but the beauty and the ambience of the place was very relaxing. Beside the falls was a man- made swimming pool. We were not able to go swimming near the falls because it was drizzling and the water wasn’t clear enough to see the bottom. But what really amazed me was that we were able to climb up the falls. It was a very memorable experience especially when we were at the center. The way up the falls was very slidy and we needed to hold on each other so that we wouldn’t fall. After that very memorable experience in Cagayan, we went to Bukidnon and had very many funny experiences. First, we had to change tires for about maybe two to three times before arriving at Damolog, the last town in Bukidnon near the border line of Cotabato and Bukidnon. We were there over night and the next day, we went to the spring resort where for the first time I was able to ride a cable car. Heheheh. . . . Anyways, it was beautiful there considering that the environment was natural and there were trees all around the place. In my father’s home town in Calamba, Misamis Occidental we were able to rest for about two to five days. We were able to go to the beach and go swimming too in the very clean river near my Lola’s house.

Now you see that there are some places in the Philippines which hasn’t been considered and explored by some tourists. And some of these places aren’t discovered yet by the people in the Philippines. So now, you know that there are still beautiful places in the Philippines not yet discovered and hasn’t reached the eyes of foreign tourists. Before going to other countries why not try and explore the Philippines?

Life’s Art and Canvas. . . . 03/25/07

When creating a “master piece” all you need are sketch pads or even plain paper, pencil, charcoal or watercolor and most important of all, your inspiration. As you come to draw more details on your drawing, it becomes more beautiful. But, beauty doesn’t just stop there. What makes the art work much more attractive is the color you add. The colorful your piece, the much more that people want to look at it. The color of the picture isn’t the only one that can make a picture attractive. Of course, you can’t color anything if there is no drawing. No inspiration, no drawing. As simple as that! But it includes perseverance and patience to find the right inspiration to make that special picture. A picture for me is drawn with love. Without loving your art work, it wouldn’t look presentable and not loving the job would make the piece ugly.

A drawing can be compared to our lives. Without loving people who could be our inspiration, our life would be dull. We have special people in our lives because they are the ones who add richness to who we are. We have friends who we can share moments of laughter and tears. We also have our family or parents who eventually become our role models and stepping stones. And there are special people who we consider sometimes as inspiration in school or at work. And through these people, our lives become much more colorful.

In life, we get to face problems and consequences. Sometimes it has something to do with the way we think for ourselves or the way people look at us. Sometimes we eventually become exhausted and we get tired or painting that certain picture in our lives. But, as what I have said earlier, patience and perseverance are the keys to success. Sometimes, we’d have to take advantage of things and sometimes we need to forgive and forget. It doesn’t matter if we do bad or good things because as mortals and individuals who are not at all perfect, we get to make mistakes. Some people say that mistakes can help a person. Why? Because as we make mistakes, we learn on what is the right thing we should’ve done. For example when taking a test, you cheat on your seatmate’s paper. By being scolded and told on how cheating is bad, we do not do it again and find ways on how we can correct the mistake we have done. Like the art work, we could erase lines which had been drawn incorrectly. And in painting, we could use paint eraser or white watercolor to cover up the excess paint.

Life can be a little too rough on us especially that we are in high school. But you know what? What we are experiencing now is just the start of new problems and challenges in our life. If we connect it in drawing, it’s just the start of making the drawing, meaning, just the first line we have drawn in our canvas. And our canvas in life is very, very big where we could draw more things on it and we could use more inspirations. Life is very colorful and by adding a smile everyday that we live, it just gets better and better.

A Gift from Him

Everyday of my life, we get to meet so many people. And one of the most important is our friends. Friends are made by the Lord, not to become your servants or for you to become their servant, but to be the ones who will take or raise you up everytime you fall. They will be the ones who will be here in every tear that will fall from the windows of your soul, the ones who would be there in the happiest moments of your life and they will be the ones who will see you at that point when you need them the most. At times like today, we cannot really differentiate a true friend. We have friends though but are we sure that they are the ones who will be there and who will be the ones who could see us in the darkest point in our life. There are just some who make friends because of money. There are some because they have done something good to you and they are just waiting for your return. But there are really some who will be there at the DARKEST days or hours in your life. Non other than that, a real friend is still the most loyal and is the one who will disapprove the saying that goes like this: “Your best friend can be your worst enemies”.

I remember the time when our former English teacher was talking about the Analects of Confucius. I cannot remember the exact words that he said but it was really talking about how well you know somebody, which was pertaining to a friend. She asked a few students who their best friends are. A very simple question, you can just pin- point on someone that he or she is your best friend. But, after a student could answer the first question, she asked: “If he or she is really your best friend, do you know why he or she is really like that as a person?” Very simple huh? But nobody, not even the closest of all the closest friends answered this question. That’s what I’m trying to say here, that if you are really friends with someone, he or she will know why you are you. It maybe very ironic or skeptical but this is a philosophy nobody can answer not even Confucius himself.

Can you remember those times you had a fight with your best friend and suddenly you begin hearing from other people about a secret you told him or her? I mean, what kind of friend will do such a stupid act?! It just isn’t right that you tell others other people’s secrets just because you are mad with that person. It’s such a childish act. A TRUE friend for me is someone who would still keep the secret you told him or her even though you get to have misunderstandings. It just isn’t right to do a “revenge” sort of thing that would also hurt the other party’s feelings.

But most importantly, friends are precious gifts from God. That is why, we need to keep REAL friends and back away from those people who we call “FRIENDS” yet when we turn around they say these really nasty things about you. Real friends are those who we could keep in our hearts longer than we ever imagined. They are precious gifts which we should keep inside the treasure box for decades or maybe for hundreds and hundreds of centuries until the day we forget other people but not our friends.

ONLY REMINDS ME OF YOU

C G
I see you, beside me
F
It's only a dream
Am G
A Vision of what used to be
C G
The laughter, the sorrow
F
Pictures in time
Am G
Fading to memories
pre-chorus:
C G F
How could I ever let you go?
Am G
Is it too late to let you know?
Chorus:
C G
I try to run from your side
F
But each place I hide
Am G C
only reminds me of you
G
When i turn out all the lights
F
Even the night
Am G C
only reminds me of you
Verse 2: (use verse 1 chords)
I needed my freedom
That’s what I thought
But I was a fool to believe
My heart lied when you cried
Rivers of tears
But I was too blind to see
pre-chorus:
Everything we’ve been through before
Now it means so much more
Chorus: C G F Am G
play these chords: C G F Am G after chorus
Only you...
Bridge:
C G
So come back to me
F
I'm down on my knees
Am-G
Girl can’t you see...
C G F
How could I ever let you go
Am G C
Is it too late to late to let you know
Chorus: C G F Am G
Am G C
..only reminds me of you..

So Not a UPian. . . .

The school is our home and we cannot deny the fact that this is where our second learning begins. UPians are considered one of the best students here in the Philippines. Once you are called a UPian, everybody thinks that you're that smart already or it's as if you're so good at everything. UPians are the "Iskolar ng Bayan". This simple phrase means that we are actually the ones who receive and use the people's taxes. But like any other schools here in the Philippines, there are all types of students. There are those who belong to the type of students who are quiet. There are some who are very noisy or just plain talkative. there are also those who reflect a bad image for the Univeristy. Never the less, UPians are considered the "smartest" and most "democratic" people. But what makes the UPians gain a bad image?

There are times that we often hear of visitors coming over to our school and sometimes, we get to meet new people. But this is not my point on what U.P students are not. What's the bad side is that sometimes we are last minute people. I agree with this, simply because I myself is a last minute person. Like what happened last March 22,2007 when there were visitors from Guam, it was like everybody wasn't ready for them. I mean it was the only time the students cleaned the campus. Most of all, there were still some parts of the campus which wasn't cleaned yet like the windows in the Physics room.

Another is that U.P. students are considered very high class intellectuals. But we couldn't really deny the fact that UPians can sometimes make our heads ache. Often, there are teachers who just leave exercises for the students to do. Once the teacher is gone, the phrase "When the cat is away, the mouse is at play" is very true. Why? Because once the teacher goes out of the room, it's like it was hit by a tremendous typhoon. A tremendous typhoon because everything changes in an instant. The room gets so noisy that there are some students who cannot actually focus on what they are working on. It's as if after the storm, a market gets into the scene. A market place full of people shouting at each other and making transactions with almost everybody.

As students, we are expected to have the right behavior. But then, there are times that we cannot control ourselves. What I mean is that we can't stop students sometimes from showing "unearthly" behaviors. Meaning, there are times when the students show uncivilized actions such as shouting or doing actions that can take the name of the school into shame. the best thing we students should do is to tell each other or to mind other's actions so that we cannot bring the name of the school to a shame.

As a UPian and a student, there are times that there are bad impressions about us. But what matters most is that we do not put the name of the school into great shame. As UPians, we should be the ones who will become the model for other people. Though there are bad impressions about U.P. students, I am proud to say that as a UPian, there is nothing impossible unless we do our best and study hard for the sake of ourselves and for others. We should prove to everyone that we UPians can bring the nation into good condition.

The Reality

The Philippines is a very beautiful country. We have so many natural resources. But, what can we do, us Filipino people, about these natural resources if there will be no one to lead us? That’s why we have the Philippine government and the politicians to lead us. But here in the Philippines, or maybe in some other parts of the world, politics has been a very big issue. We often hear it in the news that some politicians are being thrown into jail because of corruption or maybe because of abuse in their powers. And that’s what I want to talk about in this blog post.

Politicians for me are very unreliable. We do not know what they are thinking. We do not know what they might be doing with the people’s money. We hear their complaints and arguments everyday in the news. They are very IRRESPONSIBLE politicians. You know what? All I can say is that why don’t they try doing things together for the good of the Philippine society? Why don’t they do projects for the good of the people than just waste the money of the people in doing trials in court or by using the money in their own political will?

Yeah right. They have been showing propagandas about education, economical development or health. But my question is can they actually do this when they are in the position? Maybe there will be some that can do the things stated in their propagandas but how about the others? Will we just sit here and wait for them finish in their debates or arguments? I’m tired of hearing their uncivilized criticisms about the present government. Don’t they know about the projects done by the Arroyo government? Maybe NO. Those politicians who are trying to pull down the government are down right selfish. You know why? ‘Coz I can see that they are doing these things because of POWER. Political power has been very effective in the Philippines and I know that these people who are currently opposing the Arroyo government don’t even know what the government has done to the economy and even for the people.

Should I introduce to them this T.V station, NBC 11, so that they will know what the government has done? Or should I go with them and tour the whole Philippines so that they will know what government projects has been put up like road building projects in Mindanao or the livelihood projects in baranggays here in the Philippines? Politicians in the Philippines are plain stupid. Yes, and I really mean it. Why don’t they try to look at the bright side on how the government has helped a lot of people especially in the rural areas and help in developing these projects?

I may just be a student but, I can also do something so that the politicians would open their eyes wide for them to see how the government has been building the Philippine economy and how it has given people job opportunities. Why don’t they try to be more dedicated on doing some economic and civic projects than just sit in the senate or congress and wait for the people to call them or to make some uncivilized actions or rallies for them to wake up to the reality? Why don’t they try to see what they can do for our country?

Emergency!!

Whew! Summer’s in again and the weather is rising to an extreme level. Everybody’s going to the beach or the pool and just stay there for hours and hours to refresh themselves. But have you noticed? It just gets hotter and hotter everyday? This is just a very little effect of global warming.

According to Manila Bulletin’s Magazine article, global warming refers to an increase in average global temperatures, which in turn cause climate change. Our atmosphere is mainly made up of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, methane and carbon dioxide as well as water vapor. These gases help in the absorption of heat thus reducing the amount that escapes back to space. As the atmosphere absorbs heat, this causes the oceans and including the surface of the Earth to become warm. This process is called the greenhouse effect. Notice that in a greenhouse, it is made up of glass thus allowing heat or sunlight to enter so that the plants may harness it and use it for their photosynthesis. But notice that the environment inside the greenhouse is humid and warm because only very little amount of heat energy is able to go out. This is what is happening to the world right now. As the amount of Carbon Dioxide and greenhouse gases increases, the more it keeps heat energy from going out Earth. Because of these things that happen in our world, scientists have observed that as the temperature rises, the more we should get to worry. Why? As simple as a blink or maybe a snap of our finger everything would disappear. A very serious effect engaging Global Warming is that as the temperature rises making the glaciers and ice caps in Polar Regions melt making a very big increase or rise of sea level causing massive floods in very low regions including the United States, India and some parts of Asia and Africa. Come to think of it, millions or should I say billions of people are living in these areas and if that massive flood will strike that area, it will claim billions and billions of lives. This is just ONE effect of global warming that we will get to experience in the near future, yet there are still lots and lots of these effects that scientists haven’t discovered and observed yet.

But can we do anything to stop global warming? Yes, there is but then we couldn’t make it without the help of the people in our community. The government has been thinking of ways on how we could stop global warming. The government has planned of effective ways to lessen the use of diesel which can also contribute to global warming. That is, the Bio- diesel act passed by Congressman Miguel Zubiri. And if we just follow rules concerning the environment, I know we can prevent all the unwanted effects of Global warming to happen.

This is not just a nation wide but also an international alert. Here in the Philippines, we maybe experiencing so many changes in the weather but these are the first effects upon global warming. Our life here on Earth is just borrowed and according to one unwritten law of nature, “Mother Nature knows best.” And that is what Mother Nature is doing. She is trying to take her revenge for the indiscriminate use of the natural resources by the people. Yet, if we help each other in our continuing fight against Global warming, I know, in maybe just a matter of years, we can replenish the Earth. And this is now an emergence to all nations of the world, to join and unite to help in the replenishment of our Mother Earth. =)

Family at School

During the very early Christmas break we had, I looked for ways so that things will not be boring for me. One of these things is my favorite pastime which is watching animé series. Because of this, I was introduced by a cousin of mine into watching a very beautiful animé entitled “Ouran High School Host Club”. This is about students in a very high class institution wherein only children of very wealthy (and I mean FILTHY RICH) families are allowed to enroll. But of course, there is an exception for special students (like Fujioka Haruhi) who get to have special scholarships in the institution. I loved watching the animé because of the twists in the story and how it becomes very realistic when we apply it in our daily lives. It is a different kind of love story because most of the characters who are involved are male students. It is a comedy- romance- drama sort of T.V. series. This also shows how families must be bonded together like the family they have in the host club.

The president of the club is Tamaki Suou, who acts stupidly but pulls to keep his Host Club "family" together. He views himself as the "dad" and Haruhi as his "daughter" once he discovers her true gender. The vice-president, otherwise known as the "mom" is Kyouya Ootori, takes care of the financial gain and business opportunities related to the club. He is always calm and collected, silently running the club from the shadows, but he is really quite cunning and sly. The Hitachiin brothers - Hikaru and Kaoru - are twins who are always finding ways to have fun in the club whenever they get bored, which is often. They use their "brotherly love" act to attract female customers. They have a tendency of making Tamaki jealous of them and Haruhi. The fifth member is a small student by the name of Mitsukuni "Hunny" (or "Honey" in fansubs) Haninozuka who appears to be the youngest of the members but is actually one of the oldest of the group. He has an excessively cute style which his customers go crazy over. He is a master of martial arts, despite his small appearance and love for anything cute. He is always angry when he is woken up. His cousin, Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka, is the sixth member of the club whose defining quality is that he speaks very little, and always hangs around with Hunny, usually taking him on piggyback. His family has been serving the Haninozukas for centuries. The final member of the club, unlike the others, is in fact a female student named Haruhi Fujioka who stumbled into the club one day by accident. She was initially mistaken for male and seems to have no problems with cross dressing in order to pay off her ¥ 8,000,000 debt to the club. Since her mother died when she was very young, and her dad was always at work to support them, she had grown up to be a very independent young woman.

As the story progresses, you get to meet so many characters like Renge Houshakuji who is their self- proclaimed manageress, Ritsu Kasanoda, who is the son of a yakuza (in English this is what we call gangster) and the super creepy schoolmate (though he is very handsome when he takes his cape off) and president of the nearby Dark Magic Club, Umehito Nekozawa. And lastly, Tamaki’s supposed to be fiancé, Éclair Tonnere (their soon to be marriage was stopped by the Host Club members). I assure all those animé fans that they will like the series because of its twists and turns in the story. This will surely make a big difference to the animé fans out there! www.wikipedia.com

Falling and Giving ……

“Do you know how painful it is to give up on someone
‘Coz you don’t have any choice but to do so?
It’s like falling off on the 22nd floor of a building
. . . And sadly . . . .
You end up alive . . . =’ (”

As I was looking through the quotes in my phone, I found this one strange quote. It’s really painful to know that you just have to give up loving that person because all you could feel from him is ultimately friendship and you don’t have any choice but to do that very stupid thing; giving up. That’s what’s so hard. It’s when you end up being friends with that special someone though you can’t hide your feelings for him or her. But what is really very hard is when you aren’t actually friends! I don’t mean anything like you’re enemies but the fact that you just know each other yet you don’t talk with each other! Do you get my point? I mean, loving someone you know you don’t have any chance is such stupidity. You don’t even talk to each other and yet it still occurs in your mind that you want him or her to notice you.

I have a friend who’s been experiencing these things. She has this kind of special feeling for someone. That special someone doesn’t actually talk to her. It’s as if when they meet at school, or even when they pass by each other, not one single “hello” or even a “hi” is heard between them! My friend just thinks that he is shy or maybe he’s just not in the mood. That’s what’s so weird about guys. You don’t actually know when they are in a good mood or when they have their tantrums. I feel pretty sure that the guy is actually shy because I have met him and both of us don’t even say a single word when we meet. Sure, I can handle that, but not my friend. I feel pity for her. I want to blurt out to the guy how my friend feels because of his weird behaviors. I just can’t pass these things by. That’s why I feel a little bit confused about guys because of their attitude. Now, she wants to give up her feelings for him because of the things he’s been showing her.

Now back to reality. As I was saying, loving can’t be a very easy emotion. Like what the quote just said, making a decision to give up on someone is like falling off the 22nd floor and ending up being alive. Ouch! I can imagine that that would hurt so much. The pain would be unending. But what I can only say about people who love? It’s just that they risk being hurt just to learn. They risk finding someone new and sometimes they finally end up together or they end up being hurt again. Ironic isn’t it? Love for me happens because we want someone to keep and someone to share our lifetime together. We want someone to be there whenever we have problems or someone who we can share sad and happy moments. But one advice from me is that, it’s not bad to love and to get hurt because being hurt is just part of loving. You wouldn’t know how to love deeply and how to hold a relationship longer if you haven’t tried being hurt. The point is that, when loving, you don’t have to actually end up being together. There are times when you need to give up and to start again. < = )

I’ve been posting so many things yet I haven’t introduced my self that much yet. I’m Nneka Joy Lim. I’m currently 13 turning 14 this May 15. My parents are Chuan Ching Lim and Feliciana Lim. Actually my father has a Chinese blood (so do I). I live in a very annoying yet interesting neighborhood. I am the only child in our family. I stand 5’4 and I am taller than my mother.

But before anything else, I will give you a brief description of my family. Actually, we have a very big family tree. First, let’s start with my great grandparents. My great grandfather is Choco Chua and my great grandmother is Cornelia Chua. Just this December my great grandmother finally got her biggest break in her life. She died at the age of 104. Next in line is the best grandmother for all times. My grandmother’s name is Consusa Chua Lim. She lives in our “Ancestral House” in Calamba, Misamis Occidental. Though I haven’t met him, my grandfather is Bing San Lim. Since I was young, I haven’t seen him except in pictures. My father has 6 siblings. The eldest is my auntie Letty. She’s my father’s half sister. She has her own family as well. My other uncles are Jaime Lim, Yonilo Lim, Willie Lim and Fred Lim. You see the difference? My father has the only Chinese name! He gets so annoyed with his name and keeps on telling me that he will change his name (blah, blah, blah).

So, you have known the old people in our family. Next are the youngsters. First are my close cousins. They are Cristine, Kline, Juliene and Cyrus Lim. They have been my playmates (except for Kuya Cyrus ‘coz he is the eldest amongst us and very mature and quiet also). Almost every Saturday, I go to their house just to play with them. Sometimes I even get scolded by y mom ‘coz I don’t go home early. Well, what can we do? I was just a kid back then who wanted to play all day. But what I realize now is that life’s not that easy. It’s just that everything in life was so easy during those times.

I’m really a very optimistic and moody person. Often, I do not speak and I get mad right away. I am also approachable and I often give some advise to other people. I keep problems to myself too and I hide these problems by smiling always. But what’s amazing is that, through my smiles and laughter, I get to hide my problems. I also get to fool other people that I’m happy even though I’m not. I’m not a very quiet person. Often times or maybe always, I am very talkative at school. But what most of my classmates do not know is that I am very quiet at home. I don’t talk too much and I am really very scared of my father especially when he is mad.

Maybe that’s enough of the things you want to know about me. I hope you learned so many things about me that I am not in school. Wish you learned something about me!

KNOW MORE ABOUT ME!

Enough is Enough!

Too much of everything can lead to serious, and I really mean serious problems. Too much love for one another can make you go crazy. Too much drinking can lead to serious Liver cancer. Too much Internet surfing can make you crazy or even lead to serious eye problems. But worst of all, too much eating is way too much!
Most people from the United States of America are obese. There are studies that prove that most of the obese people are those that do not have any work to do and those who do not exercise.

Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and other mammals, is increased to a point where it is associated with certain health conditions or increased mortality.
Obese, meaning, very, very, very fat. They lie in bed and eat all day not thinking that it would be bad for their health. Aside from eating too much, obesity can happen when a person lacks exercise. Sleeping everyday, or just plain staying at home, not even trying to run or jog outside. Fatty foods are a no- no especially for those people who are in a strict diet. But for a person who is what we call in tagalog as “matakaw” it may really cause obesity. The fats stick to our body organs and become what doctors’ call “High Blood” or “cholesterol”. A no- no for obese people too is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, though something we must have, shouldn’t be taken excessively. It can make you fat especially when you do not exercise.

Being obese doesn’t only mean getting fat. It may lead to serious problems such as heart failure and high blood pressure. You know what’s the worst? You may die because of obesity. I’m no doctor to tell you to stop eating much, but I’m someone who’s trying to make an advice that too many in takes of sugar, fat and carbohydrates, and lack of exercise is going to be a very serious problem.

We see people who are very, very fat and it doesn’t look good actually. They sometimes become the subjects of teasing and that person may lose his or her self-confidence. Especially for girls, it does not look good because you may lose your figure. Obesity can be inherited too. It may come from your grandparents or from a close relative. But one thing is for sure so that you can avoid obesity or excess weight. And that’s regular exercise and a balanced diet to maintain a beautiful figure. Sometimes you could not prevent people from eating especially the Filipinos who really, really love eating.

You see, being fat isn’t really a very shameful thing. If you have confidence and the personality, you wouldn’t feel small anymore. Just raise your head up high and let the world know that you are proud of who you are. And the bottom line is, “Some people like chubby people because they are more caring and are very huggable” (LOL).

Goin’ Techky!

Everything is going techno! The world today is starting to get smaller!! But before you freak out, I don’t really mean it literally. That’s why I said that because of all the technology we have now. Years ago, if we sent letters for example to Luzon, it takes weeks or maybe moths for that letter to be received by the recipient. Now, thanks to the technology we have, letters can be sent through e- mail or electronic mail and can be receive by the recipient in just a few minutes! See how amazing? Another is by the use of cell phones. Because of these, we can call our friends from around the world! Unlike when the cell phone wasn’t invented yet, we needed to write letters or use the telegraph for us to send a message for someone abroad or far from us. Other amazing gadgets invented are the iPods, and MP4s. These things can now either store music or data. Wherever you go, when you need to type reports or send an important e- mail, there’s always a Palm Top or laptop that has easy access to the internet. These gadgets are easy to carry and are very light. Digital Cameras are now widely used throughout the world. Using Digital Cameras you can easily capture important moments or events in life. If you have enemies and you accidentally caught him or her by the camera, you can easily delete the unwanted image caught. You can also edit through the laptops or Personal Computers and print it using a laser printer and A4 photo papers. Gameboys, Dual Screen (DS), and PSP’s on the other hand, give children satisfaction on playing their favorite computer games such as Mario, Naruto, Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Metal Slug and many more. They can play with these games even without plugging it in the computer or socket. Robots are now being made in countries like Japan, China and the United States. These are said to help humans in the future (especially in the household chores).

But what’s the big issue through modernization? These modern things may be a very big help to man so that our work will we easier. But then, it may affect the way we live. People may start to forget about their culture, or maybe worst, start being LAZY. Yes, you heard it right. People might get lazy because it will be easier to work with the use of robots. We will be starting to rely on these gadgets. Sometimes, we’ll have to think of ways also so that some of our cultures that we’ve been doing for years to be conserved and protected so that it won’t be erased in the minds of the Filipinos.

Having all these things are not really bad because it can help us in our daily lives. It may help us in a various reasons such as the use of more technological ways in the field of medicine and farming here in the Philippines. Let’s all give our support in modernization and try to protect our culture so that the balance of modernization and culture will remain the same.

Reflections on Being Taught by Students

Learning doesn’t only end in teachers and our parents. We also learn from other students. Sometimes what we learn is good, sometimes bad (LOL). And that is true during the KYSD or Know Your School Day in UP High Cebu. The students are the ones teaching fellow students in specific subject matters such as Math A and B, Social Science, Filipino, English, Chemistry and Biology. During the two day “day off” of the teachers, my fellow students were the ones running the school and teaching their fellow UPians.

I was one of those people who ran the school at that time (actually I was the student assistant principal) and those who taught other students (I was Math A or Advanced Algebra teacher). But most importantly, I was also taught by my co- Benton classmates. I could tell from their actions that they were both nervous and excited.
Sometimes, as I was being taught by my fellow students, I didn’t understand what they were discussing. But there are also times when it’s more fun to have student teachers. I think some of them were just plain nervous maybe because it was their first time to teach their fellow students. But being one of the pupils, I just wished that it was our “Original” teachers who were teaching us because I didn’t get much of what they discussed. It’s okay though. But honestly, I so didn’t get some of the things discussed so I needed the help of other students (like Macky). Well anyway, I thought they also did their best so that we would understand what they were discussing in front. I just observed that some of my classmates were already abusing the student teachers not thinking that the student teachers had somewhat a higher rank than they did during the period. It was the same when we had our real teachers discussing in front. We had seat works and games. As a student, you can’t stop yourself from asking questions related to the discussion by the student teachers. Sometimes it was a hassle especially when the question is out of the topic already. I really find it annoying when someone asks questions too much. The seat works given were easy but I really wanted more challenging examples so that I would’ve understood more. Not that I didn’t like easy questions from them but it was better if they’ve given one or two challenging questions and not rely much on the book they were holding. The room was not the same because of students ho don’t listen to our student teachers. Being their student, I have nothing to say but I did not understand most of the topics they have discussed. But I appreciate their effort in teaching us.

But most importantly, after every discussion, the student teachers were being congratulated by the real teachers. Of course I have thought that it would be better if the teachers were really the ones teaching us so that we would understand more. There are just these times when you don’t really get the matter being discussed because the student teacher doesn’t have much knowledge on what they are discussing. (PEACE to all the student teachers!!!) (^^,)

Inspiration

You may find me annoying and noisy at school but I really like a place that’s quiet, where I can sit and relax and think of things that can make me happy. Like my paintings, I want to live in a quiet and clean community where I can be happy and where I can do more drawings. I like to sit quietly in a place where the ambience is very over-whelming like that in our province. Since I was young, I like drawing. I draw all kinds of things especially those that reflect my personality. I am an environment loving person so almost all of the things I draw and paint are about the environment. I like drawing trees, mountains and hills, or even a quiet community. Actually, I’m the kind of person who likes being in a quiet place especially beside the sea or below trees. I like staying in my grandmother’s house in Mindanao because it’s far from the city. There’s this river near the house where we go swimming. My family and relatives like swimming there because it’s clean, and the water is very relaxing and cool. Sometimes, when we go home from swimming, I draw because of the inspiration I’ve taken from that place. I take my inspirations in my art pieces from the environment and from people who are special to me. It takes time to think of a theme for every painting I make. I don’t really consider myself as a very good painter and artist because I find my drawings ugly (LOL).

Not only can I get ins pirations for my drawings in land, but also from the sea. I love watching shows that talk about the life in the ocean. I like seeing sea creatures because they are so colorful. Amazed by the beauty of life under the water I want to explore it somehow. I want to see the real beauty and capture pictures and let other people see the magic under the ocean. I actually want to become a marine biologist too. I want to study the different organisms and life under the sea. Every time I think of doing this, I draw something that reflects the environment below the clear waters of the ocean.

Inspirations that are taken from the environment are for me incredible. Environmentalist may be the word fit for me. Not just because I like the environment but because I was enchanted by its beauty. I don’t think that it is a crazy thing to be inspired of but something that’s unique. The beauty of the environment makes me live a quiet life. The environment as I say is my life. It’s where I get my strength to live a beautiful life. A life that’s full of inspirations. But without the environment, I don’t think it’s only I who can’t live without it but also the poor creatures that depend in a clean environment. And worst of all, it may not only be me but also everyone who can’t take it without the environment, without my inspiration.

Reflections on Running a School

Within a school are people who are considered to have very high ranks. A school is without their staff. The Prof. Ed. Chairman has the highest rank, followed by the principal and then the assistant to the principal. There is also a clerk to check on the attendance of the students and run errands for the principal. These people are the ones running our school. They are very busy people indeed. They are the ones who sign papers regarding the school, make circulars, roam around to see if the students are doing well in class and see if there are any problems regarding the school and its students. Never the less, they show great effort and capabilities in handling the school. They earn a salute for that because running a very big and high quality education school is not an easy task. Like teachers, they are one of the main structures in a school. The Prof. Ed. Chairman as the roof and the others, including the teachers is the walls that become the support of that house. As what they say, the school is our second home. But, as a tribute to the people who are the main support to the school, the KYSD (Know Your School Day) in the University of the Philippines High School gave these wonderful and respectable people a day off or maybe two days off (LOL) so that they can rest even for only two days.
During these days, I was appointed as the Student Assistant to the Principal. I thought it would be very easy. But I was wrong. I had to go check on everything in school including the janitor, whether he has done his job well and also check on the guard if they were able to close the connection of the water the other night. I never imagined Sir Nellas’ job was like that. But after all those things, I was a bit relaxed because I had nothing to do anymore. It was a bit boring though because after doing all those errands, I had nothing more to do left so I just helped the student clerks (Nympha and Christlyn) in doing their jobs and also had a chat while they were working on things (LOL). I got to take pictures of the student teachers as I roam around the campus (Madam Logarta told me to do so, so I just followed so that I had job to do.). In the second day, I was invited to join the meeting headed by the Student Principals (Ate Gabby and Kuya Dan), both from section Gonzalez. It was a brief discussion and only took a few minutes so we just stayed in the principal’s office for a while and left the room to put he decorations for the closing of the KYSD School Year 2006- 2007.
I realized though that even though I was only given light jobs, it was fun. A very, very tiring job too because it’s not easy roaming around!!! (LOL) And what did I learn? I learned that running a school is never easy. It takes time, effort and discipline to become an effective leader.

I Could Never See a Poem as Lovely as a Tree

Trees and rainforests are very important in our lives. We get medicinal products, raw materials for construction and furniture, and of course for us students, PAPER. The tree, like any other things are very, very important. Without them there will be nothing that will hold the soil to prevent soil erosion. They serve as shade whenever the weather is very hot because under the trees, it is very cool and relaxing. Most people sit under the tree to think, write or even for relaxation. I myself am a tree lover. You know why? It is because I love the environment. Drawing is my form of self expression. That’s why, the theme of my drawings are always about the environment, especially trees. The first thing that comes into my mind when I start drawing is the image of a tree, a stout and sturdy tree. It is because, I feel relaxed seeing a tree and thinking of the coolness beneath its strong and sturdy branches, and the leaves rustling above you. It just relaxes me. Sometimes, I think about being an environmentalist. It may be a very difficult job, but if you are dedicated, it would see like a hobby to you. Trees are the most common things that come into our mind when we say “Rain Forest”. A rain forest is a place where we see mostly trees and other plants. We also encounter some wild animals (some of them endangered). Trees are most commonly the shelter of some animals like birds, insects, lizards and other small and medium creatures that live within this planet.

It just so happens that trees in our country are decreasing in number because of people who indiscriminately cut trees. They do not think of the effects that will come our way if there are already no trees that will hold the soil. A very big issue is illegal logging especially in the provinces in the Visayas and Luzon. We have heard about mud slides especially the one that happened in Guinsaugon, Leyte last year. There were millions of casualties and families lost their source of livelihood including their homes. It is true about the unwritten law of nature that “Mother nature knows best”. Because of people who take everything for granted, lives must be offered to replace what they have destroyed. Because of what other people do, including those very selfish politicians, trees in our country are getting lesser than it used to be years ago. Yet, there are still those who use their power and instead of their lives taken, the innocent are the ones being made as offering in exchange for what others have done to Mother Nature.

What we should do now is to start to help in the rehabilitation of our forests. This program has been done by our government to save our forests. One example is the rehabilitation in La Mesa in the Luzon area also to save the shortage of their water supply in Luzon. Another thing we should do is to help in the government’s fight against illegal logging and to put those who are responsible for the losing of our forests in prison. You know what I think should be done to these people? They must be thrown in the middle of the forest and be left there alone as a punishment for what they have done (LOL, very brutal).

Reminiscing

I wonder how lollipop and candy are the only things that can make everything fell as if it’s alright whenever we have problems when we were still very young. Every time we fall or stumble down, all we needed was a single band aid. The only people we talked to and had fun with were our moms and dads. Little things that happen made us very happy. Every time we were brought to the mall, circus or any place which was for us wonderful and interesting, we were so happy, so amazed on looking at the things sold or how people interact with each other. Never the less, we were only seen crying whenever someone picks a fight with us or if we get cuts and bruises. We loved playing outdoor games, running around and screaming like crazy. Fairy tales were some of the things too that enhanced our imaginations. We all wanted to become princesses and princes and live in an enormous and elegant castle with so many servants, food and everything one asks for. It was as if life was that easy. We wanted to dream always. We liked watching animated movies like Spongebob Square Pants, Power Puff Girls, Mulan and so much more. Nothing could ever replace the happiness we feel every time we were given gifts during our birthdays and Christmas.

As they say, “Time flies”. Yes, it does. Life does not remain the same especially when you’ve experienced so many happy moments and with just one click of your finger everything comes to reality. Lollipop and candy are not the things that would make us comfortable anymore. Problems that come now are not like yesterday, so easy to solve. Now, no band aid can cover up the wounds we feel deep inside. Happiness is not only about malls, circus, or games. The things we were so happy about yesterday are but now very little, unimportant things. We just ignore it thinking that it will be better tomorrow. Tears fall down our eyes not because someone picked a fight with us but because of very heavy problems that’s in our life. Now, everything’s a reality. We can’t just continue dreaming and thinking we’re all princesses and princes. We wait for the person we were meant to have forever, someone who’ll never let us feel that we’re alone, someone who’ll take care of us. But waiting for that someone can’t last forever. Sometimes, we get bored and tired of waiting. We can’t wait so we try having other people so that we’ll be contented. We just don’t realize that the person we’ve been waiting for was also waiting for us to see them. We get hurt through this though, but as we get hurt, we learn to struggle and fight. We learn to stand for what we think is right. There’s always a happy ending in everything.

Now we take the road down to the real life that’s been waiting for us. We journey through life and meet new people, new challenges. Along the journey of life, we just can’t take it to look back. How we wish that every problem can be healed by a lollipop, every sorrow was just a kiss away by our parents, and every wound in our hearts was just one band aid away. But life is a journey, and we’ll have to move on. We can’t stay only in one place and stay there all of our life. We’ll have to take all of the challenges and start walking. Walk and try looking back from time to time. Because every heart aches, every wound, every sorrow and happiness, and everything that God offers you is there to make you stronger and push you through to continue the journey of life.

Reflection on teachers and teaching

Class records, lesson plans and their terrifying voices especially when they are mad are only some of the things we remember about our teachers. In my own point of view, teaching is not only a profession but also a skill among those who take up the course “Education”. Teaching may be a very tiring job but it can also be very challenging and exciting. I do not understand why some of the public school teachers want a wage increase when their salaries are already very high. Teaching should be something you are dedicated to not just because of the salary you are earning but because you want to teach children. I don’t think some of our fresh graduates from Education ever think about this. Maybe because of the high prices of basic commodities now- a- days that they forget what is the true essence of being a teacher. Teaching may be a very hard job especially when you have all kinds of students in one class. There are students who are very hardheaded, nanning or just some who do not care about their grades as long as they do not fail. Teachers sleep very late at night trying to make their lesson plans and tests for their students.

Just recently, I tried becoming a teacher. At first I was very uncomfortable facing my classmates and teaching them Math A or Advance Algebra. It was already my second year teaching Algebra (actually I taught them Algebra in first year too). I knew it was hard but I also knew I can do it. There’s just a time when you feel like you are being taken for granted by your classmates thinking that you are also a student taking the place of their teacher just for that certain day/s. Now I know how hard it is being a teacher especially when you get to have a very noisy class like II- Benton (LOL). But what’s the magic why teachers don’t easily get mad? Patience. Yes, patience is the answer. It is only patience among the teachers so that they can control the class. That’s what I did during the KYSD or Know Your School Day. To be honest, I’m not a very effective person when it comes to patience. I easily get mad and discouraged. But, for the sake of that day, I controlled my temper, trying to teach only those who want to learn and those who want to listen. Well, it’s not my fault if they do not understand the lesson as long as I knew I was doing the right thing. I just can’t believe it how Madam Nuñez can teach us Advanced Algebra. It’s not at all an easy subject by the way. There are lots of solutions you must come up to and so many things you must do before arriving in an answer.

Therefore, I can say that teachers are also considered as heroes because teaching is not a very easy task. You need to sacrifice and understand for the sake of your students. You must imply patience and encourage students so that it will be easier. But most of all, you must learn to love the profession and also your students to be a bigger influence. It is not only a profession as what I have said, but also a skill teachers should be proud of.

Half Time

San Miguel, Sta. Lucia, Redbull, Ginebra, Talk n' Text, Purefoods, Alaska and so many other teams are only few of those teams in PBA. PBA or Philippine Basketball Association has been one of the shows I've been watching on television. I like watching the action and the thrill every time I watch any basketball game in ABC 5. It would be much more exciting if I watch live in the stadium or basketball court(hopefully). But aside from this, I want to see my favorite players in PBA. I like to meet Olsen Racela, Number seventeen from the San Miguel Beer men and Mark Pingris, from the Purefoods Chunkee Giants. And most of all, I want to see the whole team especially those from Purefoods and the San Miguel Beer men.

Before entering PBA, players such as L.A. Tenorio, Gabby Espinas, K.J. Cañaleta and many others also came from UAAP(for college varsity) and PBL(Philippine Basketball League) before going into the "Giant's Lair" as what I call PBA. There are really, really very big men in the court like Talk n' Text's Asi Taulava, Danny Siegle from the San Miguel Beer men and more from other teams. Fun and exciting, PBA not only shows action but also teamwork. They won't win if only one player is doing well or doing his best in court. For me, the best players are those from the San Miguel Beer men. Their first five players are Danny Siegle, Dorian Peña, Olsen Racela, Dondon Hontiveros, and the newest member and rookie, L.A Tenorio. They are not like those from the other teams who have very bad temper. Another player from the Beer men is Chris Calaguio. He plays so well and is also a three pointer like Dondon Hontiveros. Lordy Tugade, a new member in the San Miguel team (formerly from the Redbull Barakos). Lordy also shoots very many three points and plays great when being with Dondon Hontiveros and Olsen Racela. Another favorite team is the Purefoods Chunkee Giants. the top five players are MVP(most valuable player) James Yap, MVP 2006 Mark Pingris, Roger Yap, Ranidel de Ocampo, and Papa Jun Limpot. Although they weren't able to go into the semi- finals, they were the champions last season. There are very many Fil- Am players like Asi Taulava, Mark "the Spark" Caguioa, brothers Danny and Andy Siegle (both from opposite teams), Dorian Peña, Jayjay Washington and Rudy Hatfield have been playing for the PBA.

A team is never without a coach. Without a coach, there will be no one who'll teach them what to do and tell them things they should improve on. One of the well- known coaches for me is former San Miguel (now Ginebra) coach Joseph Uichico.

It may be odd, but I like watching basketball games. I like it when there is already tension building up in the court, and when it is in the fourth quarter and there are only two minutes left so that the team can win. Funny isn't it? Almost everyone thinks that only men watch basketball games. But they are wrong. Even though basketball is being played by men most of the time, there are also women who play basketball. I too play basketball when I am either bored or when I feel like playing. The funny thing is that I can hardly shoot the ball inside the ring. Basketball is a great game. You can test your endurance and you can make this as a form of exercise and have fun at the same time.

Basketball does not only imply on having fun but also determination, teamwork and patience. Every player is determined in his own team so that they can win. Without a determined player, and a team without teamwork,a team is not effective enough to beat the opponent and can never win. Playing is not only for winning but also to make new friends and know more people through interaction with them.

BOYS IN THE COURT

The Prince of Tennis is a popular animé I watch almost everyday. This is about a boy named Ryoma Echizen. He is considered as the "Prince of Tennis" in their school. He is a freshman in Seigaku. Small but terrible, he is very good in playing tennis and has beaten almost all of the opponents in his way. But one thing's for sure: Ryoma can't beat his father Nanjiroh, the captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club Tezuka Kunimitsu and "Tennis Prodigy" Fuji Syusuke.

Meet the boys in the club:

First in line is Inui Sadaharu, a third year in Seigaku. Inui is their "data man" or the person collecting data about his opponent. He loves making vegetable juice or health drinks (also called "Penal Tea") which he lets his teammates drink every time they commit a mistake during their practices. He is somewhat a serious type but I also find him hilarious everytime he makes this scary face when he gives the health drinks to his teammates. One of the best players and tennis genuis in Seigaku is another third year student, Fuji Shusuke. He is known as the "Tennis Prodigy". He has very good tactics when competing. I find him handsome, especially with his easy- going attitude. Actually Fuji is a very smiling person even if there are already problems during the match. Fuji likes to drink Inui's health drinks and tend to like them! He even make mistakes in purpose just to try Inui's special health drinks. Ryoma Echizen hasn't really beaten him yet. In one episode, there is mixed club day at his school. On this day, the students are not allowed to play the sport that they are in. For example, the "golden pair", Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Shuichiro, plays volleyball. Fuji plays curling, which no one else plays. His words are, "No participants; the championship is mine". Vice captain and another best player is Oishi Shuichiro. Another third year student, Oishi is a very good player especially doubles with his partner, Kikumaru Eiji. Oishi is a good friend of Tezuka Kunimitsu. Ryoma doesn't consider him a threat because he was beaten by Ryoma already. Together with Kikumaru Eiji, they form the "Golden Pair" because of their very good partnership and teamwork. Kikumaru Eiji is an "Acrobatic" player in Seigaku Tennis Club. He does so many acrobatic stunts when playing tennis. For example is doing a summersault when receiving the ball. Other than his well known style of acrobatic play, he has his own signature smash move called " Kikumaru Beam ", which is a very high, behind the back smash that is launched either at the corner of the opponents court, or directly at the opponent. Kikumaru treats Ryoma- kun as his younger brother and has a friendly and easy going character like his friend Fuji. Eiji is the only one on the team that refers Ryoma to the name "Occhibi" or "Kiddo" while the others call him "Echizen". Another third year player is, Kawamura Takashi. I think he is a very, I mean very weird attitude everytime he holds a tennis racket and, his personality changes and then he starts speaking in English. I don't really know that much about Kawamura except for his very, very weird attitude as what I have said earlier. His attitude changes too even though he holds either a baseball bat or a flag pole! Well, anyway, after the third year tennis players are the sophomores Kaido Kaoru and Momoshiro Takeshi. Kaido Kauru, a second year in Seigaku has a very good tactic in playing tennis singles. He has already beaten Inui in the first episodes and played doubles with him too. His signature move is the "snake" (also called "The Buggy Whip Shot"), a curving forehand that keeps his opponents running. He later develops the "boomerang snake," which is a shot that swerves out of bounds, around the net pole, and back in bounds. Next in line is Momoshiro Takeshi. As Momoshiro is the closest to a true friend Ryoma Echizen can claim, the two spend much time together eating hamburgers or playing street tennis. Unlike Echizen, who is absolutely clueless as a doubles player, Momoshiro develops an affinity for playing doubles and even masters it, despite expressing a preference for singles. Momoshiro is good at "faking out" his opponents, and can be extremely sly and tricky on the courts. His ability to read the opponent's movements and to observe their viewpoints and expression allow Momoshiro to read his opponent's mind, thus he is able to guess where the ball will go and use shots that will confuse his opponents. He is also known for his "Dunk Smash". This is Momoshiro's signature move to finish off lobs; however, Momoshiro's Dunk Smash is different than normal smashes in that he uses the momentum from running to hit the smash, through perfect timing, by jumping forward, instead of the usual jumping backwards to hit a smash; thus causing Momoshiro's Dunk Smash to be twice more powerful and more effective than a normal smash. Last and the best of all is Captain Tezuka Kunimitsu. Tezuka is serious about everything he does, and he is very strict - one of his trademark phrases is "Do not let your guard down". His special moves include his "zero-shiki drop shot", his "Tezuka Zone", and his "Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami". A jealous teammate then injured Tezuka's left arm, leading to chronic problems. Tezuka shows a strong interest in Ryoma Echizen, possibly because Echizen reminds him of himself as a first-year. He plays against Echizen full-strength, despite the risk of re-injuring his arm, in order to convince him that he needs to become more than a clone of his father. He hopes that Echizen will succeed him as Seigaku's pillar of support. Youngest in the team, Ryoma Echizen has a very arrogant and quiet character. Ryoma is a new student at Seishun Academy Middle School (Seigaku) which is the school he transferred to from the United States. Although only a freshman, Ryoma's brilliant tennis skills had previously earned him a background of winning four consecutive titles in the American Junior Tennis tournaments – all in a little over a year. Due to his nearly invincible tennis play, at the age of twelve, Ryoma is already labeled as a genius. His amazingly good looks and sometimes cocky attitude has made him highly popular with girls, but he doesn't seem to notice at all. Tennis is his life.
He is an all-round tennis player with many special shots and abilities. One of Ryoma's greatest talents is his ability to learn new techniques at an amazingly fast pace.
Although he is left-handed, his famous Twist Serve is only effective when delivered from the dominant hand of his opponents (ex. he uses his right hand when serving against right handed players and vice versa). He sometimes plays the game with his right hand. This is mainly used as either a handicap for weaker opponents or as a way to test his opponents abilities. In the beginning of the series, Ryoma was not taken seriously by the other students at his school, and especially at Seigaku tennis club. Only after when he beat 2 of Seigaku's regulars did he gain respect with fellow club members. Because of his tennis skills, people are beginning to wonder about the "amazing freshman." Ryoma is a quiet kid, but he always stands up for himself and for others. If this means talking back to an upperclassman, he'll do it. He is not afraid and is always ready to push the limits. Rarely does he get angry or out of control. Much of the time, he is serious, quiet, and untalkative.
sakuno Ryuzaki, Ryoma's best female friend and coach Ryuuzaki's granddaughter, has a big crush on him, but because he is so aloof and she's so shy, he does not recognize her feelings for him and mostly treats her as he treats any other of the freshmen kids who follow and help the team. Ryoma's only goal is to beat his father, Nanjiroh Echizen.

Game?

I have been playing all of my life since I was a little girl. I’ve grown up playing “patentero”, hide- and- seek, “buwan- buwan” and many more. There are only three of us who play these games: my three closest cousins. Since we were at a very young age, we’ve been playing together. We were doing indoor games by the time we we’re in our elementary years: playing doll house or Lego. But as time passed, we’ve learned to play badminton, soccer, “takyan” and volleyball. Now, even though most of us are in the higher years of our education we do not forget those times when we played together. Until now, we play games such as “patentero”, “buwan- buwan”, badminton, volleyball and slipper game.

With the technology we have now, most of the children are already in the internet café playing online games such as RAN Online, Tantra, Audition and many more. Because of that too, I’ve been introduced by my classmates to some of these games such as Audition, RAN Online and Tantra. Now, I’m facing the threats of having to wear glasses all day. It’s not that hard to learn all about these online games because all you have to do is to let your eyes and hands coordinate. There is an advantage on playing computer games. You get to have you hands and eyes coordinate. But proportional to its disadvantage, the disadvantages on playing computer games are more than the advantage side. What I am experiencing now is that I’d have to wear correctional glasses to prevent my eyes from becoming weaker and also to prevent from wearing high graded glasses. Another is that you do not get to spend more time with your friends. And that’s what I have observed on some of my classmates especially the boys when we were in first year. Other than that, you spend too much money. But you know what? I think it is much better if we play the traditional games than to just sit in the internet cafés near our homes and spend a lot of money other than running around and not spending too much.

I have observed that at times now, there are only a few children who are playing the games which used to be enjoyed by us or by our parents and forefathers. It’s as if those games are now in the point of being “extinct”. Now, we’d have to introduce these games to the present generation and to the up coming generations. If not for my classmates who introduced me in these outdoor games, I may be one of those who’d think of the traditional outdoor games as boring. I am glad that through my classmates, I still know how to play the traditional and outdoor games.

In a child’s point in life, they’d have to be taught on our Filipino traditional games. And aside from these, computer games should be regulated because it may affect a person’s way of life and thinking. I may be in my teenage years but it has nothing to do with my playing. A person who is always young at heart will always be young. Now, my question is, game?

I Play It

Guitar, flute, violin, drums, harmonica, tambourine, trumpet and many other musical instruments are just some of the things that many musicians and teenagers play to maybe relax or just use it for pastime.

During my 2005 summer vacation, I’ve learned to play the flute. My cousins were the ones who introduced the instrument to me. At first, a cousin of mine was the first one who really learned how to play the flute. We sang songs together with her sister and another cousin of ours. She was the one who taught us to play different songs using the flute. It was not that easy thinking that earlier that year I had an asthma attack which gave a side effect wherein my hands would begin to shake. But through hard work and determination, I enjoyed playing the flute. The first song I learned was the nursery song “Mary had a Little Lamb”. She suggested we played the song first so that we will familiarize on how to blow and how we would coordinate our senses.

The flute for me is the easiest instrument that I could play because you just need to move your fingers up and down away from the holes so that it will produce a sound. I enjoyed playing so many songs using the flute. One of my favorites and for me the easiest to play was the song by Martin Nievera, “You Are My Song”. I think this is the easiest because there are not much moving of the fingers and you’ll have to stick only with two or three notes. I did practice well and when my second year in U.P. started, I did not have a hard time getting to study the piece given.

In playing the flute, I get to relax and just have a good time listening to the tune of the song. I like playing love songs especially because it gives you that very relaxing feeling. Aside for relaxation and having a good time, I get to enhance my skills in reading notes and I get to bring my fingers and eyes in coordination.

Aside from the flute, I was taught by my classmates just recently in how to play the guitar. It was a hard time for me though in learning how to play the guitar especially in strumming. The easiest song I have played is the song “Narda” by Kamikazee. There was no particular strumming though but it was the first song I learned to play on the guitar. The B minor was hard to do because you need to clip the second fret and then the other three fingers would be arranged in such a way that you’ll really have a very hard time adjusting. Sometimes when I play the B minor, it wouldn’t create a sound and that is really annoying but I just try and try so that I can make a really good tune out of it.

The guitar and the flute are just some of the instruments I love playing. Primarily, coordination among my hands and eyes are the first thing that I want to share on what I have learned by using these instruments. Above all, I had a very relaxing and enjoyable time playing all these instruments. I play it just the way I want it to be. = >