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.