One Life to Live (Petrarchan Sonnet)

NOTE: The rhyme scheme I used is "abba abba cdcdee"

One Life to Live

The brilliant colors running through my life
Illuminate the obstacles, and yet,
Should I give thanks for color, or regret
That God chose gifts of struggle and of strife?

Dearest God, in my days, You made a knife,
In my stormy journey, I ought to get
Peace, serenity, but these can't be set,
So challenging, lie planning a new life.

Rock and stones do notgrind me into dust
It polishes me and turns me into a gem
The year's I've lived, I did my best... a must
To show gratitude to God, unlike them.
That one day, I'll sparkle, it is God's plan
I know it already, for I am a man.

A Father's Letter to His Son

by Leslie Keating

A Letter to Youth on Love and Marriage

What is love? Mr. Webster defines love as an unselfish and benevolent concern for others. Other people define it as a bubblegum.. and you know the continuation. However, I define love as a malignant, incurable disease since it is an emotion that clouds the mind and the heart. What about you? What is your opinion when you hear the word "love"?

In the story "A Father's Letter to His Son," I can say that the parents of Jeff are actually very good people aside from being very religious. For this reason, I am so envious with Jeff. The father of Jeff, for me, has developed a good personality because normally, parents do not allow their sons or daughters to be in a relationships under eighteen years of age. But the dad of Jeff is different! He is supportive yet he still instills discipline and proper moral conduct just like what he had done, that is, giving Jeff a letter about love and marriage wherein it focuses on the symbiotic relationship of love and marriage! Similarly, I deduce that the mother of Jeff is a kind, gentle and loving lady...but my conjecture is only based on the descriptions of her from the story.

In addition, the letter also points out about virginity as the finest wedding gift a man and a woman can give each other. Moreover, it also tackles on the hazards of getting into a relationship...which is why fidelity is very much needed to achieve life-long happiness. Furthermore, it also says that life can only become valuable if God is present in our lives. And I firmly believe in all what the father of Jeff had written to him, down to the last details.

I now realize that love is a very important part of life...since out of that a family can spring fort. Therefore, I can say that when we want to partake in a lovely and wonderful relationship, it is a must for all of us to think things through and wait until the right time comes. God bless!

Reminiscing Those Days

Reminiscing Those Days

(As I sit here in my favorite chair, listening to soothing music, I am closing my eyes and drifting off into memories of my childhood, typing them down for everybody to read. Hope you will like it!)

I remember everything like it was just yesterday! I still remember those wonderful memories that I ever had. I don’t like to boast but I think I had the ability to see simple relationships. I could still recall I had been somehow in the phallic stage because I never saw my father when I was born. Then, there was a time when I sort of saw a person hugging my mother. I was kind of envious to the extent that I hit the person, who was my father, with my guitar on the forehead. He had bleeding on his head. I guess this is what you call the Oedipus complex. This was my first memory when I was a preschooler.

During preschool is where we are most free, the worries of being an adult are far away, and the memories we make are full of color!

Another experience that was unforgettable was quite painful on my part. The sun shone brightly in the sky and I could feel the electromagnetic radiation of the scorching heat, running around the house with my cousin. I was wearing my father’s very expensive eyewear. However, I tripped because of something and I had hit my face so hard on the floor. The lenses broke and some of my teeth bled. So unfortunate! My hands were wet with dirty water from the canal although it was a good thing I didn’t get my any of my bones fractured. This is my second preschool memory that I can recall and I must say this probably is the dumbest thing I have ever experienced. My parents told me to stop running around but I just did not listen. Hence, I paid a heavy price.

By the way, I also learned to explore my surroundings and environment. I played video games, played with toys and watched anime. I also have a very short attention span, I guess.

Nevertheless, the happy times and the sad times, both the ups and the downs, the good and the bad, I embrace them all because all of them made me the person that I am today. That is all I can say. God bless!

Suring – basa ng El Filibusterismo

Suring – basa ng El Filibusterismo

Jose Rizal

Kailan man ay hindi natin makakalimutan ang ating napakatalino’t ubod ng tapang na pambansang bayani na si Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda.

Ang may katha ng “El Filibustersimo” ay maihahantulad sa pinagsama-sama ng mga kakayahan nina Boccaccio, Geoffrey Chaucer, Niccolò Machiavelli at Miguel de Cervantes sa larangan ng panitikan. Si Miguel de Unamuno ay inilarawan si Rizal bilang, “isang kaluluwa na natatakot sa rebolusyon kahit sa kaloob-looban ay gusting-gusto ito. Siya ay nagpibote sa gitna ng takot at pag-asa, sa gitna ng pananalig at kalungkutan.”

Sa pagsulat ng mga nobela’t iba pang uri na akda, si Jose Rizal ay isang henyo at hindi matatapatan ang kanyang galing at husay sa paggawa ng mga akda lalung-lalo na iyong mga isinulat niya na natutungkol sa tunay na buhay.

Isang Pilipinong may kahalong dugong Insik, Hapones at Kastila, siya ay anak nina Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo. Una niyang namasdan ang kagandahan at kasali na din doon and di-makatarungan na pagtrato ng mga dayuhan noong ika-siyam ng Hunyo, taong 1861 sa Calamba, Laguna. Ang kanyang nobela na inialay sa tatlong paring martir na sina Gomez, Burgos at Zamora ay nagpapahiwatig na ang nagging karanasan na tatlong pari ay lagin sumagi sa kanyang isip. Ang El Filibusterismo kung isasalin sa Ingles ay nagkakahulugang, “The Reign of Greed”. Ang ibig sabihin ng pilibustero ay paki-alamero at kaaway na pamahalaan.

Sa opinion naman ni Estrella De Vera, isang guro sa Santa Bella College, ang El Filibusterismo ay, “nobelang lubhang mahalaga para sa mga guro at mga estudyante sa sekundaryang paaralan tungo sa mabisang pag-unawa sa mga kaisipan at pilosopiya sa isa sa mga batog na siulat ni Dr. Jose Rizal.”

Self–Awareness and Values Clarification Seminar

Self–Awareness and Values Clarification Seminar

The whole day seminar really was awesome! It made a great impact on me. How? It is because of the fact that everything I personally experienced and learned can, in a way, enable me to know more about myself. For example, we had this personality test wherein we were asked to draw a pig. Out of the drawing which we drew, the guidance councilor gave us the interpretations. After interpreting, the guidance councilor told us that the characteristics of the pig are a reflection of what we are! I then realized that the interpretation was precisely correct! According to the guidance councilor, my pig was realistic or practical, direct or innovative, and emotional or naïve and feels secure but stubborn at times because the pig sticks to its ideals. That pig is me.

I learned so many things throughout the seminar. For the self-awareness part, I knew that there are three steps in the creation process which are self-awareness, self-acceptance and taking ownership. Based on what I learned, self-awareness is the first step in the creation process. Moreover, we ourselves are the so-called “experts” of ourselves. Second step is self-acceptance. For this step to be developed, one must have the characteristics of being honest, courageous and being realistic which are necessary pre-requisites. Finally, in the step of taking ownership, it connotes that one should realize that he/she has the power to make his/her life happy.

In addition to the self-creation process, I also learned about the Johari window where the “self” is divided into four parts or windows which are: public self, private self, blind spot and potential self. Public self states that the person him/herself and others know that the characteristic is in him/her. The private self is where one has traits but others can not see it. Thus, people who belong to this window tend to be very secretive. For those who belong to the blind spot, these are the people who portray a good, responsible person however back at home, the person is the exact opposite. Finally, for those who belong to the potential self, these are people who are not aware that they can have these traits.

Values can be defined as principles, ideas, beliefs, and ideals that we cherish. It can be either instrumental, which are values in adjective form and refers to our personal characteristics, or terminal, which are values that we need to work for so that it can be developed. During the part two of the seminar which is the values clarification part, I learned that there are four things I ought to keep in mind. They are as follows: 1) I have to believe that I am capable of changing now; 2) I believe that my life is my responsibility; 3) I believe that my values determine my attitude and behavior and; 4) I believe that if I set my sights in a new direction, I will arrive near the place I wanted to be.

So based from what I learned throughout the seminar, I intend to apply my realizations. I ought to balance the four windows of myself to become a better person. I should not be secretive, boastful, plastic, and I should never be such an introvert! In addition, I must inculcate in my mind and heart the four important things regarding life which was tackled during the values clarification part of the seminar.

I am really thankful to the people behind the implementation of this seminar. It is because I learned new things that can aid me to become a more wholesome person emotionally/mentally and socially. The only recommendation I can give is that the seminar should be an overnight activity. That is all. Good day!

The Link between Sensation and Behavior

The Link between Sensation and Behavior

The term “Sensation” refers to the first stages in the functioning of senses, whereas the term “Behavior” refers to the actions and reactions of an organism; usually in relation to its environment. For example, in response to the sensation of a runny nose, the body behaves by sniffing. In response to the sensation of hungriness, he/she behaves by searching for food and eating it. When one feels pain, he/she tends to guard the painful area. In response to the sensation of a foreign object in the eye, he/she would behave by blinking to rid themselves of the foreign object. Based upon these examples, we can say that behaviors and sensations are both greatly interrelated and interdependent.

The five basic senses are very important because they play a vital role in one's daily living. What happens when a human is deprived of sensory input? I have read information, on a website, about sensory deprivation experiments conducted by the U.S. military during the 1950s. The site reveals the adverse effects on the brain if it is isolated without sensory stimulation.

According to a certain professor of psychology, human brains can be radically affected by short spells of isolation. Professor Robbins believes that cells that connect nerve cells and help them to communicate, called dendrites, may lose some of their connectivity if not continually stimulated. Quoting Professor Robbins, "the brain is an amazing processor of information. In the absence of incoming information, the brain develops its own information inputs. This explains the phenomenon of hallucinations and the reason why an isolated human's perception of the world is altered".

I also read these solitary facts from the same website: a) Prisoners at a Philadelphia jail were studied in 1829, in the belief that locking them in a cell with nothing but a bible would make them repent. Many went insane. b) 730,000 elderly people don’t leave their homes more than once a week says Help the Aged, an organization in the US. c) A University of California study suggests that social isolation increases the risk of heart conditions in older people. d) Research in the 70s and 80s indicated that short spells of sensory deprivation may help people change eating, drinking and smoking habits.

In a nutshell, life would be so chaotic if even one of the major senses of a person becomes impaired. It would be already lucky if only one of the major senses becomes impaired because there is this what we call adaptation. For instance, when the sense of sight becomes damaged, another major sense organ will take over, which is the ears. However, if all of the major outlets of sensation becomes damaged, life would really be horrible.

We always see how every decision is based on one of those sensations we feel. Therefore, sensation greatly affects behavior because of the fact that it affects the body. It dictates everything we do. It is what our bodies yearn for, ergo whenever we experience one, it shows.

The Notebook

The Notebook

Behind true love is a great love story!

I found The Notebook, to be a sad yet happy movie! It is romantic and has become my favorite, actually. Every time I watch the film I want to cry. Each time I watch it, it's like watching the movie for the first time.

The mere thought of knowing or even finding someone like Noah who will
work as hard as he did to stay with the person he loved is just so touching! Aside from building Allie’s dream house, he definitely showed how committed he was to Allie by staying with her in the nursing home even when she didn’t recognize who he was. This showed true and unconditional love. In addition, the commitment was so strong, especially because Noah would not leave his home because he said she is his home.

Moreover, I would have to say that writing the letters everyday for a year and taking care of their lives when they were already old proved Noah had taken the role of caretaker. Accountability was shown through the many decisions the main characters made that lead to certain consequences. As for love, I think that what she did to the guy she was engaged to was bad. But it just shows that nothing can come between fate and true love.

Fate determined that Noah and Allie were meant to be together. Love was proven through the commitment they made to allow fate to take place. Allie risked breaking another man’s heart to be with Noah and Noah risked pride and machismo to make sure that Allie would be his.

Take the Lead

Take the Lead

The movie was the perfect escape for relieving stress!

Take the Lead is a movie that makes you want to do that astonishing kind of dancing! Throughout my whole life, that was my first time to see a film that is so devoted to art of dancing. To start with my reaction to the film, based on my observations, I very much agree that the choreography was well done. Although I didn’t get to see the movie until its end, I could say that the mixture of classical ballroom and street music was quite unexpected. However, I would have liked to see more of the actual teaching and learning process between the students (in detention) and their teacher as they learned the specifics of ballroom dancing.

Respect and belief in oneself were the major understated values underlying the whole story. It also showcases real life issues the blacks and whites in the United States face such as poverty, rejection, discrimination, attitude problems, etc. By the way, to be frank, if I were the only person viewing that film, I would really dance to the beat of Tango music! It just sends quite an unexplainable impulse on my body that makes me want to groove to the beat.

To summarize everything all up, the movie was great and worth watching. Those who have the talent to dance will surely love this excellent film!

If Only

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If Only

It's a love story with a twist, so to speak.

If Only is one of the most touching films I have ever seen! Essentially, the film portrays the importance of not taking a relationship for granted, because you never know when it may be taken away from you. It also teaches that our actions have tremendous meaning in our lives, as well as those of our loved ones.

Ian does not know how to tell his girlfriend how he feels. He is afraid to show his true feelings, and avoids doing so by hiding behind his work. Samantha is just the opposite. She loves Ian with all of her soul and is not afraid to show it. A fight concerning this very issue is what causes Samantha to run off, which then leads to her death as her cab is hit by another car. Ian is devastated and regrets that he no longer has the chance to tell her that he truly loved her. To his surprise, he wakes up the next day to find Sam lying next to him in bed. The day has started all over, and he has the chance to get it right this time. The rest of the movie is about him trying to do just that. If you ever have the chance to see this movie, I highly recommend it. I, myself was blubbering like an idiot through the whole thing. It gives you a very sweet, romantic, and life-altering view on life.

I liked the last part best when Ian truly realized how much he loved Sam and took the seat where he knew he most definitely would die. I just love that part. You could see his fear. Yet he chose to die for the girl. Now that is love.

The story is very involving and it has an emotional ending. It even made me cry rivers.

Cannibal Holocaust

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Cannibal Holocaust

Having seen the film for the first time, I can say that it is the most seriously disturbing, shocking, horrific and grotesque film I’ve ever seen in my entire life!

But despite its being a very gory movie, I learned a lot of things out from it. To be honest, I never knew there were ethnic tribes living in some parts of South America! By the way, what I mean by ethnic is like the indigenous people here in the Philippines like the Aetas for example. I really had no idea not until I saw this film, although Aetas are not cannibals, of course. And as a witness to numerous acts of actual animal cruelty and violence, I am deeply saddened notably the three-foot long turtle that was horrendously killed. I almost cried because of that.

Moving on, I also learned that the primitive sexual punishment is appallingly dreadful! While watching the film, I can just feel the gastric contents of my stomach trying to propel itself to my esophagus waiting to be excreted and vomited! And the same goes for many of my classmates too, most especially the females. The expressions on their faces while seeing disgusting things was truly a sight worth noticing because I realized that there are really people who have very faint hearts and react easily to scenes or things that I myself don’t find that offensive like the death scenes of the four documenters, and the sex scene.

Although the story is just fictional, it’s still a very brilliant movie because it gives viewers the knowledge about societies considered as savages in the world. Moreover, it is a fine material to include in Anthropology classes because it shows how the fields of anthropology are in action.

Impediments

NOTE: This was the poem I made during 4th year high school. Hope you'll like it! :]

Impediments

Where did you come from, lamentable quality?
So horrible, so deranged, such an atrocity!
You make barriers of communication an idiosyncracy,
Thus, filling Carolinians like me, with stupidity.

To everyone, you are a great hindrance
To me and to my friends, you are such a nuisance!
You make our minds dilapidated,
Albeit we know that we would never be defeated.

Carolinians have unique personalities,
Hence, we deal our problems with relative ease.
Thanks to our different multiple intelligence,
We learn within learning spheres with diligence.

To think positive and not negative,
To express our opinions in elegant mathematics,
To accept and to learn to love ourselves as well,
To find an exit, to go out of our shell.

To draw art that contains well - inscibed feelings,
To be one with nature, the pristine air and calm waters,
To dance with rhythm and
To communicate effectively, removing its barriers.

First Time

Well, this is my first time to post something on my blog.

hehe

It's already 1:07 am. And I'm currently listening to the song "Love Story" by Taylor Swift.

I guess that's all for now.

Good night everybody! :]