l(aleaffalls)oneliness

l(a

le
af
fa
ll

s)
one
l

iness

-e.e. cummings-

Many of us people fall into the trap of loneliness sometimes. We get to feel lonely because we loose the company of someone. The most common is loosing the company of friends. Friends are one of the most precious gifts that one can have. If you loose them, it is just like loosing a part of your life. For some people, loneliness is not just caused by friends, but is caused by the society. They become lonely because the society has already abandoned them. If we look into this kind of loneliness, what would a man feel? Well, the poem of ee cummings will tell us what.

The poem above was written by ee cummings. If we try to look at its structure, we can see that this poem is not the usual poem we get to see in the books. If I were to interpret this poem it would somehow be like this:

First, what is the poem all about? The poem is all about being lonely. Why would I say that? Well, if we omit all the spaces in the poem, we get to see a linear poem like the one in the title. In the title, one can already determine what the poem is all about. What does the poem imply about loneliness? The poem implies the effects of being lonely. It somehow tells us that there is a similarity between a falling leaf and being lonely. I said it earlier that I will use the loneliness experienced by a man who is abandoned by a society. So, what is the similarity? It is like this. Put yourself in a situation wherein you are an abandoned man. Aside from being angry with the society, if you are to feel this way, what other feelings would you feel? Of course, you would feel lonely, very lonely. Now, imagine a tree with lots of leaves. If a leaf dries up, what would the tree do with that dried leaf? Of course, since it is of no use anymore, the tree would let go of that leaf. The dried leaf is somehow abandoned by the tree. If we are to put on the similarities, the dried leaf is the abandoned man, while the tree with fresh leaves is the society. If the leaf has feelings, what would it feel? It will feel lonely, very lonely.

Another implication of this poem is its structure. This time, disregard the content and put your attention on how the poem was made. Have you ever wondered on why the poem was made like this? Why does it have a weird structure? It is like this:

I do not know if this is correct, but if we are to trace the poem’s last letters from start to bottom, we somehow get an arrow shape, an arrow shape that is points to the bottom. What does this imply? It implies the motion of the falling leaf. If a leaf falls, it will go down and not go up. Since we have already established a similarity on the leaf and the abandoned man, we can now tell that the direction of the arrow implies the kind of feeling that the man feels. The downward arrow tells us that an abandoned man feels very down, sad and depressed.

So therefore, the content of the poem tells us the similarity of a falling leaf and an abandoned man. Its structure also implies the motion of the falling leaf, which in turn describes the feeling of a lonely and abandoned man.

Love: An Act of Will Not of the Heart

It is just normal for us people to fall in love with the people whom we are close with. We get attracted to them not just because of their appearance, but also because of their unique characteristics. Since it is then normal for us to fall in love, this question can now be asked. Is falling in love an act of one’s will and not of one’s heart? To answer this question, let me share to you some common things that happen in a relationship.

We have seen a lot of people who let go of their love ones in order for them to be happy. One of these examples is the situation wherein a love triangle is present. As we all know, a man or a woman cannot love two persons at the same time. He or she must choose. Now, how does will and heart have to do with this? It is like this. Sometimes, a person that is involved in this kind of situation tends to let go or give up the girl or the man just to settle all the things. An example of this is when two men fall in love with the same girl. These two men are all after the girl’s “yes”. Although the girl only loves one of the two men, the girl does not want to give an answer because she is afraid that the other one might get hurt. Considering that you are the man who is destined to be hurt in this situation, would you still pursue the girl that makes you happy every time you see her? Or would you just let go so as to make her completely happy? If your answer to this question is a yes or a no, and you can support it, then love is an act of will and not of the heart. As you answer this, you are now making a decision. Decision-making is an example of a mental work and must therefore involve thinking and will-using. To make a decision, one must have the will to support his or her decision and must be ready to face the consequences it bears. If you do not have the will, then you cannot make the decision. In this case, the decision to be made is whether you should continue loving her even though she will not love you in return. I, personally, have an answer on this. My answer to this is no. No, I will not continue loving her. I will just let her go and give her up so that she can be with the one she really loves. If you will ask why, I can support it with my experience, which I think is a lot worse.

My partner and I have been enjoying each other’s company for more than a year. For all the years we have gone through and for all the trials that we have faced and survived, it was only this year that the most awful thing happened. I found out that she was somehow cheating on me with her friend that she considers very close to her. When I knew of this, I then confronted her and said to her in a nicest manner all the things that are needed to be said. First, she told me that she was very sorry because she hurt me. When she said this, I then told her not to bother because all I want to do is to make her happy. If she is not happy with me anymore, then she has all the reasons to leave me. I told her that I can sacrifice my love just to make her happy. What the decision is-is not our concern. Ours is the way the decision was made. In my case, I used my will to decide that I should go and stop loving her so as to assure that she continues to be happy despite my hurts and cries, even though my heart tells me not to. If I were to use my heart in this situation, I will not give her up. But then, not giving her up would bring more trouble to her and to all the people surrounding her. So that is why I would rather use my will than my heart.

With these reasons, love is therefore an act of will and not of the heart because it requires a lot of logical thinking and a lot of rational decisions.

Dramafest 2007

Every year, the Seniors of the University of the Philippines High School in Cebu hold one of the biggest events in the school year, the Dramafest. The word Dramafest is coined from the words drama, which means a serious play written for performance on stage, television, or radio and fest, which is a short for festival. This event is characterized by a showcase of stage talents by the two sections, Tan and Gonzalez. A Dramafest only happens if a batch decides to apply their knowledge in production-making rather than taking it to a test. A Dramafest is therefore a periodical test for the Seniors.

In a Dramafest, a production made up of a whole section must be organized. The whole section must be divided into groups namely, lights, sounds, stage management and cast. The cast is the main essence of a production. It is with them that the result of the other groups’ work is shown. I, myself, am a member of Gonzalez’s cast. Oh, and by the way, the name of Gonzalez’ production is Quevedo Productions and the title of its play is, “Sa Ngalan ng Ama”.

Being a member of a cast is not easy. A lot of work needs to be done. One must be dedicated to his or her work. As for me, I was tasked to memorize my lines in the script. But this was not easy to do because the lines were just too long. I then asked our production manager on why are the lines longer than the usual. He said that the reason behind this is that the type of play that we were going to present was the “talking type”. Meaning, it concentrated mainly on speech delivery and speech intonation. The moment I heard this, I began to feel more pressured because I am not just to memorize the lines, but I also have to deliver those in an excellent manner. Goosebumps were starting to build up on me because I was more or less the main character of the story. My role is a general named Emmanuel Villasante, which is characterized as a bad father to his children. So what is the big deal? The big here is that I get more exposures than any other actor does, which I think is very nerve-wrecking. But then again, I cannot fail my classmates. I then accepted the role given unto me and practiced my lines very well. After nights of non-stop practices, I then mastered my lines. It was hard and exhausting, but it was possible. I still practiced more on my lines but this time with proper intonation. When I began to put intonations on my lines, I again felt another feeling of fear because it was harder than I thought. But then again, constant correct practice makes perfect. So, there it was, lines memorized, mastered and with intonations, ready for the big night.

The big night was, for me, covered by an eerie feeling. I felt nervous and tensed because I am not used to acting in front of the public. But what has been started has to be finished. I then appeared to the public bringing with me the tension in my nerves. Luckily, thank God, it did not affect my acting. It went on well. My batch mates were pleased with what they saw because they did not expect me to act that well. I was somehow flattered with their reaction. I then thank God for what he has given me. All is well that ends well. Even though our production did not win, I was still satisfied with the result because I did my best as a member of a cast.

Cellular Phones: Advantage or Disadvantage?

We all know that we are now living in a period in which information spreads faster than physical contact. This period is what we people dub as the Information Age. Along with this Information Age comes the improvement in gadgets and most especially in communication. In the past years, the use of landline telephones was rampant because it made people feel the closeness of their love ones even when they are away. But today, man has yet made another breakthrough in communication and it is far better than the ordinary telephone, the cellular phone. Cellular phones were developed in the Information Age and because of this it can be considered as one of the Information Age’s biggest effects.

It was not long that cellular phones became rampant. It was in the early 90’s that cellular phones began spreading throughout the world. I can still remember the very first model of cellular phones. It was the analog type, which means that it can call other people anytime and anywhere as long as there is a signal. Well anyway, it is not our concern here because what we are talking is about n. Are cellular phones more of an advantage or a disadvantage?

We all know that cellular phones are very portable. Since they are very portable, they can be used and carried anytime and anywhere. If they can be carried anytime and anywhere, then there is a possibility that it can save one’s life. Imagine yourself walking in a street with less jitneys passing. Then suddenly, weird looking people start to follow you where ever you go. There is no one else around to help you get rid of those people following you. The question is, how can you get rid of those people following you, considering that you live in a time when cellular phones are not yet made? Well, you might say that you will get a piece of wood and slap them all. Well, that might work, but what if there are a dozen of them? Well, take a dozen pieces of wood. Yeah right, like you can carry a dozen pieces of wood at the same time. What I am trying to imply is that cellular phones do make a difference. In the stated situation, if the person has a cellular phone with him or her, he or she can contact someone and report that he or she is being followed and needs some help. If the person can already contact someone and say where he or she is, there is already a big possibility that he or she will be saved compared to the situation wherein he or she does not have a cellular phone. We can say that having a cellular phone increases the chances of being saved from harm because one can easily be located and saved. Not to mention the fact that the criminals can also be traced faster because the location of the crime is known. If this is not convincing, try looking at reality. According to the maid of my cousin, her friend’s daughter was saved by her cellular phone. According to her, it was afternoon when the daughter called up her mother. Because of the report, her daughter was then saved by the barangay tanods of their place. Imagine if her daughter did not have a cellular phone, how would the mother know where to find her daughter if something bad happens to her?

By looking at this statement, it is therefore conclusive to say that having a cellular phone increases the rate of being saved from harm. To answer the question, yes, cellular phones are much of an advantage rather than a disadvantage, whether to the one that is harmed or to the one that is causing the harm.

If I were Given a Chance to Become a Part of a House, What Would that be and why?

Sometimes, we people are being asked with this kind of question during impromptu speaking sessions. Well, guess what, it is from an impromptu speaking session. This was the question that got from the vault. I decided to include this in the blog because it is a question about one’s views and opinions. So here it goes…

As a person, I have my personal views in life. Sometimes, I view life on a thing that has a very large impact. A large impact in way that it is very equitable and very relevant compared to the real thing. So, if I were given a chance to become a part of a house, I would be the post of the house. Why? Well, I have some reasons to support my answer.

The first reason is that a post is made to be strong. Every person living in this world is all aiming to be strong. We people should be strong at all times because if we are not, we will be easily be defeated by the challenges and trials of life. Even though there are many trials that are bound to hit us, we should always stand firm and face these. Just like the post itself. Nature has been testing the posts of our houses for at least the same number of years as your age, but as you can see, it has not gone down. It still stands in order for you and your family to be protected. In real life, would it not be nice if we are as strong as our posts in our home, facing the trials and tests of life but still standing up?

Another related reason is that a post is the foundation of a house. Being a foundation does not only hold strength as main requirement, but also stability. Being strong does not mean that you are stable. In order to be stable, one must be organized and supported. If you look into your posts, it is not only a piece of strong wood or metal. It also has cement at its base. What is the purpose of the base? It is the one that supports the wood or the metal in order for it to become stable. Therefore, wood plus cement is what makes up a post, an organized and stable foundation. If we relate it to our lives, people who are foundations have an organized and supported life. A very good example is the leader-member relationship. A leader is nothing if he or she does not have organization and support from his or her members. Being a foundation therefore is not an easy task. One must have organization and support, just like the posts in our houses.

Some things in this world can be equated by just a simple thing, like a post. Although it is small and simple, it still holds true. So for me, if I were to become a part of a house, I would be a post that is strong and stable.

Where Should The Biggest Allocation of The National Budget Go?

Nowadays, the government is currently having problems with the national budget. The value of the percentage allocation per sector is gradually decreasing. According to them, the reason why percentage allocation is decreasing is because of the low amount of money in the national budget itself. But that is not our concern here. Even though how small the national budget is, there will still be a sector that will get the highest or the biggest allocation.

For the past years, the government has been saying that education is the sector in which the biggest allocation of the national budget has gone to. But is education really getting the most of it? If the answer is yes, then why are there still many schools that do not have classrooms? From the looks of it, I think that the government is doing the job they do best, lying.

According to the law imposed on the proper usage of the national budget, the educational sector should get the biggest allocation of the national budget no matter how small the amount is. This is due to the philosophy and fact that education is the answer in solving undying problem of poverty. With these reasons, it can no longer be denied that education should have the biggest allocation in the national budget. But this is not what is happening. In reality, education’s share in the national budget is gradually decreasing because the shares are being transferred to another current problem in the country today, debt servicing.

In debt servicing, a certain percentage of the national budget are given to the World Bank and to the International Monetary Fund so that the country will be free from its debts. Much as we know, the government is now prioritizing the efficiency of debt payments. In order to get efficient results, the government must, of course, increase the amount of their payments. How? Well, the best way is to increase the percentage allocation of the debt servicing sector. By increasing, the other sectors will get affected, more specifically; the other sectors’ percentage allocation will be decreased, thereby making the debt servicing sector get the biggest share. If this is true, then it violates the law and negates the statement that education is the answer to poverty. If education is the way to escape from poverty, then the statement should be followed. Besides, how can we escape from poverty if its exit is blocked?

Many parents in the society are working hard just to send their children to school. Majority of these parents want to send their kids to school because they want their kids to experience a better life compared to theirs. According to some parents, they want to send their children to school because for them, their children are the only hope in order to escape from poverty. Since they are in poverty, spending so much on something is very bad because it will affect the family’s current budget. So how are they going to escape from poverty if poverty itself is keeping them from escaping?

This is now the right time when the government has to interfere with the current situation. The government must then be able to provide the family with the things they need, especially when it comes to education.

Education is not a privilege, but it is a right and must therefore be given to people whether rich or poor.

How I want to be remembered after I Graduate in High School

As a graduating student, I am now destined to receive my high school diploma. After four years of trials and hardships, I will now harvest the fruits of my field. I will now leave my alma mater happy and proud. Being a student, I want to be remembered by my fellow high school students as a special man, the kind of man that is not the usual type and the kind of man that has firm principles in life.

In my stay here in high school, I have been the president of the NETizens.org for three years. As far as I can remember, aside from being included in the honors list, this has been my best achievement here in high school. Therefore, I want to be remembered by my fellow high school students as a very good president. Why a very good president? Well, not being boastful, but I was the one that changed and improved the performance and efficiency of the club. Since I was in the first year and second year, the name of the club was still not NETizens.org. It was USERS Club, a short term for Computer Users Club. When I first heard this name, I was surprised because it sounded more like of Drug Users Club. Not only that the name was bad, its performance as a club was also bad. We had meetings that were not very productive. These unproductive meetings led to a very bad accomplishment report that only contains one accomplishment, the beautification of the computer laboratory. It was bad because that was not considered a major activity. Anyway, it was my turn the next year. I was now to handle my favorite club. In my term, I was able to conduct a tutorial on web designing. It was not the best, but at least I was able to put something good in the accomplishment report. The nest year, I was re-elected by my members to be the president of this club once again. Being a two-timer in this rank, I now knew what needs to be improved and changed in this club. First, the name of the club has to be changed. We filed a letter of request, which was then granted by the principal and the dean, to change the name of the club from USERS Club to NETizens.org. I do not know why, but the moment we change the club name, unbelievable things started to happen. The funds of the club were starting to bloom, its performance was more efficient, majority of the activities for the whole year were covered, including our community service which was planned for more than two years. It was in this year that the NETizens.org received an award for helping a community learn about information technology and for conducting some tutorials for Microsoft Office. When we were recognized because of this, I was very happy and ecstatic because I think this is first time that this club received an award. I was very happy because of all the presidents that passed on this club; I was the one who gave fame and glory to the club.

So that is it. This is the way that I want to be remembered after I leave high school. I want to be remembered as a president that changed everything, a president who values his members very well and knows how to handle problems, a president who never quits his job and duties to the people and a president who knows how to perform and accomplish his assigned duty and task.

What I Think About This Blogging Activity

Ever since the second semester started, our teacher has required us to post at least five entries in our blog. In case you do not know what a blog is, it is an online journal in which a person can express his or her opinions or feelings on another person, place or event. He said that these five entries of ours must consist of one required topic, which will be given by him, and the other four are of our own choice. His reason why we should comply to this is that this activity will help develop our writing and thinking skills. Well, I agree with him because personally, I like to write and I think I can persuade people better when I write rather than when I speak. But then, as for me, I think five entries is just too much not because of the difficulty in choosing a topic, but because of these essential factors: time, money and distance. How do these factors affect the blogging activity? Let me give you some points.

First are the distance and time factor. How does distance and time affect the blogging activity? Well, it is like this. We students have schedules that sometimes require us to stay late in school, especially that we are in the second semester when it is usually the time when culminating activities are to be made. To mention some of these, recently are the Dramafest of the Seniors and the Florante at Laura of the Sophomores, which I think are activities that require the students to stay late in school. Now, considering that the students are now done with their practices. They will now go home after a very tiring day in school. They will now ride in a jeepney from school to their homes, which will take at most an hour and a half. As for me, when in normal schedules, I reach home at about 8:00 in the evening. Pretty late, huh? But it is normal for me because I live far from school and I have now adjusted to that. But during practices, like the Dramafest, we leave school very late, about 8:30 PM and I reach home at about 10:00 in the evening. To think that I have to study my other subjects for the next day, I still have to do my household chores. With these reasons, I sometimes neglect my duty to post blog entries. Lucky for me, I have a computer at home that helps my composition faster and it can be answered by proper time management. Well, time management is the always the right answer, but not all students have computers at home, and so with this comes another factor, money.

Once, I was assigned to encode a document that contains 3000 words or more. Precisely, if I was not mistaken, it was about 3142 words all in all. It took me 6 hours to finish the document. I was very tired after that. What is the connection? An entry in our blog must contain at least 500 words. Multiply that by five because we are required to submit five entries per week, you get 2500, not to mention that not all entries are exactly 500. As you can see, it will add up approximately to 3000 words. Again I was very lucky at that time because I had a computer that I used for 6 hours straight. I mentioned it earlier that not all students have computers. Therefore, they have to rent computers in order to post their entries. Imagine a 6-hour usage of computers in internet cafes, how much will they have to spend? Six multiplied by twenty pesos because 20 pesos is the rate of rent per hour, and you get 120 pesos. Is not it too much? Again, I will emphasize that “I” consumed 6 hours in typing. You may ask why? Well, I am the President of the NETizens.Org, I have encoded a lot more documents than any other student here in UP High and I know how to touch-type. Now, if there is anyone who types better than me, you let me know. Can you see my point? One hundred twenty pesos is just too much for a UP student. In my allowance I can save only 20 pesos per day, and please, do not tell me to save more because considering the prices today, I am still lucky that I can save that much. For some students, they can only save 5 pesos per day because their allowance is just enough to put them through the day. Five pesos multiplied by five days, you get only 25 pesos! How the heck can a student fulfill his or her blog requirements if he or she does not have enough money to encode his or her entries?

So, this is my stand, I am not asking to reduce the number of requirements per week, but I just want to know how will a UP student overcome this problems.

Sir Elmer, please leave a comment on this…

State of the Environment Address

I decided to put my speech in our public speaking class into this blog because the message here is very important. I hope you like it…

Name: Paul Andrew Gutib
Occupation: National Environmentalist
Occasion: National Environmentalists Gathering
Speech on the Condition of the Environment

Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Environmentalists, good afternoon!

We people are now living in a world full of advancements, full of gadgets and full of technologies. The world of information has already entered our homes, our minds and our hearts. There is no question that these things have significantly improved our lifestyle and our livelihood. But do we know all the things that these so-called “improvements” bring? Or are we just blinded by the spark it has brought to our lives?

As an environmentalist, like any other environmentalist maybe, follow a certain law about nature and its processes. This certain law is what we call, The Unwritten Laws of Nature. It consists of statements regarding the rules of nature. One of which states that: Everything has a price. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Now what does this mean? It means that anything you do will hold a consequence whether big or small. By just looking at this statement, imagine what kind of consequence will hold if a major improvement of lifestyle is made possible. To show you what kind, let me share to you some facts about the world today.

We are aware that factories improve the lifestyle of people by increasing the rate of production. But are we aware that for every increased rate of production, there is also an increased rate of devastation? The ozone layer is gradually becoming thinner every year because of the chlorofluoro carbons and smoke emitted by air conditioners and factories. This devastation is a result of continued economical races and improvements. The faster the emission of the smoke, the faster the destruction of the ozone layer is. When the ozone layer depletes, the ultraviolet rays of the sun will enter the earth’s atmosphere easily, thereby affecting the lives of the people. With these consequences, we people are often left to a choice. What are we going to prioritize more, is it the improvement of the society and lifestyle through factories, or is it the state of the environment that if abused and not taken care of will be lost?

Another fact is about the world’s current problem of global warming. Everyday, the earth’s temperature is increasing significantly. It was listed that the highest recorded average world temperature for this decade happened in the year 2005. Maybe it is not very surprising to you because you might be aware that our temperature is really getting hot. So what is the big deal? The big deal here is that the polar ice caps in the Polar Regions are starting to melt. There have been instances that polar bears have drowned due to fewer ice caps. Where do these ice caps go? Well, they go into the sea and increase the water volume of the earth, just like in the movie WaterWorld. What happens? Again, due to the melting of the frozen ice caps, the salinity of the ocean water would decrease making the sea currents altered, which would in turn cause another ice age. Our world could become like of that in the near future. Did you also know that the use of air conditioners to cool the inside of big city buildings contribute to the increase in outdoor temperature? It was found out by Japanese researchers that air conditioners dump enough heat into the streets to raise the temperature at least 1 to 2ºC. From these findings, we can already say that global warming is not only knocking at our doors but is already inside our homes.

Next and lastly, although this is not the last of the problems, is the state of our very own mother country. We know for a fact that the Philippines is a very polluted country. It is known that the Philippines ranks 5th in the most polluted countries of the world. So what is the big deal again? Evidences have been shown that the pollution here in the Philippines is very evident. Traces of acid rains have been recorded by non-governmental and governmental institutions. Now, how do we get acid rains? We get this through air pollution. Sulfur is the main ingredient in acid rains, and we may get this through smoke emissions. Since the Philippines is practicing the PUJ style or the commute style of transportation, and always experiencing heavy traffic everyday, it is no longer a question why there are instances of acid rains here in our country.

Again, we are only left to a choice that we must choose carefully, intellectually and reasonably. What are we going to prioritize more, is it the improvement of the society and lifestyle through a world of technology, or is it the state of the environment that if abused and not taken care of will bring us the worst? It is your choice and please do think about it carefully.

Thank you and good afternoon once again!

The Effectiveness of Animated Simulation and Basic GUI in Teaching Projectile Motion

Basic Physics is one of the most difficult subjects encountered by the third year high school students of the University of the Philippines. Because of this difficulty, our group decided to design a study that determines the improvements of the students taking this course. This study is about the comparison of the effects of the two programs in the students’ performance. To determine this, two groups are made from the two sections, namely Bocobo and Sison. Each group is then assigned to a particular teaching tool. The said teaching tools are the two programs, Basic GUI and Animated Simulation.

The Basic GUI was developed using Microsoft Visual Basic Programming Language, while the Animated Simulation was developed using Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004. For convenient and easier tracking of groups, we just named each group according to the teaching tool they are assigned to.

Before the experiment proper, we first grouped the two sections and see to it that its members are of the same performance with the other section so that the experiment would not be biased. After the grouping, we then developed a questionnaire that covers all the topics of Projectile Motion. We confirmed the validity of the questionnaire by submitting it to Mr. Jover Nuñez, the Physics professor of UP High. After the confirmation of the questionnaire, we proceeded to the start of the experiment proper.

We sent a letter to the faculty asking for permission to use the Physics period for our pretest conduct. The conduct of the pretest was then followed by the exposure to the teaching tool. Each group was then exposed to their assigned teaching tool for two hours. The exposure happened during a Saturday, which also included the discussion of the topic itself. When the exposure was done, we then proceeded to the conduct of the posttest. The posttest questions were the same questions used in the pretest in order to determine the improvements of the students and to make the results comparable. After the posttest has been conducted, we then tabulated the results and gave them the attitude test. In the preliminary tabulations, the group that got a greater mean score was the Animated Simulation.

The attitude test measures and determines the students’ attitude towards their assigned teaching tool. The attitude and achievement test were then tabulated and applied with statistical treatments to determine the significant improvement of the students’ performance. We used the t-test for correlated means in determining the significance of the mean gain improvements, while we used the t-test for correlated means in determining the significance of the difference in the mean gains for the two groups. After the statistical calculations, we found out that the results yielded significant results. Since the Animated Simulation group had a bigger mean gain compared to the Basic GUI, it can now be concluded that the Animated Simulation group is a better teaching tool compared with the Basic GUI. In the attitude test, both teaching tools were appealing to the students since their comparison did not yielded significant results.

Corruption Really Works

Recently, the government of Cebu showcased its financial power in the celebration of the 12th ASEAN Summit. The government of Cebu, led by its governor, Gwendolyn Garcia, established the Cebu International Convention Center or the CICC. The meetings of the 12th ASEAN Summit are going to be held in this majestic establishment. It was found out that the whole expense for the establishment was 515 million pesos (P515-M). But is it really worth that much?

Aside from the CICC, the very obvious evidence of corruption is the decorative street lamps built at the sidewalks. The city auditors said that one decorative street lamp costs 95 thousand pesos (P95 000), when in fact it costs way less than the said amount. Why way less than? It is because a surveyor from another country examined the materials that were used in the construction. He found out that the total expected cost for one decorative street lamp is only five thousand pesos (P5 000) and not 95 thousand pesos (P95 000). Imagine that, a difference of 90 thousand pesos (P95 000). Where could have this amount gone to? Well, it probably went into the pockets of officials and contractors. As we all know, corruption in the Philippines is already a system. Whenever there are projects, corruption starts creeping in the backdoor. So, with these amounts shown and wasted, do you still believe that the government does not have enough money to support the people of Cebu?

For the past years, the government has been telling us people that their funds are not enough to support the people. But if this is the case, why do they have enough money every time there are projects that involve fame? I mean, should not be their main aim of their office to serve and protect the people? Government hospitals do not have enough facilities to support people because the government does not give them the right funds. People cannot even get free medicine from their barangay health centers. Does the government really must work like this? Of course not! They must help the people and provide their basic needs. If they have not taken their economics for crying out loud, the main responsibilities of the government is to provide security, step-up economical situations and most of all to provide and support social needs. I think that the government has neglected the most important duty of all. They have forgotten that they are put into that position not to rule, but to lead and to serve the people.

So for me, I think the government is just lying or just too lazy to act to the real problem of the country. By looking at the evidences, we can no longer deny the fact that the government has already enough money to support the needs of the people. Maybe not all, but some will do, especially on the social services part.

As a conclusion to this, if we are to look at the establishment of the CICC and the expenses of the decorative street lamps, it is very evident that corruption really works. Not only by giving fortune to officials but by also giving fame to the country. Why fame? Well, it did prove to the world that the Philippines has the guts and the money. Ironic huh…

The Look

Strephon kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
And never kissed me at all

Strephon’s kiss was lost in jest,
Robin’s lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin’s eyes
Haunts me night and day.
-Sara Teasdale-

This poem tells us about a girl who had known men for quite sometime. If we look at the lines in the poem, it can be seen that the girl has some kind of suitors, namely Strephon, Robin and Colin. The first two men both kissed her at different seasons while the other did not kiss her at all.

It was in spring that Strephon kissed her, while it was in fall for Robin. If I were to analyze this part, it is as if the girl has experienced the feeling of love twice from different men before she found the right one. And how did I know this? Well, by just looking at the last part of the poem, which is when the girl said that she is haunted night and day, one can already say that she fell into the love trap of Colin. But this is not the only analysis that I can derive in this poem. Another analysis would be that something done in a different way or a special way will always be remembered rather than doing the same thing all over again.

It is said in the poem that the kiss that Strephon and Robin gave her was all lost in jest and in play. It was all gone in an instant. But the kiss that Colin made was the only kiss that was not lost in jest or in play. By just reading at these statements, one can ask why did she not forget Colin’s kiss. It was because Colin’s kiss was not the usual kiss that our love ones do to us whenever they express their love. Colin’s kiss was a peculiar one because he used his eyes and his look in kissing the girl. The girl on the other hand, was surprised on what the boy did that she could not stop thinking about it. She was somehow stunned to what the boy did because instead of using the chance to kiss her, he just looked at her. Maybe, the girl just could not believe what happened to her and that is why she felt that way.

But if you ask me, this is very normal. To feel eerie on a thing because of its peculiarity is a normal feeling of being a human. In this case, the peculiarity is shown on the part of love. Colin expressed her love for the girl in a totally different way. Instead of kissing her, he just looked at her. If you were the boy, given the chance to kiss her like any other suitors, would you kiss her or do nothing? Of course, the common answer would be to kiss her also. I mean, hey, I like this person very much, so why would not I kiss her? But this was not the thinking of Colin. He thought the other way around. He thought that if he loves this person very much, why would he show his love for her in the same manner as of the others? Would that show that his love for her is just of the same level with the others? How will he show that his love was more than the usual and that it is very special?

So, as a whole, this is what the poem is all about. It is all about doing something special for a special someone. It is about doing all the peculiar things in the world just to show to someone his or her worth in your life.

The World in the Information Age

Nowadays, the world has been infected by what we call information technology. It provided the world with the most recent inventions and innovations that all aimed to improve and develop the society. Information technology also provided the world with the most useful resource ever invented by man, the Internet. The Internet is an online community service that helps the world enjoy life better. It offers different services that include entertainment, information and most importantly, communication.

To gain access on the entertainment and information service of the Internet, one must use the search engine. A search engine is a kind of Internet service that gives the user access to almost all the topics found on the World Wide Web by just typing the desired keyword. If one needs to know about the things happening in Hollywood, he or she only has to connect to the Internet and log on to the websites that offer search engines. One does not need to go and check the showbiz section of the newspaper anymore. He or she only has to have an Internet connection with the proper wizards for installation. Even though it is the fastest way to find things, searching the desired topics using Internet requires a lot of sacrifice because search engines are online vertical files finder. They find all the WebPages that contain the inputted keyword. In other words, it gives the user a list of thousands of WebPages that are related to the topic. Due to this condition, some get irritated because it consumes all the patience in them. It is usually recommended that when one uses a search engine, he or she should input a more specific keyword so that the results would be lessened. Some websites that offer search engines are Yahoo!, Google, MSN, Wikipedia, etc.

Aside from search engines, the Internet also provided the world with a new style of communication. This new style of communication is what we call as electronic mail or e-mail for short.

For the past decades, the world used telegrams and letters to communicate to the people here and outside the country. Telegrams work by paying every letter in the message. In this style of communication, the sender is forced to reduce the number of words and letters of the message, thereby affecting its coherency. In the formal letters, it works by paying the stamp of the message. Unlike the telegram, it does not concern the number of letters in the message. Therefore, the sender can write all the words that he or she wants. Although the sender is not limited to the number of words or letters, he or she must determine the weight of the message. Prices of stamps vary according to weight of message. With this condition, the sender is also limited to the size and length of the message if he or she wishes to pay the minimum amount. It is because a lot of papers would mean an increase in weight.

In e-mail messaging, these disadvantages can be erased because there are no limitations. An e-mail message is just the same as an ordinary letter only that it can be formal or informal. A sender can compose his or her message by using the telegram style or formal letter style. He or she can also choose the font style of the letters in his or her message. He or she can then design the message by inserting a smiley face or a simple picture, which is not possible in a telegram in a letter. Another service of the e-mail is its file attachment wizard. In an ordinary letter, one must pay an additional fee if he or she wishes to send a document. It is because the document will definitely increase the weight of the letter. In e-mail, weight does not matter but only memory. Even if the document is very heavy, it does not matter as long as the computerized document’s memory is enough for the attachment process. After the desired e-mail settings, one can now send the message to the recipient through its e-mail address. The recipient can receive the message instantly after the sender presses the send button. It is way faster than the old letters because e-mails only take seconds of delivery while the old letters take almost days. Some websites that offer e-mail messaging service are the ones that offer search engines.

Information technology really improved the lives of men and women, whether be it in the entertainment or communication side.

The Two Best Things that Happened In My Life

Each one of us in this world has his or her unforgettable moments. For some, these unforgettable moments are what they consider as the best thing that happened in their lives. If this is how they see it, then those should not be called the best thing, but instead it should be called the best moment in their lives. One person’s best moment might not be the best moment for the other because the other one might not be contented to what the other person feels. This only shows that each of us has his or her individual desires and dreams that make us happy when fulfilled.

As for me, I have two best things that happened in my life. I will just start with the first. My first best thing that happened in my life was when I passed the High School Admission Test of UP Cebu (HSAT). I considered it one of my best things because without it, I would not have met the friends that I have now. The friends which I have here are the best and the most intellectual people that I have known so far. They are the ones who have a philosophy and an aim in life. Another reason is that, if it were not for this test, I would have known less about life. I would not have met the teachers that I have now. They are the kind of teachers that guide students like me into the path of success. If it were not for this test, I would not be the kind of person that I am today, a person who is responsible, open-minded and sensitive to life. Another main reason on why I consider this one of the best things that happened in my life is that it paved the way for the second best thing that happened in my life.

The second best thing that happened in my life was when I met and fell in love with my very special friend. Even if we only knew each other in the second year level because it was the only year when we were classmates, our closeness developed until finally I professed my feelings for her. It was not very easy for me to profess because I first examined my feelings. I talked to her every recess even if she is in the other section. I said to myself that I should say what I feel because I thought that there was nothing wrong with saying what I feel. So, there it was. On the 2005-2006 Christmas Party, I then decided to tell her what I feel. Considering the fact that the party was held as a year level celebration, it was somehow a lucky situation for me. When I was about to tell her what I feel, I felt the most nerve-wrecking feeling that I had ever experienced so far. I felt like a kettle that is constantly boiling even if the fire has already been put off. So, what was needed to be done was done. When we were walking for home, I told her what I needed to tell. I thought that she would somehow be angry and feel bad about what I said to her. But then, I was surprised. I never thought that she would say that I was too slow. She said that she already liked me even on the first day that we met each other. Since then on, considering the hard, funny and surprising things that happened, I still regarded this as the most unforgettable and the best moment in my life.

KYSD: Sophomore and Junior Experience

In my previous post, I posted there my experience of being taught by my fellow students for the past years and this year. I also posted there that I was once a student teacher in Computer II and Computer III. Now, I will share my experience and feeling on being a student teacher in Computer II and Computer III.

When I was in the second and third year level, it got into my mind the thought of teaching for the KYSD celebration. I had a feeling that I should try this even just once because I want to experience the thought of being in front of my fellow students. So, I then decided to send an application letter to our computer teacher. I chose the computer subject because I noticed that my performance was great and somehow excellent at this subject. When I sent my application letter to our teacher, our teacher then approved my letter because there was no one else who applied for her position. I was quite surprised with the reason because I really thought that many would apply for this position because this subject was very entertaining and fun.

On the opening program of the KYSD, I then found myself standing on the stage and being given an identification card containing my name, subject and my position. I was new to the feeling, so I felt very superior to the ones who are watching me below the stage. I felt very proud of myself because I was given the responsibility and the authority of handling our computer teacher’s class.

So, the real deal started. It was then time for our computer lessons. We all went to the computer laboratory after the student teacher on the previous subject dismissed us. When I entered the computer laboratory, I then felt an eerie feeling because I was thinking of what I am going to do with this class. If something happens to this class, I will be the one who will be accountable to the happening. But then, when I started teaching, the feeling that I felt moments before was suddenly gone and replaced by another feeling. The new feeling I felt was very annoying because my fellow students were not listening to what I am saying. They were just talking and moving around the computer laboratory. I was about to feel discouraged when suddenly something went into my head. I then remembered my duty and my responsibility to the class. So, when I remembered this duty of mine, I then asserted my rights and powers given unto me by our computer teacher. I scolded them and requested them to shut their mouths because their voices were filling up the whole computer laboratory. When they heard me say this, they all returned to their assigned computer units. I then explained to them the lessons that they must understand and study because our teacher might give an exam about the discussion. I also said to them that it would only be their loss if they do not listen to me because I will be exempted in the test.

After coming home from school, I then felt very exhausted to what happened. I was very tired and sleepy that I want to sleep for ten hours. When I was already in bed, I then said to myself that being a teacher is not really as easy as I used to think, especially when handling and teaching a class full of hard-headed students like us.

On Being Taught By Students

Celebrating the Know Your School Day (KYSD) has been a tradition here in UP High. In this celebration, the students will be given authority to run the school and to teach the students in their assigned subjects. But before that, the student teachers must send first an application letter to the teacher whom they want to apply for. Then, the teacher must then interview the applicants in order for them to know what they are going to do. For the non-teaching positions, they send their application letters to the people who are holding the desired positions. I think they are still going to be interviewed but maybe not in the same manner as the ones applying for the position of teachers because this does not concern subjects anymore, but the whole school. Sometimes, some teachers do not get any application letters from the students. Some teachers may feel bad about this, but actually they must feel happy. When a teacher does not receive any application letters, it is either that the teacher is not very appealing to the students that they are now retaliating to him or her, or maybe that the teacher is very appealing to the students that they do not want to apply for his or her position because the fun might be spoiled. How will the teacher know which is which? Well, he or she must ask the students why nobody applied for his or her position. If the students answer back, then the teacher must be appealing, but if the students do not answer back or answer in an intriguing manner, expect that the students do not like the teacher.

In the past years, I was accepted by our computer teacher to teach Computer II and Computer III. It was only in the first and fourth years that I did not apply for a position because I got too busy for the Cyberfair and I was adjusting to the environment when I was in the first year.

I, being taught by my fellow students, feel good sometimes because I can easily approach them if I do not understand a thing or two. It feels good sometimes because I do not get nervous due to the feeling that the one that is asking me is my fellow classmate. The feeling is not the same compared to the feeling I feel when asked by the real teacher. Maybe it is because the student teachers usually do not get mad and are not very strict on things. They are somehow nice to the students in someway and still getting their jobs done. For me, being taught by fellow students is great because I can easily talk to my seat mates without getting scolded the way the real teachers do. The way the student teachers scold the students is far too different compared to the real ones because they do not get very angry. They just tell me to stop talking and to put my attention to the lessons, just like that and it is all done. Being taught by my fellow students does sometimes feel that I am inferior to them because they are better than me in this topic or lesson. The feeling is somehow negative and bad sometimes. But even though it sometimes feel that way, being taught by my fellow students is far too great of a feeling compared to the bad ones.

Pre-Marital Sex

Nowadays, teenagers are getting more exposed to social problems and relations with other people. They are now getting in exclusive relationships that sometimes hold bad effects for them. Some of these bad effects distract young people’s studies, ruin their future and even give unwanted pregnancies. What the people of the world call as pre-marital sex cause these unwanted pregnancies.

Some teenagers here in our country are getting pregnant at not yet the right age. Majority of these teenagers who get in this kind of activity are 13-19 years of age. According to some teenagers, they really do not like to get involved this kind of activity, but the moment they are with their partners in solitude, they become out of control and eventually find themselves in bed with their partners. For me, this is a fact because according to a book that I read, research found out that engaging in pre-marital sex is not really wanted, but only made because of overpowering emotions. They said that even though you promised yourself that this kind of thing would not happen to you, it is still very possible to happen, unless you avoid it yourself. According to them, the best thing you can do is not to put yourself in the test by putting yourself in the situation. Always avoid the trouble because you cannot really control the cravings of the flesh when provoked.

For me, the real problem of pre-marital sex is not really with women only, but to both sexes. Men always say to their partners that they love them very much and that they cannot live without them. They say that having them is the best thing that ever happened in their lives and that they are not going to give problems to them. Now this I say to men who say these things to girls, if they really love their partners that much and they do not want them to experience any problems, then why are they engaging in this kind of activity. Pre-marital sex is an act wherein the girls get unwanted pregnancies. Now, is not unwanted pregnancies a lifetime of problems? Of course it is! The fact that you are giving your partner a thing that she is not going to like, then how can you say that you are not giving her problems? If you truly love your partner, then you should not engage in this disgusting activity. Some men say that they are not giving their partners problems but are instead giving them “happiness”. Happiness? Is that what they call happiness, seeing their partners cry on one end because they do not know what to do? The happiness, the pleasure and the erotic feeling are only for temporary and not for permanent. The permanent thing is the effect of what they have done. Take the baby as an example. If the girl gets pregnant it is either she aborts the child or she gives it to somebody else. But of course, abortion is not going to be the answer for a gazillion years and giving the baby to somebody else is not quite possible because the parents will know that she has a baby with the boy. The best answer would be to tell the parents and raise the baby. Supposedly the parents already accepted what happened, but how will the girl and the boy raise the child if both of them do not have any money and any work? Is not it a big problem?

Love could be misinterpreted sometimes and interpreting it wrong could be lethal. Just like sex, sex can be the best thing that could happen in one’s life, but it can also be the worst thing that can destroy one’s life.

Reaction on TOFI in UP

Recently, the University of the Philippines’ Board of Regents approved the three hundred percent (300%) tuition fee increase that will affect the incoming college freshmen for the school year 2007-2008. Rallies have been made in order to show that the students are not in favor of this monstrous decision. Now, what is really the buzz about the three hundred percent (300%) increase?

According to the anti-TOFI side of the students, the reason why they are protesting way beyond the usual is because the groups of students, which are not to pay the tuition fee, are now required to pay it. For them, it is an additional burden for the poor but deserving people.

Personally, I have pro’s and con’s regarding this decision of the UP Board of Regents. My pro would be that it is somehow reasonable to implement this because the facilities of the premier state university are now low in quality and defective. What would a state university do if its facilities cannot support the education it gives to the students? It will just turn out that the education it provides will be useless because the students cannot apply it. Since the government cannot allocate the right budget for the school, then the most appropriate solution to this problem must therefore be an increase in the tuition fee. Not only does it cope up the budget deficit of the government, it can also provide the school with enough funds to support any financial crisis. We all know for a fact that a school with complete facilities will always help improve the performance of the students. But how can we have the right number of facilities if we have no money to buy? It must then be inferred that money is very essential. Imagine smart students given with the correct tools and facilities, would not there be any good results?

Although it poses good aims for the universities and the students, its means are, I think, far too exaggerated. According to the new bracket system, the students who were not supposed to pay are now required to pay, and this is what I do not like about this decision. For me, this is very disturbing and very frustrating on the part of the students who are members of this said bracket. Although some students still need not pay the tuition fee because these students are really financially poor, the income of these students are way below the practical. If you were to watch the income of these non-paying students, it can be seen that their incomes are way below the survival rate. According to the non-tuition bracket, the annual income of the family must range from 0 to 45000Php, which I think is very irrational and impractical. What kind of a family would there be if the annual income were around 45000Php? I think that this kind of family will not even survive in a time like this, where commodities are now very expensive. I think that there is not even a family that has that kind of income today. Below 45000Php?! I think that is too irrational! A family with that kind of income, I think, cannot even send a student to school for God’s sake! Imagine a 3750Php per month salary. Well, it is still could be enough for some with only one child with a simple house and simple furniture. But then, where would they get their daily expenses for the student? No problem with the scholars, but what about the not scholars? Supposedly that a student who has a family with this kind of income is enrolled in the university and its family expenses are just right to make them survive for a year, what would happen if the student’s family gives him or her his or her daily allowance? That would mean that budgetary allocation must therefore be adjusted, not to mention the school expenses that always happen as long as a person is studying. So, this “non-tuition payers” bracket of theirs is very impractical. Even if this kind of student exists today, I think that he or she is having a hard time with his schooling.

Therefore, my solution this kind of problem, since it cannot be stopped through any means of rallies anymore, is to request the UP administration to raise the “non-tuition payers” bracket up to 150000Php in order for the majority of the students to feel that there is still an accessible school in these days.