What drives you?

      Have you ever wanted to just let yourself free from all the problems in life? If you are to look at my last post, it's about a game called flower. Sometimes, I don't want to be in touch of technology when I relax and feel at peace so I go out. With what? My bike. I go biking around Baguio, I know not everyone can see the fun and excitement of biking but it really makes me feel happy and I could just forget everything that makes me sad when I'm riding. The beauty of the City cannot also be seen by all the locals but It really is a scene that would take your breath away...

 

 This is my Cannondale F4.

• Frame CO2 SL Alloy HeadShok
• Fork HeadShok Super Fatty Ultra DL, 80 mm
• Rear Shock N/A
• Rims WTB Speed Disc All Mountain, 32 hole
• Hubs Formula DC 20, DC 22
• Spokes Stainless Steel
• Tires CST Caballero, 26 x 2.1"
• Pedals Wellgo alloy platform
• Crank Shimano FC-M4428, 22/32/44
• Chain KMC 9-speed
• Rear Cogs SRAM PG-950, 11-34
• Bottom Bracket Shimano Octalink
• Front Derailleur SRAM X-7
• Rear Derailleur SRAM X-7
• Shifters SRAM X-5 Trigger 9-speed
• Handlebars Cannondale C3, 20 mm rise
• Stem Cannondale XC3 HeadShok, 31.8 mm
• Headset Cannondale HeadShok Si
• Brakeset Avid Juicy 3 160/160mm
• Brakelevers Avid Juicy 3
• Saddle Cannondale XC
• Seat Post Kalloy SP-359
• Sizes S, M, L, X
• Extras Cannondale V-Tech Grip

      As I've used a lot of bikes, this is my 1st bike which is really built for mountainous trails. I could probably say that this is also my favorite bike because of the Hydraulic Brake-discs and shocks that were created for downhill and uphill trails.

     I know that people usually perceive biking as a very tiring sport but it's not actually the point. The point here is that the bikers who ride enjoys what they're doing. As a biker, I could not explain the feeling of biking to you but if you were to ride, I know all will be clear to you. The adrenaline rush that we bikers feel when were biking is a whole lot different than any other sport. Yes it's tiring to bike, uphill that is; but after you're on the top, and you'll bike down the slope, there's the excitement that nothing else could explain.
  
     Biking not only is exciting but it is beautiful. There are routes that no car, motorcycle or any contraption could go that a bike could. Those are the undisturbed routes of the mountains, fields, hills and so much more... The view of these kinds of environments are just beautiful. The sun's rays trying to pass through the trees as we bike through the path carved only by the rubber tires of the bikes... The beautiful horizon that we see... The flowery fields with the winds trying to keep us cool... The birds chirping... Oh men, that is just beautiful in every way!

    I hope that everyone would be able to know the feeling of these kinds of stuff. I hope that everyone would be able to try biking. Biking is my sport. My leisure time. My peace. My piece of life. Biking drives me.

Have you fogotten?

          Another game from the Play Station Network Store. This game is a whole lot different than any other game that you've played before. Flower is an interactive game wherein you use the six-axis remote control to be the wind; tilt the remote however you want and the wind will do what you do. The objective of the game is to beautify your surroundings by collecting all the petals of the  flowers that have not bloomed yet. Sounds boring? It's not actually a competitive game, the sole reason of the game is to let us players be reminded of what we have forgotten, the beauty of this world.

        Every flower has it's own story. There are 6 flowers; some flowers just want to beautify the landscape; some  flowers just want to soar up in the winds; some are lonely in an environment destroyed by humans and still tries to make the flowers live; some are in total darkness and are the "light" petals; and some are in the cities trying to make it vibrant.

        This is a very special game for me because whenever I feel that I am lonely, saddened or problematic, I just turn to this game; I can't actually explain my feelings but in a term that I can say, all my negative feelings will be gone and I'll just have a smile on my face that I can't really remove. There was one time that I really had a serious problem about school and I tried to forget about it and believe that I can really do it but I wasn't able to forget about it, after that I remembered that I had a game that could probably help me forget so I turned the game on and in a couple of minutes, I really forgot about that problem.

      Some of my friends don't actually see the good in this game, they'd just play around and make it look as if it was a racing game. That sucks for me because I wanted to really show that this game could really make you feel at ease and relaxed. No matter, at least I can see that this game could really do some good to me. Every second that I played this game all I remembered were the smiles that I had and the way I felt, relaxed.

      I hope that there would be more games like this. Games that would help people remember the things that we should have not forgotten. Flower, thanks for the experience that I would not forget. May it bring the joy to everyone the way it has brought joy to me. Thank you for the experience!

A Crashing Story!

               Castle Crashers is a game in the PS3 console that can be bought at the Play Station Network store. It's super fun because normal games can only accommodate 1-2 players but this game can accommodate 4! Haha! Every time I play this game with my friends, they would always create a mayhem and run around the whole screen. 

               One of my friends would just wait for us to kill the enemies and he'll go running around collecting the money left by the enemies. Another one of my friends kills all the enemies and says, "Hoy! Akin yan! Wag mong aagawin!" Truly it's a fun game when you're playing with your friends! Some of my friends would call me up at my home and would tell mo to level their castle crasher up. "Uy Aaron, pa level up naman ung character ko, kawawa ako ang baba nang level ko..." 

              Every time they could go to our house there's nothing else that they would rather play than this cute and violent game. Whenever I would ask them if they would want to play another game, they would just tell me,"Castle Crashers! Castle Crashers!" Haha, there's no stopping my friends, when they step inside my house all would go running to the PS3 and quickly sit down to get ready for the next thrilling experience of the game. Here's a picture of how the game looks like...

       
                By the looks of the game, you would now see how my friends could create such a mayhem. It's really really fun to play because it's not your ordinary button-smashing game because you not only have your swords and axes but you have your special magic. Every knight has his own special power: The green spits out poison gas that would stick to the enemy for a while and poisons the enemy when it touches it. The orange spits out  fire that would, like the poison, stick to the enemy for a while and would burn it. The blue one creates multiple blocks of ice that would freeze the enemy. The red one creates a chain of lighting that would electrocute the enemies.

             As you could see with this picture, it's not actually a serious game. It's super cute and super funny because there's no one in the line of characters who takes it really serious. If you'll play the game, you'd really laugh so hard that you'll cry! I hope that you guys could play this fun and exciting game.

          Look at the characters of the game, think of each one of them with their own special and funny personality, now wouldn't you want to play them? Right? Haha, I would want to thank the developers who created this game, you guys are trully innovative in all aspects of the gaming industry! I hope that there would be more games like this one in the market soon.

Hey Soul Sister!

I enjoy listening to this song and whenever I hear this song, I smile; maybe because I am happy whenever I see her happy. I can easily relate to this song because the lyrics of the song are like the ideas in my brain. I wish that this song would never end because it reminds me of her. When I feel sad, I just listen to this song and it makes me happy again. All that I want to say to her are already sang by the song. Here’s a letter that I made for you using the lyrics of the song…

Dear Soul Sister,
I know I wouldn’t forget you whatever I would do so I’ll just go and let you blow my mind. Every single dream I dream I remember you and your sweet smell. I knew when we collided, you’re the one I have decided; who’s one of my kind. Hey soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do. All my time I want to spend it with you. The way you move ain’t fair you know; it makes me wanna say l love you more. You gave my life direction whenever I lost hope. When I see you smile, we can’t deny; I’m so obsessed. My heart is bound to beat right out because I believe in you, like a virgin, you’re Madonna and I’m always gonna wanna blow your mind. Hey Soul sister, there’s only one thing I would do and it’s watching you because watching you is the only drug I need. Every time I dream, you’re the only one I’m dreaming of you see, I can be myself now finally; In fact, there’s nothing I can’t be. All I wish for is the world to see you’ll, be with me.
Yours truly,
Pathfinder

I would like to say more but I don’t know how to say it. So this is what I would like to say for now. Thanks Train, for helping me say what I have to say…

You're the best...

Friends. Whatever you did, whatever you are doing and surely whatever you will do, you’re friends will be the one who’s going to be there for you. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs and to tell you the truth, you’re true friends are the one who you could really lean on in those times when you really don’t know what to do.

My friends are the best; they have always helped me with all my problems. There are 3 best friends that I would like to share to you guys, they were the friends that I spent my time the longest and I could surely say that they are my best of friends…

1.) Aidan Madarang- He was my best friend since Grade 6. Everything about me he knows and everything about him I know. We helped each other with everything: academics, social life, love life and some other things… He’s like my brother; sometimes I think he knows me more than I know myself. He has helped me with so many things and I believe that If not for him, I would not be the John Aaron that I would be today. He’s something else, he’s not the typical guy you meet every day, I couldn’t explain it but he really isn’t. We have a lot of things in common and I’m so glad to have met a guy like him. I know that we’ll be best friends until we grow old and I’m just so lucky to have him as a friend. Thanks Aidan.

2.) Lianne Quitiquit- Lianne, well we started being close I think when I was in 1st year. Lianne is a special girl in my life and I couldn’t have faced all my problems if it wasn’t for her. Whenever I see her, we talk about anything and everything. I help her with her problems, and she also helps me with my problems. She makes me smile whenever I feel sad and she gives me hope that it’s all going to be fine. That’s what I love about her; she never makes me feel down. She always shows me the brighter side of life even if my heart’s flooded with darkness. Lianne would die trying just to help me and I really feel that she cares for me. She’s my best friend and I hope she’ll always be…Thanks Lianne.

3.) John Paul Salvatera- JP! That’s what I called him before but now we have codes for best friends. He’s super fun to be with and he’ll do anything just to help me. He’ll go to the ends of the world just to give me hope. We started being friends when we were in 1st year, same with Lianne. We got farther from each other when we were in 2nd year primarily because of the different buildings we stayed in. But now that were in 3rd year, we are close again, that’s a good thing. He’s my brother from another mother. He’ll always be… John Paul has been a great brother to me because like my other best friends, he has helped me with so much; but what makes him different is that he’s the person that I would prefer to talk to if it’s about my personal life. Not that I don’t want to tell my other best friends, actually they also know; but I don’t know, maybe because he knows what to do and he would really help me if I needed it. Thanks John Paul.

Whenever I feel that my life doesn’t really matter, I remember these 3 persons in my life and all comes back.”What are you saying? You’ve got these people in your life so don’t waste it.” Whenever you feel down, just remember that your friends will always be there for you. Thanks guys, so much… You’ve shown me that there would always be a brighter tomorrow.

The Light of the North

The Light of the North:

SLU is now one of the best schools in the North. What started as a 10-student room created by the
Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (CICM), is now approximately a 26,700 student institution excluding the Elementary and High School students as of 2009-2010.

The logo is a graphical abstract from thoughts about the hundred years of commitment of Saint Louis University, and the search for meaning through Competence, Creativity, Christian Spirit, and Social Involvement.

The flame, depicted by the stylized ‘SLU’, represents the transformation that education can result in, while the elevated steps, shown by the ‘100′, leads to this direction. The torch embodies excellence in education and its enlightening process. Excellence has largely to do with the way a Louisian leads his life and the way he relates with others.

The major color of the logo which is blue and its various shades in the University’s color representing education as a journey. The golden flame illustrates the relentless achievement of excellence from an idea to enlightenment, and from core of emotion to realization.

The logo was designed by Archt. Dulthe Carlo C. Munar of the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Architecture.

The Centennial Celebration of Baguio as a City is also near the Centennial Celebration of SLU. Baguio celebrated it's 100th Birthday last year, 2009. Now it's SLU's turn!

It all started with one cause, to Christianize the people of the North. Now, it does not aim to Christianize the North primarily because they have more or less done it. They now want to craft students to reach their optimum efficiency. To teach them the moral values that they need for their future.

About the SLU Logo:

The motto of Saint Louis University is "Sapientia Aedificat", a Latin phrase meaning "Wisdom Builds" or more literally "Knowledge Edifies." Saint Louis University offers programs from the elementay,secondary, and tertiary level, which includes undergraduate and graduate programs.

The colors of Saint Louis University are white and blue, the colors of the Blessed Virgin Mary. White symbolizes the earth and man. Blue signifies heaven and God. The big golden cross in the middle of the shield represents the Christian faith that the school aims to spread to all corners of the earth symbolized by the four small crosses.

Superimposed on the golden cross is the stylized lily that is associated with Saint Aloysius (Louis) de Gonzaga, the patron saint of the school. The big sword across the shield expresses vigilance and perseverance. The rugged mountains behind the sword signify the obstacles that SLU strives to surpass in bringing the light of truth in the darkness of ignorance.

 CICM did not just create Saint Louis University, Baguio City but rather, created multiple schools all over the Philippines to continue it's mission: 

CICM System of Schools

 Saint Louis College, San Fernando City, La Union

    

     University of Saint Louis, Tuguegarao City

     

 

    
Saint Mary's University, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya

    

 Saint Louis School of Mandaue, Mandaue City, Cebu

    

Truly our schools are the best of the best and I wouldn't go to any other school other than CICM's very well-known learning Institutions. Happy Birthday SLU. May you continue to be the light of the North to everyone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Louis_University,_Baguio_City#History
google images

http://www.slu.edu.ph/

Happy 100th Birthday SLU

Let me give you a brief history of CICM’s Institution. In 1907, the CICM Missionaries arrived in the Philippines, mandated by the Vatican to Christianize the northern part of the country. The missionaries settled in Baguio because of its proximity to both Manila and the mountain province of Benguet beyond the Cordillera mountain range, that was home to numerous indigenous tribes. In 1911, Rev. Fr. Séraphin Devesse, CICM, founded a one-room elementary school in Baguio for ten local boys, naming the school the Saint Louis School . In 1915, the St. Louis School expanded becoming a vocational and trade school. In 1915 the school opened a secondary branch. In 1952, the combined efforts of Msgr. William Brasseur and Rev. Fr. Rafael Desmedt founded Saint Louis College, then consisting of three departments: Education, Liberal Arts, Commerce and Secretarial. In 1955, the graduate-level programs of Saint Louis College were granted recognition, but the real turning point came on 13 May 1963, when Saint Louis College was conferred University status by the Philippine Government. The school started with only 75 students with Gerard Decaestecker, CICM, as the first rector.

It’s been 100 years since the 10-student school was established and now it is a home to more than 25,000 students not only from Baguio City but from multiple towns and cities from the Philippines and even for other countries. It justly proves that the institution has evolved so much since 1911. Now that SLU is celebrating its 100 years of educational and non-educational excellence, I would like to congratulate its continuous growth and I wish that the Institution will become better every passing year.

The school has created its name all over the Philippines and it is now one of the leading schools mainly in the regions of CAR. The Centennial Celebration will be held starting December 2010 until December 2011. If you are to look at SLU’s website, you would be able to see the events that are to be done for the 1 year celebration. It will really be a very memorable event for the CICM and for us.

The things that I would want to wish SLU are these:

1. I wish that SLU would continue to be the Light of the North, to give the proper guidance and education for students who would really want to attain heights that they would never possibly attain if they didn’t have the proper help and education.

2. I wish that SLU, being a Christian Institution, would shower their vision to the people in becoming a better Christian. I would want SLU to craft their students, to always put their hopes towards God. To always believe in Him when everything seems perfect and when everything seems to be just complicated and wrong.

3. I wish that SLU would teach their students the proper moral value in becoming truly Human because our world is not the world before, it is more, let’s say “dangerous and aggressive.” I hope that the students would not be like these and would be a person for God and for everyone.

SLU, I am so grateful for everything you have done. I hope that you continue to guide us and help us in everything we do. I would also want to congratulate you again for a job well-done for the past 100 years. Thank you, Happy 100th Birthday and May God bless us all.

http://www.slu.edu.ph/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Louis_University,_Baguio_City

SLU-LHS: Just a school?

People always say that our teachers are our second parents so does that mean that our school is our second home? It’s not always the case. It’s not always the case because some students don’t actually like going to their school with so many different reasons. One of which is because they don’t feel that they are welcome in the school maybe because the people there don’t want to socialize in a wide scale, they just form groups of their own. But it’s never here in our beloved school, Saint Louis High School! What makes us different from other institutions? Well, with my stay here in SLU-LHS for almost 3 years, I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs but what I really felt here is that when there are ups, students will help each other make it higher but if there are downs, everybody will help each other up. That’s the main difference between us and “them”. We treat our schoolmates as if they were our own brothers and sisters and our teachers as if they were our best of friends and as our parents. Even if that’s the case with our teachers, the idea of respect will never be gone, even with our schoolmates. We really are a family, there would be fights and tears but we cannot eradicate that. There would certainly be happiness and laughter and that I can surely say is in our school that will never be gone. The idea here is that whatever happens in our school, everyone would willingly help turn it around if it’s a problem or push it to the peak if it’s a solution. SLU-LHS is really, our Home.

               SLU-LHS is a very productive learning Institution. The school has crafted students to the best of the best and to be able to do their best in everything they do. To be able to learn from everything, one of which are their downfalls. The curriculum that we have is not always for our intellect but also for our values. It pushes our values to be formed right. As a Christian School whose moral obligations are to form its students to be a true person for everyone, it also helps the students to be a true Christian for the community. Its 4 core values: Christian Spirit, Competence, Creativity, and Social Involvement are strictly implemented. Now, I would like to personally share my experiences here in this institution for the past 9 years. Well, 9 years of staying in one school is quite long and I could confidently say all that I would want to that is related to SLU. When I was in elementary, I really did enjoy my stay with all my friends but that was about it. I didn’t really take into consideration the “educational part” of SLU. Well maybe I did but it was already in Grade 6 when my mind perceived my life in a different way. When I went to High School, there I really felt that SLU is a really good institution. I learned so much when I entered High School and I can see some of it as useful to my life in the future. Some people say “What’s the importance of what I’m studying here in school?” Yeah, I wouldn’t lie to you; I also said this but not anymore. Why? It’s because I slowly understood the goal of our school. Some of the subjects that are taught doesn’t really have much importance to us in the future but that’s not the point. The point here is that it teaches us to be patient and so much more. The institution likes us to be ready for College and for the real world. And that is the universal cause of most High School Preparatory Schools. Truly, SLU-LHS is my one and only school.

Your life, live it, love it.

Actually, I still have not found the reason why I am in this world. And I’m still looking for the right answer. I listened to Steve Jobs’s talk at Stanford University on how to live your life before you die and personally, it helped put me on the right path in achieving my goal . He shared 3 events of his life. 1st, Connecting the dots, have you ever asked yourself what will happen in the future regarding your life? Well if you did, Mr. Jobs explained his personal view on this question. When he was in college, he had no idea about what to do with his life and the school did not help him find it either. That’s why he dropped most but one subject, calligraphy. At first, he did not find that calligraphy would benefit him but he just trusted that it would all work out okay. It did when he built the 1st Apple computer and he would not have done this if he had not followed what he thought was right. Mr. Jobs is telling us that we should just trust that the dots will connect in the future, we should not think so much about it. We cannot connect the dots by looking forward, we could only connect it by looking backwards. By doing so, we would be able to find the confidence to follow our heart to do what we want and think is needed. That would surely make all the difference. Follow your heart, it might not always be correct but any consequence that will arise from it might open a door to something better.

Love and Loss. Don’t lose hope and know that everything happens for a reason. If you love something, don’t give up to the trials that come your way because if you do, you’ll regret not being able to know what should have and shouldn’t have been, don’t give up. In Mr. Jobs’s case, his company, he lost it but he never gave up, he believed in himself that he could do it, and he did, he was able to regain his company. When life gives you a million reasons to give up, give a billion reasons to continue. Everything happens for a reason, you fall so that you could stand back up, you make mistakes to be able to correct it, and you fail so that you would appreciate your success more. Everybody meet problems; it’s the person who finds a way to overcome it that makes the difference. “You’ve got to find something that you love, never settle.” This is what Mr. Jobs said and that is true to our job and lovers. If you don’t love the job you’re doing, you will never be satisfied with your life because our job fills a big part of our life. That is also true to our lovers; never settle for someone if you aren’t 100% certain that it’s him/her. Never lose faith to be better. We can be, and we will be if you just believe, believe in yourself and believe that it will be…

Death. “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” I’ve learned that death is the most important invention of life. Without it, we would not live our lives to the fullest because there would be that thought that you have something to lose. We cannot avoid death, nobody has and nobody will. This is something that all people would have to face even if we don’t want to. What’s its implication? Live your life. Never live another person’s life because you only have one so don’t waste it. Take every chance that you could possibly can because you’ll never know how long it will be there. Grab life by the horns, live as if there’s no tomorrow. Purity of actions leaves no cause for regret. And while you’re at it, pull everybody around you one level higher.

A Cafe by the Ruins

The Cordillera is a mountainous region filled with fresh vegetation and wild animals. These precious resources are the main ingredients for a very special and well-created meal for the Café. Let your imaginations come out from your mind because this is the place where it all began! It is the Café by the ruins. The human ingenuity of the people of the Cordillera has sculpted this magnificent cafe into a work of art. How? Mainly because it’s not just your ordinary restaurant that has a wall made of concrete and a solid roof. No, these masters have come up of a way to make the ordinary, extraordinary. I would think of ways on how to describe the Café but I’d rather not, It would rather be better if I show you some images that would make your imaginations feel tingly inside…

 In the Café, you would really feel that it really isn’t an ordinary place to eat, it’s really like you’re in the Ruins of the Cordilleras eating its native delicacies. That is what the Café would want you to feel because in this ever changing world, you would see structures that are really constructed in its peak form, made with the exact of exacts and the best of the best. Yes, engineer-wise, it is the best of the best but this little café can attract more attention than these structures primarily because it is created by the Natives' own hands, blood, sweat and time. It might not be the best of the best but it is made with the people’s hearts, it is something that you would not see in any structure that was built with a help of a machine. You would really see the creative efforts that the people have given to this Café. The structural materials used in the place are all from the environment. Walls are made of Philippine bamboo called the kawayan and the roof is partly made of Nipa or anahaw leaves which are also used to create the very well-known Nipa hut. The flooring is made of stones and also the Café’s borders. The lighting system is not primarily needed because the sun’s natural light can easily light up the Café but when it’s night, they would open up some lanterns that are hand-crafted by the natives and also light up some candles, if you would go to this restaurant, you would feel that nothing else matters other than the ambiance of the Café and the meal that you are delicately eating.

Now for the food, there are so many mouth-watering meals that the Café has to offer but I would like to generalize its menu. They serve freshly baked breads like basil and kamote bread. They serve it with their home-made dips like the fish roe pate and the native strawberry jams and butter of Benguet. The very popular cheese salad is made of fresh carabao's cheese. Oh yeah, and for your information, all that the Café is creating are home- made, there are no artificial ingredients and the ingredients they use are all native, which makes it more flavorful, and all these are fresh. That’s for the appetizers, now for the main menu, their rice is from the Mountains of Benguet, their slow cooked foods are really cooked with the utmost care, the native chicken with its fresh herbs and spices, the fish will taste like it  just came from the sea with its mild salty flavor and the smoky aroma of the charcoal, they use wild mushrooms and fresh chilies to add flavor to their meals. The broth of their soup is made of the meat and bones of the native chicken. The pasta sauce like the Carbonara is made of fresh carabao’s milk, the very special Ruin’s pasta is made of fresh fish roe, the Pesto are made of freshly chopped basils and the tomato sauce are really fresh from the juice of the tomato. For the deserts, they only use the freshest of the freshest of ingredients, fresh carabao’s milk, and fresh fruits in season, harvested wild honey, muscovado sugar and so much more. The drinks are really Cordilleran, I can promise you that, the coffee has that special aroma of the Cordillera that I really cannot explain, and their iced tea is boiled from the leaves of the Natives' harvest, served with wild honey with a pandan leaf and to top it all of, the top of the glass is drizzled with a sweet and partly sour sugar that makes it a very Innovative drink. It is really an experience that you would never forget and it is a restaurant that you would always compare it with. This is just a brief overview of the Café and I hope that you viewers enjoyed this mouth-watering blog that would leave you wanting to crave for the meals and ambiance of Café by the Ruins!

Sources of the Pictures:

1) http://lelelulu.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/dsc_1664.jpg?w=500&h=330

2) http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:XC_lcJg-CGUoBM:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4307M3XvkEs/S_jvXK2kBjI/AAAAAAAACAM/AtW5sfktKr0/s1600/100_3409.JPG&t=1

3) http://www.clickthecity.com/img2/articles/CTC-1600-image5.jpg

4) http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:pvP0D19UW8hXYM:http://a5.vox.com/6a00d4142eb6d9685e00e398e9747d0004-320pi&t=1

5) http://www.camperspoint.com/IMG/jpg/cafe_salad_1.0.jpg

6) http://multiply.com/mu/ruditabora/image/42/photos/377/600x600/3/Crystal-prawns.JPG?et=Isi%2CNx92aNhxXT5u5VvW7A&nmid=53190201

7) http://multiply.com/mu/ruditabora/image/40/photos/377/500x500/22/Lemon-ice-tea-with-honey.JPG?et=3iTTx4f2ZesdDpjo1YJjOg&nmid=53190201

8) http://multiply.com/mu/ruditabora/image/34/photos/377/600x600/65/carbonara-pasta.JPG?et=PlNjg6UKXKZ2SpoqZoq0tw&nmid=53190201

9) http://multiply.com/mu/ruditabora/image/32/photos/377/600x600/67/white-chees-salad.JPG?et=01Cuek2GYUBgbV%2CKYG4ZKQ&nmid=53190201

10) http://multiply.com/mu/ruditabora/image/10/photos/377/600x600/104/thai-chicken-1011.JPG?et=VITxELi7C5guMgJ9Rsk1hg&nmid=133395228

11) http://multiply.com/mu/ruditabora/image/40/photos/377/500x500/22/Lemon-ice-tea-with-honey.JPG?et=3iTTx4f2ZesdDpjo1YJjOg&nmid=53190201

Human Beings…

Human Sexuality, what is it exactly? Do we really need to understand and go into its details? Yes. The youth now-a-days will perceive Human Sexuality as the manner in which 2 opposite sexes have sex. It is not always the case. To start with, we teenagers don’t really understand Human Sexuality in its real form. Generally, Human Sexuality is the way in which we express ourselves as Sexual beings. We are all formed or developed by several factors as sexual beings, one of which is our own gender, it is the manner in which males act as males and females act like females. We differ so much not only in the physical aspects but, socially, mentally and emotionally. There was actually a seminar workshop conducted in our school, SLU-LHS, to teach us students about Human Sexuality. Basing it from what I have understood, we all need to study Human Sexuality with several reasons but I would only give my opinions and details about one, the modern world. The modern world is not actually what we want it to be basing it with the ideas of Human Sexuality. We are Christians, well most are here in the Philippines, that’s a fact. We Christians have created a simple idea of what sex really is, what its causes are and why it is done. Why do we actually have sex? Is it not for the main purpose of having a child? If that’s the case, why is it that we have multiple kinds of contraceptives that are being allowed by the government? We are contradicting to what we all believe in, we want to have sex but we don’t want to have a child, does anyone see something erroneous with what I have just stated? I did, I believe that the Catholic Church would too. The problem with our view as a modern world is that we don’t really keep in mind that sex is sacred, actually it’s not anymore for most people, it is perceived as a time for pleasure, and it is a recreational time for the people. We see advertisements of condoms and other kinds of contraceptives, it’s like it’s a good thing! One of which is the advertisement by Robin Padilla, in his advertisement, he tells us that we should prevent unwanted pregnancies by using contraceptives. There was an organization created, Trust. This organization recognizes the effects of sex in every aspect that it would need it to be. Why was this created? Wouldn’t it be better if it wasn’t created if there would be simply no reason for it to be? That is the problem; it needs to be done because the people now cannot stop the urge to have sex. The problem here is that we know for a fact that sex is done because it is a way to express our love for the other sex, but we should also take into consideration that this holy act is done by people who are of proper age. Pre-marital sex is one problem that is growing in our country, no, the world. This is one major reason why the country is trying to find ways to promulgate the effects and consequences of what these minors will get if they would have sex in these times. We see music videos which depict sex as again, a time to have fun. We should try to all change this very wrong perspective of Human Sexuality for the cause of the greater good. If we don’t, I’m sure that this world that we call it would not be the world that we would call it in the future…

No more! This is our time! it's ours, or is it...

The 10-point Agenda on education.

I cannot just base this proposition with a single perspective. I will be giving it with several views, PNOY’s, Student’s, Teacher’s, Parent’s and as a whole country. After that, I will be giving a generalization of what I think about it.

PNOY’s cause about this added 2 years of education is rather very appropriate. It is possible that people would contradict to what the president has planned for the Philippines’ system regarding education but he merely wants the Philippines to be a more productive country. We are too left behind by the modern world and we are the last one of two countries who doesn’t follow this system. What is the outcome? Our country cannot fully use its resources, specifically human resources. We all know that we are very versatile when it comes to anything and everything. The problem is, we don’t have the right “tools” to manipulate to be able to be a 1st world country. The proposition of our president will actually benefit our country because, mainly, we would be able to use our people. All the Filipinos who are really good are not staying here because of the financial instability of the Philippines. We are not actually poor, but we are corrupt. That is an idea that we should all understand, now that we believe that our government is now better, we could try to back PNOY’s proposition up mainly because what he actually doing is not for his own good but it’s for our own benefit. There are only 2 choices that may be formulated, 1 is that we could contradict to our president’s 10-point agenda on education and stay here in a very slow-evolving 3rd world country or, we could agree on this agenda and probably, be a better country in aspects regarding our financial stability, we could grow into the country that we all want it to be. We could be a 1st world country like the countries that our fellow Filipinos are right now, working their asses off for the benefit of that country, as long as we set our minds to change it and make it better.

Student’s views: Now for my fellow students. Well, if you are to see the majority of the students who have heard the agenda, it would be self explanatory what these students want and don’t want. I see their point that if it is already hard for them now, how could it possibly get better if the 10 years of education will be 12 years? Not only that, there would be major changes that PNOY have in stored for us, like the agenda, “every child a reader” by Grade 1. Is it not too hard for the kid to be pushed into learning something that should be learned in time? If I was the kid, it would make me want to shout “Stop! I’m just 7 years old!” But still, I see the point of our president that he wants to manifest the ability of the child to be able to speak better in the future. It is also good because it would probably make the child ready for the outside world. Even though this is my personal perspective about these agendas, I still cannot represent the whole population of Filipino teenagers who are in school. But if I were to think like the majority, I would think that it is nonsense that our president would want us to have a Grade 7 and a 5th Year. It would be punishment if he would continue this. That is what I believe the majority of the teens would think regarding this proposition.

Teacher’s views: I believe that the teachers of the Philippines would want to implement this but as I’ve said teachers. They clearly know that when their students go abroad to study, they would be held back for 2 years and would have to repeat the 2 years. It is because all the educational system of all the countries is in the 12-year basic education cycle. As I’ve said, we are only one of two countries who still follow the 10-year basic education cycle. A teacher of mine told me that there was a story of a student of hers that graduated and took his masters here in the Philippines, after he finished taking his masters, he went to abroad to work, he applied in a very respected company and they did not take him because they told him that he was too young to be a master and that if he really wanted to work in that company, he had to retake his masters. Can you see this liability? Filipinos are being held up for in other countries just to be able to have a good career or name. It really is a good thing if the Philippines will make the 12-years of education available. One more thing is that teachers view this as strength for the Filipinos because it will help them achieve all their goals in life mainly because they can say that they really graduated with no doubts.

Parent’s views: As we all know, the Philippines isn’t the typical country that would always think of the positive effects of something. In this case, The 10- point agenda on education. The Parent’s views are clearly seen in the news. They are clearly pointing out that it is hard to fund the education of their children because earning money is just too hard for them. It also said that if they cannot give their children the full education that they need, how could it be possibly better if they would still add 2 more years? That is what PNOY is pointing out in the 10- point agenda. People should read that because it contains all the information that they would need. The president is making major changes in the system by really making it possible for children, even without money, to have the education that they would need.

As for my view, I believe that the president’s cause is truly amazing. He really wants to make the Philippines rise again. As a student, I see the liabilities of it but I would not mind it if the assets are far better. If I can freely state what I want, it would be to continue this because, mainly, it is really productive if it would be implemented. But, here’s the catch, I would really want it to be put into action but is the Philippines ready? Are we ready? That is the question that is contradicting everything that I want and believe would happen. Our country isn’t put up for this. It is not ready to step up in the next world yet mainly because it has other problems that need to be attended to before this could be “active.” I feel that our president should first put this aside and fix the other problem of the Philippines, corruption. If we would be able to fix this, there is no doubt that it would be easier for all of us to implement the 12-year system of education. Another thing that we should fix is unity, we should all work together to make this happen, we should all stand and fight for what we believe in. If all the people are united and the country isn’t corrupted, surely there would be great outcomes so let’s start now for a better future.

Vantage Point

Actually I plan my blog to be an interactive blog spot. There would be a spot for news, updates and some games. I don’t want people to just look at my site and read, I would like them to be part of my blog. I’ve seen some blog spots and in my own opinion, some are quite boring. The owners of these blogs just give news and articles that are so long, I can’t see how people would want to read them. If I were to reach my viewers, I would do my very best to keep it as short as possible and as clear as I can. I would probably put up a chat room, so that we could socialize. It will contain updates regarding upcoming movies, new gadgets, etc. Sports news, business and so much more are also on the blog spot.

               If you would read between the lines, you would be able to see that the blog spot that I would like to establish isn’t just for young teenagers like me but It could also be of interest to people of all ages and professions, Sports fans, Businessmen and students. This is sill the start and I would try to add more applications for more people to be interested in my spot. This is still an ongoing operation so don’t worry, It would most probably be better in the future. I’m looking forward to the site I will be creating because I know that it would make people interact. I would like it to be easier for viewers to see all the necessary applications that they want to see in one website. That is why I thought of all the applications that internet users use in a daily basis and I try to incorporate it in my site. I would also want to create my blog site as a conduit for internet users to other websites in the internet like social networks and search engines. It is an ongoing process that is why it is still not application-ready as of now.

               Let me now introduce myself, I’m John Aaron Go from Baguio City, Philippines. I live and not merely exist in this world. How am I able to say this? Well, I am a human being who, in simple words, lives his life in every possible way. I don’t try to be someone I’m not. I am easy to get along with, just be yourself. In the future, I plan to live as an entrepreneur. So much concepts are in my head I believe could help me become a success. That is the concept of my blog, I would like to start to help young entrepreneurs see the assets of the internet and set aside the liabilities of it. The internet could be easily utilized by these entrepreneurs in a way it would make them view the manner in which they perceive business differently, both in the internet and out of it. If I may, I believe I have the capacity to move forward in the field of business mainly because I know what I can handle and what I cannot. This is very useful for every person who wants to have a business-related profession because I now know what I can do, therefore I can exercise it, transform it to become better. I know what I cannot do, I know my weaknesses, it is a big deal because as we all know, weaknesses are the main reasons for the downfall of anyone, no, everyone. I know what It is, that is why I have the vantage point in which I can make these weakness, become my strength. Again, I am John Aaron Go and I want the world to see the beauty of the internet.

The Welcoming Commitee :)

Hey Guys, just started to use Blogger and I'm still trying to find out how to use it. In time, don't worry I'll be able to utilize all it's applications :) For now, it's still a profile that has absent apps.