Informal Theme#3.1

Dear Nymph,

            Just recently, we faced a lot of problems. You entered a whole new world to which I am completely uncertain to. It became very hard for me to express my feelings and I could not keep an eye to you. I am really scared of losing you and I miss you so much. I am dying to see you but I just don’t see anyway for our terrenes to meet. I am totally incapable of going to your place and  I don't feel the rights to. I really feel like being trapped inside my own cage.

            I did not talk to you for so long. Forgive me, my head just turned into mishmash of thoughts. I know that the love’s still there, I just don’t know what to do with it now. The feeling of vulnerability blinded me completely. I became extremely insensitive and for a lot of instances, hurt you. Sorry, I did not mean to do that.

            You made me feel so unworthy of your love. Your dream man is just too far even from my shadow. Whenever I see the man to whom you are greatly in loved before, I just can’t stop comparing myself to him. I feel small, really, really, small. I tried to understand your idealism for the longest time but my fear of losing you when you meet someone who is that great, entirely swallows my guts.

            Please don’t think that I don’t love you and I am not proud to have you. If you only know how gargantuan my desire of telling the world my love to you is. I love you; I am just too coward to face judgments and comparisons to your past.

            I can’t promise to you anything. I don't have the height, the face, the wealth. I am just a simple person. I am hesitant if I will be able to reach all your standards but I am trying my best to improve myself for you and for the future. I miss you so much.

            Maybe, I will stay silent these days. I would not like to disturb your priorities and block every opportunity that may come your way. I love you very much and I will be thankful for all my life if I will have you again. I wish to hold your hand as long as time permits us to.

               Again, Eulene, my nymph, I love you.

Sincerely yours,

Shepherd

3rd Grading

Informal Theme #7

Masterpiece!

            My ambition is to be an engineer someday, a productive citizen and a sturdy wall to my own family. Nevertheless, I know the road on achieving this dream will not be easy. I have to overcome humps and dangers. Storms will devastate but I should not let myself fear the trembling thunders. On my way, I will need guidance from someone who has great experience to this life and I see that person in the image of a mentor.

Yes, she's that awesome woman with shades :)

            Teaching is never a straightforward profession: educator at day and a parent at night. Time management is a crucial factor for them. Nonetheless, this is not the only aspect that creates this profession noble. “Great effort requires great payback”, this rule runs the industry for decades. Thus, it is the other way for teachers.

            Yes, indeed. Teaching is a difficult job but the word “difficult” is not in the vocabulary of this woman. She is a gorgeous mother to three children and the most beautiful teacher for, us. By her favorite quote, “God made me, therefore I'm a masterpiece” you could already tell that she is undeniably a symbol of positive outlook in life.

            Rosario Javier is her name. She was my Geometry teacher back then. With her unstoppable sense of humor, there is never a dull moment with her. Her optimistic atmosphere is contagious. Her words such as “exorcist (exercise)” and peborit day just complete my day.

            Ma’am Chato, Thank you for everything. You inspire me a lot. Happy teacher’s day! :)

Informal Theme #6

Existence.

To be or not to be: that is the question

Fear of the ambiguity of death and suicide damnation

Opting between dying or living in desperation

Is not a minute matter but a huge mystification

To be or not to be: that is the question

Perhaps, Life may seem awful but death is downer

Committing suicide is like penetrating a dungeon

No looking back: Dreading much than ever

To be or not to be: that is the question

Choose to breathe rather than to walk the unknown

Life has much to offer than imagination

So desire to subsist and value each second

Informal Theme #2.5

Mistaken Identities.

            “Another lesson, another Shakespearean play”, that was my exact reaction the time I stepped my first foot inside the TRC. I saw again the usual way of presentations, a powerpoint presentation, a projector and a whole lot more. “The Comedy of Errors”, I never heard of this book before and to my honest opinion, the title seems boring since I am not that fond of comedies. Hence, this work was made by Shakespeare so let’s give it a try.

            As its name implies, I thought of jokes and laughter and in that note, I was wrong. What makes the story humorous is the plot itself. The story was about two twins separated by a shipwreck searching for each other. The wrong identification of the two twins was hilarious specially the moment when Antipholus of Ephesus asked for money from Dromio of Syracuse then Dromio of Ephesus came and gave a rope.

            We encountered a lot of confusions and misconceptions while discussing. It is not only because of the names but also because of the popping questions from our minds. There must be any single difference from the two because they could not be exactly the same in body structure, in attitude and in many other traits. And maybe, there should be a part in the story that the supporting characters are confused but there’s none.

            The story was excellent and I realized that it is fun but when the time they showed us the video, I felt a different way. Throughout the story, I thought that both Dromios and Antipholuses are close friends or better but in the video, Antipholus of Ephesus is a cruel master to his servant. It clearly shows the discrimination between those fortunates and those impoverished. If it was slapstick and was intended to give fun to viewers, then it was absolutely not effective on my part.

            Another great play down, and six more to come. I really enjoyed this piece of art and I am truly overwhelm of what the other accounts has to offer. 

Informal Theme #2.4

Another step up.

               

            Time really passes too quickly, right? I could still remember those times that I am just the height of my mother’s waist and now, I am about to fold another page of my book. Hence, there are too many flaps to choose from and we are indeed in need for help.

            Test. This may be the greatest enemy of students. Who would like to go back to those restlessness nights spent on reviewing those lessons that you used to forget, right? But NCAE is not like any other assessments. Taking this test seriously would mean a guide for us in choosing the course we are about to take.

            This test, at first glance, is just like a regular examination; no too much attention should be given off. However, as I grew older I learned to understand its value. Not all Filipinos are fortunate to have much wealth and are capable to penetrate universities so before they enter college, they must decide undoubtedly. I consider myself fortunate because in midst of all the problems and complications, I am still confident that I will be able to finish my education.

            This assessment may also be a great help to those high school students who are still undecided on the course they will take. They will not encounter difficulty in choosing and no money nor will time be wasted. On the other side of the road, this may also solve unemployment in the Philippines. They said that there are sufficient jobs; the only problem is that graduates are not fit to those jobs and are misled to wrong courses.

            -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            At the end of the day, all of this will just be a guide. We still hold our freedom to decide but above the rest, we must always ask for the guidance of the Lord Almighty in every choice that we will make.

Informal Theme #2.3

Now, that’s Fair!

            “Intrams, yey!” People in our school celebrate whenever they hear this. It’s like their hearts jump for joy and excitement. Why? It is because in our vocabulary, this symbolizes a 2-day rest from homework, lectures, projects and a lot more. This happens once a year so weeks before this, you would see kids in our campus bringing their balls and rackets, eagerly practicing their rusting abilities.

            July 22, 2012- That day has come and was extremely damp yet it was not enough to overcome the desire of the students to over generously launch the Intramurals 2012. This year, the names of the teams of each year level were chosen from football teams namely, Green Celtics, Yellow Madrid, Red Bayern and Blue Chelsea. A total of 12 games were played plus the pageant for Ms. And Mr. Physique and the new in the group, Dance sport. Throughout the activity, there were deafening shout and yells coming from each team’s crowd.

            The activity seems so fun, right? Nevertheless, nothing can be as flawless as we think of it. Before Intrams has ended, a scorching issue lighted up. There were rumors and accusations from our side that irritated the other team. The problem got bigger and more people got involved. This matter made me think what the real cause of it is. Is it the unfair judgment of the scorers or is it our difficulty in accepting our defeat?

             Sportsmanship, yes, maybe that’s the word. We lack sportsmanship. We neglected the fact that Intrams is not only for gamesmanship but also for valuing student leadership and humility. Our expectations overwhelmed us too much that we didn’t see ourselves stepping on others. Instead of proving other squads that we could win the title cleanly, we showed them that we are risk takers and that we are very hungry for the trophy.

            Yes, sport is essential to our lives since this encourages us to walk onto a healthier lifestyle that our daily tasks require us to have. Hence, before entering this, we must ensure that we have molded ourselves into a good sportsman. A fine sportsman knows how to play fair, recognizes camaraderie and discipline, and most of all, remains jovial even in the event of defeat.

                                                                                                                                                           

            

Red Bayern during the game of Basketball Boys

                                                                                                                                                            

Informal Theme #2.2

Mother Tongue Dilemma.

                 

                Another alteration in Philippine education had been the talk of the town these previous months. Who won’t be interested with this matter, right? A lot of changes to be made and with the current economic crisis we are experiencing; only those fortunate will be able to cope up without difficulty. Public schools lack supplementary materials, classrooms and even educators. Nevertheless, these are not the only issues. The medium in instructions in preschool even in higher grades was modified to their native tongue which in return is expected to affect not only the comprehension skills of students but as well as their relationship with their communities. This crucial shift, known as “Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education” (MTB-MLE), is part of the K+12 basic education reform program. The new scheme has yielded positive results in 921 schools across the country where it has been implemented.

            The DepEd says: “Local and international studies have shown that using the language used at home (mother tongue) inside the classroom during the learners’ early years of schooling produces better and faster learners who can easily adapt to learn a second (Filipino) and third (English) language.”

            At the other side of the coin, English is now introduced as a second or third language at the primary level in almost all these schools. Even after many years of compulsory study, a number of high school students are unable to speak, read or write simple English phrases and sentences.  For these types of students, access to higher education, employment, technical knowledge, the world of computers and the Internet will also be limited.      

            Learning English is important because 80% of the information stored in computer is in English as it is the main language in the internet. More than half the world's scientific journals are in English. It has  become the main way to  get around, the main way to get things done, the way you make friends, the way you do business with a foreign country and at last but not the least, you get information.
               Now that another adjustment was made so that our country won't be left out, I expect big differences. I infer that there will be a boost in Philippine literature considering that students,in recent time, uses their own dialects. The knowledge and vocabulary of students will also broaden up since they are to use their own language at all times. I also expect that no schools will longer fail the achievement tests that the department of education will be giving.

            As of this moment, I stand on my opinion that it is best to use our native language not only because we are used to it but because it reflects our identity as a Filipino. In fact, we don’t actually need to adopt the American way of living; it just turns out that it is a symbol of affluence among Filipinos. An example to this is that speaking straight using English as a medium may mean to us that that person is either from a prosperous family or an erudite.

            Hence, for some time, we will really need to use the english language. Now as the world continues to revolve around flurries of technology and economy, we need to cope up and join in the fight of developing nations. For that reason, english and other languages must be taught to adolescent students and native language should be spared for early learning stages.

Informal Theme #2.1

The Story of Poor Johnny.

            Once there was an ephebe named Juan. Juan is from a deprived family, living only in a small weak grungy hut made from scrap woods, and pieces of clothing. They own the small land where their house stands, hence, they never think of selling it. They typically eat only twice a day but when those times that his father isn’t capable of earning enow money, they would only eat on one occasion and worse, they would just fill their grumbling stomach with a glass of water and then slumber in the darkness.

            Juan is the youngest in their family. His siblings do not have any decent work and weren’t able to finish their education. His mother was jailed when he was eight and still in surveillance after a hag accused her of stealing her jewelries. Now, The only hope of their family is him who is currently in fifth grade and is an achiever in class.

            Every Saturday morning, Juan goes to the nearby depot to find some wealth with his brother, Indon. There, they carry heavy and huge drums of fish. For some times, they serve as the one who vociferates and harangues to the queue of buyers. However, even though how hard they try to make the both ends meet, they still could not provide all the necessities of the family. In midst of those complications, Juan can still manage to have some relaxation. Before dusk, he would hang about under the deciduous tree alongside their house, writing onto a paper his dreams and future plans about their life.

            One day, there was a fastidious man who came to their place riding in a coupe and clothed akin to a sleuth. He is indeed enormous, has light complexion, has tiny eyes and speaks Mandarin. After him is an assemblage of men, who is at that moment working and digging the land that is Juan’s family’s property.

            Juan came out of their house and asked the tall man, “Why are you burrowing our territory?”. “It’s ours”, he continued and showed evidences but the man seems to be taciturn and instead gave him an uncouth look. Juan then saw bunches of diamonds and golds on the wheelbarrow one of the workers is taking to the truck. Juan was petrified and could not believe what he was seeing. Juan asked the peculiar man to arraign the problem but still, he did not listen and brought out a gun.

            Juan tried to ask for help from the richest and most prominent capitalist in town, Sam, some call him with his epithet, Uncle Sam, but he same with the others did not show any care to appease the affray. Juan’s family is now desperate; fighting back is a piffle idea because they don’t have the same equipments that he has. Juan tried to benefit with the land the same as the knave man but he failed so he just took photographs of the abusive acts hoping that someday, the man will agree to bring it to court. Vacuous it may be but Juan let the theft to continue and in the end, the land was left barren; that the same land that is invisible and inconspicuous to their eyes before..

From Philippine Daily Inquirer

SECOND GRADING PERIOD~

Informal Theme #7

Nothing without you.

When all hope is gone

You are there to give me one

And when the whole lot fails

I sense nothing but your warm embrace

You perceived everything good in me

Just when I’m about to relinquish

You showed me things I never see

And made me a brand new start

Each little thing that you do

Constantly motivates me to pursue

To achieve everything I know

And go wherever I desire to go

You are my inspiration

You made me complete again

And now, I witness your intention

To show everyone, the finest that I can be.

Informal Theme #6

When the Clock Stops Ticking.
.

     Magnificent concave mountains, deep blue oceans, and untouched forests filled with animals living harmoniously. This was the Earth we saw upon opening our eyes to reality. Hence, in recent time, this depiction of Earth could only be seen on picture books. Why? Because humanity had deteriorated it before they thought of the possible consequences.

            This terrene we are stepping on today had served us for countless years: nurtured us and provided our necessities. Yet, in spite of all those sacrifices, we never gave back a thing to her, instead, bunged our eyes and continued our actions. As a stubborn child, as well, we did things only for our good. We never thought of the damages we could cause her.

            Now that we experience the real penalties of our destructive works, we ought to find solutions to this; hence, truth is there’s none. We could never erase the devastations we have caused and bring back the nature as it originally was. Yes, we oath to be stewards but instead of preserving nature, we led to its doom.   

            These past years, news on world’s end kept on coming. They say that this matter is hopeless; we would never find a way out of this. Though it’s hard, I’ve already accepted the fact that it’s too late for us to save the Earth. There is no remedy for her malady, what we could only do is to extend her life.

            Tragic it may be, but we are the ones who chose this path, so we must ready ourselves for the paybacks..

What a Wonderful World 

By Louis Armstrong

I see trees so green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shakin’ hands, sayin’ How do you do?

They’re really saying I love you

I hear babies cryin’, I watch them grow

They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Informal Theme #5

Romeo and Juliet. (Version 2) :D

Paris enters with his page.

Paris: Oh God why! (the page handed him a handkerchief), Why, Juliet! Whyyyyyyy!

Audience cries as well.

Paris: Go ahead my page, bring that torch with you. I want to stay here alone, in this cold dark night, together with the cadaver of my Juliet. (He cries again) Juliet, whyyyyy? (towards the page) and besides, Romeo will come and I’ll die later. I don’t want you to see me bleeding, keep, keep, bleeding in love, (‘Bleeding love’ song plays)

Page: Okay sir. (Whispering) what a brat. With that music, huh! He is such a dumb, fool, insane, big mouthed… (Suddenly he slipped) Ouch!

The torch went directly to Paris’ mouth so he burned.

Page run quickly and exit.

Romeo and Balthasar enter.

Both slips.

OUCH!

Balthasar: Look at these ashes, sir. They seem familiar. Hmmm. It smells familiar too.

Romeo: Hmmm. Aha! Maybe it came from our chimney. The one Santa Claus used to enter the house last Christmas.

Balthasar: Oh yes, I remember! He kissed your mother last time..

Romeo: (Poker face) Nevermind, hand me the potion now so I can murder myself now.

Balthasar: Okay, here you go. (Balthasar drinks it)

Romeo: WTH did you do?

Balthasar: I drank it. Maybe there is poison in it. You might have been killed by now if there is.

I am sooooo intelligent sir. Imagine, I thought of that!

Romeo: It is indeed a poison! (facepalm)

(Balthasar’s mouth bubbled and died)

Romeo: Oh God! What will I do? A dagger? Is that a dagger?

(Romeo seizes the dagger and Friar Lawrence enters)

He slips.

Friar Lawrence: Awwwwwww. Ahhhhhhhh. Oooooooooooooooh.Ouuuuuuuuch. (he died of heart attack)

Romeo: Noooo! (He struck the dagger to his chest and died)

(The Prince, the Capulets and the Montagues enter, and slips)

All: Ouch!

(All dies of head trauma)

Suddenly, Juliet awakens. She opened her eyes and guess what.

Exaunt. Sad music plays.

Informal Theme #4

Romeo and Juliet.

        Juliet awoke from the deep sleep, the potion, Friar Lawrence gave, had caused. She opened her eyes and saw the cadaver of her beloved Romeo next to the corpse of Paris. She could not believe what her eyes were seeing.

Friar Lawrence: Come with me. I’ll place you in the sisterhood of nuns. Don’t ask                                        anymore questions. There is no sufficient time for that.

           

            Juliet found a dagger alongside Romeo and thought of stabbing herself so she could be with him in the after life. Juliet seized the knife and pointed it to her chest. However, before Juliet had continued her action, the priest had injected a sleeping potion to her back so she fell asleep. Friar Lawrence took possession of the blade then carried the sleeping maiden out of the tomb before the Prince and Paris’ page came.

             

            When Juliet awoke, Friar Lawrence let her realize that if Romeo had to choose, he would prefer Juliet to have a prolific life rather than to slaughter herself to be with him. It took years before Juliet surpassed the feeling of sorrow and came to apprehension that there are countless opportunities to let pass.

            She went to Mantua and started a new life. She changed her name and devoted herself to theater. She wrote numerous plays and turned to an incredibly famous woman whom most men wanted to marry. She pledged to another man and had a daughter she named, Rosaline. But unfortunately, her husband died in an accident.

           

            Decades passed, seasons had changed and Juliet’s hair turned white. But, the memories of Romeo still remained. She asked Rosaline to bring her back to Verona and reminisce all the moments she had with Romeo. Juliet died with a grin on her face, hoping to see and kiss the man she loved for her lifetime once again from above.

            Years after, Rosaline met a younger man named Romeo and had a wonderful life with him.

Romeo and Juliet 1968

            If I had a chance to alter the end of the story, my version would run like that. It is because true love could not be measured by murdering yourself if your dearly loved passed away. It is in loving the same and only person in your entire life. However, I believe that there would be no greater conclusion than the one Shakespeare did. Though tragic, it taught me a valuable lesson: Do not make quick, hasty decisions without thinking about possible outcomes and consequences.

Informal Theme #3

Light at my Darkness.

           Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible -- the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family. - Virginia Satir   

    The weather was extremely scorching; however, the day seems to be well. There were clowns, balloons, jovial decorations and, unusual people I’ve never seen before. Everybody seems to be hectic. Most of them used their time chatting and entertaining people; while some, on the other hand, prepares more food for the other guests that would come. The party seems to be flawless and I saw bright grin on everyone’s faces. The crowd is having a great time until this unexpected tragedy came. A sudden explosion banged the mob. The next thing I knew was I was lying on the floor, having a hard time to breath. I can’t barely see anything that time but I felt my sister’s arms trying to carry me. My family was the only one who survived and was able to withstand the disaster. We were about to go home when I saw this black car chasing us. It’s like death is trying to hound us. I heard a gunshot then BAM! I fell out of bed.

            I had this strange nightmare when I was a kid, and up to this moment, the terror and fear I felt before is still existing. I don’t know what it has to say but it taught me one thing; to value my family better than before.

            Ours is a usual symbol of a standard Filipino family; sharing the whole lot that we have, from food and drinks up to problems and triumphs. Though complications come, we learned to handle them. We never squabbled on small things such as money. We are not rich though, we just worth our relationship rather than wealth.

            To be honest, I find more enjoyment with my companions. Before, I’m more excited to go to school or bond with my friends rather than go home to see them. But now, as I grow up and learn to walk by my own, I’m on my way to comprehending their importance. Maybe without them, there would be no one writing in this blog. There would be no one to have an ear to listen to my problems and no one to comfort me during my downfalls.

            Nothing would be more ideal than to my family. They are my source of strength when I’m about to give up. They are my greatest cheering squad in times of struggles. They encourage me to continue trying and keep on going. And most importantly, I love them more than myself because I know when everybody has left me and when I see myself in a road to nowhere, just a glimpse to my back, I know they are there for me

            

Informal Theme #2

The Man I Owe.

Whenever I want to be pampered, I sub-consciously run to my mother’s bosom. In her touch, I find comfort and in her lap, I sense warmth. Before school, I make sure that I give her a quick kiss before running to board the school bus. At times of failure, my mom is my first stop. To her, I cry my feelings and ask for advises.  My mom was my best companion. While my dad, well, is my total opposite.

During Father’s days, our house remains as it is; short conversations, no gifts, no greetings. It was never special to me. Though awkwardness comes, I learned to handle it. Through time, I had accepted the fact that the usual scenarios I see on those days are huge dreams that are far from my reality.

I never had a chance to bond with him. Or maybe I had, I just don’t want to. There is a certain gap between us. I don’t know where it is coming from but I know there is. We never conversed on personal things. The usual talk we have is arguments. I can’t barely remember the last time he told me that he was so proud of me. At times, I just make myself believe that he loves me; I’m just too insensitive to feel it.

My growing up years will never be complete without him. There would be no one to carry me on his back when hard rains fall during school days. There would be no one to fetch me with our old green squeaking car after classes. And there would be no superhero who would force my mom to buy me toys whenever she refuses to.

Words will never be enough to express my gratitude for having you. I know, I have been rude to you for enormous times and I am sorry for always making you feel bad. I love you, dad. I can’t imagine myself without you and mom. I learned how to live life and fight at struggles because of you. You two are my world. You are my source of strength to conquer and continue this lumpy ride. I know, someday, I will be able to equal your efforts. Again, I love you… Happy Father’s Day. :)

Informal Theme #1

New Blankets to Weave.

        

       The sun was still at its rest and the sky was still being ruled by stars when I woke up that morning. I stood on my feet then arduously opened my eyes. As expected, I heard the anchors on TV, sniffed aroma coming from coffees and saw the bright grin I usually see on mom’s face. That morning wasn't that typical though. It was the start of my new beginning; another journey unfolds upon me.

      This year was my third. I do expect to have a great start; however, I knew that it would be difficult. Many adjustments are needed and adjustments had never been good to me. Hence, the last few weeks were fine. I’ve been making friends with those new classmates we have and I don’t have failing grades yet.

      Teachers? We have bunches of them but third year teachers were different. They have this incredible power to connect with students and it was amazing cause it was the first time that I’ve experienced such entertainment while learning. Many says to use techniques so students would have an easy time to comprehend topics but as far as I know, as long as there is bond and understanding between them, pupils would learn to love studying.

      Indeed I am anxious of what would happen to me this year. My easy-go-lucky attitude doesn’t fit anymore. I need to strive hard now and study more often. Junior year in CNSHS is well-known as the terror year, of course excluding the first year. Here, complications come. Problems in terms of research, grades, projects, friendships and even love-life could ruin my life.  

            However, it was just the ninth day, there are still more to come. I don’t have any clues of what would happen this year; I just hope that my anticipations would not turn out to agitations. What would I do? I would just spread my wings and keep myself going.