It's Always a Good Time \m/

If the only way I could get a grade of 1.0 is to justify it and brag about what I've contributed, then I don't seem to have a chance considering the things I've done that does not even count much. I'm not as good and as organized as Robert, or as outspoken as some of my girl classmates. I'm just the late-comer, who sits at the back during seminars, tries to get some good sleep and impatiently waits 'til it's time to leave. But I'm not saying CWTS was all a bore, a waste of time, energy and money because here it was always a good time. :)

CWTS1- the never-ending seminars. This part though, I admit, was the slightly boring part of the course. Having to sit around and force yourself to listen to the speaker. But it was not always like that. Only the seminars were boring so I grabbed the chance to learn how to escape them like a ninja from my master, Nico. Haha. But that was only once, or twice, I guess. 0:) On the other hand, the classroom talks with Sir Pete were always enjoying. I tell you he has a really good sense of humor. Not only that, he talks about a lot of things that will make you think more and evaluate yourself, instilling both knowledge and wisdom.  During the dead silence, along his long sermons, I still pick up bits and pieces of good advice and words of encouragement. I hope everyone saw that because for me, those were a bit more important that what we have learned all throughout the seminars.

"When you look at any person, remember that each has a story.

Everyone of them has gone through something that has changed them."

CWTS2- here comes the more fun part. This was where we put the seminars to action. Runs, outreach programs, clean-ups, even putting up a documentary film. In this part of the course, I learned a whole lot of awesome things. To start off, was the coastal clean-up. I learned to be on time or else I would be lost. This was a really challenging thing for me because I'm used to waking up late. It taught me the value of responsibility for it was not anyone else's job to wake me up but it was I who must have discipline and be responsible for myself- or else I would have to face the consequences. In the end, the clean-up was a success and in our little ways, we were able to give them Happiness. That's #1 on my "What Have I Contributed" list. Another activity we had was the Storytelling to the Kids. We were to narrate, in a more fun way, a good story to the kids which would able them to learn about good values. Now that's #2. We shared a story on how you must always be good and follow orders from your parents. That is indeed being respectful.


After that, we distributed the snacks. The kids' smiles were priceless. They were all so excited and thrilled seeing us in our orange halos. Me and my group mates together with the kids looked like angels in that boulevard in Canaway. For the remaining time, we spent it playing around and laughing our lungs out. And time, that's #3. 

That boy at my back,that was him :)

The third outreach I enjoyed was the Feeding Program. Also in Canaway, we distributed packed breakfast meals  to selected kids. At first, I was not paying much attention to them. I was just sitting there while the others were busily arranging the kids and settling them down.  And then suddenly, a kid, a young boy,who was being told to sit down kept on wriggling and trying to stand then pointed at me saying, "Si ate Nicole oh." I was in awe. I don't know what to say so I said Hi and went to sit with him. I was shocked how a kid that I had not even noticed last time, had remembered my name still. It was touching to think that in those simple CWTS activities we had, we have touched other people's lives and made them smile even though it was just for a while. And in their busy lives, we had the chance to let them experience the true happiness of being a kid. Going back, the kid just sat there stared at me and I smiled back to let him feel how loved he was. That's #4 :) That activity was literally much more worth it than having to jump a 16 ft board in Timuga. In fact I prayed the Water Safety Activity would be cancelled or else I would be having a problem finding the right reason to be excused. And to think we'd pay that much for a day in that cold, dreaded pool? No thanks. Might as well share that amount to the kids which in fact was still small compared to what I spend on what I get to eat. I was glad I had the privilege to share a small amount of my savings (#5).What was there to lose anyway if that was for the kids? I guess not that much.

Well my CWTS journey ends here, but definitely not the things I have learned. Classmates, thank you! And may we continue sharing what we've enjoyed in this course. Most of all, Sir Pete, thanks a whole lot. I enjoyed the whole time I was wearing that white shirt with the CWTS logo. I know I don't deserve much, but it's all up to you. Thanks for all your efforts and stay cool as you are. Haha. God bless y'all! :D

#8 Media's Touch

Famous Social Networking Sites

   The Media is unquestionably mundane to all. From our childhood days, we remember how we get to play outside with everything under the sun and see our parents use cellular phones with antennas still. But now, all of those seem to be a joke with the media being so advanced together with the technology’s rapid boom.

   Every day, we wake up to the news either on the television or the radio. And if given time, we would then log on to our Facebooks and check on what's hot and new. We are enjoying everything without even checking on what we hear, see and read. For example are the television ads. Basically, most manufacturers make such advertisements to promote their products and paint a perfect picture if its use and effects. We, the viewers, then believe in every fancy sketch the announcer encrypts in our minds without even having a background check on its consequences. This habit is surely a hazard not only to our health but also to future generations. Another thing would be the internet. People of different walks of life nowadays are highly dependent on it. Ironically, every student’s research work probably passed through Google's search bar. This clearly explains why young boys and girls would prefer to surf the net the whole day than to play outside which would seem to be such a laborious task. It instills laziness and erases the true essence of a playful childhood. Aside from too much independence, you could not imagine all the things you could explore with just a simple Google search. Internet literate kids are being exposed to matters inappropriate to their age and these very much influence their attitudes. Together with that, swear words are becoming too main stream and children would probably think then that they are normal to use.

Crushed Innocence

   Although media plays an important role as it is of great help to mankind, we could not rub out the fact that its negative effects are too destructive especially to future generations. But since we could not control its unimaginable growth, we may slow down its adverse effects by lessening our dependence on it.

The Place to Be

  I am actually not an Iligannon. And in fact, the only tourist spot that comes to my mind located at this city is the Maria Cristina falls. Ironic, but with the few months I had stayed in Iligan City, I have experienced and seen enough. Enough for me to feel at home.

  Iligan City is located in the province of Lanao del Norte, Philippines, and is the province's former capital.It is found in the northeastern part of the island of Mindanao, surrounded by the provinces of Balo-I and Linamon on the south, the town of Lugait of Misamis Oriental on the north, the lands of Lanao del Sur and Bukidnon on the east and Iligan Bay on the west. It has quite a number of scenic landmarks including falls, cool springs, fine beaches and caves more than enough for you.  Accessible by land, air, and water, Iligan is surely a worthy place to go. This little town is popularly labelled as "The Land of Majestic Waterfalls." It is so because it is home to 23 breathtaking, eye-catching, wondrous waterfalls, each with their own unique way of attracting travelers and making them ask for more.

The Limunsudan Falls, a sight to behold.

  To give you a peek to one of its countless natural attractions, I give you, the Limunsudan falls. A 27-kilometer trip from the city proper, the famous Limunsudan waterfalls claims to be the country's highest standing waterfall. The said waterfall is close to the boundaries of Iligan, Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur. It has an astounding full height of 870 feet that is surely a sight to behold. From afar, it's rushing waters are so magnificent to look at and seeing it appear in the midst of the opulent rain forest vegetation gives the sheer impression of a strange bliss and admiration that would surely catch your breath.

The busy streets of Iligan.

 But if you're not into long trails and the lush greens, you may rather have a fun joyride on a jeep in Iligan's energetic and busy streets. In the sidewalk, are fruit stands of all sorts and peanut stalls that would surely satisfy you. The night market is a street market which operates at night and is generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling and shopping. This includes dry goods and ukay-ukay, footwear, and general merchandise. Also, the night market is open to serve those who are hungry but on a budget with Halang-halang, bulalo and other yummy dishes that absolutely fills an empty tummy. To fiish it up, other services like reflexology, massage clinics and entertainment are allowed inside the night market.

I'm absolute you're now enticed as I am to spend your wee hours at the City of Waterfalls. May it be through land, air, and water, Iligan is just one ride away. Open for service are its tourist facilities accredited by the Department of Tourism such as the Maria Cristina Hotel, Iligan Day Inn Plaza, Casa Royale Inn and other high-rated establishments. 


I have only shown parts of this vast urbanized city. For sure it would be alot more enjoyable to experience it yourself. For an outsider, I believe that the beauty of Iligan is not simply felt and seen just on the 23 iconic waterfalls it possesses but also on the sense of hospitality and belongingness  you experience once you enter its premises. Promisingly, It's more FUN in ILIGAN CITY!

*An official entry to the Iligan Blogging Contest 2012*

#7 I HAVE SEEN WORSE :')

“Beautiful people get it way better. That’s just the way it is.”

   These were the words of the famous Kyle Kingson- the rich, popular, good-looking guy with a famous dad who is every girl’s dream boy at Buckston University. After winning his title as the Green Committee President, he comes across Kendra Hifelty and then bullies her, not knowing of her magical powers. She then magically transforms the flawless Kyle into a tattooed, bald, and scarred beast. She turned her into a monster as unattractive he was outside with the curse that if he does not find someone who loves him as he is by the next spring, he would stay in his very ugly state forever.

   After his father finds out about how his son had turned into a monster, he then sends him somewhere far from the city to hide together with Zola, his maid, and a blind tutor, Will. Kyle felt helpless and hid for months for he believed that no person in his sane mind would fall for his ugly face. But not until Lindy Taylor came. A girl whom he had kept a distance from his former school, Lindy was the type who saw through Kyle and loved him despite his hideous countenance. Beauty was not at all what she sought but what was in the heart.

  As I watched, I loved most the part when, as Kyle was about to give Lindy her CDs, he sees his photo with Lindy when he was still handsome wallpapered on Lindy's laptop. He asks her about the guy sha had taken a photo with and she then shares her deepest secret feelings for the guy infront of her. She shares that somehow, she felt a tiny chance that Kyle might like her a bit. Kyle was so brought by his feelings that he had no idea he had already said, "That's why I Like You." This is what happens...

BEASTLY is a story of romance, fantasy and drama. Its lessons were straight forward and could be applied in every teen’s life. It was a story of love- a love that goes beyond what’s underneath. Can you imagine that love?

#5 MING MING :D

What could be more heart-touching than a live dramatic play like Ming Ming? Nothing I guess, for a first-timer like me. Indeed what I saw has amazed me in the sense that I realized the big difference between watching drama live than that onscreen. In the four walls of the Mini Theatre, I witnessed a breath-taking 1-hour production of pure talent and skilled directing all encompassing 70 years of the life of three generations of a controversial and powerful political family. The act was deeply moving. Add the experienced artists who played their part so well. They were so professional that even their funny lines have not got them laughing. Not to mention the feel of the setting that brought shivers to my spine. Every line spoken by the artists were connected in some way and unraveling its hidden story is the most exhilarating part for us viewers.

All in all, it was exceptional. Salutes to the ever dynamic playwright-director, STEVE PATRICK FERNANDEZ! 

#4 17 Hours of Euphoria

It was 4 am when my roommate woke me up for our trip home. We had planned to do so since we have no classes because of the Ramadhan. I did some last minute packing and then we headed off to the terminal. After four long hours on the road in a bus, we reached Pagadian City by 9am. I rode a tricycle and was home by 9:30am. The trip got me so worn out so I went for a nap.

***

I woke up around 12 noon, just in time that my sister was preparing for a meeting with the High School-based YFCs. I got excited to see my YFC friends so I hurriedly took a bath and readied myself. But before heading to the CFC Center, we first had lunch at Sentosa and then we bought a shirt for my younger sister. I had to deliver the shirt to my sister's classroom first and after that I could go to the meeting.

***

By 2:30pm, I was already at the Center and was helping my sister prepare the hall for the meeting. I was so excited to see my band mates once again. And minutes later, the CFC center was slowly filled with different year-level YFCs and I got overwhelmed with a lot of hugs and greetings. Still, I waited for my old band mates to come. Of all the people, they were the ones I missed most. Alas, just a few minutes had passed and they arrived. And so there were endless talks and updates about each other.

***

The meeting ended around 6:30pm. We then headed off to the plaza and ate Kwek-kwek, Fish Balls, and all other street food we could swallow up. While eating, we decided to spend my only night in Pagadian together. We brainstormed for plans and finally came up with a decision- to go wherever our feet may lead us. This is where the fun part begins :)))) 

***

So to start, here are the stars of the night:

JAPHET IWAY *JOJI MARCO DIGAMON* NELSON DAYONDON
The Joker ** The Rocker ** The Sweet Guy

These three boys are my brothers in Christ and we had been through a LOT of super fun things together. Joji and Nelson (I call them Mongol and Kambal) are my band mates too so we've practically had a lot of enjoyable moments together already. On the other hand, Jap2 is the funniest person to be with in all YFC activities. Mainly, these three were my company that night.

***

What happened was, first we went to Sector (Jap2's Net Cafe) and played for a while. Then we bought Liempo and headed to Nelson's house so I could ask permission from her mother for our sleepover. Because of our convincing powers, Nelson was allowed and so right after that we went straight to Japeth's house and it was almost 9:00pm that time. I may not be able to write it but in between our walks and rides to different destinations, we have been the all time freaks as we are. Laughing and shouting around not minding our surroundings as long as we're happy. That's our usual selves anyway. After eating, we started looking for videos to watch. But sad to say, it did not work at first and we got tired of looking. So as to kill the boredom, we started taking videos of ourselves singing and dancing and basically shouting our lungs out. It was all but fun! Nothing could beat our laughs and shouts that night. We would then eventually stop and start eating. We baked hot cakes and placed raisins on them. There was even this time that we joked that those were cockroaches and Joji was so frightened that he automatically spitted the whole piece on the floor. We rolled on the carpet laughing about that. Throughout the night Joji was "the Very Scared One". He kept on hiding under the sheets which made us tease him more. Sometime later, we got in the mood to watch a movie. We looked for a very scary one and then we came across "Insidious". The movie is so scary that it got us to sleep. What a joke. That part of the night also got me laughing. Insanity Level: over 1000 \m/

***

The next day we woke up at around 9:00am. We all looked so exhausted and still sleepy. But breakfast was served so we headed to the dining table. Right after eating, we had another crazy idea for boredom killers- make music videos. Yea. You heard it right. If you come right down to it, we had to go find a stupid song, sing it together, and look stupid in front of the camera. Ironically, that's still what we did.

Not minding the song choice, the voices and the faces. We had the time of our lives and nothing could beat that euphoric moment. Indeed, my two days back home and my seventeen hours with these three gays- I mean guys, were all so worth it!

Time check-11:30are. I'll be leaving Pagadian soon, and I was so happy that I got to keep with me, these memories that would make me smile in times that the skies are rough. :)

Videos coming soon. :D

#3 Too Far-fetched

   This blog is my opinion to a said text assigned by our English teacher. The text was entitled "That Sweet Unforgettable Day". It circled around how the writer and her father felt the presence of their mother who had passed away a year ago. It happened on the day of the wedding of their long-time houseboy to the cook, in the bleak of Korean winter. The climax in the story is that they smelled a very unusual scent right before the first guest arrived at the wedding and that scent was their mother's perfume. Mostly, the author gave emphasis on how that day was the very first time she felt her mother's company again.


   For me, it was usual that they had been all out on the wedding despite their big loss. It's because there really are some people who would use their time busying their selves to overcome the pain and slowly move on. And the wedding was a big opportunity to get busy and lift up their spirits.


   What was unusual though, was the latter part where they smelled the mother's scent. How come the scent would not cross the dining room when there wasn't even a door to separate the two rooms? And of all perfumes, how was it that it coincidentally was their mother's? The story have a lot of holes that currently got me questioning. If you had read the story, you would probably relate to my confusion too.
   
   Another reason why I think the story is too far-fetched is because I myself had not experienced something relatable to the text. And I don't actually believe in spirits roaming around, and stuff. Well, that's what i think and I believe I have the right to my own opinions.