THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS!

When the month of December comes, Christmas Season takes place. Obviously, in every house and in every street, Christmas Lights with various colors are lighting the way despite the darkness. Different shapes of lanterns are being hanged and even a tall or short Christmas Trees are decorated with fancy Christmas Balls and shinning- shimmering garlands around it. All around, we see people shivering with their coats because of the cold breeze and it proves that Christmas is near.

In fact, Christmas in itself, is a tradition. On the 25^th day of December, Christmas day is being celebrated.  It is a tradition of celebrating the birth or incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Overtime, the way in which people have celebrated this day has evolved from culture to culture.

Everyone wants Christmas to be meaningful. Christmas is definitely the season for gifts and shopping. During Christmas, a lot of people go to malls to buy various gifts to be given to their friends and loved ones. People just need to spend more during Christmas Season. The effect? – Traffic jam, growing credit card debts, lots of to-do lists, etc. I came across a different view about Christmas just like Rick McKinley emphasizes that he encourages people to “spend less” and “give more” which is the true essence of Christmas. Material things don’t matter at all. All that matters is that; we are celebrating Christmas Day happily with our families and friends and that also gives the proof why Christmas is being celebrated.

The true essence of Christmas relies not on the gifts which commands you to spend more but on the love and unity that each one of us should build. Spend less on gifts and more on relationships. Let me end up with a line that goes like this;”Love All, Spend Less, Give More.” Merry Christmas Everyone!

EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES!

  

People all over the world have their own rights that must be attained by us. The only difference is that; in a certain country in the world, there are policies to followed and obeyed that this depends on how the people living in are treated.

  In this modern generation, some of our fellowmen are unfairly treated by some of the high people and that must not be. We must never discriminate our own men even how rich, how poor, how high, or how low our status in life is. The only basis for us to have equal treatment is that; we must know the rights of every individual, and also for us people, we have the obligation to fight for our own rights for us to have the chance to be given equal opportunities.

  We must bear in mind that God created us fairly by his own image and it truly proves that; "Equal rights will lead us to an equal opportunities in life."

What Difference Can We Make?

  We are all created by God differently, that we have our own strengths and weaknesses in life. In our lives, we make our own chapters of our life stories by doing something for ourselves for us to be better.

  In a poem entitled; The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, one of the lines in the poem that has made my eyes open wide for me to see the reality is that; "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I...I took the one less traveled by, and that made all the difference." In connection to this, we can only make difference in our lives through our own decisions. We must not be afraid to try new things because nothing's wrong if we try. If we decide for ourselves, we expect that there will be happenings throughout our journeys that in someday, we shall make a difference in our lives.

  I cannot enumerate what specific differences we can make, but all I know is that; we can only make good differences in our lives if at the same time, we will make a good and wise decision. The reason why God created us differently it's because; He set our own abilities for us to use it with a real purpose and that is  us to make a wise and good decision. It proves that life is enchanted that in every decision we make will lead us to a difference in life.

  I will end this up with a quotation by Earwin Magic Johnson saying; "You're the only one who can make the difference. Whatever your dream is, go for it."

ONE HOT EARTH!

  

 Because of the greenhouse gases that are being trapped in the atmosphere which changes the normal weather patterns and conditions in a region of the Earth then "climate change" takes place and when it occurs in a particular region, it'll surely bring consequences that not only the people living in could be affected but at the same time, the living things are also being ruined if that happens.

  Our country; the Philippines is being affected by the destructive climate change. It's so obvious that these days, we feel so irritated because of the severe heat that strikes on our skin and it can cause disease if that is not prevented or it's not given enough attention. 

  Climate Change has causes and effects, and some of the reasons why climate change takes place is because of continental drifts, eruption of volcanoes, ocean currents, the earth's tilt and of course, the illegal/unwise activities of the people just like the construction of illegal factories. On the other hand, climate change has also effects to be considered and must be given attention and these are; the rising of sea levels, heavy rainfalls that causes flooding in many regions, extreme drought, crops wither, ecosystems are changing or it becomes unbalance and at the same time, the spreading of various diseases and that is the reason why the experts are studying/researching hard on how to prevent and finally stop climate change in our country and to the other regions all over the world.

  Now that our mother Earth is suffering the consequences, all we can do is for us to save it. In our own simple and wise ways, we can help mother Earth to be in a good condition again. Starting now, we must help one another for us to fight the destructive "climate change."

Now I Know!

    

  Another grading was accomplished and in exchanged, more knowledge have been gained and at the same time,  more experienced have been felt.

  ICT subject is one of the most influential subject that I am presently learning. Do you know why? I have only one simple reason and that is because, almost everyday, I am using our PC, and we all know that one of the most widely used device today is computer. This grading, we studied all about TAGS, and it fits perfectly to what I am doing these days. In surfing the net, I found something that made me curious. This questions have been posted into my mind; what is this HTML for? Why is it that in most of the videos and songs that I download, I see this "< >?" And because of the help of Ma'am Vera Cruz, all questions in my mind are already answered that even these small things function for a very  important reason. 
 In addition, this grading, Ma'am Vera Cruz set some activities for us to learn more about TAGS! Sometimes, it's tricky, but I can do it with the help of my teacher and my classmates.

  Now that I know how important TAGS are, I'm being more careful now in using the right TAGS for my works. This made me realized that, " Even small things are terrible if we don't use them properly" just like the HTML TAGS! :DD

  

"Promoting Digital Literacy through English Proficiency"

We are now in a modernized world. We are surrounded of new inventions and processes today, and as we adapt ourselves with these, we must also adapt modern ideas and methods for us to apply it to our daily lives.

In connection to this, English Month is being celebrated in the entire Philippines as the month of October starts. In this year 2011, this is being celebrated with a theme; “Promoting Digital Literacy through English Proficiency.”

English is considered as the Universal Language. Meaning, we must all have the right to learn it. With the help of our educated minds, another technique for us to be shaped into an excellent one is that, our educators fused our proficiency in English with the skills or techniques that we are gaining from the new technologies that perfectly suits for a person to be digitally literate. In addition, one of the most famous inventions that are being made is the computers. The people, especially us students are using the computers almost everyday for us to make our works in school easier, especially that it fits just right when we are about to surf the net.

As I end up, I just want to dig down and plant into your minds how important is the English Language in us. We must not be stuck in the traditional method of learning. We must give it a different flavor this time though our proficiency in English for us to adapt the use of our new technologies and processes today to make our lives just simply worthliving.

The Collaboration

  In the month of September, Science Month is being celebrated in every school over the entire Philippines. In connection to this, students are having some activities to do for they will enhance and enrich their skills and at the same time, for them to learn and discover things that they have never encountered before, and with the help of this, it will make the students build their own development.

  This month, our school, the Ilocos Sur National High School is currently celebrating the Science Month with the theme; CHEMERGY: CHEMISTRY and SCIENCE CLUB in SYNERGY. What does this theme means?

  Chemistry has brought many benefits to our daily lives. Everyday, we see and use products of chemistry, but still Chemistry is just a branch of Science, that it cannot stand alone without the other applications of processes of Science, but because of the scientific minds of people, students in every school are being encouraged to join the organization regarding in the knowledge of Science through Science Clubbing. In here, scientific and inventive minds of students are being enriched. They are being exposed to life of Science. So, in connection to the theme, with the collaboration of Chemistry and Science Club, there will be a more effective products that will be produced or created that can surely bring more benefits to us people. The theme is also giving highlight in the oneness of all Science Clubbers, but at the same time, including us.

  It is very important for us to develop our own skills. We are being molded for us to understand things deeper. It's not only the Science Clubbers that must start actions, we must all work together as one for our own and for our country's betterment. Through CHEMERGY, our lives will be changed, a change for the better.

A Day For Thanking

  

  Between the months of September and October, Teachers' Day is actually celebrated in schools, but the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) commenced October 5 as World Teachers' Day, but they considered September 27 and September 28 as the actual Teachers' Day, that it is a school holiday where teachers are allowed to rest. It is a day to celebrate the things that they are doing for us students, or in other words, it is a Thanksgiving Day for them.

  Even when I was in Elementary, and even now that I am in a High School Level, all of my teachers have always there to guide and support me. My parents are the number one who influence me a lot and next to them are my teachers. They are also the ones that continuous to influence me for me to be who I am now. I definitely admire my teachers for the reason that they are inspirational, they galvanize and encourage students to study and at the same time, for them to learn, because our teachers are the primary source of learning and inspiration. My teachers are the ones who also build my personality to be an able and excellent person for me to be complete.

  Through this, even in just a simple way of expressing my gratitude for the things that they are doing just for us to learn not only in an academic way, but also in moral and spiritual ways.

  To all my teachers, I thank you very much for making me into what I am now. I'm very proud and lucky to have all of you in my life. You truly deserves to be a hero. You are my teachers, you are my heroes.

My Modern Day Hero!

  In different cartoon networks today, many Super Heroes having super powers are what the kids now are amazed with without knowing that their just all fantasies and that they do not exist at all.

  A hero can be more than just a slayer in his/her enemies, having extraordinary powers, or being a life saver. A true hero can be anyone who has a great impact of his/her positive influences to others.

  For me, my father, Leonardo Rafanan is my hero. I look up to him and he affected my life in a positive way. Even though he doesn't have work right now, I'm still so proud, because he he finds way for him to raise our own family. Even if it's still so early in the morning, he'll go to the farm and starts his work. I thought that he has a super power, because he does not feel tiredness at all.

  My father before is a Seaman in Hong Kong, but because of problems in their corporation, he must sacrifice his work for his own safety, but he did not give up. For now, he goes to Manila for him to apply for another job in abroad. He is a man who takes risks just for his family. He is the kind of person who really cares for others. He is a great person.

  To be a hero, you don't need to save lives or to kill enemies. All you need is to make a difference in someone's life. My father is truly my hero. He works well not only for his family and for his self, but also to his fellowmen. He is my Superman, he is my father, he is my modern day hero.

I LOVE YOU PAPA

Reflection: Study For A Good Future

  Education is one of the vital needs of every individual especially to us teenagers and young ones of this generation. Through education, we are being precast to be better individuals. We are being taught of things about our surroundings. Not only these, we are also learning about the values of life for us to build a sturdy foundation of readiness in preparing to the world of reality, because the main objective of education is to prepare students for realities of life.

   Some of the students are indolent to study. That’s why new strategies of teaching are being constructed for the students to be more alacritous to their studies for their own future.

  I’m a 4^th year student of Ilocos Sur National High School. For me, studying is so enjoyable, but in some times, it’s too difficult to manage time for everything I do. In our ICT (Information Communications Technology) subject, with the new techniques of teaching, we, the students are having fun in learning new educational things just like knowing more about the world of Internet, the different personalities in the world of Internet and the most interesting is, we are starting to create blogs of our own in the website, Blogger. Through blogging, I learned how to express my feelings in just an easy-typing way that I built my confidence to be more expressive in my own creative ways.

  In our ICT subject, there are only two problems that I’m trying to resolve and these two are; how can I improve my oral and written performance in every grading? These are great challenges for me to prove myself that I can do all of these. And now, I’m trying to find solutions of these problems that are running through my mind.

  For me, to have good results in my performances, I must start to build my confidence to be a talkative person in an educational way for me to enrich my oral performance and to construct a study plan for the lessons that I’m confused of for me to perk up with my written performance.

               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

President P-noy: His Second SONA This 2011

  

  

  The State of the Nation Address or simply SONA is an important event in the Republic of the Philippines in which the President of the Philippines States or reports what is the status of the nation, and in here, plans of the President are being discussed for the present year.

  Last July 25,2011, our beloved President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" C. Aquino III delivered his second State of the Nation Address at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.

  Important guests came to witness what Noynoy will state in his SONA, just like Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Vice President Jejomar Binay, the former President Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Chief Justice Renato Corona and to all of the honorable Judicial Officers of the Judicial Court, the respectable members of the Diplomatic Corps, the bounteous members of Kamara de Representante, the Senate, all of the Local Government Officials, all members of our Councilmen, the members of he militar and police forces, to the people who are serving the fellowmen and especially to the state.

  In the SONA of President P-noy, he first discussed about the issues of "wang-wang." He also gave emphasis about the importation of rice production, house plan for the homeless, Anti- Trafficking, job attainments and also the issue about poverty.

  Most likely, some people are happy to know about the status of our society, but still most are not contented of this changes that had happened.

  Presidnet P-noy and his Officials will still have more things to resolve. This is just the beginning and we are all part of this administration for us to make our country a progressive one.

  Let us give our President a chance for him to prove to his self and to us that he can lead and be an effective President, that he can stand up with his promises. We, Filipinos are hoping for a change.

NUTRITION MONTH CELEBRATION: "ISULONG ANG BREASTFEEDING- TAMA, SAPAT AT EKSKLUSIBO"

  

  In celebrating the 2011 Nutrition Month Celebration that is being held every July 1, the theme for this year is, "Isulong ang BREASFEEDING- Tama, Sapat, at Eksklusibo." The theme focuses how can we ensure especially to the mothers the successful Breasfeeding practices. It aims to encourage all of us to help propel, secure and uphold the right processes of Breastfeeding.

  Through Breastfeeding, we can assure the good health status of the babies. It is proven that breast milk contains over hundreds of nutrients that cannot be created in laboratories and cannot be found in other commercial milks. Breast milk contains calories, water, Carbohydrates, fats, Proteins, Calcium, Sodium, Phosphorus, Vitamin C and Magnesium. Some of these are it's nutrients that are requisite to the healthy production and growth of babies. Breast milk is pure that it does not contain bacteria and it's easier for the babies to digest it. Breastfeeding also include the utility and it's cost. Not like the formulated milks, if you compare the two, not only in their nutrient contents but also their costs and their advantages, you can further conclude that Breast milk has a greater impact to the health  of the babies.

  Let us be all careful regarding to the health of the babies. Let us assure their good health through showcasing and by supporting the practices of Breastfeeding, because through it, we can give the good nutrition that are needed for the babies to grow healthy and wealthy.

Help Our Country, The Philippines

June 8, 2011

Dear President P-noy,

  Lovely greetings for you Sir! I wrote you a letter for me to express my feelings and experiences that I'm into right now regarding on the status of our own country, the Philippines. We all know that you have big responsibilities to do especially in the maintenance of the progressiveness of our country, and you are not the only one who needs to work for our betterment. We! We must all work together us one to uplift the country.

  Devastating problems are what we are experiencing now. Even on the radios and on the televisions, or even on the newspapers; crimes, deadly phenomena, problems in shelter, food supplies, health and other things that we are needing for us to live are now slowly vanishing. I am alarmed, you are alarmed and all of us are alarmed about this kind of situation. We must be awakened.

  One of the hottest issue in the world of Philippine News today is the "Fish Kill" issue. In the affected areas of Batangas & Pangasinan, most of their raised fishes and other marine lives are now in a big danger. The condition of the weather has a big effect to us like, the presence of destructive typhoons, tsunamis and others and also the issue regarding on the Global Warming, because of these problems that we are facing now, we are the ones who are affected. many of our fellowmen are needing and hungering for your help.

  You are elected as our President of our country and not only me, but also the other Filipinos are expecting o lot from you. Since you made a promise and stood up for your statements, we had put our full trust in you. Problems truly comes along our way unexpectedly, but if there's a way to solve things even it's just that petty, then we must think of better solutions to solve bigger problems like these. All of us will work together us one for us to overpass these challenges of life. Let us stand up and hold hands.

Yours Truly,

Karen Angelica Rafanan