High School Forever

June 6, 2006


Dear Journal,


I survived the first day of class! I was very nervous when I stepped on to the grounds of my new school. When I entered the IDS Multi-purpose Hall (MPH), everything seemed surreal. There were approximately 500 students lining up and the only thing I knew was that I belonged to section I-Gamma. I remember asking a kind looking teacher named Professor Flores on where should I fall in line. I also saw Michael Paul Roque, and he belonged to section Theta! I also saw my former schoolmate and our elementary class valedictorian Lance Maravillas busily talking to his newfound friends in his section, I-Alpha. 


During the flag ceremony, we recited the "Panatang Makabayan" the old way, and we first years were mumbling into a new song which started with the word "Silahis". I also saw a fierce-looking teacher who seemed ready to pounce out from the stage everytime a student commits a misdemeanor, and I learned later on that her name was Professor Fe Tuanda. After the ceremony, me and my new classmates went to our classroom. Our classroom was huge! And situated beside a stage located in the so-called "IDS Mini-Garden". My mom assigned me to the seat nearest to the teacher's table, which was kind of scary. There were also three students, which I learned that were from St. Michael's College, who were talking and laughing loudly. Soon enough, I learned their names were Kimberly Labradores, Karla Caressa Ayoma (who seats on the right side of my chair), and the ever active and superbly generous vice president, Michael Macesar. On my left side sat Junaisah Macalabo and Stefany Caparida, who seemed to be the very best of friends, Esther Tabugo, and Maureen Erat, a classmate who would later turn to be my talkmate during classes and lunch.


I cannot remember what really happened next, but the first thing that came to my mind was that teacher who came back twice in our class to teach two subjects: English and Journalism. She was no other than Ms. Margarita Regina de Pedro Araneta. She seemed very nice, and she said that she was already "sumo" because she saw us twice during the first day of class. I remember her quoting her favorite saying: "Life is beautiful and so are we; that's why I recall her calling a someone named "Toti", who said that he wants to be the next president of the Philippines. I also remember Esther Tabugo, who snappily said that she was a salutatorian of SPED. She seemed like Hermione Granger when she said that.


The second most memorable thing was P.E., where Sir Yabu made a certain Jodric Palisbo do crunches on the table. I also recall Professor Melissa Casino, who praised Zuriel Rebollo for correctly answering the question: "What is Physical Education"? I also remember Glaiza Obido being made by Professor Abiera to elect officers for our TLE Class. While others were busily talking, I discovered that Jiggy Padilla, the one whom my dad said that was the youngest shooter in their Firing Range. Soon enough, we began talking, with his bestfriend Junelle Pagunsan about topics ranging from how the Padilla's were related to Rustom Padilla, about La Salle, and about a certain thing called D.I.C.E., a topic that I didn't know why they were laughing so much about it.


The least memorable was Math Class with Sir Larot. Sure, I wasn't bored that much, but those numbiiirs, iinntiiiijjjiiirsss, and jiirroooees seemed to drown in my head. Well, I wasn't the first to observe all of those pronunciations, because soon enough my classmates, especially France Dayrit, were chanting "paassiittiiib" and "niiiggaaattiib".

After the last period, I immediately packed my things. I saw my new classmates, some of them I've known and some of them I've not known yet, were hurriedly rushing out from the classroom. As I went out from my new classroom, I also saw some of the many unfamiliar faces that would probably become my best friends and worst foes. 


And as my mom arrived, she asked anxiously: "Kamusta man ang school?".


I replied with a simple "okay".


**********************************************************************************************


April 20, 2010


Dear Journal (Facebook),


As a fresh graduate of a very (and uber) prestigious high school, I can hear some of my peers outside IDS comment that people branded with the "Tatak IDS Ako!" mark can be very intelligent and holistic, and these people will surely be the leaders of the future generation while basking the success of being on top.

I can say that being placed in an really pressurized environment, especially in a place where everybody is scrambling to make it on top, even pass, can be as crazy and nerve-wracking as it can be. And what's more, being in a room full of interesting personalities excelling in different fields makes all things go BOOM. And probably being in the best section there is in my opinion too.

So here are my thoughts to the section where everyone loves the most, PHOTON.

1. Pressurized: With a feisty adviser in tow, gearing us to do our very best, we photon pipz should realize that at the end of the day, we garnered almost every honor a section could grip on (peace to others). And even if we lose, we can still put a smile on our faces and say "Past is past!"

2. Honor: It is an honor to be a student belonging to class Photon. Aren't you proud of it?

3. Optimistic: As we hurdle everyday challenges with a dose of humor from our resident comics (namely Harry, John Ray, and France), we still manage to smile and (luckily) persuade our teachers to postpone our quizzes and assignments (sometimes). Great, isn't it? And did you remember when we all said that we can do it and survive despite of the numerous threats of axing our grades and all the tremendous brouhaha? Well, instead of looking on the downside, we made sure that we could still achieve our goals!

Remember these before?:

Music-paste pictures (15th)
Music-sayawit (Jan)
Calc-long quiz (7th)
SS-long quiz (7th)
Chem-long quiz (7th)
CAT-finals (11th)
PE-finals (11th)
copy of discArte movie (7th)-i need dvd u_u
Research experiment (10th)
Practice vball (5th)-reckon can't go, soz... =.='
Vball tourney (anytime nxt week?)
Practice ringkie =.=' every after classes(7th,8th,11th)

(excerpt from Photon "Things to do" by Stefany Mae Caparida) ^_^

4. Triumphant: Triumph is not measured on how many medals a man can recieve, triumph is measured on how we conquer daily life's challenges. WOW! And we thought that we could not make it, but we made it! We triumphed in our own simple ways by facing bravely every obstacle and not giving up.

5. Outrageous!: Even if how serious the environment is, with loads of quizzes coming up, everyone can still manage to have some "fun" (and even play Volleyball inside the classroom during recess) despite the burdens of being an IDS Student. I personally remembered that Harry bemused me with his least-amusing comments and dished me with nonsense questions during Biology class. I can say that I was reaaaalllllyy stressed at that time, but that antic did cheer me up, and so did others.

6. Nerve-wracking: Nerve-wracking. In my whole life, I only experienced all the action, drama, comedy, romance, all genres...to match with different personalities with different backgrounds all clashed together to spin a fine but very strong web: a web of friendship, trust and love...PHOTON.

**********************************************************************************

My first and my last journal entries about my high school life. :) But still, high school forever. :D

"Why Do We Need to Study Poetry?"

(NOTE: This is the first draft of my First Long Lit Paper, so enjoy guys!)

(P.S. Lance Maravillas, you should remember that first poem. XD)

I love and enjoy poetry, even though sometimes I find some poems difficult to understand. I love poetry for many reasons, but three of these stand out. One is that poetry helped me to form friendships with the truest and dearest friends I had in my entire life. Second is that poetry helped me feel certain emotions or feelings I have never experienced. Third, it opened my eyes into an entirely new perspective of things around me. Thus, poetry helped me to appreciate the beauty of being human and imperfect, and for me it is a good thing.

When I was a young child, I used to think of poetry as nursery rhymes cleverly woven into tunes that children love to sing like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Baa, Baa Black Sheep”. I always thought that poems are supposed to always contain rhyming words to present an image of a cow jumping over a moon, or a tiny, nimble man jumping over a candlestick. During those “grueling” kindergarten years, our teacher required us to read out loud many nursery poems such as “Humpty Dumpty” and “Mother Goose”, and recite them endlessly. We were also required to make our own “poems” (the quotation marks, since I am much ashamed to call those as true poems), and my mind was endlessly searching for rhyming words such as “dime” and “mime” because the teacher said that “the verses must rhyme with each other; if not, then a low mark”. Moving to my elementary years, I was curious of what “true” poems look like. I remember the first “true” poem we read in class, and that was the poem “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer:

I THINK that I shall never see 

A poem lovely as a tree.    

 A tree whose hungry mouth is prest 

Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;    

 A tree that looks at God all day, 

And lifts her leafy arms to pray; 

   A tree that may in summer wear

  A nest of robins in her hair;

     Upon whose bosom snow has lain; 

 Who intimately lives with rain. 

 Poems are made by fools like me, 

 But only God can make a tree.

            Reading it now, I never knew that it would be that complex, nor I never knew that many messages can be conveyed from a simple poem. But back then, all I knew (and the teacher perhaps) was that it is true that “only God can make a tree”. So that was the moral lesson of the day.

I also recall a poem I hurriedly memorized in the boys’ bathroom since I didn’t know that we were required to recite one in class. Opening my Skill Builders English book hastily, I came across a poem by Joseph Parry:

New Friends and Old Friends

Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.
New-made friendships, like new wine,
Age will mellow and refine.

Friendships that have stood the test -
Time and change - are surely best;
Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray,
Friendship never knows decay.

For 'mid old friends, tried and true,
Once more we our youth renew.
But old friends, alas! may die,
New friends must their place supply.

Cherish friendship in your breast -
New is good, but old is best;
Make new friends, but keep the old;
Those are silver, these are gold.

            Since I hurriedly memorized this poem, and I was young back then, I never got the chance to appreciate it in a deeper level. But reading it now, I realized that this poem greatly affected my life by teaching me how to appreciate true friendship and love.

            My real affair with poetry started during my high school days. My high school teacher back then required us to make our own poems. I wrote a poem entitled “The Breaking Dawn” (although sadly I lost my copy), then we were required to read it at class. While reading the poems we made, I was amazed that those poems reflected my classmates’ emotions, and how I wondered why I never experienced those feelings they had. We cried when one exclaimed how broken her heart is. We laughed when one recited how he drastically failed during his first (and last) date. Suddenly, I felt that I was exploring another kind of dimension―a world that is not mine. I felt thankful then that poetry exists because it brings you to realities you never knew that existed. It helps you broaden your knowledge about the realities of being human, of being alive. That poem reading experience helped all of us to strengthen our bonds with one another, and the joy of reading poetry lived in our hearts because of it.

            Moving to college life, I realized that besides from letting you feel unknown emotions, poems can actually open your eyes to an entirely new perspective in life. I was happy to hear that poetry was offered in this university, so that all of us can be able to experience the wonders of expanding your knowledge and appreciating the beauty of art all at the same time. One day in college class, we read the poem “Ithaca” by Constantine Cavafy. In this poem, these stanzas struck me:

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.

She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

            Ever since the day this poem was taken in class, I kept on referring this to my friends who are looking for comfort in times of despair or who are gloriously celebrating their triumph (mostly academically related). I told them that even though you do not get what you desire or want, the important thing is that these obstacles can serve as great opportunities and lessons to carry on with reaching your ultimate goal. It opened me to the fact that a goal simply serves as a catalyst for us to move on. I learned that the beauty of reaching dreams is not the dream itself, but the vast experiences and the lessons learned while reaching that dream.

            Truly, poetry did help me become a better person. Reading poetry enables me to experience new feelings which in turn can serve as valuable lessons in life. Listening to poetry helps me connect with other people and their emotions. Writing poetry enables me to share my thoughts creatively and at the same time to be able to express emotions whether to convey a special message, or to plainly express one’s feelings. Poetry defines humanity in different ways, and by this we gain knowledge on how to live a fulfilled life. Poetry makes us feel the true essence of being human, and that is the true essence of poetry.

Love is Love

HAPPY VALENTINES' DAY! <3

This is the day when the prices of flowers and chocolates will go sky-high
This is the day when boys will be forced to buy gifts for their girls
This is the day when everyone will be seem dazed by their daydreams of love
The day when Cupid will strike again with his bow and arrow hearts
The day when I love you and you love me! :D

Ugh, what a silly poem. :)) But I know that people who are in love will like it. :p
(source: Some Psychological Book on how to determine lovestruck people, where it says that this poem will totally determine your lovestruck levels accurately)

And cheers to the Blogger League for the new layout! Thanks, Alfonz. :D

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE! :)

Picture-Perfect Memories

I have the most amazing tendency to remember things that happened to me. In my life. Well, I'm not much good in short-term memories, instead I'm good at long-term ones. o_O

SO PRECISELY 365 DAYS AGO...

'Twas a picture-perfect memory.

Every girl I see from my batch wore blue. Everyone was screaming with joy. Food, Alma and Glaiza touted to be the prom queen...

It was madness.
A night full of love. A night full of bitter ends and lovely beginnings. A night to express true feelings.
A night to remember.

I have witnessed broken hearts, with matching knocking of fists against a wall. I have witnessed streams of endless, cheesy tears falling from the beady eyes of my classmates. I've danced my girl bestfriends, and had a lot of secret sharing and tons of laughter followed.

I didn't imagine that I will write a blog entry precisely 365 days after that momentous event. I didn't imagine that those celebrations were only just mere memories. I just embraced and let myself drown and drink the scene.

JS PROM 2010.

Valentine Reds and Blues (with the Overture)

It's been a while since I posted a new entry due to the fact that I was swimming in the sea of midterm examinations. Now that I've finally arrived ashore, let me celebrate this with another blog entry! :D

For this blog entry I'm going to list all of my expected happenings for the next few weeks in my stay here in the Ateneo. :)

As we all know, Valentines' Day is fast approaching. :3 I don't blame you guys for being excited about these squishy, romantic stuff forming within the depths of your brains, specifically your hypothalamuses (although it's really the heart). And not just that; this is also a S.A.D day (Single Awareness Day), where all singles flock together and celebrate (?) for their....what else, for being single. :))

I, for one, am single, and thus I see Valentines' Day as the day where my parents and some of my friends sound cheesy EVERYTIME they open their mouths. Pink balloons here, a box of chocolates there, and dozens of roses everywhere...a romantic day indeed. Some of my friends are excitedly planning what to do for their dates, crushes, girlfriends, or wives (it is the duty of a guy to plan for a date, you know)...even if they live a hundred miles apart.

As for the "singleness" bested upon me, I, together with my friends (Ze Dormers: Arthur, Vera, Jani, and Mariel), are planning to have our own Valentines celebration by having the traditional picnic. Yes, you heard it right, with the matching traditional basket with the checkered red-and-white mat. Vera said that we're going to have some chocolate cakes (crrrinnngggeee) and some sandwiches, and we're going to have loads of fun that only singles can enjoy (bitter much?).

Besides from that, I'm also joining (harsh) rehearsals (again) for the last time (hopefully) for Blue Symphony as we celebrate (not Valentines' Day) Freedom Day (or...Grad day) by offering the Blue Symphony's Year-End Concert: The Overture. Our conductor said that "Overture"'s gonna be loads of fun, which include pieces from famous broadway shows and movies such as "The Phantom of the Opera", "The Sound of Music", and "Singing in the Rain". I HOPE that we will play "Don't Rain on My Parade" (where I'm hoping that I can audition for a solo). :p

So basically that's all for now (excluding the finals where I'll finally trap myself into studying extremely hard), and I hope all of you bloggers out there will be inspired to write another blog entry! :)

P.S. To Grammar Nazis, this is not English class
        To all singles, happy SAD day!
        To musically-inclined people, watch out for "The Overture" this coming March!
        To me, *pak!

From a Best Friend :)

From a best friend.


Hi Mike!


This is leftover paper from my 2010 recollection palancas. It spent a looong time in my drawer, mao na medyo kumot (that's why it's a little bit crumpled). XD


Anyway.


I'd like to thank you for being among the best, truest friends I've had. In my life. You;re one of the few people who always seem willing to spend time with friends―one can see it in the smile you're always wearing when in good company (hehe ;)), the way your chat box suddenly pops up on Facebook when one least expects it, the way you effortlessly entreat us to lively conversation. You make life a lot less lonely. :D I'm very proud of you, of everything you've achieved these last few years. It isn't often one comes across such goodness, talent, intelligence, and joy in a single person. It's amazing really how much we've been through together: Skylark, Ringkaran, Agong, RSPC, geom, lit―without having a serious quarrel! Those moments I used to look forward to all the time, and fondly look back on now. Thanks for the incredible friendship we've had these three, four years (and counting!), for accepting me for who I am, for being there all the time, and, of course, for the gift of music! =)


-Arkay


P.S. -Sorry sa akong sins :( (Sorry for my sins)
P.P.S. - "Far Away" jud diay atong friendship song ("Far Away" indeed is our friendship song). We've grown far closer since graduation! XD 


Awwwwwww. :3 Thank you, Arkay for that very touching letter (sniff, sniff). :))


To end this note, let me write some lyrics from our friendship song:


Wherever I go, far away and anywhere
Time after time, you always shine
Through dark of Night, calling after me


And where ever I climb, far away and anywhere
You raise me high, beyond the sky
Through stormy night, lifting me above


Venite Spiritu, et emitte caelitus (Come Holy Spirit, sent out from Heaven)
Venite Spiritu, et emitte caelitus (Come Holy Spirit, sent out from Heaven)
Venite Spiritu, Venite Spiritu (Come Holy Spirit, Come Holy Spirit)


Far away beyond the sky...


:)

New Year's Resolution. :D

HAPPY 2011! :D

So to start the new year with a big bang, here is my New Year's Resolution! :D

1. "Work first before pleasure" - my mom always says this to me, only Ateneans don't do this because they tend to "Party first before work". I however will promise to live up to this line. :D

2. Be more organized - I admit that organizing is one of my flaws, and that I need to declutter myself to have a more fruitful year.

3. Be more friendly - self explanatory. :))

4. Stop pressuring self and instead be a positive thinker. - this one's harder, I guess, but I found out that if you pressure yourself too much, then you'll always end up to the bin. So + energy, here we come! :D

5. Closer relationship to the Creator - I admit that I sometimes lose faith when I don't get what I want, however I learned that these flaws are made to make you even better. :)

6. Spread love to friends - Love, love, love, love!

7. Do not be insecure and bitter...instead, look at the bright side! :D

8. Time Management!

9. NO FB ON WEEKDAYS. PLEASE. :))

10. And be a better Mikhail Clyde A. Manginsay for 2011! Yay! :D

To close this entry, let me end with a quote that I just made up (although I posted this ages ago in FB):

"The Lord does not give you any challenges that you cannot bear."


HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! >:D<