Thoughts to Live By: A Lion's Heart

Thoughts to Live By: A Lion's Heart: "Achilles is a son to King Peleus and Thetis. He is a cousin to Patroclus. He is invincible, immortal and thirsts for great glory. As a war..."

Thoughts to Live By: EPIC WIN :)

Thoughts to Live By: EPIC WIN :): "Iliad and Odyssey are two of the most famous epics ever written by Homer. They are still well-known until today for it has..."

EPIC WIN :)

Iliad and Odyssey are two of the most famous epics ever written by Homer. They are still well-known until today for it has thrills related to adventure, enigma, and love. Both of them portrays about Greek literature wherein it displays the traditions, customs and beliefs of the Greeks.

In our lesson about these stories, if a royal blood dies, his body must be cremated. If not, it is a disgrace for them; it is like degrading their status from kings to slaves. Greeks also believes in polytheism, which means the belief in many gods. Just like when Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter for a god to favor their horde. The gods also choose their own side. They are to decide what will be the fate of the side they chose. For instance, when Hector and Achilles fought. Apollo favored Hector that’s why Hector was able to defend himself from the mighty Achilles but, Athena favored Achilles so she found a way to deceive Hector and finally killed him. These just show that Greeks really base their lives depending on their gods plan. They should respect the decision whether good or bad.

Hence, I conclude that the Greek culture is based on their belief in gods/ goddesses. There should be no questions on why this literature of the Greeks is still well known. It is because we are fond of reading and discussing them in our school that for me, it helped us students to understand and accept other peoples’ culture.

A Lion's Heart

Achilles is a son to King Peleus and Thetis. He is a cousin to Patroclus. He is invincible, immortal and thirsts for great glory.
As a warrior, Achilles is brutal and merciless. He fears no one even the gods. When Patroclus was killed by Hector, who thought that it was him, Achilles revenged the death of his cousin knowing that if he kills Hector, his fate is to die. At that moment, he is unstoppable. This shows his anger and thirst for revenge and GLORY. As Hector and him fights, Hector never misses his target but Achilles seems to be INVINCIBLE, it’s because of the armor made by Hephaestus, these lines will prove it:

Achilles attacked as well, heart full of savage anger,
covering his chest with that richly decorated shield,
his shining four-ridge helmet nodding on his head,
the golden plumes Hephaestus had set there. (22.405-408.229)

And no doubt, He won the battle against Hector. Over dead Hector, godlike Achilles cried out:

Die there!
As for my own death, I accept
whenever Zeus and the immortal gods
see fit to bring it to me (22.474-477.231)

These show why he is merciless. He just let Hector die and as he say these words…

He cut through the tendons behind both feet, from heel to ankle,
threaded them with ox-hide thongs, and then tied these
onto his chariot, leaving the head to drag behind.
He climbed up into his chariot, brought on the splendid armour,
then lashed his horses. (22.513-518.231)

Again, these proves that he is merciless, at the same time, showing his brutality.

Achilles shows brutality, merciless and dauntless acts which causes everyone to fear him. But for me, he is really a great and courageous warrior because, even though he knew that he will die if he’ll kill Hector, he still didn’t’ abstain from the bloody battle that will take place. :)))

Teodora Alonzo: Patriotic, Wife, a Hero

When offered pension by the US government, she said

"The Rizals offer their lives to their mother country because of their inherent patriotism and not because of money"

A man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities are some characteristics of a hero, But really, Is there a need for us to have a hero in today’s society? In my opinion, I must say YES! If one will just be vigilant of what is happening around, children needs an epitome that will guide them to the right path, for the next generation will reap what they sown.

Being a hero doesn’t really mean that you have to be a man, sometimes, it can be the opposite gender. A good example of a Filipina hero would be Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonzo. As a wife, she wished only the best for her children, she sent them to school for a brighter future. But life is just too cruel. During those times, the Philippines was conquered by the Spaniards. Teodora was one of the many Filipinos who suffered inferior to them. They accused her of false charges. The Spaniards put her to jail in spite of her innocence. Knowing that the Spaniards were after Rizal, Teodora didn’t stop her son. But instead, she became Rizal’s inspiration to continue his cause for freedom. In 1891, Teodora joined her son and kept a house in Dapitan where RIzal was in exiled. After Rizal was made a national hero, the legislature of the Philippines offered her a lifetime pension as a token of gratitude which she respectfully refused.

A hero for me doesn’t mean you have to be physically strong. In my opinion, for someone to be a hero, he or she must set a good example to others. One must help the needy, must know how to fight for his right as a human. Teodora Alonzo, though a woman, fight for her own family. And in times of plight, instead of being quiet, she inspired other people to continue what they know is right for the better of the country. So, does your “hero” helped today’s society? Or is he or she really a hero? If you do not know the answer….better start thinking. :))

Everyone is Welcome in TUMCS

Nowadays, we students thirst for knowledge. That is why the Taytay United Methodist Christian School was built to help students discover their hidden talents, nourish their skills and be God fearing.

Twenty six years of its hard work, patience and perseverance. The TUMCS helps each child to strive for academic excellence, thus, most of the graduates here bring home the bacon from a lot of prestigious universities like University of the Philippines. Awards like Magna or Suma Cumluade are just a piece of cake for the students that graduated in this school. This shows how smart Tumcsians are. Now that they have achieved their dreams with flying colors, they never forget to stay humble and thank God for their blessings.

As a student, let us not destroy this stature of the school. Hence, let us get our act together and bring more awards to our Alma Mater. Let's get started !

Learning: Listen, Practice and Apply!

As our teacher gives us the printed copy of our errors on grammar, my first impression was “this is going to be a long day”. She said that, to hid the identity of the person who committed the error, just keep quiet. That’s what all of us did. The moment I saw the paper, I took a glance on the pages to see if my errors were there. As I look on the sentences, I honestly laughed on some of them but I stopped because I know that it is wrong to laugh at someone’s error. Most common errors I saw were about “subject verb agreement”. And some of them were randomized like, “I “becomes “You” in the next sentence. I realized that we were having a hard time in applying the lessons taught to us by the teacher thus, it resulted to some common if not the most basic rule in English grammar.

In school, we were practiced to apply the lessons we learned in grammar through writing, blogging and making some essays. Sometimes in seat works, assignments, quizzes and projects too. For me, every word said by the teacher is important so, I make sure to take down notes especially when rules on grammar were being discussed. If in case I will be applying the rules, I will first study and try to understand their uses in a sentence. If my grammar is organized, it will be easier for the readers to understand what I want to impart them. And also, it is not messy or confusing.

To improve my writing skills, I will practice how to use different parts of speech properly. With this, I can avoid common errors. I will also read the dictionary and try to use some uncommon words in a conversation. With this practice, I can widen the use of my vocabulary. Writing something about current events makes me feel updated so, I will use my vacant time making some brief essays about the things happening around. Reading books is also important; it is like providing the mind with nourishment. It encourages us to think, it increases our hunger for knowledge and our thirst to learn more. It also makes our imagination work.

A Devastation of Fairness

Our school held its 26^th founding anniversary last February 14 to 18. On that week, we students showed our talents in different categories like ballroom, modern dancing, cheering and ball games. For the first three categories, juniors won all of it except for the modern dance which was won by the senior students. It was a very tough competition, everybody did their best for the said event.

And for the next three days comes the ball games. It includes sports like basketball, badminton and volleyball. Every night before our next game, I pray that may players do their best for God’s glory, may there be a fair game, honesty and sportsmanship among all athletes. Then, comes morning, I choose to play basketball. Being the fourth game of the event, I was sitting on a chair and observing the players, committees and referees. For the first three games, I saw fairness, respect, and honesty. I like what the referees, players were doing. Finally, it is our game. I saw determination among my teammates. I love their spirits which inspired me to play. We work as a team now unlike last year. For me, the calls of the refs were fair for the first day. For the second day, I did the same thing. There is still respect among the players but believe it or not, I saw many violations like 4 steps traveling, back court violations, 3 second violations which were not called by the officials. This made the players feel that the game was cooked or “Luto”. Then comes another game for us, our team and the other team greet each other before the game. This time I tested the referees, honestly, I travelled the ball three steps. But the ref did not throw a call on me :(. I do not know what the refs were doing that time. I lose my appetite for the game. For my teammates, I also saw them being hit by others. The opponents were throwing elbows on us, pushing us. I am really confused! When the players were wrestling at each other, there are no fouls. If a pinky was hold on an arm a foul was called! Where is fairness? Equality? My teammates were disappointed about it. For our last game against the seniors, we tried to give them a fair game. Both teams were playing good basketball but, it is all about the calls. We pass the ball well. My teammates said that if I am open I have to shoot and that is what I did. After the game, I realized that winning does not matter if it is done through cheating. I love the players sportsmanship not only in our section but in every year. Even though a lot of pressure is on them, they decided to play the game. I may not see other players play harsh but for my observation it is the referee’s fault why players become hot headed.

For this experience, I learned that being patience is important, even though the call is unfair; you have to keep calm and do not cause any scene. As we all know, Honesty is the best policy. We must be fair to others, if you know that you are doing wrong, stop it or else, your conscience will not let you sleep. And last but not the least teamwork. I believe no person can win it all. Even the greatest athlete needs help from others. Even SUPERMAN needs help :))

“Individually, we are one drop, Together, we are an ocean”. Thank you for reading my insights, opinions about the said event :D

Being Discriminated? Just Go With the Flow

4 years back when I was in Grade 6. An accident happened that changed my point of view in life. Ten days before Christmas, everybody was busy decorating their classrooms, making Christmas trees and preparing gifts for their love ones. Being one of the tallest in our class, I was assigned to place the Christmas lanterns on the ceiling. Before I perform my task, our teacher kept on reminding me to be careful. “Be careful” I had always kept that in mind. As I climb up on the fragile table, my classmates were staring at me. When I was about to fix the lantern on the ceiling …“Ouch”! I accidentally slipped on the table which caused my arm to be fractured. It was casted for a month.

Every night of every day I cannot move my arm. It really hurts. I was not able to do things I wanted to do. For the first time I went to school, my classmates at first really looked worried about me, but, as the days passed by, they started to discriminate. Being the only one in the class does not feel great or cool. It feels awful! Even our teacher teases me. It was just that irritating. Every time I pass by a student, they greet me “HI ROBOCOP” Hehe, what a name :). I did nothing instead of answering back to them. With those things around me for a month, I have learned to laugh at them. I even exaggerated their jokes for me. When my cast was removed, I told myself to be more careful. With that experience, I have learned the true value of “prevention is better than cure”.

Now if I were you, do not repeat my mistake. We always have our own choices. It is up to you. As you read this article, you may not feel the pain I’ve been through. If you do not believe me, I am telling you, BEING DISCRIMINATED IS NOT COOL!!

NOTE: WHAT YOU DO NOT WANT DONE TO YOU, DO NOT DO TO OTHERS :) Thank You for reading my short article.

2011

Do you believe in the movie "2012"? I don't think it will happen, hahaha :)). Anyways, another year goes on our way. 2011, also known as the Year of the Rabbit. What will happen to the rabbits now? Nohing, but they will still be part of the ecosystem. For us people, we expect a lot this year. We expect to have better lives and survive everyday living. Most of us have their own New Year's Resolution which we expect to be fruitful. But Filipino's one negative value is "Ningas Cogon". It means starting something without finishing it. What will happen to our New Year's Resolution? Nothing. But if we will start a change, One thing will surely happen "turning over into a new leaf".
I may not be that organized in writing my own experiences but, thank you for reading and i'll practice more..:D

Why is there a Need for us to Study?

Everyday in our school, I hear students saying that they hate to study. DO you AGREE? me too, but, i love going to school. In school, you will meet different kinds of people, almost everyday. You will meet new friends but be careful on who you choose, there a friends that are good influence and there are bad one's.
Now, why is there a need for us to study? I guess, it's part of our lives. We have to study because if we don't, we will fail tomorrow's quiz, fail tomorrow's exam. Is that the reason? I think about it every night and I think, It's for our future, to have a BRIGHT and BETTER future. For us to repay our parents efforts sending us in school. Do you want your parent's hardwork,time, sweat end up with nothing? If you truly love them, You won't. So, what are we waiting for? Let's Study. :))

Life is a Journey

On the fourth month of the calendar in the year of the pig, I was born in a country that was conquered by Spaniards for more than three hundred and thirty three years. My first name was named after my father and a “II” after it, was suggested by my mother. My father is a mechanical engineer and my mother is a radiological technologist. They were hardworking couple. I grew up in a town where people greet each other at the top of their voices. I studied kinder, preparatory, elementary, currently high school in a school well known for Discipline.

In elementary, my favorite day was every Friday. As a boy scout, you can see us in a different uniform with long socks, brown shorts, t-shirts with type A and B, again, only on Fridays. Sometimes, we walk around the school in a straight line and asked to clean the environment, it was like having a community service. I have lots of fun doing it. I have met a lot of friends and each of them is very comfortable to be with. When I was in grade 6, I was voted to be a leader in the group I was once a member of. I was in charged to monitor same activities like our “kuyas” and “ates” did. On the graduation day, we cried and said heartwarming words to our parents and endless thank you to our friends. It was such a memorable night. I remember, I was wearing a cast in my left arm because I broke it. My batch mates were asking about it most of the time which made me irritated. At last, we were fairly given recognitions, loyalty awards at the end of the year.

Now that I am in high school, most exciting part of my life as of now. We started having crushes, love teams, more companionship, more friends, peer pressures, sleepless nights because of a series of projects, bloody thinking on how it will look creative. We pour our time, sweat, and even blood into it hoping our efforts will be appreciated. My favorite part in high school is, the time we usually loiter under the fire exit, in the clinic, beside the guidance and even in front of the office. We talk about things that will surely make you giggle. I can clearly remember when I joined a program, I was wearing an ethnic costume and I was just nervous. Because of it, I forgot my lines on how I will present myself to the audience.

As for my present status, I am a member of COLT. I joined this training not to be an officer but to develop more of my maturity, be more disciplined, responsible and be an effective leader someday. I am also a member of the SG government wherein my position is Sergeant at arms. Every morning, we CO’s guard the gates. Before a student enter, we check their hair grooming, proper uniform, black shoes, ankle socks, etc. If they will not pass this, they will be given an appropriate punishment. In our class, I may not be the best but I manage to pursue my dreams step by step.

Thank you for reading my autobiography, to God be the Glory.