A Semantic Malfunction

I still cannot move on. This is the lingering feeling that I still have right now after the Parents and Son Camp of my gr. 7 Francis Kesy students. At first I am not sure why this activity of my students affected me greatly, but soon I realized that this event left a great mark in my heart which will always be there until my dying day. The Parents and Son Camp is a spiritual program of the high school department of Don Bosco College whose goal is to of course bring parents and sons together for a day of bonding and hopefully getting to understand each other as a family a little bit better. As the class adviser of gr. 7 Kesy, it is my duty to make sure that all preparations are all set for this camping. If you are going to ask me, it was a whirlwind experience of going here and there, meeting parents, and prepping students for the camp. To tell you honestly, it was so tiring just thinking of all the things that must be done for the camp, but thank God, everything pushed ...

When I woke up last November 22, the very first thing that I uttered was "24 na pala ako". The very statement haunted me because in just 6 years, I'll be 30. It is as if the very weight of adulthood dawned upon me at that time, and it was only during that time that I felt its gravity. However, those thoughts did not matter anymore, for they were dwarfed by the many surprises that happened. My parents were not much of a talker. They do not express their feelings blatantly in front of my face. But all of that changed  because just before I went to sleep, I received a text message from my mother saying that "Happy Birthday Anak! Mahal na Mahal Kita!" I was like woah! Never in my lifetime did I expect that, but I was so thankful that even though they are not the most expressive of parents, they still love me very much. Another thing that made my day is the FB post of my aunt which was so heartwarming and that which I will never forget. The following day, ...

In my Gr. 9 English, I made my students write a song which retells the story of Beowulf.  Kindly watch the video below and see the beautiful rendition  of one of the groups in my class. Beowulf Yo Mama! Beowulf is a great man Hall of Heorot is like heaven But a monster came there He killed all people: it's unfair But one day Beowulf defeated Grendel He put his hand in a cell Then there is another monster It is Grendel's mother (yeah, yeah, c'mon) Chorus: Monster killin' people dyin' People hurt and hear them cryin' Can you call Beowulf to reach And would you let Grendel to be teach Beowulf, Beowulf, Beowulf help us Send some guidance from other guys Then Beowulf killed by the dragon's fire Where is the arm (repeat) Meet the stars: L-R: Andre A., Lauren C., Justine P., & Dominic S.

The Kesy Gang, Vanguards and Guardians of the Rules! As I make my students stand straight when lining up, pray loud and clear, and have a proper haircut, I sometimes ask myself as to why am I so keen on enforcing these rules? As we all the more enforce rules to students, some tend to be more rebellious and resistant, and it gets so frustrating on the part of the teacher. Pondering upon all of these, I remembered a wise old college professor of mine telling us that we must not follow the rules blindly, but rather, we should know the spirit behind these rules because this will free us from being slaves of the rules. So, to the Kesy Gang, remember this: You are being made to pray loud and clear during common prayers so that you'll learn to value praising and worshipping God together with his church. You are being made to stand straight during assemblies and when lining up so that you will learn to focus more to whoever is speaking in front. Proper haircut is being enforc...

All high school students of DBC are required to do chores. That means, aside from just cleaning the classroom during dismissal time, they need to do chores somewhere in the grounds of DBC. For the 7- Kesy (Gang), they are assigned to clean the Physics Garden, the area in front of the Science Lab. I thought the experience would be difficult, but to my surprise, it wasn't. My heart was so touched to see my students working together like brothers. They worked so fast, and they were able to clean the assigned area in record time. As their adviser who is observing them, I cannot but feel so touched that at least, through cleaning, they became bonded. My heart felt a certain sense of joy. When I asked some of my students what they felt, some of my students said that they enjoyed the experience. As a first time adviser, I feel so happy when my students work hard to achieve a goal. I believe that simple activities like this, when done well, can have great impact in the life of m...

Image Source: Google Images A raindrop is never the same once it touches the earth. It becomes one with it, and it dies, so that it may give life. So why be sad when a raindrop falls? It briefly lives so that briefly it dies. And when it dies, other's life is prolonged. So that's how it is with living and dying. They are a married couple bound by a sacred union. A light shines, a beacon darkens, a flower blooms and rots... We die and we're born... No more tears, no more sadness... Just live your life and wait for its demise.

High Schoolers of Don Bosco Starting the School Year with a Bang... For many students, first day of classes can seem to be an extremely overwhelming and exceedingly frightful event. They wish to know who their teachers are going to be. The students are on the lookout for those teachers who would be the terrorists, the nonchalant, or the ones they will truly love. They also seem to be nervous about their classmates. They keep on asking as to who would be their great friends, who are the ones who can make their lives miserable, the class clown, the silent one, etc. However, as much as the first day of class is an eventful day on the part of the students, it is also as eventful as that of the students on the part of the teacher. I, for one, considered this kind of an experience not just a first day jittery event, but one that lasted for as long as three days. Perhaps, the most dreadful experience I've ever had was the first day of class. Finally, I will be meeting my Grade ...

Image Source: Google Image I remember back in college when I was enrolled in a Philosophy class, we were asked to write an essay about the movie Breaking Dawn. The purpose of this task is for us to identify the social dimensions of the story. Kindly read the essay I wrote as shown below. At the surface level, Breaking Dawn part 1 seems like an ordinary teenage love story. The movie has been subjected a lot of times to ridicule and mockery because of the obsession of many people to cheesy romances. Teenage girls and some teenage boys have patronized this movie for they have identified themselves with the characters’ circumstances and situations as creatively written by Stephenie Meyer. Let’s face it, when it comes to love stories, teenagers as well as young adults, and even single adults will find themselves drawn to it. However, after attending this Philosophy class, I have realized that the movie can be seen in a deeper and analytical way. It is not just your average teenage ...

Ours is a time of desperate needs. Time is fast dripping away straight to the cosmos. We are in that moment of history where all of those faithful sacrifices of those blessed heroes all seem futile. But still, I continue to hope, to long for that day of victory. I can only dream of that now as I sit myself snuggly on this barrel of gasoline, behind me that study drum of water resounding as maggots wiggle their miniscule bodies inside and beside me a wonder of public transport, a bus whose humid temperature pursues on to my rough skin as I bask my eyes through this wondrous object they call book. “Cubao! Cubao! Cubao! ... aalis na! “Fairview, Fairview” Life as a barker is the hope I have now. It is the only way where I can go in this country where things difficult. I never wanted to be this way, but what can I do? “Hi Pacho” called that old lady sitting in this bus stop every moment of the day and night. The stench of that woman punching my nose. Yet, I converse with her wholeh...