A Semantic Malfunction

Shakespeare once said that "parting is such sweet sorrow." I can very much relate to this since I am at a crossroad in my life again where I am to undertake a new path and leave behind great people, experiences, and fantastic adventures. To say goodbye is probably a sweet event worth remembering because you get to relish what a wonderful time you've had. You get to remember the people you were with, and you get to relive even if it is only inside your mind the wonderful experiences you've had. It is sweet because you begin to realize how God blessed you with bountiful graces, and you also get to realize that the many experiences you've had taught you greatly about yourself and others.  To say goodbye is also sorrowful because you begin to realize that you have to part ways from that perfect state that you found yourself already residing in. You begin to realize that this perfect state is not at all permanent. You also begin to realize that you have to lea...

I remember an Instagram post I made last June 2015. I posted a picture of the class list of gr. 7 Francis Kesy. As a caption for the post, I said there that “I am hoping for a blessed and productive year.” I never knew that that those simple words I stated on that ordinary Instagram post would actually come true. I never knew that the 36 names written on that class list would be the very ones to make significant changes in my life.                 When I started my journey of being the class adviser of the Kesy Gang (a name which I called the entire class), I never expected anything at all that grand and fabulous. I only had a vision for them and that is they become better people by the end of the school year.                 As we tried our best to achieve this vision, we’ve had so many ups and downs. It is in this very rocky ...

For the first time, I was given the chance to give a Good Morning Talk to Bosconians. Here is the complete text. When I was in High School, I attended a Franciscan school at Paranaque which is of course run by the Franciscan sisters. In my 10 years of stay in that school starting from grade 1 to fourth year high school, I have always thought of those nuns as a very serious lot. They seem to be very cloistered in their convents, so intent in their prayers, and very serious in their work for the school. Since it is a Franciscan school, they have taught us the life of St. Francis of Assisi. I have seen a lot of his pictures, mind you, they show his face in a very serious tone and mood. Because of these experiences, I have formed inside my mind a picture of holiness as something very serious, something that requires a very straight face, eyes tightly closed, and eyebrows on the brink of touching each other. Everything changed when I met Don Bosco. I live in Brgy. Don Bosco in Parana...

This was a piece that I have written last December... Knowing that it is December saddens me a bit. It is not because the Christmas season makes me sad, but rather it is the thought that in a few months, the school year is about to end. When I was given the task of being a class adviser of Gr. 7 Francis Kesy, I was filled with Euphoria because this is the very type of task that I have always been wanting for quite some time in my stint as a teacher. Before the school year started and after having learned of this new task, I kept wondering who my students are going to be. I received the list of the Kesy gangsters. I saw their names and kept wondering what these people are going to be like. Just seeing the list of my advisory class students keeps me in awe because I will be with them for the next ten months, and a lot of things are bound to happen in the coming months. I was not at all disappointed of finally having to meet my students. Rather, I am and will always be h...

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 ...

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...

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 ...