A Semantic Malfunction

A Bosconian's identity is always marked with a great devotion to the blessed mother, Mary Help of Christians. It cannot be otherwise because Don Bosco himself did say that a young person who enters a Salesian setting was brought there by no less than the Blessed Mother herself. And as a Bosconian starts to get immersed with the Salesian spirituality, he/she cannot help but to have a deep devotion and love for the Mother Mary. On a personal note, when I was young, I never had a relationship with the Blessed Mother. I never ever had an inkling as to her significance in my life. My thoughts of her bordered only on the statues of her that I see everywhere. When I became a Catechist at the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Paranaque, I think that at that moment, God planted a seed in me which will eventually help me grow a love for Mary. In our shrine's Oratory, we always prayed the rosary every Saturday and we will sing Marian songs. Every time that a feast of Mary

If you are looking for something different and unique, I think Don Bosco- Canlubang is the right place for you. I do not want to talk anymore about the quality of education that this school has or the great facilities that it already possesses. What I really want to talk about is the character which I think that this school alone has. Let me give you 5 reasons why a young person like you should be a Bosconian. 1. Bosconians are God-Centered. What is the point of having all the knowledge in the world if we Bosconians do not have God in our life. Bosconians are Men and Women who love God and love everything about God. For a Bosconian, God is not someone high up in the air who can't be reached. Rather, God is someone who accompanies us every day in our victories and struggles. For us, it is cool to be friends with Jesus. 2. Bosconians are Socially Responsible. Bosconians do not live in a cloud, but we are rooted to the ground and are vigilant to w

L-R: Roxas, Duterte, Santiago, Poe, & Binay, the 2016 Presidential Election Candidates On May 9, 2016, I had the chance for the very first time to participate and vote in the Local and National Elections 2016. I had to vote far away from home because I am registered in the modest little town of Mabini, Pangasinan. Apparently, an uncle of mine is running for mayor in that town, and he needs all the support that he can get from his relatives to vote for him. I am happy to say that he was able to win a very close fight against his opponent. I am not at all unsure with my vote for my uncle because I am pretty certain of his character both as a leader of the community and as a father to his children. However, I was quite unsure with my vote for the governor, vice-governor, and all the other candidates for the positions needed for Pangasinan. It is with a heavy heart that I have to vote for people that I do not know. I just had to trust the instinct and advice of my relatives, h

Image source: Google Images Planning gives structure to life. A planner is an aid to every individual so that every week, a person can maximize each time that he has and can even make time to those things that really matter in life. In this highly erratic world, planning gives us security that even when all things in the world fail; you are on the right path. However, when your very plan does not work, you begin to feel the tremendous bitter pangs of disappointments and frustrations. As much as possible, I try to avoid a work day which is unplanned. I think that it is a great waste of my mental and physical dexterity. I believe that a moment lost is gone forever. So I plan everything down to the last minute so that I can achieve my goals. Aside from that, I do not only plan my week, I plan my monthly activities, and I plan my yearly activities, and most of all I plan the long term. As I plan, I am already imagining the circumstances that can be and will be in the future. Howe

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

It's so easy to pass on judgments to others, but it is so difficult to see the goodness that these people are truly capable of. I just had an epiphany a few days ago about passing judgments on people, and I have realized how they can be downright deadly. I see people every day, and I cannot help but be judgmental about them. If they wear this kind of clothes, talk a certain way, or even act in a curious manner, I easily judge them negatively. Moreover, if someone has committed a heinous error, the more I judge that person as an evil guy. However, after a series of mental and spiritual crunching and gymnastics, I soon realized that this is not the right path. The right path which I learned to take is to always look onto others with a look of love. If I look with the eyes of love, I know that I can be patient, kind, courageous, and sympathetic towards that person no matter how evil he/she is. A wise professor of mine once said that our errors are only but 1 percent of o

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 road that we took that I learned to appreciate all the silly little things that these boys go through every day. I’ve also felt the finest of the sim

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

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