Finally!

“At last, we did it!”

After all the sacrifices, hardwork and pain…after years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds of waiting…Finally, the championship trophy is in our hands!

Yes, SENIORS dominated in the recently concluded High School Festival. Congratulations to all the winners!

Now, we can definitely say with conviction that we are not losers and we will never be losers. We were able to prove our might. Continue to soar high SENIORS!

The Big Day Has Come!

The big day has come. Today’s the first day of the High School Festival 2011. But, why is it a big day in the first place? Well, it’s simply because in our four years of stay in PNHS, we never tried to be regarded as the overall champion in the High School Festival.

And, apparently it’s our last year to grab the championship trophy. If we fail again now, we will never have the chance again.

It should not die today! Before setting our last footstep in PNHS, we must be regarded as champions. Good luck to all the participants in the different events, especially to the SENIORS! Go! Fight! And Win! SENIORS!

DSSPC 2011

“Yes, we made it!”

With God’s grace, our school, Pangasinan national High School, was able to retain the “FIRST RUNNER-UP” crown in the Division Secondary Schools’ Press Conference. Even though we were not able to romp away the champ crown, being the First Runner-up is already a big achievement.

I’m really happy with the results because I was able to win in my events. I got 3^rd Place in Editorial and Feature Writing. Our team also grabbed First Place in Tagisan ng Talino. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to top the radio broadcasting contest. But still, we ranked fourth in the Overall radio Broadcasting and Scriptwriting. Actually, our team copped 3^rd place in Best in Newscast, 2^nd Place in best in Script, 4^th Place in technical Application and 5^th place in infomercial. And, for me, those weren’t bad at all.

Meanwhile, instead of totally being free for the last day of the DSSPC, I still had to join the Online Writing Contest. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to grab an award for that. Actually, we didn’t understand what really happened. At first, the emcee announced the top three teams for the Online Writing Contest who would compete for the final round. Unfortunately, our team wasn’t called. But after five or ten minutes, the judge approached us, saying that our team qualified. He even mentioned that he liked our output best. And that the sole reason why our team wasn’t called by the emcee was because the judge thought that the two papers we submitted are two different entries. He regarded our output as different entries. As a result, he didn’t choose it. But after minutes of reading, he realized that the two papers he just read must be taken as one.

Thus, we were called for an interview. After that, we expected of course for our output to be awarded after the words that we’ve heard from the judge himself. But all we had is the bitter taste of failure.

Despite that, I’m still happy since all practices and preparations I’ve made for the DSSPC produced triumph. Well, after three days, I’ll be competing in the Regional Schools’ press Conference. So, wish me luck! Hopefully, I could bring home the bacon and qualify for the National Schools’ Press Conference which will be held in Palawan. God bless to all the RSPC participants!

Preparing for the DSPC

            Yeah! Today is December 11, 2011-a day before the Division Secondary Schools’ Press Conference. Honestly, I’m excited and a bit nervous. The upcoming DSSPC will surely be exhausting on my part especially that I’ll be engaging myself in more than one event. I’ll be in Editorial Writing-English, Feature Writing-English, Radio Broadcasting-English, and Tagisan ng Talino. Well, in Radio Broadcasting, I’m somewhat confident since we had a series of practices in school last week. And perhaps, it’s already my second time to join in such competition. Meanwhile, I’m really nervous for editorial writing and feature writing.

I’m still thinking of what are the possible topics that they’ll give. So far, for editorial writing, I’ve made my preparations for subjects like “PNoy vs. SC”, “Hospital Arrest of CGMA”, “K+12”, “Sex Education”, and “Promoting Digital Literacy Through campus Journalism”-the theme of this year’s DSSPC. Hopefully, I will win in all competitions that I’ll be joining. God bless to the PNHS delegation for the 2011 DSSPC. Let’s make our institution proud and bring our banner up to the RSPC, and if possible, up to the NSPC!

New Look for My Blog

           Whoa! My blog got a new look. I bet this is simply the product of my boredom coupled with my eagerness to cater a fresh appearance to my followers and viewers. I edited my layout and at the same time, my blog’s template. Well, I personally like the new appearance of my blog. It looks more formal and inviting. Enjoy!

The Fruit of Hardwork

            As the sun glimpsed over the high rising mountains...as the cool breeze kissed my gentle skin...as the little birds started chirping atop the trees...I hailed the morning with a smile on my face.

                Yes, my morning this day was great! Or, should I say, my day is indeed great! It’s simple because this day, I already saw the fruit of our hardwork. I already saw the final and the contest copy of our school paper, “The Gulf View”. Personally, I would say that it’s indeed great! It’s really delightful to see that everything you do ends up with something wonderful.

                Upon seeing it, I can’t help myself but evoke a smile on my face.I would say that all the time we spent in front of the computer doing our articles and layouting every page is all paid off. Although there are some parts which I suppose, have minimal imperfections, I could say that the school paper’s fine.

                Hopefully, everyone would enjoy reading it and it will bag awards in the upcoming Division Schools’ Press Conference! 

Battle of Words

             Today has been a very significant day for me. This is because this is the day of the 2^nd Voice of the Youth National Oratorical Competition-Division Level. This competition isn’t an ordinary one. Why? Simple. This school year, the Department of Education had cut down all competitions up to the division level only except for the Schools’ Press Conference.

        However, the Voice of the Youth Oratorical Contest is up to the National level. And there’s more. There are cash prizes not only for the contestant but also for the coach and the school. Indeed, such competition is very exciting. And what makes it more interesting for me is its nature as a public speaking tilt.

        Yeah, I really prepared hard for this. I even sacrificed a contest today just for it. And that contest isn’t ordinary. It’s a math quiz bee! Take note, it’s a math quiz! And yes, Math is my first love. Giving that contest up had been a very crucial decision for me.

        Anyway, back to the topic. I woke up early in the morning and prepared my clothes for the competition. It was actually a barong tagalong. Honestly, I would have preferred a suit because wearing barong tagalog for me is so itchy! But then, I had to wear such attire for it suits the theme.

        The first part of the competition was the interview portion. And, I would say that it was fine. I was able to answer all their questions at ease. Maybe, it’s because I really want to engage in conversations. After the interview portion, we had our lunch for an hour.

        Then, after the lunch break, the delivery of the oratorical piece or the oration proper immediately started. My number was 16. Yeah, I was really disappointed with that. Actually, whenever I’m in speaking contests, I always wish to draw a middle number. But then, I could not do anything about that so I just had to wait for the 15 contestants to deliver their pieces before I can go down and deliver mine.

        The oration proper was fine. I was able to deliver my piece well. I didn’t forget even a single word in my piece. I didn’t go over or beyond the allotted time. Everything turned out to be fine.

        Then, the moment of truth came in. It was the announcement of winners. The emcees announced the 3^rd placer. It wasn’t I. Then, they announced the 2^nd placer. Yeah, it was me. I was quite disappointed with that because only the champion shall advance to the cluster level. When they announced who the champion was as well as his garnered score, my agony got severe! Why? It’s because I found out that the difference of his score with mine is just 0.04%. Yeah, it’s a very small difference. It was really disappointing on my part but I could not do anything since the decision was final and irrevocable. Anyway, I can tell myself that I did my best.

        And that ended my journey in the 2^nd Voice of the Youth National Oratorical Competition.

BOOK REVIEW

Science vs. Religion: An Interminable Enmity

INTRODUCTION…

          Do you want to become a priest or a nun someday? Or, do you want to become an eminent scientist in the future who would invent a device that would assuage the consequences of global warming? Or, you may want to become both! It might sound ironical in the first place for science and religion are said to be like oil and water which can never be mixed. Science and religion are like same poles of a magnet that will never be attracted to each other even if they have the same aim-to seek for the reason of life. When your life is at stake, would you rush into a church to kneel down and pray? Or, you would rush into a laboratory to devise a formula that might save the entire human race?

          “Angels and Demons” unfolds a pulse-quickening and brain-teasing story about science and religion. Can the adventure of a world-renowned Harvard symbologist and a beautiful and mysterious scientist in saving the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, unite the two opposing realms? Or, will they forever be like an angel and a demon that can never be amalgamated?

THEIR STORY…

          Angels and Demons is about a world renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and a beautiful yet mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra. In the middle of the night, Langdon received a call from a Swiss research facility-CERN. He was then summoned by the said institution to analyze a cryptic symbol singed into the chest of a murdered physicist, Leonardo Vetra, who was the father of Vittoria. What Langdon discovered was inconceivable: a noxious feud against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old secret organization-the Illuminati. Moreover, Langdon learned that the murdered physicist wasn’t an ordinary one. He was a priest and at the same time, a scientist. Leonardo aimed to unite science and religion. Desperate to save the world from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joined forces with Vittoria and together, they embarked on frantic hunt through dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, sealed crypts, and the most secretive vault on Earth…the long-lost Illuminati lair.

          As their frenetic struggle went on, Langdon and Vittoria discovered that Illuminati didn’t anymore exist and that the one responsible for the death of the Pope, the appalling murder of the four cardinals and the stealing of the canister of antimatter that put the Vatican and the world seated on a powerful time bomb, was Camerlango Carlo Ventresca who was a servant of the Catholic Church.

LESSONS TO LEARN

          Science and religion have been likened to two opposing forces ever since the beginning of time. What is moral to religion is impractical to science. What is conclusion to science is fact to science is apocryphal to religion. However, at the end of the day, we must realize that science and religion are not day and night that will never meet. They complement each other. Science can purify religion from error and superstition; religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes. Each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish. There is no need for us to choose whether to be a servant of religion or to be a master of science for at the end of the day, knowledge also has its limitations. It is better to live life to the fullest without a full understanding of it rather than having a full comprehension of why life is possible on earth but living in the ironic fires of hell brought by the intense rivalry between science and religion.

A MUST READ…

          Angels and Demons is an exceedingly clever novel written by Dan Brown which features life-or-death cliff-hangers, thrilling cat-and-mouse maneuvers, romance, science, murder, religion, action, architecture, and mysticism. It simply proves that science and religion are not exact opposites. They are not heaven and hell nor angel and demon. They are like a man and a woman. Even if they appear different, they need each other. In other words, they complement each other. We need to get out of our orthodox cocoons. This novel is an eye-opener for us to eradicate our old views regarding science and religion.

          With Brown’s big yet believable story unfolding at breakneck pace, he simply proved that he is among the most intelligent and brilliant of authors. Read through it as it brings you to a dazzling high-tech adventure which will absolutely give you an intriguing, imaginative and very suspenseful read.

State of Confusion

             Since yesterday evening, my phone kept on beeping notifying me with numerous text messages asking if classes will resume on November 2 or on November 3. I replied all of them that I believe that classes will resume on November 2 because that’s what I know. Then, upon waking up a while ago at about 10 am, I was surprised to see 49 text messages on my phone asking again if when will classes resume. I just managed to ignore all of them. Then, I opened my facebook account after having my breakfast only to find numerous posts asking again, “When will classes resume?” I was really wondering what if what made them think that classes will resume on November 3. After further reading, I found the culprit! And, that’s the link below from GMA saying that DepEd announced that classes in all public elementary and high school throughout the archipelago will resume on November 3. After reading the article, I found myself puzzled. And I believe that majority of the students now are all in the state of confusion. If you want, you may read the article. I’ve posted the link below. Can anyone out there break our confusion?

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/236152/nation/deped-sem-break-starts-oct-26-classes-resume-nov-3?utm_source=GMANews&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=GMANewsTwitter

The Art of Being a Scribe

        Yeah! Two days before classes resume, I keep myself busy editing news articles for our school publication,” The Gulf View”. I find it a bit boring but easier compared to making my own news article. Actually, I consider making a news article too tiring. Why? It’s because when you’re making a news story, you don’t just simply write your ideas and organize them in a piece of paper. You must gather facts then you must also verify your facts. And I believe that our school’s land area makes it harder for news writers to do such job…

        Anyway, I’m also making my editorial article and thinking of some other topics plausible for the editorial page. I hope I can finish my editorial article. The Division Schools Press Conference is fast approaching. So, we must work now or else we will be having sleepless nights doing our school paper.

Thrive.Strive.Survive.

Bored? Have the mind and the guts? Then, why not answer the brain-teasing questions below. I prepared these questions for my dear followers as well as for other "Mathematics-lovers" out there! Enjoy! Have fun!

1. You must cut a birthday cake into exactly eight pieces, but you’re only allowed to make three straight cuts, and you can’t move pieces of the cake as you cut. How can you do it?

2. Arrange the numbers 1 through 9 on a tic tac toe board such that the numbers in each row, column, and diagonal add up to 15.

3. At McDonald’s you can order Chicken McNuggets in boxes of 6, 9, and 20. What is the largest number of nuggets that is not possible to obtain by purchasing some combination of boxes?

 

4. If a boy and a half can eat a hotdog and a half in a minute and a half, how many hotdogs can six boys eat in six minutes?

5. How can you express the number 100 using six nines and no other digits? Hint: The use of addition and subtraction is not allowed.

The Weirdest Thing About Students

I believe that the weirdest thing about students is regarding their attitude towards vacation. Whenever vacation is fast approaching, students actually can’t help themselves but be excited. As a matter of fact, social networking sites like facebook and twitter are filled with posts concerning the excitement of the students. 

However, during vacation, such networking sites are again filled with posts saying: “VACATION=BOREDOM”, “HEY, I’M BORED”, “…CAN’T WAIT FOR CLASSES TO START”.

Then here comes school. At first, students actually enjoy. They perhaps treasure every moment of their first days in returning to school. However, after a month, students already complain about school. As a matter of fact, as soon as the clouds get dark, they will surely be found in front of the television waiting for announcements of suspension of classes. 

In general, as a psychologist once said: “Students tend to have the inability to settle into whether they prefer school or vacation. But after all, certain factors such as friends encourage students to go to school. And that’s one thing cool about school”.

Vacation Officially Starts...

Yes! Vacation officially starts. But unfortunately, it seems that we’re not totally free from school works. We still need to do a module in Advanced Physics and review for some exams that will be given when classes resume. Maybe, this is just fine. At least, our minds won’t be stuck up (just kidding). Anyway, let’s all enjoy our vacation! God bless everyone!

My Philosophy in Life

Life is an incessant journey wherein one reaches out to see the light at the end of a long, dark and treacherous tunnel. Thus, in this voyage of ours, we definitely need assistance and guiding principles to ensure safety. These guiding principles are known to be our mere “philosophies” in our lives. By definition, the word “philosophy” might turn out to be vague. Therefore, knowing its scopes and importance will definitely outweigh the latter. This ten-letter word is apparently our ticket to our safe journey. Philosophy is commonly linked to the word “belief”. However, it is not an ordinary belief at all for it guides anyone to get out of a gloomy world and experience a life in a paradise.

Spencer W. Kimball’s quotation: “Everything happens for a certain purpose”, practically sums up my philosophy in life .As a young adult, I believe that I have developed deeper understanding of the word “purpose” than even before. God created the Earth with a certain purpose. He also created man for a specific purpose-to be the mere caretakers of the world. With such sentences, one would surely see the semblance of a fuel powering the Earth’s turbine, in the word “purpose”.

Life is full of surprises. Sometimes, when you’re so happy, your life is filled with bright colors whereas when you are sad, gloomy colors seem to fill your entire environment. As young as I am, I’ve already experienced lots of what people termed to be the “ups and downs” of life. These multifarious experiences of mine basically pushed me to have a deeper understanding of life. As I have gone farther on my journey, I realized that the word “purpose” governs all happenings in our lives. My philosophy in life practically implies that everything happens for a certain purpose. Nothing really happens by chance or accident. Everything has its own purpose or explanation. If you were not able to go to a certain place, there is definitely a certain reason why that incident happened. Maybe, something iniquitous will happen if you went to that place. Moreover, if you experienced failure in life, certain purpose or explanation governs that failure. Apparently, failures in our lives make us stronger. This failure may also be the key to open the door bigger opportunities. If you were not able to pass your assignment, there is surely a certain reason why that happened-for you to be more responsible in your actions. Thus, with my philosophy, I firmly believe that winning in lottery doesn’t happen by chance or by luck. There is a certain purpose behind that luck. On the other hand, success also has its purpose. Success basically rewards our efforts and inspires us to strive more not only to gold this success in our hands but also to be a better person.

This philosophy of mine really molded me to what I am now. This guides me in everything I do. Whenever I experience failures in life, I just think that God has His purpose why I experienced that failure. I know that He will always prohibit anything bad to happen. Perhaps, that failure will surely make me stronger and will in turn prepare me in facing harder challenges in life. My philosophy in life also implies that failures don’t always have negative impact to our life. Perhaps, these failures might be blessings in disguise for they may be our ticket to bigger opportunities. On the other hand, whenever I emerge triumphant, I bear in mind that I’m just harvesting what I’ve sown and in order for me to have something to reap again in the near future, I should sow something now. Indeed, everything in this world has its own explanation. And we should bear in mind that everything happens for our own good, whether it is success or failure. Perhaps, life won’t be interesting and exciting if we always experience success.

If all questions have their specific answers, then all things happen in this world for a certain purpose. And that purpose will surely be for our own good. At the end of the day, we should learn to properly manage our lives especially in times of trials and challenges. We should learn to properly manage everything that happens in our lives for we know that the single word “purpose” basically keeps the world moving.

Why Did It Still End Up in a Tie?

              “Why did it still end up in a tie?” Yeah! This was my reaction a while ago as soon as I heard from our coach that we got First place in the Division Statistical Quiz Bee but unfortunately, we tied up with Bayambang National High School. Okay, to clear things out. I guess, I should better discuss everything which should start with the nature of the contest.

                Actually, the said contest is a group quiz. Our team composed of three members. Each of us must take a written examination revolving around statistics of course. Then, our scores shall be added and the team who gets the highest score shall be declared champion.

                In the end, as I said, we our total score was recognized the highest but together with another school. So, we ended up breaking the tie. There were 5 questions given which were answered orally. The first four questions were fine because it required computation. However, the last question dictated the tempo of the tie-breaking round. The question did not anymore require computation. The question given sounded like a definition so it was like an identification type question. And the answer was “GNP or Gross National Product”. Yes, we weren’t able to get the correct answer. So, we were proclaimed 1^st runners-up.

                Ugh! After that, the three of us thought that only if we got even just a single item, we must have been declared champions. Only if…But at least, we learned something and that is GNP. And that ended our voyage during the Annual Division Statistics Quiz.

SCHOOLisCOOL

Hey! Welcome to my newly created blog! As its name suggests, my blog will be about SCHOOL being SO COOL! Yes my friends. My blog will create a new atmosphere and perception about school! Moreover, I will be relating my experiences as a student in my blog and my life as well!Nowadays, upon hearing the word school, one will surely frown or make faces. But the truth is, school is very interesting. As a matter of fact, if there's no school, then you would not know how to read the lyrics of the song you really love singing. If there's no school, you wouldn't understand the words spoken by actors and actresses in various shows you love watching. If there's no school, you wouldn't know what is the time now. If there's no school, you wouldn't know how much to pay for an hour of renting a computer for you to play your favorite online game. See, school is interesting! It's cool. These are just some of the evidences that school is cool! There are a lot more! Have fun guys!