. it`s kinda crazy and ii got to thinking that HS really is  over. aun. oh db? tapos na. bonngga.

. i`ll miss those little things that ii once, "oh-so-took-for-granted".

. i`ll miss waking up at 6am. [a grueling time for me. who happens to sleep at 1am. ]

. i`ll miss wearing my white blouse and  navy blue jumper [ which as a matter of fact, is soo ORIGINAL. having a lot of schools with the same uniform NATIONWIDE . ]

. i`ll miss my black shoes and white socks. hayy DRAMA na nman. taee.

. thinking lng, di pa nman akuu redii for INDEPENDENCE.

. ahhh. INDEPENDENCE . ang pinaka-pinangarap kuu all these years. now, andito na, ndi ko na feel. an`samaa. it`s there na nga, tas` di ko pa maabot`abot. hmf.

. yess. we all long for that. "INDEPENDENCE". db? yung sbii2 na, "hayy salamat. sa wakas, mkkawala na ako! i`m free". pero sumtyms, it feels so different.

. hayy. ewan just pouring out my thots. :) mybe next tym, mkakasulat ako ng something INTERESTING.  taee eh. wla akon` ka`inspiration2.

FIRST PART:

I first saw you one misty morning
The sight of you took the breath away from my being
You came into my life in a way most uncertain,
Right from the start I couldn't ever imagine.

Sweet but swift were the days we spent together;
You caught me by surprise as ever,
Since the change you wrought in me
Were done by none but by love entirely.

You inspired me by your words, assurance and your presence;
Willingly I respond with awe, respect and confidence
Seconds hold the hours, darkness holds the light,
You start and end my thoughts like day racing against night.

The time has come for you to go,
So that tears may never again flow.
Timing was what went wrong,
The music didn't play us the right song.

I tried to forget but I can't, a niche you have carved in my heart
But what I want you to know before we part,
To accept the truth that we can never be, hurt that much, but remember:
"Never will I forget the times of that September to remember."

RESPONSE:

We say goodbye to our PIGTAIL YEARS, then to grade school, and before we know it, to High School.

Moving forward is something we have to embrace.

When we were little, the simplest things could please us:

A trip to the playground, a lollipop or a new toy.

Childish little things, yes, but powerful enough to leave us feeling giddy all day.

       Then came the time when we would sneak into mom's room to get our hands on her make up and try high-heeled shoes. We'd look at ourselves in the mirror, at that face in pig tails with a mouth still missing some teeth, and wish there was some way to make ourselves older right that instant.

" Thirty, Flirty and Thriving" ryt?

HIGH SCHOOL--Those used to be the two most dreaded words in my vocabulary. I've heard the stories and seen the movies. To me, it seemed like a life sentence in prison. "I can't do this!". My young and innocent mind couldn't handle everything about it. How could i leave my pals behind and go to an institution filled with unfamiliar faces and ALGEBRA(one of my worst fears back then)?

I kept telling myself. "You will not crack! You'll get through this!" but a little voice in the back of my head still remained doubtful and wanted to hold on to the past.

Three years passed. I traded my Disney books for magazines and would rather go out with friends than stay at home with my Barbie.

Simple things still please me:

A new outfit. :)

or a glance from my crush.

What's up with all that superficial stuff?

I wondered. It wasn't really me.

When i turned 16, I was a weeping mess for a week, wallowing in a state of grief and denial. I didn't want to believe I was getting older.

MOVING ON

I've been thinking. If I listened to the voice in my head back then. I would never had have my friends now, the greatest people I could hope for. I would never have joined contests I was way too bashful to join before. I would never have been the Associate Editor, let alone realize my passion for writing. And I would heve never been able to deal with overdue projects, pop quizzes, or heartaches(yup, those too!) or had any fun at all! I would have instead built a wall around myself, isolated from the world and without space for growth. i mean, how sad would that be?

Growing up is no mean feat, that's for sure. But here's what I learned: never be afraid of growing and moving on, and still never be in a hurry either. Whenever you fall down, pick yourself up, but don't be afraid of falling again because that is how you learn.

As for the unpleasant parts of growing up, well, that's soemthing we must all go through in life at least once. If we allow ourselves to be occupied with the bad things, we fail to see the great things behind it.

I just finished my last year of high school and college is just around the corner. I have tons of new things to worry about: my future school, my course, the thought of living on my own, and everything and everyone I'll be leaving behind.

But then I remember, you can never hold on too tight. The word of Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist also give me courage:

"If you want something with all your heart, the universe conspires to help you achieve it".

So I say, BRING IT ON!

i got to sit down this week and reflected of what might have been the "greatest days" of my entire life: HIGHSCHOOL.

. yeah, it taught me how to LOVE. to ACCEPT DEFEAT. to GROW as a person.

HIGHSCHOOL has taught me algebra, biology, chemistry, trigonometry and other than those things, it has taught me how to be a PERSON.

. a person capable of sharing. loving, forgiving and just about everything.

. and now, as the days start to pass, I'd never imagined myself seeing my friends and i all dressed up in galas and ties. it's bittersweet. i don't even know what to expect this March 25.

. HIGHSCHOOL was a big step for me but as i see COLLEGE ahead, i thought to myself, "I'm not ready yet". I'm not ready to give up. I don't wanna be caught in the middle. I'm not a girl yet i'm not a woman.

. FIRST LOVE- yeah, i met him here.

. BEST FRIENDS- yeah they were here too.

. BEST CLASSMATES- the best ever. THOMAXIANZ, i'm gonna miss you.

. BEST BARKADA- we were broken apart yeah, but we still remain friends [4ever].

. BEST TEACHERS- the heroes who molded us into better persons.

. BEST ENEMIES- haha. lol. i found them here too. soo cool.

. everything that i've encountered in the past four years are truly remarkable, I wouldn't trade it in the world. These are precious memories, it's difficult to say goodbye.

. I've made dreams here. dreams that were fulfilled, dreams that were broken. and I know nothing can ever replace Highschool.

. It's weird to imagine that in June, there's no more RENATO or IBARRA to shout in the classroom, no more ROSE ANN and ERIKA to laugh crazily, no more JAKE to remind us of our dues, no more ISA to shout to, to more MARYJO to hug, no more ION and KRIZIA to tell things to. no more ROE ANN and GENALYN to laugh with. it's sad.

. when recess comes in June, there's no more ANNE or MAYEL to see in the canteen. No more PHILLIP and JOEBEN to give P5 to. No more crazy happenings in the corridor that make it difficlut to pass. No more GEFF and MICHAEL to say "hi". no more RJ to glare at. haha.

. when dismissal comes, no more CHINO, NEKKO and JUDZ to go to Bebidas to. No more GJ and JAYLINE to smile at. just no more. it's gonna be a different crowd.

. The people who have made it and touched my life in every way possible, I'll never forget you. to SENIORS 2007-2008, you're simply one of a kind and as we say goodbye, I do hope in the next years, we'll see each other and still remember the findest memories of each other.

. that only time can make,

that only love can make,

that only we can make,

YOU and I.

soo. i read this when i was still a freshman. now, i finally managed to find it. :) it really, really amde me cry. haha. :D

have a dose of drama:D

************************************

I felt my tears falling as I folded the letter. I wanted to shout out to let her know that I love her, if not as much, but more than she did for me. I love her more than anything in this world. I knelt touching the soil of her grave and rain started to fall. I continued crying softly and whispered, "Oh God, send my love to heaven."

i can't always seem to get why [*. romantic love stories.*] seem to tickle every part of my body.

i guess it just makes me one of those "hopeless romantics" as i might say.

ever since, i saw the movie. i planned to read the novel. it was not until last week that Lydia, my classmate, was reading one, that i decided to borrow from the library.

the story seemed to touch me because i finished it in 1 day! haha.

the sory revolves around an old man who fancies reading a LOVE story to a woman (it wasnt mentionad at first that they were the characters in the story). anyways, so let me share some of the great lines i have crossed upon.

[* THE WORDS OF LOVE*]

" I am nothing special; of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me & my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."

--and so begins one of the most poignant and compelling love stories you will ever read..

P.S. lines to follow may be cheesy for some but may touch others in a different light. :D

1. "But he had been in love once, that he knew. Once and only once, and a long time ago. And it had changed him forever. perfect love did that to a person & this had been perfect."

--see?.. Haha..it really touches my heart. i know it touched anne's heart! haha. anne is my frnd BTW.

2."My daddy used to tell me that the first time you fall in love, it changes your life forever, and no matter how hard you try, the feelin' never goes away. This girl you been tellin me 'bout was your first love. And no matter what you do, she'll stay with you forever"

--OMG! totally cheesy but whatever. haha.

3."I wish I could give you what u were looking for, but I don't know what it is. There's a part of you that you keep closed off from everyone, including me. It's as if I'm not the one you're really with. Your mind is on someone else"

--the breaking up line. whoa. hehe.

4."It wasn't Noah she loved; she loved what they once had been. Besides, it was normal to feel this way. Her first real love, the only man she'd evr been with--how could she expect to forget him?"

--this line struck me! waaaa.

5."poets often described love as an emotion that we can't control, one that overwhelms logic and common sense. that's what it was like for me. I didn't plan on falling inlove with you, andI doubt if you planned on falling inlove with me. But once we met, it was clear that neither of us could control what was happening to us. We fell inlove, despite our differences, and once we did, something rare & beautiful was created. For me, love like that has happened only once, and that's why every minute we spent together has been seared in my memory. I'll never forget a single moment of it"

--this ismy shoutout. i was totally awed by the line. :D

6. "And although she couldn't pinpoint the exact time-- yesterday after dinner, or this afternoon in the canoe, or when they saw the sawns, or maybe even now as they walked holing hands-- she knew she had fallen inlove with Noah Taylor Calhoun again, and maybe, just maybe, she had never stopped"

--this made me tingle & giggle. a sweet line. :D

7."the reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. Maybe they always have been and will be. Maybe we've lived a thousand lives before this one & in each of them we've found each other. And maybe each time, we've been forced apart for the same reasons. That means that this goodbye is both a goodbye for the past ten thousand years and a prelude to what will come.

When I look at you, I see your beauty and grace & know they have grown stronger with every life you have lived. And i know I have spent every life before this one searching for you. Not someone like you, but you, for your soul and mine must always come together. And then, for a reason neither of us understands, we've been forced to say goodbye.

I would love to tell you that everything will work out for us, and i promise to do all I can to make sure it does. But if we never meet again and this is truly goodbye, I know we will see each other again, and maybe the stars will have changed, and we will not only love each other in that time, but for all the times we've had before."

--one of the greatest lines I have come upon. so sweet. corny but whatevr. haha. LOL.

8. "You are the answer to evry prayer I've offered. You are a song, a dream, a whisper, and I don't know how I could have lived without you for as long as I have. I love you Allie, more than you can ever imagine. I always have, and I always will."

--na touch ako sa line na 'to. huhu.

9. "You and I were different, We came from different worlds, and yet you were the one who taught me the value of love. You showed me what it was like to care 4 another and I am a better man because of it. I dont want you to forget that"

--that it one of the *sweetest things* a boy cud ever say to a girl.

10. "She was my dream. She made me who I am, and holding her in my arms was more natural to me than my own heartbeat. I think about her all the time. even now, when I'm sitting here, I think about her. There could have never been another"

--awww. so so mmmmmmmmm.

[--end--]

*now tell me. call me crazy.. call me desperate.. call me whatever but I swear.. the notebook is truly remarkable. and I know it will inspire more beacuse it is a classic story of love found, love lost and regained. It is the Transforming power of love. :D

Mikaela Irene Fudolig – BS Physics
Speech at the Commencement Exercises, UPD
April 22, 2007

One of the things that strike me as being very “UP Diliman” is the way UPD students can’t seem to stay on the pavement. From every street corner that bounds an unpaved piece of land, one will espy a narrow trail that cuts the corner, or leads from it. Every lawn around the buildings sports at least one of these paths, starting from a point nearest to the IKOT stop and ending at the nearest entry to the building. The trails are beaten on the grass by many pairs of feet wanting to save a fraction of a meter of traveling, no matter that doing so will exact some cost to the shoes, or, to the ubiquitous slippers, especially when the trails are new.

What do these paths say about us, UP students?

One could say that the UP student is enamored with Mathematics and Pythagoras, hence these triangles formed by the pavement and the path. Many among you would disagree.

Others could say that the UP student is naturally countercultural. And the refusal to use the pavement is just one of the myriads of ways to show his defiance of the order of things. This time, many would agree.

Still, others will say that the UP student is the model of today’s youth: they want everything easier, faster, now. The walkable paths appeal to them because they get to their destination faster, and presumably, with less effort. Now that is only partly true, and totally unfair.

These trails weren’t always walkable. No doubt they started as patches of grass, perhaps overgrown. Those who first walked them must have soiled their shoes, stubbed their toes, or had insects biting their legs, all in the immovable belief that the nearest distance between two points is a straight line. They might even have seen snakes cross their paths. But the soiled footwear, sore toes, and itchy legs started to conquer the grass. Other people, seeing the yet faint trail, followed. And as more and more walked the path, the grass gave in and stopped growing altogether, making the path more and more visible, more and more walkable.

The persistence of the paths pays tribute to those UP students who walked them first – the pioneers of the unbeaten tracks: the defiant and curious few who refuse the familiar and comfortable; the out-of-the-box thinkers who solve problems instead of fretting about them; the brave who dare do things differently, and open new opportunities to those who follow.

They say how one behaved in the past would determine how he behaves in the future. And as we leave the University, temporarily or for good, let us call on the pioneering, defiant, and brave spirit that built the paths to guide us in this next phase of our life.

We have been warned time and again. Our new world that they call “adulthood” is one that’s full of compromises, where success is determined more by the ability to belong than by the ability to think, where it is much easier to do as everyone else does. Daily we are bombarded with so much news of despair about the state of our nation, and the apparent, perverse sense of satisfaction our politicians get from vilifying our state of affairs. It is fashionable to migrate to other countries to work in deceptively high-paying jobs like nursing and teaching, forgetting that even at their favored work destinations, nurses and teachers are some of the lowest paid professionals. The lure of high and immediate monetary benefits in some low-end outsourcing jobs has drawn even some of the brightest UP students away from both industry and university teaching to which they would have been better suited.

Like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths are the easiest to take.

But, like the sidewalks and pavement, these paths take longer to traverse, just as individual successes do not always make for national progress. The unceasing critic could get elected, but not get the job done. The immigrant could get his visa, but disappear from our brainpower pool. The highly paid employee would be underutilized for his skills, and pine to get the job he truly wants, but is now out of his reach. And the country, and we, are poorer because of these.

Today, the nation needs brave, defiant pioneers to reverse our nation’s slide to despair. Today, we must call upon the spirit that beat the tracks. Today, we must present an alternative way of doing things.

Do NOT just take courage, for courage is not enough. Instead, be BRAVE! It will take bravery to go against popular wisdom, against the clichéd expectations of family and friends. It will take bravery to gamble your future by staying in the country and try to make a prosperous life here. It might help if for a start, we try to see why our Korean friends are flocking to our country. Why, as many of us line up for immigrant visas in various embassies, they get themselves naturalized and settle here. Do they know something we don’t?

Do NOT just be strong in your convictions, for strength is not enough. Instead, DEFY the pressure to lead a comfortable, but middling life. Let us lead this country from the despair of mediocrity. Let us not seek to do well, but strive to EXCEL in everything that we do. This, so others will see us as a nation of brains of the highest quality, not just of brawn that could be had for cheap.

Take NOT the road less traveled. Rather, MAKE new roads, BLAZE new trails, FIND new routes to your dreams. Unlike the track-beaters in campus who see where they’re going, we may not know how far we can go. But if we are brave, defiant searchers of excellence, we will go far. Explore possibilities, that others may get a similar chance. I have tried it myself. And I’m speaking to you now.

But talk is cheap, they say. And so I put my money where my mouth is. Today, I place myself in the service of the University, if it will have me. I would like to teach, to share knowledge, and perhaps to be an example to new UP students in thinking and striving beyond the limits of the possible. This may only be a small disturbance in the grass. But I hope you’ll come with me, and trample a new path.

Mikaela Irene Fudolig – BS Physics
Speech at the Commencement Exercises, UPD
April 22, 2007

aN intriguing question, one that is open to endless debate..

One would wonder how sex has made its way through our conservative culture.. Everything has been sexualized in modern times. The old ideals of modesty and chastity are crumbling under the influence of wester Tv shows, movies, books, and other forms of media. Filipinos today are becoming more and more open to previously unacceptable situations, such as extramarital affairs and premarital sex. TV shows and movies seem to demonstrate that sex is no longer a private act between two people, but rather a simple physical release that just about everyone may enjoy.

In a society where such morally incorrect actions are made public and sometimes even flaunted by the media and by prominent people, it is little wonder that the border line between what is and isn't morally upright has become blurred. It has even reached the point where the concept of "puppy" and "romantic" love has been sexualized.

That is the situation of young love today, the situation that Filipino teenagers are facing. In the so-called "modern" world, society seems to be impressing upon teenagers that sex is "free-for-all", that two people sharing anything resembling a relationship is free to have sex.

It is slowly becoming the everyday situation: girl meets guy, fall inlove, make out. Never mind the rest of the world or the rules of morality. Some teenagers today perceive sex as not as an act between husband and wife but as a way of becoming close and intimate to the objects of their affection.

In a fit of passion or "puppy love", some teens may also think that "true love" is at their door, and thus agree to sex. These along with teenagers' natural tendency to rebel against what is "old-fashioned", have become springboards for teenage relationships to be overly sexualized.

Not all relationships may be that way. Not all teenagers, after all, are open to the idea of sex- even if it is with someone they have come to know and love. However, many are affected by the 'pressure"- from peers and even from the ones they love.  Teens find it actually hard to say NO. Sometimes, the "if-you-really-love-me" dialogue is also played, and teens are pressured to "prove their devotion".

Girls believe that with sexual act, the relationship is sealed and intact; they have made a lasting commitment. for guys, sex may be a way of showing girls how much they really "care" and level up their "manly" status.

While the sexual act may, for a time being, serve as a bond in a relationship, it's not a guarantee that the relationship will last. It is not the sex which makes people see each other with love and accept each other's faults. Nothing- not even intercourse- can take the place of an individual's understanding and patoence of the other person.

Sex, therefore, is just one of the channels of expressing affection and desire- and a channel that we can forego for the moment. There are many ways to find friends and to get to know somebody. There are many ways to discover other peoplr and share memories. The teenage years are still too early for one to attach himself or herself to another through physical exchange; rather, this time should be spent first on getting to know the different people that may play a vital and important role in our lives.

Thus, the answer to the question is: No. Pinoy teenagers are not yet emotionally ready for sex. Sexual relationships require not just commitment and maturity but also a clear head for distinguishing passion and excitement from love and truth. The teen years are still confusing enough without that. Pinoy teens should take things one step at a time and enjoy being a teenager- while they still can.

wrote on: Apr 23, '07 12:24 AM


i gOt thE chanCe to BE seLected as oNe oF PNOC's particPAnts for THe enerGy caMp which waS a Chance oF a LifetyM....iT waS sO cooL meEting 63 Other kIDs frOm diFfereNt pLAces aNd woRkiNg wiTh THem..THey weRe my faMilY THere iN BacMan..iT waS aN amaziNg wEEk..a WeEk i'LL never eVr foRget..waKing uP waS a hard Thing to do sinCe 4.30 am paLAng..waKe uP nA..wE had tO cOOk oUr BreaKfaSt..wE werE TauGht diFFerent ThinGs THere LIke baLLroOm daNciNg,CompostiNG,THeater aRts..we weRE tauGht basketbaLL tOo..Hehe..wE haD to dO ouR owN LAuNdry!..WhoaA!..yeaH..u HeaRd iT Ryt!..

oNe thIng i'LL never Forget is ConQuEriNg mY FEaRs..i Had tO do THe V-TravErse..raPeLLing(i dId iT TwiCe!!)..aNd sLide For Life..WeEEEe..

nOt onLY THat i Made a SpeciaL BOnd wiTh aLL OF THe campers THere..a Bond i wiLL never evR forGEt..aMidst the LauGhters..THE TeaRS..tHE cRies..tHE PeTty FiGhts..THe ChiSmis..i'LL never Forget u aLL!..

tHank yOu soOO muCh PNOC-EDC ENERGY CamPers 2007!..BAtch 1 iN BacMan..i'LL MIss u aLL!!