SPEECH-less?...An ICT Afternoon

Guests, friends, and colleagues, good afternoon.

I feel very pleased and glad that I am one of the many speakers that you have invited in the 25^th International Information and Communication Technology Conference.

Just like what John Schaar said, that “the future is not some place we are going to but the one we are creating”. His statement is quite true, isn’t it? In the present times, we are creating and fabricating the future. Through how and in what way? In developing new information and communication technology gadgets, we develop them to prepare for the future. We create them not because we are going to use and consume them in the present but also to help us prepare and be ready for the future. All the tools and gadgets that we are developing today will change the future of the human society.

We are now in the 21^st century, which means that we are now in an era where almost every little thing is being run by electronic gadgets and tools. In the advancement of ICT, we now have electronic mails or e-mails that enable us to write and send our letters online. We do not need to wait for the postman to come and deliver our letters and we also do not need any envelope to enclose our letters. What we need is to click the mouse and there it goes, the email will be delivered within a few seconds. We also have the computers and mobile phones that enable us to communicate easily. We can now see the person whom we are calling to because of the latest 3G developments. In few years back, we need to have a compact disc and a CD player first before we can play the songs that we purchased from the music store, but today, because of the ICT progress, all we need is to download and store the songs inside a handy-dandy music player, the i-Pod or an MP3 player. Also in few years back, we used to have Personal Computers run by Windows 95 or 98, which is quite slow, but today, we now have Windows XP, 2000, and the latest, the Windows Vista, which has a more updated and better features compared to the former types. We can now also retrieve news in just a few clicks of our mouse, and a few surfing on the net because of the internet connections. The ICT expansion enables us to transmit and process our works online.

Let us all admit it that the technology that we are experiencing today is much comfortable compared to the past years and that we are happy or should I say glad about it. That we are still very eager to develop more and more ideas and tools to help us make create the possible inputs for the future.

As developers and programmers, let us not stop thinking and looking for ways to improve the tools and systems that we have today. Throughout the 21^st century, the developments of the communication world will continue to boom and will still continue to grow unless we stop working and developing new ideas.

Thank you very much and good afternoon.

I got bored, so I....

“I’ll always remember, it was late afternoon.”

Singing is something which makes me happy. I like to listen to music and tunes unless that is a hard rock. I was in my second year then, when our teacher in English announced that we will be having a karaoke singing. I got excited and started to look for VCDs that contain nice songs. I prepared and when that day came, I sang. I trembled and I really got butterflies in my stomach. I could not control the movement of my hand it really shook. I just sang and after that, I was relieved.

During that time, I admired somebody from our batch. It was his turn to sing and because he was not able to prepare for his VCD so he just sang together with his guitar. There was no microphone stand at that time, guess what happened, I hold the microphone for him. Why I am talking about things that are senseless. I just cannot think of a topic right now.

I have this observation by myself, why is it that extraordinary things happen in the afternoon or when it starts to get dark? Just kidding. I consider nice experiences treasures and will always be remembered by my heart. There are things that concerned me and those things happened in the dusk. Some experiences are nice and a bit cool but some are scary.

It was August, when the Language Week was fast approaching. We were having our ABAKADA practice then, when there is really that something that calls my eyes. I do not have the talent to see strange things, my eyes are not designed for that. Every time, when we started our practice, my eyes were diverted to the second year building. I do not understand why, my eyes just moved there. I have a friend which has the capacity or the talent to see the things that could not be perceived by my naked eyes. She said that there was really someone inside the rooms in the second year building. I said, ”mao diay, ma-divert gyud akong eyes didto.” Maybe some people experience the same that they cannot also see the things that we usually see with our naked eyes.

Another horrifying experience occurred when we were also having our practice. The group leader decided to dismiss us. In going to our classroom we always pass the corridor of I-Bartlett. When we passed there at that time, some of my classmates were already shouting. It seemed that they were afraid. When we passed in the corridor, there was this smell of a flower which I do not know. Then one of my batch mate and classmate told us, that there was really a person unknown to us, sitting at the teacher’s chair. We started to get very afraid and that we were shouting. The smell got very strong, and my classmate told us that the unknown man stood up and went near the door.

There are still many mysterious events in school that are quite strange and very creepy.

That experience is something that is not easy to forget. The lesson here is that we should always have a strong faith in God and that we also have to strengthen our selves and brace our selves with events like those which are inevitable.

Poem Reaction: The Look

The Look, is a poem written by Sara Teasdale is a poem, which is about a girl who fell in love, thrice? The voice used in the poem is in the first person. The speaker or persona of the poem is anonymous, that it really required a full attention in order for the poem to be understood.

What was my interpretation of the poem? How did I understand the poem?

The speaker for me, is a she. The poet wanted to convey her feelings or the idea present in the poet’s mind during that time she wrote it.

In the first stanza, it merely suggested or conveyed how the speaker fell in love. When she fell in love with Strephon, she thought that she would be happy and that the person is sincere for her, but then, she made a big mistake. The person just only loved the speaker for a joke and that told me that the love being showed by Strephon is not true, that is the reason why, the girl or the speaker, easily forgot the love that Strephon showed. In this case, I can say that a love when it is not sincere, it would only be lost in the blue.

Another thing in the first stanza, the speaker loved again; maybe she thought that if she would love again, she would be happy. She fell in love with Robin and just like what Strephon did, Robin just played with her, without even thinking that love is not a game.

Maybe it is already an instinct for people to ask for three signs. And the speaker fell in love again. The third guy whom she fell in love with was not like the former guys she loved. The third one by the name of Collins did not go directly to the relationship; instead, he just kept his feelings inside his heart and observed first the personality of the speaker. Our speaker I think has this personality of falling in love so easily. There are really times that girls’ behavior are like this, easily attracted to the opposite sex. I think that the speaker’s perception about the love that Collin is hiding in his heart is the true one. Many would say that the eye is the window of the heart. The sincerity of a person could be seen in his or her eyes. In the case of Collin and the speaker, there is that something in Collin that really attracted our speaker’s attention and emotion. She felt that Collins love is for real. She could not forget the view in Collin’s eyes. The speaker now fell in love again and that the love that she feels right now is something that made her sick.

Love can sometimes make a person to go crazy. So be careful you might fall and make yourself to go crazy.

I am not good in poem critiquing but I tried my all to understand the poem and express it into this blog. Feel free to give comments about this entry. Good day!

If I Won in a...

Winning in a lottery is what everybody is dreaming about because in a lottery, they give out large amount of money and I know that everybody has been dreaming of that fortune especially those who really dependent on this kind of game. However, a question would probably just come unexpectedly when I think of that good fate and a question here is how would I be spending such big amount? Helping somebody would be a very realistic thing to do so that when someday you need help, they will help you also. Another thing is by saving because I do not know what will happen in the future of my existence here on earth.

Now, if I were given a chance to have that money, I would probably give out a fraction to our parish because that is one of the many ways that I can thank the Lord above for giving me such a great luck. I would also save in a bank and earn interest in it. That is a way of how I can expound my money. Because I know that someday, I would need the savings of mine in some future instances. Moreover, I know that the savings would also be needed in my brothers and sisters schooling. This amount of money would also be very helpful to my mother and relatives because to admit it, I belong to a big family. With this money, I would also fulfill my dreams. Just like to refurnish our old house and to make it a lot better for us to really fit and feel comfortable in our house. Another thing that I am thinking of is spending some for those street children who really beg for money for food but there was this Anti-Mendicancy Law and I would not be able to give money while I am on the street but instead I would probably spend for a feeding program to help them. I am also thinking of helping those illegal settlers to build their houses because I really do not know why the government would let them suffer so much. I know that there must be some way to help them and I believe that if somebody who wins in lotto helps them, I think that they would not suffer that much. However, this help that I want to offer is not to the extent that they will become dependent on the help from another person and not working for themselves at all.

Going back to the lotto, I will not also depend on it because if one would rely on it always, then I think that nothing would happen. Because I believe that in this kind of game, fortune is the main driver. Because I believe that it is luck if ever one would win in such a game.

As I have observed to some people, some would count the benefits they are going to get if ever they have the money. However, my grandmother would always tell me that do not count your blessings before they come into reality. What I want to stress here, is that one should not count what he would have in the future if ever they win because something might happen and his dreams would not come true anymore.

Love an Act of Will, Not of the Heart....

Love an act of will not of the heart, a phrase that has a very deep meaning. Love is something that has a very broad scope. It is something that should be taken care of.

We often associate love with a heart and in addition to this, the word “I Love You”. Nevertheless, according to the title, love is an act of will and not of the heart.

For me, when one person is going to say that he or she loves you, I think that I should probably say that “show it”. Because for me, saying the word “I love you” is not an easy job or something, it is a very serious word needs to be used properly. Saying I love you sometimes may be very easy and sometimes it is taken for granted. Sometimes, it is expressed in the wrong way or probably used in a wrong way.

I sometimes think to myself, that I should use my heart in deciding things however, my mind argues about it. Because based on what I have heard before, that the reason, why our mind is being placed higher than our heart, is that for us to use our brain over our heart. However, let me go back to the topic.

Loving someone is something that we really need to prove to show how great our love for that person is. What I am trying to say here is that, if we love a person, we should do something to show to that someone or person how great and big our love is. Loving is that it is your will, not because of the reason that we love because our heart wants to. Sometimes, in my own point of view, that our heart is at times, foolish. Because, as what I have noticed, that if we really love someone because our heart tells us to do so, then why is it that many girls or boys end up crying. My answer to that question would be that, our heart has chosen the wrong one or maybe there is something missing. Maybe it is because of lack of the guts or will to do something in order to fulfill that love that we wanted to be felt by another person.

Love should be an act of will and not of the heart. This statement or phrase is something, which is true and should be properly observe. Because in loving somebody, we cannot show how we deeply love that somebody if we are not going to show it. It is just like proving something to defend one’s side.

Sometimes it is very hard to express our love to somebody. There are times when it is just very easy to say the word but it is very difficult to do.

Sometimes we often take the word “love” for granted without even knowing how or what it really means in its true sense.

Love is sometimes like that and for me, should be an act of will. Love should be shown in the acts that we do and not up to words only.

How I Want to be Remembered After I Leave High School

Just few weeks from now, I will be graduating from high school. After 4 years of studying, yes at last! However, for me, that coming day will going to be a day full of emotions. Leaving is a very difficult thing since the bond that binds me with my batch mates is quite strong that it will require 1000 Newton to break that bond. I am just kidding.

Being a high school student is the best part of a person’s life. All kinds of situations are being experienced in this stage as well as different kinds of reactions being expressed.

Remembering is a way of reminiscing the times when we are still young and making the happy memories come to life again. I remember because I want to be happy and another reason is that to make the memories to be never lost in the blue. Remembering is one way of refreshing things or situations.

After graduating, we know that there will come a time that somebody or the batch will call for a reunion. Definitely, on that day, I will be remembering my classmates and batch mates through the memories that they have imprinted on my heart. And on that very day, one might say this line, “oh, remember ____ di ba he/she used to have this and that thingy. Then I will remember my batch mates, and mostly, what will come into my mind are the times when everybody is laughing at something. I usually remember someone by associating that someone with a thing or an event that happened few years back. Everybody is unique and will be remembered because of an extraordinary thing that he or she has created a sensation to everyone.

Everyone wants to be remembered in a nice and a beautiful manner. Like me, after I leave the happy high school days, I want to be remembered as my batch mates would want to remember me. However, more or less I want to be remembered by the noticeable things that I once did in high school. Remembered as the silent type and a fabricator of the corny jokes inside Tan, the source of the stapler, which suddenly got lost inside the classroom. I also wanted to be remembered as the jolly, cute fellow who is afraid of spiders. I want to be remembered in a good sense. I want to be remembered in my happy face.

Just like any other person, I want to that, my batch mates will remember me in a good and pretty sense. My batch mates would want to remember me in the uniqueness in me. Just like them, I would also remember them in their uniqueness.

For me, if I am to remember my batch mate or classmate, what directly comes into my mind is that classmate or batch mate of mine would create an extraordinary thing that made me laugh and cry or made me express my emotions well. However, I really want to be remembered, after I leave the portals of UP high school, or be associated with that something that my classmates think of me.

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” – Carl Sandburg

Love is…

“Love is always patient and kind,

It is never jealous,

Love is never boastful nor conceited,
It is never rude or selfish
It does not take offense
And is not resentful.”
=13 Corinthians 4-7=

It is quite understandable from the verse the meaning of the word LOVE. But in my own point of view, love is a word that conquers all.

For each one of us, we denote love in different ways. For me, it is something that one experiences if he likes to do some likable things. Every time we do something that we are very fond of, it is a sign that we love what we are doing. Love is unexplainable. A word is beyond any human brains.



For those who are in a relationship, love is that feeling every time their hearts beat the “dub-dum, dub-dum”. It is what they feel every time they like someone very much. For those people who are devoted to something, they love what they are doing because they are attracted to it. Every time we give respect to someone, it seems that love is there, because we do not want to hurt him or her. Every time we help somebody do something, it is love. Every moment, even if we belong to different lifestyles, love is there.



Love is always patient and kind, correct or not? Even if how much we hate a person, there is always something there, a kind of a magic, which will make us forgive that person. Even if how much we wait for something, we still wait for it for we do not want to leave and make him or her sad.



It is never jealous…. Love will never be jealous of things. If we do something, we do it with a big heart and never ask for any consequences or exchange of what we do. It is love. Loving is forgiving.



Love is never boastful or conceited…. If we love, we never boast about it nor brag about it. Every time we love one another, we remain humble and accept everything.
It is never rude or selfish. A person who loves something will never become someone who is selfish. By loving, we always give and share what we have, even if how small that thing is, we always share it.



It does not take offense… Love will never make something undesirable. By loving, we do something different. If we love, we always make things to their best and never ruin them.
Love will never be resentful. A person who loves will never be bitter. A person who loves will always make it to the point that nobody will get hurt or angry at him or her.



Above all this love thing, Jesus died on the cross because of His GREAT LOVE for US.
Love can be expressed in varied ways, but one thing is for sure, we LOVE because we like it and not because that we are forced to do it. The ideal way of showing that, we love somebody or something, is that we do everything to make his, her happy.

“Love is like a violin, the music may stop now and then but the strings remain forever”.
June Masters Bacher

Would you do the same?

Gasa sa Gugma is an institution established to take care for the old and aged citizens that are not paid attention by their own families. It was named Gasa sa Gugma: A Home for the Dying Destitute. It has a total population of about 96 old people as of February 2, 2007.

Before we went there, the whole group planned for what food to bring and prepared for some presentations that might entertain the aged. When I went there together with the rest of our CWTS class last.

During our visit last February 2, 2007, my heart was moved. During our arrival, all I can say was that the surrounding was very peaceful and placid. All I heard was just the rustling of the wind as it passed on the leaves of trees around the place. The place was ideal since it is clean and big. We were entertained by the one of the nuns who takes care of the facility. Then the nun gave us the “GO” signal to go and meet the aged. She said that they were having a mass on that day and she invited us to join the Holy Mass. Some of the old people were taken inside the small chapel through wheelchairs, because a lot of them are not able to walk anymore. I went to some of the aged and asked them if they were willing to go inside the chapel and attend the mass. As I noticed, I was worried because of their health conditions. I mean that there were some who had very dry skin and I think that it should be moisturize to avoid the dryness. I think that it is a problem because some of them are bothered by that situation. Some old individuals already developed a wound on their skins because of too much scratching in it. I met some of the aged.

I met Lola Barbara Ouano, and she told me that she would attend the mass later. At first, she was not able to give her name right away maybe she was recalling what her name is. I asked her where she used to live before she entered the facility and she told me that she once lived in Mandaue. In what part, she did not mention. We had a lot of talk and I asked her whether she is enjoying her stay there or do they have some sort of television there, but she told me that they do not have a TV. All they do is just to seat on the monobloc chairs that were prepared for them. However, her answer left my jaw hanging. She told me that she could not do anything about that. She could not do anything about the decision of her family to leave her in the facility. My heart started to get heavy.

I think that crying is just one of the many ways where one can express his or her feelings. Although I was not able to cry out my emotions, but I can really feel that deep inside my heart, it was very heavy. I could not imagine how selfish their family is. How stupid they are to let their mother or father to live inside there even if they could take care of them. I fear that someday I would be like them; I could not accept the fact of it. I was somewhat sad to the answers I heard. The aged are the people in this world that needs the most of our care and love. They deserve to be loved and not to be taken away. They need the most of our attention. Loving them is a way to save them from their very emotional state of their beings.

I was somewhat happy that there is a facility like Gasa sa Gugma who offers a home for the people who lacked the love of their families.