a tExT MESSAgE

“FOR NCAE TOMORROW: Mongol 2 pencls, ID, 2nd grading grades for EnSciMa plus Filipino and SocSci! Check d internet 4 UPCAT results! It is now online! Pass tnx! ü "
As I read this text message, my heart starts to pound faster. The more I think about it, the more butterflies flew inside my stomach.
A lot of questions entered my mind. Will I pass the UPCAT? If not, where will I spend my college years? What course will I take? Will I pass the NCAE? What if I won’t? What will happen to me? As these words keep on spinning inside my mind, I got even more nervous and started to have sweaty palms and feet.
Wow! This is the same scenario I had four years ago. Before the UP HSAT, I first took the Cebu City Science High entrance exam. Reading the test questions made me feel upset. “I think I wouldn’t pass this exam. Goodbye Sci High!” I murmured during the test. Then, moment of judgment came. The test results were just released. And guess what? I placed 50 in the written exams. I still have to take the oral exams. So, I went for my final interview. Though I wasn’t used to in speaking, especially in an interview and was a bit shy, I still passed this step. Now, all I have to do is to enroll and be part of this school. Yet, I was still in dilemma. I just have to take the UPHSAT. Meanwhile, Sci High keeps on calling us and wanted me to enroll in their school. It was such an honor for me!
Then, I did take the UPHSAT. It was more difficult than I thought. So, I thought, maybe I just have to enroll in Sci High. It is a good school after all. Then, I was surprised that my father was so happy. He related to me the good news. I passed the UPHSAT and even placed 6th! I was so happy at that time.
I was in confusion then. I have to choose between these two good schools. I got a hard time. I have to consider all factors. So, after some days of deliberation, I decided to enroll in UP. It was nearer to our house than Sci High. Then, we have to spend less in UP than in Sci High. Since UP has what we called as the democratized access to the masses.
Now, here I am a senior student of UP High and is trying to decipher her college life. There is one thing that I realized. We must never give up, never surrender.
Opportunities may be everywhere. It’s just up to us to make the most of it. If choosing one is a necessity, we must think before making any actions so that you won’t end up blaming yourself. As what our social science teacher always says, before making any decision, we must consider all factors.
Whatever road I will take, whether I passed the UPCAT and NCAE or not, I should make sure that I will be persevere enough to pass the tests of life.

The Game of Life

Calculus was exhausting! It gives me a relief that our exams week has just ended. We have enough time to do the things that we haven’t done for a couple of days. Just like unlimited texting, watching television, and so forth.
But wait! We are still tied up with all those sorts of projects. So, to fulfill one of those projects, some of my friends and I went to the internet café in close proximity to our school. Yet, as we saw a classmate of ours playing something on his PC, we got so curious and tried to play as well. We were amazed by the games’ high tech gears and got so thrilled to join in.
Without hesitance, our classmate introduced to us this pastime. It is popularly called as Counter-Strike. Well, this game is an encounter between two forces. These are the terrorists and the counter-terrorist forces. You can be part of one of those groups. Both teams aimed to win against each other by killing each member of their opponent.
For the first time, we played this game. We very thrilled and ecstatic, then. As we come across our enemies, we got easily killed. We just can’t help but to laugh our heart out. I even got teary eyes because of laughing too much. As more familiar faces joined, the game got extremely exciting. There were more opponents who wanted to take your life, and more forces to help you out. It was like a mini-battlefield.
The day after, my friends and I played the same game. Compared yesterday, we got better in winning against the enemies. Yet, I still got the difficulty of accurately shooting the enemies.
Honestly, to be involved in this game can be pretty fun. No wonder, a lot got addicted of playing this. High tech gears and the thrill are not the only factors that make this game popular. It also teaches some values in an enjoyable way. These values are the ones that can be applied even to our daily lives.
To enumerate some, these are perseverance, teamwork, patience, courage, self-preservation, calmness and sportsmanship. It may sound O.A. or over acting, but these values were really applied in the said game.
Unity or teamwork was exposed when you have to work with your mates to win over your opponents. Then, you must not give up finding all your enemies and eradicating them. Perseverance and patience can be witnessed in that scene. You must also be courageous enough to fight against your enemies. Next, calmness is important in the game. If you lose your composure during the game, you can easily be killed. Self-preservation is also exhibited. You have to make the necessary actions to make yourself safe and your teammates. Afterward, whether you win or lose, you should be humble enough to take everything.
Video games like Counter-strike may give values that we can apply in our everyday lives. But, don’t be too addicted with it that you are overspending and left a hole in your mother’s pocket. Try to play it in moderation. As what a popular saying goes, “Too much of something is bad enough.”

Not a sign of weakness…

“Guys, it looks like MC cried last night!” one of my classmates commented as I arrive in school one morning. Everyone got so curious and surprised for my popping eyelids. They hypothesized a lot of probable reasons why I cried. They even gave some fumy ones. Just like, I was scolded by my mom because of cooking rice without water or using laundry water for it. I even got a joke for myself and had an alibi of cooking rice pops or ampao instead of the normal one.
Honestly, I really don’t know the exact reason why tears fell from my eyes. Maybe it just fell. Or maybe I was just dramatizing a scene in a soap opera.
As I can remember, I was teary eyed when I watched Princess Hours, a Korean soap opera in Channel 3. I think I was helpless when I saw Janel’s father crying, missing his only daughter. Maybe I was just overreacting then. But as the night got deeper, a lot of things approached my mind. Like missing my father and sister, the fact that I’m leaving UP very soon, and thanking God. Maybe these things that entered my mind tickled my emotion bone and made me cry.
Crying is somewhat a way of emitting all the sadness and joy inside me. I was having some mixed emotions then. My tears were a mixture of grief and joy.
My unhappy tears were caused by the truth that I miss my father and sister. They are both working in the Middle East. They wanted us to experience a relief from poverty. With their sacrifices, I was evenly motivated to do well in school. I want to pay them back their sweat they have shed for my sake. Though I miss them, I just have to trust God. I know that he will take care of them and make them safe.
Upon knowing the fact that I have to leave UP makes me sad once in a while. If I’ll be able to graduate this year, leaving my second home would be hard for me. It’s like a part of me will never left this school. The school where I gained my esteem, confidence, and everything that made me someone. Most of all, it is where I met my friends who became a part of my life.
Thinking about everything that God has done for us, I just can’t help but cry. I’m so thankful for my life, for all the problems that make me strong, for blessings, and for every single element that comprises me. God is so great that my simple gratitude is not enough to thank him.
Each day, all of us have been busy with our work, studies, and other things that occupy us. Though how busy we are, we must not forget to stop once in a while. Let us give ourselves some time to listen to the voices within us. Don’t forget to pray and thank God for he has done for us.
Bunches of tear jerker may surround us. If you feel to cry, why not let go of those tear drops. Crying may be a way to release tension, right? Crying is not a sign of weakness, but of knowing it and dropping it off.

Short but tall...

Nowadays, more and more people got conscious with their height. A lot of parents even give their children some growth enhancers or maximizers, like Cherifer and Growee. These food supplements can make children tall as they can be.
Honestly, I don’t deny that I’m conscious with my height too. Sometimes, I got insecured upon seeing that my cousins are taller than me. It’s like I’m the most potot or the shortest among them all. So, having the fantasy of becoming tall, I took some Cherifer myself. It’s like to be tall is to be powerful and makes you feel confident. You even have the advantage of having less effort of reaching things.
But is height really that matters? Can’t short people do the things tall people can do? Why is it that a lot of people always tease or look down on the short ones?
Who says that height is power? There have been powerful leaders of the past and the present who actually doesn’t have the five-foot height. One of these present leaders is the president of the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. She is the second woman president of our country. Did you know that she actually didn’t reach 5 feet? Well, she is such a tough one. Look at her now; she is one of the most powerful women of our country.
Meanwhile, an example of a leader from the past is Napoleon Bonaparte. According to the article of Owen Connelly in Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia, Napoleon Bonaparte was the emperor of the French, who consolidated and institutionalized many reforms of the French Revolution. One of the greatest military commanders of all time, he conquered the larger part of Europe and did much to modernize the nations he ruled.
Lastly, one of the ‘small but terrible’ that I know is Razel Paldo. She is currently our corps commander in our CWTS. She is even the first girl corps commander, UP has ever been.
Now, who says that height is what matters most? Truly, height can be an advantage. You can do lots of stuffs if you are tall. Be thankful that you are blessed with such. Use your height for the best and not for the worst. Instead of bullying others, try to give a helping hand to others who are in need. Who knows, you can be a hero or a saint for doing such marvelous deeds.
In the meantime, for the petite ones like me, stop being insecured by others. If others tease you, take that as a compliment. Instead, prove to them that height doesn’t matter for someone to be happy or successful.
Not that I’m preaching, but physical appearance is not important in God’s eyes. If God doesn’t, then why do we judge people. As what the famous saying says, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” People usually judge others in the outer covering. But what is really important is the inner beauty of oneself. But, if you are blessed with inner and outer beauty, use it to inspire others, not to despise.

Time is not gold

Everything seems to be spinning. It’s like a minute washing machine or blender is planted inside my brain! Maybe this is a symptom of insanity!
There are bunches of things that I need to do and so many things to think about. I have to solve my calculus problems, write my reactions about reproductive health, make my articles for my blog, design our CyberFair webpage, so on, and so forth. Maybe I need a secretary to decipher which task to do first, the next and the last.
With only these minor, teenage responsibilities, I already got so mixed up. How much more for the bigger and heavier ones? Will I be ready to take these challenges waiting for me in the future? Will I be strong enough to survive in this complicated world?
As I kid, I usually mess around. Having a disorganized room with toys left on the floor, crayons on the bed, scissors on the chair, and other stuffs that makes my mother’s head ache so much. There were a lot of times that I have been scolded by my siblings and parents for this unmanageable behavior. But then, I still didn’t care at that time.
Time came that I have to go to school. With those required books, notebooks and other supplies, my days were almost over. I have to neatly arrange my things to be found easily. This is the moment that I realized the essence of orderliness.
Like things, usage of time can be messed too. Both are similar or alike. Disarrangement of things and mismanagement of time can create great confusion in your life. If your things are disorganized, there is a big possibility that one of your important things might get lost or thrown away unintentionally. Meanwhile, with time, opportunities might jump out of the way.
Time is gold. My mother always reminds me as she saw me cramming for a test tomorrow, or a project to be passed the following day. She wanted me to think about the importance of time. We must treasure it as what we do with gold. Kidding myself, I even thought of a joke. That time is definitely not gold. It is the watch that is made of gold.
Funny or corny as my joke would be, time is something not to jeer at. It must not be ignored and be spent carelessly. Once spent, it cannot be turned back. A lot of people even wished to turn back time, but fail to do so. So, you must treasure every event of your life and spend time the right way.
Now, as I grow old, I discovered one great mistake. It is the mismanagement of time or simply, wasting time. Wasting time can have a bad effect on you on the future. Like piling up tons of tasks and not been able to work effectively and efficiently.
Now I know why I got so mixed up! I just didn’t spend my time the right way. Sadly, I just wasted it away. As for now, time is not gold. It’s just more precious and valuable than gold.