Love is a Fallacy (reaction to the story)

Dicto Simpliciter, Hasty Generalization, Post Hoc, Contradictory Premises, Ad Misericordiam, False Analogy, Hypothesis Contrary to Fact, Poisoning the Well. Hey these words sound unfamiliar. But do you know what these words are? These words are examples of fallacies of logic. What is logic by the way? Logic means the science of thinking. What is a fallacy? A fallacy is a component of an argument that is demonstrably flawed in its logic or form, thus rendering the argument invalid in whole, except in the case of begging the question, a false analogy and other informal fallacies. Actually this is only the first time I heard these words. And because of Sir Elmer I knew about these words.

These words are part of the story, Love is a Fallacy. At first, I did not like the story because it was very long. It was a story by Max Schulman and you know what? I really liked the story.

The story was about this guy who happens to be a law student. When I read the story from the begining I got kind of bored because some sentences were not so understandable. But I have to read the story so that I can make a reaction paper and a summary of the story. At first I thought that it was as love story because the main character mentioned about this girl that he liked. And so I began to be interested about the story because I like love sories. But then as the story goes on, I realizes that it was the girl named Polly Espy who is really stupid. I thought that she was a worthless person. She may be beautiful as what the main character told us, the readres, but she was kind of ignorant. She was a really and very stupied girl. But the guy was for me also kind of idiot. I mean he really persevered enough to teach the girl some fallacies of logic. I told myself that the gut really took the risk of teachng the girl. The guy also has this saying that it is, after all, easier to make a beautiful dumb girl smart than to make an ugly smart girl beautiful. This made me think that he is really courageous to take the risk of teaching the dumb girl.

And luckily he was lucky. The girl was able to learn about fallacies. But the bad thing is that the girl learned too much. When the guy told something to the girl, the girl told him that what he just said was just a fallacy. I thought that oh no the girl really learned too much. She took all the lessons that she learned very literally. She compared it to real life. The girl was really stupid enough to use what she learned against her teacher. And just because Petey Bellows has a raccoon coat does not mean that he is so cool and perfect for the girl but is he really perfect for the girl?

I really like the fact that Polly liked Petey than the guy. Well they are compatible because they are stupid (the Petey guy and Polly). But I wished that I can read a lot more stories like this.

Love is a Fallacy (summary)

There was this guy who is cool and intelligent. He was a law student. This guy is only eighteen. We can call him Mr. Smart. There was also a guy. This guy was his roommate and his name is Petey Bellows. This guy is a kind of well he is really idiot. He follows the “faddists” in their school. He thinks that following these people from what they wear, what they do and everything is making you look cool. He will even surrender himself to idiocy just because these people are doing this and doing that.

One afternoon, Mr. Guy found Petey lying on his body with a distressful look. He thought that his friend might be suck of something and told him not to move because he is going to call a doctor. But then his friend suddenly sounded a word. His friend told him this word which is “Raccoon”. He asked his friend what he has just asked him. His friend replied that he needed a raccoon coat. Petey also told his friend that he should wear it because the big guys are wearing it in the campus. But then Mr. Guy replied that he cannot wear a raccoon coat because they smell bad they weigh too much. But then Petey replied that he has to. He would even give anything to the world if he has to so that he can have a raccoon coat. When the guy heard this, he realized that his father has a raccoon coat at home and he can give it to Petey because it so happens that the guy wants something from Petey. Well actually he did not have it but he had first rights on it. He was referring to Polly Espy.

Polly Espy is truly a beautiful girl. She has a nice figure and body. She was not yet of pin-up proportions. Her table manners were very exquisite. She may be beautiful but she was a dumb girl. A very stupid girl.

So the guy finally decided to give the raccoon coat to Petey. So he returned home and got the raccoon coat from his father. He then gave it to Petey. When Petey saw the raccoon coat, he was shocked. He was very shocked. The guy then asked Petey if he would like it. Petey replied yes and asked his friend what he wants for it. The guy replied him your girl. Petey flung the coat from him and replied to him no. The gut told him that it is his business if he does not want it. And after many minutes have passed, Petey gave in. He accepted his friend's deal.

So the guy started with inviting the girl to a dinner. He also invited the girl to a movie. And from this, he realized that it may take a long time to make the girl learn. Sometimes he wants to give Polly back to Petey but he must not give up.

So one evening, Mr. Guy or the the guy started to teach the girl some fallacies of logic. And until the fifth night, they stopped talking about fallacies because the girl was already good at it (well not that good). But at least the girl learned from the guy. They had stopped because he told the girl that they might be well matched but the girl used all the fallacies that he had learned from him against him. The guy was starting to be irritated and told her not to use the fallacies literally. But the girl again told him that what he has just said was a fallacy. The guy asked her if she can go steady with her. Then the girl told the guy that he cannot go steady with him because she already promised to Petey that she will go steady with him. The guy asked the girl why would she like Petey Bellows over him and asked for a logical reason. The girl told the guy that she must go steady with Petey because he has a raccoon coat.

What a UP Student is Not

As I walk from my house to school, I notice that there are many people who will look at me. As they look at my skirt, then at my ID then at my necktie, I thought that they may be thinking behind the back of their heads that “So she is a UP Student”. I thought that they may be thinking that I am intelligent as they think. Some would even ask questions about me like “Is it hard to study in UP?” As they look at me, I really want to end it. Because it is really irritating and annoying. I thought that they may be thinking that I am the perfect student but I am really not. And so I would like to tell you what we are not.

First is that we are not perfect as I told you. I believe that nobody is perfect except for one person and his name is Mr. Perpecto as what our Home technology teacher in our 6th grade told us. When we say “perfect” it means that they have all the qualities. The good qualities in being a student. Like for example, they say that we are very smart but we are not really that smart. We are also like other students in other schools who are beginning to learn new things.

Another is that we are not only intelligent and bright students. It is not just brains but also we have the talents. There are students here in UP High that are also talented. There is Ate Virganie Oyao who is the Cebu’s Princess of Dance. Not only her but there are also clubs here in UP that not only consider the brains but also the talents. There is the UP Glee club whose members have such wonderful voices. There is also the UPSTAGE whose members do not have wonderful voices only but also the talent like Acting and Dancing. But let us not forget the students who are good in writing. The Tambuli members who have the minds that can captivate the students by their writing.

We are also not disrespectful to other people. As other people think that whenever a UP Student will answer his or her parents, they will then think that we do not have any respect for our elders. But the only reason why we answer to our elders is that we believe in what we say.

We are also not the “contrabida’s” of this country. They say that UP Students are the bad guys. Just like the activists. As you can see, most people who are into rallying are UP students. Then when they look into a UP student they will then think that this student will grow into a bad person.

We are also not immodest just be cause the people call us the “Iskolar ng Bayan”. We do not boast this just because we are given that title. But actually as what our Social Science teacher that we should consider ourselves lucky because our tuition is paid by the tax payers who are working very hard just to pay the taxes.

For me these are what the people will be thinking as they stare a Upian but we are like every student in this world who dream to have a better life and achieve our own dreams.

mispronunciation(s) are prone to us (only)

I have mentioned to you about my best friends right? They were Allana, Brigitte, Gilphanie, Grechelle and the last but not the last Josephine. And because we are very close, we almost share funny experiences. We only not share funny things. We also share our food (except for this month because we had an agreement). But in this blog entry, I will tell you the words we mispronounced.

*SPEKING
It was me who said this word. Every time we talk with my best friends, there are many many words that I mispronounce but this word is the most popular. When did I say this word “accidentally”? It was when we had our snacks in the canteen. We were talking about this certain person. But then as I saw her going in the canteen, I told my friends “speking of the devil”. And when I said that, my friends started to tease me all along.

*MEDpoint
Who said this girls and boys? It was Allana who said this while she was reporting for our Geometry class. She was discussing about the number she was assigned to. Me and Brigitte were listening very carefully for a mispronounced word she is going to commit. And we were unsuccessful. As she said “ The me—“ , me and Brigitte started to laugh. We were very right. She almost said the word but unluckily she did not finish it so not all the people noticed that she had a word mispronounced.

*prince of TINIS
It is supposed to be Tennis right? But we can’t really avoid mispronunciation of words right? Now Gilphanie was the next victim to be teased. I thought that Allana, Brigitte, and me of course, are the only people who are well victims of this sickness but I did not know that we are going to tease Gilphanie about this. She spoke this word while they were talking about anime (we are really addicted to anime that all that we talk about are about anime).This anime entitled “Prince of Tennis” is what they were talking bout. But then Gilphanie said “tinnis” in front of us. And again we started laughing.

*WEKEN
Wait “weken”? I thought it is supposed to be “weaken” right? It was Josephine who said this word. It was during our class in Social Science. During this class, we read paragraphs from our books. When it was Josephine's turn, we were listening if there would be words that would be mispronounced. Then Josephine said “To weken their forces…”. When we heard that, we were giggling and teased her after that class.

*DIT
Not the “debt” word but the “death” word was Brigitte’s mispronounced word. It was our Home technology class. Of all the words that she is going to mispronounce you are going to ask “why dit or death?”. It is because that during our Home technology class, we had a t-shirt printing project. Now I know how to print t-shirt(s) in a very very simple way. As I saying, Josephine draw a picture with the word “death”. The word was also not so clear so when Brigitte tried to read it, she said “ah dit”.

*SIGment
The last but not the least. The word “segment”. I mean who would never forget this word? Grechelle is well known to us because of this word. I was not really there when she spoke it but my friends told me about it.

Do you know that because if these mispronounced words, our friendship became tighter than before? The point is that we still value our friendship even though we commit a lot of mistakes…

beat the heat

We can really really really feel the heat of the atmosphere right now right? This just means that summer is really really really approaching. I really really really hate and like summer. Why do I like summer? It is because that we go to the beach and have picnic or swimming at the cool waters of the beach. Another is that we always eat shakes to cool off our bodies. But why do I hate summer? Because the plants that I am taking care of, well most of them, will die. And I can hardly sleep well at night because of the warmness of the room. And it is very very very dusty because there is hardly water everywhere that can somehow minimize the dust. And the deadly thing is Skin Cancer is prone to almost everybody.

But how do we beat the hotness of the sun? How do we beat the hotness produced by the sun and atmosphere? For you readers, I want to tell you some things that I did with my family in order to beat the summer heat...

*go to the beach or swimming pool

Yes going to the beach either with your family or friends is one way to beat the heat. Swimming at the cool waters of the beach or the swimming pool is good and fun but do not forget to apply skin block lotion unto your body to prevent skin cancer. One thing that the beach or the pool can help us is that they help us cool our bodies. The swimming pool's I know here in Cebu and we have been to are namely Villaterisita which is somewhere in Talisay, Blue Reef, Family Park and many many more. But guys let us not forget the beaches here in Cebu. Do you know the best resort I have been to? It was the Kawasan Falls in Badian. I tell you, it is really really really nice there. The falls are very very very big and the force is sooo strong. You can also ride on their rafts.

*make delicious and refreshing shakes

I really really really missed the Mango and Chocolate shakes the neighboring bakery use to make during the summer. They were really really really delicious and yummy. They also contain some vitamins that are also good to our health. And the important thing is they do to us is that they help our bodies to be refreshed and cooled off from the heat. But if there are no stores that sell mouth-watering shakes, you can make one in your very very very own homes. Just make sure you have some blender and the ingredients for the shake you want to make. But kids should not be allowed to make their own shakes or they will get their selves hurt and trouble.

*do not forget the fans

It maybe tiring but it is more affordable and convenient to use fans than to go to the beach or buy yourselves a shake. Yes moving your hands to cool you off is really really really tiring but at least you can save money.

So prepare yourselves for the greatest battle you'll face. Be ready to beat the heat.

On being taught by a student(KYSD)

Here in UP High, we celebrate one celebration during the month of February and this is what we call the "Know Your School Day". During these days, the teachers choose students to teach their fellow students about the subject they want to teach. The teachers also consider this as their "Day-Off" because they would rest for a few days and let the selected students to handle and take over. At the end of the day, the student teachers are given reward like additional points or material incentives like free food or meal(an example of which is the student teachers in English were given a free mael care of Mr Montejo himself, our English teacher).

Last year's Know your School Day, I was a student teacher for the Filipino subject. It was really really really tough to teach your fellow classmates.Sometimes while you are teaching them, they won't listen, they keep on talking or they do unecessary things. As a teacher, I was really really really annoyed and irratated the way the students treated me. But this year's "Know Your School Day", I did not join as a student teacher but as a student. The student teacher also tell us to keep quiet but eventhough the teachers will have to shout very very very hard and loud, the students will still won't listen. The students are very very very hard headed if their teacher is just their classmate.

And when the student teachers will give us a test, I admit that I sometimes complain but we do not have any choices but to follow our student teachers because they have more power on us. But many many students complain about having a test.


As our student teachers open their books and start teaching us, I will then sit up straight and listen very very very well so that I can understand the lessons so that I won't have a hard time understanding the lessons.

There are some students who teach very very very well but it cannot be avoided that there are somt student teachers who teach badly.

For those who teach very very very well, I understand right away because of the way they teach us. The student teachers that we had had different styles in teaching. Some had a game first before the discussion. Some had a story-telling before the discussion and many many many more styles. I like the game first before the discussion. It makes me awake, alert and prepared for the discussion.

Some student teachers have a soft voice that I can hardly hear a word he or she is saying. If ever the student teacher has a soft voice which I think is his or her nature, I will have to go to the platform and squat on the floor to be able to listen and hear every word he or she is saying and also to understand the lesson he or she is saying.

But I am thankful for this year's "Know Your School Day" celebration because the student teachers were good. They made us understand well. If we need help, they will help us of course and not only they taught us lessons but also lessons in our daily lives....

embarrassing moment of the day

It was a very hot day. A really really really hot day. Even though we can feel the coolness produced by the electric fans in our classroom, it was still very hot and warm. At that time, me, Allana Mae Muñoz and Brigitte Cabalquinto were having a chat about Brigitte's brother. We were talking about her brother's school which is Cebu Normal University. But then, I felt weird. I paused for a while and found out that my stomach was gurgling. I was really really really hungry. So I told the two of them that we should eat lunch.

I then got my lunch pack from my bag. I turned my chair around so that it would be facing Allana and Brigitte. I then placed my lunch on my table and started to eat. We continued our chat about Brigitte's brother. Then we started talking about her brother's school and it's facilities. At that time also, we were not alone. There was another person in the classroom. His name was Aiden Bruce Tallo. We really really really do not know what he was doing at that time but all we know is that he was cleaning up the messes on the platform. He was keeping and arranging the manila papers attached to blackboard. As I was saying, we were talking about Brigitte's brother and his school. But then I remembered my cousin who was also studying at the same school as Brigitte's brother. I mentioned her to my close friends. I then told them about the experiences of my cousin. The first day of her school and the Miss Nursing thingy. I told them that my cousin joined the pageant. Well the truth was that my cousin was just forced to join the so called "Miss Nursing" at her school because her classmates told her to. To tell you the truth, my cousin has a nice figure and body so she is qualified to join the said pageant.

When I mentioned this "Miss Nursing" to my best friends, Brigitte said, "Aw o... Miss Nursing.. Ako kuya...". When she said it, I paused and thought that there was something wrong with what she said. But then, while I was thinking of what has Brigitte said, Allana said,"Ha? Imong Kuya apil ug Miss Nursing?". Yes! That was it! Brigitte said something inappropriate and that was it! When Allana said the words, we started to laugh hard. We really really really laughed hard because of what Brigitte said and it's meaning.

After we had lunch, I teased Brigitte that her brother was gay. She kept on saying that she only said it wrongly. We knew that she said it wrongly but saying something wrong is already a big big big issue to us. Even mispronunciating the words is already a big issue to us like mispronunciating the word "speaking, midpoint" and many more. After a while, I went to my locker to get something. After I got my things from my locker, I teased Brigitte again about her brother. She told me that her brother is not gay. I shouted "I can't hear you." But as I was shouting, I slipped! They saw me slipped. Just as when Allana turned her to my direction and Aiden also turned his head at my direction, they saw me! Then when I got up, they started teasing me. They said that I was trying to follow Manny Villar in his commercial on televison. I was really embarrased that I can hardly face my friends...

Ouran High School Host Club

I think you have not heared about this anime. This anime has not yet shown on television. But I tell you, it is really really really nice. I mentioned about this anime in one pf my blog entries. But do you know how I knew about this anime? My classmate and bestfriend Gilphanie Tamayo tiold me about this anime then I watched it. And not long after, I atarted to like it. But what is this about? I will tell you.....

This cartoon started when a girl named Haruhi Fujioka looked for a quiet place to study(at that time she was inside a school). Haruhi at that time looked like a guy. And not long after, she found an unused Music Room. When she opened the Music Room, she was welcomed with a bunch of rose petals floating in mid-air. Then after the rose petals, a group of boys wearing a costume welcomed her. They said to her in chorus "Welcome". At first she was shocked. She did not know that the place she was in is the Ouran Host Club Room. The boys are a part of what the students call there the "Ouran High School Host Club". That club is established in that same school named Ouran Academy which is defined as 1) prestigious families and 2) wealth. So the Ouran High School Host Club is defined as a group of HANDSOME boys who have time giving HOSPITALITY to beautiful girls who also have time. The members of the said club are: Tamaki Suoh who is their leader or king, Kyoya Ohtori, their shadow king, Hikaru Hitachiin and his twin brother Kaoru Hitachiin, Mitsukuni Haninozuka and the last but not the least, Takashi Morinozuka.

But then something happened. She ended up breaking an expensive jar which is worth 8,000,000 yen. So the only way to repay them is to be the Host Club's dog. At that time they never knew that she was a girl except for Kyoya.

Later on they found out about Haruhi's appeal behind her glasses and messy hair. So instead of being a dog to the Host Club, she has to be a host like them. She has to have about a hundred of customers so that she can pay her debt which was worth 8,000,000 yen.

Her charm was really really a hit to the customers except for one in particular. Her name was Ayanokoji. Ayanokoji really really really hated Haruhi because Tamaki's attention is more on Haruhi and this made her jealous. What she did was she threw Haruhi's things in the pond. But when Haruhi found out that her things are gone she went looking for it. When she was trying to look for her purse in the pond, Tamaki arrived and helped her in looking for purse and not long after he was able to find Haruhi's purse.

The twins poured water on Ayanokoji when haruhi and Tamaki arrived. Tamaki found out that she was secretly bullying Haruhi. She was then banned from the club and she left in tears.

Haruhi got wet when the twins poured water on Ayanokoji. So she went to change clothes. But then Tamaki went inside to give Haruhi a towel. He was the last one to find out that Haruhi was a girl.

There you have it readers. That is just the first episode of this wonderful anime.......

advantages and disadvantages of blog making(in me)

By March 19, 2007, we should have posted 33 blog entries. As I type my blog entries, My eyes start to ache, my fingers start to get numb. But besides these bad effects on me, I realized that my typing skills began to improve. My blog making skills also flourished like what ideas I am going to post.

But what are really the effects of this blog project of ours? In this blog, I will tell you the good and bad effects in me in blog making.....

Let us first start with the good effects. One good effect in me was that my typing skills improved. I was very very very very bad at typing. I was also so slow in typing. When we had our Investigatory project in our first year, I let Althea Gil Bana-ay to type the needed files for the project. Althea was very very very fast when it comes to typing especially at the computer keyboard. I would really love to type on the keyboard but I was very very very slow. We might be late if I will type the needed files for the project. But when Mr. Montejo told us to make a blog project, at first I got worried because I might pass my project late because I was very very very very slow when it comes to type-writing. But as I make my blog entries every other day and every weekends, I noticed that I was not slow anymore at type-writing. I was glad about that.

Another good effect is that my blog making skills improved a lot. I was very very very bad when it comes to blog making like what post am I going to talk about. I was also very very very bad at essay writing because there are only few aides that come into my mind. But because of the blog project, my blog making skills improved.

When there is a good effect in what you do, there is also a bad effect. One is about my body. When I make my blogs, my eyes start to hurt as I stay longer in front of the computer. When I asked Althea about this, (she is also my nurse and doctor.. JOKING!!!!) she told me that it might be the radiation from the computer. She thinks that the radiation entered my eyes that is why they hurt. That was the first time I knew about that. So I told myself to minimize the time facing in front of the computer. But I also told myself, how about my blog projects? Now that is one problem. I could not answer my problem.

Many hours passed by but my fingers start to get numb. Sometimes I can no longer move them fast when I type my blog entries. I do not why so I just rest for a while. Then I start to think about y blog entries. Oh My God! I am just wasting time!

And the last but not the least bad effect is that I spent a lot of money. Now that we are not rich, I sometimes sacrifice my daily allowance and daily "baon" so that I can type my blog entries...

what I wanted was a pet

When I still a kid, I really really really love to have a pet. I asked my mom if I can have a pet like our neighbor's. Our neighbor's pet was bunny. It was really really really cute and cuddly. It was like a stuff toy sold at Blue Magic. It's color was gray and black. So it was really really really cute.

But my mom told me that I can't have a pet like our neighbor's because we do not have a home for it if ever we will have to buy one. When I heared her, I started to cry. I felt sad and lonely because of the fact that I won't have a pet. Then I started to look for a new pet. Every time I hear the words "Yeah I have a pet at home", I sometimes get sad because as I have noticed, kids who have pets at home are happy with their pets. But as days passes by, and I still do not have a pet, I realized that no matter how ugly your pet is, the important thing is you should learn to take care of it.....

But not long after, our another neighbor gave me a puppy. She gave me a cute puppy. I took care of it very very very very well. I even let it sleep inside my room. I was very very happy when I had a pet. I played with him everyday. When I get up in the morning to prepare for school, I immediately look for him outside to check if he is okay and alright. By the way, his name was Manchisse. My mom gave him that name. When I arrive from home, I will immediately change my clothes then start to do my assignments. After I do my assignments and after I study my lessons, I will then play with him.

When Manchisse grew up, my mom suggested to teach him a few tricks. I agreed to her idea and planned to buy something he can play on. Then when I was able to buy a ball for him, I gave it to him and he liked it. He played with it. Then my mom told me to teach him a few tricks like jumping over a stick. Then after a few days, he was able to jump over on the sticks. He was very very very intelligent. He was an intelligent dog.

Sometimes, when I go to school, he follows me all the way to school(I went to school at that time in the province so the school is very near and a little vehicles that passes by). And when I notice him, I will then command him to go home. Like if I tell him "Go home Manchisse, he will then go to home. He was really really smart.

For me, he was the perfect pet. I liked him very very much. I loved him very very much. But not long after, my mom started to hate him. I do not know why but all I know is that she does not like big pets. So what I did was I gave him to my friend.

Right now, I do not know what happened to him but I just hoped that he was with me until he died....

Kiss Kiss fall in love! Maybe you're my love!

"Kiss Kiss Fall in love!" This is the first line of the song "Sakura kiss" of an anime cartoon entitled "Ouran High School Host Club". My bestfriend and classmate, Gilphanie Tamayo introduced to me this wonderful(according to her) anime show. But this has not yet shown on television. When she kept on insisting me to watch this cartoon, I thought that this cartoon might be really really wonderful. So I borrowed her DVD and I planned to watch it on the following day because the following day was a weekend.

When I came home that day, I told my cousin about that anime and told her to watch it with me. She was very very very anxious to watch it if it is nice. She was also excited because like me, we do not kind of like anime.

After we had lunch, I went immediately to her room and turned the television set on and the DVD Player. When I called her, she finished her lunch immediately and went directly to her room. When the DVD played, the first thing I saw was a video. A music video. When I listened to the music, I liked the tone. And after we have done watching the movie I started to like and appreciate it.

The next Monday, I asked Gil about the lyrics and she told me that Suzanne has the lyrics. I tried to sing it on my own but I could not get it right. I asked help from Grechelle and Gilphanie on how to sing this song. Then they started singing. While I was listening to them, I realized that it was a definitely a nice and cute song. But it is even nicer if you listen to it in the cartoon.

After that, I told them to teach me how to sing the song. At first I had difficulties because the song is not an English song. It is somewhat like a Japanese song. It took me a long long long long long time to know the song better. But after a few days of singing and memorizing, I was able to memorize it a little and sing it properly a little.

Every time my close friends sing the song, I try to catch up with them so that I can get it right. Then as days passes by, I was able to master it very well. I sing it if I get bored. I sing it while I take a bath in the morning. I sing it everyday.

Then I had an idea. What if I try it playing on the piano? But we do not have the notes for the song. But at that time Brigitte brought her lyre(for the Florante at Laura role play). We tested it on the lyre and after a few hours, we were able to get. Then we tried it playing on the flute. While I was listening to Allana, Gilphanie and Grechelle playing the flute, I realized that it is really really really cute.

Then another idea struck me. What if I try it on the guitar? So the next days, I practiced it on the guitar and not long after I got it right.

Then I brought the guitar at school and made my best friends to listen it well. After I played it, they were glad and happy.

And you know, this song is really our theme song. Even Brigitte knows to sing it because I insisted her to know and try to memorize it then not long after she got it.

Maybe your my love!

the best Christmas and New Year season

Last year's New year and Christmas was for me the best! Why? I will tell you why.....

In my life, I never ever had a cellphone on my own. But one time, I was given a cellphone. I was glad that at last I may be able to communicate with my classmates. But the sad thing is that it was not given but it was only borrowed. So it was really not mine. I was kind of mad and when they got it from me, I was mad than ever. But I soon realized that they were right. It was not mine after all. It was not even mine from the very beginning. It was not mine from the the first time I touched and took hold of it. But last Christmas, my mom and I were able to buy a cellphone for me. She helped me from saving money. I also helped her saving money for my new cellphone.

I had a wrist watch. But when I went to "Colon" one time, I found out that I lost my wrist watch. It was given to me by my "ninang". But I did not try to find it because it was raining that day and they were a lot of people. It has been a long time since I lost my only wrist watch. I tried to tell my mom to buy me a new wrist watch. But she neglected. So what I did was I was trying to save money from my daily "baon". But I did not expect that last Christmas, I would accept a wrist watch as a gift from my cousin. When I opened the box, lying inside the the box was a very very very very cute and pink wrist watch. I tried to rub my eyes to see if was only dreaming but my cousin spanked me softly on the head and told me that it is impossible that I was only dreaming. I thanked her a lot and she told me to stop or she might get the watch from me and never return it back to me. So I just stopped. When I looked at the watch closely, I found out the brand(Swatch). I then asked my cousin how much it was and replied me with a word "3oo pesos". I told my self that I might be special to her because she has given me an expensive gift.....

I have been dreaming for a new pair of shoes and slippers... I have been telling my mom about this and told me to save money so that I can buy what I want. The first day of classes in my second year was kind of tough so I was very very very hungry all the time. That is why I hard time saving money. But I have been patient so I was able to save money out of my allowance and daily "baon". Then last Christmas, me and mt mom went to "colon" to buy a new pair of shoes and slippers. It took us the whole afternoon to look for good-looking ones then we were able to buy new pair of slippers and rubber shoes. When I got home, I was very very happy because I already have a new pair of shoes and slippers...

I was very very happy at that time... That was really the best Christmas and New Year's season I ever had.....

my BESTFRIENDS

My life would not have been very very very happy without my friends who are very very mischievous. Allana, Brigitte, Gilphanie, Grechelle and Josephine. When they came into my life, They added many many many colors to it. But do you know who are they? I want you to get to know them.

Allana is a very very very intelligent girl. And besides that she is also a pretty girl especially when she lets her hair down. I first met her in our first year. We were not so close at that time but do you know how we got close? Because of the Korean drama "MY GIRL". She likes it and I also like it. That is how we got close. She also told me about this funny story that made us close than that. It was about her sister's classmate that tried to make them happy but something came out from his nose when he tried following San Goko of Dragon Ball Z. When she told me about this, I was laughing very very very hard on the floor. She was also laughing very very very hard and when I heared her laugh, I was shocked at the way she laughs. She has this laugh that can distinguish her from other people. I even call it "Her Deadly Laugh". When we tell funny stories, then when it is time for her to laugh, I will immediately tell her not to laugh so hard. That is one thing I like from her. I really really love her. I also treat her as my sister. I just hope that she won't change(and also her killer-laugh because it would be the end of my and her world. JOKING!!!).

Brigitte is also a very very very intelligent girl like Allana. We were close and best friends since in our first year. She, me and Chinee were very very very close. The two of them were my best friends and at the same time my sisters. But the closest to me was Brigitte. We do not share some interests but as they say "opposite attracts". But in our second year, our friendship was more intense than before. I really really care for her. But the thing in us is that I am more mature than her because it seems like her mind is not yet mature(JOKING!!!!!).

Gilphanie is also an intelligent girl. We only got close in our second year. I do not know what made us close but she was the one who introduced me this anime entitled"Ouran High School Host Club". When I saw this movie, I was starting to get interest into it. Then until now, we still talk about it. I also love her as my friend and my sister. One thing in us is that we love teasing people and reading other people's blogs(draft of Allana's blog(s)).

Grechelle is an intelligent girl when it comes to Math. She has this mind that is really really really complex. But inside her true self is a funny and mischievous soul. I like the way she laughs because it looks good on her. We only got close this second year. She is my friend and my sister. And do you know? She has a cute voice when she sings!

Josephine is the most intelligent girl in our barkada. She is a hardworking student. I like the way she puts her concentration in her studies. I just really really love her. But be careful. She may look innocent but she is deadly when she teases you.

I just hope that they won't leave me and they won't forget me....

expect the unexpected

The Science and Technology Week celebration was approaching. For our project in Geometry, we will be making something from ordinary materials. We planned to make a robot. My group mates at that time were Allana Mae D. Muñoz and Grechelle Mae S. Alindajao. The required number of members of each group is four but there were only three of us. We were looking for another member but we were unsuccessful. So we just proceeded to the making of our project. But we still do not know what are we going to make. Allana suggested that we will make a robot. Me and Grechelle agreed and so we just planned when we will make it. We planned that we will make it at Josephine's house. She was one of our close friends.

While that day has not arrived yet, we started collecting old and recycled boxes. Since there are a lot of old boxes at home, I kept all of them in a plastic bag. And my group mates also started to collect boxes.

When that day has finally came, we planned to go to Josephine's house but the plan did not work out. We will not be able to make the project at her house. So what we did was to make it instead at our classroom. That day was also the day that we will have a make-up class in Physical Education(P.E.). We were also lucky because we planned to go to school that day very early that is why we had time to make the project. When arrived at our classroom, We were the only people there. We were the early birds(let's just say). Then we prepared the materials needed. But something was missing. We do not have anything to glue the boxes altogether. I went immediately to the Benton classroom and asked Milcah if she has a glue gun. I was lucky. We were lucky because Milcah has a glue gun.

Then we started putting up the boxes together. It only took us about an hour to finish the project. When we finally finished it, we tried to make it stand. Good thing because it was able to stand. We then named it KOKO ROBOT. Why? Because his body was a KOKO CRUNCH box(I was the one who brought it. I was the one who brought many boxes).

We just left it at the classroom. Then time really really really flies. It was already twelve-thirty in the afternoon. We started to change for our P.E. uniform. Then we had our class. We were very very very glad because we were able to finish it very early.

Then the Science and Technology Week finally came. It was the time that we have to display our projects at the Biology lab. When I arrived there, GOSH! The projects of the other people were very very very very nice and wonderful. There was a rocket, a piano, a cellphone(a big one) then many more. Then I displayed our project there. There were other people who were supposed to arrange our projects so I just left it there.

Many days passed days passed by. Then the day that they should award the winners came. We were not expecting that our project will win because it was kind of not so nice. But do you know what happened? Our project won! I got up from my seat very late that I was almost scolded by Madam Lapa. We were supposed to get our prize by group but my group mates insisted to let me get it alone.

At that day, we were very happy.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Most of us are now excited to know and witness of what is going to happen in the fifth series of Harry Potter which is entitled "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". To those who did not know of the events, I have some details for you.

But before we discuss things, I have some questions for you. Will the prophecy reveal that Harry and Voldemort are one? I guess you have to wait for the movie... Another is do you know what the term "Order of the Phoenix" means? It means a group of people (witches and wizards) having one and the same mission: to defeat the forces of evil. Speaking of the "forces of evil", Voldemort, the most evil of all the witches and wizards of the whole magical world, has still a flat and deformed nose.

As I was saying, Voldemort and his faithful Deah Eaters are in search of this object. They believe that this object has something to do with destroying Harry Potter. While this evil people are in search fo this object, the Order (Order of the Phoenix) are trying their best to keep the enemy from seizing the prophecy. Since Voldemort has risen again, he was very very very anxious about the prophecy. As we know in the 4th movie, Voldemort has risen again with the help of Peter the Animagus, his faithful servant.

There is also another person entering the scene. She is no other than Professor Dolores Umbridge. She is an Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic Minister, Conelius Fudge. And the bad thing is the magical world still would not believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is alive again. They also believe that Harry is a crazy person. About this person, Umbridge, she is filling up for the empty Defense Against the Dark Arts Post. She was succsful. But you know what? She is a really really really bad tempered woman. She made Harry write lines with his blood as his ink. Don't you think it is unfair? He made Harry do it because Harry was speaking about Voldemort being alive again. That was her punishment for Harry. AAAH! I really really really hate her very very very very super dooooooooooper much.

Another is that Harry's been in love with Cho Chang. She is a Ravenclaw Seeker. She has a long hair and she is kind of Chinese (Well you can tell from her name). And do you know, Harry and Cho had their first kiss here in his movie? It was when Harry just had his meeting with his fellow members of the D.A.(Dumbledore's Army) when he was left alone with Cho Chang. Then Cho approach Harry and told him about how nice he was to her then she kissed him. I was also angry about this. I really really really hated her because of what she did.

Then Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, died in this movie. He was killed by his own cousin named Bellatrix Lestrange while they were dueling.

But guys look at the bright side! The good forces were able to defeat the evil forces, the world believed in the end of what Harry has been trying to tell the whole magical world but they were unsuccesful of catching Voldemort.

Watch the movie okay?

Famous teachers with their Famous lines and actions

"Noh?" "Do you get the point?" "I'll inspect your rows...."

Does these words sound familiar to you? Does it even ring a bell? Come on guys think.... But for all UPians, these words are very very popuplar. These words are now super popular at school and even studens try to follow it.

But do you know who popularized these famous lines? The people who popularizd these words are no other than the teachers of UP High. These teachers I am talking about are very very very popular because of these lines.

But UP High, let us not forget the banging of the hammer to the table and the putting of inspiring proverbs at the very very very end of every test paper. Teachers who do this are also very very very popular because of what they do. So let us start to introduce them.....

*noh?

Yeah guys you heared it right. Can you guess who is famous because of this line? Yes your guess is right. It is Madam Nuñez who popularized this line. She is a Math teacher of UP High and until now. She has a daughter. Her husband also work as a teacher and he also teaches here in UP High. She is also our adviser (II-Palma). Madam Nuñez mentions this word everytime she discusses her subject matter. It is her way of saying "right?". And until now she still speaks of it.

*do you get the point?

Yeah guys you really really really got the point. It is Madam Logarta who is famous because of this line. She is our teacher in Social Science. She was also our teacher in Social Science in our first year. When Madam Logarta discusses her subject matter, after we have read some paragraphs in the book, she will sometimes (I think it is always) say the words,"do you get the point?". I think it is her way of asking us if we understood what she was talking about. She is also strict but we have seen her laugh because when she accidentally(I think that was meant) woke up and frightened April during her class. April was really shocked when she heared Madam Logarta shouted a word. She is also famous because of her banging of her eyeglass at the teacher's table. But the sad thing is she is planning to retire next year so we won't be able to see her next year. She won't be our teacher for Social Science next year.

*I'll inspect your rows........

She will definitely inspect your rows. The only teacher in UP High who will definitely inspect your rows and will grade it Excellent, Almost Excellent and Good is no other than Madam Gallo. She was our teacher in General Science, and two other sciences in our first year. She was also our adviser in our first year (I-Bartlett). Madam Gallo speaks of these words after we greet her. Then after inspecting every row, she will then rate the whole class. When she inspects the other section, we sometimes listen and go with her as she speaks. She is also the adviser of the famous club in UP High. The Star Gazer's Society. But unfortunately, she will also retire next year so we won't be able to see her again bringing her "lapel".

*the banging of he hammer to the table........

The table says, "OUCH THAT HURTS!" everytime Sir Nellas will hit the table with his favorite toy, the hammer. Sir Nellas is also our Hometechnology teacher in our first and second year. He is also our Health teacher this year. Sir Nellas has a very soft voice that we can't almost hear it. One time we commented about his voice but he told us that the advantage of having a soft voice is that the studens will be eager to LISTEN... As if the students will listen. The students will not listen to him but after he has said everything, the students will then ask some of their classmates who listened well about what has Sir Nellas been talking about... I think (correct me if I am wrong) that he is planning to retire next year.....

*putting of proverbs every end of the test paper

Madam Lapa is the one. Madam Lapa is our teacher in Chemistry. We treat her as our second "mama". Everytime we have our chapter test or periodical test, every end of the test paper, written in italics, are proverbs which is for me, INSPIRING. She is strict but a person who is easy to go with.....

Well I think that's it. Eventhough some of the teachers I mentioned above are teaching hard subjects, they will always be remebered of their actions and most imporantly the lessons in life that they have taugh us.....

A scar to remember

"Be careful or you might get hurt!" This is always what I hear from my mom everytime I play with my playmates. I was still a kid at that time but I never ever had a scar. My mom thinks that having scars is something to be ashamed of. That is why she is so careful with me. I understand my mom. I mean there are no parents in this world who are not worried about their children. That is why I just cooperated with her.

As I was saying, I thought that I wounld not have any scar but I was wrong. I was really really wrong. There are few people in this wold who do no have a single scar on their skin.

When I was still a kid, I used to play "Tag-your-It". It was also my favorite game. I was so slow when it comes to running but eventhough I fell to the ground many times, I never had a scar. I was really really confident that I wouldn't have any scars but my mom was still scared and conscious.

I was starting to think about this "anomalous" behavior and so I asked my mom. She told me that the thing that keeps me from having scars on my skin might be my guardian angel. She told me that guadian angels cannot be seen. I asked her why. But she only said that guadian angels cannot be seen because they are like souls. I wished that I may be able to see them but my mom told me that eventhough I do anything, I would not be able to see them. She also said that guardian angels are being told by Him to guard and protect us always. She also said that I can talk to them but the only thing is I cannot see them.

And so many days have passed by and I still did not have any scar. I still played "Tag-you-It" with my playmates. My playmates were just my neighbors. I enjoyed running under the heat of the sun with my playmates.

But I started to get bored running all day. I stopped playing wih my playmates. I got bored. Evertime they invite me to play wih them, I refused. I was tired of running. I was tired of chasing my playmates all day.

And hen it hit me. An idea hit me. Why don't I try playing another game. I asked my cousin to help me hink of some games that she knows. She mnioned many games but I was interested in "Hide and Seek". I asked her if she can teach me. She told me the mechanics of the game. Then after she has told me, we played together. I was enjoying and not long after, I inroduced this game to my friends and playmates.

And so days passed by. I started to get bored playing "Hide and Seek". The swing at our backyard caught my attention. One day I followed my cousin. She was walking towards the swing. When I reached our backyard, I saw her sitting on one of the swing's chairs. I approached her and I sat on one of the chairs. It was a nice chair. Then my cousin started to tell me funny stories. She told me about the funny experience of her classmate. It was about her classmate jumping from the swing. Her classmate wasn't hurt at all. I started o think. Why won't I try that. But my cousin told me not to follow that. I did not realize that it would be dangerous to try jumping from the swing. I did not notice that I was able to jump from the swing. As to what happened next, I was very very unfortunate. My cousin was too late to stop me from jumping.

And after that event, I learned a lesson. Always listen to your elders if you know what is safe for you.

The Island of the Ogres

When I was still a kid, I usually read story books . That is one of my hobbies. But there was really a story that I really really like. And I would like to share it to you.

Long long ago, in the little village of Kurusu near the Kiso River there lived an old woodcutter and his old wife. They were poor and hard-working couple but they were happy. They were glad to have a house to live in, a rice to eat but there is something that they don't have. This made them feel sad. They never had a child. More than anything, they wanted a little boy.

One day, the old man went out into the forest to cut wood. The old woman went to the river to wash the laundry. As she was washing the clothes, she saw something floating down the river. As it came closer, she saw that it was the biggest peach she has ever seen in her life. And it was truly an enormous peach!

When the sun started to set, she went home. She brought the peach with her. Then she called out her husband. She said "I have a surprise for you my husband," she said with a smile. "Just take a look!"

The old man's eyes grew wide. He can't believe what he saw in front of him. He said to his wife, "Never have I seen such an enormous peach," he cried. "Where did you buy it?"

"That is the best part," her wife told him. "I found it floating down the river while I was washing the clothes."

"Remakable," said the man. "Well, it will taste all the better because we didn' t have to spend money for it! Let us share it."

Taking out his knife, he was about to slice the peach in half when it fell apart. The two old people saw an amazing sight. In the middle of the paech, instead of a stone, there sat a beautiful baby boy! He smiled and held out his hands to the old man and woman.

"A baby boy! A son!" cried out the old woman, picking up the baby boy and hugging him. "He was given to us by the gods!"

They named the baby boy Momotaro-The Little Peach Boy. They treated him as their own and they were never sad again.

Many years have passed and Momotaro grew up. When he reached the age of fifteen, he went to his parents and said to them, "Mother and Father, all these years you have taken care of me. Now the time has come that I will take care of you. I must go away for a while and when I come back, I will bring wealth to you that you won't have to worry about anything again."

"But where are you going?" asked his mother.
"Far in the north is an island," said Momotaro. "Upon the island live a tribe of terrible ogres. They are very wealthy and rich. They kill and rob people. And because of that I am going to punish them."

The old man gasped in dismay. "I know those ogres Momotaro. They have red skins and horns. They also eat human flesh! How can you possibly conquer them? You are but a boy!"

At this, Momotaro smiled and said, "Remember I am not an ordinary boy. I am the Peach Boy. I can do anything no other boys can do!"

His parents knew this was true and so they agreed. His mother made some balls of rice for him to take so that he would have something to eat when he gets hungry.

Momotaro set out. He was about a quarter of the way to the Island Of Ogres when a thin dog approached him.

"Do you have something to eat?" asked the dog. "Of course" and Momotaro gave him some balls of rice. After that, the dog happily followed him. When he was half-way to the Island, a thin-looking monkey approached him and asked for the same thing. Momotaro gave the monkey some balls of rice and after the monkey ate the rice, the monkey followed Momotaro happily.

Momotaro was about three-quaters away when a large bird flew out of the bush and landed on his shoulders and aked for some balls of rice. Momotaro gave the bird some rice and after he bird has eaten, the bird stayed on his shoulder.

Finally Momotaro and his companions reached the coast. "What is that?" asked the dog, staring at the water. "That is the sea" Momoaro replied. "Now we must find a way to get to the Island of Ogres."

He looked around. Momotaro had the animals gather up woods they could find. When they have gathered up all the woods, Momotaro made a raft out of it. H used the hairs of the monkey and the dog to tie up the woods.

Then they started their travel. And after many hours, they reached their destination. They moved towards the castle. He then commanded the bird to fly all the way up to the castle and see if there are many ogres inside. Then the bird flew off. In short time, the bird returned and said, "The ogres are all inside the castle."

"Climb over the gate and open it." he told the monkey. After a while, Momotaro heared the bar being pulled out and he was able to go inside with the dog and the bird. He then shouted, "Ogres! I have come to end your wickedness!"

With that the ogres came rushing out of the castle. Momotaro's faher was right. They really look horrible.

"Foolish boy!" said Akandoji, the leader of the group. "Now we shall eat you!"

But Momotaro had explained to the animals what are they going to do. He then shouted to his companions, "Attack!"

The dog bit the legs of the ogres. The monkey pulled out their horns while the bird pecked their eyes. Momotaro ran towards Akandoji. Akandoji tried to get out from Momotaro but Momotaro was too strong for him. Momotaro asked he him, "Do you give up?"

"Yes! Yes! I give up! Make them stop!" cried Akandoji.
"Only if you pull out your horns." Momotaro said.

Then the ogres pulled out their horns. Momotaro then commanded the ogres to bring out their treasures. The ogres followed.

And so Momotaro went home with a bunch of treasures. They never had to worry again. As for Momotaro he became rich and he lived happily with his family.

It is a nice story right? Well that's it. That is my favorite story and I still read it over and over again.

source: Childcraft Story and poems

high school life

"Excuse me but where do you go to school?" This is only one of the questions asked to me everywhere I go. I am a student of one of the best universities here in Cebu. Some say that this university is an advanced university and yes, it is truly is. But what is really going on in this university?

"Ok class this assignment is due on...". This is only one of what the teachers will tell you if you have any assignments. When I was in first year, I really had problems in adjusting because some subjects are new not only to me but also to those students who came from a public school. I , myself came from a public school that is why I had some problems. But as the days go by, I was able to adjust to my new life.

I was lucky because I was able to finish my first year without any back subjects. The term back subject(s) means that when you reach your next year and you had failing subject in your previous year, you have to take it again. You have to take the failing subject again in your next year. As I was saying, I didn't have any back subjects.

When I reached my second year, I was shocked the first time I watched my new schedule for the second years. It is because I caught sight of the word "Chemistry" and "Geometry". I thought I was reading the wrong schedule and I also thought that this might be the schedule of the third years or maybe it was wrongly given to us. But it was really true. This schedule I am holding is really our schedlue for the second years.

I was really looking forward for this new subjects. And when we had our first class in Geometry, I found out that I was wrong. Geometry is not a difficult subject. Our first class in Geometry was fun because our teacher was easy to go with. Our teacher for this subject was Mr. Manlunas. Mr. Manlunas didn't stay any longer because he has to go to the states. There is an opportunity for him awaiting there. So the faculty had some "auditions" for the empty post. And not long after, the faculty was able to find the one. She was also a nice teacher and she is Madam Kerr. This teacher of ours is not so strict but funny and also easy to go with just like Mr. Manlunas.

Then we had our first Chemistry class. The teacher assigned fot this post was the opposite of our Geometry teacher. Strict and scary. But as we get to know her, we found out that she was not a "terrible" teacher after all. Behind her being strict and scary teacher is a funny and nice character. We even treat her as our second "mama" because she is really a good person and she really cares for us. This teacher I am talking about is no other than Madam Lapa.

We also had a new subject. This new subject I am talking about is Biology. I was not shocked when I saw this in our daily schedule. The teachers for this subject were Miss Cadiz and Madam Carvajal. Madam Carvajal is also a nice teacher and is the bestfirend our Chemistry teacher.

Then we still had our old subjects like Algebra, Filipino, Hometechnology II, Health, PE, English and Social Science.

But you know, one thing I like in this university is that they held different kinds of celebrations my older school has never held before. I am talking about the Communications and Arts Week, Intramurals, Science Week and many many more.

Another thing that I like in this university is the Field Trip. In my older school, we never had any field trips and whatever.

As I stay longer in this university, I learned to love, protect and treat it as my second home. I am happy that I was accepted in this university because I heared that not all people are accepted in this university. When I was accepted here, I was really really happy. I am proud that I was able to study in one of the best universities here in Cebu and I also consider myself lucky. I am really proud to be a UPian......

HACHIIII!!!!!!!!!

Who doesn't like having a cold? Me, I really hate having one. It is because that you should bring a hanky or a handy towel everywhere you go. You are even afraid that it might go out or it might "spill".

The last weeks of January and the first weeks of February are the days wherein the weather is really cold. And if the weather is really cold, common cold is common to the atmosphere. Based on what my cousin told me, (she is a nursing student currently studying in CNU) the virus causing this thing is active during the cold season. That is why you will notice that people are always sneezing when the environment is cold.
The signs are unmistakable: scratchy throat, watery eyes, stuffed-up head. What are we going to do with this? I have tips for you on how to beat cold:


Keep at least three feet away from coughers and sneezers. That's how far airborne droplets from a cough or sneeze can travel.

Wash your hands often. Most colds are transmitted through indirect physical contact. For instance, a sick person who transfers her nose to her hands contaminates any object she touches. This is why is hand-washing is by far the most important thing you can do to avoid catching cold.

Beware of closed-in spaces. Office buildings with poor air circulation are a high-risk environment because cold viruses can't escape. What's worse. low humidity dries the mucous membranes that normally trap and dispose of viral invaders. The best antidote is to frequently mist your nostrils with an over-the-counter saltwater nasal spray.

Drink plenty of fluids. They help flush germs from your body and ward off the dehydration that often accompanies colds. To counteract this, drink at least eight glasses of water, fruit juice or other noncaffeinated fluids everyday.

Don't rub your eyes and nose so much. If you must, use a knuckle, not a fingertip, because it is likely to be teeming with germs.

Get off the couch. Thirty to 45 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling or dancing three times a week, is all it takes to enhance your resistance to upper-respiratory-tract infections.

Sterilize your sponges. Lots of colds are caught in the kitchen. The biggest culprits: sponges and dishrags, which provide warm, moist environments that cold germs thrive in. Your best defense is to put these items in the dish-washer on the hot cycle two to three times a week.

Take vitamins E and C. Vitamin E is believed to play an important role in immune function. Vitamin C reduces the duration and severity of symptoms

Calm that cough. A syrup that contains a suppressant is best for dry, hacking coughs. For productive coughs(the kind that produce phlegm), go with a formulation containing an expectorant, such as guaifenesin, which thins mucous secretions so they're easier to cough up.

Get a good night's sleep every night. This keeps your immune cells powered up.

Take the right decongestant. For a stuffy nose, decongestant drops and sprays relieve symptoms faster than oral drugs and cause fewer side effects.

Soothe a sore throat. Gargling with warm salt water(one teaspoon of salt per cup of fluid) work.

Try natural remedies. Echinacea, an edible flower, is believed to enhance your resistance to colds.

Have low-fat chicken soup at lunch or dinner. Chicken soup does seem to have an especially soothing effect.

When you're sick with cold, try to be extra-vigilant about keeping germs to yourself by covering up coughs and sneezes. Teach children to do the same.

Source: Reader's Digest

BOOM!

Welcome 2007! A new year and a new life. How did you spend your New year? Where did you spend it? In the province? In the city? Or in a restaurant? What kinds of foods did you prepare? Did you display fireworks? What kinds of fireworks? But eventhough fireworks are nice, these things can also cause accidents.

We know they can cause injury and even death right? As we always know, they cannot be avoided. It can happen anytime. And also based on what I have read in the dictionary, accident is anything which is unexpected or any unfortunate event involving injury. But you know, I really believe in this statement that accidents can happen anytime and anywhere and I am going to tell you one proof.

This story I am going to tell you is about my scary and funny experience last new year and how I spent it.

December 31, 2006. Last day of the year. Almost everyone is preparing for the new year. Some are going out to buy fireworks. Some are just staying inside their houses to prepare. But my family just stayed indoors and planned to have an agreement. We agreed that the older ones are going to cook while the younger ones are going to clean and prepare the house. Our grandfather is of course exempted from this agreement. In the morning, me and my cousin started cleaning the rooms while my other cousins cleaned the living and dining rooms and the kitchen. Then we had our lunch. We were not yet done with the cleaning and also the older people are not yet done with their cooking. After we had our lunch, we continued on our cleaning. But then my mom asked me to call our neighbor to ask when will the evening mass start. When I called up, this person told me that the evening mass will start at 9 o'clock in the evening. When my mom knew this, she insisted me to prepare what clothes I am going to wear. Then after I prepared my clothes I continued on my cleaning. Cleaning............... Cleaning.............. Cleaning here.............. Cleaning there................ Cleaning................... Cleaning everywhere........

And then it came. The evening mass came. When we arrived at the church, you really cannot imagine the people. You can't even breath properly because of the crowd. But unfortunately, we came early. Me and my cousin intended to came early so that we can save chairs. But do you know what happened to our saved chairs? One guy approached us and asked for a chair. Of course we disagreed but he insisted to have one. I just gave him one chair because there is nothing I can do. He is really a demanding person. And you know giving a chair means that I will be standing for an hour and a half. I was really unfortunate.

And then it came. The mass was at last finished. We went directly to our houses and prepared for the new year. Thirty minutes to twelve, we started eating. After we ate, we went outside to watch the fireworks. There were many kinds of fireworks. With different colors and styles. When we were about to go inside to go to sleep, our close neighbor called us and gave us something. As we came closer, we noticed that he was going to give fireworks. When we received the firecrackers, we called the father of my cousin to light up the those things.

Before we started lighting up the firecrackers, my uncle wanted to try taping together two different firecrackers. At first it worked but at the second time, one of the firecrackers backfired and went directly almost in front of me. I was so scared that I ran away very fast. When I was far from that thing, that was the time it exploded.

To all those people who only watch these things, here is a tip from the expert: Do not stay outdoors and watch these fiereworks if this someone who is lighting up these things cannot be trusted or suspicious.

Why?

Have you ever been in love with someone expecting that he loves you too? My friend has. But does this guy loves her in return?

She has been in love many times but she has never felt this thing with this guy. She has loved him very much that she even loved him more than herself. She first met him at the first day of school. When she met him, she thought she was going to faint. Every time she sees him and the guy looks at her, it's like it's her best time in her life. But one time, a friend told her a bad news.

Her friend told her that this guy who she is in love with has a crush on one of her schoolmates. Of course you can tell her reaction! She was sad. She hated the world. She hated that girl. But not until then, she realized that it is not the girls fault. So she just moved on. Then her feelings for this guy came back again. And now she wanted to tell the guy how much she loves him. So that it won't be too late.

So one day, she wanted to tell the guy how much she loves him but then when she was a little bit farther from him, she freaked out! She told herself, "there is still tomorrow". And so she just went back.

When tomorrow came, she has to tell the guy about her feelings. And unfortunately, she chickened out again. Her bestfriend told her that how can she tell him about her feelings if she always chicken out? So at night she planned that she will just tell him if he is just alone. But she doesn't know where he is alone. She told herself no matter what happens, she will have to do it.

And then it came. When she arrived at school she was really nervous. She thinks that she can't do it anymore. Not until the guy came up and approached her. She told herself "this is it.Time to --" but then someone called the guy! It was his bestfriend. The guy told her that can she meet him at the canteen because he wants to borrow something. My friend agreed and at last she will have to tell him about her feelings.

When she arrived at the canteen, she saw the guy and approached him. And when she sat down, the guy told him if he can borrow one of her books. My friend said yes and then told the guy that she has something to tell him. The guy told her to tell him. She told him that he was really a nice guy. She also told him that she has not felt this way before. When she was about to tell him about her feelings, a girl called out to the guy. But wait! She has heared that voice before! And when this girl came up, she was shocked! It was her another bestfriend! Then her bestfriend sat down next to the guy. Her friend told her that this guy, in front of her is her boyfriend. She never believed it at first but the guy personally told her that it was true. She wanted to stay away. She told the guy that she has to go because she has something to do.

When she walked out, she went directly to her teacher asking if she can cut classes because she is not feeling well. Her teacher permitted her and asked her to go home directly. When she arrived at her house, her brother invited her to eat but she neglected. She went directly in her room and then she cried. She cried a lot. And did you know? This is her first time to cry over a guy.

She didn't came to school the next day. She just came back the day after tomorrow. She just let herself to move on and find another guy. And until now, she is still suffering from this disastrous and devastating thing.

It has been proven again that love is really UNFAIR.....

ViCtOrY! ViCtOrY! ViCtOrY!

Who says it is impossible to win over someone who is older than you? For me, I don't believe this. Why? I am going to tell you a story.

Month of November 2006. First day of our Intramurals celebration. Pressure and excitement is surrounding the atmosphere especialy to us, the Softball team of the Sophies. If only you know about our sad experience last year. But all right, I am going to tell you.

It was our first time to play Softball with the other years but unfortunately, we weren't able to bring home the bacon.It was really a sad experience. That is why we practiced hard so that it won't happen again.

Our first game was against the Seniors. As always expected, we were defeated. But did you know what happened? A big miracle happened! It was at that time that I realized that if we just persevere enough, everything is possible. The Seniors were shocked that we had a strong defense. They never knew that we could be that strong. Even I myself could not believe that we are much professional than before. I never knew that our defense began to rock! I just knew that we practiced hard. At first we were nervous because Karen, our pitcher, throws the ball at the wrong direction causing a freewalk. I was stationed behind her as the center fielder. I keep on telling her to stay calm and the words:"don't be too nervous. We can do it". As the game goes on, our team became stronger but we were defeated again.

Our second game was against the Freshies and luckily we won! We weren't expecting this because the Freshies also had a good defense but I think they lack something. I think they lack confidence. Because I notice that if their score is too low,their fighting spirits suddenly vanish. But we, even though we knew that we are going to loose or our score is too low, we just smile and lighten our spirits. There is always a chance. And the next time we teach and practice the lower years, we will never forget to tell them to always have a fighting spirit.

As I was saying, after the game with the Freshies, our next game was against the Juniors. Our team has been waiting for this time to come. Why? After Our defeat against them, when we were still in our first year, we promised to persevere, work and practice hard. And now the time has come to show to them how prepared we are.

Morning at the last day of our Intamurals at the back of the Cultural Building this moment happened. The winner in this competition will face the Seniors in the finals. One reason why we really want to be in the finals is that we will be able to accept our banner as a team on the stage.

When it was time to start the game, we chose defense so that if ever the Juniors are in lead, there is still a possibility that we can take the lead because the first team who chose defense will be the last to bat. The Juniors started the game with their first bat. Then we had our turn.The bad thing is that they were in lead so we have to do more. When it was our last time to bat, we prayed and told ourselves that if it is His will that we will be defeated, we will just have to accept it but we should try our best. And when it was time, we never knew that we will be able to take the lead. The game ended with our victory. Beating the Juniors was such a great honor. But this doesn't end here. We still have to practice again and again to be able to reach our true VICTORY....