My Life Is My Message: 2009

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Sa Pinas Lang May Gan’to: Be Proud Or Not To Be???

Una. Nakakita ka na ba ng presidential elections with almost 50 candidates??? Hindi pa noh! Antayin mo Eleksyon next year magugulat ka sa mga makikita mong kandidato! Masyado kasing maraming naghahangad ng trono ni arroyo kaya kung sinu.sino na lang ang nagfile ng certificate of candidacy. Masyadong maraming naghahangad na maupo sa malakanyang , e iilan lang naman talaga ang may kakayanan. Infact, mabibilang mo lang sa mga daliri ng manok. Yung iba naman kasi nakagawa lang ng konting kabutihan gusto ung kapalit boto. Ano to? Tulong bata? Meron namang kahit hindi kilala nagsisipagtakbo. Sarap pahabulin sa aso para tuluyan nang tumakbo!whahaha

Pangalawa. San ka nakakita ng pinatalsik at pinakulong na pangulo dahil umano sa kurapsyon ayon na rin sa kagustuhan ng sambayanan pero ngayon heto’t nag-file na rin ng COC para sa darating na eleksyon? Dito lang meron niyan! WALA NANG IBA! Hindi pa ba sapat na malamang kaya kang ipagkanulo ng mga taong tumulong sa’yo nung una pero dahil ayaw ka na nila agad kaya kinasuhan ka ng plunder? Tapos sasabihin mo pa ngayong malapit ka ng bumalik? Sa tingin mo ba may nag-aantay pa rin sayo? Siguro meron ung mga fans mo nung artista ka pa! sina lolo’t lola! Whahaha

Pangatlo. San sa apat na sulok ng mundo merong taong matapos maluklok sa tuktok ng bundok este ng kapangyarihan e muling nagnanais ng upuan bilang representative ng isang distrito ng pampanga? Imagine, mula taas pababa. Hindi ba nakakahiya yun? Kakainin mo ung pride ng pagiging presidente mo dahil lang sa obsession mo sa kapangyarihan? Tsktsktsk

Pang-apat. San ka nakakita ng mga pulitikong hindi pa nahahalal pero mas malaki pa ang ginastos na pera para sa campaign ad kesa sa sahod na kikitain niya kung sakaling siya ay mahalal? Hindi kaya mangungurakot lang tong pulitikong ito para mabawi lahat ng perang ginasta niya para sa ikauunlad ng kanya lang pamilya? Hay buhay…

Ilan lang yan sa mga napapansin ko ngayon! Marami pa! Super dami pa! Kaya lang nakalimutan ko ilalagay ko ee. Hahaha! Abang lang kayo! Whahaha

=)))

Thursday, November 19, 2009

My Most Memorable Celebration!

Today, I am celebrating my 17th birthday. Nothing's new! One day being my day and after it nothing! My birthday is just a normal and ordinary moment for me like spending each day of my life with anybody else. But this celebration is the most memorable among all and I am really thankful that its my new classmates and friends that made this thing possible and because of that they painted a very huge smile in my face!

I didn't expect anything today! All I know is that I don't wanna go to school. But I have no choice but to got to.I went to school having an aura of what I really have. Like what I have said nothing's special. When I entered the classroom my classmates greeted me "happy birthday!!!" and I saw notes written at the board. I am really contented with that. A simple greeting is enough for me to satisfy this day, my day! The first class started. The atmosphere was the same, just as the typical aura of a class discussion. My prof presented his PowerPoint-lesson. At the end, there's a slide saying "happy birthday Anthony Gaupo". And I was surprised! (thanks sir!). Then, he said that my classmates have a surprise for me.

Brian(tnx!) asked me to go with him at his locker. I go. I really don't know what will happen next if I enter again the room. Also, I am not expecting what surprises they might have prepared. When I got there, I open the door like I open it normally. I was shocked when I saw the fluorescent lamp switch off, Reg (tnx!) holding a camera, every eye was on me and a candle lighted above a cake. I move out of the room as I saw it. They asked me to enter and so i did but shy! They sing a song and presented a gift!!! A gift that I really didn't expect.

I blow the candle light of a red ribbon cake held by Kia (tnx!). I don't know what to do. I was shy but most of it was covered of gratitude, overwhelm and a feeling of a special! Sophie(tnx!) gave the gift to me. I opened it then I saw a phone kit. Its 3310 box! Honestly, everything inside of it is really appreciated, very much appreciated. She asked me to open it then I saw a Samsung phone. WHAT is all I can say!!! I hug them all! The very special thing was of course when Kia kissed me! (tnxtnxtnx). I will not deny that! hehe

Kia, Jo, Brian, Sophie, Oti, Reg, Muriel, Daph, Karla, Ferdie, Kim, Vitto, Bhabes, Wendy, She (grace hehe), Calvin, Peter, Miko, Jasper, Evan, Charles, Albert, JT, JP, Pugs, Cha, Josh, Alvin, Karen, Kenneth, Paul, Jethro, Hervie, Katie, and Jc! Thank you all! SUDOME, I love you all!!! I know you are the people behind this. Its too much from the simple happiness I only asked. I will really treasure everything from you! And I will be always reminded that I have a celebration that is very very much special. Your notes in the folder by Jo (tnx) will be my proof that this day really existed.

I feel til now that that moment was still in here! That I was still surrounded by the people I thought will be hard to deal with (sorry po). That I was in the middle of the class still don't know what to do because of the astonishing celebration they have prepared! That I was standing in front listening to the song they are singing! And that I was making a face of gratefulness, thankfulness and blissfulness that seem to never fade.

This day really marked a place in my life! It will be added to the collections of what should I reminisce when I get gray. And this celebration is enough for me to not celebrate on the next hundred years of my life! You filled it in advance!!! Like what I have said to you, this was my first big surprise in my life! I don't really expect this from you! That's why you are really special!

Thank you to the nth times 'Coz there's no word that can describe how grateful I am being with you all! Tnxtnxtnx! GOD BLESS US ALL!!!

=))))))))))))))))))))

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Hear a Deaf’s Speech (...and be inspired!)

(Please read this!!! Its very inspiring. This was written and delivered by a deaf student in Benilde!!!)

On October 17, 2009, 626 graduates of the 1st Term of SY 2009-2010 capped their college days and received their diplomas in the PICC. For the first time, a Deaf graduate delivered the graduation speech. SDEAS graduate Ana Kristina Arce recounted her experiences as a Deaf person struggling through school. She offered herself and the rest of the Deaf Benildean community as inspiration to her fellow graduates whenever they come to doubt their own abilities.

Speech of Ana Kristina Macasaet Arce
Magna Cum Laude, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
Delivered October 17, 2009

Brother President Victor Franco FSC, Vice Chancellors, Assistant Vice Chancellors, Deans, Administrators, Faculty, Parents, Sign Language Interpreters, Guests, fellow graduates, and the Benildean Community, Good Morning.

Let me begin my speech with this passage from the Holy Scriptures, found in Jeremiah 18, and I quote …”And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it”. In pottery, the potter places a mold of clay on a table and the potter turns it around carefully. Using his hands, the potter will repeat the process several times until he gets the perfect shape. As hands are important to a potter, hands are also important to us, Deaf persons. Our main source of communication is through the use of our hands, we talk and express ourselves through them. And just like the potter whose hands make the perfect creation, we also hope to get the best if not the perfect performance for ourselves using our hands. With our hands, we can go places, change lives and make a difference.

I was born Deaf, and when my parents discovered this, like most hearing parents of Deaf children, they felt that the only way for me to survive was if I learned to speak and so they enrolled me in different oral schools where I had to wear hearing aids and learn how to lip read. I was enrolled in four different oral schools and we tried to find something workable that would fit. I tried my best in these schools but still it wasn’t easy for me to adjust. And then my parents thought of trying it out in a school for the Deaf and they enrolled me at the Philippine School for the Deaf where sign language is used as the medium of communication. I quickly adjusted and started doing well in my academics, and received several awards in grade school and I was also the class valedictorian of my batch. I was also an achiever all throughout high school and even if I transferred to a Deaf private school during my senior year I still managed to finish with academic honors.

And then came College, during my first year I was enrolled in another college where Deaf and hearing college students were together in class. I found the experience to be more saddening than exciting. I often cried because my hearing classmates would exclude me in meetings and group projects, maybe because they thought I will not be able to understand them and communicate with them. I struggled to adjust and tried to show my hearing peers what I can do but they never gave me a chance to prove myself to them. Do you want to feel useless? I’m sure you don’t and neither do I or any other Deaf person for that matter. I tried to think that maybe my classmates were doing this because they have big hearts and are trying to understand me and make things easier for me, but I ended up frustrated and I was the one left trying to understand them. Before the end of the first semester, I had set my mind to move to another school, this time, one that offers a program for Deaf students.

And so it was through the efforts of my mother that we found DLS-CSB’s School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies. At DLS-CSB, SDEAS especially, not only did I find an academic institution, but I also found an environment where teachers and other members of the community welcomed us. I felt loved and cared for, and I felt that the school was like a family. I learned that I am a Deaf person; the word, Deaf, being spelled with a capital D, which means that I am identified, not merely as a person who cannot hear, but as someone who is part of the Deaf community, partaking in its unique culture and natural sign language. And with that, I believe that one of the best fruits of education is our ability to understand and change people’s attitude about the Deaf and other Persons with Disabilities, and that is what SDEAS’s education has given me. Our Benildean education has developed us Deaf persons into persons of dignity, integrity, and with a deep sense of spirituality, and we are now being given the chance to become productive members of society.

If you go around the different high schools for the Deaf I am sure that all of the students there will say that they all wish to go to college. However, very few schools offer quality education and those that do, are expensive schools, and most of the Deaf cannot afford to pay the high cost of tuition and fees. And aside from that most people, sad to say even some parents of Deaf students, assume that because we are Deaf we cannot succeed in college so better not send us to school. For students like us, going to school is no walk in the park. We often need to rely on kind-hearted teachers and interpreters to understand the lessons. Getting an education is a big challenge for us.

And so I am thankful to DLS-CSB for opening its doors and welcoming the Deaf regardless of our disability. We have learned so much from this school and we can now proudly say that we are complete Deaf persons and we now embody the teachings of Saint Benilde Romançon.

I especially wish to thank Br. Vic for his utmost concern for the Deaf and his big heart by increasing the number of slots for Deaf scholars from 30 to 60 students starting the school year of 2008-2009. My sincere thanks and appreciation to all of you hearing students for your willingness to interact with us and for making us feel that we are not an isolated group and that we can also be active participants in school activities and be a useful bunch of interesting students. That we, the Deaf students, are your peers…your equals.

At this point, allow me to make an appeal to all the hearing students and guests of this occasion. We may be Deaf persons but we can also do anything you can do, except hear. Communicating with our hands should not make a difference. We live in one country, one world. That means we also long for respect, inclusion in accessibility, and acceptance with dignity. We are not a different breed because of our disability. We also want to live in a society where people will not stare or frown at us or treat us differently. We are also human beings and we are similar regardless of our disability. Please allow us to show you what we can do; please, believe in us too. Let us prove to you that yes, the DEAF CAN. Dear fellow graduates, I hope that when you have established yourselves in the companies you are working for, or if you have successfully put up your own business, please remember the Deaf Benildeans who may need your help in advocating our skills and capabilities, remember us and other Deaf graduates who may have the talents and potentials to be a part of your companies and contribute to its growth.

To all our teachers, you are part of this achievement we are reaping today. You painstakingly taught us all the tools we would need to make us productive individuals and showed us the way towards academic independence. You instilled in us the core values of upright citizens and we will forever treasure our years with you in our hearts. To our parents, thank you for your patience and perseverance, for your selfless understanding of our endless needs, and your unconditional love and care that carried us through our countless years of struggle to get the degree that we received today. My utmost gratitude go to my own parents, Ramon and Vilma Arce, who loved, cared, and gave me all the support that enables me to stand before all of you today. We, the Deaf students, also wish to offer our sincerest thanks to all our interpreters with generous hearts, who are willing to serve the Deaf in assisting us in our communication needs.

I would like to enjoin my fellow graduates, especially my hearing batchmates, to always keep the Benildean Core Values in our hearts. Guided by these values, we can definitely scale to great heights. Let us never forget the people who made our presence here possible. Let us always remember the values of sharing and selflessness so that when we look back, we can proudly say that we lived a meaningful life and we made a difference in the lives of other people.

Graduation is not the end. It’s only the beginning of another journey towards a higher level of learning. Don’t be afraid to dream, for it can be the first step to achieving our goals. Always remember that with patience and hard work, success will be within our reach. The biggest challenge for all of us is to overcome our fears and uncertainty.

For those of you who still have doubts about your potentials, let me and my Deaf batchmates be the living testament of what we can all become despite our limitations. In previous years, only a handful of Deaf students would graduate every year. Today, 25 of my Deaf batchmates received our diploma, the biggest number so far, and this is a testament of our four years of struggle to attain our academic degree. I am probably the first Deaf Filipino Magna Cum Laude graduate, and I am not saying this to brag about my achievement. I am humbly sharing this with you to thank God, my potter, for molding me, His clay, into a wonderful human being. I believe we can reach our maximum potentials no matter what challenges we face in life, because God is our potter and we are his clay.

To all my fellow graduates, Congratulations and Good Luck! Remember to always be Proud to be Benildeans and to always live Jesus in our hearts.

Thank you and good day.

Ana Kristina M. Arce

Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday the thirteenth

According to belief, there is no single day of the year more terrifying than Friday the 13th. Based on this superstition, a bad luck will surely hit and befall to a person. Much worst, sometimes it ends up to death. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute, up to 21 million people in the United States today suffer from a morbid and irrational fear of Friday the 13th.

But where this superstition originated from???

The Friday the 13th superstition is thought to have originated from the Knights Templar, a military order established in 1118 to defend the Christian city of Jerusalem. After the First Crusade and the capture of Jerusalem from the Muslims, protection of Jerusalem and the outlying Kingdom of Outremer was left to the knights. When the city was recaptured by Saladin’s Muslim forces in 1187 and all subsequent attempts by Christian Crusades to retake the city failed, the Knights Templar found themselves out of work. However, they had become extremely wealthy and powerful from their military conquests, and they never disbanded their organization or changed the clandestine ways their meetings were held. Their power and secrecy attracted the attention and distrust of King Philip IV of France. On Friday, October 13, 1307, the king sent out an order to arrest all the Knights Templar in France, accusing them of blasphemy and witchcraft. Many were burned alive, including the group’s Grand Master, Jacques de Molay. “On Friday the 13th of October 1307, the Templar Knights who were in France at the time found the soldiers of the king knocking on their doors,” said Alan Butler, co-author of The Warriors and the Bankers, a book about the Templars. “Jacque de Molay confessed pretty much right away, but he was almost certainly tortured.

The fear of Friday the 13th is rooted in two long held fears, the fear of Fridays and the fear of the number 13. Individually they are bad enough but combined are enough to make the superstitious not even contemplate getting out of bed for the day. Particularly superstitious people may become so fearful that they develop a debilitating phobia about the number 13 (triskaidekaphobia) or Friday the 13th (paraskavedekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia).(

Here are some proofs of the "bad luck" the FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH" brought!!!

One that is often cited as proof of the unluckiness of the number 13 was the ill fated Apollo 13 mission to the moon. Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970 or 11/4/70, which when added together equal 13 (4+11+70=85 8+5=13). Although launched from Florida, the time of launch at Mission Control in Houston, TX was 13:13 CST. Failure of the number 2 oxygen tank occurred on April 13th at 02:08:53.555 UTC, which when converted to the Eastern time zone is 9:08:53.555 and equals 13 (9+8+53+555=625 6+2+5=13). Finally it's estimated that had the explosion happened prior to launch the bill for repairing the damage would have been $13 million.

Other disastrous events include "Black Friday", Friday, July 31, 1987, when a F4 tornado ripped through Edmonton and killed 27 and injured more than 300. The Great Flood, Friday, July 13, 1951, which flooded over 2 million acres in Kansas, caused $760 million in damages and killed 24 people. The "Good Friday" earthquake, Friday, March 27, 1964, the largest Earthquake in North America's recorded history, struck Prince William Sound killed 131 and was felt around the world. A smaller quake hit Erzincan, Turkey on Friday March 13, 1992 and unofficially killed as many as 2,000 people and left another 50,000 homeless.

Famous people with unfortunate links to Friday the 13th include Al Capone who was arrested and sentenced to jail on Friday 13th, Tupac Shakur who was killed in Las Vegas on Friday the 13th, Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, who died on Friday, June 13th, 1986, and the 38th Vice President of the United States, Hubert Humphrey who died on January 13, 1978.

13 INTERESTING FACTS

Belief that the number 13 is unlucky is the most common Western superstition.

Every month has a 13th but no single year has more than three Friday the 13th's and on average there are two.

Months with a Friday the 13th always begin on a Sunday.

It is from the Norse goddess Frigg, or Freyja, that we get Frigg's Day, or Freyja's Day which became the English Friday.

Black Sabbath's self-titled first album was released in the UK on Friday, February 13, 1970 and I will be listening to it on this Friday the 13th.

In a traditional hangman's noose there are 13 twists of the rope and 13 steps to the gallows.

There is no 13th Avenue in San Francisco, instead Funston Avenue is between 12th and 14th Avenues. There is however a 13 Street. It's covered by the Central Skyway making it one of the darkest and ugliest streets in San Francisco.

In Formula 1, there is no car with the number 13. The number has been removed after two drivers were killed in crashes — both driving cars numbered 13.

According to Dr. Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, more than 80% of high-rises lack a 13th floor.

Infamous murderers Charles Manson, Harold Shipman, Frederick West, Saddam Hussein, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Theodore Bundy, and Jack the Ripper each have 13 letters in their names.

Women drivers have a 64% increased chance of death when driving on Friday the 13th.

Folklore remedies for triskaidekaphobia include climbing to the top of a mountain or skyscraper and burning all the socks you own that have holes in them. Another is to stand on your head and eat a piece of gristle.

According to at least one interpretation of the Mayan calendar the world will end on 13.13.13.13.13.13.13.0.0.0.0 or in the Gregorian calendar, Friday, October 13, 4772.

SOURCE:

http://www.bsudailynews.com/features/origins-of-friday-the-13th-1.2064598

http://www.hauntedbay.com/history/friday13.shtml

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Work Station

Im currently here at work. At wala akong magawa kaya eto blog muna ako! Pero ngayon walang class pero hindi rin freeslots haha. Undermaintenance ung lab. nasira ko ata ung computers haha! joke lang. Puro virus daw ung mga computer kaya erase muna nila lahat yun!!!

Ang hirap talaga pag.walang magawa sa buhay. Ang boring! Minsan tuloy kung ano-anong naiisip ko sa mga bagay-bagay. Pag-maingay tapos gusto mo ng tahimik lalong umiingay ung paligid pero pagtahimik gusto natin ng maingay kasi may mga memories tayong ayaw nating alalahanin na patuloy namang nagsusumiksik sa isipan natin! Pasaway na utak toh ooh!!!

Kaya ang tendency ng tao ay humanap ng paraan para ma-set aside yung mga unwanted memories. Kaya ako, eto ang paraan ko. Blogging!

At ngayon wala na akong masabi kaya mas mabuting pang tapusin ko na toh!!!

hahaha

bye sleep well!!!