The Look

As the saying goes, “It is in the eyes where the soul of a person is reflected”, even if someone does not speak you can somewhat see what he is thinking through his looks or stare. We may lie with our words and our actions but not in our eyes. It might have been the most honest organ we can see in our physical appearance, which is directly connected to our heart. Unexpressed emotions can be seen through the eyes of a person. Our eyes could be the window of our soul where our deepest emotions are kept. Emotions that were left unspoken and undone, which were preferred to be kept inside for some reasons we do not know. Staring or looking is an act, which is so powerful that can relay our feelings, which we cannot merely say nor express in our actions. A look can alter emotions. Some people will find their selves fighting just because of a single look or stare from someone they barely know. And for some, they will find their selves falling in love just by a stare.

In this poem the author, Sara, and Colin might have been friends for a long time and secretly a feeling of adoration for each of them had developed through their friendship. It was reflected on how Colin looks at her, his deepest emotions and the hidden love he hardly express. The two may have been separated for a period of time wherein Sara was able to meet new guy friends which later courted her, Strephon and Robin. These two guys were nice ones which she had tried to know much deeper and tried to shift her attention to them.

Strephon kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall,

She entertained these two guys but she realized that she was not able to feel the admiration she felt with Colin. The feeling she had for Colin was really different, which she hardly understood.

Strephon’s kiss was lost in jest,
Robin’s lost in play

Sara could only see in the eyes of Colin his admiration for her and feel in some way the love from Colin for her, in which Colin was not able to confess it directly to Sara.

But Colin only looked at me
And never kissed at all.

With those looks, Sara seemed to be puzzled why Colin is not doing something or any step for them to know more of each other. Maybe in her heart there is a hope that one day this guy would as her out and personally will tell her what does all those looks for and why he seemed to have a hard time in saying it.

But the kiss in Colin’s eyes
Haunts me night and day.


This poem emphasizes how one can be so affected by a look or a stare from someone special. It can served as one’s inspiration or a distraction depending upon the other acts done by the one looking and the response by the one being stared.

Vigilante: Heroes or Villain?

Vigilantes cannot be considered heroes in our society. Their way of putting justice into their own hands by unmercifully killing people whom they think as “the cancer of the society”, is such an unfair act. As the popular saying goes, “Crime couldn’t be resolved by violence”, that is why we have our laws where the proper procedures of determining whether one is truly guilty or not.

This act of violence by the vigilante can be so dangerous for the civilians and other innocent people surrounding the person they think that deserve to die. There were already instances reported wherein the one they have killed was not really the one they intend to put an end in his life.

Another thing, if we are going to compare these vigilantes to our real heroes like Dr. Jose Rizal and our contemporary heroes like the OFW, these heroes sacrificed and forget bout’ themselves for the goodness of the majority. In addition, if they will be comparing themselves to Andres Bonifacio who used the war in order for them to fight for what they stand for, these vigilantes are operating in secret because maybe they are afraid that their identities will be revealed. Our known heroes in the same way are being sympathized by the people while these vigilantes are hated.

Moreover, if we are going to consider their motifs, for me until now I do still have doubts whether they are really killing for the sake of the country or for the sake of anyone else. As heard, there were some powerful personalities behind these vigilantes and most of these people are politicians who are afraid that their true colors will be revealed that is why they are seeking the help of this vigilantes to clean their mess for them.

If I were to describe these vigilantes, they are just like puppets of these powerful people who are taking advantage of these people who maybe are concerned for our society. In the same way they are like the NPA’s, MILF and other rebels that does not help the cause of our society but just adding up to its problems. Because of these killings, one aspect that could be greatly affected is our economic aspect. Businessmen may have doubts in investing in a place where violence is rampant, thus getting the opportunity for all the jobless to have work.

As a Catholic, I strongly disagree the way of the vigilante. Our body is sacred and no one has the right to put an end on this life, only our Creator. This stand by the church is being supported by the passages from the bible. It is stated in the law of the Catholics, the Ten Commandments, that killing is a heinous act and if it would be our response to gain justice it would be inappropriate. We also have our own stains in ourselves so we should not condemn them for having sins. Even if that person killed was truly a sinner, who are we to judge them? Are those vigilantes sinless?

The Problem with Men is…The Problem with Women is…

‘You can not please everybody’ is a very popular quote. It simply means that no one satisfies everybody even though he or she tries hard. I myself agree with this quotation and there are really times that someone hate what I am doing. And there are also times that I hate what other people are doing.

The problem with men is they are very untidy. I hate a person who does not know how to put things in their proper order. For me, maintaining cleanliness and order is very important because it will mean that the person is organize in all his things as well as in his life. He knows how to handle different situations because he knows where to put things at the right timing and at the right place. A well organize person is also systematic with the persons around him. He knows how to keep a relationship in good condition. It also means that the person is disciplined with his actions and manners. So it is very important to be orderly with all your things because it will reflect your life and your relationships towards other people.

Another problem with men is they are irresponsible. Being responsible is one of the best characteristic that a person should have. It does not only pertain to big duties; it also applies to the simple actions you do in your life. You should be responsible with your actions and decisions. If you commit a mistake or do something wrong that hurts the people around you, you should be fearless enough to admit your mistake and be brave enough to face all its consequences. You should not pass these to other people and let them face what is intended for you. And if you made a decision, you should courageous enough to handle the outcome of your decision.

The problem with both men and women is being liars. I think all of us lie just to cover up our mistakes. But we should change this because if ever we did something wrong, we should be bold enough to face its consequences. It still goes back to being responsible.

Another problem with men and women is they are very insensitive to the feelings of the people around him. If you have something to say you should think first what other people will feel with your words. You should consider all your listeners’ emotions because you might hurt their feelings.

In our batch, I think that almost everybody tease me and make fun of me. I admit there are really times that I get hurt but I just hide it. I merely do not react and let them continue their jokes. But I think that there should be a limitation in their jokes. They should consider what I feel inside. They should not make the jokes extremely hurtful. Their jokes sometimes upset me and make me feel bad. I am also a person that can feel the pain. I am not somebody who can tolerate all the aches. I truly hope that there will really come a time that they could realize all the burdens that I am carrying.

Blazing Trails of Legacy and Friendship: JS Prom '07

This year’s Junior- Senior promenade is really an event worth remembering. It is my second time to join a promenade but it feels like my first time because this year’s promenade is different from last year.

It feels like my first time because I still feel nervous while walking in front of the juniors, seniors and the teachers. I thought that it would be easier for me to walk gracefully down the aisle because I already had an experience but I was wrong. It is still not easy to walk with high-heeled sandals in front of so many people.

I really enjoyed the night because my tablemates are so humorous. I had a lot of fun during the dinner because we keep on talking on how to use properly the utensils. We are not acquainted to the correct uses of each utensil but thanks to Euvic; he taught us on when to use each utensil. I also enjoyed the accompany of the juniors because they are very open to us. They keep on sharing their hilarious experiences that made us laugh. I gained a lot of friends from the juniors during the promenade. Even though we only have little time, it seems like we are talking for almost a day because there are no boring moments.

I enjoyed the promenade because I had bonding moments with my fellow seniors during the disco. All of us are dancing as if no one is watching us. We are ecstatic during the disco. We are like dogs release from the doghouse. The juniors are still very shy. They are not able to jam with us during the disco because of their bashfulness.

I also enjoyed watching the teachers dance. They are like teenagers because they are very active in dancing.

During the last song of the disco, some of the seniors danced their special someone. However, most of the seniors dance as a group and I am one of them. I am part of the singles circle, a group of students who are still single.

That dance made me realized that you do not need somebody to make you happy. Being happy is a choice. If you chose to be sad because you do not have a partner, it is your decision. For me, you need not to have a partner to complete you as a person. There are more important things that we should focus than having a partner. We can find our perfect match at the right time. God already planned everything for us; we should just wait for it. Enjoy what we have now and thank God for all the blessings that he has given us. We should also be grateful that we have friends, somebody whom we can trust. Appreciate every single thing that they do for us. Never ever neglect their simple actions because those simple deeds are not worth it to be ignored. They should be treasured for a lifetime like diamonds. A true friend comes rarely. Grab the opportunity because you might regret and you will realize in the future that you already lost a million worth diamond.

Love An Act of the Will Not of the Heart

Love is a passionate feeling of attraction towards something or somebody. There are so many kinds of love; love of parents to their children, God’s love to humanity, love for an earthly thing, love of oneself, and of course romantic love.

Love is a need. From Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of basic human needs, there are four basic needs of human being: physiological needs, security, love and belongingness, and self-actualization. When we say need, it is something essential for living. Because love is a necessity, people should have love. But what part of our body really experience this feeling?
For me, love is just an act of the will not of the heart. If we say will, it means the mind controls the act of loving.

The heart is merely a blood-pumping organ of the body. It pumps blood that carries oxygen throughout the body. The central nervous system controls all other systems in our body. The brain controls the functioning of each part of the body. Therefore, without brain, other parts of our body cannot function including the heart. And with this, I can say that mind controls love.
According to Arthur W. Toga, the brain is the control center for movement, sleep, hunger, thirst, and virtually every other vital activity necessary to survival. All human emotions—including LOVE, hate, fear, anger, elation, and sadness—are controlled by the brain.

In arranged or fixed marriage, love is really an act of the will not of the heart. People choose to be with the person whom their parents want rather than with the person whom they really want to be with. If you want to do something, you must love it. Like in our lessons, if we want to learn Mathematics, we must love it. At first, it is hard to force yourself to do something that you do not like, but through time, you will really learn how. Loving somebody is a process that takes time.

And if love is an act of the heart, you will not choose the person you love. However, most of the times, we choose the person whom we love. In choosing the right person to be loved, we used our brain. We do not use our hearts in selecting the people whom we want to love.
I can also say that love is definitely an act of the will not of the heart because for me, love is not blind. If love is blind, it does not see what is right. Love in this manner is not love at all; it is stupidity. Love seeks for what is right.

And lastly, love is truly an act of the will not of the heart because we decide whom to love, where to love and when to love. We choose the right timing. We do not love somebody as if we are just eating and if we do not like the taste, we will just vomit it. We need to look at the different aspects of life that can be affected in loving somebody. We weigh the advantages and disadvantages before deciding.

Love is an act of the will not of the heart!!

Academic Mentoring Program

The Academic Mentoring Program is a project of the University of the Philippines High School Student Council. This project is supported by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated or popularly known as RAFI. RAFI has already made several programs for the development of the youth, which includes the Young Minds Academy and Kool Adventure Camp, assistance of cancer patients, and also in the field of education. This mentoring program will help students who have difficulties in the academics and also to enhance their knowledge and boost their interests on the academic subjects.

For the first mentoring, the Hipodromo Elementary School is the chosen beneficiary. This program focuses on the development of the knowledge of the students in Mathematics. Most of us find Math as a very hard and uninteresting subject, but in the mentoring program, we encourage the students to love Math because it will be very easy to learn something if you love it. We give the students the simplest ways to learn Math and make the learning an enjoyable activity by giving them fun and exciting exercises. We also treat the students very well so that if they want to ask something about the discussion, they will feel free to ask it. It is very important that the students will be comfortable with the mentors so that they will really enjoy learning Math.

I am one of the mentors chosen in this Academic Mentoring Program. It is not that easy to be mentor, because first of all, I do not have the experience of teaching and it is also my first time of meeting the students. There are a lot of adjustments in my part because I committed so I really have to attend in all the sessions. The sessions are every Saturday from eight in the morning until twelve noon. I always wake up early in the morning in order to prepare. And before appearing in front of the students, I make it to a point that I have studied the lessons that I will be going to discuss.

In a classroom, there are three mentors and ten students. My group mates are Eldee and Rowella. Though we are three it is still not that easy to control the students because there are some who are very naughty. Sometimes your patience will already be gone and you will end up scolding the students. But it is really part of my commitment, so I really should control my temper and be more patient in teaching them. I should not show my temper because if I will do it, they will just tease me and laugh at me. They will already disrespect me.

But I am still very glad to be part of the Academic Mentoring Program. This will give me a new experience and a chance to meet other people. This experience is truly unique because I have already taught students and help them in their difficulties even though I am still a high school student. This is definitely an achievement for me. I will really treasure this once in ablue moon experience.

Loneliness

l (a

l e
a f
f a
l l
s )

one
l
iness

I have learned from our book English Communication Arts and Skills IV that poem is a thought or a feeling expressed in rhythmic and colorful language. Every poem has its own distinctions. And for me the poem above is very unique. At first glance, it seems like a very nonsense poem but take a look at it several times. Did you see what is behind that poem?

In taking the meaning of a poem, you have to know the background of the author. We must give consideration to all the events that he had experiences. I have researched that E. E. Cummings lived during World War I. He might be affected with it and he might have tragic experiences during the war.

The structure of a poem also greatly affects its meaning. When you look at the typographical structure of the poem, you can see a phrase “a leaf falls” inserted in the word loneliness. And I think the meaning of the poem lies there. E. E. Cummings wanted to express a feeling of solitude. But why did he compared the falling of the leaf to loneliness?

A leaf falls when its color is yellowish brown. And when this happens, the leaf departed from the branch of the tree. The leaf is already away from the tree that gives nutrients to the leaf. The leaf is nearing to die because it has no more connection with the tree.

For me, the falling of the leaf implies death. Let us take the tree as a family and all the leaves as the members of the family. When one leaf falls to the ground, the other members would definitely be sad. In our life, it is very hard to accept the inevitable truth that all of us will die eventually. We cannot understand if one of our loved ones will be taken away from us. Though it is difficult, we must because that is life. And accepting the truth takes a long time. It is a process.
When there is a wound, let it heal through time. Do not inflict it with different cure because the only cure is time. Wait for the right timing to come. And during that process, loneliness is what we feel.
Another meaning that I can get from the poem is abandonment. When someone leaves you behind, you will really feel depressed. There are times that you keep on thinking of the person and you do not want to eat. There are also times that you cannot sleep because you are thinking of the person, if he is ok or not. It is hard because you will miss the person. When you want to call him, you do not know how to communicate with him. It is very hard to be left behind. In times of grief, you have no one to lean on. You are all alone.

Well those are my interpretations. We might have different interpretations because of our experiences. Try to look for other meanings and you will see that a short poem like this has so much emotion yet to be discovered.