30 September 2007

What would you visit in Japan?

Mount Fuji
By Jenna Camille E. Alcala, II-Acacia


If given a chance to visit Japan, I would like to go and see the sunrise at Mt. Fuji reflected from Lake Kagawuchi in Chubu region in Honshu, Japan. I have always been fascinated by that beautiful mountain and I would also like to feel how cold it is there since we don’t have snow here in the Philippines.

I would also like to go to the Fuji Hakore-Izu, a national park built near Mt. Fuji. Many tourists say that you can have a perfect view of Mt. Fuji there and you can ride a boat to explore the lake that surrounds the mountain. You can tell by its pictures how perfect its shape is and how the snow covers its peak.

I have also heard in history that Mt. Fuji is one of the wonders that keep Japan united, brave, and strong. That’s another reason why I picked Mt. Fuji as the place in Japan to go to.
The Land of the Rising Sun
By Gelina Rose Bambalan, II-Acacia

I have read and heard so much about Japan, that is why my greatest dreams include visiting Japan, “The Land of the Rising Sun.” I am amazed at the industry and discipline of the Japanese. There is no wonder why Japan is also known to be the Industrial Giant of Asia.

If I am given the opportunity to visit this country, I would not miss the chance to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the two cities that suffered much from atomic bombing during the Second World War. Through these cities we can see how resilient the Japanese are for they were able to recover from those bombings.

I will also visit the tallest mountain in Japan, Mount Fuji and the famous Lake Kawaguchi. It became famous for its inverted image of the mountain that is reflected on its waters.

I will also not miss the chance to see the different kinds of Japanese architecture, such as the Horyuji Temple in Nara. I have read that it is rectangular in plan and consists of open pavilion locked by its own upward curving roof.

Through reading books about Japan, I learned so much about the country and reading is like taking a tour of Japan. It would be much better, however, if it is for real and I could truly see the wonders found in Japan.

14 September 2007


Morning Glory: A Poem from the Chinese Book of Odes
imagery illustrated by Robelyn Valenzuela (II-Acacia)

The morning glory climbs above my head -
Pale flowers of white and purple, blue and red.
I am disquieted.

Down in the withered grass something stirred;
I thought it was his footfall that I heard.
Then a grasshopper chirped.

I climbed the hill just as the moon showed;
I saw him coming from the southern road.
My heart lays down its load.

Imagery is any series of words that create a picture in your head. Such images can be created by using figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, personification and assonance. Imagery helps the reader picture what is going on. Imagery is also the term used to refer to the creation (or re-creation) of any experience in the mind — auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, kinesthetic, organic. (wikipedia.com)

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The greatest gift is a portion of yourself.

09 September 2007

deserts and wells

by Rachel Llabore (II-Acacia)

“What makes the desert beautiful,” said the little prince, “is that somewhere it hides a well.” (The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery) This means that no matter how dry and barren the desert is, there would always be a source of life – a well to quench a traveler’s thirst – hidden somewhere.

Likewise, we can associate the desert to our own lives. Even if the paths of life are bumpy and we get to meet trials and challenges along the way, still life is beautiful and full of surprises. It’s the same as saying “Every cloud has a silver lining.”

God has a purpose for everything and He sets an equal reward for you after going through and surviving a problem.

06 September 2007

An (Almost) Effortful Autobiography

by Jan Joseff Genduso (I-Mars)

The earliest record of my childhood was as a baby (big surprise). Back then, my family lived in an ordinary house, next to an ordinary road, in ordinary Espartinez, in ordinary Daraga. I have no idea where it is now. Anyway, I already had three instant siblings (or ates and kuya) when I was born – Ate Brain (oldest), Kuya Ali (after Ate Brain), and Ate Ace (before me), with me as the youngest. Before I was born, however, they moved to Malabog, leaving good ol' Espartinez behind.

According to my Ate Ace, when I was a young’n, when I slept, I would always fall out of bed. They tried all methods to keep me in bed: bars, pillows, heat detectors, security cameras, nets and robot househelpers (ok…maybe not those last four ones, but you get the idea) but to no avail, I kept falling out of bed. I’m still not sure if this is true.

At around eight months after the start of my life, Mama, Papa and I flew to the majestic land that starts with a V – Venezuela! (Don’t laugh, I’ve won a trifle using Venezuela while playing PANTS.) My Papa had to work on flight stimulators at the Venezuela Air Force, and he couldn’t leave the whole family behind, so he brought them all! Well, kind of. My Ates and Kuya went, too. However, they only spent a few weeks there because they had to go back home because school was starting. What a sad parting…and “school” caused it. *Ehem*

In Venezuela, I took my first steps. Whenever we took a walk in the park, I would always chase the pigeons that gather, thinking that if I kissed one I would get a pot of gold. You know kids. But I mysteriously could never catch them. I wonder why. I never cared for pigeon anyway (people say they taste horrible when boiled) because back then my favorite food was – you’ll never guess it – TOMATOOOEEESSSS! I loved tomatoes back then. Well, not the whole thing, only the middle bit. I didn’t bother about the other parts. Also, back then, when the TV was on, sometimes I wouldn’t even care about it and I would run around in my jumper chasing air (it’s hard to catch, mind you). However, when a certain commercial came on, I would hear it and immediately come running right up to the TV acting as if my whole life depended on that commercial (I don’t remember what that commercial was about by the way). I would just stand there, mouth agape, looking like a stupid baby (well, I was) as the commercial played. Nothing could break me away from it, NOTHING. When the commercial was over, I would locate air, and start chasing it again. Also I would “help” my Mama do the laundry by throwing all the clothes out of the basin.

The seventh paragraph is always the best place to put the story of my birth. My birth was just like any other, except that I loved Mama so much that I wouldn’t leave her womb! The doctors had to pull me out by cutting a hole in Mama. Shortly after I was born, I went, with my parents, to the U.S. embassy to become an American (or at least prove that I am one). Also, when I was a baby, the doctor was interested in my nose. Hellooo, my Mama is Filipina and my Papa is American/Italian, who WOULDN’T be interested?

Everyone said I was a good baby, well-behaved but with a mind of my own. No one ever spoke to me in Filipino or Bicolano, only English. So…I had to learn Filipino the hard way. I’m still thinking about Bicolano. When I was a baby, the doctor was worried about me because I wasn’t gaining any weight. Well, now the problem is solved.

Alright! When I was half of eight, my Mama and I went to Miami, Florida. We were going to join Papa in Miami for he was working on flight stimulators there. Our plane to San Francisco arrived late so we missed the plane going Miami, so we had to stay the night in a hotel. That night, my Mama was soooo hungry, but she was afraid to go down. So she just sat there, staring at the coffee machine, “How do I get this darn thing working?” repeating in her mind like those news strips you see at the bottom of news programs. Eventually, I noticed her, and with some help, I showed her how to get the coffee from the coffee machine. We arrived in Miami the next day.

In Miami, we went to Disneyworld, Sea World, rode flight stimulators, and for the first time met my Ate Gina. We also had a convertible car in Miami, and I would be very entertained to see the top go up and down. On the day we arrived, while we were driving to the hotel, I saw a strange and new, but familiar restaurant. I’ll give you a hint, it’s red and yellow, and has a big M for a logo. That’s right, McDonalds! It was the first one I ever saw, well, outside of TV. When I saw it, I immediately said I was hungry and that we eat there. We went to the drive-through, and I saw no one but the speaker. Back then, I was amazed at technology because we could order just through the speaker! I was awestruck. The most “awestrucking” experience I had at the age of four.

At the age of five or six, I attended my first educational experience in kindergarten, in Golden Harvest Christian Academy/School. I graduated with first honors. Oh, did I mention I had only three classmates? After that, I was able to enter a school called BUCELS (BUCE-ILS now), and attended Preparatory school there. My favorite subject was play time.

Up until the fourth grade, I was what you would call a “problem”. I would always lie on the floor during class and be too lazy to copy my notes. In third grade, we were playing “The Longest Line”, and not wanting the other team to win, I stripped down completely naked and hid under a table until the game was over. Also, by third grade, I made a new friend named Mark.

On my fourth grade vacation, I went with my Mama to Seattle. My Papa was already there, working on flight simulators. In Seattle, we did a lot of things: went up Mount Rainier, played in the snow, went inside a presidential plane, went inside a Concorde airplane, played minigolf, went to various Goodwill and used bookstores, went to the Boeing museum, went to the science museum, played at the batting cages, went to the Space Needle, took a cruise. I loved going to the mall and rode my first cable car. There, I also read my first Captain Underpant s book.

By fifth grade, I got my glasses. I knew I was near-sighted. Why? Because I always had to stand near the blackboard when I had to copy something…And…a student teacher asked me if I was near-sighted or not. This grade was the end of my “Being Escort” streak.

Sixth grade wasn’t very interesting (yawn). Except maybe the graduation, which was…interesting. And also, I had my first experience camping out with the Boy Scouts at school. Also, typhoon Milenyo totally ruined my birthday!

Okay, right now I am 12 years old, in High School. And as far as I can tell, nothing exciting has happened to me yet. Oh, well, that’s my life. And thanks a lot for reading this.

The Awakening

by Yul Anjelo Bello (I-Mars)


I was about five years old when I first set foot in a school building. I hated the feeling - I hated everything that took me away from home, my bed, my feeding bottles and the television. For me, those things were my refuge, my happiness and I did not want to be away from them for too long.


On that cloudy afternoon, I was about to have an interview for kindergarten pupils. "Oh my God, why am I here? What am I doing here?" I felt lost and saw the teacher as some kind of a monster. The result...I flunked. I was happy...I will not study in school yet. I was back to the comfort of home, my bed, my feeding bottles, and the television.


The next thing that my mother did was to bring me to another school, this time, equipped with school uniform, school bag, and lunch box. I felt weird, but I was assured that my mom would be with me in school. That was great...we played, we sang, we prayed, we ate, but after a week of playing and getting-to-know-you activities we settled down to formal lessons. I panicked, what should I do? I hated these things even if my mom was around. Then it was my father's turn to bring me to school. He left...I ran after him...my teacher ran after me, and boy, it was raining hard. We were all soaking wet. I was brought home with all the spanking and hurting words I received from my parents, especially from my dad. It became a daily routine for us...I was always brought to school, but every time my dad left to go home he always had to bring me back with him. I was always spanked, scolded and punished for not going to school. I felt like those children being abused by their parents. It lasted for a month and they finally gave up. I was back to my routine...the secured feeling of being at home.


When I turned six years old, I was brought to another school. My mom paid the tuition fee in full. I stayed for a week. Fortunately, my mom was able to reimburse the whole amount that she paid for my tuition including the miscellaneous fees. I really did not know what was in the home that I did not want to leave, and I did not know what was in school that I hate. Maybe it was the security that I feel at home and the feeling of being a stranger among many unknown faces of pupils in school that I hate.


My mom consulted her friends...the principal in BUCELS, guidance counselors, kindergarten teachers and everyone who cared to listen to her problem...her youngest child did not want to go to school unlike her first two children. Is her son abnormal? Maybe my mom got the answers to her question that she let me be...she did not nag me about school and so I thought she forgot the whole episode.


Then as fate would have it, one night while watching television beside my mom who was reading the newspaper at that time, I happened to look and saw a picture of two children in well-pressed school uniform, with school bags and lunch boxes. Then i said to myself, I want to be like them. I want to go to school and be like those children. They looked so happy so I thought maybe school is fun.


The awakening happened when I turned seven years old, I was ready to go to school. I told my parents but they did not believe me at first. They thought I was joking. That picture of two children in school uniform set me free...my attachment to home was lessened, I was a child being weaned from his mother, I was ready to conquer my fears. When I went to school, I felt the energy surged into me then I realized what a beautiful experience it is to be able to learn, gain friends and be in a different setting aside from home. For the first time in my life, I felt the true meaning of parental love. They wanted me to study so that I will be my own man someday, without my parents standing behind me, in front of me or beside me. Just me and the world.

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