#3 I Stop to Say Thank You Mama and Papa

Family is a basic unit of society held together by bonds of love and affection. Among all the institution in the society, people consider family as the most important. It is where one grows and develops and ties a strong foundation. That is why most of the people, if not all really value family a lot and would sacrifice everything for their family. But as the world moves toward globalization, valuing the concept family and the family itself had decline. People nowadays live in a very busy and competitive world and seems to set aside family next to career and money. Even the Philippines which are considered as people who had a strong family ties are influenced by the values of foreign countries. But still most of the Filipinos have maintained the values.

Ten years from now, by that time I would be independent from my parents and with God’s grace will be having my own career and money, I would still love my parents the same how much I love them now. I would take good care of them same as how they take good care of me. Provide them what they need and want. And I will spend enough quality time in every day of their life. And at the same time I’ll make sure that they will be proud of me in everything I do. I will always give them reason to smile. The greatest gift I could them is happiness and time.

For all the things, support, happiness, time, and love that my parents have given me, I will repay them by doing my best in my studies and to be a good son always. I will obey them, respect them, and love them more. I could show this by doing things that will make them proud and avoid doing things that would make them sad and worry.

#2 Am I a Good Reader and Writer?

                My teacher in my English 1 class have given us a task to evaluate ourselves as a reader and a writer and if I consider myself as a good reader and a good writer – this task really had given me a hard time to think. After a deep thought, I have realized the importance of having good reading and writing habits. I felt guilty of not loving the books more.

                As I evaluated myself as a reader, I have come into a conclusion that I could classify myself as a casual reader. A casual reader as cited from www.saskschools.ca reads for a purpose such as an assignment or specific information need, will occasionally read for pleasure, would read more if encouraged and has average reading skills. Most of the time I read books and other reading materials because of academic purposes. I have a very poor reading habits, I think I have only read five novels in my whole life, two are works of Paulo Coelho, one is Mitch Albom’s work and the others I forgot. I find pleasure reading trivia and facts about sports, animals and technology. I give little attention on reading books, articles, magazines, etc. because I am an outdoor person; I spend most of my time playing any sports, chats with my friends, and exercise. In average, I think I only read 20 pages a day. I do appreciate the benefits of reading but I think I need to encourage more myself to improve my reading habits.

                I felt guiltier after I evaluating myself as a writer. I have poor writing habits, I rarely write. I only write when I am asked by my teacher to do so or the situation encourages me to do so. Way back my high school years; I have really a problem on my writing skills. I have a very limited vocabulary and have problem generating ideas that is why I don’t get good grades on my Journalism subject. It takes me two to three hours before I could write an article. This article even took me one and half hour to finish. Since I have started blogging somehow my skill in writing have improve a bit. I hope this will go on.

               

Phrases to Ponder

I happened to scan my elder sister's notebook. It was her Foreign Policy notebook and in it I had found some side notes. I found some of it interesting, inspiring and motivating. Some of it made me in to deep thought. Some of it leaves a question mark on my mind. It was just few phrases and I want it to share with you guys. Your free to leave comments. Let me know what strikes you most and if you agree or disagree with the statements.

 There is Godness in everyone 

 Everyone’s end is self perfection. 

 The present is saturated by the past. The present is pregnant with the future. 

 We always fight for something we do not have. 

 It is better to run today and fight another day. 

 If you want to defeat your enemy, know your enemy. 

 When you hit, make sure that you hurt the target more than it hurt you. 

 With an empty stomach, enlightenment will never come.

 Focus on the basics. Satisfy the basics first. 

 I’m not coward, I’m just not stupid. 

 Fortune favors the brave. 

 Negative multiply by negative is always negative. Example: the enemy of your enemy is your friend. 

 Friendship and love are the good things in life but you can only count on them for the moment, they will not last. 

Available at tumblr.com

Available at tumblr.com

Saving nature - Serving Humanity

MSU-IIT VISION

A world class institution of higher learning renowned for its excellence in Science and Technology and for its commitment to the holistic development of individual and society.

MSU-IIT MISSION

To provide quality education for the industrial and socio-economic development of Mindanao with its diverse cultures through relevant programs in instruction, research, extension and community involvement.

            With the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) dedication with the mission and vision stated above, the said college has taken its action way ahead the others to save our Mother Nature. CASS has this extension program – Mangrove planting, students are encouraged to participate in mangrove planting and coastal clean-up in Bayug, Iligan City.

            Last June 16, 2011, Araw ng Iligan, the 3^rd year and 4^th year students of AB Political Science and some of the Executive Council of CASS together with DENR and the local government officials of Bayug had hand in hand helped in the Mangrove Planting Project. I have witnessed this “Saving the Nature” activity because of my elder sister, an AB Political Science student. I told her that I really like to join in the activity, and she invited me to join the date with nature.

            That day was very awesome and so fulfilling. I met her classmates. Her classmates we’re very kind and so cool to be with. I really enjoyed their company. What I enjoyed the most about them is that I can really see in them that they are really dedicated in what they are doing. Despite how the heat of the sun hurts, how muddy the place is, how hard it is to clean the mangroves with the water above the knee level, how stones, shells and other foreign objects hurt, and sometimes others get wounded including me; at the end of the day everybody feels so light and happy. The activity was very tiring yet it leaves everyone’s face with a smile. It feels great when you have done something good for nature; it’s like serving the humanity.

            Below are some of the Mangrove’s role on habitat:

Refuge: Tree climbing crabs and sea snails climb up their aerial roots at high tide to avoid aquatic predators. The roots provide a surface for all kinds of creatures from algae to shellfish. And the tangle of roots provide hiding places for young fishes and shrimps from larger predators. Their branches provide shelter for creatures from Proboscis Monkeys and nesting sites for large herons, to crevices for insects and other tiny creatures.

How did the term "mangrove" arise?  We don't really know. It might be derived from some of the ancient names given to some mangrove trees: the Portuguese called them mangue, the Spanish mangle, the Malaysmanggi-manggi or mangin.

Food: While on the tree, leaves are eaten by all kinds of creatures. Monkey snack on the shoots and leaves, small insects nibble on them. Fallen leaves are an important source of nutrients both within the mangrove habitat and when it is flushed out to the coral reefs. The leaves are rapidly broken up by crabs and other small creatures, and further broken down by micro-organisms into useful minerals. There are even tiny moth larvae that feed on pneumatophores.
Natural water filter: Underwater, a huge number of filter-feeders are fastened on the tangle of roots: barnacles, sponges, shellfish. These filter feeders clean the water of nutrients and silt. As a result, clear water washes out into the sea, allowing the coral reef ecosystem to flourish.
Stabilise the coast and river banks: Their roots prevents mud and sand from being washed away with the tide and river currents. Mangrove trees also slowly regenerate the soil by penetrating and aerating it (other creatures such as crabs and mud lobsters also help in . As the mud builds up and soil conditions improve, other plants can take root. Mangrove trees also reduce the damage from violent storms.

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/mangrove_trees.htm

            This mangrove planting project was just a start, and if majority here on Earth if not all will help conserve nature, balance in ecology will then be achieved. Earth will be a safer place to live. Empowering youth with activities regarding saving earth should be given importance. As our national hero said “ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”.

Cleaning.Seaweeds in my hand.

Let’s help save our nature and make a better place for the future generation.

#1 My Mission in Life

“Para kanino ka ba bumabangon?”, a line from Nescafe advertisement that had just caught my attention lately. It was a bit the same with questions like “what is your goal in life?”, “what is your purpose?” and the like that have filled my mind since my teacher in my English class assigned us to write about our mission statement. Those questions really put me into deep thought because I seldom think about it and now it worries me a bit.

“What will happen to me after I graduate in college? What will I be 10 years from now? Will I going to be a teacher, a famous badminton player or will I continue to be an actor in the political arena? Until now I have not really decided yet what career path will I take after college, so I decided to ask a help from my virtual friend – Google. According to missionstatements.com home page, 2011,

“a mission statement defines in a paragraph or so any entity’s reason for existence. It embodies its philosophies, goals, ambitions, and mores. Any entity that attempts to operate without a mission statement runs the risk of wandering through the world without having the ability to verify that it is on its intended course”.

In other words making a mission statement is like seeking your purpose in life, or setting a long term goal. Mission statement serves as guidance and a direction to individuals to how they want their life to turn-out. In making missions in life, you weigh things which are more important or less important to you.

            For an architect he’s mission statement is the blue print of the building, for a traveler – the travel map and for the teacher – the lesson plan. Individuals must choose a path to focus for a brighter future and successful career thus will lead you to a more meaningful life.

            As for now, my mission statement would be:

To live, laugh and love. This means finding happiness and sharing happiness, sharing love to those who love me and to those who need it and to enjoy what life offers me in every day of my life. To live a peaceful life and to find contentment. To achieve fulfillment to my hopes and dreams. To touch others lives by spreading kindness and sharing my experiences and knowledge. And lastly, to always be good citizen, a good friend, a good brother, a good son to my parents and to God.

            From this day onward all my plans and deeds will be govern by my mission statement. In that matter, my goal would be to graduate in MSU-IIT with honors, find a stable job, impart my knowledge in badminton to the new generation, help my family to the best that I can do, take a second course or a Masters Degree, and to have my own family. And to everything I’ll do and going to achieve, these I will offer to God.

            There is possibility of failing and a chance to succeed but I am willing to accept the challenge in succeeding it. Through hardworking, self-confidence, courage, faith and prayer, there is a great possibility in everything. Remember that anything unattempted remains impossible.

Doing my first assignment in Basic Drafting.