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LORELIE TANGO-AN

Every person has its   own personality and characteristics that made them unique and different individual. Some are good and others may have a horrible attitude but of course, they are still human who has a purpose and function in this world. The important thing to do is to respect one another, in order to have a harmonize place to live.

Sometimes we kept on arguing with someone and kept on initiating that we’re right without minding the words that might affect or hurt him/her, as much as possible we must listen first before concluding anything immediately to avoid fight and conflict. Peace makes the world unite. And also in listening to different perspective of each person, we should learn to accept that everybody has its own way of expressing themselves either in a nicer way or boastful way, because their sides are still important. Everybody has the right and freedom to complain and share their ideas and thoughts; the only thing that we need to do is ensuring them that there are still some people who are ready to listen their side without expressing biases or being in favor for those people, who are close to us instead we should embrace each other’s differences.

We have different track and path to go, and only us knows what’s best for us without seeking the approval of others. We must not be insecure of what others had; instead we must be blessed and grateful of everything that we currently have even how small it is. We should learn to value and appreciate ourselves rather be in vain of what others have that we couldn’t have. Celebrating our achievements feels good but we should not make this a reason to belittle someone else. Being humble at all cost, because we don’t know what life ahead of us is.

In this world full of trickery, we must learn to fight and never give up things easily despite of hindrances and struggles that block us in reaching our goals. Everything happens for a reason and every reason gives a meaningful outcome that makes us a better person. We should get along with the processes of life for it builds ourselves. If we have broken dreams, we should not think that it is the end of the journey instead learns to fight back and keep on fulfilling those lacking entries of our life.

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“THE STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF THE FILIPINO CHARACTER”
By: Jeah Bathan

Every country and its people have different ways of expressing themselves, their culture, their traditions, and beliefs that made them unique in various ways. However, this one significant country create entitlement and huge impact to others, it may be about pageantry, being talented, a multi-lingual, good looking, hard working, and easy to communicate with due to its friendly attitude and approachable personality that everyone could agree with, and they are called as Filipinos, who are native or citizens of the country namely, Philippines.

The characteristics of Filipino are generally known to be caring and loving towards their family, friends, and colleagues, which is a good idea in terms of diversity and equality.  Though the strengths of Filipino people includes being sociable and at the same time very respectable with others by showing a sense of fairness and justice, has this ability to empathize, care, and help those people who are in need. Secondly, being a family oriented, who has a genuine love for their family, especially when it comes to their parents, in a sense they help them by supporting one another to grow. Aside from it, Filipinos have this cheerful personality, and a fun-loving approach to life, even though life seems complicated and challenging but they definitely show what a strong man and capable one can be, even in times of difficulty. They are described as someone who has these characteristics such as being committed, responsible, optimistic, flexible, creative, easy to deal with and mingle with even though you have different practices, culture, and point of view, still they are very accommodating. When it comes to weaknesses, Filipino have this mentality of giving meanings to anything by trying to give personal interpretation to actions, giving malice and all. Aside from it, due to its extreme family centeredness, it seems they are overprotected, and allow inconsiderate behavior in the family; even the actions speak of its own consequences and bad ideas of growing and consenting their child. Also, Filipino tend to have poor management, and like to reason out. Lastly, has this colonial mentality that shows adoration to other nationality and foreign products rather than native one, the reason why Philippines can’t grow and foster, aside from having a government with some corrupt officials, and into being competitive due to its ambitions even though their ways could totally affect someone’s life.

In addition, Filipinos may seem very competitive and inconsiderate sometimes but most of them have faith in God and that is what makes them united.  Have different beliefs and religions but they were one in terms of being faithful to their God’s and such, which makes them a unique individual.

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by: Angel Tango-an

As a leader, it takes courage and dedication to persuade someone and continue something for the goodness of all, though we can’t deny the fact that all people has different views and perspective, especially those people who has their own stand and beliefs, which makes everything hard to control and difficult to deal with, yet anything is possible as long your intention is good, as well as how disciplined you are in communicating and dealing with various people.

There is this one kind of mentality that shows the negative side of Filipinos, which is the “Ningas Cogon or Ningas-Kugo” mentality, an attitude that when we start something with interest and enthusiasm and then after a very short time we lose interest and stop whatever we are doing or simply describe as people who are undisciplined, leaving work either half-baked or unfinished, which makes things messy and disorganized, but as a leader, we should be able to know who we are dealing with, someone who are consistent, enthusiast, and fair, not just only good at beginnings, but also up to the end in order to achieve and produce a positive outcomes for school or either in anything. I suggest that, if you are dealing with people with this type of mentality you have to consider that they can lose the interest after you introduce the subject at hand to them, so make things worthwhile, not worthless. In creating changes or innovation in an educational institution, we should be with someone who is eager as we are in making changes for the betterment of the school and the people within it.

In addition, we should not tolerate “ningas-cogon” behavior because it could lead to something disruptive that could totally ruin the plans and creation, as well as the bond of two or more people because of such behavior and mentality. This type of thinking is a must not have, especially during the innovation process that could affect the strategy, and organization of a team.  The best thing to do is to be consistent in almost everything.

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KEN BALIOS

I believe in God, even though I didn’t see him physically but I have a big trust and faith in him. For me, he is a good rule model that everyone should follow. Just like in the beginning, he created the universe. He beautify the place we live in, but what’s happening right now in our world is something that can’t be proud off. He made humans, for us to take good care of his creations but, humans itself destroyed the creations he made. We are the one to be blamed about the happenings in our world due to our selfishness, just like what happened in the Amazon Rainforest, lots of plants and animals died and it is actually a human-made disaster.

This kind of concern is not just about losing a few plants and animals, because mankind will also lose much more by destroying the tropical forest, we risk our own quality of life, gamble with the stability of climate and local weather, threaten the existence of other species, and ruined the valuable services by biological diversity. And one of the reason why there’s forest fire, landslide, and floods, it is because of deforestation. In order to help our environment we need to reduced, reused, and recycle materials so that it would be useful again, we should also be a responsible citizen in our community, not to throw garbage anywhere especially, plastics. And of course, to plant trees in replacing the old one that is old already been cut.

We must value God’s creation and we must be a responsible citizen that can influence the youth to understand and appreciate God’s creation through reading the Bible or other spiritual stories that involves Christianity, because it helps young children to know God more. An of course, we should think first before making a decision. We must be concerned not only about our health, but also in our environment. Everything has purpose, and everything has reasons why all these things happened. We should not question God because of the bad things we encountered, but we should be thankful instead, because He gives us life to see the wonderful world.

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SHANE BALIOS

Each of us has different obstacles and challenges that made us strong and brave in facing different trials in life. However, we’re the one who controlled our lives, but sometimes we can’t predict what will happen next because there are some circumstances that would totally   change our fate and could create confusion and doubtfulness about our existence. Still, we’re happy for the life that God given us.

Everyone doesn’t wished to die or to leave someone behind, everyone wishes to have a long life but in reality, people come and go, some may leave either for better or for a lifetime. That’s why we need to treasure our time with our loved ones because everything is temporary and everything has an end, only God knows. The hardship of life helps us to be brave, especially that we already experienced some difficulties and enable us to grow and be minded for the upcoming circumstances. Earth is a place where individual experienced harshness, pain, and tears but despite of this, we should not let our fear dictate us. If we feel uncertain, we must think that it is just a bad day not a bad life.

Everything is connected. We must be mindful for every decision we choose in order to avoid regrets and we should keep in mind that whatever happens we’re still the one who controls and create our fate. Consequences are the result of our actions.

Everything that we have now, the place we live, the food we eat, the air we breath, the water we drink, the plants and animals that give beautification to our environment and the life and body we have today is from God. We owe God for everything, for he done those things in order for us to live a better life. We can’t ask for more, but we are just a human being, easy to be tempted and not contented, just like from the story of Adam And Eve were it all started.

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 ROQUE R. PARTOSA

“Start while others are still waiting and wishing,

So you won’t see yourself cramming for anything as time comes. “

I make this maxim to remind me how to use time appropriately, because I’m a type of girl who likes to do work when the deadline comes. Though, I’m a good student because I still manage to have good grade but still, I have this attitude of procrastinating things like I’m going to do different task like paperwork or projects before the deadliest time, where I saw myself rushing and struggling because of my own mistake and decisions, cannot think straight and right, but through this signage or this reminder on my table, it would help me think in advance. I know that it would be hard for me for I am used to being lazy, but I need to change my perspective and ways in order to have a meaningful yet calm life without rushing things. This kind of maxim might be challenging but this is only for my own sake. If I want to succeed, I need to work for it, because things will be hard at first but willingness would help me to change. Change means I need to sacrifice, sacrifice my odd lifestyle and habit. I need to be motivated through this reminder to feel at ease. Hoping to make things better than before, and be more productive.

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ONE OF THE BEST SELF-MADE BILLIONARE
By: Eric Partosa

There are lots of famous entrepreneurs’ stories that came from rags to riches, but this one suite the word greatness. He came from a poor family and a poor country of Rayagada, India where most of people suffered from poverty. His life is a bit tough, but later on got praised by many because of his hard work and perseverance. He is “Retish Agarwal” a youngest self-made billionaire and an Indian entrepreneur, during his 18 years of existence he suffered a lot, especially that he didn’t even go to school or university and had no work to pursued because of his situation, for him it was the toughest period to endured in his life, to become nothing but poor. He had no place and shelter to live; he was kicked out from his apartment with a small penny in his bank account. He was hopeless that time but he never give up, because for him, money is not what he ever cared but to solved problems.

I have learned that everything will work out when we have the perseverance and dedication to do certain things. The eagerness would lift up us to something that is worthy and all the hardships will be paid off. One thing for sure, if you are willing to take risk then everything will follow. In business world, the first fight would be the hardest and soon become the easiest because you already knew the functions of anything, from production to people, from goods to profit, and newness to innovations. There are lots of opportunities when we talk about entrepreneurship, even when you are jobless, you can still find way to earn and make a profit, it just need hard work, perseverance, patience, dedication, time, effort and so on and so forth that could totally changed our whole perspective and views in building our dreams and put it into reality.

Everywhere is an opportunity and being innovative is an ability that could help our future in becoming better. We must not get stock in the same situation where it could worsen our lifestyle but to find way in creating change. If you’re shy enough then you need to go out from your comfort zone and let yourself explore and discover new things that would help you think productively. In Retish Agarwal story, he proved that everything has an answer and not being poor could blocked you from achieving goals. Let set in mind how to be positive and be productive despite of the situation we are in right now, because there’s no endings except if we’re not breathing anymore. It’s hard to take risk because we don’t know what will happen next, but if we are eager to take risk then there’s nothing to regret. It’s our decisions and some of us learned from our decisions and experiences, let us just be mindful and won’t let ourselves repeats our mistake instead we learned from it to create new set of ways and build opportunities.

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“THEATRE MIRRORING LIFE”

by: Shane Maasin

Thousands of years but theater are still alive up to this day, the significant it brought to people over the years is immeasurable, and especially to those actors who love to act on stage. Theater is an act of entertainment that set actors to play with their part and let the people or audience to discover and learn something from their show. It is also where the actors play their vital role to represent humanness in an imitation of human truths and realities, while audiences witness and engaged with their performances in the same time and place.

For me, theatre is a mirroring life because all the things that are being played on stage are reflecting the life’s of individual. The scenes can be dramatic, funny, heartbreaking, and romantic that conveys different emotion of people, because the audiences can relate and resemble themselves like they were in the same feet and condition that the actors portrays, especially the kind of life and state they were in towards the society’s expectation, and the environment they adapt in. An actor represents a certain character that tells a story that creates an immediate communion with its audience, the audience can felt and imagine things even they didn’t experience that king of situation, they can be carried away, especially when things are getting intense, sometimes they would cry, laugh, and fall in love with the scenes. The attentions of the audiences are easy to capture when the story is related to human experiences or humanness. According to Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage / And all the men and women merely players.” That totally shows how things are connected and has similarities between in theatre and in life.

In conclusion, a person could reflect itself to the others, that is why theatre mirroring life, and up to now it is still exist and keep on satisfying people with its performances.

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BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

By: Raymar Partosa

Our world is facing various global issues that affect someone’s life, property, and the environment itself due to human’s action and decision. Being dissatisfied and not content with what life brings is the reason why global issues and crises are still dominant up to this day, it is a human’s nature to be discontented about anything and everything for they search on something that could possibly change their life and living.

We, human beings, are closely connected and centered by everything that surrounds us, specifically the environment, but the question is, how individuals could help and contribute in meaningful ways and be part of the solution and not be the problem? In fact, one of the major thing that a person like me should need to do is mainly knowing the issues inside and outside of the community, especially about marine conservation, wildlife conservation, global public health, environment and corporate sustainability, human rights and access to justice, social economic development, climate crisis, and education that seek for improvement and development in order to reduce life’s problems. Aside from it, finding ways to bring back the original condition of nature rather than experiencing lots of catastrophes, which could trigger nature to explode and human’s will suffer even more. If we couldn’t be part of the solution, then we’re part of the problem that could definitely worsen a situation.

In addition, simple gestures could help in preserving our nature, just like planting trees, proper disposal of garbage, and being mindful with anything that promotes peace, unity, and abundance of God’s grace.

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 TAKING RISK IN BUSINESS

By: Angel Francine Ramirez

In business industry, there are pros and cons when you enter and choose this type of league because, it involves risk. Your time and effort evolve in this thing in order to succeed and to become knowledgeable enough, especially in dealing with clients and handling pressure in different situation.  There are lots of successful businessmen who are now earning thousands and millions of money through their ways of negotiating and investing towards someone and something that could help them improve and enhance their production. There are lots of techniques to become successful but the most important thing to remember is the discipline, if you don’t know how to discipline yourself everything will be banished in a couple of minutes.

When we heard about entrepreneurship, it talks about profits and all because it brought opportunities that could help us sustain our needs and wants, but in order to achieve bigger achievements we also need to take a huge risk because everything that are connected with business is risky. If I would become an entrepreneur, I think it is a bit exhausting because we need to fulfill the clients’ satisfaction and also to provide their needs, aside from it, we are the one who’s in charge in planning and creating ideas to attract the buyers. There are lots of benefits as an entrepreneur because it could totally help ourselves to become a better version of us, we can also extend help and reach others in need. We wanted to become someone that other's could look up to, someone that are willing to support and guide them from their first take, sort of being a role model, an inspiration, and supporter. Entrepreneurship is risky, but when all things are done well, everything will follow.

In this field, we don't know what lives ahead of us. There are lots of things to consider, especially in managing time, money, and relationship. It's a bit tiring and at the same time, confusing but when we already know how to manage ourselves then we could be the best version of our self because along the journey, we can get lots of lessons from different people and situation.

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SOME DEEP THOUGHTS

Rachel Partosa

Have you ever thought of something that makes you wake up until dawn, you decided to sleep but you can’t? And out of nowhere, you ask yourself, “Why am I here?” and the moment you’d know, it’s already morning where the sun is slowly rising, as if it says Good Morning! Another day for you to think! Suddenly your eyes close but your alarm goes off, you don’t have any choice but to get out of bed with weary eyes, and move like a zombie, thinking of another few minutes maybe? What a funny thing to start the morning.

The classes are done, and you stand right behind from your window, looking straight from people, observing their actions, some are having fun just like kids, and you come up with a thought, “It’s nice to live like a kid and feel invincible for once, or for months?” out of nowhere you laugh hard, thinking of some impossible thought driven by strong emotions, and state “what a nice thoughts to be depressed and sad again.” And there are adult ones; busy with their work like cooking, doing laundry, others are shouting, scolding their kids for not following their order and by that, it hit me big time! “Why are adults busy being adults?”

The night came, and it’s time to sleep again, seems like everything easily ends. You decided to turn off your cell phone, as well as the lights, making yourself comfortable as you fell asleep, but here we go again, as we start to close our eyes, there is something pops in mind, random deep thoughts of whatever we struggle with, it can be “about academics, love life, how to gain confidence, how to be fluent, why we choose this kind of path and career, what would be our future self, or the worst thing, what if we lose someone who is dearly to us, and other sort of thoughts that keeps us awake until dawn and everything follows. Again, Mr. Sun shines greets us with his bright light. You accidentally ask “What’s new?”

There are times that we keep on thinking about any particular thing, yet we fail to find any answer to that question, but this well-known and great philosopher, Albert Einstein says “I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me.” Wherein, there are times when we just stay silent, and all of a sudden, we tend to see a new idea that pops up into our mind out of nowhere, because in life, not everything we want to happen will happen according to our plans, which tends us to be frustrated, because we are too worried and tensed about what life could bring, either goodness or bad luck, but the best thing to do is to remain silent, calm, and compose, give ourselves some time. Allow our brain to take some rest, and everything will smoothly follow.

Now I have a question, what do you think of me? Just kidding, give your brain some time to rest                                                                         ☺