#8 Media of the New Age

Influential media? Can media really affect my behavior? These are my thoughts during Ma'am Deocampo told us that it is the topic of our next blogging task. Yes, I have no idea that it might occur, but when i think about it more the more i realize that it is true. Media can really affect the way we live.

My life as a teenager is might be one most affected by the media. Why? Because we can see that today's teenagers are somewhat different from the past. Today, some of teenagers, specially American ones, are influenced by the media greatly, that they think it is okay to be pregnant on the age of 16. Yes, you read that right. They even have a show about it, and this cause for some immature kids to be pregnant just to be o TV. Also, the use of F word and the S word. American movies have high use of this words, that even kids who watched these movies think that it is right to say these words. I, in the past, used these words but thanks to the guidance of my parents and best friends I got rid of them in no time.

Nowadays we forgot the old saying "Innocent till proven guilty". Media is can hide the truth about some certain events and can cause some people to be bias in judging the person even though he is not yet proven guilty, it can make the person's life and even the persons close to him.

Media can be right or wrong. So let us be uninfluenced by the media. Also remember, media is full of false advertisements, so be careful.

Untold Wonders of Iligan

It is still my third month in this city, the city of Iligan and honestly I have never been to any of it's tourist destination, but what I can share to you is about the people of Iligan itself, how to survive the day in Iligan with the cheapest rates you can pay for, and about us student-tourists who makes it one of the most diverse cities in the Philippines.

I was from Polomolok, South Cotabato, but even though the distance between these places is more than 500 km. Iligan City is still known for it's MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology, that is why many high school graduates all across Mindanao came to Iligan City before and after enrollments during May. We chose MSU-IIT as our college university because of it's excellence and superiority in Science and Technology. I took up an engineering course in MSU-IIT, because MSU-IIT's College of Engineering is known for it's top notched skills in molding future board topnotchers in their courses. Not only that, College of Science and Mathematics of MSU-IIT has the distinction of being designated by the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) as Center of Excellence in all four departments of the College, namely Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. This accomplishment is shared by only three other campuses in the Philippines – UP Diliman, De La Salle University-Manila, and Ateneo de Manila University. It is truly the center of college education, not just in Northern Mindanao but in the whole Mindanao itself.

On the first day of school, I encountered a great mix of cultures from the different provinces of Mindanao. Some of my block mates came from Tawi-tawi, Agusan del Norte, and Sultan Kudarat, a province of the same region as mine. It was great to know that my friends came from all across Mindanao, and we will share to each other the different cultures and tradition each and everyone of us to one another. I also have friends who lives in Iligan. I was greatly overwhelmed of their hospitality and friendliness. They make me feel like I have childhood friends in Iligan.

I have eaten in different restaurants and eateries in the city, one of them is Macki's Fried Chicken, which you can in line with the KFC, that may be the reason why there is no KFC franchise in the city is because Macki's Fried Chicken is even better. And for less than 50 pesos, roughly $1, you can have a meal. It is cheap and mouth watering, a combo like no other.

Need to stay for the night in Iligan? Don't worry, motels and hotels are everywhere in the city. On the first day of enrollment, I didn't finished all the required stations of enrollment that's why I and my father have to find a place to stay for the night. We found the Famous Pension House, just a 100 meter walk from MSU-IIT. Their rates are 200 pesos, $5, for 12-hours and 300 pesos, less than $8, for 24-hours. Their rooms are for two, fully air conditioned, with free wi-fi, and a flat screen TV.

So what are you waiting for? For just only $10, or roughly 400 pesos, you can survive a day Iligan and see it's wonders, the wonders of the smiles, hospitality, and friendliness of the Iliganons. It's More Fun in Iligan.

“An official entry to the Iligan Blogging Contest 2012”

#7 Copacetic: "A Walk to Remember"

And so begins a tale of true love, first love, and everlasting love that you will never forget. Well, another story set in North Carolina. Isn’t that new with Nicholas Sparks? This story will make you shift your emotions from time to time. Yeah, weird but possible.
A Walk to Remember is such a film that never fails to be interesting, touching, at times fascinating. Sparks proves that he is a master of pulling heartstrings, and he waves his magic romance wand once again, this time over the idea of transformational first love.
He had written a sweet tale of young but amaranthine love, and though he told us to expect both joy and sadness, the tears will still come. A remarkable love story that like its predecessors, will touch the hearts of viewers everywhere.
It is a gentle, old-fashioned romance that reminds us just how powerful love can be. There’s no way this tender love story could disappoint us. Sparks created a bittersweet message that poignantly explored the innocence of love. He helps us to maintain that belief which tells us that love can be pure and that the good wins out in the end.
Sparks makes the story seem real, a slim volume that won’t give you a reason to stop it from playing. You’ll emerge cleansed by the tears and the luminosity of the story.
“Do you love me?” “Yes.” “Can you do something for me, then?” “Anything.” “Will you marry me?” these lines may be short but then, it moved every single string attached to my body. I felt like I don’t want this story to end. I won’t forget this, ever.

Every now and then I stumble across an extraordinary film that at first appears like it’s countless, unremarkable and easy to overlook. But then, when I find time to watch it, I’m amazed with the treasure hidden within. One of the films you’ll definitely want to see anytime, anywhere. This film quickly joined Sparks’s highly acclaimed creations. Indeed, at first you will smile, and then you will cry. And with fine reason, take this “walk” with Sparks and you’ll be glad you did.

#5 Ming-Ming

Last week me and my blockmates watched Ming-Ming: a play of hide and seek at the minitheater in the IDS building. The atmosphere inside the theater is a bit strange. I felt this sensation from the moment i stepped inside the theater. It was like something big is going to happen. The first thing I noticed when I went inside are the two actors, who laugh every time it is quite in the theater and "shhhh" every time it is noisy. They gave me the creeps. The atmosphere suddenly changed when the actors started moving. It is the signal that the play has already begun.
On the start of the play I was shocked because I didn't thought that there is a person below the cloth that covered the stage and as soon as the cloth was removed she started talking to the other characters who, I think, can't see her. Also, I can't understand the plot and the sequence of the events, because the four main characters spoke simultaneously without any abrupt pause and I don't know who they are speaking to. This gave me a blank face and an confused thoughts.
But thankfully soon after this, one by one the characters shared their stories and past. Because of this the play comes to shape. Ming-ming, the girl under the cloth at the beginning of the play, is a "ghost". She came from a royal family of Muslims. Her father was her mother's Christian professor. This kind of relationships, says the Qur'an, is forbidden. Because of this her mother was hiding her from the other family members, except to her mother, Ming-ming's grandmother. Ming-ming's mother remarries a Muslim guy. This made Ming-ming wonder why she doesn't look the same as her "father" and why doesn't he treat her well, without her knowing it's not her father.


This types of issues in the time is very common and rampant. But broken families because of religion is not so common, but this type of things still happens. This results to daughters and sons without a complete family, which can make them vulnerable to bad peers and weak in emotional and psychological aspects of life. Some single-parents remarries but some of their remarriages were not good for the part of the children of their first partner because there new partners might treat abuse or hurt their children in their first partners.


In continuation to the play, the love story of Ming-ming's grandmother and her grandfather's brother. They really are the ones who loved each other, but her grandmother marries her grandfather because of fixed marriage, which is a common custom to Muslims in the past decades and centuries. Because of this their love story ended before it even started. This is one of the problems which can also cause broken families because, maybe the other party might not  love the other and might find the love they want from somebody else. But thankfully in the story the family never break.
In the last parts of the story it was narrated how Ming-ming suffered in a room and how he died. She suffered in a room which she can only see is her bodyguard who brings her food and bcause of this routine slowly Ming-ming fell in love to the guy something happened to them, thats why Ming-ming was released from her cage. This made Ming-ming hungry for adventure and she tried everything her peers told her to do. She do drugs, and one time she overdosed it which caused her death. This is also an issue connected to bad-parenting.
In the end of the play, Ming-ming realized she's dead and know the story of everyone and she returned beneath the fabrics.
In conclusion, I think the Stories main idea is a family in love and God can save the life of the young ones and the future.

#4 A Walk To Remember?

The 7th of November year 2010 was the day this story happened. It was the 15th birthday of my classmate in which the whole class was invited. It was held in their family's private resort, a small place with an ordinary pool.It was not that far from the center of the town but I feel different on my way there with my buddies.

The alley to the place was very narrow that we could only walk by threes side-by-side. We reached the place at exactly 7:30 pm, 30 minutes late and the party has already started but we were just in time for the best part, which is known to be "the feast" because of the different kinds of delicious foods the family is known of in every kind of celebration. After the meal, some of my classmate jumped on the pool and some went to the videoke machine and picked some songs.  It seemed like the fun never stops.

But as soon as the clock ticked 10, one by one my classmates went home. Including some of my girl classmates, who asked me and my buddies to accompany them to the end of the alley, about 20 meters from the venue. Before we go Lyca, the celebrant, asked us how many of us will go home, my classmate answered her, "Just the four of us, Lyc". Lyca asked again, "Then why are there 8 of you who are going?", my classmate replied, " They will just accompany us, because there might be a chance that something nasty will happen." and after the "thank you"s and "you're welcome"s the 8 of us take the narrow, and dark path. In that time the only source of light was the light post on the end of the alley. We walked side by side. I was on the center of the group, in the middle row with two of the girls, in front of me there were 3 persons, 1 girl and 2 of my buddies, and at the back was one of  my buddies and another girl.
On the middle of the alley, I asked my friend in the back some questions and when I looked at him I saw something else, it was not just the two of them walking at my back, but three, i don't know who or what it was, it was hiding in the shadows of the walls and walking beside my female classmate. I was terrify at the time but i just kept walking and never minded it.

Thank God, we reached the end of the alley without harm and there we waited for about 5 minutes for a tricycle for the girls to ride home.

On the way back I was terrified of the fact that there was no doors or gates the man could pass through and if he just kept walking to the end of the alley i should have noticed him, but I saw nobody came out of the alley except us. What was more terrifying was the story of the caretaker of the resort, that the road was haunted by some man killed by his lover's husband on his way to meet his lover.
I don't know if what I saw was the man, or something created by my head. But one thing is for sure it always gives me goosebumps when i recall the story.

#3 Reaction: That Sweet Unforgettable Day

It is pretty rare to read some "supernatural" stories in an English textbook but when you do, it might be fabricated. But I don't care if the story is fabricated or not, because i'm pretty sure if this will happen to me, i might have the same reaction as the author. I would cry and be happy at the same time, because my mother even if she is dead wants to feel her. 

My mother take care of me more than herself in which i was in deep debt for all my life. I know my mother is the woman who loves me most in this world, and if I lost her I know I lost one of the most important part of my life. She provide all my need and even the things I don't even need all i can do to repay her is love and respect, in which sometimes not followed and sometimes taken for granted. My mother taught me the important things in life, and make the dark places clear and easy.

It's also heart breaking to know that that day will come no matter what. But until that day will come, no, but until my last breath I will love her and be thankful that God gave me such Mother, a loving and caring mother. I love you mom.

Our mothers, not just the biological ones, taught us things no one else can, guides us like they will die if we make mistakes, and love us like there is no tomorrow. So, keep calm and love your mother.

No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother's love.  It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star. -Edwin Hubbell Chapin 

#2 I am Legen, wait for it, dary!

Being a loner doesn't mean having small circle of friends. Just that, there's a big world inside of me that not everyone can understand. Sprouting from Polomolok South Cotabato, a 12-hour trip from Iligan. I had grown a love for Mathematics which was the reason why I took an engineering course. A product of Leo Lavalle Martinez and Gemma Dipus Martinez' love that reaches infinity and beyond, and born on the faithful day of October 23, 1995.
I am a graduate of a Catholic-private school, namely San Lorenzo Ruiz Academy of Polomolok, unfortunately I graduate without any award other than being an excellent Math contestant. I joined many math contest but rarely won. I am a very lazy person, but if I need to move, I'll move as swiftly and efficient i can be.
I am a person who prefers to be a follower rather than a leader, it is because i don't want to take responsibility when things turn wrong but sometimes I love to be the leader to be responsible. I am a person who take every good opportunity that came along my path because I believe nothing came to those who didn't try.
I love to listen to music specially the genre of religious rock. I don't want to be caught on fights because I want to promote peace in the world but if someone crosses the line I would fight back. I love the color black, and blue, this gives people the impression that I'm "emo" but I'm not.
I hate being left alone but this helps me know to stand alone and be independent. I hate people who call themselves friends but backstabs each other. I also hate the feeling of hating someone because I know sometime in the future we will see each other and because of hate, fights and awkwardness might sprung out.
Well, I wont make this long, but before I end this, yes, i am not in a relationship, but taken.