CMB

Can you guess who wrote these books?

 Well, I know it's obvious 'cause the author's name is written at the bottom part.

It's CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD!

                  Born one year after the Philippines gained its independence, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard was surrounded from the start with a sense of her country’s having been born at almost the same time as herself. After centuries of Spanish colonialism, more than four decades of American control, and four years of Japanese occupation, finally, in 1946, Filipinos were free to determine their own future. The Americans had helped prepare for this moment through elective models and had fought side by side with Filipinos during the war, and the Americans were vital to the difficult postwar reconstruction, but Brainard grew up well aware of her fellow Filipinos’ own proud contributions toward establishment of an independent Philippines. The street on which she lived in Cebu was called Guerrillero Street in honor of her father, a guerrilla and then a civil engineer involved in rebuilding shattered Philippine cities. Many of the anecdotes in her first novel, Song of Yvonne, came from tales of war remembered by her family.
              
                   As a result, even when Brainard left home for graduate studies at the University of California at Los Angeles in the late 1960’s, she brought with her an identity as a Filipina. She married a former member of the Peace Corps, Lauren Brainard, who had served on Leyte, an island close to Cebu. In California, she worked on documentary film scripts and public relations from 1969 to 1981. Then she began the newspaper columns later collected in Philippine Woman in America, which describe the enrichment and frustration felt by Philippine Americans who are straddling two cultures. Conscious of her own Americanization and anxious to provide her three sons with cultural choices, she formed Philippine American Women Writers and Artists, an organization intent on publishing remembered legends and scenes from the contributors’ childhoods. Brainard’s organization was intended to provide a continuum of presence from varied pasts to a shared future. Such dedication to the “memory of a people” is in the ancient Philippine tradition of the female babaylan, or priestess.

                 Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the award-winning author of nine books, including the internationally-acclaimed novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, Magdalena, Vigan and Other Stories, Acapulco at Sunset and Other Stories, Philippine Woman in America, Woman With Horns and Other Stories, Cecilia's Diary 1962-1968, Fundamentals of Creative Writing, and Out of Cebu: Essays and Personal Prose. She edited four books: Growing Up Filipino I and II, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and Magnificat: Mama Mary's Pilgrim Sites. Cecilia co-edited six books, including Journey of 100 Years: Reflections on the Centennial of Philippine Independence; Behind the Walls: Life of Convent GirlsAla Carte: Food and Fiction, and Finding God: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters. She has also written a novel with four other women entitled, Angelica's Daughters, a Dugtungan Novel.
                 
                  Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Brainard's second novel, Magdalena inspired a stage play, Gabriela's Monologue, which was produced in 2011 by the Bindlestiff Studio in San Francisco as part of Stories XII! annual production.

                   Cecilia has received a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District. She has also been awarded by the Filipino and Filipino American communities she has served. She received the prestigious Filipinas Magazine Arts Award, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has received several travel grants in the Philippines, from the USIS (United States Information Service).
               
                  She has lectured and performed in worldwide literary arts organizations and universities, including UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Beyond Baroque, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others.  She teaches creative writing at the Writers Program at UCLA-Extension. 
                
                 She is married to Lauren R. Brainard, a former Peace Corp Volunteer to Leyte, Philippines; they have three sons.

Here are some of her pictures:

REFERENCES:
http://www.ceciliabrainard.com/

The Classy Way to Commit Suicide

 

"Every time you light up a cigarette, you're saying that your life is not worth living."

Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Casual smoking is the act of smoking only occasionally, usually in a social situation or to relieve stress. A smoking habit is a physical addiction to tobacco products. Many health experts now regard habitual smoking as a psychological addiction, too, and one with serious health consequences.

 

PHILIPPINES: 10 Filipinos die every hour due to smoking-related diseases 

              In Asia Pacific College, smoking is very evident among the students. A large percentage of our class are smokers. It's time for us and for APC to help in preventing the number of dying smokers to increase.

The Effects of
smoking on the Body

No matter how you smoke it, tobacco is dangerous to your health and affects your entire body.

Your sense of smell and sense of taste can be dulled by smoking, which may affect your appetite. 

• Mood Stimulation
• Poor Vision
• Anxiety and Irritability
• Another Cold, Another Flu
• Lung Cancer
• Constricted Blood Vessels
• High Cholesterol
• Heart Disease
• Stained Teeth
• Smelly Hair
• Diabetes Complications
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Early Menopause
• Problems with Pregnancy
• Appetite Suppressant
• Coughing
• COPD
• Bronchitis
• Too Much Clotting
• Blood Cancer
• Yellow Fingers
• Wrinkly Skin
• Bad Teeth
• Infertility
• Cancer Connection
• Cervical Cancer
• Problems for Newborns

The Effects of Smoking on the Body

Tobacco smoke is enormously harmful to your health. There’s no safe way to smoke. Replacing your cigarette with a cigar, pipe, or hookah won’t help you avoid the health risks associated with tobacco products.
Cigarettes contain about 600 ingredients. When they burn, they generate more than 7,000 chemicals, according to the American Lung Association. Many of those chemicals are poisonous and at least 69 of them can cause cancer. Many of the same ingredients are found in cigars and in tobacco used in pipes and hookahs. According to the National Cancer Institute, cigars have a higher level of carcinogens, toxins, and tar than cigarettes.
When using a hookah pipe, you’re likely to inhale more smoke than you would from a cigarette. Hookah smoke has many toxic compounds and exposes you to more carbon monoxide than cigarettes do. Hookahs also produce more secondhand smoke.
In the United States, the mortality rate for smokers is three times that of people who never smoked, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s one of the leading causes of preventable death.

Central Nervous System

One of the ingredients in tobacco is a mood-altering drug called nicotine. Nicotine reaches your brain in mere seconds. It’s a central nervous system stimulant, so it makes you feel more energized for a little while. As that effect subsides, you feel tired and crave more. Nicotine is habit forming.
Smoking increases risk of macular degeneration, cataracts, and poor eyesight. It can also weaken your sense of taste and sense of smell, so food may become less enjoyable.
Your body has a stress hormone called corticosterone, which lowers the effects of nicotine. If you’re under a lot of stress, you’ll need more nicotine to get the same effect.
Physical withdrawal from smoking can impair your cognitive functioning and make you feel anxious, irritated, and depressed. Withdrawal can also cause headaches and sleep problems.

Respiratory System

When you inhale smoke, you’re taking in substances that can damage your lungs. Over time, your lungs lose their ability to filter harmful chemicals. Coughing can’t clear out the toxins sufficiently, so these toxins get trapped in the lungs. Smokers have a higher risk of respiratory infections, colds, and flu.
In a condition called emphysema, the air sacs in your lungs are destroyed. In chronic bronchitis, the lining of the tubes of the lungs becomes inflamed. Over time, smokers are at increased risk of developing these forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Long-term smokers are also at increased risk of lung cancer.
Withdrawal from tobacco products can cause temporary congestion and respiratory pain as your lungs begin to clear out.
Children whose parents smoke are more prone to coughing, wheezing, and asthma attacks than children whose parents don’t. They also tend to have more ear infections. Children of smokers have higher rates of pneumonia and bronchitis.

Cardiovascular System

Smoking damages your entire cardiovascular system. When nicotine hits your body, it gives your blood sugar a boost. After a short time, you’re left feeling tired and craving more. Nicotine causes blood vessels to tighten, which restricts the flow of blood (peripheral artery disease). Smoking lowers good cholesterol levels and raises blood pressure, which can result in stretching of the arteries and a buildup of bad cholesterol (atherosclerosis). Smoking raises the risk of forming blood clots.
Blood clots and weakened blood vessels in the brain increase a smoker’s risk of stroke. Smokers who have heart bypass surgery are at increased risk of recurrent coronary heart disease. In the long term, smokers are at greater risk of blood cancer (leukemia).
There’s a risk to nonsmokers, too. Breathing secondhand smoke has an immediate effect on the cardiovascular system. Exposure to secondhand smoke increases your risk of stroke, heart attack, and coronary heart disease.

Skin, Hair, and Nails (Integumentary System)

Some of the more obvious signs of smoking involve the skin. The substances in tobacco smoke actually change the structure of your skin. Smoking causes skin discoloration, wrinkles, and premature aging. Your fingernails and the skin on your fingers may have yellow staining from holding cigarettes. Smokers usually develop yellow or brown stains on their teeth. Hair holds on to the smell of tobacco long after you put your cigarette out. It even clings to nonsmokers.

Digestive System

Smokers are at great risk of developing oral problems. Tobacco use can cause gum inflammation (gingivitis) or infection (periodontitis). These problems can lead to tooth decay, tooth loss, and bad breath.
Smoking also increases risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, and esophagus. Smokers have higher rates of kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer. Even cigar smokers who don’t inhale are at increased risk of mouth cancer.
Smoking also has an effect on insulin, making it more likely that you’ll develop insulin resistance. That puts you at increased risk of type 2 diabetes. When it comes to diabetes, smokers tend to develop complications at a faster rate than nonsmokers.
Smoking also depresses appetite, so you may not be getting all the nutrients your body needs. Withdrawal from tobacco products can cause nausea.

Sexuality and Reproductive System

Restricted blood flow can affect a man’s ability to get an erection. Both men and women who smoke may have difficulty achieving orgasm and are at higher risk of infertility. Women who smoke may experience menopause at an earlier age than nonsmoking women. Smoking increases a woman’s risk of cervical cancer.
Smokers experience more complications of pregnancy, including miscarriage, problems with the placenta, and premature delivery.
Pregnant mothers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are also more likely to have a baby with low birth weight. Babies born to mothers who smoke while pregnant are at greater risk of low birth weight, birth defects, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Newborns who breathe secondhand smoke suffer more ear infections and asthma attacks.

What makes cigarettes so toxic and dangerous?

There are more than 5,000 chemical components found in cigarette smoke and hundreds of them are harmful to human health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here are a few examples:

• 1,3-Butadiene is a chemical used to manufacture rubber. It is considered to be a carcinogenic chemical that can cause certain blood cancers.
• Arsenic is used to preserve wood. Some arsenic compounds have been linked to cancer of the lung, skin, liver, and bladder.
• Benzene is used to manufacture other chemicals. It can cause cancer, particularly leukemia, in humans.
• Cadmium is a metal used to make batteries. Cadmium and cadmium compounds can cause lung cancer and have been associated with kidney and prostate cancer.
• Chromium VI is used to make alloy metals, paint and dyes. Chromium VI compounds cause lung cancer and have been associated with cancer of the nose and nasal sinuses.
• Formaldehyde is used to make other chemicals and resins. It is also used as a preservative. Formaldehyde causes leukemia and cancer in respiratory tissues.
• Polonium-210 is a radioactive element that has been shown to cause cancer in animals.
• Tar is not one single chemical, instead it describes several chemicals that are in tobacco smoke. It leaves a sticky, brown residue on your lungs, teeth and fingernails.

Carbon monoxide & nicotine: A dangerous duo

Carbon monoxide is a harmful gas you inhale when you smoke.  Once in your lungs, it’s transferred to your bloodstream.  Carbon monoxide decreases the amount of oxygen that is carried in the red blood cells.  It also increases the amount of cholesterol that is deposited into the inner lining of the arteries which, over time, can cause the arteries to harden.  This leads to heart disease, artery disease and possibly heart attack.
Nicotine is a dangerous and highly addictive chemical. It can cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, flow of blood to the heart and a narrowing of the arteries (vessels that carry blood). Nicotine may also contribute to the hardening of the arterial walls, which in turn, may lead to a heart attack. This chemical can stay in your body for six to eight hours depending on how often you smoke.  Also, as with most addictive substances, there are some side effects of withdrawal.

Second-Hand Smoke

Smokers aren’t the only ones affected by tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard for nonsmokers, especially children. Nonsmokers who have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol have an even greater risk of developing heart diseases when they’re exposed to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand tobacco smoke contributes to about 34,000 premature heart disease deaths and 7,300 lung cancer deaths. Studies show that the risk of developing heart disease is about 25-30 percent higher among people exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home or work. Secondhand smoke promotes illness, too. Children of smokers have many more respiratory infections than do children of nonsmokers.

 

 

APC ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGN

                    Last October, Engr. Emer Rojas was invited to APC to speak about smoking, and how it badly affects our body.  A licensed electrical engineer and a former entrepreneur, Rojas channeled his energy from business to health advocacy when he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002.
Rojas, a cancer survivor who is only able to speak because of a handheld electronic device that replaced the functions of his vocal cords, formed NVAP in 2007 to initially represent tobacco victims but has now covered other persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Under his helm, NVAP strongly campaigned for the passage of the sin tax law and the graphic health warning law defying a strong tobacco lobby that saw Congress bypassing these measures for many years.
With his robotic-sounding voice that made him a media magnet and a sought-after speaker in many events, Rojas also holds talks in campus to reach out to young Filipinos and raise their awareness on the harmful effects of smoking.
In the 2012 Senate hearing on the sin tax, Rojas led NVAP members who lined up and removed the coverings on their necks to expose the hole created by the removal of their vocal cords due to smoking.
 

Stop smoking.

Quit smoking.

Be wise, be like Engr. Emer Rojas!

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES:

http://familyandlifeupdate.com/index.php/philippines-10-filipinos-die-every-hour-due-to-smoking-related-diseases/

http://www.healthline.com/health/smoking/effects-on-body

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/smoking

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/QuitSmoking/QuittingSmoking/Smoking-Do-you-really-know-the-risks_UCM_322718_Article.jsp

http://www.interaksyon.com/lifestyle/global-cancer-ambassador-and-nvap-founder-emer-rojas-recognized-for-anti-smoking-advocacy

 

CMB

Can you guess who wrote these books?

 Well, I know it's obvious 'cause the author's name is written at the bottom part.

It's CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD!

                  Born one year after the Philippines gained its independence, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard was surrounded from the start with a sense of her country’s having been born at almost the same time as herself. After centuries of Spanish colonialism, more than four decades of American control, and four years of Japanese occupation, finally, in 1946, Filipinos were free to determine their own future. The Americans had helped prepare for this moment through elective models and had fought side by side with Filipinos during the war, and the Americans were vital to the difficult postwar reconstruction, but Brainard grew up well aware of her fellow Filipinos’ own proud contributions toward establishment of an independent Philippines. The street on which she lived in Cebu was called Guerrillero Street in honor of her father, a guerrilla and then a civil engineer involved in rebuilding shattered Philippine cities. Many of the anecdotes in her first novel, Song of Yvonne, came from tales of war remembered by her family.
              
                   As a result, even when Brainard left home for graduate studies at the University of California at Los Angeles in the late 1960’s, she brought with her an identity as a Filipina. She married a former member of the Peace Corps, Lauren Brainard, who had served on Leyte, an island close to Cebu. In California, she worked on documentary film scripts and public relations from 1969 to 1981. Then she began the newspaper columns later collected in Philippine Woman in America, which describe the enrichment and frustration felt by Philippine Americans who are straddling two cultures. Conscious of her own Americanization and anxious to provide her three sons with cultural choices, she formed Philippine American Women Writers and Artists, an organization intent on publishing remembered legends and scenes from the contributors’ childhoods. Brainard’s organization was intended to provide a continuum of presence from varied pasts to a shared future. Such dedication to the “memory of a people” is in the ancient Philippine tradition of the female babaylan, or priestess.

                 Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the award-winning author of nine books, including the internationally-acclaimed novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, Magdalena, Vigan and Other Stories, Acapulco at Sunset and Other Stories, Philippine Woman in America, Woman With Horns and Other Stories, Cecilia's Diary 1962-1968, Fundamentals of Creative Writing, and Out of Cebu: Essays and Personal Prose. She edited four books: Growing Up Filipino I and II, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and Magnificat: Mama Mary's Pilgrim Sites. Cecilia co-edited six books, including Journey of 100 Years: Reflections on the Centennial of Philippine Independence; Behind the Walls: Life of Convent GirlsAla Carte: Food and Fiction, and Finding God: True Stories of Spiritual Encounters. She has also written a novel with four other women entitled, Angelica's Daughters, a Dugtungan Novel.
                 
                  Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Brainard's second novel, Magdalena inspired a stage play, Gabriela's Monologue, which was produced in 2011 by the Bindlestiff Studio in San Francisco as part of Stories XII! annual production.

                   Cecilia has received a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District. She has also been awarded by the Filipino and Filipino American communities she has served. She received the prestigious Filipinas Magazine Arts Award, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has received several travel grants in the Philippines, from the USIS (United States Information Service).
               
                  She has lectured and performed in worldwide literary arts organizations and universities, including UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Beyond Baroque, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others.  She teaches creative writing at the Writers Program at UCLA-Extension. 
                
                 She is married to Lauren R. Brainard, a former Peace Corp Volunteer to Leyte, Philippines; they have three sons.

Here are some of her pictures:

REFERENCES:
http://www.ceciliabrainard.com/

Real-life Asymptotes

Turn Left, Turn Right: Real-life Asymptotes

All about the wall that separates us.

Some things just happen for a reason ...

                Maybe because of what we call "destiny" ...

But we do not seem to see the things which are just in front of us ...

                Maybe because we always look farther ...

And seek for the things we do not really need to look for ...

                Maybe because there always seem to be a right time for everything else ...

A right time to break the wall that separates us.

                Our lives may seem to be two intersecting lines meeting each other at one point, but we can not call it destiny if we are like a lane of dominoes in which I fell for you but you fell for the other. We're just two intersecting lines meeting each other at the point of intersection, but after intersecting, we're still going to part our ways and go even farther from each other.

Go left turn and I'll turn right.

                Turn Left, Turn Right is a movie based on the illustrated book A Chance of Sunshine, by Taiwanese author Jimmy Liao.

                This movie tells a story about a "so near yet so far" situation. John Liu is a musician and Eve Choi works as a translator. They have always been neighbors, so literally they are so near to each other. There's only a wall that separates their rooms. John and Eve have already met when they were still just a kid, when they were together for an educational field trip. They had developed a liking for each other before the other without even feeling it. Eve asked for John's number and even wrote it on paper but unfortunately, she left it on the train that's why she was not able to call him. Again, they met each other at a park when John helps her in picking up the pieces of paper she knock off to the fountain. They talked for a while and discovered that they had met each other before. Everything seems to be going smoothly, but they were caught by the rainstorm so they only exchanged papers with their contact numbers written on it. When they got home, they felt sick but were not able to take their medicine. Later on, they found out that the numbers have been washed out by the rain, so they just randomly dialed numbers. Then, both of them made a delivery call to the restaurant where Ruby works. Ruby fell in love with John at first sight. Seeing the smudged pieces of paper on their rooms, she told him that an old lady lives beside his apartment. Both John and Eve had a severe flu, so they were brought to a hospital where Dr. Eve met Hu, who has a crush on her ever since college.

                Exaggerated form of destiny was what the movie portrays. A lot of coincidences happened, but John and Eve were unaware of it. That thing called "destiny" was very evident for the two of them.

                Dr. Hu and Ruby prevented the two from seeing each other, but soon they fell in love for each other and realized that John and Eve were just extras in their love story. John and Eve were able to contact each other but were still unable to meet. They always went for the opposite directions. They are too close to each other without them even realizing it. They are searching for each other, yet there's only a wall that separates them. In the end, the wall between them breaks apart due to the earthquake, and they were able to see each other.

                A happy ending indeed, just like the other fairy tales. I sort of like the movie, but the story is too cliché and there are only few significant events in the movie. The message of their story is very clear. Do everything in love, but do not go looking for it. It will come to you in the right time. And sometimes you'll find it absurd to find out that the one you're looking for is the one you've always had before. Do not give up on things that are worth waiting for. Try to notice the things you've overlooked before. Lastly, do not push yourself too hard on things that were never meant for you. If you love someone, you've got to learn to let them go.

At first, they were just like asymptotes.

One Person, One Personality, Different Faces

Jon Santos visited APC!

 

At first, I do not have any idea of who is Jon Santos. All I know is that he's going to speak at the auditorium of APC. I do not even know that we're supposed to make a blog after hearing his speech. The only time I knew that a blog about Jon Santos' speech must be made, was when we were already listening to the introductory part of his speech. Anyway, I just shared to you how shocked I was after knowing that we're supposed to make a blog about Jon Santos. Going back to our agenda, I thought that Jon Santos is a man about 70 or 80 years of age because of the picture of him I saw posted at the bulletin board of ERC. The picture is in grayscale, just to share, because you might I think I'm an idiot.

                So when we were already sitting at the left part of the auditorium, a video presentation about Jon Santos was shown. When I saw his face again, but this time he was like a gay or a man impersonating a celebrity, I somehow laughed at myself because I know this guy. Not waiting any longer, he showed up and smiled to us. He does look funny as well as strict. Then, pictures of him were flashed by the projector. Introducing himself, he told us that he studied at the University of the Philippines with the degree of BS, and he's been impersonating for a long time. It started when he was in college, when he became a part of theatrical performances. Also, he was used to imitating his professors after class. He shared to us that he did not like the course he took up and he wanted to shift his course, and the only thing that stopped him was the urging of his parents who told him that he must finish the course he had for him to finish early and find a good job. That part of his story made me relate myself to him, because the courses that I am taking right now was only my second choice. Chemical engineering is a course that I really want to take in UP. We are somehow different in the sense that, both of our parents were the ones urging us to continue taking up our course because they think that it will help us have a better future and because we must finish college as soon as possible in being able to help our younger siblings. But I do believe that everything happens for a reason. Humans may not be able to move backwards through time (although I believe it is possible if you're going to consider Physics), still there will always be a way for us to move forward. Regrets are the things in life that you must set aside, because the present will not happen if it were not for the past.

                Maybe considered as a very funny and happy man, but his speech clearly showed that he has already struggled in life. Every day is a competition. In his case, he chose to face the challenges in his life by doing what he loves and what he thinks would be best for him. I'm somehow impressed on how he chose to fulfill the dreams he has in his life rather than be distracted by the wants of the people around him. According to him, learning what love will make you even richer, it will make you the richest person. By the word "richest", that does not mean that you have loads of money, because being successful is not measured by the money supply a person has. It can be measured by how contented and satisfied you are with the kind of life that you've chosen, and how you feel loved. It always has something to do with the satisfaction. But there is another option: adjust, adapt, and evolve. Admit it, that not everything will go in accordance with what we want and not everything can be changed. The world will not be the one to adjust for us, it will always be us who's going to adapt. In our everyday lives, we must always learn how to listen, listen to what the others are saying. Do not think that you are the greatest among humans and you do not need to listen to anybody else. Each one of us knows a thing that the others do not know. Knowledge is better learned in listening. Although, you must remember that imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world.

                In our life's journey, we will never be alone. There will always be someone else who will accompany us in a way that we do not even recognized. We are always going to be pilgrims.

                Love yourself and then let go of yourself.

                Love yourself because it's the only way to live.

                No one else will know who you truly are aside from yourself and God. Learn to love yourself, but learn how to sacrifice yourself for the good of others.

                At the end of the day, we are all God's children. Everything that is happening in our life happens for a purpose. Each life that we live is a blessing. Never forget to be grateful for whatever you have right now.

                Jon Santos' speech may not be considered as a perfect one, but I've learned a lot and realized from his sayings. It is very brilliant of him to portray a lot of characters without forgetting who he truly is. His stories and jokes somehow contributed in urging us to follow our passion like he did.

" Be who you truly are and say what you feel,
because those who mind do not matter
and those who matter do not mind."
                                           -Bernard M. Baruch

SoE's Newest Pride

Hey ECE 151!
Red team, red team we're so bright,
Hey red team!
Hey! Hey!
Hey red team!
Hey! Hey!

              The third term for engineering students like us is considered as the English term, wherein almost all of our subjects are English-related. And, every APCian knows that this term has special activities that will promote camaraderie among the blocks and will enhance the skills in English of all the participants. The two well-known activities of the English term are the Cheers and Chants and the speech choir.

              In Cheers and Chants, the participants are given three weeks preparation for the props, memorization, synchronization, plan-making, and polishing. For further information, it is all about using chants and yells to be able to cheer for your own block and shout out how proud you are being an ECE 151 student, for example.

              Rehearsing and planning had been so difficult for us to manage. Whenever we have contests, we are always having problems due to lack of cooperation and participation among the members. No wonder that when we started having practices, not all were able to attend because of innumerable reasons.

              During my high school years, especially on my third and fourth year, I have no problem with regards to school contests because almost all of us are participating and willing to help. Also, many of us were able to contribute so many helpful ideas. And whenever there are contests, either by group or individual, our section always wins. That is why when I move to college, I was really disappointed because of my classmates and some other reasons. No offense, but that's what I really felt. Anyway, I've already learned how to cope with my new environment and my new set of classmates, so I'm used to it. Not all were really cooperative but at least, everyone tried their best to cope up with the steps and plan, and to memorize the piece. It was still fun though, practicing almost everyday and seeing ourselves improve, and finishing the piece part by part. I like practicing especially when we are complete and everyone's very eager to practice.

                February 5, 2016 was probably one of the best days for ECE 151 students. That is the day of competition for Cheers and Chants. There are six sections to compete for the championship, ABMA 151, ABMA 152, ABMA 153, ABMA 154/155, CpE 151, and us, ECE 151. This time we are the last to perform. One by one, each section performs, and the only section that threatens us was the CpE 151. Their entrance was really brilliant and outstanding. Then, the time for us to perform comes and all that I could think of is, the only chance we have to beat the others is to give our best in any way that we could. Also, we must enjoy the time alloted for us to show to others who ECE 151 students really are. By the time we came up on stage, I stare at the number of people sitting before us, watching with their eager faces, waiting to judge us whether or not we deserve to be the champion. As we were already performing, I seldom look at my professor, Miss Nina. Seeing her somehow encouraged me to give all the best that I have for the cheers and chants. It was nice hearing the audiences' cheers and applause, still I'm not sure if we're doing a great job. What I mean is that, all of the things that we are doing are very simple but maybe we can stand a chance.

                Then, we're all done and just waiting for the names of the three best blocks to be called. Not to be too proud, but I am very sure that we belong to the top three and there are only two options, we're the first runner-up or we're the champions. To explain myself, the other participants were not that good during their performance, except for the CpE 151. Furthermore, it won't matter to me if we're only going to be the first runner-up, because for sure it will the CPE 151 who's going to win, and they're very deserving. But lucky for us, ABMA 151 and CpE 151 were already announced to be the second and first runner-up. So, you probably know what's ahead for us.
 
                Our block was announced to be the champion for this year's Cheers and Chants! After that announcement, all I could feel is, a mixed emotion of happiness and excitement, and nothing else. 






Here are our pictures that will remind us of how happy we are on that day...

Photo references:
pipedreams.publicradio.org
www.thenextgreatgeneration.com