ThE hEaT oF the GaMe...

Many kids here in the Philippines loves to play basketball. I myself love to play this sport. In fact, this is my favorite among all the sports. I do not know why love this game.
I began to appreciate the game when I was in high school. Every afternoon, we always race to the court after the bell rings. We had a “first come, first play” policy that time. I play very bad during those years. I do not even know how to dribble the ball and I always commit either a double dribble violation or a traveling violation. Early in the morning when we reach school, we always proceed to the court and play. Every lunch break we also play basketball without even thinking that we might have a big chance of having appendicitis.
Their right, “practice makes you perfect.” We always play basketball and practice so that we will develop our skills. Every intramurals, we play basketball. It is the most important event for our barkada. It is not only the price money or the trophy that we are after but most importantly, the PRIDE.
Though I cannot say that I am one of the best players in our group but I knew that time that I am improving each and every time that we play. In every game, I can see that I am improving although there are times that I do not have the luck and I shoot the ball poorly. I became a ball hog because I want to show them that I can do well, but I was wrong. Basketball is a team game after all and I have to trust and pass the ball to my team mates so that we will win. Among my friends, I was the on who easily get mad when I get elbowed, when we are about to lose or when I do not like the referee’s decision and I was the one who always elbow the opponents. In fact I was scolded by my PE teacher one time because I got wild when we lost in the semi final game of our 3-on-3 challenge.
When the last intramurals of our batch came, every one was really eager to win back our pride. We lost to the sophomores last year when we are still juniors that time, and this time we will make it sure that the juniors will not beat the extra hot seniors and we will bury them alive. In our first meeting, they buried as first in terms of the scores but the experience of the great players in our batch beat their plays. We knew that we will really win and we really made it. We really came out champions in the game and we have really won back our PRIDE. After all we have proved to them that they were just lucky last year that is why they have beaten us because our star player did not play. We have proved to our batch mates that basketball is really our game, but they are really good but not quite enough.

I will never ever forget that last intramurals basketball game because of all the games that I have played the last year, that was really the best.

ThE ReTrEaT.....

Last Saturday and Sunday, March 24-25, 2007, we had our retreat. That was really an unforgettable event for me. It was the time where we heal the hurts, ask forgiveness to those we had offended and forgive those who are asking forgiveness to us. It was important for us especially that the end of our journey is near and soon we will go to our separate ways. We met first in the school, 8:00 am; I arrived late so I danced as a consequence for being late.
The first activity was about predicting the possible outcomes. We were asked to answer a questionnaire which contains questions about our family, school, and our love life. Also one of the activities that I could not forget was the activity called, positive stroking. We formed a circle, there were those who were in inside the circle. They will seat and close their eyes and then there will be people at their back who will be exchanging turns and will whisper to them their positive characters. That activity made me cry and I never expected that it will touch my heart. After that we took our lunch and then we get back to the school immediately because the jeepneys were already there. It was about 12:30 when we left from UP high and then we finally arrived in our venue, St. John Mission. We rested for a while then we went to the session hall to start the first talk and our orientation. Our first activity was about loving yourself, if it is right or wrong. Then we took our snacks and went back to start with the third talk. After that, we had our confessions. After the confessions, it was time for dinner. Then we proceed with our next activity after dinner, the circle of love. It was definitely the best part of the retreat. We gave a candle to a person whom we had offended and we ask for an apology. The activity lasted for more than two hours because of our long speeches. After the activity, we gave hugs to the people all around. After that, it was time to sleep, but guess what? We never slept right away. We, the boys still talked and we had fun that we enjoyed every moment of that retreat. There was also a farting orchestra(see www.nicomartinenego.blogspot.com for more more informations). After that we had a picture taking inside our quarters. We really enjoyed that we slept almost 3:30. We woke up 5 in the morning. We immediately took a bath and then ate our breakfast. The retreat is about to end. We had one last talk and then we had a mass. After the mass, its time to go home. There were only two jeepneys so I was included in the last batch, and so we still had a time tour in the celestial garden. It was really nice there. After the tour we finally went back to UP and then we went home.That retreat could only happen ones in our life and I will never ever forget those two days of fun. I was so thankful because that retreat solved one of my biggest problem and healed the biggest wound I had.

ThE FiNaL TeSt....

Last March 21-23, 2007, we took our last periodical exam. It was the last for our batch and it was very important for us. This is the final test in our life and it would determine whether who will graduate and who will not. As expected, everyone studied hard. We had group studies especially math.
On the first day of examination, it was math. The test was hard to answer. It was pure multiple choice but I had a hard time choosing the right answer. I have to pass that test or else it would affect my grade. The next test was electives, it was not that hard and I can feel that I got the answers right. On the next day, the test was English and social science. The English test was so challenging. Like math, the test was also pure multiple choice, but in English, test one is worth 5 points each and you cannot erase your answers because you will have a 5 point deduction if you have some erasures in your paper. Next was social science, and as we all expected, it was the longest among all the tests. It was not hard but the only problem is that its too long and we do not have enough time to answer the questions. It was an essay type test and an open book exam. The last test that we took was Physics. Like all the subjects, it was also hard; in fact, I can say that it was the hardest among all the tests. I had a hard time solving the problems.
No matter what the result will be, at last we had our last periodical exam in UP high. I’ll just hope that the results were good and that we will all graduate.

KoBe is my MVP! ! !

NBA season games are still going on and the rumors about who will be the MVP is still going on. Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns and Dirk Nowitzki from Dallas Mavericks were the top two contenders of the MVP award. From the start of the season, they brought their team to victories. The Suns lead by Nash with a 52-16 win –lost record while the Mavs lead by Nowitzki with a 57-11 win-lost record. These two teams are already insured of a playoff spot already, but these two players are not yet sure if they will really come out as MVP. There is one player who will try to still that award from them and it is no other than the scoring leader in the NBA right now, wearing jersey number 24 from the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant.
His team, the lakers may not be as progressive as Steve’s and Dirk’s suns and mavs but his team has a big chance to make it to the playoffs. The lakers, with a 39-32 win-lost record right now are also a good contender for that championship especially with Kobe’s performance. Kobe who has just broke the record of Michael Jordan being the second player to score at least 50 points or more in four straight games is really a great candidate for MVP. His record was second in the whole NBA history, next to Wilt Chamberlain’s seven straight games of scoring 50 points or more. Kobe has also set a record of being the second player to score the most points in a ball game, scoring 85 points against the Toronto Raptors last year, also next to Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 100 point in a game.
He may not be as fast moving compared to the 6-foot-3, 191-pound and the reigning MVP point guard of the suns, Steve Nash, who is averaging 19.1 points and league best 11.9 assist per game, or smaller than Dallas’ superstar who is averaging 25.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, Dirk Nowitzki, but rest assured, no one in the NBA right now plays better than this 6-foot-6, and 220 lbs. shooting guard. He is averaging 30.1 points per ball game, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season.
Kobe is definitely a superstar that could surpass Michael Jordan. If there would be a player in the NBA right now whom I want to be the MVP, there could be no other player but him.

.

the problem with men and women...

On the sixth day of creation, God created man and when he saw that the man was lonely, he took one bone from his ribs and then there exists a woman. That was the history of how a man and a woman came into existence according to the Holy Bible.

That was just an introduction for my main topic because I would talk about certain problems with men and women. To start with this one, here is my list (top ten) t of women’s problems:

1. They change their decision so fast. This is the number one problem with girls. They do not stick to their first decision that is why they cannot be trusted when it comes to decision-making (they’re bad at it!! Hehe… PEACE guys!!!)

2. They spend a lot of time just to look beautiful. Boys always like sexy and beautiful girls but there is no need to spend almost two hours facing the mirror just to look great. It is better to be simple, trust me!

3. They are so “himantayon”. Whenever they can see or hear something wrong from a person, they seem to laugh at it. Fro example, when a person has a mispronounced word or his or her zipper is open, they will notice it right away and laugh at it.

4. They are so sensitive. You must choose the right words to say in talking to a girl because if you will be mistaken in saying even just one word that could offend them, they will surely get mad at you!

5. They are so insensitive. If they are sensitive when they get hurt, they are also insensitive in a way that they cannot appreciate of feel what the other people do for them.

6. They easily get mad. Girls easily get mad especially if they have their periods. (And I know, after reading this blog entry, my girl classmates will look for me and even kill me).

7. They are so hard to please. You cannot easily please girls. They have this style of “flatter me more”. You have to work hard first and tell her all the lies in the world before you can see those big smiles in their faces.

8. They tend to break their promises. They will promise you this one and then tomorrow or the day after tomorrow they will forget what they promised.

9. They always deny. They will never tell the truth even if you will put a rifle in their mouth. They will never tell a secret. This is also a good thing in them because you can trust them with secrets.

10. They are so irritating. I can say that they are irritating in the sense that you cannot get them off of your head and boys will always think of the woman they love every night.

That was my top ten list of the problems of women. Now, let’s proceed to the boys.

Men may have more problems than girls but you know what? The biggest problem of men is that no matter how many bad attitudes the girls have, they will always LOVE them and will always ACCEPT them. It’s so simple. Boys just can’t resist the girls!

OuR Cyberfair article...(not the plagiarized edition..hehehe)

Southwestern University Museum
Within Southwestern University in Villa Aznar, Urgello Street, Cebu City, lies the museum that houses the collection of Dr. Lydia Aznar-Alfonso. Her collection includes artifacts, religious relics, antique household equipment, jewelry, statues, as well as items recovered from archeological excavations. Some of the items in her collection come from as far as China, Cambodia, and Vietnam, but most of the items are from archeological explorations around Cebu and the rest of the Philippines.
Aznar-Alonso started collecting the memorabilia and artifacts and placed them in a museum because she had always felt the need for a place where every Cebuano and Filipino could become acquainted with his or her very own material culture. The museum’s collections have been praised by magazines and books. The adulation that the museum has earned through the years serves as an inspiration to all, especially to Cebuanos who value their culture and who would willingly serve in order to preserve the priceless treasures from their past.
Publicly known as the Southwestern University Museum, it is a site visited frequently by local and foreign tourists, as well as students of the social sciences from all around the country and the world. The museum is open for public viewing from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
The museum is currently under renovation in response to the university's desire to offer better services for the students, visitors, and tourists who visit the museum to explore and gain more knowledge about their country’s history.

Mr. Don "Chickboy" Romantiko

My name is John Paul Catubig. I was the only son of Jaime Caidoc and Gliceria Catubig. I live with my mother and my father left us when I was just a kid, but even though I have not experienced having a father by my side, I still feel complete for my mother has given all the love and care I needed. With all of my relatives loving me, I can feel that I feel luckier than those children who have a complete family but do not feel any love at all. I studied elementary in Lahug Elementary School. I was a wait listed in UP high and luckily, I was chosen as one of the lucky students who have entered UP high.
I have learned many things in UP high. I have met friends who I can treasure forever. I was really thankful that I had the chance to study in this university, and now after four years of studying in UP high we are now about to graduate. So let me share to you a little about myself;
· TALENTS:
I know how to sing, dance and act. I also know how to play the guitar. I have all the talent in this earth…hehehe…
· FAVORITES:
o SONG:
I have many songs that I like, but I like love songs(a little bit), rock songs and also alternative.
o MOVIES:
I would go with the fast and the furious, 2 fast 2 furious and fast and furious: Tokyo drift
o FOOD:
Spaghetti, Bake macaroni and Carbonara
o TV SHOWS:
WWE(wrestling), myx and mtv
o PET:
I don’t have a pet but I want a puppy, but I don’t want a dog…hehehe
o ACTOR:
Antonio Banderas, Paul Walker and Brad Pitt
o BAND:
Parokya ni Edgar, Kamikazee, My chemical romance, Fall out boy
o SINGER:
Gary Valenciano…hehehe…
o SPORT:
Of course! BASKETBALL
o PLAYER:
Kobe Bryant and CARMELO ANTHONY
· WHO IS YOUR?
o BESTFRIEND:
I have lots of friends and I treat almost all of them equally so I can’t call only one person my best friend.
o CRUSH:
I have many crushes too…

That’s all for now, next time I will add more information about myself.

hOw i want to be remembered after i leave high school...

After four years of stay in this prestigious school, our quest finally is about to end. We have to say goodbye to our high school life as we move on to a new adventure in College. But before this happens, we have to remember first the memories that we have left behind.

When I was just in first year high school, my friends have always known me for my jokes. I did not really know that I have already made a joke but a simple line could make them laugh. Seeing them laugh could also make me smile. There is no sweeter happiness than making other people happy. Because of that, they have known me for being a natural joker. One thing I’m sure that they cannot forget about me my natural “torpe” manner. I have only one crush when I was in first year. From the start of the school year until the end, I haven’t talked to her because I was afraid that she might ignore me.

When we have reached second year, I was still known for my jokes and my “pakolo”. In this year, I have already learned to play basketball and my way of playing improved compared to my style in first year. Also, in this same year, I have learned to play the guitar. I was still torpe this year and I did not have a girlfriend.

Third year was a challenging year for me. I joined the Youth for Christ this year. I entered the camp even if the week after the camp was already the Periodical Exams week. Also, this year, I changed some of my bad attitudes. My first acting experience or exposure happened this year. I was chosen to portray the main character in our Kwentuhan. For three years, I have not experienced victory. In every contest in school, my section always loses. It made me think that I am a jinx in my section. On a positive note, I was able to improve my guitar and basketball-playing skills during this year. But again, my courting skills still did not have any improvement. I remained single during that school year.

Then, the final test came. The last phase of my high school life! I am so grateful that I was blessed and reached this far. My joker-image still did not vanish and they still cooperate by laughing at my punch lines. In this school year, I finally had my first girl friend. But, unfortunately it did not last long because I am still an amateur in this business. I have also tasted the first rejection in my life. It hurts but I have no choice and I have to accept it. In this final year, I have finally tasted the victory that I have been ling waiting for, for the last three years. We won in the ABAKADA and in the Dramafest. And the much good news is that I received a bonus! I grabbed the BEST ACTOR award for the two competitions. This time, I felt that I am not the jinx anymore. We have also known each other more and we enjoyed all the school activities that we had for our last year here in UP High.

As I leave this university, I want to be remembered by my batch mates and my mentors by who I am. I want them to think that once upon a time, they had a friend named John Paul Catubig who was their clown for four years and the Don Romantiko who touched their hearts.

LOVE; An act of will, not of the heart

Love is a word that has lots of definitions. Some people say that “Love is blind,” but as we can see, love does not have its own eyes. Some say that “Love is patient,” but as we all know, it depends on the person if he will wait or he will not. Others say that “Love is kind,” but for God’s sake! Love does not give you money or food. “Love is pure.” Shame to those who say this when in fact they themselves associate love with lust. Whatever definitions they have, whether they talk about true love or not, all I can say is that, love is an act of will and not of the heart.
Why can I say so, that love is an act of will and not of the heart? In the first place, our heart is not really the reason why we fall in love; it is just used as a symbol, but lets not take it literally. As some parents say, do not let your heart win over your mind in making decisions when it comes to love. They are right. We have to use not only our heart in falling in love but also our mind. God gave us wisdom and knowledge so we should use these. We have to weigh things properly especially when it comes to love. The reason why many people get hurt because of love is because they all depend to their heart. What they feel their heart is saying to them, they will follow it because they believe that what they feel is already true love, but for all they know it was just infatuation.
In falling in love you must have the control over things. You must not let your emotions bring you down. That is why I can say that love should be an act of will and not of the heart because you have to control the happenings when you fall in love. It depends on you, if you want to get hurt and be a martyr, then go and spend all of your time crying because your partner does not love you the way you do, but if you are intelligent enough to think about yourself, never suffer having a futile relationship with a foolish partner. Why stick to one stupid person when there are millions of choices out there? It is in your hands if you will let your stupid love rule over you.
What I am saying above were pure comments and my views about this topic. Yes, I believe that love is an act of will and not of the heart, but what I always do when I fall in love is the opposite. When I fall in love, I give it all. My mind says that love is an act of will and not of the heart, but my heart says, follow me and you’ll never regret. Never be afraid to get hurt for those pains will make you learn.

KYSD

Every school year, UP high always celebrates KYSD or Know Your School Day. During this week, students have their chance to be a teacher, guidance councilor, a clerk, dean, professional education chairperson, assistant principal or principal. All they have to do is to apply to the teacher of the position they want to. Some students do not want to apply so they will just listen to their classmates who will discuss to them the lessons.
Last January 25-27, 2007, we celebrated our KYSD again. The last KYSD that our batch will have. Unlike when we were just in first year, only few were applying for teachers in our batch, but of course, the principal, assistant principal and professional education chairperson are fourth years. I myself did not apply for any positions because for the last three years, I have always applied as a teacher. This year, I want to listen to my classmates teach us the lesson. Even if the teacher for those three days were our classmates, the respect was still there. We treat them as if they were really our teacher. We listened to what they are teaching us. That was the purpose of KYSD, to learn how to respect each other and learn how to listen to others. We have learned not only the lesson for each subject but also the lesson that we can apply in our life.
For every KYSD, there should always be a closing ceremony. It is where we show to our teacher our appreciation to them and how we thank them for all the things that they have done in our lives. Each year level will show a presentation or a tribute to our teachers. Last year, our batch presented the worst presentation among all year levels. Our teachers were even offended with our presentation. It seemed that we did not prepare something for them. It was so effortless. So this year, we promised to make up for it. One of our batch mates, Aiko Sarmiento, who is known for her song compositions, composed a song for our teachers. We also prepared an illustration board which some of our batch mates have designed and then we wrote our dedications for each teacher there.
It may not be a stunning tribute but we know that it touched our teachers. Even if they do not tell us, but we know that they like our tribute. It is unique. It is one of a kind.
I will always remember KYSD. It is an event that only UP high school has. It will be part of our lives, which we have experienced how it feels to be a teacher or to be a principal for those who have tried. Teachers are not masters but messengers sent by God to teach us so that we can appreciate the beauty of knowledge.

Business Week Speech... (Public Speaking)

Honored guests, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant afternoon to all of you. “Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction.”

Success for a man who has experienced a lot of disturbing events along his journey is not easy to define. For a businessman like me, like you, like all of us, failure is always an ingredient to our heart-warming success.

Well, I would like to inspire you with a story of how my journey in this very challenging world of business had been, and who I was before I became who I am right now. You might think that reaching my stand in the pedestal right now as a millionaire was just an easy access to me. The Catubig Corporation, which ended the reign of San Miguel Corporation as one of the richest conglomerate here in the Philippines, did not came into existence with just a click of a hand.

Me, my colleagues, and my fellow businessmen in this corporation worked really hard to make our corporation the number one, which means, the best in our field. Sweat and blood were our foundation in turning our “just a magnificent dream” to a “glorifying reality”. We have been through a lot of hardships, pains, tiresome activities, stressful days, arguing personnel and misunderstandings during the meetings, even to the extent that some of our stock-holders withdrew their shares for just an uncontrollable unfortunate event; hence, we have still managed to stand firm, respected and highly trusted.

With the help of course of our Almighty father, our company continues to prosper and bears bountiful harvest of our labor.

Of course, friendship and good partnership is always an essential ingredient for a company to survive in this amazing kind of battlefield. My best buddy way back in my high school years in UP High who is now a millionaire, Joseph Caesar Freinademetz Esteban, bought 35% of our total stocks that surely made our corporation even stronger. Now, we are not just best of friends, but also one of the best business partners of our country.

In the world of business wherein uncertainty and change remains to be the only things that are constant, you have to bear in mind that you are not the only person who will make the business grow; instead, you have to know that you have business partners and honest personnel who will be with you, on your way to success. It is not just in the team games that we have played during our younger days that we can apply the value of teamwork, but also and most importantly in the real world, especially in the world of business.

Since we are celebrating our Business Week, I hope that I have inspired those who are here right now; not just the businessmen but all of you who listens to me right now, that failure is just an ingredient for a very sweet success.

We all know that success is not easy to achieve. Along our way, we will face many obstacles and encounter many temptations, but if you are really determined to achieve your goal, you will surely make it there.

There’s no doubt! And that’s for sure…thank you and good afternoon.

Loneliness

l(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness

-ee cummings

“Loneliness is an emotional state in which a person experiences a powerful feeling of emptiness and isolation. Loneliness is more than just the feeling of wanting company or wanting to do something with another person. Loneliness is a feeling of being cut off, disconnected from, and alienated towards, other people. The lonely person may find it difficult or even impossible to have any form of meaningful human contact.”

-www.wikipedia.com

This was written by Edward Estlin Cummings also known as EE cummings. He is a writer and also a painter, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He studied at Harvard, served in World War 1 in France, then studied art at Paris. His writings attracted more interest than his paintings. Complete Poems appeared in 1968. He also wrote a travel diary, a morality play, Santa Claus (1946), and a collection of six ‘non-lectures’ delivered at Harvard entitled i (1953). His best-known prose work, The Enormous Room (1922), describes his wartime internment in France. He is also known for his very unique style in writing poems. I would like to thank www.biography.com, a source of this short biography of ee cummings.

You can’t hardly understand this poem he wrote above. You can't even say that it is a poem. Oh my God! how can I reach 500 words just writing my interpretation in this poem. The title of poem is loneliness. An intellectually challenged person can't understant this poem. Only people with the gift of wisdom can interpret this poem. Why loneliness?

Loneliness is the feeling that you can feel when you are alone. For example you are left in the house all alone and you have nothing to do, you feel lonely. I even feel lonely sometimes but not all the time. This is because I always have friends that I can talk to in school. When I am at home, I also have my cousins and my mother who I can chat with. Sometimes I imagine how miserable and how lonely my life would be without having friends.

Looking at the poem above, we can see that ee cummings used the number 1 as a substitute for the letter L. Why did he make this? This shows us that being alone or all by yourself makes you feel lonely. You can also read the phrase, a leaf falls down.

As what I understand in the poem, being alone makes you feel lonely.

Once upon a time

Verse 1:
We never realized that this will come
We've worked hard through all this years to reach this far
Through all the challenges we've passed, and through the failures that we've met
Still we didn't gave up

Coz' we have friends on our side
Always there to cheer us up
Through the storm and through the rain
All throughout our high school days

Chorus:
We've all been waiting for this time
And now that we're here we can't say goodbye
If only we can turn back time
So we'll be tgether ones again

But we have left memories
That we should treasure and remember
That once upon a time
We've met friends like them

Verse 2:
The laughter, the tears
We've shared with each other through the years
And now we're sharing these tears of joy

Now we should all celebrate
For this very special day
Now that we have reached our goals
So now we're ready to move on

Chorus:
We've all been waiting for this time
And now that we're here we can't say goodbye
If only we can turn back time
So we'll be tgether ones again

But we have left memories
That we should treasure and remember
That once upon a time
We've met friends like them

This is the composition that I passed for my music periodical test.

The Look

Strephon kissed me in the spring,

Robin in the fall,

But Colin only looked at meAnd never kissed at all.

Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,

Robin's lost in play,

But the kiss in Colin's eyes

Haunts me night and day.

-- Sara Teasdale

The first time I read this poem, all I can understand are kisses and gazes. I did not understand the poem right away. But as I read through the lines and examine it, I came up with my own interpretation of the poem. The speaker in this poem talks about three boys. The first boys kissed her in the spring and his kiss was lost in jest. The second boy kissed her in the fall but his kiss was lost in play. The third one just looked at her but this look keeps on haunting her day and night. How amazing that look was! It beat the kisses of those two boys.
My interpretation in this poem is about true love. Those kisses were like love and that look from Colin's eyes also speaks about love. The difference between those two is that, Colin's look at her eyes was true love. Those kisses were gone but Colin's kiss in her eyes was never erased in her mind. This tells us that love which are not from the heart will never stay in our heart and in our mind forever, while true love will stay forever until the last breath your exhale in your life. Maybe I am just too young to say this and too unexperienced for this thing, but from the scenarios that I have witness in my life, I can see that what I am talking right now is true.
If love is a game, then true love is the only game that will never end. No matter how many times you fail, the game will never be over.

Comparison of Phosphate and Nitrate substances on three different water sources

Phosphate and nitrate substances are found in detergents and soaps. These substances can cause algal bloom. Algal bloom which is caused by products that contain phosphate/ nitrate substances poses real danger to the environment. The oxygen needed by organisms are used up when the algae dies. The absorption of these substances in different bodies of water is determined through algae count. According to the latest tally of the number of total number of households, agricultural land and industries done by the government through the National Statistics Office or NSO, there are 15,278,808 households, 3,392,361 agricultural lands, and 5,899 industries(National Statistics Office, 2003). With these vast number of household, agriculture and industries, one can just imagine the number of products containing phosphate and nitrate substances that are disposed daily. There is, therefore, a need to control the growth of algae. One way to do this is to control phosphate and nitrate contamination. So our group decided to conduct a study about the comparison of phosphate and nitrate substances in three different water sources. This study aimed to determine the level of phosphate/ nitrate contamination of the different water sources through their algae count. The water sources used in the study were a lagoon found in Ayala Center Cebu; a river in Kamputhaw; and a well found in T.Padilla. A water sample of 30 mL was taken from each source for five days at the same period using the same method all throughout. One drop was taken from each 30 mL. In each drop, the algae count was obtained with the use of a light microscope. The counting came up with the results after five consecutive days of gathering: the river had the greatest mean number of algae of 17.4 per drop followed by the well having only 2.6 algae cells per drop, while the lagoon had 6.2 algae cells per drop. The study used ANOVA to determine if there is significant difference in the Algae counts of the three samples. The test came up with an F- ratio of 3.81, lesser than the tabled value of 3.89. This meant that there was no significant difference in the algae counts of the sources. Out of the data gathered and findings, we therefore conclude that the water sample from Ayala, Kamputhaw and T.Padilla do not differ. Based on our findings and conclusion, we recommend the future researchers to conduct a replication of the study but with more days of gathering the water samples. Another replication of the study may focus on another water sample especially those near factories.

The Come Back

“First love never dies!” That is the most common saying that we can hear when we talk about first love, but you know what?! It is not only first love that does not die but also the second, third, fourth,…etc may live forever too.

Coming back to someone you have courted in the past is one of the hardest thing to do, especially if the girl is very hard to get. It is a very delicate decision to make and very hard thing to do. It is not that easy to start again because in that second time, the girl might let you wait for a much longer time compared to the first time that you courted her. She might even say no to you and that may give you the greatest heartache in your life, but always remember that patience is a virtue, so you better wait.

“LOVE IS SWEETER THE SECOND TIME AROUND.” This is a quote you can relate with the first one and a quote that will explain that there is always a second chance. Some boys even use this quote when they court a girl again. Well, I would like to share a true story about this theme, coming back.

Where do I start? Well, there was this boy who fell in love with a girl who is very impossible to be his girlfriend. The boy started everything from jokes. They were third year high school then when the boy always greets the girl “hi” every time he enters the classroom where the girl was. The girl always responds without knowing that the boy has a hidden desire in her. Nobody knew that the boy already liked the girl. This scenario always repeats everyday until their batch mates have already observed that the boy has really a special feeling towards the girl. The boy does not have the guts to tell the girl about what he really feels or in other words, he was “torpe.” So what the boy did I that he sent letter to the girl. Everyday, the boy always put post-its in the girl’s locker. At first, the girl did not know who sent her those post-its until one day, she discovered it. The boy gained a little confidence and he started to talk to the girl without feeling so much nervous.

March 5, 2006, it was family day when the boy got his first chance to court the girl. They got their picture together and spent a little time together. The boy treated the girl snacks in the afternoon and they watched the drama fest together at that night. Unfortunately, the boy hasn’t court the girl still because he was afraid to be rejected.

The boy started calling the girl in the phone and they always talk almost every day. Day after day, the boy did not see any development and it seemed that victory is very impossible to achieve. The boy decided to stop courting the girl because he feels that he do not have any chance at all. Days and months have passed by, they did not have any communication at all and they do not even talk anymore. Vacation came and then another school year opened. The boy tried to forget the girl but he cannot do it because he knows that she was still there inside his heart.

In the month of July, the boy had a girlfriend and this created confusion in some of their batch mates because all they know is that the boy still likes the girl. Three months passed by, the boy broke up with his girlfriend and the reason was confusion. The boy was really confused about his feeling between three girls and to make sure that he won’t make a mistake in his decision, he did not court one of them. Days passed by and the feeling which the boy had to the girl during their third year days came back. The girl was not his first love though, but the love did not die. It just rested for a couple of months but it never died. The boy did not rush right away, instead he thought about it for several times if he is going to come back.

November 2006, it was their intramurals when the boy started to come back. He used the same style, how he started the last time was how he started this time. He told the girl that he still likes her but he did it in a manner of joking. December 8, 2006, it was their Christmas party and that was one of the most memorable days of his life. The girl was the one who got his name in their manito-manita and so she gave her gift to the boy. The boy kept what the girl gave and did not throw anything, even the wrapper.

December 11, 2006, that was Monday, three days after their party. The boy texted the girl. They talked about many things until such time, the girl asked for a topic, the boy with no topic in his mind said, “manguyab ko,” then the girl asked who will he court and the boy answered, “you.” Like the first time, the girl did not believe. The boy tried to explain but still the girl won’t believe because of the fact that the boy stopped courting her and then he had a girlfriend afterwards. They finished texting 4:00 AM the next day.

A couple of weeks after that, the boy told the girl again that he will court her and this time, the mood of the boy was now serious. The girl still won’t believe him at first but at the end, she challenged him to prove to her that he was true to what he said. The boy seemed to have a little hope, at last the girl gave him a chance to prove to her that what he said is true. The boy went back to business again. She always calls the girl and they always talk for almost two hours everyday. Christmas came and new year passed by, they will see each other again. When they were in school, the boy seemed to be more confident right now and he does not have a hard time talking to the girl anymore.

The boy said that this time around he will wait whatever the girl’s answer will be. He will not falter, he will not quit.

I know that some of you could relate to the story and some of you might even know the people behind the story. What is important is that I can relay to you the message that no matter how hard it is to come back to a girl you love, always remember that there is always a second chance and do not waste it.

Seven Black Roses

They are back! After their first release of their first hit single entitled “A Promise”, Chicosci is back with another chart topping ht, ‘seven black roses.” Although they are not known to many people yet, Chicosci has shown to the people their own music. I myself do not know the band that much, but when I heard their music, I seemed to like their style.

When I first seen the music video of “seven black roses” on myx, it did not really caught my attention right away and I have not appreciated the song that much, but that was in my first time. I like the way they make their music video, it was nice and they started the video like a movie. When I have seen it again on myx daily to ten, I seemed to like the song that time and they are really good, they sound like “My Chemical Romance.”

“These roses died three day since, black roses died you said goodbye. These roses died three days since, I’m sorry! I miss you!” That was the chorus of the song. If you only look at the chorus of the song, you may say that it is a senseless song but when you look at the whole lyrics of the song and analyze it, you can really understand the story behind the song.

In the video, they showed a girl and that was their lead character together with their lead vocalist. They seem to have a relationship. In the middle part of the song, they showed that the girl died and that is why I think that they relate those seven black roses to the girl who died.

Their style of music is not just pure Filipino style; they look like the foreign bands. Their music focuses mostly rock but not hard rock.

This band will still have a long career in the music industry if they will continue to make good quality of music. Their hit single “seven black roses” became number one in the myx daily top ten and it even topped in the myx hit chart.

The success not only of this band but for all the bands and artists I the Philippine music industry will also contribute to the success of Philippine music. So let us just hope that our bands and artists will not perish just like those seven black roses. Let us learn to love our own music.

Telephone. . .

How important is the telephone in your life? Well, for me it is really important. Without the telephone I would have not been here in this university. I ca still remember that date, it was May 6, 2003 when our phone rang and it was from UP high school and told my mother that I was accepted in UP high. I was a wait listed then, that time. Without our telephone, I could have enrolled to other schools already and I could have missed the opportunity to meet these wonderful people in this school.

When it comes to love life, the telephone is the most useful thing in our house that I could use to communicate with y loved one. Without the phone, every night would be very weary and would be no light in the darkness of my nights and talking about love on the telephone, I would like to share a story about this thing.

There was this boy who always calls a special friend almost everyday, every night. Even though they see each other in school everyday, it seems that the night would never be complete without hearing the girl’s voice on the phone. It seems to be their daily routine or a responsibility the boy should make every night. Even one night that the boy could not talk to the girl seems like a year.

They talk about different topics. They do not talk much about love because they were not lovers at all. They talk about happenings in the school and about their daily life. Sometimes, they even talk about movies and share with each other the movies that they have watched. They spend almost two hours talking on the phone and they even reached four hours sometimes without noticing the time. The boy feels like he is in heaven every time hey talk on the phone for such a long time. He would treasure every moment and every word that the girl would say. One time, the boy has bee scolded by his mother because of using the pone for too long frequently. The boy did not bother to listen to his mother and keep on calling the girl every night for too long. Until one time the boy’s mother scolded him while they were talking I the phone. The girl seemed to hear all the words that came out from the mouth of the boy’s mother. The boy put the phone down because he felt that that he was being embarrassed by his mother while he was talking to the girl. The boy went up and slammed the door and it made his mother mad and told him that he could not use the phone anymore. The boy cannot believe what he has just heard from his mother. He cannot live without hearing the voice of his special friend. What will he do now? Should he fight for his love, risk it all and call her still? Or follow his beloved mother.

If you were the boy, what will you do?

If I were him, I’ll risk it all. I would find another way just to call her. I may live without the telephone but I will not last a day without hearing her voice.