Kannawidan: The Ylocos Festival

                    Kannawidan means the customs and traditions of our ancestors.  And this has now been celebrated every year for 5 years now showcasing the different  ilocano culture that are to be preserved for the younger generation - songs, dances, and games among others. It also showcases the aquatic and agricultural products of our farmers in the Ilocos Region's "pinaka" or the best. 

                    This activity has become a tourist attraction for our province which helps in the upliftment of the economic stature of the people.  As well as it aims to enrich our culture and to even enhance our socio-economic activities especially towards aqua-agriculture production.

My Dream My Future

                    "Education is the key to success," a quotation we believe that if everybody pursue in studying, they can achieve what they want to achieve. An individual has a reason in pursuing his studies and the very main objective is to reach his dreams and for the betterment of his future.
                    We started to learn how to read and write in the four corners of the classroom and as we leave chapters in our life, we gain new knowledge and learn more things. As we grow up, we can decide things already on our own. There's just one thing I want to do in my life, pursue in my studies, graduate, reach my dream and live simply. I will do my very best to reach my dream and that is to become a doctor someday. I hope so I can surpass the obstacles in my life. This is what I want, this is what my heart tells and this is what I want to become, a DOCTOR someday...
                    Our everyday life is a cycle of continuous education. We gain knowledge, learn new things and that is simply education is. I will reach my dreams for the betterment of my future.

Change:It Starts with Me

                    Change. What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the word "change"? Is it easy to change? What changes can you do in life? How are you going to do?
                    For me, the first thing that comes into my mind when I hear the word "change" is that you must stop using or doing your old ways and start using or doing new or different things. I have changed my ways for a very long time and I'm happy that I did it. It's not easy to change some ways in your life that you're used to it, it takes a very long time to do it, and this is a training  for yourself, to become a good person or mankind. We have to become a good model for everyone. If we want to develop our society, we must start with ourselves. Discipline and good training is needed to be able to develop our society and also our communication to each and everyone of us.
                    Changing old things into new things is very essential, especially if we really want that thing to be different, then we must tart with ourselves.

New Year, New Me

It’s out with the old and in with the new, goodbye 2011, hello 2012! Time had passed so fast. It’s like I didn’t notice a new year is coming through. And since it’s a new year again, every individual have some “new” gadgets, resolutions, clothes, shoes, toys, appliances, and etc. But what is the most important thing to change in your life?

                                In every year celebrating the “new year”, we come to create our resolutions for a better change. Resolution, from the word‘re’ means ‘again’ and ‘solution’ to solve. Resolutions are being created by every person to work on hard, to try not to do their bad habits anymore and to step to the next level; resolutions guide us to become a better person. Last 2010, I made my own resolution, I wrote it in a piece of paper and put it in my dresser, but it seems I haven’t done well my resolutions. Last year, I made my resolutions again, but this time I didn’t write it in a piece of paper anymore, instead I kept it in my mind and I have done well. I observed that it’s better to do it that to write it in a piece of paper without doing it. I can say that the “me” last 2011 was pretty good, I have changed a lot, I had a good trait and at least I stepped another level and I hope I can improve more about myself. This year 2012, I will do my best to improve and step more levels and when I reached the top of it, I can barely say that I achieved it.

                                Every individual change. Let us not judge persons with just because of their mistakes in the past. Instead, let us help one another change, to have a better relationship, to have a better communication, to have a better person. So, have a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a better change!

Keep In Mind Our Mother Tongue

                         People all over the world have different languages. In the Philippines alone, we have more than 170 distinct dialects. And the most commonly used language is Tagalog. Why do we have to keep in mind our native language?

                        We use our language as our identity of what we are, who we are and where we came from. But did you know that Filipinos are the most numbered people who can speak different languages too? This is so because of overseas employment, our town mates, doesn’t forget their language and they are proud to be a Filipino. We learned our first language since birth or have been spoken from earliest childhood and still spoken. Even other countries are trying hard to learn and speak our native language. Foreign videos on YouTube had spread and it’s pretty cute to watch and hear them speaking and singing some of our famous poems and folk songs. It doesn’t matter how many language you know or how good you are in speaking, what matters most is how you treasure, care, love and can be proud of your mother tongue and what matters also is how you can stick to your dialect.

                        We must keep in mind our mother tongue. It is the skin of our personality, it is the identity of who we really are, no pretenders and be proud. Let us love, treasure and care our native language.

True Essence of Christmas

                Money, clothes, toys, appliances, bags, shoes, books, cups, cell phones, laptops and many more, these are some of the Christmas presents that we give to our love ones that makes them happy. But nothing’s happier if we know the true essence of Christmas, and that is love and peace.

                                May kids do believe in Santa Claus with twelve reindeers that flies and used to ride it from house to house to send gifts or presents to children who have been nice over the holiday and he slowly puts these under the mistletoe while they’re asleep. When I was a kid, I believed about Santa Claus and the be-nice-during-the-holiday thing and he will give your gift as a reward, but if you don’t try to be nice, you’ll get nothing. But now, I don’t believe anymore, it’s just that I’m tired of trying to be nice(sometimes it’s inevitable from doing bad) and believing for nothing, all of this is just a product of wild imagination. The true essence of Christmas is not the material things but love and peace. Come to think of it, there are so many children in the streets, even though they will receive a lots of gifts, foods, money, clothes and other things, still, having a family or love ones is different, the feeling of to have a true family bind together with love is the best gift that we could ever receive.

                                So, let’s give love on Christmas and make them feel your love and let peace reign in the world. Let every individual forgive and forget. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities

Equal rights and opportunities? What about this? I really don’t know what’s the exact meaning of this but when I heard it, the first thing that came into  my mind is that rich or poor, strongor weak, young or adult, everybody in God’s eyes is equal.

                                We, people, living in this small world that God created us for a reason. We can’t just say that God created us to live and just after how many years, then die. No, that is not what life is. I know each of us live on a purpose. “We are nothing but humans” that’s why are created to become stewards to every other creatures of God and this is one of our responsibilities to do so. If we have to become stewards to other, then there must become stewards to us. To be able to have a peaceful world, everyone should be equally treated. We all have rights and responsibilities to respect and treat equally.

                                Let love, peace and equality reign. We are the key to equal rights and opportunities. Each of us can rejig these equalities, let us start treating each of individuals equally and have a PROGRESS FOR ALL.