Sunday, March 30, 2025

Dance With Voices

        In a school where history whispers through the walls, let us leave our mark for those who will follow. From the lively booths to the much-anticipated field demonstration, every student had a role to play in making the celebration truly memorable.

 On March 22-23 marked the 123rd High School Day in Ilocos Sur National High School.


        The day started with a grand parade, where each section marched in hopes of winning the Most Disciplined Award. With synchronized steps and determined expressions, we walked under the sun, striving for precision and unity. But letā€™s be honestā€”the heat was unforgiving, and my feet wobbled with every step. Iā€™m not exactly used to intense physical activities, so the effort felt twice as exhausting. In the end, we didnā€™t secure the award, but the spirit and teamwork we put into it made the experience just as rewarding.

      


        Then came the highlight of the eventā€”the Field Demonstration. What the audience saw was a spectacular display of synchronized movement, but behind every step were hours of grueling practice, sweat-drenched clothes, and the scorching heat of the sun. Every routine perfected, every stance heldā€”it was all a result of our dedication and perseverance.

        Blonde bangs swayed; our ponies high. Dark shades framed the fire in our eyes. Lady Gagaā€™s beat took hold, yet our message was loud and bold. But were we bold? Absolutely. Not just in how we looked, but in the message we carried. As we raised our flags high, it was more than just a choreography moveā€”it was a statement. It was as if our flags were our voices, soaring through the crowd, delivering a message that needed to be heard. Our performance was not just about danceā€”it was about empowerment, equality, and representation. We didnā€™t just move to the rhythm of the music; we moved to the rhythm of change. In the end, we placed fourth, but honestly? We won something much greater. We won the hearts of many because what we performed was bigger than a competitionā€”it was a movement, a stand for inclusivity, and a tribute to those who deserve to be seen, heard, and acknowledged.






REFERENCES:

Blogger: <http://www.blogger.com>

Frio, D. (2025, March 22). 123rd ISNHS Foundation Day Field Demo Part I. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/share/15rqqjmjJ9/

Llagas, R. (2025, March 22). Celebrating the 123rd ISNHS FOUNDATION ANNIVERSARY. Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AYkSz1ghq/

Train to Enterpreneurship

    All aboard! Our train to EstudyanTREPRENEUR is about to depart, and each stop promised excitement, learning, and hands-on experiences. As we set off on this journey, we eagerly explored different stations (departments) around the school, each offering a unique activity that showcased the talents, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit of our fellow students.

        Our journey began at the SPTVE Department, where a vibrant and lively setup welcomed us. The area featured a photo booth and a freedom wall where students could express their thoughts freely. However, before stepping in, each of us had to pay a one-peso entrance fee, which was a clever way to simulate real-world transactions. As proof of entry, our hands were marked. Another highlight in this area was the student-created films, showcasing the talent and storytelling abilities of our schoolā€™s aspiring filmmakers.

 

        Moving forward, we made our way to the Home Economics section, which was set up right in front of the AP Department. This stop instantly became one of my favorites because of the delicious variety of food offered by students. From crispy empanadas and soft puto to sweet ensaymada paired with refreshing melon juice, the selection was both impressive and satisfying. But it wasnā€™t just about foodā€”there were also beautifully crafted accessories on sale, such as cellphone chains, bracelets, clips, and adorable items made from fuzzy wires. Each piece reflected the students' creativity and entrepreneurial mindset.

       


    For our final stop, we headed behind the gymnasiumā€”a path I initially thought was the wrong way due to its narrow and unexpected entrance. To my surprise, it led us to a hidden garden-like area, where students had planted various plants, making the space feel refreshing and peaceful. In this spot, the MAPEH Department set up an exciting dart game, adding a competitive and entertaining touch to the experience.


    Overall, the EstudyanTREPRENEUR activity was an exciting blend of fun, learning, and real-world experience. It showcased teamwork, creativity, and business-mindedness, making it a truly memorable school event. I enjoyed every moment, from engaging in the activities to seeing my fellow students' talents shine. It was not just about roaming around the schoolā€”it was about exploring, learning, and appreciating the entrepreneurial spirit within us.



REFERENCE:

Blogger: <http://www.blogger.com>

The Last Thread

       


 For the fourth quarter, after just getting the hang of coding in the previous term, we took on a new challengeā€”Microsoft FrontPage. This time, instead of working collaboratively, we individually created a webpage for our CBR (Community-Based Research). Microsoft FrontPage introduced us to a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment, making it easier to format and design pages visually without diving too deep into raw code.

        To ensure my webpage had a structured and professional appearance, I carefully applied a consistent theme across all pages. This not only made my work look cohesive but also improved navigation and readability.

           But that wasnā€™t allā€”we also explored the world of networks. We dived into its different types, how they function, and how they differ from one another. More importantly, I gained insight into the specific network infrastructure incorporated within our school, giving me a clearer understanding of how data flows within a system.

            Of course, learning new skills comes with challenges. One of the biggest hurdles I faced was that the final output of my webpage didnā€™t match how it looked in FrontPage itself. Frustrating? Absolutely. But instead of giving up, I troubleshooted the problem, adjusted my approach, and tested different solutionsā€”over and overā€”until everything appeared the way it was supposed to.

            Moving on, I will take these lessons with me. This quarter taught me that every challenge has a solution, even if it takes multiple attempts to find the right one. I will continue to grow, face new trials, and embrace every learning opportunityā€”because every failure is just another step toward success.

With hands that build, with dreams that soar,
Iā€™ll break the limits and be much more.

REFERENCE:

Wiki, C. T. M. (n.d.). Microsoft FrontPage. Microsoft Wiki. https://microsoft.fandom.com/wiki/Microsoft_FrontPage 

Friday, March 28, 2025

The Unknown Awaits, And So Do I

   

        What is the future that awaits me? Is it the one I have woven in dreams, stitched with effort, sleepless nights, and the quiet hope that hums within my ribs? Or is it the shadow I fear the most, lurking in the corners of uncertainty, where lost paths and unmet expectations reside?

        They say, forget the past, live today, let tomorrow come, come what may. Yet, I am young, and fear runs deep, for the future is a mountain steep.


        "Where do you see yourself in ten-fifteen years?" The question is a mountain in my throat. I reach for an answer, but my hands grasp air. I pause, I stutter, I cannot say, for dreams can crumble, even fade away. Itā€™s scary to chase a hope that may not be mine. To build a life with trembling hands, only to watch it slip like sand. Because truth be toldā€”I do not know. And that, perhaps, is the scariest thing of all.

       

         What if the vision I dare to hold slips through my fingers like grains of sand? What if the effort, the long nights, the sacrifices, the silent prayers, lead not to triumph, but to an ending I never wished to write?


        But even if the future scares me, I still hope that someday, I find myself in the sky, not just gazing from below, but soaringā€” hands steady on the controls, a heartbeat in sync with the hum of the engines and drinking in the endless horizon. I want to sit in the cabin, where the world feels both vast and close, where clouds become my companions, soft whispers carried by the windā€™s embrace. And maybe, just maybe, as I soar through the sky, I'll find not just the beauty of the world, but the pieces of myself Iā€™ve been searching for all along.



         I dream of a life where my hands are steady, holding not just dreams, but the means to make them real. A stable job, built on years of effort, where I can stand tall, not just for myself, but for the ones who carried me here. I long for the day I can give backā€” not just in words, but in all that I do. To repay my parents, not just with gratitude, but with comfort, with ease, with a life where they no longer have to sacrifice. I see myself crossing borders, chasing horizons, wandering through countries that once lived only in my mind, and have my fridge full of magnets. A passport filled with stories, footsteps in places unknown, the world unfolding beneath my eager feet. I want to live not just to survive, but to indulge in the things that make life worth living.


       To my parents, who carried burdens so I could walk with ease, who gave when they had little, who dreamed of a future where I would never have to struggle as they did. The hands that held me before I could stand, the voices that guided me before I could understand. And to my siblings, who taught me love in its simplest form. I am grateful for them in ways words canā€™t hold. For the meals shared around the table and for the lessons disguised as scoldings.  My friends, who knew me before the world did, before life grew heavy with responsibilities, before dreams stretched far beyond our grasp. We were just kids/teenagers once, laughing in crowded hallways, sharing secrets, chasing sunsets with nowhere to go but everywhere to be. And even as time pulls us forward, as life scatters us across cities, across oceans, across different paths, I never want to lose what we hadā€”what we still have. I want to sit across from them, years from now, coffee in hand, and still see the same light in their eyes, the same laughter, untouched by time.



       Life is a vast and uncertain road, a path woven with shadows and light, where dreams tremble on the edge of doubt, and the future feels like a whispered storm. It is scaryā€”to not know where Iā€™ll stand, to not know if the hands I hold today will still reach for mine in the years ahead. But if I could wish for one thing, if I could carve my hopes into time itself, it would be to live a life where laughter still echoes, where familiar voices still call my name, where the ones who stand beside me now remain beside me, always.

My future is my deepest fear, yet it is also the fire that drives me forward.





REFERENCES:
 
Blogger: <http://www.blogger.com>


Thursday, March 27, 2025

Beyond Labels


"Babae Ako, Hindi Babae Lang"


        This phrase has taken a toll on me ever since I encountered it. A phrase so simple, yet it lingers deep. An echo of voices that refuse to weep. For too long, we've been cast aside, seen as fragile, as if we hide. They call us weak, soft, and small, a flower that bends, a voice too small. But have they seen the storms we bear? The battles we've fought, the weight we wear? We are more than shadows behind great men, more than muses with inkless pens. We are thinkers, builders, warriors too, breaking the chains, they thought we outgrew. Yet still, they silence, they suppress, they bind, trapping our worth in an outdated mind. Are we just women? Is that what anyone only see? A delicate frame with no destiny?

A world that sees us as merely there,
For service, for silenceā€”how is that fair?

             Yet, several women's hands have built, their voice has led, their words have sparked what history said. Women are not men's shadow, not their pawn, not made to serve, then be withdrawn. Women dream, they fight, they carve their space, unbound by limits anyone dare to place.

        A man speaks, and the world listens. A woman speaks, and doubt thickens. Why must we prove again and again that we can stand tall as men?  To the women who fought, who bled, who spoke when silence was all they were fed. They proved they were more than nothing at all. They paved the road with strength and might, for us to claim what is ours by right. 

Why must our rights be up for debate?
Why must our dreams bear extra weight?

        Equality will never be more than a dream, if women are drowned in societyā€™s scheme. How can women rise when walls remain, when progress is slow, when shackles remain? Equality is not a favor to request, but a right that should have never been withheld. It is the right to walk unchained, to speak, to lead, to not be restrained. For women are not just women, and until the world learns what we mean, equality will remain just a dream.


We are more than skin and bone, more than a title the world has thrown.



REFERENCES:

Blogger: <http://www.blogger.com>

Hent. (2022, April 3). Benguet celebrates Womenā€™s Month: ā€˜Babae ako, hindi babae lang.ā€™ HERALD EXPRESS | News in Cordillera and Northern Luzon. https://baguioheraldexpressonline.com/benguet-celebrates-womens-month-babae-ako-hindi-babae-lang/

M, A. (2024, February 20). Empowering Women: The role and impact of women Empowerment clubs. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/empowering-women-role-impact-empowerment-clubs-aishwarya-m-depzc

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Beyond Festivity, Within Legacy



    Festivals are the heartbeats of a community, where traditions dance with time, and culture sings through generations. Like the waves that return to kiss the shore, traditions find their way back to the hearts of those who cherish them. Festivals are not just celebrations; they are echoes of the past, living in the present, and shaping the future. They bind generations, allowing the old and the new to meet in a grand spectacle of music, colors, and rituals. In Ilocos Sur, one such celebration brings history to lifeā€”the Kannawidan Festival. Rooted in the deep heritage of the Ilocano people, this festival marks the foundation of Ilocos Sur as a province.

    This grand event takes place every late January to early February, drawing both locals and tourists to witness the beauty and uniqueness of Ilocano culture. At the heart of Kannawidan Festival, the spirit of Ilocos Sur beats strong, a rhythm woven from history and heritage. Stalls brim with treasuresā€”abel Iloko, its threads whispering tales of artistry, longganisa, fragrant and rich with time-honored flavors, and bagnet, crisp as the pride of those who craft it. The air hums with the melodies of folk songs, voices rising like the wind that has carried Ilocano traditions through generations. Dancers move with grace, their feet tracing the stories of the past upon the earth. The significance of Kannawidan Festival goes beyond entertainmentā€”it is a testament to Ilocos Surā€™s pride in its history, artistry, and resilience. By celebrating Kannawidan, the province strengthens its identity and ensures that its treasured customs, crafts, and cuisines continue to thrive. It is a reminder for the younger generation to embrace their roots while also inviting outsiders to appreciate the Ilocano way of life.



    Kannawidan Festival is a tribute to the soul of Ilocos Sur, where history, tradition, and identity intertwine in a grand spectacle of culture. Through its vibrant performances, rich culinary offerings, and deep-rooted customs, the festival preserves the legacy of the Ilocano people, ensuring that their stories continue to be told and their heritage remains alive.



    For in every thread of abel Iloko, in every taste of bagnet and longganisa, and in every graceful step of a dancer, the spirit of Kannawidan lives onā€”a timeless melody sung by history, carried by the wind, and embraced by the future.



References:

Kannawidan Ylocos Festival: Uppat a Tawenen a Mangitantandudo kadagiti Kultura ken Tradision ti Ilocos Sur. (2012, August 2). Around Ilocandia Channel. https://aichannel.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/kannawidan-ylocos-festival-uppat-a-tawenen-a-mangitantandudo-kadagiti-kultura-ken-tradision-ti-ilocos-sur/


The IlOCoS sur Kannawidan Festival 2023 Street Dance Competition | Province of Ilocos Sur. (2023, February 12). https://mis.ilocossur.gov.ph/2023/02/12/the-ilocos-sur-kannawidan-festival-2023-street-dance-competition/


Saluyot, V. a. P. B. (2015, February 2). Kannawidan Ylocos Festival 2015. Ilocandia. https://saluyot.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/kannawidan-ylocos-festival-2015/

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Love Starts Within

    Love takes many formsā€”it is not bound by romance alone. It flows through family, through friendship, through the quiet kindness of strangers. Yet, before love can reach outward, it must first bloom within When you respect yourself, the world learns to do the same. When you cherish your own soul, you will not settle for hands that bruise, for words that diminish, for love that feels like a storm instead of a home. Love cannot fill you if you do not hold space for it. It cannot complete you if you have not yet embraced yourself whole. For love that does not start within becomes a love that is always sought, a thirst never quenched, a hunger never filled. If love does not exist within you, how can it truly reach you?



    We commemorate Valentineā€™s Day as a time to celebrate love in all its formsā€”romantic, platonic, and self-love. It serves as a reminder to express appreciation, affection, and gratitude toward those who hold a special place in our lives. Whether through kind words, thoughtful gestures, or meaningful gifts, the day encourages people to pause and acknowledge the importance of love and connection. Beyond romantic relationships, it is also an opportunity to strengthen bonds with family and friends, fostering warmth, kindness, and appreciation in our daily lives. Love is not just a fleeting emotion but a force that shapes our relationships and enriches our experiences. Valentineā€™s Day reminds us that love should not be confined to a single day but nurtured and expressed throughout the year. It is a chance to reflect on the relationships that bring us joy and the simple yet profound ways we can show care. It is an opportunity for us to show our capacity to give and receive love, reminding us that in a world that often moves too fast, taking a moment to cherish one another is one of the most beautiful things we can do.



    I do not express my gratitude in grand displays, nor do I weave it into words that shine brightly. Instead, it lingers in quiet moments, in unspoken gestures, in simply being there. I may not always voice whatā€™s in my heart, yet through my presence, I hope it is felt. I listen whenever and wherever. For love is not just in what we say, but in how we show up, day after day. And though my gestures may be few, my time and presence prove them true. 






Reference:

    Blogger: <http://www.blogger.com>

    Abramson, S. (2013, February 11). ė°ˆ ģœ ėØø. Pinterest. https://pin.it/5kebprG9W

    Happy Valentineā€™s Day - Scrapbook Page Title Die Cut | Happy Valentine's day, Valentine's toppers,        Valentine stickers. (n.d.). Pinterest. https://pin.it/7brCroraJ