another blog

Since mana man gyud ang blog project, muundang na ko ani akong blog...

PERO naa man ko laing blog... magupdate ko ana every once in a while.. taas man cguro na ang in a while.., hehehe

naa ra ang link sa URL sa akong bag.o nga blog:

http://danhenry03.blogspot.com/

THE LACTOSE CONTENT OF COMMERCIAL POWDERED MILK: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

The study entitled "The Lactose Content of Commercial Powdered Milk: A Comparative Study" was excellently performed by three steadfast students of the University of the Philippines High School in Cebu. These three students are Mary Chris Bazarte, Dan Henry Montaño, Maria Ernestine Sacmar, and Neil Audrey Talolong.

Rationale of the study
Milk has been a nutritional food supplement common in various cultures. It contains minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and acids, essential to our body needs. Examples of which are Vitamin D and K for bone health and iodine for thyroid function. Though there are other sources for these nutrients, milk is still s practical way to be healthy.

Milk intake is beneficial to humans, especially to infants. Since newborns lack the ability to chew large masses of food that can provide them good nutrition.

There have been numerous forms of milk. Powdered milk includes this sea of milk products. It is often used in baking and always made available in places where fresh milk is not visible.

Nowadays, numerous brands of commercialized powdered milk are rapidly being produced and advertised on televisions, radio, billboards, and other forms of advertisements. Yet, the consumers need to be assured that these milk brands are pure enough and can sustain the nutritional need of our body.

As part of these consumers, the researchers developed a study which can determine the percentage purity of the powdered milk. Specifically, it aims to determine the lactose content of these powdered milk. Lactose is used, since it is the only sugar naturally present in milk.

Research Design

The descriptive method of research was being used in this study. The study was concerned with the comparison of the lactose contents of ten brands of commercial powdered milk, the descriptive method of research was the most appropriate method to use.

Research Environment

Research Locale

The research experiments, which include the titration procedures, were conducted at the Chemistry Laboratory at the University of the Philippines High School in Cebu Campus. The said experiments were done in a span of four months, which is from July to October 2006.

Research Subjects

The research subjects in this study are the ten brands of commercial powdered milk namely:

1. Alacta

2. Alaska

3. Anchor

4. Bearbrand

5. Bonakid

6. Enfapro

7. Nestogen

8. Nido

9. Promil

10. U -Care 123

NOTE: If you want to know the results, try to look for our hardbound copy.

grasses of luxury

CEBU COUNTRY CLUB

Established in 1928, the Cebu Country Club is one of the best and most admired golf clubs in Cebu. Being the premier golf club in Cebu today, it represents the early developments of golf in Cebu and the Visayas. It takes the driver's seat in handling Cebu's tourism golf traffic after the loss of the famous Club Filipino de Cebu. This golf club is also the site of the PAL Interclub and some legs of the Philippine Golf Circuit.

The golf course has 18 holes covering about 6,481 yards. The green fees depend on the day of the week: PHP2,000 for weekdays and PHP3,500 for weekends and holidays. The caddy's fee is PHP250, golf cart rental is PHP1,500, and golf club rental is PHP300. Club members enjoy discounts on fees, while non-members pay the regular fees.

Cebu Country Club has an elegant clubhouse that is open to local and foreign guests. It boasts of complete facilities that help guarantee a satisfying stay for its guests. Its restaurant provides quality service and offers the best foods and delicacies of Cebu. Guests can relax and go sight-seeing on the tree houses, spend the night out at the bar, play on the badminton and tennis courts, bowl at the bowling alley, and take a refreshing dip at the swimming pool.

The club also has a barber shop, a pelota, and a pro shop that sells high-quality sports gadgets for the pros, as well as modern locker rooms. Security in the club is ensured by personnel who work 24/7 to ensure the safety of the club's patrons.

June (real name withheld for reasons of privacy and confidentiality), a tour guide of Mr. Samuel Darza in the golf club, said that the topography of the golf course is very different from other golf courses. He speaks highly of the club's services, describing them as satisfying. He also said that the 18 holes of the golf course cover a land area that extends from Banilad, Cebu City, up to Mandaue City in the north. As far as security is concerned, June feels that the club is a safe place and has no security problem because, despite the club's large size, security personnel roam and patrol all sides of the field. Further, June said that the club regularly upgrades its facilities; hence, the club's facilities are on a par with the latest and the best.

In addition to its local clients, the club also has frequent visits from foreign guests, many of whom find the club a perfect place for relaxation and for enjoying life's pleasures. Though, most of the club members are usually retired white-collar employees of private companies.

Every Cebuano and non-Cebuano who tees off on the greens of Cebu Country Club would definitely find that, owing to the club's elegant facilities and efficient service, Cebu Country Club undoubtedly helps portray Cebu as a place rich with natural and man-made structures.

http://3cities.uphighschoolcebu.edu.ph/countryclubhistory.php

Grasses of Luxury: More than the Usual

Established in 1928, the Cebu Country Club is one of the best and most admired golf clubs in Cebu. In fact, this golf club is the premier golf club in Cebu today. It represents the early developments of golf in Cebu and the Visayas. It is taking the driver's seat in handling the tourism golf traffic of Cebu after the loss of the famous Club Filipino de Cebu. This golf club is also the site of the PAL Interclub and some legs of the Philippine Golf Circuit. It has 18 holes, about 6,481 yards all in all. The green fees depend on what day is the usage. On weekdays, the fee is Php2 000, while on weekends and holidays, the fee is Php3 500. The caddy's fee is Php250; the golf cart rental is Php1500; while the golf club rental is Php300.

The Cebu Country Club is an elegant clubhouse that is open to all guests and tourists. With its complete facilities, this golf club caters guests and tourists in the best way that it really guarantees a stay of complete satisfaction. It has a restaurant which has waiters and waitresses that provide quality service and offers the best foods and delicacies of Cebu, tree houses that provide relaxation and sight – seeing sites, a bar in that guests can spend the night out, a tennis court and a badminton court for the sporty ones, a bowling alley for the bowlers and a swimming pool for guests to cool off on. It also has a barber shop which the guests can go to if they want to get a shave or a haircut, a pelota and a pro shop which offer the best sport gadgets for the pros. This golf club also has modern locker rooms for both sexes so that security can be retained. It has many security personnel which are on guard for 24 hours, so security here is not a problem.

According to Mr. June, not his real and full name because of his privacy purposes, a tour guide of Mr. Samuel Darza in the golf club, said that the topography of the golf course is very different compared to the usual ones that we see. He said that one will be satisfied with his or her stay here because the services really are very good. He also said that the 18 holes of the golf course cover a land area that extends from Banilad, Cebu City up to Mandaue City in the north. In the security of the golf club, he also stressed that there is no problem with this because even if the golf course is very large, the security personnel can still roam and patrol all sides of the field. According to him, the facilities of the golf club are a little more than the usual because they are updated every time there is a need to upgrade. He also said that the rates of the golf club may vary on a specific day, depending on the decisions of the administration because benefits will be given by members compared to the non-members. He said that fewer fees will be charged for members while more fees for the non-members. Foreigners are also very evident here in this golf club because according to some of them, this place is a place to relax and to enjoy the goodness of life. He then said to us that the common members of the golf club are usually retired private official secretaries and managers of companies because relaxation and consumer satisfaction is strictly observed.

According to other members and guests of this clubhouse, they all have a positive feeling towards it, making it a reason for nonmembers to sign up and enjoy the pleasures this elegant golf club can offer.

The Cebu Country Club has indeed reached the hearts of every Cebuano who seeks satisfaction here in Cebu. From its elegant facilities, to its efficient customer service, this clubhouse has dominated the definition of “game with luxury” in Cebu. Though this, people will surely enjoy the green grasses that represent Cebu as a place rich with both natural and man-made structures. People from all parts of the world, golfers or non-golfers, will surely enjoy the gifts of life that these grasses of luxury can offer.

So, whenever you plan to go to Cebu, do not forget to check out the Cebu Country Club because it is way more than the usual.

Cebu Country Club-gutib,metoda,montaño,zambrano

WHY I WANT TO BE A CWTS OFFICER

This is what I wrote as a requirement for application to be a CWTS officer. It didn't reach 1000 words because this was a draft. The true hard copy was passed as a requirement and the soft copy got deleted when our computer was reformatted.

I am supposed to write a thousand-word essay that will discuss my reasons for wanting to be a CWTS officer. I will do that, of course, but I will also summarize my entire essay into just three words. DUC IN ALTUM. Go deep.

The full verse is in Luke 5:4 “Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” It is what Jesus Christ told his disciples in Lake Gennesaret. They were in the part where the fish was supposed to be abundant. They tried all night but they still weren’t getting any. Jesus told them to go a deeper part of the water. Simon Peter protested at first because they were tired. When they finally went deeper, they caught so may fish that their nets broke.

Father Lan Guiao, SDB, the rector at the Don Bosco Technology Center, taught that to all the Bosconians. We should never settle if we know that we are capable of so much more. We should try a little harder, go a little farther than what we think we can do. We are all to aim for big things using our God-given talents wisely. I do realize that my goals may be too high at times, but I insist on keeping them anyway. I will not settle.

Of course, all UPians, myself included, know that settling for second best is not an option. We all know the importance of maintaining out standing as “iskolars ng bayan”, so we all study hard in order to get good grades. There is a bigger world where all our book learning would serve us in good stead. I intend to start with my community – more specifically, the CWTS.

In my research, I came upon the description of the program. The Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS) refers to programs or activities contributory to the general welfare and the betterment of life for the members of the community of the enhancement of its facilities, especially those devoted to improving health, education, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation and morals of the citizenry. (http://www.upd.edu.ph/`our/nstp/index.html)

I am glad that there is a program that trains young individuals to be responsible and productive citizens. I hope to be a part of that, not just as a participant, but as an officer.

Third year high school has been fun in terms of non-academics. Academically, though, our lessons were (expectedly) harder compared to the lessons that we had in our first and second years of high school. I count it one of my blessings that I did not get a card grade below 80, especially since it is the primary prerequisite of being an officer in the Civic Welfare Training Service. Having attained the feat, I would not waste my chance of being one of the CWTS officers. I would grab my opportunity that God gave to me and all my fellow hopefuls.

That is not my primary reason of joining the CWTS officers, though. I want to join because I want to be a leader. I never wanted to be a leader before because I thought it was a tiring and thankless task. A greater reason for my choosing to stay in the background was my fear. I did not have the courage to lead my fellow classmates. I just settled with being a member. Now I want to prove to everyone, especially to myself, that I really have what it takes to be a leader. I’m hoping it is not too late for me to start.

The CWTS is also a good vehicle for character building. It cultivates discipline, responsibility, and diligence, among others. These are the traits that I definitely think I need.

I want to have discipline. Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker, said that “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments”. I have my goals, and I want to turn them into accomplishments – I just need to develop a little more discipline. Case in point: I sometimes have a problem of controlling myself from playing computer games. With discipline, I would be able to control and manage my time more efficiently. I look forward to having a lot of spare time to use for studying and other important tasks. I also hope to save more money in the bank to be used for some future rainy day.

Responsibility is not one of the traits that I practice everyday. Sometimes, I let laziness get in the way of my fulfilling my responsibilities. I know that this is not good, especially since I am in my third year and soon be graduating. I’m sure that senior year would be the toughest yet, and I would need to be the most responsible I can be if I am to face the challenges that are in store for me. It doesn’t stop there – there’s also the matter of going to college. Tough college life would not let me get away with shirking my responsibilities. It still doesn’t stop there. Developing a strong sense of responsibility now would go a long way when I face real life.

Diligence, I know too well, is hard to get but I still want to have it anyway. That would mean no more procrastinating and delaying tasks I want to and should achieve. That would go a long way when I am beset with obstacles that I’m sure life would be full of.

Armed with all that, plus faith that I would be able to achieve my goals if I would only be willing to cast my nets a little deeper, I’m sure I would be on my way to becoming a good citizen. I want to be a credit to my family, to my school, and to my community. I believe I can do that, and I want to start now.

gonzalez...

A: I belong to a class by the name of IV-Gonzalez in UP High School in Cebu.

B: Yeah you belong to Gonzalez, so what?

A: Well, let’s just see how interesting our class is.

It has been a tradition in UP High that the top 5 students in the third year level will be placed in one section, the pilot section. This year, Gonzalez is the pilot section because Tan was the pilot section in the previous year. You would conclude from what I said that this section would be a very studious section. But I am sorry to prove you wrong, Gonzalez in general is just like any other section in UP. Gonzalez is also comprised of happy-go-lucky people. I myself am very happy-go-lucky.

Our class is very cooperative. Whenever a long test in physics will come, there will always be groups that would answer the problems in the book together. This is to exchange our ideas and to expand our understanding of every physics concept. This is a way to confirm if what we understand about the topic would be correct.

Like India, our class is a melting pot of social groups. We have the responsible group, the outgoing group, the carefree group, and all other groups that one can think of. One student could be a part of more than one group.

The responsible group:

This group consists of the people who prioritize their studies very much. They are also the people who really do their responsibilities in a very reasonable time. When an examination is near, you can expect them opening their notes and review what they have learned. I am not letting this mean something negative. (It is one of the things that I regret of not doing.) In the end, when their efforts would bear fruit they would receive the greatest awards in graduation.

The outgoing group:

This group consists of the people who have a ton of confidence. They are the ones who are very friendly. They are the ones who bond with their friends very much. If one has a problem, friends will surely come to comfort and to lend a helping hand to let them stand. For them, their friends are their jewels.

The carefree group:

This group consists of the people who cram when deadlines come. I am truly a member of this group. Being carefree does not necessarily mean being lazy. (I am not being defensive!) For us, the deadline is the best appetizer to do our responsibilities. We do our responsibilities when the deadline is so near. When a deadline is still far, we are very relaxed. Even in problematic times, we still relax every once in a while. For me, a break once in a while can lead a long way. It is because when you are stressed and still continue to work, your output would not be so good. The output of a break-filled process is good considering the lesser time of work.

There are a way lot more group categories in the class. We are all distinct. We are all different. We are all unique. In spite of these, we melded together and formed one of the best classes in UP. Being a member of the class is something that I am truly proud of.

Cebu Country Club Expedition

We are joining the Cyberfair 2007 by Intel. The fourth year students were divided into 20 separate groups. I belonged to group 5 of 4-Gonzalez. The group was comprised of Paul Andrew Gutib, John Albert Metoda, Dan Henry Montaño, and Ralph Anthony Zambrano. The group was made of 4 boys, 4 boys who really enjoy computer gaming. Think of the thing that we could do to put off the project? (hehe..) We named our group as the golpgrup. (The reason for this is very obvious!)

Our group was assigned to 3 places for our cyberfair project. These were Cebu Golf and Country Club, Cebu Country Club, and Alta Vista Golf and Country Club. As we received our assigned places to research about, an idea came to me. It said that researching these said places would mean expenses, great expenses! The three are all golf courses in Cebu. Think about it, golf is an expensive sport. Going to extravagant places like those would really need expenditure.

To start our research, our group looked for the contact numbers of these establishments in the internet. John Albert, our official telephone spokesperson, called up Alta Vista, but they didn’t allow us. (I do not know how Eldee’s group was permitted in Alta Vista.) So that means we have 2 places left. We looked for Cebu Golf and Country Club. But to no avail, we couldn’t find Cebu Golf and Country Club. (I think Cebu Country Club and CEbu Golf and Country Club are just one place.). That leaves us one place – Cebu Country Club. At last, Albert contacted the place. We knew that a certain Mr. Samuel Darza is the manager of the organization. Now we can write a letter to ask permission to include their establishment.

Time passed (including the semestral break), and still we haven’t gone to CCC.

Early February, we went to CCC to interview Mr. Darza or any reliable personnel and to take pictures. But sadly, Mr. Darza wasn’t there to approve our permission. So the lobby guard took the letter and said that he will just give it to Mr. Darza (our contact numbers were written in the letter). We received a text message that we were now allowed to go there. When we went there, we weren’t allowed to get in because there was a time allotted for us. But we didn’t know about it. Because of our disappointment, we sour-graped the place (e.g. “The outside was really ugly!” and “We hope your establishment will be burned!”). Actually, the outside was really ugly. Fortunately, there was no class in February 14. We went to CCC. At long last, we were allowed to go inside.

One maintenance personnel was assigned to be our tour guide. We went inside the lobby. There was a miniature design of the whole of CCC. He explained to us that CCC was really big since the entrance is in Banilad and the tip was already Mandaue. It was really big! After, we went to see what we really aimed to view, the golf course. The interior was an exact opposite of the exterior. The grasses there were very nicely grown. A variety of grasses were planted there to give the golf course a very green appearance. Then our tour guide led us to one of the lakes there. In the middle, an island was artificially made for added beauty. It was really beautiful. We didn’t go to the other holes because it was pretty much the same.

It didn’t matter that our tour guide was just a maintenance personnel because he really knew every path there. He led us to the places that were not obviously there. He led us to the swimming pool and the golf cart parking area by going through the plants.

That was a brief summary of our expedition to the Cebu Country Club.

l(a

l(a

l(a

le
af
fa
ll

s)
one
l

iness

ee cummings


Edward Estlin Cummings was a controversial poet during his time. He opted to write his name all in lower case letters and without using periods (i.e. ee cummings). For him, punctuation marks and any capitalization whatsoever means something else in his poetry. He is a recognized poet due the the unusual layout of his poems. His reason could be that he has some special purposes for making his poem unique. The layout of his poems could represent something that Cummings wanted to mean.

In the poem l(a, you could look at its construction and decipher what Cummings wanted to say. When you omit the line breaks, you would end up with this: l(a leaf falls)oneliness, and when you omit the phrase in the parentheses, a familiar word is recognized – LONELINESS.

One explanation of this poem could be that the phrase is inside the parentheses is an case of loneliness. It is already known that any plant or tree really has a lot of leaves. Whatever species a plant is, its leaves would be in groups or in bunches. When one leaf falls, it would be removed from its group. The fallen leaf's state would be loneliness.

The group of leaves represents a community and each leaf represents one individual within the community. When a leaf falls, it departs from its community or it is taken away from the community by a force. One example of a departure is when a family member (e.g. a mother) goes abroad in order to gain more money for her family. That leaf would really feel lonely because of the withdrawal from her family. An example of a forced departure is death. When a person dies, he is taken away from his family. And if there is really an after life, he would definitely feel lonely due to his state of removal from his loved ones (I am currently in deep self-reflection if I really believe that there is an after life).

Indeed, the analysis of this poem is really hard because Cummings would give special meanings to the style of his poetry. One has to dig deep to find the inner meaning of his works.

As what I have already said, the phrase ‘a leaf falls’ is an example of loneliness. There must be a reason the Cummings used this as a case of loneliness. I wonder what it could be. Since Cummings is fond of using the ambiguity of the letter ‘L’ in the typewriter, maybe he also played with the 2 definition of the word ‘leaves’. Leaves could be the plural form of leaf or a singular present tense of the word leave. Cummings might have used this in his poem of have a multiple function. Poetry really is beautiful because of the hidden messages.

If you look at the layout of the poem, you may be able to see this:

A half-arrow may be drawn on the poem's layout.

An explanation of this is simple. As what I have stated above, a person may be withdrawn from the community. A person when humiliated maybe turned away by the community. This leaf would fall down. This diagram could explain what happens to a person when humiliated (a leaf falling down).

You could see that in the upper part, 'l(a' is the form of the person when he is still on the top. 'iness' is the form of the person when humiliated. The wider 'iness' shows the disintegration of the dignity of the person.

A poem can be interpreted in numerous ways. I found Cummings’ poem really beautiful because of its multiple purposes of each elements of his poem. I can’t believe that a poem that short contains a lot of meaning.

march 9, 2007

It was March 19, 2007. It was a fine day in school. All was well. School was still school, and lessons were still lessons.

In the afternoon of that day, section Gonzalez had physics for the first period, while section Tan had research for theirs. After those subjects, the fourth years had the next period, CWTS.

CWTS is pretty much like the CAT but way a lot less harsh. We had the usual things to do. We had the usual inspection, and we had the usual drills. But since we have to give a little treat to the retirees, all of the fourth years have to be in the pass-in review.

The pass-in review is a march that we will give the retirees. It needs marching skills of all the fourth year students. The marching has to be perfect so that we can give them our best performance because that is something that they will remember us for. In order to achieve this perfection, we really have to practice, constant correct practice. Everything has to be perfect.

The marching is perfect when there is no sound during the marching, the legs must be parallel to the ground, and the most important aspect of all, synchronization. Once again, practice is really needed.

We started to practice on March 2, marching was terrible (I’m just being honest). But the thought of perfection is in arm’s reach. March 9 was only the second time that we have practiced. As I was saying, the marching was terrible. There was a loud sound when they were marching. To eliminate the sound during marching, the marcher has to land his foot on the ground with the tip on the foot and gently lower rest of the foot. I have trust in all of us that there would be that elimination of that sound.

I, being one of the CWTS officers, would strive really hard so that the sound would be gone because we were once like that when marching. I don’t know why others don’t look like they are serious of the pass-in review. I can’t see sincerity in their faces. I don’t know if they really understand the purpose of it. Some don’t look like they are trying their best to perfect this (if you are guilty, please try a little bit harder). All of the cadets were asked to march to see if there was synchronization, but there was none. Some were too fast, some were too slow. What bothered me was the sound they produced while marching. This took much of their energy.

(Moving back to the happenings on March 9) In the middle of the practice, all were to carry chairs to the Arts and Sciences building because HSAT (High School Admission Test) would be held there the next day. This added to their fatigue.

After practice was over, the officers had to dismiss the cadets. Richard Rey Caminade called up platoon Babaytan for formation. They came late. The summon (humanay) has to be complied within 15 seconds only. The platoon came for 46 seconds. Of course, an incompliance of an order would result to punishment. That is the agreement (THIS IS REALLY THE AGREEMENT). Usually, the punishment is the pumping (a.k.a. bombers). The number of bombers is the time that the platoon consumed to form their formation minus the time of compliance (15 seconds). That is 46 – 15. Babaytan had to perform 31 bombers for their punishment. An additional of 5 bombers were given because when their commanding officer asked them if they wanted more, only one answered. That answer was ‘yes’.

Now I ask you, was Richard being harsh or was he just doing his task? For me, he was doing both.

You see, 36 bombers are really tiresome. Thinking that they were also from a tiring practice and also from a chair-transporting task, the fatigue that the platoon had was really great.

BUT think also about the time they consumed just to be in formation. Isn’t 46 seconds too far from 15 seconds? If I was the commanding officer there, I would feel a little disrespected because the platoon didn’t comply with orders right away. It would be natural that Richard would become angry. And if you look at the agreement (incompliance of an order would result to punishment), the 31 bombers were the consequence for the mishap. The additional 5 bombers, it was also to be complied with because one answered yes. Platoon members are in the idea of all for one and one for all. A mistake of one is a mistake of all. When the one who wanted more answered yes, it would follow that all would receive the same. Just like one lesson of the Practical Law class, dura lex sed lex, the law is hard but it is the law. Think of it, was their punishment proper?

For me, Babaytan shouldn’t have been late so that the disaster wouldn’t have had happened. It is unfair in Richard’s part because his fault was the only side that was heard. By Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion, one is touched when it touches. Since Babaytan had a fault, that fault would come back to them.

It may look like I am on Richard’s side, but I am really in the neutral side because both parties had done something wrong.

Now I ask you again, was Richard being harsh or was he just doing his task?

friendship..

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked."
-- Bernard Meltzer

There are about 6.6 billion people in the world today. What is the probability that 3 certain individuals would meet and know each other and become friends? It is so little that it seems impossible.

But as you see, I have them. The inseparable three(because we are classmates for four years) are namely: Paul Andrew Cinco Gutib, Gian Carlo Casinto Labadia, and Dan Henry Yee Montaño. We may not seem to be the hanging out type of friends, but we are indeed friends.

Our friendship started during the first year of high school in section Bartlett. The thing that we had in common was our fondness of playing computer games. It started with an RPG games without graphics. It was Shimlar. It is a little bit weird because Shimlar wasn't that exciting.

By the time we were second year students (the three of us were in section Palma), we played another game. This one was exciting because there was already graphics in it. It is an MMORPG. Our server was Chaos. At that time, Chaos had a lot of players. Averagely, there were ten thousand players logged in when we play but now there are just about three thousand. Everyday, we went to Surf n' Play just to play Ragnarok. But we got a little bit bankrupt because it was a Pay-to-Play game. That means, we had to buy load for us to play it. 50 pesos is just worth 8 hours of the game. Just image, I spent about 2000 pesos for the whole duration of playing (that is load + computer rental). Other than playing computer games, we also liked to play chess. Palma 2005 was the chess capital of UP at that time. Almost all boys of the batch played chess every lunch and every dismissal.

Then we became third year students (the three of us were still in the same section, Sison). At the start, we played a version of Ragnarok. It was a version wherein no top-up (buying load) was needed. Plus, there were experience and item drop multipliers. Leveling-up was now a piece of cake. We would play every Wednesday because third years are dismissed early every Wednesday. There came another game named DotA (Defense of the Ancients) introduced to us by Robert and Byron. We would be in an internet café after classes playing DotA.

Now that we are in the fourth and last year of high school (and again, we are still classmates- in section Gonzalez), computer gaming after classes is a thing of the past for us. In spite of that, we are still friends. The usual lunch at the canteen is still present (we had that since first year). We still are friends.

Through the years, we stood as friends from start to finish. Isn’t that incredible?

The three of us are filled with flaws. All of us are imperfect. Even if that is true, we still consider we other as friends.

love is both an act of will and of the heart...

Dan Henry Montaño was the type of person who plays practical jokes on people. He would tease his classmate for him to achieve laughter. But that Dan Henry was long gone. A new one was shaped.

During the enrollment for school year 2006-2007 of UP High School in Cebu, the students in fourth year section Gonzalez already started to choose where they want to sit. Naturally, close friends wanted to sit beside each other. But one chose a seat just to irritate someone. Together with a friend, the “irritant” planned to annoy that someone. The prank was started.

The irritant started to tease that someone everyday. But both got closer to each other. Both got to know each other. The irritant still continued to tease but significantly lesser than the start of the school year. Eventually, something magical happened.

Love is said to be indefinable. It is said to be something that only the people who are in love that truly know what love feels like. It is said that it is an ethereal bond that joins a man and a woman. Love may be all those but it is something that everyone has his or her own definition.

Love for me is something that encourages a person to improve himself or herself. Though it contradicts what Shakespeare says in one of his sonnets that states “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds”, some people would still agree with me. As what you might have discovered, I was the irritant. I want to change because I fell in love with the girl of my life (do not react!).Yes, it is true. And I am not ashamed to let the world know. I am sure that there are plenty of others out there who are like that.

But when one wants the other to change, that is not love. It is because when one falls in love, that someone already has accepted you for who you are, the whole you. And demanding for a change is just an action of that person to mould his/her “loved” one into his/her dream somebody. But if a person wants you to change in order to make you into a better person, then that is just fine. (As want I have already stated in my other posts, this is just my opinion. You don’t necessarily have to agree with it.)

The website http://www.dictionary.com defines will as power of choosing one's own actions. It also defines heart as the center of emotion. For my opinion, love is an act of both the will and the heart. Falling for someone needs a decision whether to let it continue or let it cease. In falling in love, one has to choose one of those things. One has to weigh things and not just let emotions take over. Because when emotions are made to choose, one may end up in a bad situation (e.g. stop schooling). When both will and heart are used by both sides, the resultant relationship that they would have would be true and sincere. And the love that they share is intimate.

last periodical test...

When we all were still young, we went to elementary. Elementary was all about the general side of learning. We learned the basics. Even every after grading periods were the periodical exams.

I could still remembered the during grade 1, my classmate wasn't able to answer 2 pages because he wasn't able to notice it. The teacher gave him another chance to answer that part of the test. It was one of my first periodical tests.

Now that the Batch 2007 of the University of the Philippines High School in Cebu are about to graduate, there is only one periodical test to meet. Since grade 1, all batch members underwent 39 periodical exams. Only one periodical test is left and we will go to college.

I miss those times during my elementary years that my siblings would help me study and review for the examinations. I miss those times that I would get cranky because my sister would make me read all the lessons if I answered her questions wrong. Some of those I ended up crying because I wanted to go to sleep and she won't let me since I have not finished reviewing. But I am thankful to them because after the examinations, I would get good grades. I can still remember one instance that our science teacher during grade 6 announced the top scorer in the test. She made the announcement a little thrilling. She spelled out the last name of the top scorer (in DBTC, we are recognized by our last names). She started, "M". There were 4 of us whose last names started with the letter M. "O", she spelled out again. 3 were the possible people. "N", still 3 of us. "T", there were 2 of us left. The other shouted with glee (his last name was Montuerto). "A", haha! It was me. I was happy.

During high school, I had to review on my own. It was the time that I had to be independent. In a way, I was still successful since I still get good grades.

Periodical examinations for me is the time wherein I get to recover for my poor performances. It is because it is just the periodicals where I would study. I just don't fell like studying during the ordinary school days. So far I am still triumphant of my efforts to compensate for my perfomance.

I know that in UP, periodical tests are only one-third of my grade. And one-third isn't enough. Isn't it weird that I only study during periodical tests and I can get good grades? Well, it isn't. Though I don't study, I listen in class. As what our lesson in Public Speaking states, listening is hearing and understanding. I am a kind of student that retains what I understand. So, I am still able answer the seatworks and quizzes.

Now that the last periodical test is only 3 days away, I start to feel a little bit nervous because our performances would determine if we are going to graduate. I feel the pressure. But I do hope that all of us would pass. I hope that all of us would graduate. College, here we come!

danhenry's time capsule of remembrance...

On the very first day of high school, I was so immature. All the childish toughts were still dominant in my personality. These were a result to 3 years of schooling in an all-boy school. I know that its odd to hear that students from Don Bosco Technology Center (DBTC), a catholic school, would have students who are so-called kiatan. But it is inevitable that boys would be boys. We show off what we have to be on the top. Pride is the result of such actions. Don't wonder why I have too much pride.

I know that it was wrong that I brought that prideful attitude in UP. What can I do? It was who I was. I was wrong and I admit. As time passed, I knew that I had to change my attitude. It was a long process. I think it is impossible that this habit to cease. I admit that it is hard to contain my pride. My ego is just so easy to target. Even little side comments bother me. I want to change.

I want to be remembered as Dan Henry, the person who really wanted to change for the better.

Together with the changing process, I was so filled with laughter. In some instances, my laugh is so sarcastic that it makes other people feel bad. I don't know why but I easily laugh when other people are in mild accidents (i.e. matakilpo ). But not all times that I laughed were the times that others were in bad incidents. I laughed with people mostly. Whenever we had time to bond an just talk, all of us laugh. We laugh when funny moments are recalled. We laugh when we do something weird. We are just being joyful.

I want to be remembered as Dan Henry, the one who laughed with you during good and bad times. The one who makes people smile with his actions. The one who sess life as a simple thing.

A project for me is done with content, not the decorations and other miscellaneous add-ons. For me, the content is the thing that is important in a project. A project is given to enhance researching skills, writing skills, and some other skills. But art projects are those that need to be designed. I believe in the principle simplicity is beauty. I hate designing because I don't know how! (it's my opinion)

I want to be remembered as Dan Henry, the one who always sees things simple and unsophisticated.


But that most important thing that I want to be remembered is being a friend to those who needed a friend. A friend who has a helping hand. A friend who could have pushed you down but helped you back up. A friend who laughed with you in happy times and mourned with you during bad. A friend who didn't leave you hanging. A friend whom you can lend you a crying shoulder. A friend whom you could ask for advice. A friend whom you could release your anger to. (e.g. punch.., not joking!)

I don't want to be remembered just because I am the son of a faculty member or because I was a member of the batch.

I don't want to be remembered as the harsh CWTS officer who was blinded with power. Instead, I want to be remembered as the blinded officer who saw the error of his ways and accepted it to change eventually.

But most of all, I want to be remembered for what I am, not what I had.

BSPT-my college course??

As what I have talked about in one of my posts that I have a dilemma of choosing what course to take during college. Another choice came into being. I could take up BSPT or Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy.

This course has something to do basically with the rehabilitation of a healed part of the human body, a healed broken bone for example. This maybe not much but it is fulfilling. With ComSci (Computer Science), I can help businessmen or companies perhaps. With ChemE (Chemical Engineering), I help people indirectly. But with PT (Physical Therapy), I can help people personally. I can help more people. Helping people heal wasn't in my mind when I was younger, but I realized that I wanted to help people.

Being in public service is something that some people want to 'do'. They only entertain them. They only supply them with their basic commodities. But they also look at the profit they could make. Being a physical therapist, a person can serve with his own hands and let the patients feel the care that they need. A gentle rehabilitation for a stressful disaster.

But I still need to look at the fees that have to be paid to become a physical therapist. First of all, there is the tuition fee. Now is the time for weighing things. For the first year, a student has to pay about Php 27600. While for the second year is just about the same. For the third year, about Php 27800. For the fourth year is Php 29100. But BSPT is a five-year course. There is the fifth year. The tuition fee for the fifth year is about a shocking Php 64ooo! It is so expensive! The approximate total is Php 176100.

Good thing that my sister told me that she will pay for my college education. I am very thankful to her because even though she already has a husband, she didn't forget her family. I know that she and her husband would soon make a family of their own, she would still support my education. The problem of the tuition fee is now out of the way.


You may be wondering about one thing: If I want to serve people, why Pt and not nursing?
It is because in nursing, there is a thing called the nightshift or the graveyard shift and PT has a regular 8-hr office hours. I know that in service, there is sacrifice. But I can't sacrifice my health. If I am in a nightshift, my body would be tired because I tire very quick. I can't be able to to my job so well. But with a regular 8-hr schedule, I can rest and be a hundred percent in doing my job.

Another is that if I want to go abroad (IF i want to...), there is also a great demand of PT's there. If salary is being discussed, nursing and PT is just about the same. But my sister told me that PT's have larger salaries because of overtime. But going abroad is not on my mind right now because the people I want to help recover are the Filipinoes. In a way, I can help other Filipinoes.

If I would pass the entrance test and qualify for enrollment, I would take up BSPT.

college dilemma...

Once in a high school student's life comes a time where he/she has to choose what course to take during college. Being a fourth year high school student, I am currently experiencing such dilemma.

A student prefers one of the two fields: analysis or memorization. Or others could be neither, or both. As for me, I prefer analysis because I hate memorizing. Memorization for me is just storing temporary data in the brain, but analysis is a permanent understanding of a subject.

Back to the topic, I can choose a course that is more on analysis. But I can't figure out the profession that will suit me after I graduate. Ergo, I have to choose a course that offers me a suitable occupation. I want to have a well-paying job that is enjoyable. I could take up BS Computer Science and be a computer programmer since I enjoy being in front of a PC monitor like my friends. But I have to look at the cons, just to weigh things out. As what the picture in my blog shows, I am wearing eye glasses. But what is now obvious there is the grades of the lenses. Honestly, they are very high. Going back to being a computer programmer, I have to be face a computer monitor for a long time in order to work. My concern is my precious blurred vision, and I mean precious. I know that this is what I have, I have to make the most out of it. Not just wasting it all away facing a computer monitor.

As we were educated with the subject of chemistry, I found it very intersting. I found it very easy to learn when you get the hang of it. Though the terminologies are very difficult, they were easy to place in my mind. It is because they can be remembered with analysis. For example (just an easy one), boiling point is the temperature at which a liquid starts to boil. It can be analyzed like this: the temperature where a liquid starts to boil is boiling point. It pretty much easier to remember than: ang epiko ng Ilocos ay ang Biag ni Lam-ang. You have to memorize that. Though it has no relevance to me at all, I have to memorize that though I know in a couple of years, no body in the batch would remember that (no offense but I just found that irrelevant in my life).

With that ease with studying about chemistry, I could choose BS Chemical Engineering as a course in college. But, (there's that but again) I don't know what kind of job I would have if I pursue the course. As what my sister tells me, "tighimo ra ka ug sabon". I know that she is justing joking to make me a little confused. But what can I do? I am unfamiliar with the professions the course would let me. I could work at MEPZ. But I don't want to. I am asthmatic too. The fumes that I would breathe in if I become a chemical engineer could cause my death. I will not be a chemist or anything that involves chemical reactions that creates fumes.

My God! I cannot choose courses that will harm my health.

physics class....

Physics is one of the sciences that are taught to high school students. It is usually taught in the fourth year level. But in the University of the Philippines High School in Cebu, it is taught in the third year level (Basic Physics) and in the fourth year level (Advanced Physics).

One can assume that Advanced Physics would be more difficult. But in my experience, I find Basic Physics harder. Maybe it is my fault (laziness), but I found basic physics very hard to be understood. It was just mainly about linear motion and projectile motion. But the formulas that were used in solving were very hard to utilize. During the first grading period, I was unable to answer more than 50% of the total questions asked (that includes the discussions, assignments, seatworks, long tests, and the periodical test).

One factor of my performance is Sir Nuñez's bedroom voice. Every physics class would be like a sleeping pill to me. I feel very sleepy during his class. That would make me very behind to the discussion. As I pondered upon my performance in the subject, I realized that I had to try harder. So I did. I practiced. I triumphed. Though I was not the best, my grade was enough to make me pass.

Now in the fourth year, I find advanced physics easier. The reason is that advanced physics is more on concepts. So I don't have to deal with a lot of equations

lingering look

The Look
Strephon kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
And 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

Isn't it weird that only a look remained while the kisses weren't?
One thing can be remembered if it has a signifaicant value to a person. In the poem, the kisses by Strephon and Robin maybe were just flings, or maybe just lust.
Each person looks for a someone that would be the one who would complement him/her. As you see, each person looks for someone that he/she would love who would love him/her back.
A kiss would mean 'love' to some people. But sometimes, it would just mean lust. But Colin's look was so full of love that it remained forever in the speaker.
In life, even the littlest thing may sometimes have the biggest effect. Sometimes, a single word may be remembered forever by a person because of its big effect. In the poem, Colin's gaze was so full of passion, so full of life. Or maybe Colin is someone who the speaker has unknowingly loved.

Love works in baffling ways. We may not notice it, we could have been loving someone without us even knowing it. I know that because I did, I really did. When I first became aware of loving that special someone, I felt light. I felt that I was on cloud nine. If you have loved or currently loving someone, you would agree with me a hundred percent. To be in love means happiness if you only look on the bright side. The not so bright side is the times of obstacles. But when the two people team up and work together, no obstacle in the world can break the love they share.

I am a little bit moving away from the topic back there. So, I will go back to the poem.

Strephon and Robin were two different people. Since the poem states that Strephon kissed the speaker in spring and Robin in the fall, it can be inferred that she 'loved' them at different times.

Why did I enclosed the word 'loved' in quotation marks? This is my reason:

Jest and play are synonymous. Both are related to humor, laughter, or mockery of some sort. Both have a definition opposed to seriousness. That means that the relationships of the speaker
with Strephon and Robin are just flings. That is the reason why Strephon's kiss was lost in jest and Robin's lost in play.

On the other hand, Colin's look was meant more than a kiss from flings. When noticing that Colin was looking at her, the speaker would have probably looked at Colin's eyes for Colin's look to haunt her night and day. An eye-to-eye contact shows more what words can say. It shows compassion by both parties.

A different reason for Colin's haunting look could be that Colin was someone to the speaker in the past. Colin could have been her special someone would she broke up with and regretted what she had done because she still loved him through the years.

the person behind the glasses...

February 20, 1990 , 9:30 am- A couple at Chong Hua Hospital received another blessing from the Lord Almighty. A baby boy was born. The baby was so special because he is the first son that they had (and he is the one and only son!). The couple, Mr. & Mrs. Buenaventura Montaño, named their son Dan Henry. They got the name from a book entitled 'The Golden Cup'.

According to Webster's Dictionary, Dan means 'judge' while Henry means 'home ruler'. From these one can say the the child is wise in making decisions and has authority. But if you truely know the child, you will definitely see that there is more in him than his name. As I think you already know, I am the couple's child.

One of my principles is to enjoy life to the fullest. If you know me, you have known that I am a happy-go-lucky type of person. I seldomly take things seriously. You might think that when it comes to doing things, I would contribute the least help- BUT I DON'T! This is because I give my sincerity to important things. When I need to achieve a goal, I will be very serious. So please see the inner me before judging.

As what my name suggests (Dan - judge), I am definitely a wise person. That might have sounded a little bit like bragging but I certainly wasn't. Wisdom is a value that is about decision making. I was wise enough to choose to study in UP than in other schools. It is where certain chapters in my life happened. There are many other wise decisions that I have made that I don't recall doing so. (*lol*)

But I am definitely a person with a very high pride. I must admit. No matter how hard I try to change that, I can't. I ordinary mingling with friends, that would always show. Even if I don't mean to, the words that come out from my mouth would sound braggy. Though a lot of people say that I am 'hambugero', I can't change. I really need to change this!

Dan Henry as a CWTS officer is my alter ego. He is different person from what I really am. He is very ill-tempered. He is a perfactionist. He insults others that make mistakes. And he is a very hot headed person (though the real Dan Henry is the same...). I am wrong in creating this personality. Firstly, it was a violation in the guidelines for a CWTS officer (You must be the same person as a person and as an officer). I did because I wanted to have my revenge because of the ill treatment we received during our training. But as time passed by, my views changed. If I won't cease this trend, who would? I wanted to stop it because I wanted it to be less harsh.

There are a lot more characteristics that I have that others know but I don't. This is the third window of the Johari's Window. The characteristics that I have talked about are in the first window (I know and everybody knows).

I hope that if I do change, it would be for the better.

CWTS gasa sa gugma outreach...

A human being starts as 2 cells in different people. These cells unite and become an embryo. This is the conception of a human being. After 9 months, a baby is born. It would be loved by its parent/s. It would be given 24/7 attention. It would be cared for. It would become a part of a family.

This is what happens in every family. As the baby grows, it becomes more special to the eyes of its parents. As the baby, it is loved more. When he/she would start schooling, he gains knowledge that he needs in his life.
He/she grows into a teenager, then an adult, then a senior citizen.

We, the fourth year students of the UP High School Cebu, went to Gasa sa Gugma in Mabolo for their CWTS subject to hold an outreach program last friday. We planned to entertain them with presentations by the different platoons. We went there via Kaoshiung bus. As we entered the place, we started to be excited to give the old people in there the love and care that a family can give.

We arrived there about 2:30pm. We had to switch plans because there was a celebration of the holy mass at 3pm and we were only there until 4:15pm. Instead of having a program, we just gave them our company. We talked to them. Our hearts were touched with what we saw. We came to realize that in due time, we would be in their present condition.

Lola Lucia started to say this: 'gai ko ug sinsilyo sir'. I had a feeling that she was a beggar sometime ago. She was always repeating the alphabet song. More particularly, she was always repeating the part 'Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z'. I can't remember what she was saying because she was eating her words. I wasn't able to decipher what she was saying. But her expression everytime she finishes speaking was unforgetable. Her expression was that she winked her left eye and said 'oher!'. I don't know what that means but I remember it. But I was shocked with what the personnel in the place treated her. I saw that her was threatening to pinch her when she wasn't able to recite the 'Amahan Namo' and the 'Maghimaya ka Maria". I saw the whole thing. Whe was mean! That is no way of treating and old person. She should've understood Lola Lucia. Maybe I was wrong in judging that person. It is a stressful job to take care of dozens of old people. But threatening an old person? I rest my case. I am not the right person to judge the personnel.

Lola Lucia was carried away by another personnel. So I went and approached Lolo Diosdado Trinidad. Lolo Diosdado was saying that 'maghinigugmaay ta kay magigsuon kita'. I thought that in that visit, I would learn something that would be significant in my life. I won't forget that. He also said that we should forgive each other because of the same reason. I think that Lolo Diosdado wasn't able to do that. Maybe he is regretting what he did and tells people so that they won't do the mistake that he has done. Thank you Lo!

I accompanied another old person. But I wasn't able to know his name. He was very forgetful. The others told him that FPJ had died, he would react like this: 'ha? patay na si FPJ? dugay na?'. After a while, they would tell him again, and he would then react the same way. I could just feel the hardships that these old people feel everyday. I don't know if he would forget that we visited them.

Then, I went to accompany another old man. Unlike the others, he spoke in english. Every person that goes near him, he would say either 'You are handsome!' or 'You are beautiful'. It may seem odd, but I idolize him. He sees everything beautifully. He sees that every thing that God has made is beautiful. Yes, I idolize him. As he saw me wearing glasses, he said to me that I was a professor. I was shocked! He then told me that he was an engineer. I wasn't able to hear him say what kind. Maybe he was a mechanical engineer. He gave me a thumbs up. It felt good that a person that I just met would encourage me to study hard.

But it all had to end. We had to return to UP. As we said goodbye to the oldies we visited, tears were a common sight. It felt good to visit Gasa sa Gugma. When I would become a successful man, I would return there and donate what they really need.

I hope that they would all be safe.

addiction to computer games...

Ragnarok is battle at the end of the world in Norse Mythology. As time game title says, the game has some traces of Norse mythology.

During our sophomore year, Nico Martin Eñego and Paul Andrew Gutib introduced me to the game before the christmas vacation. At first, I asked a lot about the game. When I got the hang of it, I played it until majority of my money is spent. It needs load to play(it is a pay-to-play game). Now, I can't think of a reason why I got addicted to it. Maybe it was the graphics, or because it was fun.

My reason for playing computer games is that it doesn't only be fun to me, it is also my anger output. It is where I let my anger out. In Ragnarok Online (RO), your character kills monsters and get experience points so that they level up. I release my anger on every monster that I fight.

I think that was my first reason for playing it. I got better. When a person gets better, he wants to be better once more. So I created another account and started all over again. In my first account, my character was a hunter, the 2nd Job class of an archer. I think I name that character as 'danhenry09' or something else. Then when I created another account, I created a rogue, the 2nd Job class of a theif. Its name was '=manununggab='. In that account, I had 5 characters. I only remember the rogue because it was the character the I concentrated levelling up. I think it is already level 82. It is very difficult levelling up in this level because it needs a quite large experience points to level up.

I grew tired of the slow levelling up that I created 4 more characters in that account (1 account supports 5 characters). I anjoyed a little. But came to the difficult levels again. I soon realized that I spent about Php 800.00 on that account. (My first account was about Php 2000.00 because I had to rent a computer in an internet cafe because I didn't have a CD. That character was only about level 58).

I stopped because I have better things to spend for than just a computer game.

And again, I was introduced to another computer game. But it no longer needed load to play. I think it were Byron Douglas Enriquez and Robert Opone who introduced me to this game. It was midway in third year high school that they introduced me to the game. The game was DotA (Defense of the Ancients). More violence. My first game was quite bad. I was like a stray lamb waiting for a wolf to eat me. I was that bad. After many games, I raised my game a notch or two. I became better at it. I was now the wolf, but no one is the lamb. We played after classes. My savings really suffered because they were very small.

Now in the fourth year, I found no reason to continue at being addicted to computer games. Now I control myself from playing computer games.

Eventhough my savings are still little, at least I spent it on food and neccessary payments.

problem with women and men...

This world is imperfect. Nothing is perfect, nobody is perfect. All of us have flaws. Once I get to know a person a little better, my perception on them changes. If we are in good terms, I see their good side more. But if not, I see their tainted selves.

The problems with women...
When I think about this topic, I tend to think about the female friends that I have. As what I have mentioned, I see their good side more. It is very hard for me to know what is wrong about them. But I can try, can I? All of what I can think of are in general. I don't say that all women are like this.

First of all, I think that women are just too sensitive. I am a practical joker. I make jokes. Sometimes, they hurt. And sometimes they don't. All I want is that in my own little way, I can spread the happiness that is inside me (or let happiness enter me). Even though some of my jokes are not offensive, they tend to be angry. They have an excuse because I know that I can be annoying at times, but please! If you just go with the flow, I know you will not be offended.

Women can be sensitive when it comes to the heat of the sun. They try to evade to sun as if it could cook them! It is just the sun, it won't bite. A little tan would not hurt, would it?

Women can also be so unfair. A male would be mean if he would hurt a female physically. And if females would spank males for example, the male won't retaliate because they would be branded mean. This doesn't give females the right to hurt males physically. ( I know that I am mean... I try to be good from now on...)

Another problem with women is that they idolize men by their handsomeness and shout it to the world as if there was an emergency. It is so irritating to the ears! (please don't be offended because I am just stating what is in my mind and I am entitled to my own opinion. If you want to have revenge on me, write about what I do that irritates you.)

I'll stop here about the problems with women and proceed to the men.

The problems with men...

I think of the flaws that I have. I also think of the flaws that other males have too. Once again, these are generalities. Not all males are like this.

Firsly, men are harsh. I know this because I am harsh. That is a problem about me. It can never be deleted that males need to express anger as violence. If we don't, all the anger we have would be expressed in a single target when we can no longer take it.

As you see, terrorists that are known are all males. Almost everything we want to have, we try to get it through violence. That is how harsh we males are.

Males are insensitive too. We don't easily understand what other people (esp. girls) feel. We see that they are fine where in fact deep down inside them, they are depressed or angry. All I can say is that all men should be sensitive to the feelings of others. We may hurt them without even knowing we did.

The two of these problems are only some of the problems that I can personally see in me.

I have no more to say.
I have no more to write.
If you are not reading this in the day,
Have a good sleep, thank you for reading, and goodnight!

internet connection...

Just last weekend, our internet connection was absent, AGAIN.

Some children of my lola (mother's side) live together in one compound. It is where their families live everyday. It is where I live. We call it the Yee Compound. Since each of the houses there have computers, the compound decided to have a LAN (Local Area Network). Just like in an internet cafè, the computers in our compound are linked together. This way we can share an internet connection. This way we can divide the payment for each month. This way we can save.

Our internet provider is Globelines. Sometimes, there is no internet connection. I hate it because I can no longer search the internet for some topics that I want to know (e.g. Norse mythology... but I am not adept at this topic because I just want to know about Ragnarok). Another reason is that I ca no longer go to blogger.com to post my entries.

Just this weekend, out internet connection was down. I was so unfortunate because I wasn't able to write my entires yet.

When posting a blog entry, I choose to type it impromptu because I can write good when my mind is motivated. When I open blogger and click on 'New Post', my mind gets motivated. I can write what is really on my mind. I can expound more. But if I write on paper first, I can not focus because I find it very hard to concentrate writing. It is because I get easily distracted and when I get distracted, it takes me a very long time to be motivated again.

I did not say that I can write very good entries when I am motivated. The writings that I do when I am motivated has more things from my mind that those when I am not motivated. I try my best to eliminated that. I want to write many things on my mind on any topic at all times. I don't want this to be a reason that when I need to write an essay, I will write only a very short essay.

Where is this going to? Am I going out of my topic? If you answered yes to the second question, I think so too! Isn't that weird?

I am just typing down what is in my mind. I hope you understand. So back to where this entry started.

I do not go to internet cafès to login to any of my accounts. One of the reasons is that I do not trust the people who are there. They may be watching other computer units but snooping to your keyboard when you type down your password. I have been hacked once, I don't want it to happen again. Another is that there could be a program that would take down everything that is encoded of the keyboard and makes a report about it. I forgot the name of that program. It is connected to hacking. So I would rather be late in my posts than risking the safety of my account.

I waited for the connection to return so that I can post in my blog. I hope that though I am not very motivated, I can write very well about a topic. I hope that what my mind thinks, I can type it down. I hope I can write the best post that I could write.

my day as a principal...

Early morning today, I woke up excited. This is because I would be the student principal of UP for the whole day. I came to school at exactly 7:25am. Only 5 minutes before the classes start. I came to the office and searched for Prof. Purita Baltazar, our school principal. But she wasn't there.

So I decided to be in class in our Calculus subject. Michael and Jann, the acting calculus teachers, discussed about derivatives (d^2y/dx^2). After that, I took off and did my duty as the acting principal. Mdm. Mercado, the school clerk, told me to roam around the campus to check if there would be teachers in each homeroom. And I did. By the time I came back to the office, Prof. Baltazar came. She tasked me to make drafts for 2 circulars (regarding make-up classes for first years and the giving of cards) and a memorandum for the faculty members. I had fun doing these tasks. I showed her what I have written.

When she saw what I did, she was quite happy. She said it was okay. Have you ever felt appreciated for your work? If yes, I felt the same a thousandfold. This is because I got to do what a principal does, and that is an accomplishment for me.

I also got to have a conference regarding tardiness with a UP student. I didn't know exactly what to do in a conference. But I just told that person to try harder not to be late. I just did what was done to me when I had a conference with Prof. Baltazar.

I was also asked by Prof. Baltazar to have a meeting with all homeroom chairpersons. We discussed about how to improve the circular returns, attendance, and cleanliness of each homeroom.

The closing program occured 3:15pm this afternoon. I had the chance to have the welcome address. This is my speech:

Beloved faculty and staff, students, Good Afternoon!

Being a student is a serious work. We have to face hard lessons for us to grow into better people. You may agree with me when I say that it is tough being a student. But it is tougher being a teacher or being a staff member. You have to prepare for your lessons each night and try to make your students learn and understnd during the day.

During this KYSD, some of us felt what it is like being a teacher or a staff member. With this, we got to respect them more because of what they have done for us.

Thank you for everything! Good afternoon once again.


That is pretty much my day.

to be a high school student principal...

In every school year in UP, there is an event that is called KYSD. KYSD (Know Your School Day) is an annual event that is the UP version of Teachers' Day. KYSD is an event where students take the position of the faculty and staff of the school to let the students feel and learn what it is to be a teacher/staff member of a school. It is an event where the teachers are given a well-deserved rest from their work and let the students substitute for them.

During my freshman year, I applied for the position of being an Assistant to the Principal (usu. mistaken for Asst. Principal). I was ineffective because of two reasons. One: I was just a high school freshman. I was not acquainted of being an assistant to the principal. I was just too young for that task. Two: After realizing that I was futile if I don't know what I would do, I went to class instead of being in the principal's office where I was supposed to be. I also applied for the position of being a math teacher. I still remember my lesson during my day as a math teacher-ratio. I was very irascible during the first year. So, if some weren't able to understand, I would be very angry and shout at them. (I am not an effective teacher...)

During the second year, I applied for the position of being a chemistry teacher. I love that subject. I could learn lessons in that subject with ease. I wanted to share my knowledge in that subject to my fellow students. Once again, I was still irascible. I got angry with the noise that they made when I was teaching. So much with that, I skip to the next part.

Junior year, I got tired so I didn't apply for any position at all. I can't elaborate on this more because there is nothing to elaborate about. *grin*

Now, I joked about applying to be the principal. I didn't want to be one. But I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to know and to learn from what a principal does. So I applied for the position. I was interviewed thoroughly. I was shaking from nervousness that I felt from the interview. I got the position. I got to be a principal for a day.

Just this morning, the opening of the KYSD was held at the open stage. I received my ID as a principal. Gabrielle, my co-principal, and I were handed the key of responsibility by Prof. Daniel Nellas. The giving of the key symbolizes the faculty giving the responsibility of running the school to the students. Gabby was the principal for today. She had her turn. I'll have my turn tomorrow. I hope I would be at least as good as she was today. Just thinking of it, I am now nervous of the huge responsibility I acquired. Though this could be hard, I can learn and be a better person, a more responsible person.

Good luck to me! Come what may...Challenge, here I come!!!

my first plane ride

Last December 10, 2006, I rode in an airplane for the first time. Anxiety almost got the best of me when the pilot started the plane's engines. The plane taxied to the runway. As the plane gained speed, some physics lessons came to my mind. It’s weird, because of all the things that would spring to my mind, physics came. The lesson was about the position of the box when it is dropped from a plane relative to the plane and to the ground. That’s when my thoughts about the lesson were lacking something- I WASN'T IN AN AIRPLANE!

As the plane took off and gained altitude, that was kind of exciting. Like a Ferris wheel, only faster. At last! We were about 33000 ft above ground; I guess that’s very high. From up there, what I saw were mostly white and dark clouds. My first time was a bad timing because Seniang 'visited' the Philippines. Although I saw some clouds that blocked the sun. I guess that is where the movies take the concept of heaven as someplace bright and foggy/cloudy. Aside from the clouds blocking a bird’s eye view of the Philippines, winds were strong- turbulence was significantly present. I was about to throw up. But I didn't. About 1 hour from departure, hello manila!

Manila is pretty much like Cebu. But high rise buildings make manila different from Cebu. Manila is a very busy city. Compared to Cebu, manila's everyday activities are more than two times as fast as Cebu's. No wonder manila is the Philippines' capital. Though it manila is better is Cebu in most aspects, I would still like to live here in Cebu. Cebu is where I was born; it is where I’ll die. For an asthmatic like me, I would not last a week in manila without taking my medicine.

I couldn't wait to go back to Cebu. Yet a trip to UP Diliman shrouded that thought in my mind. I wondered that if I would pass the UPCAT, I would study there. The campus was way better than the college across our campus. All I said was all about the campus, not the quality of education. I have to stop here because even my own self hates myself for stating that.

Well anyway, the trip back to Cebu was far better than that trip from Cebu. Weather was fine. And thus coming back to Cebu was the end of a significant experience I had.

UPCAT Results

January 22,2007- After finishing everything that I had to do, I turned on the computer and decided to sign in to the Yahoo! Messenger. I thought that when I would be online, there would be no message that I would receive. But a message did appear. Gian, my close friend, sent me an instant message telling me that I passed the UPCAT (University of the Philippines College Achievement Test). I doubted his message and thought a lot about it. It came to my mind that Gian would never lie to anyone at all. I searched for the results in the net. It doesn't hurt to double check, right?

I used Yahoo! to search for results. But to no avail, I didn't find the results. Another close friend of mine told me to look in the URL http://www.upcat.up.edu.ph. I looked it up and found out that the results were already released. I told my mother and my sister about it. I looked for my name. The search was very slow. I was very nervous. Then I saw this:

2007-36604
MONTANO, DAN HENRY YEE
CEBU
BS COMPUTER SCIENCE

I was very happy! My mother congratulated me. My father and my sister also greeted me. Whew! What a relief. My other batchmates also searched for their names and also passed. I searched for my close friends' names. But unfortunately, not all passed. But still, majority of us passed.

The description about what I felt was a little short, don't you think? Well, the joy that I felt was indescribable. That's all. I just wanted to share.

To those who didn't pass, there'll be better circumstances than this. Greetings and salutations to those who passed!

My Journalism Class Masterpiece

In the first semester of this schoolyear, I was part of the journalism class. I do not think that my writings are the best, but I think this one is pretty good. I'd like to share it. Here it is:


My High School Experience
By: Dan Montaño

They say that high school life is the best, I think it’s not. It is just because it is too early to conclude. But it is definitely one of the best things that life offers.
June 2003, the first day of iskolar2007’s high school life. It was a bright sunny day. No one knew me then. I was a complete stranger, a complete nobody, an enigma. I was feeling a bit peculiar because I was from an all-boy school. I didn’t know how to interact with the opposite sex. I was feeling a bit odd, a little bit nervous. Introducing me was not an option I wanted to do. But every first day of classes for the freshmen must have a little “getting-to-know-you” segment. I didn’t know how, didn’t know why, but I felt very nervous introducing myself. When it was over, I felt nice. I felt that all I said was enough for others to know me. But I was wrong.
They saw me as the boy with a very high pride. I think I knew it but still didn’t listen. I am proud, so what?! I don’t comment about you. But I knew later on that I had to change. To change myself would be the best thing for me. And I did!
I didn’t change fast. The transformation took me one whole school year. It was during the sophomore year that I started to know myself fully. I was a bit less proud, lazy and arrogant boy. But others saw a lot more. They saw me as an intelligent, funny, reliable, generous, understanding, and respectful math wizard. Though I felt others might have just overseen me. I was not all that. But if others saw me like that, maybe I was.
I felt good about myself because of those things they described about me. I knew I was lazy, but others saw me as reliable. That gave me a confidence boost that was enough to make me an honor student. Though I was doing well in my studies, I wanted to excel more. I wanted to be the best. But no matter how hard I tried, I was still dragged down by my signature laziness. And also my addiction to the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game (MMORPG), Ragnarok. Many people said that I should stop, but I let it pass through my other ear.
It has been my bad habit to not listen to what other say. I always do what I want to do. It has been a cause of the hatred others have of me. Once again, my pride wins me more enemies.
People have pride, but mine is just a lot bigger than others. With each passing day of high school life, I learned to be humble for a change. When II-Palma placed a high rank in a radio quiz, my ego showed his traces once again.
Moving to junior year, I was again the most prideful of the section. High school life seems better with each passing day. This year was so great. I knew myself a whole better. I found out that deep inside, my personality was impressive. I have a short temper. I am mostly angry. I was not the best person to be friends with. Yet people still befriended me. I looked at it as an opportunity to change once again. With a little self-anger management, I transformed into a kinder person. Perhaps it was just a desperate move to be a better person to please people, or just something to be proud of. I started to smile everyday because the anger that filled my heart was all gone. I was a whole new person. The bonus was the addiction to Ragnarok was gone too.
Though Ragnarok was out of my life, DotA came along. And again, a whisper told me to stop. It was like an involuntary action to not listen to that whisper. Many times have I rejected those whispers. And soon enough, those whispers telling me to stop stopped. I found myself fully addicted to DotA. Every dismissal was my daily appointment to this heinous game. I soon got bored of the game, but I know that my interest would come back sometime. I was again addicted to the game. Aside from having fun with the game, I was getting close with my batch mates. I had closer friends.
Every good thing has to end, It is inevitable. High School life is approaching its end. We will be graduating soon. Only one year more and we will be out in the world to fulfill our own dreams. But before that, we still had another school year to battle together. Through all our 4 school years that 2 sections battle, they battle together in the game called life. And even if the 2 sections battle each other, peace is still the victor in the end.The senior year will still be a long and bumpy ride. But whatever storms we go through, iskolar2007 would still have 64 members- all friends, no hatred, and no hidden matters. Let us all go and battle all life throws at us together.


Did you have a wonderful time reading it? I felt the same writing it.