christmas

december 17. we opened the 12 nights of december in dingle. it was spectacular, so say people around. hehehe...

activities include christmas float parade [17th], drum corp competition [18th], daigon [23rd] and dance sports on the 28th.

just get a glimpse of the float and dbc contest

simbang gabi

today starts the traditional simbang gabi in the philippines. it's a tradition and perhaps only in the philippines. OH HOW I MISSED this.

for years i've been here in dubai, i really really missed the spectacular choral performances, the singing of the latin songs and at times the bizarre backdrops designed by our parish priest back home in dingle.

my special correspondent told me just now, it's 12:30AM here, the mass started 4:50 AM december 16, 2009 because of the part-1 homily before the mass with the good monsignor explaining the meaning of the backdrop. hehehehe. but what was perhaps exciting is the short homily during the mass proper.

at any rate my point is simple. simbang gabi does not simply talk about tradition. it is more than that. it is an utterance. a response of man to God who revealed himself to man.

surely some people think that completing the 9-days novena would yield to a wish-fulfilled. waaaaaht? perhaps! but my experience before it was really true. and, my coming to dubai is really something i could claim to be a wish-fulfilled.

true love, confessions...

december 13, 2009. surprises do more than they're used to. even at times we can't help but get surprised more than the meaning of the term. just this pm, i was caught offguard when a friend blatantly told me of the things i fear admitting, not even to myself. that friend was so honest and succinct in the statement: "at times you do things and say words because you want me to feel guilty and jealous."

ouch! it was a slap with a caress of love. CHOS! i wanted to burst. i wanted to cry, SHUT UP! but i can't. the bartender was listening nearby. the chef turned her eyes at us, perhaps expecting a bizarre transformation.

anyway, i told that friend, i know i did it, with such intentions. then surprisingly, i saw in the face a smile - not just a simple smile, silly. it was a smile of acceptance. then the remark i heard was that, "Don't worry, with that i know you're a real person." then, i asked my friend, honestly, with the month's we've been together, can you truly say you've experienced that i am important to you? were you also jealous if i gave you tall-tales?

i was holding on the neck of the san mig light ready to punch my friend should the answer was a lie. but you know what, my friend said, "look at me. Straight in the eyes. I honestly say this to you, you are important to me. Yes, i felt the jealousy."

RELAX DEAR STUDENTS, THE STORY IS NOT YET OVER.

at that moment, i felt the world stopped. the clock seemed to forget ticking another second. i was in heaven. the haven of the hopeless soul turning into an angel. only two solid tears dropped from the center of my eyeballs. MUTA GALI... hehehehe.... pati ah.

my friend made me realize this evening that someone like me could be loved. it's not impossible. my friend deliberately struck me with a sword embroidered with honesty and love, enabling me to go back to myself. i know i could outshine my adversaries. i could readily offer solutions to problems. i could be a good leader. i could be somebody i wanted to be. EXCEPT THAT, I USED TO BELIEVE I AM INCAPABLE OF LOVING AND BEING LOVED. my friend told me to stop thinking this. my friend made it clear to me that i am being loved.

RIGHT THERE AND THEN, I REMEMBERED THE LESSON I'VE LEARNED... ONE COULD NOT SAY S/HE HAS LOVED UNLESS S/HE LOVES HIMSELF/HERSELF. at times we tend to forget that if there is one person who needs our love, care, understanding, compassion, it's NOBODY, NOBODY but YOURSELF.

ANY COMMENT OUT THERE?

real love

i've watched eula and rocky that night rocky decided to leave the big brother house. at first i was hesitant coz i was thinking it would be another crying ek-ek thingy. but when rocky had his piece, i only realized my eyes were swollen crying when the tears kissed my lips.

one thing that struck me is when rocky said, "sinasabi ng mga tao na palamunin ako. hindi ako palamunin kuya. hindi nila alam na mahal ko ang girlfriend ko. hindi nila nalalaman ang tunay na nararamdaman ko. hindi lang pera ang hangad ko sa kanya, dahil mahal ko sya."

the thing is many would readily judge you when you get along with someone, especialy when that one is not within your age or profession bracket. they would surely think the partner is taking advantage of you. they must first know the real intentions or feeling before making such judgment.

abi niyo amo gid daa dapat panumdumun ta.

pbb

what do you think of melay?

i've always like her but at times she's starting to be so TANGENT [duh, o/a in short. ehehehehe] anyway she really has the guts kag anyu-an gid xa with her acts.

the boys of the pbb? many of them are just joining the bandwagon or even simply exist there. they're not even that outstanding as many would think they are. so going back to melay and jason - their melason tandem is simply amazing. i like watching them on tv.

miracle

it was 10 a.m. december 8, 2009. i have a gut-feel that something's going to happen without knowing why. then a text from special someone brought me back from my reverie. it was a text asking for help.

my friend cannot move. his back was in intense pain. i cannot suggest anything except to ask him to ask someone and look for a hilot... he did.. yet after an hour he texted again... he was all the more in so much pain.

i rushed to his aid after a quick lunch. when i arrived in his home, i had seen how his lola, sister and tita where totally lost on what to do. i suggested i'll look for someone who knows how to do the hilot. so did i...

after the hilot, my friend texted me the moment i arrived back in school. he was again in severe pain.

in times like that, what we need is an once of faith.

at 3 pm, he told me he'll see someone in dumangas, a manug-butbot. at 4 he went there with his entire entourage. since he cannot move his back, let alone walk, he was carried to the car.

he updated me of his whereabouts. at 5 the mass started at dingle church. i prayed for him especially for his quick recovery and healing. at that moment he told me a miracle happened. he was able to sit erect, stand and unload from the car.

of course the rest was history. the manugbut-bot took her buyo and extracted some pebbles from his back where he claimed to hurt most.

this is an interplay of superstition and faith. for me it was a miracle. one moment in time i know and now can testify that THERE IS A MIRACLE WHEN YOU BELIEVE.

thanks BRO!

tagum

welcome to tagum city, davao... this is the venue for the 2010 national schools press conference, where lennon, valyn and mr. mallorca will sojourn for their national level competition.

all the best hopes for them...

rspc result

[this is lennon after he was declared vice president of the national secondary editor's guild. picture taken from a view of mayon volcano. this is the nspc in naga city, camsur]

yehey... we've made it... the regional schools press conference commenced with a big bang, well particularly for us who were so eager to know what the result is.

at any rate, our sojourn in journalism has produced one of the best results, so far that i know of, in the history of our school.

Lennon Ponta-oy, SSC IV ranked 3rd in editorial writing english, while Valyn Dayandayan, SSC IV reaped the 2nd place for sports writing english. this is more than what i've asked mam aguillon for.

the day before the contest, i did asked mam aguillon to help pray for our success, she did, and we became victorious.

any way, this years rapc is one of the biggest by far in terms of the number of teachers and students which reached up to 1170. in every contest there were more or less 120 contestants. and, if you're lucky, you'll be in the top 3 for the nspc.

so, to all my classmates and friends, we hope for your continued prayers for us [we also welcome financial support] particularly now that we are going to represent our region in the national level competition. ciao

its me

[this is juana change. for more details, search her at goggle.com]

i'm not any way following juanachange. i'm not in the mood for such a strong willed endeavour. but, i admire her. yet, i was just shocked to hear people comment i'm starting to make a stand particularly on my health - specifically weight and stature.

when i arrived this morning at pavia elem school for a cliniquing, almost everyone in there uttered a singular verse inquiring how come i turned slim.

eeeewww. i know i'm not yet that slim but they really insisted something has changed in my body. anyway the truth is simple... i just want to try something different especially now that my health is at stake what with doses of cigarettes. imagine i used to puff all the 60 sticks in a day... but since i learned some friends died instantly, i felt nervous... i know i need to fulfill some more things in this world so medyo diet muna sa smoking. hehehhe.

this is perhaps my secret why from a 100 kilo whale-man i now have only 92 in just two-weeks... believe it or not. a simple lesson is that, EVERYTHING SHOULD BE IN MODERATION. For my students, who pioneered the principle of MODERATION? of the GOLDEN MEAN? just for you to think...

ssc 4

[this picture is not the one described herein... photocredits to google.com]

hello... just yesterday november 24, we've nearly had an accident involving the tricycle driver who had an epilepsy while driving. luckily rowell of ssc 3 was quick to stir the wheel to the other side to avoid further accident.

things like this should not happen if the association of the drivers would rule out or prohibit such driver to drive, again in the name of safety... what do you think?

for your first task, write a position/ petition letter to the association of drivers concerning the issues at hand. each one should hand in a computer encoded output to be included in your portfolio.

help please

as early as november, christmas fever is on, well at least on the part of the academe family. we've started our drum corps practices, etc.

our problem though is the financial side for our choral competition. last year we emerged champion in the DAIGON contest. now, it seems impossible since we only rely so much on the contribution of our students. we cannot raise an amount to defray expenses for the training... help please my friends... you may send your donation to Ilahas Chorus c/o Dingle National High School, Dingle, Iloilo.

i wouldn't do this really unless i am so desperate. i trust my choir so much. we've got the best talents... we have proven ourselves. yet really if we put the matters on our students, they can hardly even pay a dime for the school fees. oh what a life... our politicians were all hard-up with solicitations from almost all entities seeking their help...

help please... thank you in advance... God will be your reward

new task

have started computing your grades... one more thing is lacking though... for the ssc 2 here's your task:

in a 1/8 sheet of paper, write a grade you give yourself based on your participation and performance during the preparation and actual performance of your broadcasting project. the grade shall be in a scale of 1 to 10 only with 10 being the highest grade. [dont put point something (ex. 8.5) as your grade]

remember the grade you give yourself reflects how well and honestly you have done your share...

12 nights of christmas

barely a month ago we've all experienced a first of its kind october pagdihon fest. now, the cultural committee is gearing towards the 12 nights of christmas this december.

one of its highlights is the christmas float parade on the 15th, drum corp competition [wherein mayor beloy has given 50thousand for each school to purchase the instruments], daigon contest, etc.

for the record, Dingle NHS holds the title for the daigon competition last year... yon lang ang point.

we hope this year's 12 nights would be more innovative, enjoyable and an one of a kind experience of christmas amid the various catastrophes our country has survived this year.

miss pagdihon

she made it again... Marilla Cagas once again bagged the crown as Dingle's first ever Pagdihon Queen 2009. her poise, bearing and personality on stage gave her an assurance to outshine other hopefuls. but what really made her shine was her cunning intelligence and wit in the interviews. she's got the brains. first runner up was ethel rose antonino and the second runner up was graziella cahuya. hope i got her name right...

outstanding teachers

we've just had the awarding ceremonies for outstanding teachers... october 30, 2009 at the division office

fellow awardees please take your pix from here

here's another pix for you...

sino ayhan

the streetdancing was such a fun. the question is who will win? of course i know the result... unfortunately i cannot share it until the awarding otherwise i would put the trust and confidence of the Executive at stake.

anyway, the most important thing is i hope the winners will accept the award with humility while the losers will be humble enough to accept defeat.

Oh just one clue... the winner for the streetdancing is the one who performed with grace and enthusiasm. If you look into their performance daw buta ang bilog nga field. Hala cino ayhan? But more importantly, their street parade was very disciplined. Ang ginpalakpakan sing tunog amo to xa. hahahahaha... happy guessing!

float and street dance

the first two days were simply amazing. the question remains, who will win? baw daw ka bitin ah. wala gin.announce...

ssc 2 and 4

i know its quite a long time we havent met. any way, your task is simple: DEFINE PAGDIHON and WHY DO YOU THINK THE OCTOBER FESTIVAL IS NAMED PAGDIHON? for your info, the term pagdihon is a hiligaynon term which means TO HONE.

ok na

happy na ako uli... kasi... well just guess ah

what if

what if i havent known you?
Perhaps i wouldnt feel betrayed
What if someone have grabbed you?
Surely i wouldnt feel too alive

fair tilt

I spent one hour in the plaza this evening... The continuous instructions of someone inside the covered court was really getting in my head. Nobody can see them anyway, what they're doing because every wall was covered. Imagine...

They were actually practicing for street dancing. It's ok, but what i've heard, the team cries for fair competition. they've heard someone's trying to get a hand into the list of people who shall judge...

If that is the case, sorry, we don't need competition anymore. let them win, all of them. Why can't they just give their best and let the judges do their thing.

Amo man daa sa folkdance. Ginatext ang mga judge. Or kun indi gani ginapili ang judge nga kilala ka trainer para sanda gid padag-on.

Dingleanons, when shall we start and learn to accept defeat?

october festival

My entire week and the upcoming ones seem to threaten my existence. I need to contact judges, write letters, check the progress of each committees, followup people... I know it's one hell of a job. But one thing is certain, I am blessed to have the support of the Executive Committee for all the things I'm assigned with.

Any way, I invite you all to support the festival as this really is the first time Dingleanons shall experience a one of its kind in the Panay Island.

Highlights:
October 24, float parade, opening program
October 25, street dancing competition, Miss Pagdihon 2009
October 26, Laro ng Lahi
October 27, Festival of Magic with 17 international magicians
October 28, Cry of Lincud Celebration, Symphony of Fire, Kapuso Night
October 29, Alcoholics Night
October 30, Globe Telecom Night
October 31, Halloween Parade and Presentation