The Great Challenge

In this entry of mine (it might actually be the last one), I would like to share some inspiring thoughts about life. Life may be one of the most complicated, or can I say the most complicated thing here on Earth. It is like a padlock with so many keys provided trying to unlock its real meaning. Indeed, discovering what life really is all about makes it a great challenge but a fun one as well.
All of us have our own aspirations in this world. There are plans that we want to accomplish, goals that we want to achieve and dreams that we want to fulfill. But not at all times, the flow of the waves goes with us. There are also times that it goes against us.
The road to happiness and fulfillment in life is not really that easy to reach. I can compare it to an obstacle course in which you have to crawl under wires, roll on the wet mud or pass on car tires just to reach the finish line with your arms and legs full of scratches and wounds. It is like a confusing maze or even like the road going to Baguio – a bumpy, a slippery and a winding road!!! Gosh! It really is hard to fulfill one’s dreams! In other words, attaining true happiness is not found at once. It is like finding a needle in a sack of hay. You must have to pass through difficulties first before getting what you want.
It is normal for us humans to fail, to make mistakes, to lose, to stumble. But what is important is that we learn how to stand up amidst the fall no matter how high it is. Though happiness is really hard to achieve in this world we live in, we must never give up on it. We must always strive to attain it and never be discouraged nor lose hope. Always bear in mind that “Habang may pag-asa, may buhay!” (I interchanged it but it does make sense right?)
Trials are a part of life to make a better person out of us. These would test how far we could go and how strong we really are. But once we have learned how to play the game, the game called life, we will surely find it as an enjoyable journey. That is why enjoy what life brings! Live it! Love it!

The Power to Change Things

Prayer is really a powerful instrument in this world. It can change a great number of things even though it seems impossible at times, it can heal the worst diseases that doctors can’t even cure, it can solve the most complicated problem in this world and…it can make a student pass a Math 17 exam.^^

Just last Tuesday, August 12, we had our second long examination in Math 17. The night before, I prayed hard asking the Lord for guidance and help to make me pass tomorrow’s test. And when the moment of our examination came, my nose began to bleed (this is to be taken figuratively…hehe!). Some questions were tricky while others were really challenging but all problems were totally brain-twisting! As I was answering the test, I still kept on praying saying “Lord, please help me solve this problem”. And as an hour and a half passed, it was finally over.

The following day, my professor showed the solutions of all the problems in the exam on the board. I then started counting the possible correct answers that I had. But to my dismay, my estimation only reached 26/50 which was still a failing grade. I needed at least 4 more points to pass the exam. I suddenly had a sad mood and felt weak for a moment but I still had some hope left deep inside of me, a hope that somehow, my professor might give some considerations that would help pull my score up. I continued to pray asking God to give me a passing grade.

It was Friday when my friend and I went to the Math Building in order to get the results of our second long test. With my nervous heart beating fast and my face in a worried look, we waited for our professor near the faculty. As moments went by, we were finally able to get the results. As I looked at my blue book, I saw my score and… I PASSED THE EXAM!!! Oh gosh, I was so happy! I thanked the Lord so much because I knew that somehow, divine intervention happened. At first, I thought that I would fail and I dread to repeat Math 17 next semester or next academic year. But with the help of powerful prayers, I did pass the second exam!

Actually, we still have three long exams, a midterm exam which was taken last Saturday (and again, I am praying to pass it) and a final exam ahead of us. I must not be afraid of what might happen in the future or be worried about the grades I would get as long as I study and really practice a lot, and of course, pray hard.

In this entry of mine, I just want to show how effective prayers really are. Sometimes, we lose our hopes in life and think that there is no more way out. But we must always bear in mind that in times of confusion, in times of great struggles and in times of hopelessness, prayer has the power to change things.

JAPFUN Experience

Last month of July, an event called “JAPFUN” was held in the University of the Philippines, Diliman in line with the celebration of the 18^th anniversary of Tomo-Kai, a Philippines-Japan Friendship Club.

One morning, as I entered AS to attend my English class, I happened to see a poster of the schedule of activities to be held during the JAPFUN month. I then became interested in the said event and started reading what was in store for the days to come. I saw that there would be JDoramathons (Japanese drama marathons), paper folding lessons, tea ceremony, crash course in the Japanese language, culture and dances of Japan, and the most interesting event for me was the anime cosplay.

Before I go further, I would first tell you the reason why I became so interested in this happening. Since I was young, I was fond of watching anime shown in local channels. But there came this time that a channel called AXN aired anime dubbed in Nihonggo with English subtitles. It was then when I got interested in their language, culture and the country itself. In addition, I watched not only anime dubbed in Nihonggo but also their dramas which are really interesting and full of humor.

Going back to the main topic, I planned to go to the anime cosplay which was held last July 31 in the Aldaba Hall for I had never seen such a great event live. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the camera on that day and moreover, my cell phone was “lowbatt” so I could not take pictures of their cute costumes. Luckily, I had a friend who had a cell phone with camera and with that, we had took few shots. At least I had some memorable pictures of my first time watching an anime cosplay.

The following day, I was invited by my two Japanese friends named Miki and Eno, who happened to be my classmates in PE, to watch their performance of a Japanese cultural dance. Since it was a Friday, I accepted their invitation. Also, I made sure that I had a camera with me.

As I saw them, they were stunning in their colorful kimonos and make-up. They really looked like Japanese (Duh!!! They are Japanese! :p ). I really enjoyed the various performances held that night.

Those 2 days were really great and memorable for me because I experienced things I’ve never experienced before. Also, I was blessed to have Japanese friends which I actually dreamt of! It was really a dream come true to watch a live anime cosplay and witness the Japanese culture myself. In a short span of time, I felt like I was in Japan for those two splendid days of my life.

My New Routine

Since the first day of classes, a great number of changes occurred in my life as I entered my first year of college in the University of the Philippines in Diliman. I had to adjust with the new environment I was in to wherein it was a bit different from the lifestyle of the people in our province.
Everyday, I had to cross wide roads with fast, running vehicles then ride a bus to reach Philcoa (or aside from the bus, another alternative was to ride the MRT. But since I had to walk a little bit far from my place to arrive at the station, it became easier for me to ride a bus). I then ride a jeepney from there to the campus. This routine of going to school every morning is the same as I go home. After classes, I again ride a jeepney, then a bus, and after that, I walk home. Since I was not used to this kind of lifestyle (because my school before was near our house and so I had no trouble when it came to transportation), I became really tired during my first week in school.
But there was more than that! I was not used to waking up every morning and thinking of the breakfast I had to eat, or the meal I had to take for lunch, or what I had to prepare for dinner. Since I was away from my parents, I had to feed myself or else, I would suffer from hunger. Thus, I made a list of the food I could eat for breakfast and dinner for the whole month (I had no problem with my lunch because I ate it in school).
Aside from those happenings, I had to adjust with my life inside the campus as well. In every subject, I had different classmates, different professors (of course), and…different buildings (yes, buildings!). It was difficult for me to transfer from one building to another every subject because I still had to ride a jeep in order to reach the destination. And sometimes, I need to run up to the fourth floor just to make it on time.
So, what is the sense of telling you these things? Well, despite the fact that life is in constant change and that we have to face a lot of challenges, it is still fun to live in this world. Though my new life is really tiring and a little bit stressful, I also enjoy it. I get to meet a lot (actually, really lots!) of people, I gain new friends, I learn how to take care of myself, and now, I can ride a bus all alone. In addition to that, I lost weight due to the fact that, in UP; one is obliged to walk a lot. We must always look at the brighter side of everything. ^^

Life is Unpredictable

I heard the news about the dreadful effects of typhoon Frank which hit our country last weekend. It was reported that approximately 200 people died due to this deadly phenomenon. I really felt sorry for the families who were severely affected by the said typhoon.
It was a Saturday night, June 21, when the strong storm crossed the country. I was sleeping peacefully even though the winds outside were so strong. Maybe, it was because I was tired from the day's activities and without me knowing, a tragedy happened on that same night. The biggest passenger ship in the Philippines, M/V Princess of the Stars, was brought down by the strong typhoon. No one expected that the path of the storm would suddenly change and go in the direction where the ship is going. Unfortunately, the strongest part of the storm was the one that hit the ship taking away lots of people's lives.
That event was like a scene commonly watched in movies but it was actually a reality. That night when I slept so good was actually the night when people were crying out for help for someone to save them, children who were so scared of what was happening around them, and families who were so worried for their loved ones.
Life is truly unpredictable. Those who were excited to go to Cebu and see their loved ones least expected that they would die on their way. It is sad but we have to accept the fact that we can never predict the future.