my favorite band.....

.....PrOsTiTuTiOn....

We can not deny the fact that bad elements are roaming in the world today. From snatching to terrorism, all have shown how bad man can get. These bad elements of the world today have caused dehumanizing, demeaning, and degrading effects on the people. Speaking of degrading, there is one bad element in this world existing for more than a century, prostitution.


According to Encarta Dictionaries, prostitution is defined as the act of engaging in sexual intercourse or performing other sex acts in exchange for money, or of offering another person for such purposes. With this definition, one can already see what a prostitute does. A prostitute is a girl that engages in sexual acts in turn for money. Due to its big percentage of existence, prostitution is now considered a profession by some lunatic-minded people. Well anyway, what are the reasons why there are prostitutes? Is it really a good profession?


People engaging in prostitution have their individual reasons why they are doing it. According to them, the main reason why they are engaging in this kind of activity is because of poverty. You cannot really blame them for engaging in this kind of activity because they are still people. They still must of course eat in order to live. But how can they eat if they do not have enough money. Put into account our economy today. It is very hard for us people to find a good job nowadays. Because of this, people must find alternatives to earn money. And prostitution is a very good alternative. Not only is it fast and easy, it is also a big money giver.


If the government happens to be very efficient in its social welfare services, then there would be no prostitution. Sometimes the government reasons out, that prostitutes are very dirty people because they have different sex partners. But then, do they have a choice? If they do not engage in this kind of activity, how would they survive? Even though they are very prone to STDs or sexually transmitted diseases, which are a threat to their lives, it is still a better choice to engage in this activity. You want to know why? It is because at least they are only prone to death. Unlike if you do not eat wherein you are not only prone to death, but already a destined-to-die man. To show you the relevance of this, let me give to you some examples in the real world.


According to a documentary I saw, which featured prostitutes’ lives in the streets; it showed the main reasons why they are willing to engage in this kind of activity. All the answers were just the same, all were because of poverty and the lack of money. But of all the reasons shared, one shocked me out. One girl said that the reason why she is doing this is because she wants to finish her studies. She said that she cannot rely on her parents because they are too irresponsible. With that kind of reasoning, my mind could not believe what it just heard., a girl of minor age, engaging in sexual acts just to finish her studies and get the proper education that she deserves.


I hope that the government puts attention to this problem…

A jOUrNeY we HaVE StaRteD

A journey we have started
Full of shyness and curiosity
Strangers who have gathered
Each one is a mystery


A journey we have started
Always stumbling and falling
And the struggles we have traded
Still kept us on going


A journey we have started
New friends we have found
Tightly we were binded
Never letting each other down


A journey we have started
Is about to reach its end
The memories we have shared
Will always be remembered

LOVE: An act of will not of the heart.

What is LOVE? Me? I do not know. All I know is it is a feeling, a wonderful feeling. But I think LOVE is so undescribable that not even the wisest men can describe it correctly or clearly.


I really had a hard time thinking on what love really is, if it is an act of will or an act of the heart. But after how many days of thinking, I came up with the conclusion that the heart is really the main facilitator when it comes to love.


Will, in my own understanding, is due to a person's thinking or should I say due to his or her brain. The brain, as what I believe, facilitates on the will a person makes. In making a will, a person uses his or her brain.


I know that in loving, you also use your brain. You use your brain in choosing who to love. You also use your brain if knowing if you are loving the right person. In other words, it dictates the heart on who to love, how to love, when is the right time to love, and what is the main reason why you get in love. In other words, the brain is the one which gives permission to the heart who, when, how, etc. , to love. But as the heart recieves the permission from the brain, it immediately process the feeling of love. It is the one responsible in the growth of a person's love towards someone.


When you are in love with someone using your heart, you would be humble enough to accept that person's decision if he or she loves you too or not. The heart humble itself even though it ends up getting hurt. It accepts criticisms and it is always open. The heart in other words is unselfish.


In the other hand, using your mind or brain in loving is exactly different to loving with all your heart. Using your brain in loving does not display love anymore, unless it displays a seek for pleasure. For me, the brain is the "pleasure seeker" part of a human body. It is responsible on why people engage in sex because the brain thinks that there are still other way in proving your love to someone, this is through sex. I agree that sex is really a way in proving your love but nowadays, people engage in this sacred thing not just because of love but also because of pleasure. This thing I will never allow to happen to me. That is why I will never allow my mind to be over my heart because I might end up pregnant at an early age.


Enough is enough. I have already shared my opinion to this and I chose the heart.

.....l(a leaf falls)oneliness......

I do not know if my understanding in this poetry is correct or not but I will still share my own opinion on what I think this poetry meant. Though, I am not sure if my own perception has sense or not.


We all know that the word loneliness means being alone or else being left behind with no one except your self. A person might become lonely if he or she does not have any friends to lean on everytime he or she has problems. Also, if he or she was being betrayed by his or her friends, if he or she is jealous, if someone special left him or her, if someone you love died, if you loved someone but just ended up hurting your own self, and if you know that your days on earth are already counted. We can relate many things on how people experience a state of loneliness.


For me, as an individual who barely depend on my friends, it is not easy to be alone. It is so hard for me to be all by myself because I am a person with so much friends that I can depend on, friends that will always be there for me, friends who understand me, and friends who will never ever leave me alone.


I know that time will really come that I will be alone already, just all by myself. If that time would come, I bet you I will surely die because of so much loneliness. Being alone is so hard especially if you are not used to the feeling of having no one right by your side. I know that right now I will already be ready to face the challenges on what it really feels to be alone. Honestly, I am not yet ready to be alone and I do not want it to happen because I know that I cannot leave without any one. I know that being alone may or would really cause my death. Being alone makes me lonely, exhausted, and very ill.

ReSearCH PROject

Products containing nitrate/ phosphate are disposed by 15, 278, 808 households, 5, 899 industries and 3, 392, 361 agricultural lands. Products which we use everyday like soaps, detergents, fertilizer and cleaning agents contain nitrate/ phosphate substances. According to Ansar and Khad (2005) phosphates and nitrates could cause algal bloom. Algal bloom means that there are 1000 algae cells in one milliliter of water sample. Algae count could help determine the niters/ phosphate absorption in different bodies of water since there is obvious connection of both. Algal bloom poses real danger to the environment. When this population of Algae die, they use up the oxygen gas that are needed by other organisms which leads to their death in the process. Nitrate/ phosphate substances arrive at different bodies of water through both direct and indirect sources.


The water sources used in the study were a lagoon found in Ayala Center Cebu; a river in Kamputhaw; and a well found in T.Padilla. Every water source was affected by both direct and indirect sources. A water sample of 30 mL was taken from each source for five days using the same method all throughout those five days. The samples were also taken during the same time of the day. The algae counts were taken using only a drop from each sample using a light microscope.


The counting came up with the following numbers of algae from each sample after five consecutive days of gathering: River having the greatest mean number of algae of 17.4 or 194.88 algae cells per mL while the well had the least having only 2.6 algae cells per drop or 29.12 algae cells per mL of sample. The lagoon had 6.2 algae cells per drop 0r 69.44 algae cells per mL of sample.


The study used ANOVA or Analysis of Variance to determine if there is significant difference in the Algae counts of the three samples. The data's significance was tested at a five percent level of significance with (2,12) degrees of freedom and compared them with the tabled value of 3.89. The test came up with an F- ratio of 3.81 which is greater than the tabled value thus the Null Hypothesis was neglected. The action meant that there was no significant difference in their algae counts and there is no significant difference in the river, lagoon, and well in terms of nitrate/ phosphate absorption. It has been also found out during the course of the study that the three sources of water are not contaminated with nitrate/ phosphate since their algae counts are far from the limit of 1000 cells per mL of sample.


Out of the data gathered and findings, we therefore conclude that the water sample from Ayala lagoon, Kamputhaw river, and T.Padilla well do not differ. The sources of water have the same amount of nitrate/ phosphate contamination.

Based on our findings and conclusion, we recommend the future researchers to conduct a replication of the study but with more days of gathering the water samples. Another replication of the study may focus on another water sample especially those near factories.

Oooooppssss!!!

June 13, 2006 was set as the opening for the schoolyear 2006-2007 in the University of the Philippines. Also, during this day, we, the ethnic group of the Art Appreciation class 2005-2006 were requested to present an intermission number at the Conference Hall for the orientation of the new comers, the 1st years and for their parents.

We practiced our movements from 11:00 to 12:30 noon at that very day. We came back at 1:00 for the polishing of our steps. At exactly 1:45 we, the dancers together with the musicians were called to be at the other side of the UP campus. We waited for almost one hour and thirty minutes. While we were waiting for our part, we fixed ourselves outside the conference hall and we reviewed some of our steps because we were afraid to miss some. We applied make-ups on our faces. The boys applied lipsticks on their lips too. They looked so funny and they seems like gays. Then, suddenly, at almost 3:00 at the afternoon, we were called to present our "masterpiece" as what we call it. The moment we entered the lights were turned off and it was really, really dark inside. I cannot even see my bare feet. We, the dancers, were just the one being seen by the audience. We can hardly see them because the room was so dark. Then the musician gave us the signal for us to begin with our first step. We started to dance each of our part. While in the middle of the dance, I accidentally slept because we were dancing barefooted and the floor was so slippery. I just said "oopps!" and I continue dancing my part because I do not want the audience to notice it. Thank God there were no lights, so the audience did not saw how I slept. After our presentation the audience clapped their hands soundly. It seems that they really liked the presentation. I really appreciate that. I felt happy and fulfilled. I did not really thought our presentation would be that beautiful despite the mistake I commited.

On BEiNg TaUghT By StuDenTS.....

The best teachers are the teachers themselves. For me, I will learn more if teachers or the professionals will be the one to teach me. They know more about different things happening in our society and surroundings. They are more knowledgable because it is their passion and responsibility to teach us. They are more experienced on how to make their students understand their lessons well. They know different teaching techniques on how to make the topics they are going to discuss interesting so that students will really listen carefully on what are being discuss and really learn from A-Z so that during exams they will not get a failing grade.

Last February, the University of the Philippines had its own "Know Your School Day". It is the day where the students who are deserving, worthy, and responsible will have the chance to handle things which are just meant to be done by their teachers. Students had the chance to be the principal, assistant principal, guidance counselor, clerk, and subject teachers. Students had the chance to experience how it felt to be a teacher for a short period of time. They had the oppurtunity to be respected by their classmates which are now their students. A chance to experience how tiring it is to handle a class of more than 32 personalities. A chance to experince how stress a teacher is.

I am one of the students who applied for a subject student teacher. I applied for a SOCSCI teacher together with my 3 fellow claassmates namely, Sunshine, Eldee, and Christine N. As what I have experienced, being a teacher is really tiresome but at the same time fun. We exchange jokes with my fellow classmates which were already my students.

Even if I applied for a student teacher I had also experienced on how it feels to be taught by someone like you, a student. I experienced being taught by Michael and Jann. They applied for the subject Calculus. And I bet, they were really good, I understand them very well. But I cannot deny that it was so unusual to be taught by your fellow classmate even for just a short period of time. I felt that I missed my teachers, teachers who used to teach me those lessons. But in the end, all I can say that being taught by students is not that boring as what I have thought. Instead, the experience on being taught by students was fun and exciting.

HOw I Want To BE rEMembERed aFTEr I LEave HIgh ScHOol

I am Shydel Raya of the University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu College. I am currently in my 4th year high school. I am about to graduate this coming April 18, 2007. At this time we, the 4th years, are already busy practicing for "the day". We had already come up with our graduation song and our schedule for practices. Singing our graduation song is really difficult for me because the people in our batch are really close to each other. And it is also hard for us to think that we will soon be parting our ways to open a new chapter in our life where we will be meeting again new faces and new personalities, just the same as what we experience when we entered High School.


Our batch is really the "bulabog" type. It is a mixture of different and complex personalities. For me, our batch is the most "happy-go-lucky". The deadliners and the crammers belong to our batch. But I think these are the reasons why our batch is the most loved and closest to the teachers. I am really happy and blessed that I belong in this "bulabog" batch. It was not hard for me to cope with them when I entered high school because I am exactly like them. I am noisy, happy-go-lucky, a deadliner, and a crammer.


Don't you know that I am the noisiest person in our batch. An ordinary person and student with the loudest voice. The girl with the ticklish laugh. Some of my classmates says that my laugh made them laugh too even without any reasons. They just get caught away with my laugh.


I know that my classmates get irritated of my loud voice sometimes and I am so sorry, I just cannot help talking with a soft voice. What can I do this is me, the Shydel they have known for a long period of time. Maybe some of my classmates were already used in hearing my loud voice that is why they do not feel irritated the moment they would hear my loud voice.


According to my classmates, I am frank and the "maldita" type. I am the kind of person who would really fight on what I believe in. I think they were right. But despite all these, I gained many friends, friends who are always their for me, friends who understands me, friends which I will really treasure even the days after our graduation day, friends that I will never forget. I hope that my batchmates, classmates, and friends will never forget me too. I want them to remember a noisy, frank, strong, "maldita", happy, and friendly Shydel because I promise them that I will never ever change. I would still be the same "Shydel" they have known for four years in UP High.

WHy So EArLy?

In this age of modernization, many teenagers have already engaging in relationships, specifically, boy-to-girl relationships. Old men or adults might ask why these teenagers enter relationships at their young age. Because according to them, teenagers are not that matured yet to handle relaionships because adults think that teenagers' minds are still young an dseems to be limited only in playing games. They also think that early relationships may just result to heartaches in the end. These are just some of the reasons why some parents would not allow their teenager children to engage in early relationships not until they finish schooling. But do these parents know why nowadays, many teenagers have already engaged in relationships.


According to my survey, the reasons why teenagers engage in early relationships are curiosity, trend, inspiration, and LOVE.


Why curosity? Based on my experience, my parents used to tell me not to enter or engage in early relationships. According to them it may just ruin my life and schooling because relationship at my age seems to be careless and may later result to early pregnancy. But for me, their reasons are not enough to convince me. This became the reason for me to be curious. It pushed me to try what is really wrong in entering early relationship. After trying, I do not think I was doing the wrong thing.


Trend is also one of the reasons why teenagers nowadays are so hot in entering relationships. They tend to follow the trend. For example, in a clique of friends all your friends have already their boyfriends and girlfriends, because of this you become out of place sometimes so the thing you would possibly do is to find your own and partner so that you can also go with the flow.


Inspiration is also a reason for teenagers to engage in early relationships. For me this is true. I believe that the moment you would get a partner, a boyfriend, or a girlfriend you would really pursue yourself to be a better person. You would be limited only in doing good things. You could be good in your class. You could be an honor student if you want. All these you can do as long as you know how to handle a relationship. Because I know that each one in this world should have inspirations in life whom you can offer you success and earnings in life, who can pursue you to do your best for you to succeed.


LOVE is the major reason why people not only teenagers engage in relationship with the opposite sex. They tend to long people special to them. They can not stand the feeling of not seeing that person for just even a short period of time. They seem to care to that person. They long to see them everyday. This feeling is what you call love. But so much love, for me, may result to early responsibilities like pregnancy because I believe that in proving your love to a person you must have sex with him or her. I do not know if what others believe but these is my own perception.


Engaging in early relationship may come from different reasons but I hope that yuor reason would really be love.