Standing up amidst complexities
High School: The journey continues
Just when you thought you can win everything, there are always times of falling down. Hurdles are almost everywhere. They come on your most critical times, wherein you are experiencing success. And when it happens, it does not strike you buoyantly. But it squeezes you until your whole being is crushed, and it leaves you with no hope. I had a fair share of this experience when I entered 4th year high school. I was part of the Elite Einstein Society, and it was of great privilege that I will be graduating as a Science Curriculum student. I had been part of various organizations. I’ve been a board of director of YES-O, planning and facilitating activities every month. It was so much fun, especially when I facilitated for the quiz bee. “Time’s up!”… I yell and my younger brothers would be astonished. I even hosted one of our monthly activities. I really trembled in front of the crowd, I always have stage freight. But I thanked Tristan Rae Lim for bailing me out of a possible disgrace. He has always been a good speaker, and he can use English on its widest range. No doubt that he was our representative in the Debate
. Moving on, I’d also become a staff of Techno Society for Computer Clubbers. Our advisers were Maychelou Castillo and Oliver Quintanilla, and the president was Herlyn Faye Dela Rosa. I was never a computer enthusiast, except logging on to Friendster <…haha!>. But the experience is very remarkable, with Ruby Abegail Serrano, Tristan Rae Lim, Allan Valiente, Mark Bill David and Kenneth Alipater. I got to know them better. The best experience I had with the group is during the ICT week, held in the Taiwan Hall. Various students from sci-curr joined the competitions organized by TSoCC, including the best Ict booth. Our classmates had been very supportive, and we ended the program successfully. I had also shared my writing skills to our school paper, The Rancher, as the News Editor. Our advisers were Sarah Che and Myrna Lloren, and I must say that I really love this club the most. Maybe because we were just small in the group and the ties are more intimate. We were collecting write-ups from the members, and the editing, and laying out are done in RFM. We spent nights there, with our editor-in-chief Witt Cecil Vergara, assistant editor Joseph Lyndonn Dela Cerna, our feature editor Benazhir Joy Arellano, and our copyreader Encel Marie Carancio. Our memories together are very unforgettable, especially when were having dinner in the chicken house. It’s really nakakamiss. I even witnessed there a huge fire beside the RFM, and I was alone that time because my companions returned home. The firemen got on time, and they were able to put the fire off. And before we ended our stay there, I and Joseph, together with Kenneth Alipater, Henry Estremadura, John Paul Garcia, and Mark Bill David went to San Gabriel Formation Center in Marbel. We were invited there by Kuya Eigene Calopez and Kuya Leonard Jed Toyogon. I was able to like the place. It is peaceful and very quiet. It’s an abode for those who want to become priests, a seminary. And I really never planned to become one. But when you were there, you can really tell yourself to come back and to stay. It’s like fulfilling a call. It was weird, yet very real. They welcomed us warmly, especially Fr. Nonoy Benitez, the Vocation Director. They gave us a refreshing break in Agua Frio, a swimming pool. I really had a great time, with some friends from Sirius and Vega. I had learned many things during my stay there. It’s really unforgettable. I also had the chance to represent the school in the Association of Science Educators in the Philippines Science Fair Division Level at Jose P. Laurel Elementary School. I was in a team with Hazel Jade Rosaot and Pamekris Manzo. Our entry was entitled Iron and Manganese Filtrate Unit. It was an improvised filter, composed of pebbles and sand, and operates with the use of chemical oxidation. It filters the contaminants iron and manganese in water . We competed under Cluster II Science-oriented schools, Applied Science, Group Category. We were on the same category with Rina Ilagan, Melody Betira, and Mae Solidarios with their entry Improvised Automatic Switched Extension Wire. Dave Anas, Rey Maurice Donesa, and Tweetams Molarto competed under Life Science, Group Category with the Efficiency of Chronotherapy Against Hypervitaminus-d Mus Muculus. And Sheila Mae Banayag under Applied Science, Individual Category with the Aerocoal Stove . It was my first ever time to compete outside the school. It was very nervous. We were with Witt Cyril, Allan, and Alter for the Division Level Science Quiz Bee, and John Paul for the Sci-Dama. Witt had even told us that we could possibly win because of beginner’s luck. And he was right of his angelic language . We won during the competition, we, as in all of us!!!. We grabbed the first place, maybe because a) we had no opponents except the group of Mae Solidarios, b) one of our judges was my Grade 6 adviser, Ms. Maria Consolacion S. Peralta <…that was before I graduated elementary, I knew she has married already…peace Ma’am!>, or c) I was badly shaking on the stage, uncontrollable, that Pame needed to hold the microphone for me. Haha, that one was embarrassing. One thing I cannot forget about that experience was Cyril Christian Lim’s remarks, “more cheaper”, and the judge would rectify him with, “more cheap!”. I guess you know what the most appropriate term to be used is. Hmmm . So, we both moved on in another level of the competition, the ASEP Regional Youth Science Camp, Science Quiz, Sci-Dama, and Science Fair held in Maitum, Sarangani. It was another wonderful experience. It was my first time in Sarangani Province, and we traveled almost 3 hours to reach Maitum! . Along the way, you can see the vast Sarangani Bay, and on the other side, the majestic Celebes Sea! It was so much fun riding on a ten-wheeler truck, jam-packed with mattresses for the camp, with a strong blowing wind. Though we weren’t able to tour its entirety, I could say that Maitum is such a lovely place. We lodged in Malalag National High School. Rommel Tongson and Cary Carl Caumeran built a tent, and they shared it with me. Bathrooms are inadequate, so we coped by waking up early to take a bath. The place is in the highlands, and you can imagine how cold it was, taking a bath there early in the morning! The contest proper was held in the municipality gymnasium, and we displayed there our panel boards. We thought that we would lose because we were not visited by any of the judges, except one who asked about our project. On the second day, we were surprised when it was announced that our entry was included on the top five finalists in our category! We were jumping out of joy. It was an overflowing happiness because we thought we really cannot make it. It was really unexpected. Sheila Banayag, Dave Anas, Rey Maurice Donesa, and Tweettams Molarto were also part of the top five finalists in their category. Our group, Hazel and Pame, was the last to defend . It was getting dark already, and some of the audience, and even the participants went back to their sites already. But few of our classmates stayed with us, as we positioned in front of the stage. Dr. Lumeran was one of the judges, and she is a friend of Mama. The questions were tougher than we were in the division level, but we were able to manage it properly . So we ended up very late in the evening, and I was very sleepy and yet still hungry! We ate our dinner together with our advisers, Lalaine Biboso and Marlo Ramos. It was awarding ceremony when we returned back first, in City High, because our GPTA president Willie Ramos got an appointment. When we reached there, we had received text messages from our classmates, telling that we won as second place on the concluded event. We were very happy of course. It was again unexpected. One of the top five finalists on our category would be more than enough, yet we were still blessed with a bigger prize. We knew that it would mean “Nationals”. But I was very sad because I cannot go with my teammates. The division sent only one representative to the national level of the competition, and since I was the leader of the team, they chose me. We really did our best to come together on that special occasion but our requests were not granted. So, it was February, and together with Alona Calanza as my proxy adviser, and Amor Senobago, our sci-dama representative, we went to Baguio City. I had a lot of ‘first times’ on this travel. It was my first time to ride an airplane. My first time to step in NAIA. Waaaah, everything had been very memorable. Jose Paulo Dela Cruz met us on the airport. He was attending school in De La Salle University, and he came there to fetch us. We rode a bus and we traveled the whole EDSA, the longest avenue in the Phils! We ate our lunch in Jollibee Cubao. When we finished, we rushed to the terminal and rode a Victory Liner bus heading to Baguio . That was a very long journey . But I was enjoying the trip and the beautiful scenery outside. I was guessing if I had seen Mt. Pinatubo already . They turned on the TV, and whooa, a tv inside a bus?? no way!! But the movie was great. ‘Til I Met You’, of Robin Padilla and Regine Velasquez. Haha. It was dark already, and we were still going up the Mountain Province. I never slept. I can’t dare to miss the prettiness of the view outside. It was all like a dream. The darkness was filled with some colorful lights on a far distance, like beautiful gems embracing the whole mountains. It was indeed unforgettable. Finally, we reached Baguio City. It was very late in the evening so we spent the night at the Teachers Camp. We stayed there for three days, but my first day. It was very cold!! Haha, I even thought of not taking a bath, but they gave me some water heater, so it was a relief somehow. When I went out the house, woooh, I got some foggy breath and it was really amazing. . The whole city has been lit by the sunshine, so it was time to explore Baguio. The Summer Capital of the Phil is nothing unusual. It’s like any city, except it has elevations that vary everywhere . But you can expect of many “eye-delights”. We toured all the tourist spots in Baguio, like the Botanical Garden, Imelda’s Mansion, and the Philippine Military Academy. We went to the venue of the competition, the Manuel L. Quezon National High School, and we displayed our tarpaulin . We were more than a hundred of participants there, and our entry was assigned as number 31. And it was time to announce the “Magic 5”. I wasn’t really expecting a lot but of course I am hoping that our entry will be included. But we were not called and our journey ended there. But somehow, I was fortunate, because if ever I was included there, nobody would hold the microphone for me . But I was more than a winner with all the lessons I have gained from the experiences I had. And it was time to return back home.
When I got back, I had plenty of school works to do. I had missed every exam, so I have to rush studying lessons. And it was very difficult. I wasn’t able to pass my requirements on time, I got low grades, and the graduation is approaching. I had a very complicated life when I returned. There was a time when my mother was called by our adviser. And it was very shameful. But I knew mom would understand, and she had helped me overcome my problems. And I was able to graduate in high school. It was held at the Lagao Gymnasium. I wore a long-sleeved polo, striped in red, embroidered with elegant tribal design, black slacks, and Skater conventional black shoes. I was seated in the front row, though I really wanted to be seated with my friends, especially Myrick. But because of inconsideration, and irresponsibility of some classmates, as in CLASSMATES , I lost my chance to experience that. High school graduation happens once in a lifetime, yet I wasn’t able to savor that moment. However, graduation is not about the ceremony, what clothes you wear, or how are you seated from your closest friends, but it is all about the word itself. Graduation is all about graduating. That you were able to finished your studies and for you to be prepared for the next chapter of your life.
…and it leaves you with no hope. But hope is never gone, until you gave it up! Life is hope. Don’t lose hope, as it loses you life. Gain courage to win everything you want. Though falling down is usual, always stand up and fight! Stand up and make all the difference!
