Me , Myself and I

Nuclear Solutions

“Nuclear”. Without even completing the word that comes after this, people burst trembling in fear. For them, be it nuclear energy, weapons or power plants, the result is always one sided, and it’s also not the positive kind. Throughout history, people all over have been debating whether this possible solution, this answered prayer, would prove to be virtually destructive in nature or not. And more often than not, their efforts were all in vain; all futile. Critics have supported widespread claims that all things related to the concept of “Nuclear Energy” are indeed, far from beneficial. According to them, countless accidents, unneeded deaths and fatal, terminal illnesses are just some, above all, concerns brought upon by Nuclear Energy. It is a lie to say that these claims and opposing rebuttals have died down in the present time. Everywhere you turn, people are bound to talk about this remarkable topic, diligently trying to support their claims with economical and safety facts. From the big, important and learned men from the political army to the ambitious, inquisitive and creative students, whatever the age, whatever the gender, this topic has caused them to abruptly stop, logically think twice and automatically defend their worthy opinions with blunt and sharp responses. Everything then boils down to practicality. Yes, nuclear energy is indeed a double-edged sword. Many people have already come to this knowledge: The topic of nuclear energy is a force to be reckoned with.

But today, I am calling the shots. My opinions are the ones that I would voice out. Today, you are looking at things through my viewpoint. And I say: “The answer to our problems today is already staring us right in the face!”. Nuclear power plants may not be a thing of the past, but surely, it is a step towards the bright future. Unless this future we are all so hopeful for includes intense environmental dissolution, which, in itself, would cease all forms of human existence, nuclear power plants is that key; that step we need to strive to set our foot to. More than we ever know, Coal (or Fossil Fuel) Power plants emit black steam-like carbon dioxide gas that contributes to global warming, thus an increase in concentration of this said gas would mean in an unbalanced and sudden rise in global temperature, also known as “climate change”. Another known problem that we may point out is its part in deteriorating the public’s health. According to research, people and livestock living near these filthy power plants tend to inhale the tiny deadly particles that destroy the basic structure of our lungs. They obscure the air passage, making breathing something shy of comfortable. When this comfortless state of our lungs persists, a wide range of diseases would soon begin to manifest. To name just some are bronchitis, asthma, airway obstruction and when worse comes to worse, lung cancer. The same research also stated that exposure to such a dangerous gas has given rise to cardiac and respiratory mortality rate.

Although nuclear power plants are scientifically and evidently proven to posses a nature capable of great devastation, it really that escape route we have to take to gear this world away from the spiral of self-destruction. The amount of emission of nuclear power plants generally linger around little to miniscule percentage rates, thus contributing very little to global warming, an issue we have been facing and trying to eradicate for years. An advantage from these power plants lies on the fact that it can generate large amount of electrical energy at a fundamental point. People would be looking forward to a bright future generated from a single, highly-technical and convenient power plant to sustain their everyday needs. Another benefit branches out from the fact above, having only a single power plant would not only save large hectares of forests, which are also the home of the wildlife, being mercilessly denuded to erect another power plant with similar destructive effects, but it would also mean that our electric bills would be mitigated. Since money now is an issue and everyone is striving to gain rather than spend, this would help countless. This technology is currently sitting for use, there’s no need for any form of development or undergoing of tests.

Of course, people could always have a wide array of emotions with regards to the truthful the resolute facts stated above. Some may believe my claims, some would be adamant about their beliefs while others would engage in a crazed debate with me. But the truth of the matter is, I am quite aware of the nuclear power plant’s risks of mass destruction and the lives that are at stake. I am knowledgeable of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union on April 1986. But I firmly believe that mere carefulness is the only way in dodging this mundane fate. With the prevailing and innovative technology that seems to come out in every corner, surely, we could find a way to alter its destruction and mold that into something positive. Probably, we may be able to come up with an alternative design for the power plant, one that is more stable and safe, to begin with. Concerns were also raised when, long ago, scientists confirmed that exposure to nuclear radiation was indeed, hazardous and fatal. Much like living near the coal power plant, there is much to fear for when you are within a few-mile radius from the nuclear power plant. Over-exposure to nuclear radiation would also increase the probability of death, either rapidly or slowly. Suffering from vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and deliriums are just some of the blood-curdling illnesses that would prove to be the main cause of death after 24 – 48 hours. I say, the government should vigilantly evacuate everyone (including the wildlife) from the vicinity and put them somewhere safe. They can then build protective and high barbed walls to prevent people from aimlessly wandering around the area. Generation of nuclear energy also requires one to be exposed to it one way or another, so the government has to make sure every worker has a protective gear for the prevention of unwanted mutilations, to say the least.

If you want a truly bright future one that is free from the shackles of poverty, environmental deterioration and economic downfall, then start generating nuclear energy! Nuclear power plants may have a few faults but that doesn’t mean we can’t give them a few tweaks and turns to tip the scales. This is made highly possible with our lightning-fast technology and brainy scientists. Nuclear power plants have a lot of advantages that we, the public, for quite some time, are longing for. It can stop sky-rocketing electric bill charges, it can also help counter, in its big way, the deadly effects of global warming. Let us all look forward to a bright future lighted completely by power plants.

     To set the record straight, I can’t make any excuses regarding my long absence in writing blogs for my Friendster account. Although I doubt that hardly anyone is tuning in to my blogs here compared to the ones I post to Multiply, I truly missed it. And I never knew I missed it until I started opening and updating my Friendster account again.

     Before we start off, I would like to express my awe as to how “Friendster-powered Blogs” have evolved throughout the years. When I visited my blog account just this morning, I was greeted with new terms, designs (themes) and features (such as tags, excerpts and widgets). It really is amazing now and I’m sure thousands of bloggers would simply love the new features. I myself would try them out soon. I’d probably start off with the “Keep this post private” option. I mean, things were great back then but the upgrade takes it to a whole new level. I love the Word Count function.

     It will almost be a year since my last post here. Where should I start? I miss a lot of things. It was a year ago that my family moved to this new house up north. I came to love and specifically hate a few more stuff. And I also found myself growing physically, mentally, spiritually and in all other aspects. I learned a lot more words, I became more concerned with the environment and with others. I knew myself more and knew more about others. Gone are the days where I’m a kid, blissfully unaware of my surrounding and always armed with adults’ excuses about my inappropriate actions. Now as a growing teen, I must take responsibility for my words, actions and thoughts.

     A while ago, I also witnessed how my writing has evolved throughout the years. All those years built up new words, terms and expressions which I borrowed and used for my writing. From writing blogs and reflective essays, now I can put myself in other people’s shoes and write a fictional story about them. And for some reason, although I love my writing style now, I miss the one I had years ago. Looking onto the blogs I wrote some two or three years ago, I was so filled with an innocent spirit. Each typo was a concrete example of my innocence; my youth and my childishness. It was a spirit that doesn’t want to go out into the world and experience the coldness it offers out there. But now I am out in the open, and I miss my life then. Changes aren’t always for the good. No, not always.

     Now that I am in my fourth year of high school and havehad an entrance exam to several colleges and universities, I should be well-prepared. Well-prepared for what, you may ask? I should be prepared for another chapter of my life. We are not getting any younger day by day. And though the opposite is true, we must find a way to live life a better way. We must fill days with greatness so we have something good to look back to some ten or twenty years from now. I can never go back to my childhood, a time I miss dearly, but I can make the most of my teenhood and soon, adulthood.

Daniel Ervin Chua 

     Greetings everyone!! This is a blog which I will really treasure because this is one that is dedicated entirely to our most high God. This is about my love for Him, His greater love for me and how God touched my life and how I’m sure I’ll never be the same again.

     I was so caught up in so many worldly things that I entirely forgot who God is in my life. I neglected to spend time with Him or even seek Him. I have this sort of "God can wait" thinking in my head. Whenever I had problems, God was my last resort, when all things failed, it is then that I will seek His help, which is entirely wrong. Also, then I had been going to Church (CGC) for the wrong reasons such as: for friends or whenever there’s nothing better to do. I never really listened to the sermon nor did I sing wholeheartedly during the praise and worship service. I was never filled and came home feeling empty deep inside of me. At Church, I was never really able to focus a hundred percent on God. There were just so many things in my mind: homework, school, stress, tommorow’s activities and other wordly things. Although I did learn a few things from going there, I felt that it is not enough. There is still that huge hole that cannot be filled with wordly things. Although I wasn’t an atheist, and never really did doubt God’s existence, I spent less and less time with Him to the extent I was not spending any time with Him, I did not ask help nor thanked Him for all His blessings. I tried to cover my depression with different gimmicks such as jokes and more wordly things, but ironically, the more I fill myself with these temporary things, the more I hunger and hunger and the more I grew depressed. I felt like I was at the verge of giving up. I did not go there (Church CGC) for a year for different reasons.

     This year, I was invited again by my very nice and close friends. And for the first few meetings/fellowships I still went for the wrong reasons: for friends. But then, I felt that there is something inside me, deep inside me, that is finding inner peace whenever I go there. This feeling cannot be described, although I’m a hundred percent sure that wordly things cannot give you this peace, only God can. I knew this is God’s calling, calling me back to Him. I grew a bit hungry for Him but as a few days passed, that emptiness is back and once again, I pushed God out of my life. As the succeeding weeks came, I grew more and more interested in going to Church. Although there were still problems about me focusing a hundred percent on God.

     But in a particular fellowship last Friday (Nov. 16), I will find myself not the same anymore. It was the first time I was filled by the Holy Spirit. The feeling is so overwhelming and it is truly one of the only few things that can leave a huge mark/impact in your life. The feeling is like an electricity going through your body, no feeling can compare to it. You cannot stop praising the name of God, even though you want to, you can’t. I think this is God’s ultimate plan to bring me back to Him, and let me tell you something, it worked! Now I find it easy to focus on God during Fridays and look forward to going to Church. No one can really compare with God, He is the mightiest/highest there is. If you let Him, He will really come and work in your lives.

     So please, readers, the time is now, allow God to enter in your lives and watch as He works. You will find an alternative purpose in life, one that is more worthy: serving the Lord!

                                                                                      Regards,

                                                                              Daniel T. Chua

     Boy, it’s been really a long while since I’ve been active here on Friendster, let alone write blogs. Well, ironically, we’ll be having our final exams (for the Second Quarter) on Monday and I’m here writing, instead of studying. Our Final Exams affect like 25% of our grades, meaning it is highly crucial that I gain a 90 + in each and every one of them, especially Math and Science since I want to have a 90 + in my total final grades in both subjects. I also want to do very well in English since I felt I still didn’t give it my 110% last quarter. And as a result, I got the grade of 89 as a total. There is none to blame but me since I only got an 83% in the last quarter exams. (Don’t ask, I wasn’t following instructions in the last part. Sigh…) I hope I can have that one point missing to have a 90 in English.

     On Monday, we will be having tests on Health and Bible. Bible this quarter isn’t as hard as the previous’. Last quarter we have to prove that Jesus existed without using the Bible and repel the theories made by people who don’t believe in Him. (Swoon theory, fabrication theory, hallucination theory…) While this quarter, we focus more on the factors affecting prayer as well as it’s elements. (Adoration, supplication, thanksgiving, confession, listening…) The questions are also more practical than the previous one’s. The same thing goes with Health. This quarter we studied about alcohol and the bad things it brings. Tuesday’s tests are Filipino and Math (Yikes!), Wednesday’s tests are Chinese and Science (More yikes!), and for the last day, Thursday, the tests are English and A.P. (Thank goodness! But I still need to strive harder to have a higher grade.) So please pray for me!

     I can lay back a little this weekend and prepare myself for Monday and Tuesday’s afternoons. (Sigh!) Hopefully the "fruits of my labor" will show and I can gain a 90 + in all of them. Oh well, your work is just 50%, the other 50% come from God’s grace. I hope He can guide me in my tests. Time to hit the books! See ya very soon!

                                                                   - Daniel Ervin T. Chua

P.S. I THINK I’ll be writing after a the exams…

P.P.S Ooh! I’m so excited, I can hardly contain it. On Monday, one of my classmates will let me borrow his ‘Heroes Of Might And Magic III” a game for the PC. And in my opinion, the ‘game of the century’. Don’t believe me? Try it out for yourself, it’s a very classic game.

P.P.P.S Hmm… that’s odd. The blog I posted on bloggers.net seems to be missing. According to this, there’s no such site. I must be hallucinating, I’ll try again later. Ciao! God Bless!

Dear Reader,

     Yes, yes, I know that I haven’t been updating and writing blogs for a long time; four months to be exact. But I haven’t quit writing yet. In this long span of time, I have been writing three fanfictions. Yes, three at the same time. Remember what I said earlier in my January blog? That I have been writing fanfictions? Well, I am a man of my word. And then there’s my pathetic title. I hate the title of this blog: "A June Blog". Sorry, but I can’t come up with a better name. June, After a few months of eat, write, sleep and occasionally going to the store to help out, school starts again.

     Well, like most school, not all, ours started on Thursday, June 7 2007. Actually, that morning, I didn’t have a hard time waking up. Maybe beacause a part of me is excited to see my old friends and the other part afraid of the homework and assignments to come. Yes, as if my nightmares came true, homework was given first day of school. Oh, man! I can barely stand it. And to make matters worse, all of my old friends are on the other sections. I miss them to death.

     There are a few changes in school and some new rules. Like students are "encouraged" (more likely forced) to join at least one school club; hesitate, and you fail, just like that! Of course, I already know what I am going to join. Knowing me, I’ll give you a few minutes to guess. If you’ve guessed, um, Nouvelles, you’re absolutely right! In case you haven’t heard of Nouvelles, it’s this awesome club that writes for the school paper. It’s the second year I’m joining. Ms. Nancy Ramos is the club moderator. And I tell you, she is one og the best english teachers I had. She’s friendly and kind and funny and speaks fluent english. It’s like you can’t find any flaws in her. Novelles will be a very fun club for me this year. I have to hurry, though, only twenty seven spots are available. If I have to fight my way through, so be it. Haha! I am also thinking of joining the Chemistry Club or whatever. But if it’s a training program, I’ll have to rethink. I like enjoying Chemistry, not actually studying it. I hope I made sense. Haha! There’s a fine line between enjoying education and actually studying. Chemistry seems so interesting, you get to mix different ingredients around and you’ll have an endless possiblity. Who knows? I might find a cure for Cancer or AIDS. Haha! Anyways, going back to school is better than it sounds.

     As for teachers, um, we have a couple of new ones. We have my favorite teacher so far, Ms. Ramos, an english teacher, a math teacher named Mr. Bruce. He really teaches very well and I completely understand Geometry because of him. There’s a new science teacher named Ms. Almedras. She’s really nice and real smart too. She graduated from U.P and majored from Chemistry and minored from Biology. Talk about a love for science. Anyways, she’s a great teacher. There are also our old teachers, they’re great as well. I haven’t met all, though. It’s just the second day of school, for Pete’s sake!

     Well that’s all I can point out from the school so far. I can tell this year will be interesting but not nearly as fun as last year. Yes, my favorite year was second year. To make matters worse, Johannalyn Ong (By the way, Hannah, if you’re reading this, "hi!") is no longer here. She’s back in Bacolod. But she’ll be back next summer and no doubt we’ll go out together again.

     Okay, so sorry if this blog is a bit shorter than usual. I love writing them though, as if you don’t me. Haha! Thank you for reading and I’ll update real, real soon.

P.S. I’ll include my favorite current songs in my blogs from now on. Currently, I like Rihanna - Umbrella and The Veronicas - When It All Falls Apart.

P.P.S. Watch out for my three fanfictions that would soon be published on Fanfiction.net.

P.P.P.S. High School Musical is out on August. But because we live in Asia, Disney will air it on September, a long, long wait! Ashely and Lucas (Sharpay and Ryan) are great again! I saw them in their music video that aired yesterday.

Hello Reader

     So, I’ve finally put off my writing until this month, February. So you might be wondering why I’m writing this on a Monday (February 5, 2007), the reason is because of the celebration of the Foundation Day that was held last Friday, today is like a rest day for students and teachers and administrations. There’s a lot of things that happened last month and this month too. One of them is a class Field Trip and the other is the school Foundation Day. Firstly, I will write about the Field trip which happened January 25, 2007, just two weeks ago.

     Last Thursday, January 25, 2007, I, in knowing that we will have our one and only Field Trip this year, woke up at around 5:50. So after waking up, I went to my usual weekday-schoolday morning routine: brush teeth, take a bath, get dressed for school and breakfast. Doing all those things in a rush only made me slower, so I got to leave at around 6:45. I can say that it is a safe time to leave because the busses will be leaving at 7:00 and we just live around three or four blocks away from school. When I went to school that Thursday, not many people were there. There are mostly around 20 people, who are in my class, there. Like everyone, I also brought a bagpack and some things to pass the time while on the bus. I brought one of my collections of Archie Comics and a pocketbook entitled To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee eventhough I never got a chance to read it on the trip, some snacks (Tini Winis) and some pocket money, P300 I think for souveneirs and such. And of course, my lunch, I wouldn’t want to be hungry for today. Oh yeah, O also brought my Mp3 Player to play music; honestly, this is the item that I used most of the time while on the bus. Anyway, later, more and more people came and pretty soon, everyone was there and was ready to leave the school. We formed a a straight line and went to the bus. Our bus number was five which meant we will be the last to leave the school. After everyone is settled in, one of our classmates led us in prayer for safety and thanks. The person I sat beside with is Joshua, one of my friends. Throughout the trip he texted and played with his cellphone, while I on the other hand, listened to my Mp3 player and looked outside, to the wonderful view and nature. The bus instructor was nice and entertained us throughout the trip. While passing through different locations, he told us many facts and trivias about that particular place. He also told many jokes and teasers. After what seemed like an hour or two, we were already in our first destination, the ever-famous Aguinaldo Shrine.
    
     The Shrine used to be the house of Phillipine’s first president, Emilio Aguinaldo. Right outside, there is a pond that reflects the shrine. There were many artifacts and memorabilias inside, like old Spanish clothes, guns, photos, cannons and many more. Clay models are used to tell what happened during the Spaniards’ invasion era. Personally, this is my favorite part of my trip; I learned and appreciated more about my homeland and culture. We trailed from one room to another. We saw a big dining room with high ceilings and complex designs, rooms for Aguinaldo’s daughters and their own bathroom! Outside we saw what looked like Aguinaldo used to wash clothes back then. Well, that’s what the instructor suggested. It’s a big stone with a gigantic hole maybe used to put in clothing, and there’s another hole to put in wood and to start a fire. Also, we saw Aguinaldo’s car. It was quite old and we doubt that it’s still running. Oh yeah, there’s still a bowling alley there, in fact, it’s the first thing you see when you enter the establishment. It’s good to know that Spaniards used to bowl back then. After that is done, the bus instructor gave us five minutes to take a picture of us and the place, so everyone readied their camera and started taking pictures of the shrine, and themselves as well.

     After five minutes it is time to leave the historical place. We went back to the bus and everyone thought it was already time to eat lunch, since that is the main plan. But the bus instructor apologized and stated that there will be a slight change of course; we will be going through all destinations first then eat lunch. So with that, we left for Tagaytay to go to the Mushroom Burger Factory and witness how they create the appetizing delicacy. On the way, we got hungry and passed chips, sweets and food around the bus. It was a long ride but after two and a half hours, from Cavite, we were already in the district of Tagaytay city. The temperature decreased dramatically.

     In Tagaytay, we went to the said factory. When we proceeded inside, we saw the different mushrooms being preserved and put in case so that later on, it will get ready to be cooked.  But that’s about what we did on the Mushroom Farm, other than that, almost all of the students went to buy themselves Mushroom Burgers, unaware of the fact that the school will provide them their very own for free. But maybe they just felt that two is indeed better than one. I myself did buy one and ate both on the bus. (One is which I bought while the other is free; the school paid for it. Each of the students had his/her own free burger) Outside there swings, see saws, slides and a wishing well. I tried all of them and had a link with my inner childhood. I threw three one peso coins for a hope that my wish will come true. I got on the see saw and my friend Thomas was on the other end. It was fun. Everone took this oppurtunity to use the bathroom. We left and waved the factory farewell and after that, everone was munching up their own Mushroom Burger. So no one was too hungry and was not eager to go to our next destination, which is lunch at the picnic groove in Tagaytay.
    
     When we got there, the view was breathtaking. The view of Taal was so beautiful. We picked a table and ate happily. One of my firends who happened to be sitting on the same table as us, brought her i-pod with speaker and played music aloud. After eating, all of us went close and took pictures of the Taal volcano. Then the teachers who were also acting as guides, told us we can go further. We went down, there is a long path made of blocks of wood that leads you closer to Taal and Taal lake and along the way, you also see similar great views of plants and trees. Then further, there is a hanging bridge, some of my classmates jumped to make the other classmates scared. After crossing, more fantastic views and some more paths made of wood. At the end, there were a bunch of souveneir shops and shops that caught our sight. We sighed, thinking that it is a fantastic sight that awaited us, not this. So we went back the and walked a long walk back to the picnic area. And once again, we took pictures of where we have been. Oh, and we almost got lost coming back to the bus. What a laugh! In the bus, everyone was exhausted and was ready to go back home. But before that, we have one last location to go to: the souveneir shop.

      It was around a ten minute ride to the souveneir shop. When we got there, they served several items: Buko Pie, Sodas, Fruits and several Tagaytay Specialty Delicacies. I bought a box of Buko Pie for 110 pesos because my parents loves the stuff. I also bought a can of softdrink for myself. Then we proceeded to the bus and finally, after a long day, went home. The bus instructor allowed himself to rest and put on a DVD of Eragon. But I doubt many people watched it because most of them were busy sleeping and dreaming. Not long enough, I  joined them, with the Mp3 earphones on my ear. I woke up when we were blocks away from school. Moments later, the instructor was again on the mic and was telling everyone to wake up for we were nearing the school. Everone got up and packed their things. Ten minutes later, we were at the school and was getting off the bus. We thanked the instructor and he thanked us in return for a fun-filled day. Unfortunately, it was not yet four o’clock or in other words, dismissal, so we have to sit and wait for around fifteen minutes until our adviser finally released us. And that’s the end of our field trip.

     Although not as much fun and late as last year, this year’s field trip was definitely worth going to. It was fun as it is educational. I learned many things in this exhausting trip. I’m glad that evertone came to this field trip!

    Whew! Typing that is was incredibly tiring! I’ll just have to excuse myself and write the other half next time! Thank you for stopping by and please stay tuned for the part two of this blog: The Foundation Day!

  Sincerely Yours,                                                                                                                                                         
- Daniel Ervin "T." Chua

     Today, January 19, 2006 is the 5th day of the 3rd week this year. Personally, I think that this year, I’m still doing a fine job with everything, my life, my schoolwork, my blogs and etc. So enough about that! I’m here to tell you about an experience in a bookstore and prior to that, one of the best inspirational books ever written. Below you will find that I will explain all the details of what happened last Sunday, but the reason why the title I chose signifies only a part of that day, is because the title and the event connected to that is my most favourite throughout that 13th day of January, 2007. If you want to skip towards that part find the indentions in each paragraph ang search for the 5th paragraph. (By the way, this is the first paragraph so search for 4 more indentions)

     Last week, Sunday, January 13, 2006, me and my parents went to St. Francis Square and attended CCF to hear last week’s message. Last week’s message about giving all your attention and love to God. After hearing the message, we proceeded to SM Shoemart (Which is just across the street). We had to wait for around 5 to 7 minutes for it to open because the service finished around 9:50 and Megamall doesn’t open until 10:00. After opening, we immedietly went to eat because we hadn’t had any real breakfast; all we took in were mostly fruits and vegetables. We ate at the fast food centre and I must admit, the food is really mediocre, which is a few bars above my standards. (Joking!) After eating, me and my parents go to our usual separate ways, they look and buy new furnitures for our house, while I go to the bookstore (Mostly Powerbooks), music stores (Tower Records, Odyssey) T.V. Games, Bio Research (Been here countless of times), Comic Alley (looking but seldom buying) and almost rarely, Cyberzone. So that particular Sunday, I went to T.V. Games first, since it is nearest place to go to from the food centre, and watched other gamers play their favourite PS2 games on the T.V. the store has to offer, for a set period of time.

     After watching and looking around the store, I went to Bio Research, and looked at some animals. Hmm… there were pairs of hamsters, pairs of rats, tiny as well as big rabbits, dogs (the only name I remember is ‘Shidzu’), white fluffy cats, schools of fishes and live aquatic plants, that’s about it. Of course, the store also has pet foods and grooming equipments for diffferent sorts of pets. While looking around, I noticed three Americans (1 mum, 2 sons) looking and taking a great deal of interest towards the a particular dog. (By the way, I don’t know the breed of the dog, but it’s the same as Paris Hilton’s dog in her video ‘Nothing in this World’) After asking the sales lady for a long period of time about the dog, what it eats, how long should they bathe him and such, they bought they dog. Well, aside from dogs, the pets I would really love to have are fishes (either Goldfishes, Japanese Koi, or Flower Horn), but I decide to just buy during our 30th Foundation Day at our school on Feb. 2, 2007. I love cats as well, but my friend is also going to give me one at the same date. Hamsters are great too! Rabbits are fine, although I already got one back then but have to give it away for classified reasons. Mices are great too, but unfortunately, as much as I want a pair (a pair only costs around P45), my mother is petrified of them. Pretty much, i want everything from the store. Next I went a floor up, to the Powerbooks.

     To the people who know and already went to Powerbooks, you realize that inside the said bookstore, you will find "Tower Records". To any person who doesn’t know what that is, it’s a store wherein you can find and buy music of all kinds and genres; R’N'B, Pop, Hillsongs, Rock, Jazz, etc. The store doen’t just offer music but DVDs and VCDs as well. There are massive posters of stars and celebrities that stick to the wall, some of them are also on sale at the far end of the store. When I went in, I first looked at the DVDs they have on sale and at regular prices. Some of my favorite movies are here like: High School Musical, Monster-in-Law, The Ring II, R.V., Mean Girls and many more. I think the newest one they have from the silver screen to DVDs is a movie entitled "Just My Luck", leading is Lindsay Lohan. After the Movies area, I went to the music dept., where I found several artists to my liking. But I didn’t really listen to the free music you can hear through a device connected to the wall (Like CD player) and earphones, which is a way to pesuade customers into buying, except for "Wind It Up" by Gwen Stefani. Other than that, I just skimmed ans scam through the other CDs. Next is the bookstore.

     In the bookstore, when I was reading some of the open books, (Last week, i was searching for a dictionary that translates American Langguage to NIponggo or Japanese), I came across a sort of psychological book open (meaning without the plastic wrapper) among young teen’s books. Since the title forces your attention, I had no choice but to pick it up and read it, the book titled: You are Smarter Than You Think!" by Thomas Armstrong. I picked it up, went to the seating area (where there are sofa sets) and sat there quietly reading the book. The book is so great, but I have no chance to reading all of it’s great content. So I just read somewhat the Prologue and the first Chapter. The book suggests that should you pass and have high grades in all your exams is not proof enough that you are a genious and smart; each and every single person is smart in his or her own way. It also states that there are majorly 8 types of intelligences each person possesses: some higher at particular areas while others are lower at some areas. 1.) first intelligence is which I believe I exceed in; Word Intellihence. People who are Word Intelligent finds leisure in writing, word hunting, reading books, and watching T.V. and doing speeches. Games that will interet us are text twists, word hunt, scrabble, etc. 2.) second one is Music Intelligent. I believe I am above-aveage in this intelligence. Music intelligent people are people who take their time listening to music or playing instruments. They can easily remember notes and play back a few bars. 3.) Body intelligent are people who want to take their time playing sports, building their muscles and working out. Their pastime could be any of the above. 4.) Nature Intelligent is the one who takes notice to the world’s beauty and splendor. They take time caring for pets, studying animals and plants, and learning more about and how to preserve the world. 5.) Logical Intelligent people are people who take great fun at solving puzzles, math equations or just plain case-solving detective style games. Trivias and Facts interest these kinds of intelligent people. I am also somewhat Logical intelligent. 6.) Interpersonal is the intelligence of knowing more about yourself than any other. You know yourself and willing to love it. You are often strong-willed. They take pleasure in individual work to spend time with themselves rather than by pairs or groups. 7.) Intrapersonal intelligence is the mastering of other people and their lives. These could be celebrities, friends or family members. They love digging out facts and gossiping about whoever they desire to talk about. They love groups and groups of people. 8.) And last but not least is Visual smart or intelligent. People who are visual smart enjoy seeing the world and finding new things . They may put their interpretation through art, photography and architecture. They can easily put images up their heads. The major theme of the book is that everyone is intelligent and special. Anyone who reads this book won’t feel any dumber but smarter. I highly recommend this book to people who seek knowledge and want to feel good about themselves. This book is so magnificent that currently, I’m saving money to buy it. The book costs P700.

     The last destination was Camic Alley. At first I came to the store and looked around twice or thrice without buying anything. But because of the salesmen and saleswomen’s friendliness, I decided to buy several episodes of Naruto in CD form. I didn’t only buy one but two. One disk contains seven episodes and I bought the Volume 9 and 10 edition and I think that is episode 47 to 61. I began to watch it the moment I came home and it was great! Expect me to buy other Naruto and other Anime episodes there!

     Overall, that was the best Sunday, yet. I love going to SM and window shopping! haha! Anyways, I’m pooped from writing all of this! Please stay tuned and I’ll be writing very soon!

     I may be a little late but allow me to wish you a Happy New Year! This is the first time I’m writing a blog this year. I planned to write this last Tuesday, December 2, 2006, but I ran out of internet card so I had just got the chance of writing this now. I’ll be talking about two topics here; one, how I spent the New Year’s Day and two, you guessed it, schoolwork and how we were bombarded with assignments and the like.

     Last Sunday, which is December 31, 2006, me and my parents went to Rockwell to spend the last day of the preceding year. We went shopping and welcomed the new year with a blast. That day, we also ate many sorts of food. When I got home, and played the PS2, (By the way, I’m playing Rule of Rose, Valkeryie Profile II and Resident Evil 4) I felt dizzy but nevertheless, I still kept on playing. That was around 10:00. When the clock reached 10:30, I couldn’t handle it anymore and went to sleep. My assumption was right all along: The discomfort I felt was the result of my staying up late the past December vacation. Come to think of it, I missed a lot that day, the fireworks, eventhough I never got to ignite one; just watching, the exciting countdowns on T.V., greeting my friends at Yahoo! Messanger that exact 12:00 moments and lots more.By morning I was already feeling better and celebrated my New Year then.

     Well, not much celebration went on because the day after, which is January 3 of this year, school once again resumed. So I can’t deny the truth that I missed school the last two weeks i.e. my friends, teachers, but the minute school starts, I wish that school hasn’t begun until the next week. Do you know that feeling? Like a fish or mermaid, if you will, understanding "you have to be out of the ocean to realize how good it is to be in it". Well, maybe for me, two weeks is really enough to get us pumped up for school once again. But the irksome part of this is that we have tons of assignments, just by the first day. My schedule is once again loaded. But you know, what will life be without assignments and homeworks? What will life become if there is less work and more play; or no work at all! Think about it!

     With this, I bid you farewell and goodluck, my dear friend. Geez, I sound like a 90’s poetic guy! Well I’ll be writing and keeping in touch soon, yes very soon!

- Daniel Ervin "T." Chua

P.S. I also keep an account on this website: www.bloggers.net. Please check it out!

P.P.S I am also currently writing a fanfiction in www.fanfiction.net but it is far from being done. I’ll just let you know when it’s prepared for your reading. Thank You!

I was planning to write this blog yesterday, but since me and the whole family went out almost the whole day, I just got the chance to write this down today, 26th of December, 2006. A day after Christmas. Today, we’re still having our well-deserved Christmas break. Classes won’t resume until after 2nd of January, 2006. So that means, by tomorrow, we still have exactly 1 week to enjoy this short break.

When you read my previous blogs, you’ll realize that I keep implying the thought that December is, indeed, a heinous month; with many assignments, tests and projects alike. Well, rest assured, my friend, that I won’t be talking about those days anymore. Those days are long gone, only appearing as memories. This blogs focuses more on the pros and the “happy moments” I’ve had in the said month.

Well, brace yourself for an equally long reading. Bear in mind that when I write, it’s hard to keep myself from stopping. In that way, I can explain  my ideas more clearly. Firstly, let me take you back to 21st of December, 2006, the first part, where we had our Christmas Party

Well, before our Christmas Party, we already decided what food to order for that particular day. But on the day of the party, a particular classmate didn’t bring the food assigned to him (Spaghetti). So be the time the party starts everybody, well as far as class officers are concerned,  starts panicking as well. Luckily, another classmate, volunteered to order the Italian delicacy. It turns out that the only restaurant close to him is “Pancit Malabon”, so at the cost of around P500, donated by everyone in the class, we managed to cover up our mistake, and order some good ol’ “Palabok”. Well everyone including the invited teachers, seemed to enjoy the said food. Next stop is our games. Not much can be said at our games portion, except that it’s fun. The one and only game we played was “The Boat is Sinking”. Our Games Master, announced a category; for instance: “group yourselves according to the length of your hair”, and teachers and students have to group themselves according to what category is announced. After that, we had our special program called “Star in A Billion” which we had been planning for months. It is, as you know, a singing contest. 5 contestants battle it out to see who is the best. We had two winning circumstances; the first is “The People’s Choice” award, wherein the contestant who had the most votes through e-mail and YM, won. While the other, is the real “Star in a Billion”, where in they exceeded the criteria we handed out to the teachers, who act as judges. That was our two hours of Christmas Party.

I must say that because of irresponsibility, lack of cooperation, and disobedience, this party turned out to be quite a disaster. But our teacher had to say otherwise. Claiming that “When you had fun, I had fun as well”. Well that’s touching to hear, on the fact that we put so much heart and energy into this party. The next and second part is the very fun Birthday Party.

Actually, her birthday party isn’t until 29th December, 2006. But since she wanted to celebrate early, she had her party on the 21st, Right after the Christmas Party. Because one of our friend is too lazy to come to the Christmas party due to playing internet games, we had to wait for him for an hour. We walked for that entire hour and even had a peek at our teacher’s own Christmas Party; they were dressed in costumes. There’s no doubt that they will be performing and several other students wasted no time in taking pictures with them. Around 11 a.m., he came and all of us went in the birthday celebrant’s car, we then proceeded to “Teriyaki Boy” near “Madison Square” near Greenhills. There we were, Kim (The birthday celebrant), Johannalyn, Lea, Joshua, Regine, Katherine, Chrisel, Allan and me. All 9 of us, plus Kim’s mum and her younger sister. It was there and then that I realized that our friends, who after grade six, studied at a different school, will come. Their names are Janina and Clarisse, and it was the first time, after 2 years, that I saw them. Throughout the party, meals were served, some of them are: California Maki, Terriyaki chicken, Sushi, and some other which names I cannot recall. And since I don’t, at all my life, eat raw food, I passed on the first two meals; namely Sushi and California Maki. But there’s still much cooked food for me to gobble on. After eating, people started going home; the first one to go is Regine, then Lea and Allan. After that, those who are remaining, went to Kim’s house, and we chatted for a long while and watched some T.V. Since our cable is “Destiny”, we don’t have a channel called “Animax”. And since Kim’s cable is either “Home” or “Sky” (both having the channel), it was my opportunity to watch Anime! After a while, Johanna left, then Joshua, then Janina and Clarisse. And then all of us were happily chatting. Then, the time has come for me, Katherine and Chrisel to go home. Katherine was kind enough to drop me off at my house. And that concludes this very happy experience.

So that’s what happened on the 21st of December. I had such a fun time and December won’t be a month I’ll soon forget. Enjoy the remainder of your Holidays and Take care. I’ll be in touch and writing very soon enough!

P.S. Please write comments! : D

- Daniel Ervin “T.” Chua

26th of December 2006

     So I managed to keep my promise of writing another blog before the year ends. And I managed to pass all those assignments I wrote in my previous blog in time or on the day of the deadline. Today, December 23, 2006, is the second day of our Christmas Break. And let me tell you a little something about this December: It’s stressful.

     So before we got to this vacation, I think it was Monday, we were supposed to pass our Filipino project. It was a mini-book report about the book we were required to read entitled "Luha ng Buwaya". The book was written by Amado V. Hernandez and is about the lives of the people in "Sampilong", a place where the "Grandes" rule over, because they have the agricultural farm land that everyone depends on to live. Well back to our assignment, we were told to make a mini-book report and a 4-page entry diary, since we’ll be working in pairs. I forgot this project, due to my incredibly busy schedule, and just remembered it last Sunday, a day before the submission of the said project. And to make matters worse, that was around 8:00 PM. I panicked and made half of it. And since it was already around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, I decided to make the other half of it at school, and pray that I’ll be able to pass it on time. Luckily, since it was the last Monday of the year that we will be having P.E.(Physical Education), our teacher permitted us to have free time, but it was only through playing sports. But while my Filipino book and Bond paper which I used to make my project in was caught by the teacher and asked if I may leave the things that are not related to her subject in my classroom, my partner who’s clever enough to hide her share of the project inside a badminton racket case, did not get caught. We tried our best in that 2 period (because our P.E. is basically 2 periods every Monday, each period is 50 minutes, so we have a total of 1 hour and 40 min. to finish the project) to finish our Filipino project and we did! Umm… but we left one part out: the "Talasalitaan" portion or in English the Vocabulary Words. We were too busy to look up those words in the dictionary and use it in a meaningful sentence. And by the time we realize it, it was already Filipino time. We will just have to cross our fingers for the teacher to give us at least, a passing grade.

     Enough with the bad news, on to the good ones. So our English (One of the subjects I’m superior at) had yet another project. It was to make a book cover for another one of the books we’re reading entitled "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck. The book is about a farmer who starts out his life being poor and after marrying a servant girl named O-lan, their life became upside down, thus starts the beggining of a splendid life and the uprising of many problems. I have to stop myself here before I summarize the whole book! Back to the project, we have to literally "wear" our project meaning we have to draw our own interpretation and understading of the book in a "Manila Paper" and staple it together and tie it with a string to form a sort of a clothing, this is what we did. Or you can draw it in a box and color it (using oil paster, water color, etc.) and cut holes in it so that your whole body could fit in it. Now, our project practically consists of two parts: One for how good we present our selves with the speech and the other, how good and creative our projects are. This particular project is also our "Periodical Test" in other terms, it makes up the 40% of our total grade. Our Filipino project is also our "Periodical Test" and so far as to all our projects this quarter, since the third quarter doesn’t have any periodical exams. I’m so thankful to have responsible and creative partners because the product of our hardwork: 100% in both categories; in speech and in the project itself. Well actually, all of us have a particular role in the project, one is going to explain in front (speech), one is going to draw (interpretation), and the other, which is my part, is going to write a summary and a teaser of the book (analysis). I’m so happy for our group!

     Another one of four projects is in A.P. or Asian History. But it is a very simple project. All we need to do is find in the internet who we want to be included in the "Hall of Fame". It could either be a leader, a celebrity, a personality, or any simple person at all, you name it! But it has to be just inside Asia. All we need to do is copy-paste from the internet that person’s biography and accomplishments, then we need to write why you chose him or her. We were to be graded according to promptness and creativity and implication. As for this project, I once again crammed! It was supposed to be passed on Monday but I tried to make it on Sunday night, alongside that Filipino project. So I passed it on Wednesday. But I am confident that I will still have a high grade because I made it very creative. I got most of my ideas watching "Art Attack". Say, that show is very helpful in making projects creative. Anyways, for that project I chose Robert Kuok, the richest man in Asia. He owns the Shrangila company and resorts and has a total of $1.2 Billion Networth Per Month. I enjoyed making this project, it’s fun to look up to someone great and worth looking up to. As for why I chose him, you’ll just have to read my report to find out!

     And the easiest of them all: Bible. In this subject all we need to do is make a comic strip about spreading the Gospel to other people and how to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior, in short terms "Roman Road". The whole class are paired up but chosen classmates can work in threes. We worked in threes and I was the one who colored, the first pair drew, and the other pair thought of the idea. This was a project we found no difficulty in.