A Woman's Value is...? : A Women's Month Appreciation

"It's not an act of love if you force her," stated by Paris Paloma in her song "Labour," 

https://youtu.be/jvU4xWsN7-A?si=rqiEwPKUlVmYD9uV

which makes me think, do we truly know our women's value? We should not only value women on "Women's Day" as if that's the only day they're important. We should also realize the things they have done for us. We should acknowledge our female OFWs 

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/06/25/womens-work-force-participation-barely-moved-in-30-years/

who make up 58% of its workforce, and other working women who work diligently for their families at home, and for themselves, and to help other people. Likewise, we should also respect women for managing to populate the earth, because essentially, aside from god, they are also our creators who have definitely suffered when carrying us in their womb, as pregnancy can cause depression. 

https://click2pro.com/blog/10-Essential-Postpartum-Self-Care-Practices

But how do we treat our women? According to the WHO, nearly 1 in 3 women (about 840 million globally) have experienced partner or sexual violence during their lifetime, a figure that has barely changed since 2000. Not only the women, but 11% of girls, meaning children who were barely 16, experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner. Not only that, but It finds 263 million women have experienced non-partner sexual violence since age 15, a figure experts caution is significantly under-reported due to stigma and fear. We should appreciate them every day, especially the mothers who have cared for us and the people who have been mother figures for us. As 2Pac has said before,

https://youtu.be/SHVzWMFMH6Y?si=qD5TgVAcbBBM3-zL

"And since we all came from a woman

Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman

I wonder why we take from our women

Why we rape our women do we hate our women?

 I think it's time to kill for our women

Time to heal our women, be real to our women.

And if we don't we'll have a race of babies

That will hate the ladies that make the babies

And since a man can't make one

He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one." 

My Dream, My Future: Chemist or Architect?

 With graduation almost approaching, I've come across what all students need to deliberate for their future. Their dream job. The conundrum of choosing between having a chemistry degree 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saANxD0cqy0

and an architecture degree 

https://thearchitectsdiary.com/should-i-study-interior-design-or-architecture/

was one of the many things I have had to deliberate for quite a long time. I also had another option before, which was studying psychology, 

https://share.google/rtmjlOn82jJkqUdd7

but I then realized that human interaction for more than 1 hour would drain me. 

https://share.google/1E9HpoqO9Cyhn8yu3

So then I narrowed down my choices to chemistry and architecture. After the day today, I made a pros and cons in my mind after chemistry and architecture. For the pros in chemistry, I like the way a chemical reaction happens, and I am deeply interested in how it happens. Another thing that I am amazed with chemistry is how you can turn a material into a completely different one. For example, turning plastic gloves into hot sauce, or cotton balls into cotton candy.

The cons however, are that it covers too many fields and can get you into jobs like analytical chemist, laboratory technician, materials scientist, toxicologist, pharmaceutical scientist, and quality control inspector, and etc. I know within myself that I could not possibly remember all the terms that are to be taught, and I am easily distracted.

https://share.google/c7IZu6NgdeNkqJ11k

Sometimes when lessons get too long, my mind starts drifting into Dreamland and think about what I should've brought today and should bring tomorrow. With the pros in architecture, it seems to be more specified and one track, unlike chemistry. I also quite like drawing things too. It is also the closest degree I can get to fashion. The cons however is that I am not that good at math. Even during lessons, sometimes I start to think about something else, like, "where else would I see my crush I wonder" 

https://share.google/mZ019USyYWu0piqnO

and that's when I sometimes get lost in the lesson. However, that is easily addressed once I drink sting, or watch a YouTube tutorial, 

or simply doing a sample problem by myself along with notes from a classmate. Comparing these, the cons in architecture had more solutions than the one in chemistry, and the pros were more favorable for me. So from today onward, I shall strive to do well in architecture. I would save more money since I would be designing my own house anyway.

Always on Valentine's Day, Always a Third Wheeler

 Valentine’s Day is known as a day for love, but is it really the same for everyone? Some people think of romance, while others think of companionship or family love, because we all experience love differently and have different kinds of love in our lives.

This Valentines Day, I was glad that we were going to get awarded and I didn't have to throw a shoe to every couple I saw.

The school might have celebrated valentine's day on Friday the 13th, but it was an unlucky and lucky day for me because I got fever from our practice and I don't get to see couples being lovey dovey in the quadrangle—especially my friend and her boyfriend who likes to wear jackets.

Even though I wasn't sick anymore, I still wanted to attend the Valentine’s Day event at my church. Unfortunately, I had to stay home to take care of my little sister while my parents were at work. I planned to go once they came back, hoping I could still make it and join the celebration. However, by the time they arrived, it was already too late for me to attend the event.

 

Still, I felt happy for my friends who were able to celebrate Valentine’s Day at church. They sent me pictures and updates, which made me feel included even though I wasn’t there with them. Seeing how much fun they had made me smile, and I appreciated that they remembered to share their day with me. Even if my Valentine’s Day didn’t go as planned, I was grateful to experience love and connection in a different way.

Intayon Ilocos Sur Festival!

 At the first day of the festival, me and my family except for grandma had gone to witness the opening and was expecting to see sir King Rafanan, my sister's uncle—as well as my mom's boyfriend's brother in law

I had a great time and I got to explore most parts of the Kannawidan. Exploring the whole of it in the span of two weeks is too impossible for me, since I still had school works. After I explored, I had planned to buy earrings and bought it the following week. When I bought it however, I felt quite lucky since it was the last pair the shop had. I had then later worn the earrings in a Chinese New Year celebration in a church I attended with my friends.

In another week of Kannawidan, we went to see the dancing competition. However, I was not so fond of waiting and got bored in the first few minutes—because apparently we were waiting for my step brother to show up. 

I then ended up just requesting my mom if I could just go to Kannawidan, and then my stepdad agreed because my sister was getting hungry and so did he. When we were buying snacks, my stepdad gave me 100 pesos and I was still happy because I was trying to save money. I ended up buying a 2 for 99 pesos burger and I did not like it after the 2nd. 

I then asked my mom if I could stay alone because I still had something I wanted to buy—which was the earrings. I then ended up walking 30-40 minutes because there were so many people before I finally found the shop that sold the earrings I wanted and was exhausted after, but I still went to the bible study in my church.

All in all, even though I did not get to enjoy the festival to the fullest, I enjoyed buying something that I wanted, and that was enough for me.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FmXHN5TCz/

A Fiesta for St. Paul

 At the start of the fiesta, I couldn't really go out because I had to review for my exams, which was my excuse to watch Apothecary Diaries until 8pm and then study. However, I did find out through a friend of a friend that ISNHS had won at the parade and I felt very proud.

At the 2nd day of the fiesta, me and my friends decided to finally go out and found out there was a contest. 

The first contestant was a lady who dressed up as a cat, or another animal, who knows.

Her singing was quite good though.

There were more contestants, but the performances that I liked were the group with the disco hip-hop theme,

The people who wore blue tracksuits,

And another individual who sang "Your Man" by Josh Turner in the style of Misstres.

As for the 3rd day of the fiesta, I had not come either as when I had risen from bed, the light of the sun was already hitting my skin and it was past 8 am, and had to do chores. Nevertheless, the festival was very much enjoyed as it celebrates the day when St. Paul had been converted.

To Learn Anew: A 3rd Quarter Reflection

 In the time of 3rd quarter, I realized that basic coding wasn't as easy as I thought. The one lesson I was very much confused at was frames.

 I didn't know which part was to go to that part and so on. At first, I had thought that maybe it was in the order, but I only got that partially correct. The other variable that affects the frames is the "<frames>" and "<frameset>". 

Luckily in the exams, we didn't have to do it by hand, but instead, we only had to find errors. This made me realize my shortcomings as I have only relied on the hands on activities to learn instead of also listening to my teacher. For this upcoming quarter, I plan to listen as much as I can so I won't have to cram my review on chat gpt ever again.

A Hero Timelessly Remembered

 José Rizal’s greatest contribution to Philippine society was awakening Filipino national consciousness through his writings and ideas. At a time when the Philippines was under Spanish colonial rule, many Filipinos accepted injustice as normal. Rizal used his talent as a writer, intellectual, and reform advocate to expose social abuses and inspire pride in Filipino identity. His works encouraged Filipinos to reflect critically on their condition and seek dignity and justice for their country.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jose-Rizal?

Rizal’s two most famous novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, 

vividly depicted the cruelty, corruption, and inequality of Spanish colonial rule. These stories spoke directly to the experiences of everyday Filipinos and helped awaken a shared sense of injustice and national unity. Noli Me Tangere exposed the ills of society through personal stories, while El Filibusterismo challenged colonial power more deeply, showing how oppression could push people toward radical change. Together, these works helped spark and shape Filipino nationalism.

https://www.joserizal.com/rizal-life/jose-rizal-philippines-national-hero/?

  Beyond his novels, Rizal wrote essays and articles for the reform movement, pushing for equal rights, secular education, and representation for Filipinos under Spanish rule. 

He also founded La Liga Filipina, an organization aimed at civic unity and peaceful reforms. Although he did not advocate violent revolution, his criticism of injustice and calls for reform influenced future leaders and fueled the struggle that eventually led to Philippine independence.

https://www.joserizal.com/works/noli-and-fili-comparison/

In summary, José Rizal’s greatest contribution to Philippine society was not only his literature, but also the powerful ideas of justice, dignity, and national identity he shared with his people. These ideals helped unite Filipinos, encouraged reform efforts, and laid the intellectual foundations for the nation’s path toward self-determination. His legacy continues to shape the country’s values and collective memory today.