A Weekly Reflection

FITT Workout - Week 4 Finals

Somewhere in first semester, I told myself that I should stop my fitness journey (during the summer) here because I was very overwhelmed of my busy schedule so I have to lessen some of my activities in my daily routine. Therefore, I chose my workout session because it is one of the most time-consuming activity for it will take me more than 3 hours to finish my full workout. It was really hard to give it all up because I worked so hard to achieve something that I have never had before. At that time, I was sad because workout session is one of my favorite and important activity all throughout the day but I don’t have any other choice. I did consider of keeping it by just do some modifications however, it won’t satisfied me that much and it will just slow down the progress. After making that decision, it took me a while to adjust my new routine but after sometime, I was able to get used to it. That decision actually helped me for it did gave me more time to do my school works and other tasks but then, it also leave me in regret. Why? Because in the middle of first semester, my stress level started to raise up which means my stress eating slowly came back until such time, I started to gain weight again. Also, because of too much focus on my studies, I forgot to take myself for a break in between that it caused me to get burned out easily. If I was able to keep my workout session, then there would be a possibility that my stress level and burnout would be lessen. It took me days to decide whether I should bring it back or not but when I have enough courage and confidence, I was able to do it again.

I was glad that I was able to do it even though that time was the hell week of online classes but it didn’t last long that I expected it to be. I thought I would be able to do it every day unfortunately, all I can do was doing it just for two days. Luckily, the next day of that week, our teacher announced that we will be having an FITT Program. Just hearing him announcing that, made me delighted the whole time in his class. This is because, finally my plan would work this time. Every week, I would always get excited before working out and finished it with a smile and a happy mood.

But this week, a sudden sadness started to show up in my face because it is the final week of my FITT Workout. At first, I thought I only did the program for 5 weeks or less but actually I did it for 8 weeks. To celebrate the final week of the FITT program, I decided to make it very special and fun. For day one, I added a new exercise which is Jump rope and for the first time, I did an exercise that is outside of our house. It was very sunny and a lot of people and cars kept on passing by so I have to stop from time to time because I would always feel shy whenever somebody looks at my performance. Apart from that, I did not expect the pain on my soles of my foot and my calves. That’s because I haven’t done jump ropes for a very long time. After jump ropes, I proceed to dance to another set of favorite Kpop songs and did my usual ballet stretches. For day two I did my usual whole body exercises and abs exercises. I felt quite heavy at that time because I haven’t done any FITT Workout last week because it was Holy Week. Lastly, for my day three, I did my ballet workout that is inspired by swan lake and booty exercise. I really enjoyed the swan lake inspired ballet workout out of my ballet workouts that I have done in the past. This is because I love listening to swan lake songs and I feel very graceful at that time as well. Even thought it was just a beginner to intermediate class, it was hard to execute the steps especially that part when I let go of the bar, it takes so much core strength and balance in order to execute properly. As I finished doing this week's FITT Workout, I can say that out of all of the weeks, the final week will be always remembered and treasured because I never felt so much happiness during fitness journey.

As I end this reflection, my future self wants to thank FITT Program because this program really made my lifestyle healthier and better than before. So remember this..

"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."

Heres the youtube links of my FITT Workout:

Part 1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=b3TxHoiCMvQ&feature=share

Part 2: https://youtube.com/watch?v=nuCbRjo6BZ4&feature=share

Part 3: https://youtube.com/watch?v=hffaoEKcl3M&feature=share

Part 4: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BDnFAyiy9CU&feature=share

A Weekly Reflection

FITT Workout - Week 3 Finals

This week I've been really stressed out lately because school is almost over which means performance tasks are piling up. Good thing some of it are already done however, there are more of them that needs to be accomplished. Doing these tasks will always cause me to burned out quickly ever since due to constant stress. But because of FITT Workout, it helped me to "sweat off the stress" for an hour or so. It really uplifted my mood as well as it distracted me to forget my problems for a moment. It made me realized that sometimes its okay to disconnect from school works for awhile in order to reconnect ourselves. Don't let stress take over the mind and the body for it is unhealthy in which it can cause further complications. I have to let it out by doing self care activites and FITT Workout is one of it.

My heart was overjoyed because this week I really had fun doing it most especially the workouts during Tuesday and Thursday. Although there were a lot of mistakes but I didn't mind because I just want to sweat off the stress and enjoy dancing. During that time, I didn't want to stop because the Kpop Dances that I learned this week hyped me up which makes me want to learn more. Sadly, I only have a limited time. However, in just that short amount of time it really helped to reconnect myself --- I found peace and calm once again within my soul after having a constant feeling of stress for a long time. After exercising, it really felt so good and it made my week wonderful despite of the stress of online schooling.

Here's the youtube links of my FITT Workout:

Part 1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6LcxM6Wbtwg&feature=share

Part 2: https://youtube.com/watch?v=CQR-pwEdLHE&feature=share

Part 3: https://youtube.com/watch?v=zUvh0Rv2Kzo&feature=share

A Weekly Reflection

FITT Workout - Week 2 Finals

Looking back, the consistency of performing the FITT Workout Plan of the previous weeks and this week is really different. Before I used to do it every single day and execute every exercise that was written in the plan but now it's getting awful. To tell you honestly, I am slightly disappointed in my FITT journey this week. I thought I would be able to make up for the days that I missed, unfortunately there were a lot of unexpected happenings aside from the reasons that I mentioned in the video. As I said in my last reflection, I was really looking forward this week to do the plan again to see if I can get the same feeling. It did but only for one day which was last Thursday because that's the only day that I performed the entire plan. 

Although I was unsatisfied with my performance during the other two days, I think what's important is that we should keep in mind that some exercise is better than none. Its still considered as a good exercise because in just a short period of time, I was able to perform and sweat at the end. Even though I may not get the same feeling as before, I'm still glad that I had the chance to do it despite everything that happened.

I hope that in my next FITT Workout, I'll be able to bring back the consistency that I used to had in order to achieve success. I believe that success doesn't come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.

Here's the youtube links of my FITT Workout:

Part 3: https://youtube.com/watch?v=h4KRCpINEvM&feature=share

A Weekly Reflection

FITT Workout - Week 1 Finals

After editing the vlog, I immediately declutter the folders and files that are not important anymore. Suddenly, there's this folder that contains the raw videos of me doing the FITT Workout for the third week. I still remembered of how challenging it was. Executing the whole body exercises during that week was a struggle but now as I included those exercises in my fifth week is now easier. That's when I realized that

"Strength that does not come from what you can do but it comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't do."

At first, I thought I couldn't do it and might not be able to do it in the following weeks because the exercise was difficult. Until now I am still surprised because I did not expect I could make it this far in my FITT Workout journey. By that, I am hoping that I can still survive and could overcome these challenges as my plan keeps on increasing its intensity and its number of workouts. It was my intention to increase it because in that way I would be able to test and asses myself.

By the way, I was not able to do it last Monday because we attended a Career Clinic which is a must for it will help us to decide what course that we want to take in college. Anyways, Tuesday being the first day will always be a good day because is it just me or that whenever I exercise again after two or three days of break, will always like feeling the pain. For me, it means that I still know how to use the correct muscles as I execute the exercise. When I woke up the next day, i felt light because I could only feel little soreness in my body. Maybe because I changed my FITT Plan. Instead of doing the same routine in one week, I decided to make two different routines. Wednesday, I was a bit exhausted but I was able to finish everything in the plan. Thursday was fine as well because I was able to stretch my body again after a long day of sitting and slouching. Then Friday came and I'm glad that I was able to almost get the pacing of Lisa's newest Lili Film. Although my movements are still sloppy but I'm happy of my progress.

So far, this week was a great week, I really enjoyed so much and I can't wait to do the FITT next week. As I am writing this reflection, I'm already looking forward to try again the new plan and would I be able to get the same feeling.

Here's the youtube links of my FITT Workout:

Part 1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=eYZuUoKv_gY&feature=share

Part 2: https://youtube.com/watch?v=2P1X_MiM_i0&feature=share

Part 3: https://youtube.com/watch?v=n2b5b1hE-c0&feature=share

Part 4:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VTna3ScFSeQyjm742yAlnMN746Yq3HP3/view?usp=sharing

A Weekly Reflection

FITT Workout - Week 4

As you watch this week's FITT Workout vlog, you'll notice my clothes changed three times only which you'll assume that I only did it thrice. But actually, I did my FITT Workout in just four days only. This is because there were unexpected events that happened that made me unable to perform the entire plan within a particular day.

Last Monday, I did not do any workouts because my "time of the month" unexpectedly came. I would always feel in pain, heavy and irritation whenever that happens and by that I choose to rest instead of forcing myself to exercise. Just like those times wherein I used to workout during the summer, I'll always end up not executing them properly which it wasted so much of my time. Last Wednesday, I was not able to finish performing it because we had to take care an important matter with my family. Last Thursday, I skipped some workouts because it was already passed 5 PM and it will take me two hours to finish everything in the plan. Supposed to be we don't have any classes on Thursday however, one of our subject teacher announced that all of us should attend the class after taking the assessment. The class ended past its due time and I don't allow myself to exercise that is beyond 6 PM because I have other house related task to do in that time. The only exercise that I did that day was kpop dance which I still had a great time even though I only did one workout.

That week I realized that whenever I face unexpected events, I have to continue doing working out althought it might not be according to the plan that I made since the beginnig. I have to continue in taking down the route that I took until I reached at the end of it. I may not be happy of my performance this week but I'm still thankful that I was able to do it.

Here's the youtube links of my FITT Workout vlogs:

Part 1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=O45YIEu2o5M&feature=share

Part 2: https://youtube.com/watch?v=QxuYd-fo6xk&feature=share

Part 3:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=peoCHUnn7uY&feature=share

A Weekly Reflection

FITT Workout - Week 3

Another week, another challenge, another video.

This week I am following a new FITT Workout Plan that is more challenging compared to the first plan that I used. There are new exercises that I haven’t encounter before last two weeks ago and even months before. It was really a struggle especially on my first day because my body was not totally prepared and did not expect its level of intensity. I kept on losing my balance because of not doing the correct form. Also, I had a hard time engaging my core because I was no longer following the proper breathing pattern of each exercise. Lastly, I had difficulties in executing some exercises due to the extreme pain in my thighs from the squats, lunges and other jumping movements. However, I just kept on pushing myself no matter what my emotional state is. I do not want to skip a single exercise in the plan because for me everything that was listed was a stepping stone towards sucess. And if I missed one of them, it feels like I'm three steps behind in reaching my goals. To keep me going I always tell myself that,

"The pain that we go through while exercising won't destroy us. It will make us stronger each day."

After doing this plan for four days, I have seen changes in my body especially on my abs. Its starting to show its definition which makes me super proud. It means that everything that I did were all worth my time. But this is not yet the success that I have been looking forward. I have still a long way to go which is okay because success will always be a long journey.

I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I were yesterday.

Here's the youtube links of my FITT Workout:

Part 1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=IHdckYzdmVk&feature=share

Part 2: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qt9IqQ6wO-s&feature=share

Note: There are workouts that I did not explain because they are just the same in my previous videos.

A Weekly Reflection

FITT Workout - Week 2

“I want to workout right now”

Those words suddenly popped in my mind while I was still in the middle of my zoom class last Monday morning. Both of my body and my mind has the eagerness to workout on that moment although it is not yet my workout schedule. Then I wondered why I felt that way. I was no longer being attentive to the discussion because I shifted my attention to the sudden thought and the extreme feeling inside of me. After moments of thinking, I just remembered that I did not perform my workout plan during the weekend. This is because weekends are my rest days to give myself a break from school works and workouts. In that moment, I realized that once you start working out, it becomes something that you always look forward, you can’t go back.

The day before the second week starts, I can’t wait to execute the FITT Workout Plan again. I want to check if there will be any progress or improvements on my body in the different types of workout. Last week, my body was so overwhelmed and so much in pain after the intense exercises because it’s been months I haven’t done any workouts. But this week, my body felt confident that I believe that I could step up it up a notch than before and turns out, it did. I was so shocked on my performance because I was able to do ballet stretches that I haven’t done last week. Same goes to my ballet workout because there are some moves that I was able to do it two rounds. I speed up my pacing especially on the muscular endurance workout. At the end of the day, I felt good and light after overcoming the challenges than the first week. I’m not yet satisfied on the improvements that I have right now but I am proud on my small progress. As I write this fitspiration right now, it made me to look forward for more challenge as I will be following and incorporating a new FITT Workout Plan in which there’s absolutely no way I could go back to being inactive and apathetic ever again.

Here's the youtube link of my FITT Workout:

Part 1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=IwoIz9iUtR0&feature=share

Part 2:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=z-0r89PzMBI&feature=share

Part 3:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=yPsOokRAtPo&feature=share

A Weekly Reflection

FITT Workout - Week 1

I vivdly remembered how excited and worried I was on the day in making my FITT Workout Plan. I was excited because I finally have the opportunity to exercise once again after months of rest. That day, my mind endlessly thought of different workouts and carefully chose which exercises would be the best to perform within two weeks. But suddenly, the excitement that I felt that time did not last. This is because I realized that I listed so many exercises that I completely forgot that my body just came back from a long break which means I lost my strength, my flexibility and the definition of my body that I have before. So I started to get worried and I tried to cut out some exercises on the plan but I just can't do it because there's something holding me back there. The feeling of still being capable in pushing my limits just like how I did when I was still a complete beginner in ballet and even in the workout programs that I followed before. That's where I gained back some of my courage to finish everything as I start. I'm still a bit worried that I might collapse anytime during the workout but I remembered someone said, "Its okay If you cannot perform at your 100%, its all about getting stronger." That thought made me realized that I have to just take it easy and go at my own pace because overtime I will get stronger and bring back what I had lost.

Day 1 and Day 2 were the most exhausted and painful day I ever had. During my first day, I intstantly felt the soreness and shaking of my entire body during the execution. I also had a hard time in catching my breath and because of that I have to pause and drink water in between workouts. I immediately stop whenever I felt dizziness or intense sensations and took a break for few moments. However those experiences did not bring me to an end. I still kept going and I push myself (just a little bit) until I reach to the last type of exercise. Right after the workout, I felt good and light because I really had a good sweat session on my first day. The second day was the worst day of the week. This is because the soreness was more intense that I almost could not get out of the bed, walked around the house properly, lift some heavy loads, etc. Due to the soreness especially in my legs, I could not execute some exercises accurately such as in and out, boat twist, bicycle crunch and v-sit bicycle. My legs were very heavy, weak and were badly in pain that I just want give up-- not wanting to perform the workout anymore. Luckily, I have my sister on my side to support and cheer me up on my workout journey. That's why I was able to continue this, all the way to the very end. In day three, I still felt a slight soreness and that day I felt stronger because I was able to increase the repetitions in some exercises, able to finish an exercise in the right time and I was able to understand the choreography of the second dance right away. Good thing I changed the dance on my second day for I might not be able to finish learning the first dance within the first week. The fourth day was my happiest day of the week because I did not experience any difficulties anymore which means I'm getting stronger and stronger each day and I still have a lot of energy left after the entire workout. I was a bit moody at the last day because of not enough energy because of a lot of school works that needs to be done. It had me thinking of not doing the workout however the tiny voice inside me kept on forcing me to do it. Eventually I did it anyways and I was proud that time because I was able to do it even though I don't feel like to workout. That's when I realized I became disciplined and built a habit.

Just a little reminder for you and me before I conclude my reflection. First, it's really okay not to perform at your best on your first day on your workout. Second, the pain that we go through while exercising won't destroy us. It will make us stronger each day. Third, motivation is just temporary but discipline lasts forever. Lastly, when you feel like quitting, don't ever think of giving up instead think of why you started this.

Here's the youtube link of my FITT Workout:

Part 1 : https://youtube.com/watch?v=dKVJdMZ14ok&feature=share

Part 2:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=EzHx6ldnO9w&feature=share

Part 3:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=NCMQ5kjBeIk&feature=share

Dream

It was another beautiful day,

I got up and then went outside.

I looked across the bay,

And watched people play in the tide.

There we’re all sorts of people,

They had all sorts of shapes and colors.

Everything was so stable,

I even see several travelers.

It didn’t matter what race or what color they are,

Everyone lived so peacefully as if it’s in heaven.

This is the kind of life I want to live so far,

To be able to live in such a safe have.

Everything then suddenly went blurry.

And then everything went dim.

I opened my eyes and sadly,

It was only a dream.

A Reflection Post: Waiting and Miss Nothing

By: Ron Darvin and Google PH

This video and the story reminded me of my sister who is the only OFW in my family. She is a seafarer who works on a cruise ship. Currently, she is an assistant waiter in the cruise ship’s restaurant. Before she became a seafarer, I remembered that she wanted to become a veterinarian one day. Unfortunately, here in the Philippines, the salary is so small and it wouldn’t be enough to sustain our family financially in the long term because anytime soon my parents would be retiring. My mother suggested to her to migrate and become a seafarer instead. My sister was hesitant at first because of two reasons. First, it’s too far away and she fears that she might become homesick. Second, she fears that she doesn’t have the right skills kaya knowing that it requires great effort. After some time, she finally decided to take up an HRM course in college and gave up her childhood dream career for it is the best for our family. As time went by, she started to love the course and she couldn’t wait to work on a cruise ship. After several years of being an HRM student at USC and in MICAH, and completing all the requirements, she was now ready to step into this profession. It was initially difficult for us to let go of her but overtime we slowly accepted it for she did it for the family. I was sad that I couldn't come to the airport to say my goodbyes to her that is why I spent several days waiting for her to reach out to us. After several weeks, she finally reached out to us. This is because she is constantly in the middle of the ocean where the internet connection is very slow. Starting from that day, it became our new routine in our house. During our video chats, she would always ask how we are feeling, sometimes she would tell us that she feels homesick, and then she would talk about her cruise ship life. One time she said It’s a tiring and tough job because she needed to follow the orders of her head waiter, carry heavy food trays then walk around the huge restaurant to distribute the meals at each table and to entertain customers from different races. She has to do all of that every day for 12 hours without breaks in between. Even though she is extremely busy and exhausted from work she would still make time to reach out to us through chatting and calling and because of this, we didn’t miss a single thing from her life and vice versa. Even if we could only do it sometimes, we would still share and update from time to time.

From what I learned from the video, story, and even my sister's career story, being an OFW is not as easy as it looks. They said that once you work abroad, your life your family’s situation would become so much better. But not all the time the life of OFWs is sunshine and rainbows because they have more struggles to deal with than people working here in the Philippines. My sister was lucky to get her job because she has fun with her work, her workplace is appropriate and her guests always give good feedback on the performance of my sister then our lives started to become better. Unlike Isabel’s wherein she was called uneducated and her life right now is very chaotic because she is always called by her husband an embarrassment and he left her which caused her to live in a basement with her son. Another thing I learned is that despite the different time zones and the long distance between the OFWs and their family is that they still keep in touch with each other. My respect for OFWS grew because they sacrificed a lot just to sustain the needs of their family and although they are tired, they still show a big smile in front of their family virtually.

"Balikbayan Box"

The Turban Legend by R. Zamora Limark, his excerpt was beautifully yet tragically explained how Filipinos from all around the world served the “Balikbayan Box” as a treasure chest to their families living in the Philippines. Filipinos are found all over the world, scattered through all seven continents and mostly to every country. They left the country to work as waiters or waitress, welders, health-care professionals depending on their expertise or field they studied in the Philippines or some even try out of their knowledge just to get any type of job just to support their families back home. The mindset of the Filipino is whenever they hear “work abroad” it simply says that we earn more from abroad than the country we live in. Every month, an Oversea Filipino Worker would send one large box filled with delightful goods, never-seen or heard top brands but because it’s from abroad, people would think that it’s classy and expensive and also designer brands of materials and clothing. Not only Filipinos are helping the economy by sending foreign currencies to the Philippines but also supply the needs of their families in a way they adapt the lifestyle from different countries as per the things they receive. An OFW puts their blood and sweat, sacrifice their time and health through their job, took care of another family just for the money they are about to send and also the the balikbayan box to show that they care. Some of them would go extreme—after all of their hardwork an OFW would dream to go back to their homeland because they terribly miss their families as soon as possible but not all could home because first, they are not done with their contracts, second, delay of the approval of their requests to go home because lack of manpower or no replacement and third, not enough money to purchase their fares going home. As the anecdote ends, it is tragically explained as how desperately an OFW wants to go home for the holidays as our tradition says that it’s best to spend it with the family. This serves as an eye-opener that we give genuine appreciation to those people who loves and cares for you and would go extremes just to be with you and gives you a comfortable life.

Title of Work: Why Do They Say Our English Is Bad

Outline:

1.0. Introduction

1.1. English teachers in the Philippines tried their best to teach the rules of written English to their student but they still end up getting frustrated because students are still committing the same mistakes.

1.2. Students still commit errors in their literary works in spite of what year level they are now.

2.0. Teachers and linguist alike have been searching for methods to address this problem and to teach English effectively.

2.1. Recurring errors in phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and discourse of second language learners are some of the topics.

2.2. Studying these topics are important in fixing the grammar issues of the Filipino college students.

3.0. Common errors that are found in the essays of first year college students.

3.1. Most commonly errors are the use of verbs followed by the use of prepositions, word choice and subject agreement.

3.2. These "errors" are considered errors because of certain standards of language teachers and are prescribed by grammarians.

4.0. Teaching Standrad English as it exists would be improper.

4.1. Having a certain standard is important to rationalize polices for teaching the Standard English.

4.2. Figures of appropriateness within dominant conceptions in language various.

5.0. Phillipine English is creolized.

5.1. English is still the second language of the Philippines.

5.2. When teaching a second language, a certain standard shall be accepted by anyone.

5.3. In spite of the intensely teaching attempts of the English teacher, a local variety will continue to develop in the country.

Summary:

English teachers in the Philippines tried their best to teach the rules of written English to their students but they still end up getting frustrated because students are still committing the same mistakes in spite of what year level they are now. Teachers and linguist alike have been searching for methods to address this problem and to teach them English effectively. Studies showed that the most commonly errors that are found in a student's essay are the use of verbs followed by the use of prepositions, word choice and subject agreement. It would be dishonest if they teach Standard English so a certain standard had been followed to rationalized these polices. But no matter how hard they tried, Philippine English will still be creolized and local variety will continue to develop in the country.

Where is the justice?

(The continuation of the poem, Black Feathers)

Several weeks have passed by

And I still regret I couldn't say goodbye

To my friend whom i cherished the most

For she is now long gone when i saw the post.

It broke my heart into several pieces.

When the one who killed her left only few traces.

Only the black feather was seen when she was downed.

And justice still has yet to be found.

The authorities still has yet to begin an investigation.

In order to clear out all these suspicion.

It seems like they're keeping a blind eye on everything.

And they could be up to something.

More days passed by, and more lives have been claimed.

Yet the authorities are doing nothing, feeling unashamed.

As the previous cases grew more older day by day.

Everyone slowly forgets about it, til they all have nothing to say.

Do they even deserve our trust?

Because from what I'm feeling, everything is unjust

These corrupt aristocrats all have reasons for shame

If all they just do is sully the country's good name.

A Reflection Post: Preludes

By: Daryll Delgado

At first, I thought it would be another typical long story just like the other literary works I have read previously. However, as I kept on reading it, the story is actually very interesting. This is because i wasn't expecting that there would be a plot twist and a dramatic ending in the story. This also made me confused because it uses the techniques of foreshadowing and the flashback of scenarios which I have to figure out the order of events. Soon after, I finally understood the sequence of the story and it all started to make sense.

The story is all about how Nenita's husband was cheating on her. And even with that happening, he still has the audacity to command her to do whatever he wants her to do. In the end, the husband kind of deserved it because it is very wrong to cheat on somebody you love, but it was not right for Nenita to kill her husband. I pity Nenita because she was a very kind person towards her husband. And even though she already knew she was cheating, she still forgave her but what received was not a change of attitude, but just more demands from her husband. But then, I was shocked when the story revealed that she was the one who killed her husband because I did not expect she would do such a thing. However, I still respected her decision because based on she felt, one can only take too much toxicity. And when she decided to kill him, she lost all her patience for him and ended their toxic relationship. This can be related to the presence of not just our country but for the entire world. Nowadays, people who are loyal keeps getting more rare to cross by and we can now frequently hear more people cheating on their significant other and getting divorced. That is why it is very important to be loyal towards your partner no matter what and respect each others' personalities and everything about themselves. This is because it will really hurt the other person if you cheat on them especially if they loved and trusted you very much, and it is not right to lower the standards of a person just based on their gender. As the story ended, it left an important message to the readers. Always be loyal to your partner and treat everyone as your equal regardless their gender.

Ang Pag abot sa Pagpatay

Adunay pagpatay

Apan lahi kani sa uban.

Ako'ng pagkainosente ang nabiktima,

Kinawat pinaagi sa paghikap ug paghalok.

Dili kani usa sa normal nga mga krimen

Tungid kay walay dugo nga makit.an.

Kay kina ang akong lawas

Samtang nag higda sa bugnaw na sawg.

Usa ang nabilin na ebidensya

Ang mga kamot na nihikap sa akong pagka babay.

Bisag unsoan pag kuskos

Gi guba ko niya nga tibook.

Walay bisag usa na saksi

Kung dili ang akong mga mata.

Apan di klaro sa mga nakita

Bisag sa iya mga mata nga maayo mutyok ug istorya.

Parehas sa mga kriminal

Damo ug mga luha nga nagtagaktak.

Bisag dili sila ako pamilya

Apan nagikan sa ako.

Wala siya nagbilin bisag usa nga timaan,

Walay bisag usa ka handumanan

Kundili ang mga nahitabo sa kagahapon

nga dili nako malimot.

Dili kailanman makit.an ang akong lawas

Sa mga pulis tungod kay naa pa kini.

Na priso ko sa ako kaugalingon mga panit

Nawala ako ug dili makit.an.

Usa ang bitbit na armas

Ang pagkalalaki nga naa sa iya ubos.

Sa iyang pag ataki sa ako

Nga akong kasingkasing bug.at pas bato.

Di man unta kini sama sa usa ka ordinaryo na krimen.

Oh, ngano dili kini nila makita?

Nga ang pagkababay na naa sa akoa

Dili ko na makita.

Walay haya na nahitabo

Tungod wa sila kasabot na ako namatay.

Siguro nga mao jud kini ang mahitabo

Na ikaw ra ang kahibaw sa nahitabo sa imong ka agi.

*Based on a true story*

Sad Reality

The story “Lengua Para Diablo” covers about how poverty and unemployment can affect the situation of a family and depicts the reality of the Philippines. The country has been known for its high poverty and unemployment rate. According to the Philippine Authority Statistics in 2018, it shows 16.6% of Filipinos live below the poverty line and 5.3% of Filipinos who are unemployed. These can severely affected the lives of families for which it can destroy the relationship among the members of the family and as well as their entire livelihood.

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, poverty and unemployment significantly rose in just a few span of months. Many businesses were shut down, the income is at an all-time low, many lost their jobs, and life has gotten way harder especially for those who fall in the poverty line. There are several factors that affect poverty rates. These include lack of jobs in the country, inflation of prices, poor family planning, the low economic status of the country, and as well as the lack of government aid. That is why it is important that these problems must be heard and the people, especially the government and those who can provide aid to help reduce the presence of these factors in order to lessen the poverty rate of the Philippines. If this continues, the country will surely start to fall in the future, and more lives of families will be ruined. This could cause people to die for malnutrition, and they might also resort to committing in order for means of survival for themselves and their family. That is why this story is a great example of voicing out the poverty of the Philippines as it is a call for the government and the able to do something about it to reduce its rate and so that we will be able to save the lives of countless families as well as let them keep a healthy relationship to those around them. Every human does'nt deserve to live that kind of life, and they are doing their best in order to survive.

A Young Lionheart

Chapter 8

She dashed away from them and said “You want some of this?!” and she did a step reverse kick on his back and he fell down to the ground. Then she approached him and placed both of his hands on his back. Mr. Habaña then put hand cuffs on his wrists so that the killer couldn't escape. “Thanks Mr. Habaña.” she said with a sigh of relief. “Josephine?” a woman’s voice echoed in the court that made them turned around. “Mommy!” she shouted and both of them ran towards each other and crashed into a hug. “Thank goodness you’re safe my love.” her mother said with tears rolling from her eyes. She then soon broke the hug. “Are you hurt my love? Oh look at you.. There are ashes all over your face.” She said as she wiped off the ash marks on her face. “Why didn’t you join the others? This place is dangerous.” “But she was the bravest person amongst us. Ms. Luciero.” Ms. Mendoza interrupted. “She’s the one who planned it out and put out the fire. And she even finished that guy with a kick.” she added. Teardrops rolled down on Ms. Luciero’s face and placed her hand on the back of her child’s head. “I’m so proud of you Josephine! With that I guarantee you’ll be one of the female fire fighters here in our town in the future.” She said smilingly as her teardrops continued to roll down. “Thanks mommy! And I couldn’t do it without both of your help.” She looked at Mr. Habaña and Ms. Mendoza and smiled. “Both of you are also heroes in this town.” she added. Both of them were fluttered by her sweet words and then gave her a tight embrace. The police officers arrived and took the killer out of the building. Mr. Aguillar then entered and cleared his throat. “May I have a word with you, little kid.” All of them turned their heads and were surprised to see Mr. Aguillar now at his conscious state. “What’s your name?” he asked crouch down to her height. “Josephine Luciero.” she replied with a shy voice. “As the director of the school, I offer to you my biggest respect for being a hero at such a young age and I shall give you an award for saving everybody and the school. I was thinking to put your portrait on our school lobby. What do you say?” “Uhhhmm..” she hesitated and looked to her mom. Ms. Mendoza and Mr. Habaña nodded in agreement. After that, she looked back at Mr. Aguillar and said, “Sounds awesome.” she said it with excitement and all of them giggled to her response. Several days had passed, and as promised, Mr. Aguillar placed Josephine’s portrait entitled “A Young Lionheart.” at the center of the school’s lobby and other pictures took from the incident were displayed with descriptions below it. Then, it became the school’s “highlighted place” and one of the most memorable stories on their school’s history.