. LVI

Pardon, for I was not able to do my utmost best.

Pardon, for the odds were against my favor.

But fear not.

I know myself.

I allow my thoughts to be acknowledging of my achievements.

And that I think will suffice.

PROCRASTINATION AND CRAMMING

| L: V

————————————————————————————————————

Do you ever find yourself staring at a screen of blank word file, wishing you were somewhere else for you cannot think of any words to type as much as you have tried to? I for one had experienced such event, and when I do, I'll usually resort to putting it off and finding other things that satisfies me like watching movies or playing games.

What I'm referring to are these habitual acts typically done by people of my age, its prevalence has been questioned by concerned authorities whether its influence is harmful or harmless to its practitioners. In regards to this matter, I have conducted a research pertaining to the matter being discussed, and that is to explore its practice amongst my fellow classmates.

The findings infer from the study that the practice of Procrastination and Cramming only causes them to perform relatively low as a class based on the expected competency standard of a student. The participant's strand suffer from this practice as evident from having only six top performing students of their class compared to other strands (that is, when based solely on their GWAs). Moreover, the likelihood of a student's gender on practicing this habit and as well as getting an underperforming performance were found to be exceptionally higher for male students (Ramos, 2019).

+

Note that this is only one of the several conclusions made by the researcher. If you want to know the factors that makes them practice this habit, how they perceive it and its effects on their academic affairs, kindly message me for further discussion.

Ambivalence across the boundaries | LIV

From where I come from, majority of the people there believe in one supreme God presented in three images. They revered those images through different practices and prayers but one of it has been regarded as the face of the Church and their religion. It is Jesus Christ, the very physical embodiment of God. His arrival was foreseen by a variety of prophets, describing him as the "Messiah", the one who will save them all and will usher an era of peace to all mankind.

His life was mostly recorded and practiced by most of the believers of Christianity whereas Lent, reflects and replicate the sacrifice of Christ for 40 days in the desert and ultimately unto His death, on Easter. However, one must need to be reminded of their self and their sins. That is why Ash Wednesday precedes Lent, making sure that everyone is prepared for a month long of sacrifice, fasting and penitence.

The sign of the cross being marked onto the lay's forehead represents humanity's penitence and mortality. It served as a remembrance of how we are nothing but dust and ashes without God who breathe life to us. Moreover, to show that we are willing to change ourselves for the better, to be purified and cleanse from our wrongdoings.

Yet. With or without religion, we are cognizant of the fact that we are mortal beings with finite lives. Regardless of the belief on the afterlife, eternal life up above or reincarnation, the life that we have here wouldn't be the same as oppose to the life we may have on living for the second time. You can't experience the exact same thing as you did compared to being the same consciousness on a different body, animal or just plainly living up above or down the abyss. Cherish the world you are in right now, for it is important and unique on its own.

It is for that very reason why I continue to live as if it is my last day. To grab opportunities as much as I can and to never regret it.

More importantly, to just enjoy living; to feel pain and love, to feel rejection and success and to feel unworthy and important.

Life is not a wish-granting factory. And I realize that throughout the years and it has been more emphasized on due to Ash Wednesday. If we are to let ourselves be marked by the ashes, then we might as well change ourselves for the better too. To be accepting of things we cannot control and to recognize for who and what they are.

Experience, valued in order to understand those I do not believe.

———————— R° + [Y°/G°] = O° —————————

—full of ups and downs, misery and joy and learnings and mistakes.

What separates it from all the other journeys is how it is a narrative of his own life. Third, before meeting all of his trusted people in his life, went through a very confusing start. He was all alone in an unfamiliar environment, everything was new to him until he met some people who would help him to realize that not everyone is destined to stay and not everyone will appreciate you for who you are. It was not only until he met Red that he was able to become the person he is today. Red taught him all sorts of things from the vast fields of knowledge to psychosocial development. He was a teacher, a friend and someone who would always motivates and encourage him to be unorthodox, willing to always step outside the box (norm).

From being timid, naive and reductive to transforming into someone who might change the world with his ideals, principles and goals. Back then, he would only be a spectator or passive around unfair or unjust things happening around him but now he cannot stand such thing, he would always be zealous on finding ways to respond to it. The environment he was exposed to gave rise to opportunities in meeting the very individuals that will significantly play in his life. It was also a venue for him to discover himself, his essence and his purpose. The growth and gradual change during the time of almost succumbing to apathy and hopelessness could not be possible without Red. It is why Third and his newfound self Orange will always be willing to bend over backwards to him as a sign of gratitude.

However, Green, one who he respects and treat as a long-time companion has always been there for him even before Red's existence during his discombobulated phase. Green would always stick with him back in the past, providing almost all of his needs and wants. Name it all, may it be an emotional support in Third's darkest hours or a physical one as simply as responding to Third's whimsical need both on material things or food. Currently, Green's attention is needed on somewhere else, something he that would benefit him and mostly Third on supporting in each other's endeavors.

Third is lucky, he may not have realized it sooner but still, he would like to express his utmost and genuine thanks to Red, Green and even Orange himself. They are the ones that keep him on living an another day until now, a visible reminder that there are people who care for you and will be devastated without you.

Their love, attention and care was everything I need (in being and to be) successful in life.

On this day, Third's journey of discovery is coming to an end. He is happy, culminating the journey and reaching his destination together with Red, Orange and Green. Yet, it is not the last of their bond. They will still continue to open up new journeys until the end. What's important is they were each other's destinations and not only meant to be passed by during the journey.

Their love for each other will always shine bright on the face of adversity.

A rainbow after the rain—

A speck of hope through the light shimmering from a droplet of water—

X, Dare to be different.

To parents and their children:

“In the right place at the right time with the right person”. [LII]

We all have these different subjective opinions about when should a child be allowed to use technologies capable of surfing the Internet world. Of course, parents oftentimes find themselves in such dilemmas of protecting their child’s juvenile years free from malice and the harm that may come from the usage of Social Media. I mean we cannot blame them for such decisions, and even if they allow their child/children, they will still allot a large fraction of their time supervising the use. The proliferation of heinous crimes being committed on the online world and as well as the perceived negative effects of social media have brought nothing but worry and anxiety for them. However, despite the alarming rate of news about it, parents should be knowledgeable enough to know when and where to introduce technology to their children alongside its components such as social media.

Living in the 21st century world where technology can be seen almost everywhere in most cities and countries is unbelievable. Continuous progress has been made throughout history and one major thing that came up with the rise of such phenomenon is the online world, particularly social media. Majority of us have our own accounts on various social media, kids, teens and adults alike. Typically, a social media user would start creating accounts when they were still on the pre-adolescent stage or before they even hit puberty. Multiple studies concur that children are more likely to form or initially sign up for a social media at the age of 12. This age as suggested by Friedman, a child psychologist, is a point where it is the culmination of the very last years of being a child and the start of puberty and adolescence period. That at that very stage, the ability to think concretely is already strongly developed and the ability to think abstractly is starting to build up. Ergo, this age is a preferable one for children to start using social media but with parental supervision. The content that they may see online would still not be able to comprehend fully by their cognitive ability. Parents should at all times remain an open communication about the usage of social media so that they are free to ask anything that may come up to them. It is important to note also to impose boundaries and rules to them, limits on where and what they should do in social media all with protecting their privacy by filtering content settings. Out of all that, you should always remain available in exploring their social media with them as long as you feel it necessary to do until they reach a significant growth. Peaking up to that stage usually at the age of 15 means less supervision and monitoring and leaving all up on them once they reached end of the adolescence period. 

Again, all experiences are relative and parents have also their own kind of method in rearing and protecting their child. This is only a prescribed action or perhaps, a guidance to some future family makers of today’s world. Letting them use social media is solely to your decision to do so and as well as the right time when to restrict and liberate them from your sight. Remember, you do what you think is right as long as the intention is good. These data and informations are only visible reminders of successive curiosity and queries of the people, may it be complementary or detrimental to your parenting methods and views on discipline depends on what you deem as the right place and time to apply it. 

On the concept of good and right, how would you compare and contrast the two? 

ㄥㄖᐯ乇, a seemingly forgotten word especially when added with “I” and “you”. #L:I

Source: “A Walk to Remember (2002)”

Old but Gold, that is what they say for everything in the past that still remains relevant up to this day. I can apply it to the one you see from above which is a scene from one of my favorite love stories of all time, “A Walk to Remember” starred by Mandy More herself. Every time I watch or even view some parts of this movie, it always makes me believe in love and how warm it is to be loved. Yes, it is coming from the lad that finds Western romantic movies to be cheesy and incredibly uncomfortable and exhausting to the eye for all that reductive love scenes. Nonetheless, this movie just had and will always have this seamlessly attractive charm to me. You may find some similar tropes of high school love here and there yet this is the one among the many who set the bar high for today’s romantic genre movies. The witting use of passages from the Bible, catchy quotes, and the progressive plot is admiring and laudable. Jamie’s motto became somewhat my motto and as well as adding the famed Corinthians passage and Love is like a wind phrase from Landon to my life’s principles. Sadly, I’m going to cut this off right here, it’s starting to look like a movie review. What I truly want to say is, Jamie and Landon’s time spent with each other was finite yet their love for each other was infinite. Although, like all things, you can’t have both. Both of them knew that for it is why they spent each of their lives together, never forgetting to express love in a multitude of ways until Jamie’s time was up. After that, there were no regrets, no what ifs and no lacking. He kept on loving until the end, even describing their love as wind, he can’t see it but he can feel it.

Let their relationship be a reminder, even if fictitious, that like them we should always savor the moment with the people who we value and of great importance in our lives. Make them feel loved and appreciated, a simple “I love you” would suffice. Don’t let that phrase be the very thing that you’ll regret not saying to your special someone. I realized that soon enough, no presence left to say such words for the unexpected passing of my loved one. I now know there's nothing wrong saying those words, it would not hurt as long as the intention is clear and good enough. Aside from that, love can be expressed in a wide variety of ways, it does not require any privileges or special rights. Love is such a vast concept, it is indescribable in its core for you have to feel it for yourself. That is why, to be shown or to be uttered, of kinship or not, we ought not to forget. 

For love is patient and kind...

// 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

         MON LA VIE

Am I who I think I am?

Should I be more like a Xenodochial?

I can/t,? Should I or I should?

Being like this for the past decade and eight

It's been hard

how about you?

Are your covered as well?

It's fine.

One thing's for sure

                                                                                  X, color the Sky.