KNOWLEDGE THROUGH READING

True love stands the test of time. This may be the primary message of the novels "THE ILIAD" AND "THE ODYSSEY". The greatest battle in life is to live, to love, to fight for love and to live for LOVE. Homer, who is the famous ancient Greek epic poet, is the man behind these works of arts.  

These movies/novels strongly emphasized the never ending cycle of love and hatred. It tackled the curse called enmity that eats the foundation of relationships, bond of friendships and connections of nations. It introduced the famous warriors of bloody wars, lovers of peace and justice, and protectors of true love.

Through Homer's masterpiece the readers were given glimpse of the Greek culture. The way they make their decisions, the deep understanding of their beliefs and the things that favor their gods and goddesses. As I read the story, I found myself in denial of what’s the true meaning of fate and destiny. How am I supposed to differentiate these two?

In the story, Greeks were greatly affected by the presence of their gods; thus, it hinders them from making their own decisions. They believed that it’s the best thing they could do. Just as how Cassandra wanted to kill his brother for he knew that Paris will bring chaos in their kingdom. Fate and destiny are two great factors which dictate the day-to-day living of the people.

I learned that the Greek people also have strong family ties. Even over the longest distance, their love for their family never fades. It’s a strong implication of their pure hearts.

I learned a lot of new knowledge as I go through the pages of these novels. There are things I do not favor but above all, I tried to respect their ideals. I believed that in the different walks of life, there are also a lot of different cultures, traditions and beliefs. One may be contrary to the other, while some may share a common thought.

These are the things I gained after reading “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”.

THE FORMIDABLE WARRIOR

A godlike warrior who fights with his own rules, he is none other than, the unmerciful Achilles. A famous figure of the novel "The Iliad", made known by Homer. He is a great warrior of the Achaeans. Honored by his comrades and feared by his enemies. Treaties and agreements are for coward hearts, this is his rule. Pity is nowhere in his vocabulary. For this man, battles and wars will define the winner.

His monstrous acts frightened the enemies. Many were afraid of his animal like way of killing people. An example is what he did to another honored warrior, the magnificent Hector in “THE ILIAD” Book 22. The fight showed how invincinble and merciless Achilles was. Without any doubt, he won the battle and achieved another glory.

Achilles finished. Then on noble Hector’s corpse
he carried out a monstrous act. He cut through
the tendons behind both feet, from heel to ankle,
threaded them with ox-hide thongs, and then tied these
onto his chariot, leaving the head to drag behind.
he climbed up his chariot, brought on the splendid armour,
then lashed his horses. They sped off eagerly (22.512-518.231).

These lines portrayed his monstrosity as he showed no mercy to a dead opponent. It only proves that Achilles is a man with a metal heart. He desired for glory, too much glory, to the point of longing to be a full blooded god with boundless strength and power. The following lines proved his thirst for achieving something a normal person is incapable of. Again, from “THE ILIAD” Book 22.

You’ve robbed me out of glory, saving them
with ease, since you don’t have to be afraid
of future retribution. I’d make you pay
if only I am powerful enough. (22.26-29.220

 Truly, Achilles is someone to be afraid of. His views and opinions about life and death reflect his brutality. A true digger of glory and power. For me, Achilles may be physically strong, but his perception about everything will lead him to be spiritually weak. 
However, we all know that every individual is fated to live and to die. No matter how strong a person is, once death approaches, the only thing to do  is accept the fact that nothing stays permanently. Just as how Achilles is fated to die in the hands of Paris and Apollo regardless of how powerful he is.

Ramirez, Veronica, E. English Across Continents. Makati City, Phils.
Diwa Learning Systems Inc. 2010 Print.

The True Hero. The Magic of Love.

From the early times up to present, the view about women evolved through time. The former naive impression about women was changed into a fierce yet loving image. Come to think of this, first there were SUPERMAN, SPIDERMAN, BATMAN and CAPTAIN BARBELL. Then WONDER WOMAN, CAT WOMAN, SUPER GIRL, SAILOR MOON and DARNA suddenly appeared in the picture. What does that mean? Well, this only proves that there is also a hero in every woman’s heart. Yes that’s true and I know one special hero of true virtue.

A registered midwife, a mother of four, a wife and an amazing grandmother, she is Belia Pullante Medina. The wrinkles on her face reflect our stubbornness, her rough hands prove her full time commitment to our family and her beautiful smile shows love and continues to uplift our dull moments. She may be sensitive at times, usually forgetful, and emotional more often. But above all, the image she gave me was a friend with lots of stories, a mother with a warm hug and a grandmother with a gentle touch. At the age of 68, she’s still working to help in the family finances. She gives service to others even if there’s no guarantee that those people will pay her back. Every time someone shouted “Nanay Belia!” expect a sound of feet running from the second floor down to the location of the voice. With open arms and a bright smile, she welcomed every family member. Others may say, what’s so special about that? Well for me, she is the kind of hero that does not need to fight revolts, lead the rebels to fight for freedom, protect a princess from a witch, or save the world from UFOs. She is the hero who is willing to surrender herself for the sake of her family, give service to people she doesn’t know, and help others even without rewards.

For me she’s the symbol of a true strong woman. She proved herself to be a loving and strong mother, a loyal and honest wife, a reliable friend and a one of a kind grandmother. She’s a woman of great words for others. Truly, the best way to define hero is not based on the person’s physical and mental strengths. It’s on how BIG the heart is. 

I would like share this story from my mother about my grandparents’ love story. She said that grandmother was born in a wealthy clan while grandfather was from a poor family of a not so well off couple. We all know that there's a big boundary between the rich and poor citizen. Still, my grandmother didn’t mind what others might say. She gave her heart to this man of her dreams and they live a simple yet contented life. From this story, I could honestly say that she was truly a woman with a strong heart. She didn’t mind giving up her luxurious life for a simpler one.

JUST KEEP THE TORCH BURNING!!

To instill moral and spiritual values in the child in the light of God’s word is the number one mission of TUMCS. 

This school holds a lot of recognition because of the quality education and Christian teachings it gives. It nourishes the youth with knowledge not just mentally but also spiritually. Thus, TUMCSians are known for their Christian values and excellence in the different fields of life. Even outside the boundaries of the school, students continued to uplift their Alma Mater by achieving worthy honor that brings pride to the school. Good examples are the graduates who earned recognitions in their colleges.

The students are the fruits of TUMCS. We are the products of their labor. My fellow TUMCSians, let us be a good reflection of our school. Be a worthy representative of the name TUMCS. Keep these values within our hearts, stay strong, and just keep the torch burning!

A LOT MORE TO WORK ON !

        The greatest mistake I can ever accomplish to be afraid to have one. This is what I believed in. All of us committed mistake no one is an exemption. Upon knowing what I have done wrong, at first I felt bad because no matter how hard I’ve tried, it is still not enough. But after some time, I’ve learned to accept it as a challenge to strive even more and to do better next time. I still have A LOT MORE TO WORK ON. Not just in life but specifically in my studies. As time passed by, one should not stop himself from learning and attaining more. We should value each mistake for they are precious LIFE LESSONS that can only be learned the HARD WAY.

Committing errors and mistakes in life is the same as having it in grammar. In life, man should think of it as a spinning wheel and everything changes, just like how tenses of verbs evolved through time. In writing, remember to write the simplest sentence to avoid errors with the subject-verb agreement, just like how we should live a simple and contented life. When I was reading my work, I’ve realized that my knowledge about grammar rules were still not enough. I can’t help but commit careless errors. GRAMMAR is really a big word. It’s essential in life, because what we write reflects our personality. If man didn’t know a simple grammar rule, he is a prime subject to humiliation. 


Knowing the correct usage of each words in a sentence is the first thing a writer should consider. At times, man is misunderstood through his writings because of incorrect sentence fragments and use of inappropriate words. Thus, CORRECT GRAMMAR is the main ingredient for a  GOOD WRITING. 

With these, I’ve realized that GRAMMAR is not something to be ignored. As I’ve said, man should not stop himself from learning. Reading books and other references will surely help my vocabulary skills. Having my errors corrected by someone with enough knowledge is better than to do nothing. Realizations of my mistakes are the key to improvement.

Lastly, the best way to improve myself is to continue writing. I will give my best in each sentences and I will never give up on learning more about grammar rules. 

NOW I COULD TRULY SAY...

ONE TEAM,ONE VICTORY: the product of fairness

“One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness”

-Josh Billings

 Intramurals is really one of the busiest days in a school year. Being freed from school works, students face the challenge of the physical activities and many more. Competitiveness and self discipline were displayed by the TUMCSians all throughout the celebration.

OUR BEST FOR GOD'S GLORY!

The week started with a joint worship for the founding anniversary of the school. The next day, each student presented what they have prepared for the past few days. The categories were cheer dance, modern dance and ball room. Students displayed their hidden talents in dancing. Our class represented the JUNIORS in the cheer dance competition. All our hardships were paid off once the judges announced the results. And guess what, we emerged as WINNERS! We’re so happy that once again, we claim the throne. We knew we played a clean and fair game. It was our hardships that brought us up.

The third day was really awesome! It was the start of the ball games. III-Rebekah first proved themselves in basketball. They played well and so, they beat the seniors, specifically IV- Solomon. My beloved section, III-Leah also beat IV-David. Juniors really conquered the hard court! On the other hand,  III-Rachel also managed to win in volleyball. At the end of the day, JUNIORS were the champions both in volleyball and basketball. It was really a close fight between the Juniors and the Seniors.

There were also instances that when the fight gets so intense, players tend to have a FOUL. Supporters then complain that it was not their team’s fault but other’s. It only shows that some of us cannot accept defeat. Why? Because it’s easier to blame others for what we’ve done wrong than to admit it. This is strongly incorrect. Always remember that a true player knows when to accept defeat and proved to be the best in the most polite manner. A TRUE TUMCSian is also a TRUE PLAYER!

After the event, realizations came to me. The secret of the victories of the JUNIORS were these- UNITY, PERSEVERANCE,SPORTSMANSHIP and FUN! Unlike others, juniors still continued to yell and cheer for the players even if the chance of winning is on a 30/100 basis. We didn’t lose hope and continued to jump, clap, and shout for each single point we get. All the JUNIORS share their part in cheering for each other’s team even if we knew that only one of us should win. Above all, the players exhibit their very best in each sport which made this event successful. CAMARADERIE was seen in all of the teams. In the end, we all ended up smiling for the victories of each other. That’s the true meaning of friendship and sportsmanship.

OUR BEST FOR GOD’S GLORY!!!

The Silently Abused

Discrimination in the Twenty First Century, what do you think about this? Have you ever experienced it? It’s a very complicated topic often neglected in the society. Why? Because we make commentations without conclusions. We judge others without even knowing what’s deep inside them. Thus, without even our knowing, we hurt other people’s pride. Filipinos easily judge a person based on what they THINK about them, not on what they KNOW about that person. But seriously, have you ever tried to know something about someone?  It’s easy to say but hard to accomplish.

I was never a victim of discrimination and I knew a little about this topic. But in case it happen, I think I’m going to deal with it as an obstacle I need to overcome. I’m so tired of self pity! I don’t want to do it again. Through the years, I have learned to accept the trials given to me. I’ve learned to overcome it.  Then suddenly, these trials were changed to triumphs over imperfections. You may ask, why am I saying so much if I was never a victim of discrimination? It’s true that experiences are our best teachers. But not everyone who has experienced something knows a lot about a specific topic. Sometimes, observers are more intellectual and have the capacity to feel what others tried to impart in their simple glances of help, and smiles of hidden sadness. Discrimination is really a huge curse in the society. But what really is DISCRIMINATION? In my own words, I could say that these are the things normally said as a judgment about others. Awful words that hurt other people without even our knowledge. Sometimes, even if they knew, some people are just too blind to care. It’s because some of us found happiness in the illnesses of others.

All of us can be a victim, no one is an exemption. As part of life, hatred is a normal feeling if you’re a victim. You can hide your feelings from others but not from yourself. Sooner, if you don’t know how to handle your feelings, you will fall in the midst of self devastation. Worst, discrimination might eat your individuality.

I have learned that discrimination is a senseless topic. Why? Because if you have learned to accept yourself, criticisms will never be an issue in your life. No one is perfect! This world is not. All of us have hidden imperfections. The only thing we could do is this- ACCEPT, OVERCOME, and CHANGE for the better.

We should learn to reach deep within ourselves because it’s the bridge that will connect us to others. Differences should not    be a hindrance for us to touch each other's lives. It should be a way for us to understand that we are created differently but are all equal in the eyes of the LORD. 

God Bless YOU !!!