Babae ka, hindi babae lang!

    The 2023 National Women's Month Celebration marks a watershed moment in the advancement of women's rights by introducing a new recurring theme: WE for gender equality and an inclusive society. It inspires renewed advocacy efforts and builds on the gains made during the 2016-2022 theme, WE Make CHANGE Work for Women, which emphasized the importance of compassionate and coordinated networks for gender equality and women's empowerment

    Every March, the world celebrates International Women's Day. It's a day when everyone shows their appreciation, admiration, and respect for women. A lady is considered God's most beautiful creation! All exceptional people were conceived in a woman's womb and received their early education from a woman. And it is for this reason that women are treated with dignity in our daily lives. It's a day when women are recognized and praised for their contributions to a variety of fields. Women possess a strong spirit that allows them to thrive in their chosen vocations. They make a significant contribution to the lives of their family members as well as the country.

    Women have triumphed over being a man's assistant in proving their worth, talents, and capabilities to society, they have demonstrated everything they are made for. Women could never match or surpass men's intelligence, abilities, and skills in any field. Women absolutely shine above and beyond what is expected of them; they are now more empowered than ever in the society we live in. Women are co-stewards of men in this God-created universe we are living in. Women’s full potential, confidence, and intelligence are their armor in this patriarchic society. Honing women’s education, skills, talents, and attitudes empower them even better than before, even adversities, challenges, and the pandemic cannot hinder them to shine brighter and be at their best at all times. 

    Women empowerment is one way to get the underprivileged, as well as the reasonably privileged women, to come to realize their worth and potential in the face of a male-dominated country and society. Women make a change, and change makes women empowered for the good and betterment of our society. Let us, regardless of gender, be each other's inspiration. Women's empowerment can take many forms, and we can all help by taking action. All of the responsibilities that women bear should be acknowledged and highlighted. We should use various platforms to shape societal views. Consider it a simple duty to empower, uplift, and educate people. We begin this new era of National Women's Month Celebration with the hope and ambition that WE ARE ALL FOR Gender EQUITY AND AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY.

References: 

https://ivi-fertility.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2021/03/AdobeStock_325738813-e1615196864227-1400x500.jpeg

https://pcw.gov.ph/assets/files/2023/01/Mobile-Banner-NWMC-2023.jpg?x62054

https://mb.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/womens-logo-month.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ESlfOFeUEAIlme5.jpg

 

Happy Heart's Day

    

    Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated annually on February 14th. It is a day to express love and affection to romantic partners, family members, and friends. The holiday has its roots in ancient Roman traditions, and over time it has evolved to become a day for exchanging gifts, cards, and tokens of affection. Many people use the day to express their love through acts of kindness, romantic gestures, and special outings with loved ones. While Valentine's Day is primarily associated with romantic love, it can also be a day to show appreciation for friends and family members.

    So how was my valentine's day? My classmates and I agreed to trade gifts before the actual day arrived so that we could make our celebration more enjoyable and exciting. As we drew names, I chose one of my friends. I got her a candy jar with scrunchies and a lot of candies and chocolates. And I also received a lot of chocolates too. The math department also set up a booth for Valentine's Day that included a wedding booth, photo booth, and food booth—all of which sound like enjoyable activities you might do with your friends. Creating memories by taking pictures and trying new foods at the food booth can be a special way to celebrate the day. It can also be a great way to relax and enjoy each other's company.

    This day, people celebrate Valentine's Day in many different ways, from exchanging gifts and going on romantic dates to simply spending time with loved ones and showing them how much they are appreciated. It's worth noting that Valentine's Day can also be celebrated in other ways, such as spending time with friends or family, or even treating oneself to something special. 

    For me valentines day is just an ordinary day. We can show our love everyday, like they said, every day is hearts day. Because the true meaning of Valentine's Day is about expressing love and appreciation for those who are important to us, and spreading love and kindness in the world.

Kannawidan Ylocos Festival; Together We Are ONE ILOCOS SUR

    Among the festivals of Ilocos Sur is the Kannawidan Ylocos Festival, a celebration that lasts from the last week of January to the first week of February. It is a festival that celebrates Ilocos Sur’s abundant culture and traditions and its separation from Ilocos Norte. The Ilocanos created the Kannawidan Ylocos Festival to exhibit and share their cultural treasures with the rest of the world; it is a celebration of our vibrant culture.

    The Kannawidan Ylocos Festival is one of the many famous festivals in Ilocos Sur; this festival plays a crucial role in the culture and history of Ilocos Sur. In this special event, the rich heritage, tradition, culture, arts, crafts, and delicacies of Ilocos Sur is showcased and highlighted. Moreover, the festival is also a showcase of indigenous performances, religious rituals, and as well as cooking demos featuring the best of Ilocano dishes.

    Different municipalities of Ilocos Sur also unite with each other by displaying their products under the One-Town-One-Product (OTOP) booth inside the trade fair. Different contested activities are also organized in this festival such as the zarzuela, choir competition, street dance, and the most awaited event which is the Miss Ilocos Sur; a showcase of the beauty and brains of Ilocanas.

    In addition to celebrating the birth of Ilocos Sur, the Kannawidan Ylocos Festival has grown in importance to every Ilocano as a platform for us to share our rich history and culture with the rest of the world. This is an additional method of preserving the customs that the Ilocano elders have handed on to us. Festivals provide us joy and new colors to our life, much like vibrant seasons do. These kinds of events teach us lessons that will improve our morale throughout the rest of our life. The values of the Kannawidan Ylocos Festival must be preserved, archived, and passed down to future generations. 

    We must preserve our cultural values, respect the ways of life left by our forefathers, and maintain a long-lasting and harmonious culture. This festival is very special because it is already in the heart of every Ilocanos. Because together we are one Ilocos Sur .

Halfway Through

     Second quarter was definitely a blast. It is a relief that what we just learned was the basics of coding. I got to create simple web pages that contained various tags that do all sorts of commands thanks to knowing the basics of HTML. I am greatly satisfied with my performance in this lesson, and I also had fun working with it. This just proves that we can all learn and improve over time. Moreover, we still had our blogging lessons for this quarter. It was fun and engaging creating articles of our own.

     The end of this quarter is just around the corner, and it still feels unreal that two quarters of this school year have already finished. Time really does fly so fast. The past eight weeks of this quarter have been truly tough for me, and it’s a relief that it is already about to iend. This quarter has taught me a lot of things, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to expand my knowledge and stretch my understanding. I will make sure that the learnings I’ve gained here will be put into good use since not everybody has the chance to study and enhance their skills and understandings.

     I have faced minor problems along the way, which was definitely a bad situation for me. These challenges I have faced include tags not working properly and occasionally not properly comprehending the lesson. Luckily, I was able to solve these problems using my resourcefulness. Asking for help from my classmates was also a way for me to properly address these problems.

  Moving on, I will continue to learn and see if I can develop some skills with this lesson that we had for the second quarter. I am very grateful for the knowledge I gained in this quarter, and I will try to improve and enhance it more as time goes on. Overall, this quarter is very informative and engaging. I learned and enjoyed a lot in this quarter. I am eagerly looking forward to what the third quarter has to offer to us, and I hope I can use what I have learned in this quarter on the upcoming third quarter of this school year. I believe we can make it until the end of this schoolyear. Just keep goings! 

Agbiag Bigueños!

 

    The celebration of Vigan City Fiesta is held in honour of St. Paul the Apostle, the City's patron, has been a traditional doing of the City Government of Vigan and the bigueños every January 25, every year. Locals and tourists gather to experience and see the street dancing, carnivals, food fairs, and arts and crafts, adding to the attraction of this UNESCO World Heritage City.

    Celebrating festivals here in the Philippines offer people a chance to exhibit their rich culture and pay homepage to the history and patron saints. Tourists around the world would visit the Philippines to experience our country’s grand festivals that without a doubt, makes it more fun in the Philippines. For many decades, celebrating festivals has been a part of the Filipinos’ culture, and each city has its very own fiestas that they are very proud of. As such, Vigan City has its own fiestas that every Bigueños celebrate. Vigan City is known for its grand festival celebrations; the city comes to life as people gather to watch street dances and other festivities made especially for the festival celebration. Among the grand festivals of Vigan is the Vigan City Fiesta, a festival held on the twenty-fifth of January. This special day commemorates the feast day of the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, the city’s patron saint. Bigueños make an effort in making the fiesta memorable for locals and tourists. The Vigan City Fiesta is composed of magnificent street dance and parades, cultural shows, arts and crafts exhibits, carnivals, and food bazaars that represent the spirit of Vigan’s cityhood.

    Vigan Street Dancing is a popular event held during the Vigan Festival in the Philippines, which is an annual celebration of the city's Spanish colonial heritage and history. The event features street parades where participants, dressed in colorful costumes, dance to traditional music while showcasing the city's rich cultural heritage. The street dancing is a lively and energetic display of the Philippines' cultural traditions and is a must-see for visitors during the festival.

    Vigan Fiesta Food Court is a food festival that is held annually as part of the Vigan Festival in the city of Vigan, Philippines. The food court features a wide variety of local cuisine, including traditional dishes and street food, as well as drinks and desserts. The event is an opportunity for local food vendors and restaurants to showcase their culinary creations and for visitors to sample the delicious cuisine of the region. The Vigan Fiesta Food Court is a popular event for food lovers, attracting visitors, and is a great way to experience the rich culinary heritage of the area.

    

    Celebrations, be it big or small, give us something to look forward to, lifts up our spirits, and help us recognize the good things in life. As the city motto suggests, Viva Vigan! Be happy and have hope in life. We are living the pages that will be in history books, so we might as well make it more interesting.

 

Here's to 12 New Chapters

We have opened another book with 12 chapters and 365 pages. New book, new year, new me, new perspective, new chances. Hoping this year would be great for my self-love and improvement to be a better person. But problems and struggles are inevitable, and it always bound to happen, but it will serve us as a challenge and the lessons we learned from the past will help and guide us to fight and overcome it. Throughout 2022, I learned so much from it and realized many things which I can use to fix myself and make the whole year joyous and full of positivity.

    With a bang, we begin the new year. Children bouncing as high as they can, fireworks shining up in the sky, and some people praying for a calm and joyous beginning. We celebrate the New Year with a lot of passion and enthusiasm. On this day, a whole neighborhood celebrates a festival by sharing their joy and excitement with everyone. Both adults and youth are delighted on this wonderful day. We dance, let off fireworks, blast our trumpets loudest, and have fun as a family as we say goodbye to the last year and greet the one that lies ahead, brimming with fresh possibilities.

In the blink of an eye, the year 2022 came to an end and now we are embracing new chances and opportunities. While last year was undoubtedly difficult for me and everyone else, it also provided us with important lessons that we can use going forward. Time does truly fly quickly, therefore we must embrace the new year with joy and a smiles on our faces, letting go and forgetting all of our regrets and problems from the previous year. Last year, many important memories were created, and I'm hoping that'll be the case this year as well. I only wish for this year to be filled with brighter days.

        There will be new things and opportunities in the coming year. I have another opportunity to improve and get ready for the realities of life. And oh! my resolutions for the new year! I hope to make wiser judgments, stop putting too much pressure on myself academically, get rid of my toxic traits, and enjoy every second of 2023. I have a ton of goals for this year that I would like to achieve. I can't wait to see what this year has offer for me! It's time to get ready for another wild yet exciting trip. This year will be challenging with many ups and downs, but I'm confident that with the support of my loved ones, I'll make it through.               

   

     The start of a new year symbolizes a new beginning and teaches us to grow. Whatever we accomplished something over the past year, whether it was successful or not, we can learn from it, go forward in the future with a fresh outlook. We shouldn’t be sad about the last time in life instead, look forward to this new year and welcome fresh opportunities and try to improve life through them. Last year was filled with wonderful and unforgettable experiences that will always hold a special place in our hearts. We have another opportunity to make new memories this year with both same people and the new ones we've invited. We must look forward what 2023 may bring to us. This year, I will conquer my fear and be strong enough to face the challenges and obstacles. I will focus in making myself better not only for me but as a student, and daughter of my parents. Let's leave the last year's negativity and regrets behind and embark on this year with happiness, hope, and fulfillment!

 

The most beautiful time of the year!

    

    The winds have begun to whisper that means Christmas season is nearly approaching and that it will soon be Christmas. It won't be long before the season of giving arrives. Every home and public places has already begun to display Christmas decorations. Soon it will be the season of giving and receiving. 

    Since the epidemic began over 3 years ago, we have experienced two Christmas seasons amid this disaster. We can notice many Christmas decorations distributed over the city's central area. In order for us to enjoy the location of our attractions even more, tourist attractions also put Christmas decorations. Before December 25th, city streets are crowded with cars and shoppers looking to buy presents for their loved ones. People are flooding supermarkets and grocery stores to shop and buy goods for their Noche Buena. We frequently play Christmas-themed music in our speakers because the locals here enjoy it so much. 

    Even though I had a bad memory on Christmas Day, this is the time of year that I have been eagerly anticipating each year. It was 2019, and I remember spending my Christmas with a coffin in the house, we didn’t even have the chance to spend Christmas with my Lolo for the last time and it was the most painful Christmas I’ve ever had. However, the holiday season signals the completion of our family. Spending time with my brothers and our cousins simply felt different. When it's not Christmas, it's just my brother and I, and because of our large age gap, I don't really feel at comfortable talking with him. So, I was especially happy when my two siblings returned home. Christmas party at school is one of my favorite holiday traditions. 

    Being in my final year of junior high, I had a great time because we hadn't been able to celebrate the past two years due to the pandemic. It was one of the memorable events I will surely remember. Additionally, I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to travel to Baguio with my family, which is something I had always wanted to do. On the eve of Christmas, my entire family and I had dinner together, followed by going to church for the Christmas mass, and after that we played games and ate Notche Buena at home, I also enjoy singing karaoke with my cousins.

    During this season, our tradition and culture truly come together. COVID-19 may close our doors in doing the original Christmas gala we used to be. Holiday season can really bring joy and happiness to our lives. Although the last two years may have been different, the love and happiness we feel each year is still present. We should take use of this opportunity to cherish, love, and truly connect with our family. There are no worries about a possible Covid transmission that may lessen the family's happiness and celebration on this day. God is with us , has always been with us, and will always be with us despite all of the chaos and fear that the pandemic has brought and is still bringing. Being with one’s family on Christmas, we reflect with faith, hope, and love with Christ’s presence in us, we can all overcome this crisis together.  

This pandemic taught us that as long as you have the Christmas spirit inside of you, nothing matters. Never forget that the actual meaning of Christmas is simplicity combined with hope, peace, love, and joy! Christmas will always be Christmas, pandemic or not!.

Reference: 

https://d27k8xmh3cuzik.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/og-for-Christmas-in-Philippines.jpg

https://primer.com.ph/tips-guide/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/11/Holidays-at-Hotel-Jen-Manila-1024x683.jpg