It's time to HELP

For a Better Life

By: Gary Valenciano

I bet only few of you knows this song, it is really not commercialized. This song is the official soundtrack for MDG #1. Wait! Whaaaat? Hmmmm... okay. let me just explain what MDG is.

MDG stands for Millenium Development Goals, these are eight (8) international goals established by all the members of the United Nations (UN) in 2000. Each goal has specific targets and all these should be met by 2015. The goals are as follows:

To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

To achieve universal primary education

To promote gender equality and empowering women

To reduce child mortality rates

To improve maternal health

To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

To ensure environmental sustainability

 

Now that we know what MDG is let us now continue with my blog...

In our (with my classmates) Development Communication course we are tasked to make a video about the 8 MDGs, and my group was assigned to MDG #1 with the official soundtrack by Mr.Pure Energy himself. Ooooh! I remembered his concert at our school! OMG! He's such a great performer! Going back to the topic, this project is really an eye-opener for us that the Philippines really has a huge problem in terms of poverty. There are many slum areas, I bet that there is no baranggay without the slums, there are also many beggars on the street and on Jeepneys. What we did in order to hit two birds with one stone, we were able to pass the required video and at the same time we are glad we helped those people we referred earlier as the "poor". As we shoot, we gave them sandwiches in return. It was a very small amount of help but the smiles they gave back were un-explainable :)   And we also interviewed a family consisting of the parents with 12 children, and they also have their grandchildren, it was pretty huge, and more of a extended family type. After our interview with the parents we shared meals with them, rice and sardines. We also gave them groceries, just a token for their warm welcome, and hospitality.  It was really a once in a lifetime event. It was very hard most especially the heat of the sun which made our pores very open (sweaty... eeeew! :c). We actually got tanned after doing this video shoot. Another experience is when we, together with Jaja Guinto and Carl Velasco, were very nervous as we wander around the "lake" riding a small boat with 3 DSLRs! Imagine that huh? while on the boat I am praying "please don't let us fall, please don't let us fall." It was also my first time to ride that kind of boat, and it was amazing! :) 

I hope we could still do it, one more time! kudos my friends! :) We did a very good job! 

I caught a fish yey!

Communication for Development

Yesterday's Dream

By: Donna Cruz

I know we are all familiar with this song. This is often used as a graduation song, am I right? HAHA! But here, I will not use this song for commencement but as an inspiring background music for our Media Literacy Program. (see below for details) 

"Media ay Kilalanin, sa Tamang Paraan ay Gamitin"

- The Slogan for our Communication Campaign on Media Literacy. We did this last semester as a requirement in our subject Communication Theories with our very fabulous and ever gorgeous Professor, Ms. Gerby. This had been really a memorable event not just for me but also for my classmates. We taught Grade Four pupils in a public school somewhere in Sto. Tomas, Batangas for four consecutive Thursdays. It is really hard for us to come up with a program like this, of course we had our planning and researching beforehand. It's really hard to look for a school who's willing to participate, we also disseminated tasks within our group to make it easier. Every week is really a struggle, especially when it comes to resources. We do not have much of a budget that is why we are just settling to what is available. Imagine, every week we need to prepare letters of request, so that we could use the school's (LPU) projector outside. What made it even harder is that we are teaching four sections of grade four students simultaneously, in connection with the projectors, we are only allowed to use two (2). So what we did? we scheduled the use of he projectors so that it won't overlap, (in-short we had our last minute change of plans) and during the actual campaign, you'll see me running from one room to the other just to check if they're doing fine, if they need anything and if they're already done using the projector. Our campaign lasts for an hour, some even exceed because they're really having fun teaching those kids. 

What are we teaching?

Well, I think it's obvious in our campaign slogan. We are teaching those students about media literacy. About the four mass media which includes the; Print media, Radio, Television, and the Internet. (Now, I think it made sense why we taught them for four consecutive Thursday. One day per Mass Media) We are Communications students and one of our aim is to use communication for development, that's why as much as we can we are helping those students to familiarize themselves with the mass media so that they can better use it in the future. With learning we believe that it will  make a difference on how these students look at the mass media. 

How did we know what to teach them?

It's simple! We just tried to put ourselves on the shoes of these children. They're still young, they do not need to know very deep information like history, we did not use technical terms. We taught them what they just need to know. The Basics. But since we also want to be really sure on what topics should we focus on discussing during the campaign, we let them (students) answer a pre-test question for us to know their knowledge before the campaign. 

How sure are we they gained knowledge from the campaign?

We had our pre-test, that's why we also had them answer the post-test, it's also an exam to test if they really understood everything we taught them. Just like in school, we also gave merits and medals for those who really excelled.


For our Fifth day (last day)....

Now, I am taking back what I just said in the start of this blog, I am using this song for commencement too. HAHA! :) This day is the happiest, we had our games, prizes and of course the awarding. This was my first time to actually host for a commencement exercise, to go up the stage and to award students with medals and certificates. It was really heart-warming, seeing those smiles on their faces. I've already said it is the happiest but might as well add that it is also the saddest. why? obviously it's because it's the last day we will be seeing them. It's only for four days but we already did build a bond among each other. That's why it is really hard to tell them "goodbye!" :'(


What's the connection of the song to this?

The song talks about children being our hope for a better future. One line in the song is "We need a hand to guide us" that's why we did this campaign, to guide the students on how they can make use of these mass media for development. We are shaping them to better persons in the future.

"And we need a hand to guide us, Helping each other Build each other as long as we're together you and me... For together we stand, divided we fall. Together we climb to the top of the world."

And I am proud to say, I am an AB Communication student.  

Say "Hi" to the Old Me

Pretty Girl Rock

By: Keri Hilson

♫♫ "My name is Toni, I'm so very... lalalalala.... Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful (Repeat 2x)" ♫♫

Note: I don't want to brag about myself but I need to write this blog because old pictures of me have been invading my Facebook. (I hope it won't ruin my reputations though) All thanks to my sister! -_-

Why this song? hmmm... You see, I'm really maldita before, during high school.  I have rivals and enemies at school, me and my friends used to sing this along our corridors just to tease them . Imagining my face before, I can't believe I had the guts to be "ganda-gandahan" I am admitting it, I really don't want to brought up all of my pictures in the past, because I know it is not something to be proud of. I am writing this now because of a realization. Earlier I had a commotion with somebody (very close to my heart) about a picture being uploaded by my sister on Facebook, he is one of the tagged persons in the pictures (see pic. below). I want him to remove the pictures on his wall and then untag himself, just like what I did with my own account (because I am also tagged) I am really stressing him and forcing him to do as I say. He was so lucky he's in their church that's why I told him to do it immediately after. He got mad at me for being too O.A. as in OVER ACTING in the situation. (to be continued...)


I remember I once told him before, "Grabe nman, makaaway yung mga tao sa itusra ni  Deniece Cornejo (the girl behind Vhong Navarro's case) dati, 'e nagbabago naman talaga lahat ng tao." He got shocked because it was the first time I defended that girl, well, HELL NO! continuing with my sentiment, "Pano nalang pag naging artista ako, edi sasabihin din ng mga tao na nagparetoke ako, kahit hindi naman talaga, lotion lang kasi, tsaka pareho kami ni Deniece (dati) naka braces." And then... HE LAUGHED! :(


(continuation...) He scolded me as if I was child. I almost did cry because he too, he's too O.A. to get angry that way. But later on, I've realized, he really has a point. Now, it's all clear to me; In the first place I should not be ashamed of myself because no matter what happens it's still the same person, it's still me. He also taught me to thank the past for it is the reason who I am now. What matters most is that compared to before I've change into a much better person inside and outside, indeed, that's one hell of a thing to be proud of. So, people don't be too judgmental! please?


BEFORE

P.S.
I really believe that the reason for my skin color before is because my formations (C.O.C.C/C.A.T) every morning and afternoon of everyday. -_- 

AFTER

I believe that all mankind are beautiful, each were created by God uniquely different from one another . -tonipretty <3

Friends For Life

True Friend 

by: Miley Cyrus

I am now facing a new chapter of my life, being a college student, and there's always a time when I'm missing my High School friends so much. :'c 

It's been a long time since we last saw each other, I only attended one reunion, which was last year. I am not even sure if I can still call it a reunion because as I can remember we are only 12 then. The last time I saw them complete was during our Graduation. Not as happy as it thought, but yes, It's been two years now and this makes me miss them... a lot :'c

photo from http://quoteswords.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Friendship-quotes-List-of-top-10-best-friendship-quotes-21.jpg

We've been singing True Friend by Miley Cyrus since our sixth grade and we've been religiously singing it our entire stay at PMSB (Panorama Montessori School of Binan) we felt like this is our theme song. We are really a fan of Miley - yay? or nay? HAHA! Anyway, being the girl who dedicated her entire pre-school, elementary and high school to only ONE school, it's really a BIG challenge for me to go to college, realizing how hard would it be to adjust as I leave my comfort zone. 

I still have their cellphone numbers, but I am not receiving any text messages from them. Our only way of communication is through our Facebook group and group chats. It's hard to admit that unconsciously we are building an ice between all of us. I miss all our kalokohans, as what most people do say, High School life is really the stage wherein you do things you never expect to do. 30% pressure and 70% fun. I miss our everyday tambays after school, where we can manage the next 1-3 hours of pure talking and chatting about other girls/guys, our teachers, our rivals/enemies, not to forget our crushes, all that with a bottle of coke and piso-pisong chichirya on the side. We eat at McDonald's buying only coke float and regular fries, eventually staying there for more than an hour. Might I just say that I am an honor student, but it did not serve as my ticket in being exempted whenever we (me and my barkada) were called by the principal, because again of our mischievousness. My HS life is not all that, we've also achieved many triumphs, starting of  with winning many competitions, helping our school with public services, excelling in our grades, accomplishing our baby thesis and being able to defend it well, and many more. My memories really are my treasure, these are the things I hold on to whenever I miss them. (Of course, I will not hold on to our pictures, hmmm.. I think, I can include some of our pictures, but not all, you see, I am not that pleasing to the eye back then. :3)

I know I also have a fault here. The reason why I seldom see them is also because of me, because of my busy schedules at school and also because I'm too far away from them. I want to express my feelings to them through this letter, I hope someday or somehow they could read this;

Hi guys! It's been a long time now... I miss you so much! I miss the way we talk to each other, I miss the way we eat together, I miss how we bash others, our HS rivals,  I miss calling you by your nicknames, I miss your voices, I miss each one's mannerism, I miss Mackiel's food giveaways everyday, I miss how we bully Vice (Adrian), I miss how the teachers' scold us. I really miss everything about all of you guys. I would also want to say that I am sorry. I'm sorry if I'm always absent every time we schedule to see each other, I really want to go to PMS during Foundation Week, because I know you guys will be there, we may not be complete, but at least I may know how are you doing, and I want to see how you've changed (physically and mentally) since our HS. I am so excited to meet all of you once again, for I know that some of you will spill out and will never run out of "tsismis". I'm sorry I was not able to treat you during my birthday, just remember I owe you that one guys. I hope someday we could all, I mean ALL, see each other either at Legasto's Residence or at Lusuegro's Resort HAHA! And guys please always remember; Yes, we are not seeing each other religiously but that doesn't mean that we have to forget each other, right? Again I miss you guys and I Love you all!

P.S. 

Please bear with me that I have to write this letter for you in English. If I have a choice, I'll write this up in Filipino, but I can't. So, don't think I'm being maarte ha? :) Muaah! :*

                                                                                                                                                               - Toni

I miss typical days like this at PMSB :c

Our last Field Trip as High School Students

Graduation Day

GROUP HUG :'c