15 - Finally, Relief at Last!

Deadline has been the best motivation for everyone. I am proud to say that I finished the other half of this blog within only a week. And finally, I a attained true enlightenment and inner peace. And with that, I only have a few more things to deal with before the long-awaited semestral break. Everyone is getting excited for the next term. Although I considered this entire blog as a burden to me, I would like to thank our EEP Teacher for giving me an opportunity and challenge to do such project. Next term, I hope there will be more surprises to come like this one.I will not be writing any more in this post. I just want to express how grateful I am to accomplish this task. Thank you for reading! This is James, signing out. :}|

14 - Procrastination at its Finest

Procrastination or cramming for short is a developed habit that is common to almost every people we encounter. Even ourselves are aware of the fact that we are also one of the people who does procrastinating a lot. It is quite a bad habit for any person to acquire but it has become a pandemic disease that only a few people can cure. The main reason of this is because of our laziness. From time to time, people nowadays become lazier and lazier which results to repetitive cramming. Somehow it acts like a cancer where it becomes when it is not treated during its earlier stages. People today are very fond of doing this habit. Why is this so? Why is procrastinating a very common deed for most people? Is there a possible solution to this kind of problem? 

In my own opinion, procrastinating is product of a personal choice. Putting it simply, one has a power to do it or not. However, people are often provoked to do cramming not only for once but also for many times. When I was still at middle school, I used to do all my assignments and finish them as soon as they were given. On the other hand, I also developed an early sign of procrastination. During our times when the computer is not yet much of as thing, I used to do my homework even if it kills me. But when we had our own family computer and my mom and dad decides to let us use it every night, I am mostly tempted to skip my assignments and play games. As a result, I don't have anything to submit to my teacher. From that day forth, that habit of mine grew slowly and slowly until now. It is like a stage four cancer which renders me hopeless to find a possible cure. When I became a high school student,we had a very restricted time due to the fact that we have a 10-hour shift. In addition to that, we are obliged to do an assignment for each of the ten subjects we had in one day. Because of this, we do not have much time in home to take a rest, do our schoolwork and do whatever we want at the same time. As expected, this lead me to do a lot of procrastination until now and then. Aside form that, temptations are always in the way of many students. Almost every time, my computer games tempts me so hard that I will always skip and do my work some other time. 

Four years have past and I am already a college student. It won't be a good habit for me to procrastinate a lot. That's why I decided to be more industrious and hardworking in my academics. I hope someday, I will prove that cramming has a cure just like every diseases. Procrastination will not work its way out of you; instead; you have to find a way for procrastination to work out of your body. You might be thinking that you should do this in another time. There is one thing I could say: You should quit on that. It is up to you if you will find a way to overcome it or not. As long as you have the will to do so, you will most likely succeed.

13 - A New You

Every people in the world had their own unique traits and characteristics. As time passes by, we develop new ones or sometimes we tend to change because of certain reasons. But there is one thing that cannot be change and that is the fact that each individual can affect each other's perspective in many things that may result to a sudden change in attitude towards them. Explaining it in simple terms, every one of us has the power to influence the behavior of people around us. However, the results can be different based on some circumstances. Not only people but also things, animals or something beyond imagination can influence someone's behavior towards his/her surroundings.
For example, a person becomes cheerful every time he/she cuddles his/her favorite pet dog. The dog releases a positive energy that renders its owner having a positive attitude during the process.

Moving on, I would like to share my personalities and how people and things affect my behavior. When it comes to particular people, there a lot of them in the list to mention. First and foremost, my beloved parents. Scientifically speaking, I might have inherited some genes from my parents that contributed to my whole personality right now. As far as I have known, my mom is a thrifty woman while my father is a highly-organized man. Surprisingly, I inherited both of the genes which makes me a thrifty and a neat person. My parents also raised me as someone they wanted me to be. Because I grew up in a Christian family, Mom and Dad taught me valuable virtues and traits that I should possess. As I grew from time to time, I became a morally-upright kid and applied every good things that my parents taught me from the past. Speaking of parents, there is what we call as our secondary parents. Everyone would not forget to thank their teachers for what they have done for us. Values were taught not only in home but also in school. In addition to that, teachers implement rules and regulations that students like me should follow. In school, we also learned how to be industrious, punctual, helpful and most importantly to be polite. Last but the least, there came your friends and other acquaintances. To tell you frankly, your friends help you balance both of your good and bad sides. I am not saying that the influence you in a negative way. Learning bad things is actually not completely a bad thing. Instead, this makes us to realize that there are things in this world that everybody needs to understand. Nobody would be an innocent for a lifetime, I tell you. Th reason that I titled this post as "A New You" is because that I have a lot of bad habits that needs to be replaced with good habits instead. I might not have the ability to change myself but I hope there would be someone to help me out.

12 - Bountiful Beauty

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. There some things people appreciate while others do not. It might be due to the fact that they have different perception and definition of the word.  Regardless, people tend to be amazed by something that possesses what we call as beauty. Beautiful is an adjective that can be used to describe many things such a person, his personality, a thing, place and so much more. Everyone has a soft spot on someone they admire. He/she maybe your friend, relative, a teacher or even someone you have a crush on. But in this post, I would emphasize more of the beauty that I have observed from a place recognized by many of us here in the Philippines. This place is home to one of the rarest and critically endangered primates which is known as the Tarsier. It is the wonderful island of Bohol. The reason for this is that my family and I recently had our vacation there and I would gladly share my experiences during the past couple of days or so.
Before we had our vacation, I am still in the process of dealing with school works that needs to be done immediately and has to be passed at an upcoming deadline. Coincidentally, this blog is one of those things I am busy taking care of. After submitting all the requirements, I managed to have a good night rest and prepare for our departure the following day. It was my second time around having a vacation outside of Luzon. Also, it is another opportunity to experience a mind-boggling flight in an airplane. We haven’t arrived at Bohol yet but I was amazed of the bird’s eye view of the city. As we soar up in the sky, the white and lofty clouds gently touched the wings of the aircraft. There was a time that I wondered what it would feel like to be high up in the clouds. After all these years I have found an answer to my childhood question. As we arrive at the airport, I could already feel the wonderful atmosphere of the place. Hours later we began exploring the sceneries that can be found in the island. We have been on a tall pedestal and observe the astounding Chocolate Hills. I have never seen such natural scenery like it. We also went to a Tarsier Sanctuary where Wesaw a couple of these adorable and tiny primates. During the entire trip, we managed to see only two tarsiers. It is because that they are being strictly protected by the municipality due to its diminishing population. Lastly, we went to a local beach and enjoyed the ocean view while we were eating our lunch that afternoon and visited a small, hidden cave afterwards. The day after that, we flew back home here in Manila and everyone of us took a longing rest. Even though it was a vacation for only a few days, it was still worth remembering.

11 - What Does it Take to be a Hero?

“What does a hero truly need? That is for you to decide, my friend.” This is a quote from a worldwide popular gaming platform which I will not need to mention anymore. If you were to be asked this question, what will you answer? Do you really assume that you are a hero; the reason why you are asking yourself of the things you truly need? Or is it that the question is not appropriate? Well, let me rephrase the quote into something which is logical to us. What does it take to be a hero? What are things that need to be considered for you to be called a hero? Do you have what it takes to be one? First let us know what a hero really is. A hero is said to be someone who shows or displays a wonderful, appreciative and courageous act which makes them highly recognized by people around them. It is quite similar to a friend where someone recognizes an individual as a person whom they trust or respect. But when we are talking about a hero, it is something which is higher in terms of standards. Going back to the question, what does it take to be a hero?

For me, a hero is recognized of his bravery. Just like all of our Filipino heroes, they have fought hard and showed enough courage to stand tall even against their odds. Also, a hero is considered to be a loyal person. Our national hero, Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal Alonzo y Realonda or simply known as Jose Rizal or Pepe, went to Spain to study more about the Spaniards. He expressed his loyalty by going back to his motherland and started a reformation against the persistent oppression of the Spanish Colonization. A hero never loses compassion to his people. The ever-helping and kind Melchora Aquino gladly assisted the wounded soldiers in battle. Having a warm heart to her fellow countrymen, she tirelessly served the army to provide a loving care for the brave true sons of our country. Lastly, a hero honors not only his people but also his beloved land where he was born and raised. Every Filipino hero that fought against the foreign invaders have what we call as patriotism or the love we feel for our country.

You don’t need to be a hero to have all of these characteristics. More to that, you don’t need to be a hero by doing big things for your people and country. Being a hero is found inside the heart of anyone who believes and knows that just by doing small things for the sake of others, you can be called as one.

10 - Making Gaming Communities a Better Place

Computers weren’t much of a thing until its improvement and evolution led to a comfortable accessibility to most people. After years of technology’s continuous advancement, it eventually served many purposes in the daily living of every human. In the field of entertainment and gaming, computers were commonly used by those who are looking for amusement and enjoyment. Going straight to my point, I will be talking particularly about the vast and interactive community of gaming. Games can be played in different platforms and devices which makes them different from each other based on where they are played. This time around I will be discussing things pertaining to the games played on a computer desktop.

People prefer playing games of their choice and preference. In some instances, they would have a chance to meet someone with the same gaming taste. However, this does not mean that you can cooperate and interact well with a person you have just met on a game for a few minutes. If it happens that you are playing Single Player games, then you might want to skip reading this. On the other hand, those people who play Role Playing games (RPG), Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) or simply Multiplayer games should consider reading this blog post and learn from it.
I am not much of a hardcore gamer but I can give you tips based on my own experience on how to handle people with different personalities in

In a world full of assholes (Oops! Sorry for being brutally honest), there will always be a time that you will encounter people who you might not like. Specifically, there will always be people who can be either polite or rude. In a vast online community, you cannot simply teach someone a lesson due to two main reasons: You cannot convince anyone and you do not control their own behavior. In these kinds of situations, the best answer would be not tolerating their attitude by countering it with the same level of impoliteness and of course, stay quiet and do not talk as much as the annoying guy would do.
In some cases, you might meet someone who doesn’t have much knowledge about the game and somehow drags the team down. Gamers call these people newbies or noobs. I have played a lot of games and meeting with inexperienced people is always a familiar situation for me. Instead of blaming them of what they have done wrong, try to encourage them to perform better by teaching. Don’t forget to be polite others because people less likely to listen to those who are rude. Remember, everyone has been to that part. A professional player was once a beginner being taught by someone who already has an experience.

Always keep in mind that even you cannot change other people for the better, you can always make a change by starting it with yourself. Do not think what other people could do for you; instead, think what you can do for the community.

9 - Colonized Nationality

It was five centuries since the legacies of our brave and patriotic ancestors are known by Filipinos. As time passes by, more and more children of the Philippines will hear the heroic stories of the heroes who fought hard and defended the country for where it belongs to. Lapu-Lapu, being known as our first national hero, successfully drove away the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and his vast fleet back to Spain. After decades, some other countries tried to desecrate our sacred lands for its rich and natural resources. Filipinos became successful in defending the country until the Spaniards came and took control of everything. During the span of three hundred years, our forefathers began many reforms, revolutions and even rebellion against the Spanish Colonization. Little that they know, these foreign oppressors underestimate the heart and will of each Filipino to seek justice and freedom for their own. Several years have past when the Filipinos have reclaimed their beloved country, the persistent invasion of foreign enemies still exists and attempts to capture our lands once more. From Japanese soldiers to American armies, the Filipinos never stopped fighting for the true freedom they have been longing for.

People in the 21st century like me have known of their heroic stories, but the question is: Do we give value of what our ancestors have fought for or maybe we are just taking it for granted? Perhaps we modern day Filipinos seems to be busy appreciating foreign influence. In short terms, we Filipinos nowadays value colonialism rather than nationality. What is nationality? It is defined as a patriotic relationship between an individual and his country. Do we consider ourselves as nationalistic people? I guess we do not. There are some examples that will prove my statement. Filipinos love to buy and embrace products that are made from other countries instead of our local goods. In terms of culture, teenagers nowadays like to listen to western music and probably imitate their fashion. I am also guilty of this because my way of living preference lies on the western side. To be honest, it is not bad to appreciate of what do other countries have as long as we also value the things that our beloved Philippines has. Our country is quite reputed and being admired by  foreign tourists because of the wonderful scenic places that can be found throughout. In addition to, we Filipinos are adored mainly due to our unique and pleasant personality.

There is always a fine line between nationality and colonialism. People just have to understand that giving importance to the land where he was born should be first in their hearts. Colonialism isn't a bad thing unless it diminishes one's nationality.