A previous post of mine was about a young student changing the world through arts and a professor who was continued to inspire great young minds. Today, I give recognition to heroes who have given pride to my Alma Mater for years now, even before I became a proud Lycean. 87th season of NCAA, LPU had just been granted a slot as a competing school and everyone-faculty included- was hyped up for the journey the school was about to embark on. Players from all over the nation and from other schools came to our aid in hopes to bring us glory, but something has been overlooked. Before the games, during the cries of pride and during halftime, who are the heroes? Our ever fighting Pep Squad. People think that the players are the only heroes we look up to, but it's the Pep squad who gives us that feeling of pride, loyalty for the school and love for our values. Their job is just as important as winning any sport played in competitions. To put it lightly, it's not just tossing people, cartwheels and coordinated dancing, but it's about having passion and belief in what your doing and who you're doing it for. These ladies and gentlemen have been working their selves to the bone from training till late at night to being in the gym early morning hand and foot, but have we ever taken time to step back to acknowledge these heroes?

Their relationship with each other only makes the squad more solid, not only in performance but also in passion. Like the wind they have continued to be quiet and still go down fighting; it's about time we felt the wind and appreciate their efforts for us.These are students of LPU who ask for nothing but faith and recognition for what they bring on and off the field/court. As I watch them perform whether live or from a video on Youtube, it makes me proud to know that they are people who will continue promoting pride and love for LPU. As fellow students, we need to support and believe in them as much as they believe in each other. As the days go by, never will I be ashamed to raise my arm and heart as a Lycean. As I type this post, I will continue to pray for the recognition and love that the LPU Pep Squad has deserved for so long. God bless and VIVA LARGA PIRATA!!!

I dedicate this post to a member of the squad who has inspired me with their story.

Lately, there has been an article about a few soldiers who were hurt in an ambush or attack in Mindanao. It's sad that when wars of religion and beliefs happen, a truce can never be made and things are dealt with the use of bullets. As I read the article, it broke my heart because somehow, the smoke of war blinds these men and women in remembering that they are firing at their fellow countrymen. After years, I still wish to fight for both sides. I recently read that some people are in favor for an all out war with the MILF, but as we're all aware this will also provoke them and might cause a burning fire to burn even bigger. Why does our nation fail as a whole? Because we look at the differences too much, rather than try to work together for similarities. Do we blame geography? Do we blame belief? All in all, we should STOP all the blaming because it will never lead to anything

Remember that pointing when pointing one finger at something, four are pointing back at you. It's time for the unity our forefathers once fought for so hard.

Growing up as a Catholic kid, surrounded by a Muslim setting really helped me understand the difference and the similarities of both faiths. As I've come to live in the motherland, I've learnt about the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) in Mindanao. Sad as it maybe, they apparently have guerilla wars with our own armed forces. From a different point of view, it's sad to see that Filipinos are fighting fellow Filipinos simply because of a difference of belief and cultural traditions. At some points I seem to blame the media, and all it seems to show of the Muslim faith. Without knowing the history and actual cultures, it may seem even barbaric at times, but who's to say cultural practices of the Catholics aren't barbaric to them? A mutual understanding and respect for both is very much needed in our culture.

As I was out studying in Krispy Kreme as I always do, I noticed a lot of Muslim Filipinos in the mall to celebrate Aidilfitri or the end of Ramadhan. In Brunei, I was exposed to a nation where the Muslims were much richer and they have the chance to celebrate accordingly, but in a nation where we supposedly promote equality, it just seems that we don't give our Muslim brothers and sisters enough freedom to express their culture and special celebrations. It's very rare here that I see a commercial or public message wishing our Muslim friends a happy Ramadhan or end of the season. Faith is a choice, but it doesn't make one better than the other. We should all try to meet on the same page and somehow I'm sure it would probably help bring our nation closer and avoid more conflicts. At the end of the day, we are all FILIPINOs, do not forget. Happy Aidilfitri and God bless us all...

Why do we think? When we know we're suppose to act more than think more. Yes, thinking before acting is uber important, but over thinking tends to drown us, agree? When was the last time you sat in a corner and thought about everything that has come into social contact with you; from the people to the situations of your surroundings both international and national. For numerous years of our lives, haven't we all just been searching for a cause? Here there, basically we try everything we can until we get that "This is it" feeling from it. Haha I'm sure we all go through this stage of identity, but where we end up is really His choice, it is written in stone. He has His reasons for the leaves being green, for the sky being blue and for you being alive, you just need to climb the Mountain of Life to actually see the horizon of what you're supposed to achieve. We'll get there, give it time, give it patience. God bless, and continue to dream...

Since the last time I blogged, there just has been too many things/stuff going on, so I haven't really gotten the time to update the blog that much. Although, in a reality that seems to be filled with endless hypes and fads of sorts, you can really get caught up in the flow of that wild rapid. I wish to blog about my nation. In the political setting of my country-a democratic, yet seems to be an oligarchy in some areas-you don't really know what to believe. From the most heartfelt advertisements during elections, to the very strong speeches they deliver; you gotta ask yourself, is their an agenda? Lately, I really don't find the point in caring anymore, because in our nation, you are nothing without power.

For now I concentrate in making the lives of others better, anyway I can, and along the way learn more about why I'm living. Conditions don't seem to be changing for any of us. I don't blame anyone, because putting blame on someone just shows you have no faith in the goodness of people around you. Unfortunately, in a country that used 'UNITY' to beat a leader drunk with power, it isn't that unified at all; not one bit. The whole 'crab mentality' hype is always thrown around a lot, and somehow it seems to be spreading. Upon reading articles, comments and opinions about the Azkals and the PH Dragonboat team being compared, I just couldn't accept it. Why can't we support both of them? I mean, at the end of the day, they're doing this for our country and nothing else. Both teams were never cared for, and no one ever gave a damn whether they won or lost, they were just there. But thanks to some die hard fans of both sports taking notice, they both started to get the recognition they deserve. Yes, the Azkals are hitting the front page of the media a lot lately, but that doesn't mean we should compare a team that is still developing in their field. 5 Gold medals, is not easy to do; especially for a team that has nothing but their dedication and passion as sponsors when they face other countries.

They all just want the best for our nation; being that we aren't really in the spotlight of the global setting both economically and socially. The next time you see a Filipino do greatness, smile and be proud. The next time a Filipino does something stupid or wrong, it doesn't mean all are the same. One rotten apple doesn't destroy them all; no one's perfect. So tomorrow, I wish to walk out to face my everyday and hope that people will start to think more about others, than to think about themselves. Remember "Love your neighbors as you love yourselves", NEIGHBORS come 1st; think about it.

Who cried a river and drowned the whole world. Hahah, I miss 90's music a lot. Anyway, I thought I'd write something and express the thoughts in my head, heart and soul. Are we alone? Even in the train with the sound of the breathing of the person next to you, the playlist of another playing so loudly that you can hear it from his Dr.Dre "heart beats" and yet you still feel invisible and that they don't exist. Do you pray with your eyes close and at that moment you begin to imagine what it is you want or need? Life is an endless movement of pulls and pushes and so you know that the earth and it's heliocentric reality actually exists. Stay on the bright side of things and make sure you know which way you're going and how you plan to get there. Our fates are basically intertwined with the actions and decisions we make (opinionated) and that's when our lives will start mixing in a bowl of sociological proportions. Ask not for everything, but ask for the things that matter. Have a good one and God bless...

I have finally made up my mind to really grasp to accept how unfair the world is. Imagine staying in line for 3 hours for nothing but false hope and these dumb people making a quick buck and also at the same time laze around and wait for it all to get to you :( First, please please PLEASE, may the ticketing system be a little fair to those buying tickets for the next Azkals game on 28th. Imagine nearly a hundred people in line and the line stays like that for hours and at the end of the day when you step to the counter, finished, what you stayed in line for and waited for, is FINISHED!!! I don't think there should be anymore seat numbers, because 1) people think that closer is better, PLEASE!! 2) and please consider others who are also standing in line for hours, while you take your sweet time choosing a spot 3) if you're gonna go there just for the "FACT" that you're gonna go there, then you don't deserve your tickets. It's a FOOTBALL game, not a fashion show. EYES ON THE BALL, NOT JUST THE GUYS!!! Others are actually there to support our football, and give the support the team has deserved for skills, not for looks!! Let's not spoil the name of football by turning it into another, crazy fad and when they make mistakes, are you still gonna be behind them?? Another issue brought up by kuya in line with us where the fact that people buy the cheap tickets and sell it for THRICE their price. How about those who stood in line and were disappointed; ever thought about them for ONCE??!! Yes, life isn't fair for everyone, but who ever told you that burdening others will get you to SUCCESS?? Hmmm, I don't normally post thins like these, but I hope people are aware of those destroying the game. If our PLAYERS weren't all good looking, would it make the lines shorter?? Would it make those buying tickets and abusing the price disappear?? If you truly support the BEAUTIFUL GAME, first, learn the rules and finally love it for the GAME and not for the GUYS. If ever I don't get tickets in time, I'll still be watching at home with pride, win or lose. I'll still watch the next games, I'll still stand in line for hours; wanna know why? Because I AM a fan. God bless the team...

Sociology class was quite an interesting class.I have always admired learning how a social group works and how it seems to affect our lives. Our project for the sem is to make a documentary about social issues, and we got poverty. Yeah, I know the word that is cousins with hunger,sadness, homelessness and all that other stuff, but when you actually start doing it and 'socializing' with the people under the cloud of poverty, it paints a totally different picture. You'll hear heartbreaking stories of families left behind and that their source of income can only be streched for so far that sometimes eating is the only thing that they're actually working for. Their kids go to school, basically public and have lunch money of 3pesos to 10pesos, imagine people who eat lunch and have something else after that. Are we not lucky? I think it's really more meaningful if a person was to live for a cause that will make very much sense. To live is to know that you're making a difference in th world and the life of others. At the end of this documentary, I wanna be sure that we'll be able to give these people hope and also show others that if all row the boat at the same time, we can change the current of life. We are the change, nothing else...

In the office one day, they told me to watch a movie called "Taken" and so I did, to my surprise, I nearly couldn't sleep wathing the movie. No, it ain't a horror movie but it's about how women are 'taken' against their will and sold as prostitutes against their will. The criminals would drug them and then tie them up for men to ''enjoy''. It was a sad sight to see, but I watched it to understand it. More than millions of women are trafficked from countries in Asia, Africa and even Europe and America. Our government are taking major steps to avoid our fellow women to be dragged into this kind of life, but how sure can we be that they're not involved? In a modern civilization, money speaks louder than any human right, but that's what we should all fight for, what we should all stand for, because if we don't, then, who will?? Everyday at least 60 women are forced into human trafficking and 90% of them will be in the sex trade. Someone's mother, sister, aunt or even daughter is out there making another tycoon rich, and yet we sit in our cozy homes doing nothing. The CNN has lauched a 'HOPE' campaign for people to stand up against trafficking and slavery. They encourage us to send pictures or videos and so I did. With this being said, I hope you do too, save a mother, sister, daughter, girl; woman. God bless. It's time, to stand up...

After not being able to blog for eons, I have been approached by a friend and so today I blog. Let's see, LPU is now in the NCAA, props to the school for finally getting us involved. Opening was definitely the bomb, aside from the fact that Mr.Manny Pacquaio was there haha :) After that came the most epic game in football history where the Azkals destroyed the Sri Lankan Brave Reds with a 4-0 win for the Brazil World Cup Qualifying game. Our next opponent is Kuwait and as the days pass by, the team will take a break and continue their hardwork to make our country proud, especially in the field on football. I've always been waiting for feedback about the football games that LPU will be playing for the NCAA. I was never a jock in my span of life, but lately I seem to learn more about what sports really do for a social community. Aside from raising great athletes, we also learn discipline, a mutual respect and of course honor to whatever color we wear. A nation will an should stand by it's athletes both it times of triumph and in times of defeat for the world is round and victories along with defeats will always continue to cloud our lives, but it will definitely bring both sunshine and rain. There are still numerous events I'm waiting to go to with beloved friends and family, but for now, exams are just around the corner so I'd have to get my act in place. For now, I'd like to give a shout out to the LPU Pirates "VIVA LARGA PIRATA" and to the AZKALS, you can count on it that "WE BELIEVE" and will continue on, for we have faith in you. God bless...

Philippine Azkals and LPU Pirates FTW!!! :)