“Mighta Zerie Nolasco’s Book of Life Chapter 16: 2012 With the Blessings of the Lord”

            Once a tree loses a leaf at Autumn, it will soon grow a new leaf in Spring. It’s the rule of nature. It is but natural.

 There is the word “old” and the word “new” in the dictionary. Same as through with life, the word new seem to exist. In the Roman Calendar, a year has a beginning and has an ending.

At the start of the year, we Filipinos have different beliefs when we speak of a New Year. Some starts a new life, some desires to change their attitudes, and some stay put and the same for another year.

New Year? As for me, New Year is just a new chapter of the book of my life, the title of book is “Mighta Zerie Nolasco”, with 16 chapters and the most recent chapter is “Chapter 16: 2012 With the Blessings of the Lord”. I got to write something wonderful in this chapter, no matter what. In this book God is my Teacher and Publisher.

2011 had just passed by. Another year had come to pass. 2-0-1-2, another 366 days waiting to come to me.  A leap year after the last 4 years. It’s good that it still comes to my mind the things that I did during the first seconds of the year. Well, it just came to me as a simple and beautiful day. The darkness still surrounds our lowly house and the bright yellow stars can be seen overhead. Noise, Music and Silence seem to collide. Cute fireworks display shimmers in the sky. I didn’t sleep so that I could welcome a new day, a new month and a new year of my life.  10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!!!!! 1/1/12!! What a wonderful blessing to still be on this earth. I started my New Year with a prayer. As soon as the clock struck 12:00am, I run to my bed, knelt down and prayed. I thanked God for all the blessings he gave me in the past year. I thanked him for the Love, Blessings, Protection and Guidance he gave me. I also asked him to continue loving and blessing me and never leaving my side.

The past year had been so good to me and I hope that, I mean,

 I have faith that this year, God will bless me more. I also hope that 2012 would be good to me. After all, I don’t have New Year’s resolution, I don’t like the term actually, but I have something like plans and to do’s this fresh and brand-new year and I bet that’s not a new years resolution instead a will power or a vow. I have so much prayers and wishes for this year and I just pray that all would be answered by the Lord and granted by the shooting stars my eye had witnessed.

So, welcome new chapter of my life. I hope you will be best.

CRUX OF CHRISTMAS

   

Watching busy shoppers rushing about in the cool breeze of the month, sparkling lights all over town, children’s carols in the air by the Christmas tree, cold breezes blowing in the night and at dawn, kisses under the mistletoe, exchanging and giving wonderful gifts,  with these signs alone we could tell what month and celebration it is. It is December. It is Christmas.

Many people much awaits for this season, it depends on their belief and religion. They always, oftenly, usually, say “Merry Christmas!”, but do they really know what they are talking about? Maybe some do know and some also may not really know.

The essence of this celebration is said to be the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, but it is known to some that the date is not really the true day when Christ was born, so its nonsense, nonsense because we could celebrate Christ’s birth everyday and in fact if you are reading your Bible, Jesus didn’t even celebrated his birth, no! Not even once. There was also no commandment of God, to celebrate his son’s birth.

Although some reiterates that the true essence of this season is Love. It is a day to show love because God gave us his only begotten son to die for us on the cross of Calvary because God loves us so much. We as they say have a responsibility to show our love to others. Another is sharing. It is the time to share things with those you love. Reconciliation is also one. Forgiveness is achieved. It is to reconcile men to God and highlights the importance to let go of the hurt that has been met out unto us.

Whatever we believe, we must stand and abide by it. We are all different people, we have different point of views, and the essence of this celebration depends on the person who feels it. We do not necessarily just conclude on things like this because the root and the spirit of Christmas depend on each and everyone’s heart.

LIFE ALTERS WHEN IT’S ALTERATION FINDS

                In our world everything changes. Look at the small plant at your backyard, it had grown to fruit bearing tall tree now. Look at the green grasses at your garden, they grow. Look at the simple shrub in the pot, it had grown red fragrant roses. Look at your puppy with cute fur and eyes, it have become a good dog as tall you. Go and look at your kept pictures in the cabinet when you were young, then go look at yourself in the mirror and you will see the great change and difference that had happened. These are just few evidences of change in this universe.

                In our everyday lives, we have been constantly facing changes. Change has been so pervasive in life that it almost defeats description and analysis. Some of us have experienced more changes than others. These changes cannot be avoided but can be enjoyed. Sometimes it’s the smallest things which are the one’s that can change a life forever. Changes have been giving us lots of opportunities and a new life to open a new world for us to discover. Change is just a way to improve our recognition to our lives and personalities.

                Some may think that these are just but little bits of changes, but it really affect life up to the day you will die. Such little changes can greatly affect our simple yet meaningful lives. So, thank God for all of these changes.

                  

PARITY FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

             
   Often people say that we are all equal, may it be rich, poor, young or old. Everybody in this earth is born without any clothes on, we were all born of the same birth and would also die the same death.

                In our society nowadays could we tell that there is equality and fairness? We could hardly tell. There is discrimination here, there and everywhere.  Whether it be gender, age, status or what, we can never avoid to be unfair. Even in different places there really is inequality, at home, at school at the market and even at the pedestals.

                Let’s return back to the time long ago, before women were discriminated. Women were not permitted to study, they stay at home and just do the household chores. They are subjected to what men tell them. They must obey them because they were afraid of men back then. It’s good that today at our times there is what we call gender equality and gender awareness. Now, women are free, nobody holds them by the neck and they can fly as high an eagle could even soar.

                In the financial status, this factor is where discrimination invades. Rich people look at poor people lower as them. They hurt their feelings and show them that they are much higher than the poor and brags on their wealth! They look at the poor people that they could just step on them and step on their rights. We are all people! We were created by God equally! From dust we were all made and to dust we all will also return! Look at our justice system, the rich people could just buy justice even if they were the one who did the crime. This must not prevail in our society because it devours our country.

                In order to build a great, just, fair and humane society, it is of utmost importance to arouse people to join the struggle that will ensure equal rights, and equal opportunities. Genuine equality between all people must be realized in the process of a just, equal and humane transformation of our society as a whole. As it is said in Galatians 3:28,  “There is not a male and female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ. Let us follow the example of God, to be perfectly fair and just at all times.

SAVE THE BLUE PLANET IN DISTRESS!

                              Those azure and sapphires seas, those verdant forests, gentle meadows and prairies, the mustard and golden sun, moon and stars, the scarlet blazing fire, the mildest and sweetest winds, the blue waters, the tan and chocolate earth, the kaleidoscopic and spectral colors of the flowers of the earth. LOOK! Look and behold how wonderful the blue planet is!

            Billions and billions of years ago, the Most High God created this universe with our world, perfect in beauty and wonders. But that’s just long, long ago. The blue planet would celebrate it’s approximately 4.7 billion years of subsistence according to some human blood, the scientists. But ask yourself, as an earthling; is your mother earth happy of her condition and the way you treat her right at this very moment? Definitely not!

            Nowadays, go out from your shells and look. You see those trashes? You dumped those. You see those contaminated and filthy water? You caused those. You see those dying animals and plants? You killed them! See that dry soil? You made that! You smell that smoke? People are the reason of that. You feel the hotness of the day? You may not know but maybe you also are the reason why. You may never know.

            Remember the day when you ate that sweet candy? You just threw the wrapper there right? Remember when your Mom told you to dispose your garbage in your house? You burned the plastics didn’t you? Remember when you devoured and uprooted the small plant in your backyard? You loved it didn’t you? Remember when your dog died? You just threw it in the river isn't it?

            All of the things that you did contributed to the destruction of our ever beautiful world. You polluted the wonderful things. Now look at the consequences of what you did! Nature is having her revenge. Extreme weather events are occurring. These include deadly and damaging typhoons, hurricanes, floods, landslides, severe El Nino and La Nina events, drought and forest fires. It adversely affected agriculture, water consumption, coastal and marine resources and health.

            The reason for all these things is the climate change, the said global warming, caused by the green house gases, which makes up the green house effect and that is trapping the heat inside our atmosphere causing  severe changes that makes the whole mankind in trouble.

 It’s near to be too late. So as soon as possible we must do our very best to revive our good relationship with the blue planet! Have discipline in yourself! Pick up your trashes! Don’t burn you plastics! Let it be recycled. Plant Trees! Don’t waste water! Save Energy! Save the Earth!

Help her and she will, in return bring back your goodness. Let us all work hand in hand to save our blue planet in distress!!!

“REFLECT THEN REFRACT”

            As what all people have in mind, “Life is too short”. True, life is just like one glimpse when its God’s time, it’s like 1 day for them in heaven and is just like only millisecond for God. Life is just a twinkling of bright yellow star, so we should make the very most out of it.

            One midnight, I awoke then I couldn’t sleep so I went out and gazed at the stars. I tried to remember what had happened the hours before but it’s just that I can’t remember a thing. I don’t know why. Then I woke up in the reality that months, weeks, days and hours had completely passed since the first quarter in my senior life in high school begun. I realized that another quarter was already finished, I am now halfway. I tried to reflect on the things that I did, if I had made my promise to do better in the second quarter but I can hardly remember a single thing but one thing I’m sure of is that I have learned some things in every subject that I am taking, especially in my ICT subject because its one of my favorite aside from English and Social Studies. I must admit that we have had so much out of class activities this quarter but all is well. We had still good lessons in ICT though. We just had activities regarding HTML tags and I easily grasped the lesson so well, thank God. Wow! I now remember these things. It’s great!

            I just hope I did well in every decision I made, in every recitation I had, in every activity I performed, in every quiz I had taken, and in every periodic test I answered because this will greatly affect my future.     

            Here comes again these days, so fast like an ultra jet. Tomorrow, we don’t know, would be again December, the yuletide season, and then January which will be the announcement of the winners of the much awaited announcement of winners of the Kannawidan essay writing competition which I had joined last July and then, it would be February the announcement of Upcat Passers. I am praying to God that he would let us win and would let me pass the Upcat. And then It would be March, Graduation Day!, oh yes, I would be soon a college student.

As of now I would like to live my life to the fullest because life is too short…………

Promoting Digital Literacy through English Proficiency

Filipinos country-wide, face the most important tasks, these are to relinquish the status quo and embrace a new definition of public media that is more local, more inclusive and more interactive. They should develop English proficiency by obtaining the necessary funding and hiring students who bring digital skills, diversity and content expertise. They should support English based activities with strengthened editorial oversight and professional development opportunities. They should create a culture that supports independent, fearless acts that serves their campuses and communities. They should also move full force into digital media and acquire the necessary expertise and resources as they redirect funding from outmoded broadcast infrastructure into digital technology.

“Digital literacy” is a concept that is repeated time and time again in most of the studies related to the information and knowledge of the society. The argumentative context in which this expression tends to appear is the development of the information for the society based on information and communication technologies. As a result, the accelerated appearance of such technologies is crucial and the aim is that a particular society assumes a competitive position now and in the future.

Various expressions are used that transmit the same idea with slight differences in meaning: “information literacy”, “literacy in information and communication technologies (ICT)”, “media literacy”, “network literacy”, “media education”, and  “education in communication”. Less general is “media education”. This term keeps the educational dimension of the previous definition, but is more precise: it refers specifically to the means of communication, embracing traditional media like the press, radio, and television, as well as more recent innovations such as the Internet, second and third generation mobile phones, and others.

Digital literacy can no wonder contribute to the betterment of the country for it gives our societies a viable position in the time to come. Student’s intelligence would be upgraded and technical skills would be further developed. Literacy in technology has the possibility to boost up our country like Japan, US or Russia. Digital literacy would improve the lives of Filipinos if it is absorbed by the whole nation.   

The only one who could help to promote and uphold this digital literacy to the public is the people itself. Even students through studying by which the students learn through writing and speaking, must have an endeavor to promote digital literacy to the public. Digital literacy is now up to date that it needs more preferment and advancement for the good of the entire studentry and not only that but same as through with the locality and country.