Echos!@!

This picture was taken when I was in Grade I, during the 15th Founding Anniversary celebration of my school, the Palawan United Methodist School. Some people would love to dance but only few of them really knows how to dance, and I am the kind of person who dances only for the sake of the event and grade as well; because my teachers might fail me if I didn’t dance. Maybe God has given me a talent, but I don’t know yet. I know and I believe that God did not create any individual who don’t have a talent at all, it depends upon them on how they will discover it and utilize it.

These pictures were taken during my 7th birthday, the celebration was held on our house because my birthday fell on Saturday. My parents have prepared for my birthday celebration, there were balloons, cake, lots of foods and of course, my favorite… lechon!

This picture was taken during our Recognition Day when I was in Grade I. I was the 1st Honors, I felt happy at that moment because I know I am not the only one who was celebrating but my parents as well. My mom used to force me to study my lessons every night, she makes sure that before I go to sleep I have done all my homework and memorize every single word that was written on my notebook. It’s very hard to study when at the back of your mind you wanted to sleep. I know I made my parents proud of me. I would consider that we were the mythical 5 in our batch because for 2 years the 5 of us remained on the

top. It was innate in us to be competitive. We were born in this tough world to compete with one another.

It was taken during my graduation in elementary at Legend Hotel. I graduated at Palawan United Methodist School as Salutatorian. I have also received other special awards, such as Orator of the Year, Classroom Leadership Award, ExtraCurricular Activities Award, Loyalty Award (Gold), Rev. Sung Hoon-Ki Academic excellence Award, Drum and Lyre Award; I didn’t get any of the subject awards because our Valedictorian bagged it all. Never mind, I was also the one who delivered the Welcome Remarks and I led the recitation of the Oath of the Graduates…(ung para sa mga alumni ata yun…)

I was together with all the faculty and staff. It was a great experience having taught and guided by these mentors. I will never forget them for the rest of my life for my heart always belongs to my PUMS family.

Every Recognition Day, I thought it has been a tradition for us to have a family picture, because this is the time where I made my parents proud of me. I know I’m not a perfect, nor a perfect individual, I have my own flaws. I was still the 1st Honors during Grade 2. My mama always says that if I don’t study hard and do well during exams, she will transfer me to East Central School, which I don’t like. So I study my lessons every night and I make sure that I have memorized every single word that was written on the book. My mama always makes a reviewer for me so that I can easily understand the lesson and she evaluates me through a mock examination as if it was our exams already. When I was reminiscing the past, I think I not what I am now if my mama would have let me play outside during those days. My papa was always there for me, whenever I needed something, he would buy it for me. I really love my parents, they are the greatest gift that god has given to me, and I to them as well.

(From left to right): Deevid, Doods, Me, Rishel These pictures were also taken during our Recognition Day in Grade 2. Deevid and Rishel were my best buds during that time and are still my best buds today, even if took different path to walk on, we know in our hearts that our friendship still remains. Doods was the younger brother of Deevid. (Top) I was together with Teacher Merlyn. She was our class adviser at that time; I was very close to her because she would always reminds me that I must behave inside the classroom, even though other students would have mistaken her as mataray, she’s really not that, she was kind and softspoken. (Right)

This picture was taken at my school during my 5th birthday celebration. God gave me another year to spare all my time to useful things and I thanked Him for giving me such wonderful gift.

These pictures were taken on April 1999 at Toy Kingdom. I was still wearing my braces there. I have suffered so much in wearing those

braces I was like a robot. Pretty cool! I wore those braces for almost 6 months for me to be able to recover easily. Fortunately, after 6 months, that brace were removed and was replaced only by a collar for protection. It took a year before the doctor advised that the collar should be removed already because I have fully recovered. I know why God let that happened because he wanted me to learn something from that incident, and I really learned a lot from it. I cannot recall what was happening during my 1st year birthday celebration. I knew that there were lots of visitors who came to join me in celebrating the special day in my life. My cousins were there, relatives, friends, my parents’ officemates

were also there. Based on the pictures that I have scanned, my parents did really prepare for the party. There were lots of foods to partake, the balloons were scattered all over the house and everything. Even if my birthday party was not as grandiose compared to others, I was thankful because my parents have let me experienced such party.

This picture was taken during my 1st Communion. Since I was studying in a Methodist school, there was no Sacrament of 1st Communion. My aunt who was a teacher at East Central School

was the one who initiated about that event; he brought me to her school for the kumpisal. I felt so blessed during that moment. Hmmm.

Eto ung kaisa-isa kung picture na may award ako nung high school. 4th honors lang ako, pero masaya na rin ako, pero syempre hindi ung mga magulang ko, kasi sobrang taas ng expectation nila sa akin, kasi nga diba nung

elementary pa ako, lagi lng akong nasa top 3, tapos ngaung high school pang 4th lang ako. Hay naku, ang mga magulang nga naman talaga, ang hirap i-please, kahit ginawa mo na ung lahat ng makakaya mo, pero para sa kanila parang kulang pa din. Ahy naku noh!

This picture was taken at the Asturias Hotel during our JS Promenade 2006. Nothing more special had happened; it’s just that I

was a big loser that night because I wasn’t able to dance my crush for 4 years. Kainis talaga!

These photos were taken during the search for Mr. and Ms. PUMS. I won the Mr. PUMS title and I am very happy because I wasn’t expecting to win because there were more handsome contestants than me. I just did my best, showed my talent, and hit the ramp. Ayun, syempre hindi naman talaga ako marunong rumampa, noong unang practice talaga namin feeling ko mukha akong tanga, kasi hindi naman talaga ako

marunong rumampa. Every practice lagi nalang akong napapagalitan kasi hindi daw ako marunong maglakad. Ahy naku noh. Nung contest proper na, sobrang kinakabahan talaga kasi ako, kasi sa practice pa nga lang sablay na ako, paano pa kaya kung sa totoong contest na talaga? Buti nalang talaga hindi rin ako sumablay sa rampa ko nung mga panahong yun. The contest have 8 parts, Production number, Casual wear, School uniform, Ethnic wear, Sports wear, Formal wear/Evening gown, Talent and Q&A. I was able to get 2 of the special awards that night, the Best in Talent and Best in Formal Wear. At the end of the competition I was hailed as the Mr. PUMS 2002. I was crying in the picture because my partner didn’t win, she’s only 1st runner-up. Super natatawa talaga ako kapag naaalala ko ungmga eksena doon sa dressing room, hahaha, sobrang kalat yung mga damit ko, tapos yung mga costume na ginamit ko nakakalat din. Tapos naaalala ko pa nung Ethnic Wear, sa sobrang kakamadali, nakalimutang kong magsuot ng underwear, hahaha. . . sobrang nakakahiya talaga, isipin mo yun rumampa ako sa stage ng walang brief, super bahag lng talaga sya, my gosh. . .ahy naku noh. . .

Sobrang hindi ko tlaga malilimutan yung experience ko na yun. Yun na din ang una at huli kong sali sa mga ganong klaseng contests. Sobrang dami kong natutunan sa pagsali ko sa contest na yun. Una, hindi lahat ng gustuhin mo ay makukuha mo, dapat marunong kang tumanggap ng pagkatalo sa harap ng madaming tao, kapag ikaw naman ang nanalo, kailangan wag kang magyayabang sa pagkapanalo mo. Marami talaga akong naiwang masasayang alala sa Methodist, lalong-lalo na sa mga teachers, ang dami akong natutunan sa kanila, hindi lang sa pagaaral, pati na rin sa buhay. Salamat PUMS! Salamat sa pagiging parte na buhay ko, salamat sa paghubog sa akin bilang isang indibidwal. Salamat! =)