Okey. Normal day hanggang sa may nagbigay ng letter wehee <3

 Sa Aking Pagtatapos

Ang araw ng pagtatapos ay ang araw kung saan binibigyang parangal ang mga estudyanteng maluwalhating nakapagtapos sa pag-aaral. Ito ay pagpapatunay ng kanilang napagtagumpayan sa loob ng ilang taon ng pagsisikap at pagbubunyi. Ito ay masaya dahil sa wakas makikita na rin ang bunga ng ilang taong paghihirap at pagsisikap sa pag-aaral. Ang araw na iyon ay simula ng panibagong kabanata sa buhay ng isang mag-aaral tungo sa mas malawak pang karanasan. Kaya bilang isang mag-aaral, magiging isang napakagandang karanasan para sa akin ang makapagtapos sa sekundarya.

            Sa pagtatapos ng aking paglalakbay sa sekundarya, hindi ko maiiwasan ang mapaisip kung anong klaseng buhay ang naghihintay sa akin sa kolehiyo. Kahit ako man ay nagagalak at nasasabik sa pagkakataong ito. Parang hindi pa rin ako handa.Sa apat na taon, natuklasan ko ang kagandahan o importansya ng pag-aaral. Kasama ng saya, hirap at mga pagsubok sa buhay ng isang mag-aaral. Masarap balikan ang mga panahong inilagi ko sa apat na sulok ng aking paaralan. Mga karanasan kung saan napabuti ako at napasama ay nagdulot pa din ng matinding pagbabago  sa buhay ko. Sa pamamalagi ko dito nakasalumuha ko ang halos lahat ng estudyante. May kanya kanya silang katangian, iba’t iba kami ngunit nagbuklod kami bilang isang magkakaibigan.Kung iisipin;Ilang beses na ba kong tumawa, nadapa at bumangon sa loob ng apat na taon? Ilang beses na ba kong napahiya sa harap ng maraming tao? Ilang beses ba kong napagalitan ng mga teachers ko? Ilang pad ba ng intermediate paper ang binili at pinamigay ko lang sa mga kaklase kong di marunong magdala ng papel? Ilang beses ba kong nangopya at nagpakopya tuwing may quiz at seatwork kami? Ilang kaklase ko din kaya ang aking napagtripan, nagalit at natuwa sa ginawa ko? Ilang beses na din ba kaming magpasa ng late na project? Ilang beses na din ba kaming hindi gumawa ng takdang- aralin? Napakarami ko nga talagang nagawang kalokohan. Ito ay iilan lamang sa Mga karanasang tumulong sa akin para matutong lumaban at ipagtanggol ang mga ilang prinsipyo ko sa buhay.

           

            Natuto akong magpahalaga ng mga taong karapat-dapat sa pagpapahalaga ko. Natuto akong makipaglaban at makipagaway para sa mga taong tinuturing kong kaibigan. Minsan naiisip ko kung ilang klase ba ng pagkatao ko ang naipakita ko sa mga taong nakasalamuha ko sa loob ng apat na taon. Aminado naman ako na may mga tao akong nasaktan sa mga panahong iyon. Mga taong nagawan ko ng kasalanan. Di naman maiiwasan ang pag-aaway sa buhay ng isang estudyante di ba? Dahil para sakin ang mga naranasan naming pag aaway ay ang pagsubok sa katatagan naming bilang isang magkaibigan. Sa ilang taon ko dito, aminado akong nagkaroon ako ng mga mabubuting kaibigan na palaging nakasuporta sakin. Mga kaibigang handang ipaintindi ang mga bagay bagay na di ko lubos maintindihan.

Ang rurok ng aking pagtatagumpay ay utang ko sa mga taong nagbigay importansya sa akin. Katulad ng aking mga guro, na walang pagod at nagtyaga na magturo sa amin kahit na kami ay sobrang pasaway, ingay, gulo at kulit pero kahit na ganoon kami ay mahal na mahal namin sila. Napakaswerte namin na magkaroon ng mga butihing guro na nagging pangalawang ina na namin. Ano na lang kami kung wala sila? Paniguradong di kami makakapagtapos kung wala sila. Di man sila ang tunay kong mga magulang pero tinuturing ko sila bilang aking pamilya na gumagabay sakin araw-araw. Hindi nagsasawang magbigay ng payo kapag kailangan. Isa na rin sa nagbigay importansya sakin ay ang aking pinakamamahal na pamilya. Hindi ko man sila nakakasama buong araw ay palagi naman nila ako nabibigyan ng pansin. Handa silang isakripisyo ang lahat , masuportahan lang ako sa aking mga pangangailangan. At syempre hinding hindi ko malilimutan ang ating Panginoon, na gumagabay sa lahat ng daang aking tinatahak at tatahakin.
           

Ang aking pagtatapos sa sekundarya ay regalo ko sa aking pamilya. Sa wakas, makakamit ko na rin ang aking pinakahihintay. Ang lahat ng hirap at pagod ay mapapawi na dahil sa isang diplomang aking matatanggap. Labis na galak ang aking nararamdaman dahil ilang buwan na lang ay magsisimula na aking buhay bilang isang kolehiyala. 

Yuletide

So Hi J It’s me again. Say Hi to another chapter of our lives. And now I am here to tell you about how I spent my Christmas vacation and my new-year countdown.

Okay. Here it is. Well, for me Christmas is what many have said it’s the birth of our Jesus Christ. Christmas is the time to think of Jesus Christ as a baby in a manger.

Eto na talaga yun start. I celebrated Christmas with my family, of course, they won’t allow me to go anywhere without them because they say that the spirit of Christmas came from a complete and a healthy family.

Not going anywhere on Christmas break is quite boring? It’s not just “quite boring”, it’s definitely boring. That’s why I really would like to thank my parents because they were so great to me. To be honest, first time ko magcarol ^__^. It was really a great bond with my classmate. Some say that were too old for this kind of thing but I don’t care about what they want to say, it’s our way of enjoying our Christmas break as a teen agerJ.

The day before Christmas, I feel so excited. No, actually it is my tummy. Because my tummy is aware that anytime it will be full. HAHA.

That day all of the people were so busy and I’m just there, waiting for someone to pick me up in the house to go somewhere. But to my surprise, no one just did. But it is okay, I just give all of my attention to my youngest brother.

December 25.

First thing I did is to open my phone. And then I turned it off again because I’m flooded with all of their “Merry Christmas”. But that doesn’t mean that I ignored them, well every message touch my heart even if it’s just a simple greetings. It’s considered as an effort.

I end the day with a smile. For I am so blessed that every people are so happy, they all cherish the moments.  

Every yuletide is really unforgettable for me, though this is the first time that my lolo is not here with us. But in our hearts his alive and I know that he’s smilingly watching us.

My Life In Zamboanga City High School

My Life in Zamboanga City High School

I've been here for almost four years. And if you'll ask me what is my impression here in school, well, actually it’s big enough for the high school students to be comfortable. No, actually for me my comfortable state depends on the students that I will encounter here and of course their securities and facilities.

          The first time I stepped here in school, I already feel the awkwardness. Why? Only because I really don’t know their language, a.k.a Chavacano. But when I got to know most of my classmates, I feel happy not only because they are trying to teach me on how to understand their language but because they are really friendly and bubbly. They were nice and loyal to me. As a high school student, I wasn’t expecting the unexpected. I was drowned by events, homeworks, responsibilities, problems, and all other things. But then it came to my mind that high school life could be one of the best things that could ever happen in my life, a life-changing event. As I have experienced in our class, it was bonded with crazy things and funny moments. Some of the times, backstabbing was going on to some other groups of friend which shouldn’t happen. In my school life, I also experienced to be lonely, rejected, made fun of and all that. But I don’t mind, I don’t care about what they say because the only one who knows well yourself is you. I had ups and downs. But mostly, I had easy times. I don’t even care about the deadlines here, deadlines there, I will cherish those moments. The unforgettable Juniors-Seniors promenade, the butterflies bugging in my stomach whenever my loved one and I danced as the music plays for us. The way he waltzed as if like he was my prince.

          Whenever my adviser hand out my card. I always got nervous. It caused me to shake. It gives me shiver, the so called “Goosebumps”. And even there is an oral recitation I always got nervous, even though I study all of my notes. At serious times I am not serious. I just study and read my notes when needed. Sometimes, I don’t give a full attention on my lessons. And also sometimes I came to school just to see my friends and to have some quality time together. And I knew I was wrong. My parents work hard for me but I don’t exert such effort to do my best on anything. But since I’m already a graduating student, I need to focus on my studies.

           High school life made me learn from my mistakes. Learn on how to strive harder in my studies, and put all of my best in it. It taught me not to become coward at difficult times, instead be brave enough to reach the peak.

Zamboanga Siege: Tales from the Combat zone

For several days government troops waited as negotiators exhausted means to end the Zamboanga siege peacefully. By the time the soldiers were ordered to mount a counter-attack, however, they were already faced with a complex combat zone where rebels had taken hostages and entrenched themselves in key defensive positions. Soldiers by the codename "Venom," "Dark Knight," "Karambit," and "Wild Orchid" remember everything that transpired in Zamboanga City from September 9 to 28, 2013 – the action, the suspense, the drama and even the comedy that came with it. On September 9, 2013, close to 500 members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) attacked the city to protest what they considered was government's failure to fulfill the provisions of the peace agreement that the MNLF signed with the Ramos administration in 1996. Government troops fought back in what would turn out to be the Philippine military's biggest operation in recent history. What followed was a fierce battle that stretched for 3 weeks, killed 19 government forces and 208 rebels, and dislocated 24,000 families. (READ: Zamboanga siege: Ground zero a year after) A year after the siege, Rappler sat down with the elite troops from the Philippine military's anti-terrorist Light Reaction Battalion (LRB) at their headquarters in Nueva Ecija, where they recalled the siege that tested their wit and mettle. Created in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, the LRB was trained for situations such as the Zamboanga siege. It's a Tier 1 unit, whose members were plucked from the elite Scout Rangers and the Special Forces. They were trained to either become an assaulter or a sniper – skills necessary in urban combat, hostage rescue, and neutralization of high value targets

 Target: KGK:

  The first challenge for the LRB was the KGK Building along Lustre street, a 4-story structure with very thick walls that MNLF commander Habier Malik and his followers had turned into a well-fortified base. It would become the most important target for government troops.

Trained for surgical operations, the LRB troops planned to attack the KGK building. But there was a hitch: they didn't have the floor plan and they lacked enough information on rebel strength and position.

"Wala kaming floor plan. Pero sabi ng tropa: Sir, kailangan kunin na natin ito (We didn't have a floor pan. But the troops said: Sir, we should take this already)," recalled LRB commander Colonel Teodoro Llamas.

They found a short route from the back of a hospital compound. The plan was to approach the wall of KGK, bore a hole in the wall, force their way in, surprise the rebels and free the hostages.

It was easier said than done. The plan exposed them to an open terrain and a swampy area. They had to crawl under the cover of darkness, relying on government snipers and machine gunners who would open fire at rebel positions from the roof of the nearby Zamboanga City Medical Center.

The troops eventually reached the wall and bore a hole in it while dodging bullets from the enemy side. It was about 2 am.

"Kung hindi lang sa kasamahan namin nakikipagputukan, katay na kami doon. High risk ang ginawa namin. Medyo suicidal yun e (If it weren't for the others who were engaging the rebels, we would have been massacred. It was a high-risk operation. It was suicidal.)," recalled "Dark Knight," one of those who led the approach.

But it turned out it's not the wall they needed. "Hindi namin mapasok kasi yung pader pala na papasukan namin swamp. Tapos walang access sa mismong [KGK]. Hindi namin alam 'yung floor plan. Walang access (We coudn't enter because the wall was in a swampy area.

It didn't have access to KGK, too. We didn't know the floor plan. It didn't have access)," recalled "Venom," one of the company commanders reporting to Llamas.

They had to retreat to the hospital.

Mortars, fires, and gun holes

They made a second attempt to seize KGK after lunch on the same day. But the rebels were already alerted, waiting for the soldiers to return.

The troops had to change tactics.

They then went around the building, moving from one street corner to another in tanks, running from house to house, hitting walls with mortars.

But the rebels proved to be well-trained in this type of battle.

"We suspect that some of them have some sort of a training also. We see styles from Afghanistan or Pakistan. There were 3 layers before you can engage them, " said Llamas.

Sometimes the rebels fired through holes in several layers of walls. It was hard to tell where the bullets were coming from and harder to see where the hostages were kept.And then there was the burning of houses and facilities that forced the troops to stop and prevented them from immediately closing in. Sometimes the troops had to sleep in half-burned houses.

The MNLF rebels had two advantages in the prolonged firefight: they had food supplies inside the abandoned houses and they had hostages that they used as shields.

A soldier dies

On their 3rd attempt to take KGK, the elite troops suffered their first loss. They watched Corporal Michael Baltazar fall after a surprise attack from a rebel who suddenly appeared from a sewer.

Some of the men couldn't help their tears while they were engaging the enemies. “Kinuha ko ang baril ni Baltazar. Dalawa na gamit ko. Sinabihan ako ng CO (commanding officer)ko na “Kalma ka lang, brother.” Sa isip ko, gusto ko na talaga pasukin KGK (I took Baltazar's firearm and was firing 2 rifles. My commanding officer had to tell me to calm down. In my mind, I wanted to enter KGK),” "Wild Orchid" recalled.

"Venom" was wounded, too. A shrapnel hit his left hand and he bled profusely. Llamas had to order a master sergeant to drag "Venom" him by the collar to a tank that brought him to the hospital.

It would take 5 difficult advances until the troops were able to take the building. But by then, the rebels had fled with their hostages.

On September 18, the troops raised the flag on the roof of KGK and sang the national anthem. But this did not mean the end of the crisis; it only meant the rebels were deprived of a fortified base.

The soldiers continued to pounce on the rebels until they cornered them in a small area.

Hard lessons

Looking back, some of the troops say they should have made their move on Day 1, when one company of Light Reaction troops had the vantage point in a building where they could see the rebels marching with their hostages.

But the soldiers could not do anything. For the first 4 days they were paralyzed by negotiations held between government representatives and rebel emissaries for the peaceful surrender of Malik's followers.

The soldiers told Rappler that during those days they played the battlefield in their minds; they would shoot the enemy, rescue hostages, show immense firepower. But it was tough to fight an imaginary war. When they got impatient, one officer mustered the courage to seek permission to attack. He was rejected.

The go-signal would come only the 5th day, September 13 (Friday the 13th), after President Benigno Aquino III arrived in Zamboanga City. (READ: Bungled chances in Zamboanga and Zambo crisis: The fog of war

By then the rebels had taken defensive positions and camped at the KGK with hostages, putting government troops at a disadvantage.

Worse, the troops were given two – but somewhat complex – orders: rescue the hostages and neutralize the enemy. They were two different missions that required different firearms and approaches. “Ano ba talaga sir?,” junior commanders would ask Llamas. He told them the priority was the safety of the hostages.

Small team

Llamas lost 9 men in the Zamboanga siege. He said he feels guilty that he was unable to visit their graves more often.

He also remembers considering to beg off from the operation. "Technically, we were non-operational. Our unit was not filled up," he said. The military has always estimated their number to be 300 but, in fact, they are much smaller. The Zamboanga operation seemed too big for the small unit.

But Llamas also knew he couldn’t say no.

The troops also felt it was a "once-in-a-lifetime" operation cut out for them. They've rescued hostages before and have surprised terrorists in their encampments, but there was nothing like the magnitude of Zamboanga City. There were about 100 hostages held by close to 500 rebels in 5 densely populated barangays. The elite troops' 13 years of training would be put to test.

"It was the real world. It's no longer training," said Wild Orchid, 42, who joined LRB in 2003.

The crisis would drag for 21 days, too long for a unit that is trained to finish a job in 3 days. In the end, the combat zone was razed to the ground.

The LRB would get help from a company of Navy Special Operations Group (NAVSOG), the equivalent of the US Navy Seals, whose training was closest to the LRB except their expertise is water. The LRB and the Navsog both fall under the Joint Special Operatios Group (JSOG) under the command of Colonel Danilo Pamonag. (READ: 'The first to respond, the last to leave')

The Scout Rangers, too, helped. They occupied the frontlines when the LRB needed to rest.

Surrounding them were over 2,000 other troops. The Air Force brought in soldiers from the different units nationwide. They conducted air strikes and took snapshots of the battlefield. The Navy guarded the shorelines and the mangroves, while the rest of the Army protected the perimeter of the combat zone.

Everyone made sure that the rebels couldn't escape and they couldn't be reinforced.

Deaths and injuries

In the hospital, "Venom" made sure he was released immediately when he learned that his platoon leader also died in combat. He wanted to return to his troops but Llamas said no. Llamas was planning to assign another officer to take Venom's place as company commander.

Llamas recalled how an angry "Venom" stared at him when he received the orders. The battalion commander stared back at the junior officer. Nobody said a word until "Venom" teared up.

Llamas is laughing now but it was no laughing matter back then. "Parang drama e. Kung gagawin mong cartoons yun at may talk bubble, ang sinasabi niya sa akin: P@*!!#!! mo, sir. Huwag mong gawin sa akin ito (It was so dramatic. If there was a talk bubble there, he was tell me: [Expletives] Please don't to this to me)."

"Wala akong magagawa. Naging company commander din ako. I know how he feels.Patay platoon leader niya (I couldn't do anything. I was also a company commander. 

I know how he feels. His platoon leader died.)," Llamas added.

Llamas allowed "Venom" to return to his men. “P@*!!#!!, pumunta ka na. Kapag na-infect ang sugat mo ako mismo ang papatay sayo! ([Expletives], go! If your wound gets infected, I will kill you myself.)”

They could afford to laugh now. But what if another siege of that magnitude happened again? "We're more ready," Llamas said. 

ME MYSELF AND I

           

 In the world of human beings, there was this girl named Jahaziel Ann V. Gador. I was born on March 23, 1999. I’m a girl, a 15-year old girl dealing with a situations a girl my age would deal with. I am a senior in highschool. I’m a sweet-type of person but not clingy as what others think. I’m a music lover and nice to know that my voice is quite fitted to some songs that I am singing. I know how to play a piano when I was in my early age , maybe between 7-9 years old. But unluckily me, I think I already forgot all the basics in that musical instrument. I read books whenever I feel bored.  I can say that I am a responsible and a hard-working student. Moreover, being a sociable person, I have many friends since I like to communicate with people and get to know new interesting individuals. I enjoy my time at school: it is really nice to study and the students are very friendly and ready to help. The atmosphere cannot but make me want to go there every time. I like to receive and deal with challenging tasks. I am a very enthusiastic student and I think this is a strong point of mine. My friends say that I am a very funny and an interesting girl with a good sense of humor. As soon as I meet new people who are happy to meet me, I feel extremely comfortable with them. I believe that friendship is one of the most important values in human life. We exchange new ideas, find many interesting things about each other and experience new things. I appreciate friendship and people who surround me.