Draw My Life (Comic Strips)

     Hi, welcome to my Draw My Life: Comic Strips Version. These are some of the experiences and situations I have encountered. Some of these made me a better person while some are my views of my experiences. I hope you like them. :)

     I was always ranked 1st Honors from 1st Grade to 5th Grade. When I became 6th Grade, I became a member of the Basketball Varsity and enjoyed it. I also played Tae Kwon Do. My focus in my academics lessened. I graduated Salutatorian. This is my first "failure".

     "Turning Setbacks into Triumphs," I have read this from somewhere. My first "failure" or setback was actually my triumph, or at least I made it into a triumph. During high school, I progressed in my academics and graduated ranked fourth of the whole batch.

     This happened during high school. I compared my skills in dancing and basketball to two guys due to my crush. I want her attention that was why I practiced and progressed my skills in dancing and basketball. Thanks to her, my dancing skills improved and continuously improving and I now consider myself better to that guy. My basketball skills improved in high school but stopped in college due to lack of time to practice.

     This is what I feel right now. That's not low self-esteem, just average to be clear.

     This is also what I feel right now. Did I just realize that college is like a zombie?

     Lastly, this is my concept of improvement. You need to keep going; you need to keep pushing yourself; you need to keep improving. This means that if you consider yourself to be improved than before then do not stop because you can always improve more. It is like an endless stairway.

English ‘Learning’ Time

Every afternoon at 4:00 to 5:00, our last subject of the day is English. Sometimes, it’s not an ordinary class of boring lessons. It’s sometimes like a teacher-student bonding time. Ma’am May is not like a boring, scary, awkward teacher, she’s like a mother and a friend for us. That’s why English time is fun time for us. So, I would like to share some experiences of mine in this subject.

During our First Grading, our class was divided to groups which each group will perform a part of Romeo and Juliet. Each group was assigned to different settings and should modify their script. I got the role of Romeo in our group which was assigned with the Jail Setting. Well, I enjoyed it. We practiced on the smaller gate of the canteen right in front of the clinic. We practiced there even there are students passing by. It was fun and challenging at the same time. And on the day of the performance, it was a success. We were proud of ourselves doing that and it’s an achievement for me.

I almost forgot. Before that, we had a discussion about Romeo and Juliet with the guide questions. Of course, it’s about the love of those two, and there we mentioned that Romeo can’t find another girl to love to because he’s always comparing them to Rosaline. Ma’am teased me about my ex because she wasn’t around that time because she got chicken pox. Ma’am asked me teasingly if I was comparing my ex to the other girls I see. Well, we’re close and she’s like a friend to me.

Ma’am didn’t just teach us how to learn from her but also how to learn from ourselves. She gave us Jazz Chant piece, Oration piece, Speech Choir piece, Poem Recitation piece, etc. She made us work with ourselves to accomplish something. That’s the best thing I like in this subject. Especially our last performance, our Speech Choir: The Bells. We crammed that morning of the day of our performance. Just minutes away, we will be performing in front of her. We haven’t finalized it but we didn’t turn back, we continued it, and we did our best. We performed the best we could and we are proud of it. She taught us indirectly to do the best we can, so we’ll be proud of ourselves.

Every ‘You’ is Special.

Well, I bet none in the universe except me who can play basketball this good, can do tae kwon do this good, can play badminton this good, has talent in Math this awesome, can dance this cool, can stay this good-looking, can act this good, can play guitar this good, can read poem this good, has mom and dad this awesome, has a stubborn handsome younger brother, has a beautiful and talented sister, can study in a science high school, has this height, has house with two floors, can dress this cool, has the most beautiful and cute girlfriend and many amazing things.

I bet you can’t have those things at the same time but I can. That’s why I’m special, because you’re not like me. There’s no one like me. That’s also the reason why you are special. And also the one beside you, in front of you, behind you, all the persons you know and even some who you don’t know. Because I don’t have all what all you have got; you don’t have all what all I got. The same thing with you and another person, and to another person, and to another, and to another. We are all different from each other, and that makes us individually special so, feel special.

God, I Love My Parents

Dear God,

First of all, I want to thank You for all the blessings You have given me especially my parents. They are the ones who took care of me. I want to thank You for giving me a wonderful couple who will always be there for me. For being patient, understanding, supportive, protective, kind, caring, loving and a good model for me, thank You for giving them to me, Lord.

I’m terribly sorry for the sins I have made especially the ones I did to my parents. The wrongdoings that a son must not do to his loving parents, I’m truly terribly sorry. At times when they are scolding me for my own good, I had been rude to them. At times when they are saying the usual things to do, I always am irritated. At times when I should do what they said, I had been a hard-headed. Those were only some of my wrong-doings to my parents and I’m so sorry for that. I should be an obedient and a loving son for them but sometimes, I can’t show it. I’m sorry for all of that.

Lord, I just want to wish the best for them. I wish them to grow old longer. I wish to be with them longer even if I’ll have my family of my own. So if we will have free time in the future, we can talk to each other. Laughing and happily talking to each other about the times that I was just a boy naïve for not following them, for hurting them unintentionally. I wish that time will come that I grew old and I still have them. I wish that they will be much patient, understanding, supportive, protective, kind, caring, and loving for me and my siblings. I also wish, Lord, that You guide me to be a better son for the two of them.

There is something that I cannot comfortably say to them personally but I hope this letter will help. I want to say to them that I’m thankful and grateful to have them as my parents. I’m really sorry if sometimes I’m a bad son for them but really I want to be a better son for them. And lastly, I love them so much, really.

A Loving Son,

JEMFG

Setbacks Into Triumphs

Life is just a big maze with many obstacles or, in short, a big obstacle course. Obstacles, which many people had gone through and some are still going through, are the parts of our lives which some of them have made us better, stronger and mainly made us learn from them. These obstacles I’m referring to are problems. And some of these problems are regrets. Regrets, setbacks; setbacks, regrets. For me, regrets are setbacks. Setbacks, because if you regret something, it means that you had done wrong rather than doing the right thing, and which makes a delay for you to your success. May I just share my own regret.

It happened when I was in Grade 6. From Grade 1 to Grade 5, I had always ranked first in my elementary school, OLHRS. I had always ranked first in our School Quiz Bees. I always was highest scorer both in CEM test and Achievement Test in our school. I had always got high scores and most of the time the highest scores in our tests and quizzes especially Math. I am good in Math and it is my favorite subject. I used to make some equations of my own to solve faster in Math problems; practice more in Math to excel in that subject; and review sincerely my lessons before I’ll take an exam. I was undefeated.

Until, I reached the 6^th Grade, became over confident, and took it all easy. I thought I was still undefeated. I didn’t take reviewing my lessons seriously; exert my best effort in making projects and sometimes, I passed my projects late. I still got high scores in my exams but not the highest anymore. The sign of failure started to appear; yet, I ignored it.

Extra-curricular activities also became the reason of my failure. I became a Math quizzer, as usual. So, I was excused from my classes to review for the contest for few days but I didn’t give time to cope up with the current lessons in our class.

Our Basketball couch took me to join his Varsity team. I was excused again for few days for practices. Our team won 1^st place and I also won gold medal in my TKD (Tae Kwon Do) tournament in the Tanza District Meet. So, we will play in the WCSU (West Cavite Sports Unit) Meet. I was excused again for our practices for few days. Our team lost in the said Meet but I won gold medal again in my TKD tournament. So, the winning team in TKD took me and trained me in their gym for the Provincial Meet. So, I was excused again for few days. Still, I wasn’t coping in our current lessons in class.

I graduated salutatorian and I realized that no matter how good I am; I can still fail if I will not give my best; I should balance everything. I should be effective. That’s my regret. But for my perspective, setbacks are triumphs in disguise. The question is, what is my triumph?

From that experience, my regret is not balancing my life specifically my school life. That’s why from then on, I always do my best and balance everything. In my high school life now, in CNSHS (Cavite National Science High School), I was able to go to the top section from my 1^st year to 2^nd year. I was able to go to the top 10 of the batch from my 2^nd year to 3^rd year. I always try to improve, do my best and balance everything. In short, I am trying to make myself effective.

I told you so, setbacks are triumphs in disguise.

My Own Interview with The King of Pop

ME: hi sir! ^_^ I know this is just a dream, but I want to have an interview about you. And I want you to answer like you are still on Earth. That’s no offens sir.

MICHAEL JACKSON: it’s okay, that’s okay. ^_^ first question

ME: Did you like performing as a child? Did you always love it?

MICHAEL JACKSON: Always did. I always enjoyed the feeling of being onstage—the magic that comes. When I hit the stage it’s like all of a sudden a magic from somewhere just comes and the spirit just hits you and you just lose control of yourself. I came onstage at Quincy’s [Jones] concert at the Rose Bowl and I did not want to go onstage. I was ducking and hiding and hoping he wouldn’t see me hiding behind people when he called me on. Then I went up there and I just went crazy. I started climbing up the scaffold, the speakers, the light gear. The audience started getting into it and I started dancing and singing and that’s what happens.

ME: How do you compare acting to performing on the stage?

JACKSON: I love both. Acting is the cream of the crop. I love performing. It’s a phenomenal getaway. If you want to really let out everything you feel, that’s the time to do it. With acting, it’s like becoming another person. I think that’s neat, especially when you totally forget. If you totally forget, which I love to do, that’s when it’s magic. I love to create magic—to put something together that’s so unusual, so unexpected that it blows people’s heads off. Something ahead of the times. Five steps ahead of what people are thinking. So people see it and say, “Whoa I wasn’t expecting that.” I love surprising people with a present or a gift or a stage performance or anything. I love John Travolta, who came off that Kotter show. Nobody knew he could dance or do all those things. He is like—boom. Before he knew it, he was the next big Brando or something.

ME: It seems that what really motivates you is your desire to entertain people, to please people. What about fame and money? Could you imagine not being famous or does being famous bother you when you were alive?

JACKSON: It never has bothered me except sometimes when you want peace. Like you go to the theater and you say, “Nobody’s bothering me tonight, I’m wearing my hat and glasses and I’m going to enjoy this film and that’s all there is to it.” You get in there and everybody’s watching and staring at you and at the climax of the film somebody taps you on the shoulder for an autograph. You just feel like you can’t get away . . .

ME: What’s your typical day like when you were leaving?

JACKSON: Daydreaming most of the day. I get up early and get ready for whatever I’ve got to do, songwriting or whatever it is. Planning the future and stuff.

ME: Are you optimistic about the future?

JACKSON: Yes. I always like to plan ahead of time and follow up . . .

ME: Do you care about fashion much?

JACKSON: No, I care about what I wear onstage. You know what I love, though? I don’t care about everyday clothes. I love putting on an outfit or a costume and just looking at myself in the mirror. Baggy pants or some real funky shoes and a hat and just feeling the character of it. That’s fun to me.

ME: You like to act a lot just in everyday life?

JACKSON: I love it so much. It’s escape. It’s fun. It’s just neat to become another thing, another person. Especially when you really believe in it and it’s not like you’re acting. I always hated the word acting—to say, “I’m an actor.” It should be more than that. It should be more like a believer.

ME: But isn’t that a little frightening when you believe it totally?

JACKSON: No, that’s what I really love about it. I just like to really forget.

ME: Why do you want to forget so much? Do you think life is really hard?

JACKSON: No, maybe it’s because I just like jumping in other people’s lives and exploring. Like Charlie Chaplin. I just love him to death. The little tramp, the whole gear and everything, and his heart—everything he portrayed on the screen was a truism. It was his whole life. He was born in London, and his father died an alcoholic when he was six. He roamed the streets of England, begging, poor, hungry. All this reflects on the screen and that’s what I like to do, to bring all of those truths out . . .

ME: Do you sometimes feel as though you missed out on childhood because you’ve always been performing in the adult world?

JACKSON: Sometimes.

ME: But you like people older than yourself, experienced people.

JACKSON: I love experienced people. I love people who are phenomenally talented. I love people who’ve worked so hard and been so courageous and are the leaders in their fields. For me to meet somebody like that and learn from them and share words with them—to me that’s magic. To work together. I’m crazy about Steven Spielberg. Another inspiration for me, and I don’t know where it came from, is children. If I’m down, I’ll take a book with children’s pictures and look at it and it will just lift me up. Being around children is magic . . .

ME: Are you interested in art?

JACKSON: I love to draw—pencil, ink pen—I love art. When I go on tour and visit museums in Holland, Germany or England—you know those huge paintings?—I’m just amazed. You don’t think a painter could do something like that. I can look at a piece of sculpture or a painting and totally lose myself in it. Standing there watching it and becoming part of the scene. It can draw tears, it can touch you so much. See, that’s where I think the actor or performer should be—to touch that truth inside of the person. Touch that reality so much that they become a part of what you’re doing and you can take them anywhere you want to. You’re happy, they’re happy. Whatever the human emotions, they’re right there with you. I love realism. I don’t like plastics. Deep down inside we’re all the same. We all have the same emotions and that’s why a film like E.T. touches everybody. Who doesn’t want to fly like Peter Pan? Who doesn’t want to fly with some magic creature from outer space and be friends with him? Steven went straight to the heart. He knows—when in doubt, go for the heart . . .

ME: Wow, so I might say you are ARTISTIC! Haha, one last thing, what can you say about the Illuminati which I believe that you were a part of it? But I know that you became against them after.

JACKSON: I really WAS a part of them, if you observe some of my dance moves are influenced by them. My fame, rich, they helped so I can have it but I really want to expose them to the world. I’m a member but I want to be against them. You know what I’m saying?

ME: Hell yeah! I understand it pretty well…

JACKSON: and Jem, I want to tell you that the Illuminati killed me before having my concert THIS IS IT because they knew I will expose them in that concert. If in the future you will be a famous dancer because I know you’re quite good, don’t join them, continue your career without them, ok?

ME: Yes, sir! ^_^ well, thank you for your time, may you rest in peace! ^_^

JACKSON: God bless you and the World Jem.

Los Nueve Circulos de Cavite National Science High School

Not only Inferno has 9 circles, but Cavite National Science High School has them also. You can take a look in each circle of our school and realize it’s true. ;)

From the outside of the school, a gate will convene. This is the 1^st Circle of Cavite National Science High School. This circle is guarded by the CAT officers. This place is for the latecomer students and students wearing incomplete uniform. Their punishment is that their names will be listed by the CAT officers.

The 2^nd circle is the Guidance Office guarded by the Guidance Councilor. This circle is for students who have violated the school rules and regulations. Their punishment is that their parents will be called to be talked to by the Guidance Councilor.

The 3^rd circle is the LRC guarded by the librarian. This circle is for students who are members of the LRC club. Their punishment is to clean the LRC on their designated cleaning schedule.

The 4^th circle is the ICT lab guarded by the computer teacher. This circle is for students who are members of the FLL Robotics Teams. Their punishment is that they will work in an air-conditioned room on their project and robot for their FLL competition.

The 5^th circle is the Canteen 1 guarded by canteeners and a nurse. This circle is for students and teachers who want to eat foods. Their punishment is that they will pay for what they eat.

The 6^th circle is the CAT Room guarded by the CAT adviser. This circle is for the students of the CAT adviser. Their punishment is that they should endure the heat inside the room and also their basketballs and volleyballs will be confiscated.

The 7^th circle is the SALIW Room guarded by an actor. This circle is for students who attend the workshop. Their punishment is that they will do whatever the actor says.

The 8^th circle is the Canteen 2 guarded by canteeners and a teacher. This circle is for students and teachers who want to eat more foods. Their punishment is that they will pay higher prices than the right prices of foods that they eat.

           The last but not the least, the 9^th circle is the III – Nitrogen room. This circle is for the students who ranked top 31 of their batch on their sophomore year. Their punishment is that they should stay cool. Also, those students are expected to be better than the students of the other sections of their batch.