Philippine History and Me

Growing up with a complete background on Philippine history has motivated me to become a good citizen of this country. The tremendous impact of my insights since I was a young child can be manifested in my day to day interaction with the surroundings. Examples of such include following road signs, respecting the elderly and studying hard for excellence. Aside from that, my complete understanding of who we were before drew my heart to love this archipelago even more. I have never been proud and gallant towards what most countries term as the "Sick Man of Asia". I believe we can prove them wrong. To top the list, I have been enticed to become active in our local community. Understanding the legal terms and conditions of being a citizen has caused me to be concerned of the people around me. I have proven that we are to help one another just like how we Filipinos worked hand in hand in the olden times. The teachings from our history has told me that we Filipinos don't settle for anything less by nature. A small act can go as far as a big movement like the domino effect. A little effort wouldn't hurt as long as it is for the country. Most people despise their nationality. But as a Filipino, I am very proud that I can lift my head up high.

Truth on Friends

Growing up as a teenager, I've had many sets of friends. Some of them I consider as "real" due to the fact that we both exchange secrets. My own personal experience of being the head turner of the school was caused by a blast of secrets coming from a so-called "real friend" of mine. Since then, I have learned that not all friends are worth to be given of trust.

A friend is supposed to be someone whom you can lean on in times of trouble. He or she is a personal outlet for sharing, listening, and on the worst-case scenario - venting. The primary concern of a friend is your welfare and of the other people inside the circle as well. Friends can be defined by the intensity of how well you know each other and the time you have spent together. There are mere acquaintances, regular friends, true friends and real friends who possess a trust-worthy character.

The issue of trust is always debatable when it comes to serious friendships. I had this friend who promised not to turn her back on me if we would land on the same spot in the class ranking. The latter happened and yes, she kept her promise. That situation convinced me that she was worthy of trust. The friendship that we had nurtured for four years has proven its value.

However, there are instances that humans cannot control their natural behavior of being curious, inquisitive and talkative. In the case of friendships, secrets are spilled out of the bag just like a surprise attack. This is where the betrayal sets in, especially when the issue is juicy and worth of gossip. From my own account of experience, my friend shared to a clique that I came from a broken family. That wasn't very nice of her to expound the story with points that weren't true at all. Such shame covered my face while I tried to fight for the truth. The word circulated in a blink of an eye which made everyone in campus knowledgeable of my secret made things worse. The funny thing about it was that there were different versions of the story. But still, it hurt me dramatically. A small and petty situation like that rooted from the lack of responsibility which led to distrust.

Having friends is not an easy job. Although they bring you joy, misunderstandings are always unavoidable. They steer the path to a rocky tread leaving friendships in doubt. Like there is no perfect person, there is also no perfect friend. From all the lessons and experiences that I have encountered, I prefer having few friends who are trust worthy than going out with a bunch who are smiling traitors. I leave with two very personal advices to young individuals who are in their teenage years: First, choose friends wisely for not all of them can always be trusted. Two, be cautious but enjoy. Don't be deceived, think sagely.