Marianne Michelle

     Life is about balance. Everyone in this world has dreams which force them to work hard. Working on your dreams and achieving them is a great feeling from which very few are able to go through. On my hands are my dreams and desires to have a wonderful future. There's a destiny I have to take. One wrong step in the wrong direction might change who I am and where I'll be. In order to be somebody in the world, I have to fight and strive for it and also dodge the bullets that come along with it.      Pursuing my dreams isn't as easy as it seem. We are told that mistakes may break the perfect little future we have in mind so I hardly make my decisions especially now that I'm on the crossroad of choosing which strand to take on Senior High. Every decision I make has significance and even the tiniest choice would reverberate. I shouldn't risk making wrong decisions for my future is at stake. I have to deal with the ups and downs of pursuing my dreams. Ups...

     Ilocos Sur National High School annually celebrates Foundation Day to commemorate the birth of the school. Commemorating the school foundation day is significant since it is the chance to remind the students about the humble beginnings of their educational institution and also its development throughout the years.      The Foundation Day is the most anticipated event of the school for boundless activities awaits the students. Preparations started in the fullness of time. Great excitement filled the students when the day they have long anticipated has finally come. The 117th ISNHS Day was celebrated last March 1-2, 2018. Students were thrilled to perform their fully prepared presentations for the field demonstration. Day 1 of the event was spent for the Coronation Day wherein a new king and queen are formally crowned, together with the 1st to 9th princes and princesses that were also given their recognition. The second day then started with the pa...

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” — Leo Tolstoy Change happens whether we like it or not and regardless of whether we do anything about it. Tomorrow will be different than today. We can resist, but that is a bit like standing in a river and trying to hold back the water – useless. We have a choice to watch change passively happening around us, or to participate and lead it.  Intellectually we all accept the value of change, but we are not so ebullient when it comes down to us being the one who must change. In order to make change at any level of “stuckness,” you have to identify a small action you can take and from there gain momentum. Anyone, anywhere, can start an initiative of change by applying the words of Mahatma Gandhi: Be the change you want to see in the world. If you want to see an end to corruption, start by being scrupulously honest yourself. If you want to see peace in the world, start within your own family. If...

     It is a great advantage to the province of Ilocos Sur to be blessed with a rich heritage. Centuries of cultural exchange endowed us with customs and traditions that give distinction to the Ilocano culture. However, with the effects of modernization, these customs and traditions have slowly been disappearing. The passion to practice has greatly dampened. So to show and share Ilocos Sur's treasures to the whole world, the locals conceived a festival that highlights their cultural traditions which they called the "Kannawidan Festival".       Kannawidan Festival aims to underscore the importance of preserving the people's rich culture and traditions, as well as to promote the province's products which are mostly agricultural.  Besides the traditional beauty contests, a wide array of activities are lined up all throughout the festival, showcasing the talents and skills of the participants and the rich traditions and practices of the p...

    The value of time is known to those who value the moments each year. Little by little, time slows down as we think about the year that had gone past. Every year that had gone by has become history and a future is yet to come. 2018 already came to an end and although I welcomed this year with a heavy heart within me, I believe that I still have the rest of the year to have the happiness and peace of mind I know I deserve. As they say, New Year beckons us to change. New Year means new hope in life. New Year brings some new strive, but amidst the new things, there is a strange happiness within -- of all the things so special, of all the things as seen. Life changes in a fraction and things turn old. This year, I'm letting go of the things that are old. The old is going so I must let go. I’ll try to be at my toes even when I need to strive. I’ll try to be happy all the while and listen to what my heart speaks as well as what my mind dictates. I’ll walk past my tears ...

     It is a will of mine to learn, not just to listen to our teacher as she speaks in front of our class without understanding any word she says. It wasn't too hard to absorb the topics we discussed -except for some- especially that the teachers had their own strategies in teaching that made the discussions flow easily. Being on my last year in junior high, I need to be more attentive than usual.       Although discussions were light, there were challenges I faced throughout the whole quarter. I found it hard not to be tempted to chitchat with my seatmate while we were having discussions. I had to sleep late at night in doing our requirements even on other subjects so I felt sleepy at times. There were also rough moments where frustration almost ate me when I couldn't think of other ideas to give more life to my articles. I got torn between having to give negative or positive comments to the President. There would also be times when I'd be think ...