Marianne Michelle

Christmas is said to be the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is the time we deck halls with boughs of holly and spread joy and happiness everywhere we go. For some, this might be true, but for others it's a whole different story. From spending the holidays with their love ones to having a lonely night at a club, each person celebrates Christmas in their own special way. "Christmas is more than just a day of stuffing your face and getting over expensive gifts, it's about realizing something you never thought of the past year." At some point, we are missing the true essence of Christmas. With all the attention to material gifts and Santa Claus, we miss what is truly important. Christmas is certainly more than these. Jesus is the essence of Christmas for maximum celebration. Christmas is a time to appreciate God for sending His son to us. Also, it is a time to examine our stand with God and our relationship with Jesus. Furthermore, it is a time to shar...

     There are some flaws in this world that we have no place to fix, but when it comes to equality, everyone has a right to speak up for the silent. One of the biggest problems our society is currently facing is the lack of Equality and awareness of it. Why do some people get more rights than others? We are the same -- with different skin tones, different faces, different beliefs, different genders, different bodies, different lives. But what makes us the same is that we build as we destroy and we, are human. Who said that skin color defines us? Who said that being gay is an insult? Who said that "like a girl" is anything less "like a boy"? Some people continue to make judgments on others. Whether they say it aloud, keep it inside, or show it in their faces. Demean, tear-down, humiliate. Even the tiniest creature on Earth deserves respect. Equality is not similarity. Being equal doesn't mean being identical. It means accept and respect the right to b...

      Children's Month is an activity every November that commemorates the adoption of the Convention of the Rights of the Child by the UN Assembly. This year's theme, "Isulong: Tamang Pag-aaruga sa Lahat ng Bata," is a call to stop all forms of violence on children and pushes for a safe, nurturing and protective environment for them through positive discipline.      The celebration seeks to increase knowledge on how to handle or educate children while in the cyberspace; intensify the advocacy of positive discipline; provide space for children's participation in the legislative advocacy; push for the passage of the PDB and celebrate gains and success on child's rights promotions and protection of the country.      "It takes a village to raise a child. Let us all work together to end these Violence against children so that they will become productive citizens of our country. Let us all push for positive parenting and positive di...

     Sa makabagong panahon na sumisibol ay may napakalaking pagbabago buhat sa ating pamumuhay kung saan ang dating pamumuhay ay pinapagaan ng makabagong teknolohiya. Ngunit kung susuriing mabuti, wala ba itong naidudulot na masama? Unti-unting pinuputol ng teknolohiya tulad ng gadgets ang koneksyon ng isang indibidwal sa mga tao sa kanyang paligid. Tila ba maihahantulad ito sa kasabihang, “We connect to gadgets to disconnect to people.” Kinakailangang maging mapanuri tayo sa paggamit ng mga gadgets. Mas lalo na sa makabagong panahon, hindi na maitatanggi na ang teknolohiya ay patuloy sa pagtulong sa mga tao upang makamit nila ang malawak na posibilidad.      Bago ang pagdating ng mga gadgets, karamihan sa mga tao ay umaasa sa mabagal na pag-eemail o mas masahol pa ang paggawa ng liham upang maipadala ang mensahe sa minamahal. Kaya naman ngayong tayo’y biniyayaan na magkaroon ng mga gadget upang mas madali ang makipag-ugnayan, gami...

     It is exceptionally beneficial to read. If you're a writer -- either for career or hobby, frustrated or otherwise -- reading is essential in expanding your vocabulary and learning about a wide range of topics. If you just find reading as pastime/hobby, given these benefits, it is time to reflect and rethink what you have been consuming for reading purposes.       As the article goes, "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." We are what we feed our minds. We are what we read. If you read, you earn yourself some wings.  Reading is important because it does not only develop our minds, but it gives us endless knowledge and lessons while keeping our minds active.   Books can hold and keep all kinds of information, stories, thoughts and feelings unlike anything else in this world. Can words, paragraphs, and fictional worlds be all that great for you and your health? It definitely can, and reading is a timeless form of en...

Despite the lack of time, our teacher in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) managed to discuss our lessons for the Second Quarter - smoothly and briefly. We were able to finish the topics in a short span of time. On how consistent our teacher is, I have no doubt on how strategic she is as a teacher. Our topics this quarter were more interesting that the topics from the previous quarter. I was able to gain knowledge about Internet Access, Parts of the Web Browser and HTML. At least I won't be too ignorant if ever someone would ask me such. If I would choose among the topics, HTML caught my interest the most. Doing our activities regarding HTML was as easy as understanding the topic. Hopefully, our lessons next quarter would be as interesting as this topic.

     Poverty is one of the most serious violations of human rights and stigma on human dignity. Poverty is rampant in areas and societies that are deprived of their fundamental rights. The persistence of poverty, including extreme poverty, is the major concern for the United Nations and, at its 72nd session, the General Assembly launched the Third United Nations Decade for Eradication of Poverty, under the theme: "Accelerating global actions for a world without poverty."      This agenda for transforming our world is very pertinent but at the same time highly ambitious. The theme stresses and promises to leave no one behind and reaching the furthest behind first. Government policies alone cannot create the social inclusion that is fundamental to reaching those left furthest behind and overcoming poverty in all its dimensions. Meeting this ambitious development agenda requires visionary policies for sustainable, inclusive, sustained and equitable economic ...