Endo vs Exo Which side will you take?

Introduction   

  

     In chemistry class you might of heard of the words "Endothermic" and "Exothermic". If you are like me you would of wondered what exactly did those words mean. I mean they sound similar, how much of a difference could there be? The answer Endothermic reactions and Exothermic reactions are night and day. The following will showcase the differences between the two words.

                                                   Endothermic                                       Exothermic 

     There are so many different types of learners in the world today. I for one learn best when I am able to experience or physically do something. So in this light the STEM academic strand students at SSIS Malarayat did an experiment focusing on the Endothermic and Exothermic reactions of Acids and Bases.


Procedures


Perform the following procedure, and identify each as either endothermic or exothermic, through temperature reading. For all procedures, take not of the initial temp. reading of the first solution/water, and then, the final temp. Draw a complete energy level diagram for each.

1. Mix 10 mL of dilute hydrochloric acid and 10 mL sodium hydroxide. Perform this cautiously by adding the acid TO the base in incremental amounts
2. Prepare 1 g of zinc dust in a test tube. Add 10 mL dilutated hydrochloric acid.
3. Dissolve 1 g of barium chloride in 150 mL water.
4. Dissolve 1 g of ammonium chloride in 150 mL water.
5. Dissolve 1 g of sodium hydroxide flakes in 150 mL water.
6. Dissolve 1 g of magnesium nitrate in 150 mL water.
7. Add 5 mL of potassium dichromate to 15 mL ethanol.
8. Add 1 g of anhydrous copper sulfate in 25 mL water

Experiment Proper

1. Mix 10 mL of dilute hydrochloric acid and 10 mL sodium hydroxide. Perform this cautiously by adding the acid TO the base in incremental amounts.

Figure 1.1

2. Prepare 1 g of zinc dust in a test tube. Add 10 mL dilutated hydrochloric acid.

Figure 1.2

3. Dissolve 1 g of barium chloride in 150 mL water.

Figure 1.3

4. Dissolve 1 g of ammonium chloride in 150 mL water.

Figure 1.4

5. Dissolve 1 g of sodium hydroxide flakes in 150 mL water.

Figure 1.5

6. Dissolve 1 g of magnesium nitrate in 150 mL water.

Figure 1.6

7. Add 5 mL of potassium dichromate to 15 mL ethanol.

Figure 1.7

8. Add 1 g of anhydrous copper sulfate in 25 mL water

Figure 1.8

Results 

Table 1.1 

Table 1.1 shows the differences in temperature of each reaction. 

Table 1.2 

Table 1.2 shows the type of reaction these acids and bases have displayed. 

Video

Never Trust an ATOM

Never Trust an Atom (They make everything up)

       Counter clockwise from the bottom right you will see "Early Earth, The First Cells, a Volvox, Everything is made up of atoms, and an organic molecule". In the Mind Museum I entered an division called Atom Gallery : The Strange World of the Very Small. When you first enter the exhibit you are treated to this cool compartment with black lights. Almost everything in that compartment glowed in the dark, even me since i was wearing a plain white tee. After exiting that compartment you are opened to a plethora of different exhibits. The one exhibit that drew my eye was this huge different colored dome that comprised of hexagons and pentagons. I inched closer and closer to that exhibit, when i got to just in front of it i stopped and saw that the name of the exhibit was "Organic Molecule". I entered the dome and was awe struck that each of the colors had a specific element associated with it. The associations are as follows :

0 C : Carbon

0 N : Nitrogen

0 O : Oxygen

0 H : Hydrogen

0 S : Sulfur

       I realized this dome relates to a concept we were learning in Chemistry at the time which was the Periodic Table. Each of the atoms present within the dome are Elemental atoms, which in this case can be found in the first three periods of the periodic table. This exhibit is an organic molecule as evident by the numerous carbon bonds. Now why is this an identifiable factor on organic molecules? The answer, carbon is important because it is literally the back bone of life. Without carbon there would be no life, and in turn no humans. Carbon is an essential part of every living being, beit plant or animal.

       I recommend coming to the Mind Museum in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. With a multitude of interactive exhibits anyone can learn about science in a fun non-boring way. Not to mention all the Instagram opportunities in there. I really had so much fun here and will definitely return for more learning.

Aromas 101

      In this experiment I learned that you should have all your proper materials and manage your time wisely. Our group had no high temperature tolerant glass jars and both that we put up cracked and made a huge mess. Time pressure was a big factor here we did not manage our time wisely that why we weren’t able to complete the procedures. Our group repeated the experiment yet again to try to avoid the mistakes we made in the first place. We were more successful this round because instead of glass jars for boiling we used the boiler for heating the mixtures. We still didn’t manage our time wisely. We only managed to complete two esters and we didn’t even test the pH for those specific esters.

      My group panicked when the glass jars cracked I was just calm but they were shouting and pulling me back. This is what the group should’ve done. It’s a glass jar that cracked it won’t kill you and the liquid inside was just water. The group should’ve calmly moved back let the water flow out and then clean it up later.

      All in all our group made many mistakes and we learned from them. I enjoyed this activity very much because we created something from virtually nothing. It was really amazing that combining an organic acid with an alcohol would create a smells that I would usually associate with perfume. 

Mikkel RUN! FRISBEE TIME

      Frisbee was one of the most rewarding experiences that i have ever done. I didn't expect it to be so much fun. Frisbee is like a combination of football and basketball but instead of a ball we use a disc. I was utterly shocked that Ultimate Frisbee had no referees. Frisbee is truth sport, you must trust that the other team will say the right call. A lot of trust is being placed into this sport.

      For me, my main sport being football i think that Frisbee is harder because i myself have no hand eye coordination i'm all about the feet. It was nice having a coach from our very own lodlod team try to teach us how to play Frisbee. At the start it was very hard going trying to get a hang of this sport but, coach Inan truly had so much patience with us and tried his very best to mold us into people who can play the sport. We spent weeks practicing, practicing, practicing without our coach though we wouldn't have the skills we have today.

      The news of a new sport spread like wildfire here in Stony everyday more and more people got interested in this amazing sport. It got so popular we actually got players from the Philippine team to come here talk about Frisbee and participate in a game with us.

      I for one am glad that Qiara Gutierrez a fellow grade 11 student recommended we do this at the beginning of the year. Without her recommendation Frisbee would've never made it into the halls of Stonyhurst.

   So the students of SSIS could learn more about frisbee we had a kind of clinic the day before the actual sports event. It was so hard to try to get them to cooperate since most of them are young they just wanted to go with their friends but we found ways and taught them the basics of back hand, fore hand, defense, and offence.

      The sport got so popular that we actually held a sports event right here in SSIS - Malarayat. We divided the grade school into their respective intramurals team. The eliminations were first it was Green Vs Yellow and Blue Vs Red. To be impartial i went to the blue team to proctor them. I was so happy in coaching them they listened very well and took direction. The winners of the eliminations were the Blue and the Green teams. They battled it out for the championship. It was so intense the score was 2-2 and then BOOM blue team scored i was so happy for them.

What is the World Made out of?

Since the beginning men have been asking the questions what is out there, how did we get here, and what is the world made of?

Out of all of the human endeavors Science has had the greatest impact on our lives, it’s our ideas, our achievements, and our results that surround us today. Moments we many call “Eureka” moments are the history of science these moments were not only made inside of a sterile laboratory but out in the world as well. The ideas that derived from these moments changed the world we live on today.

The history of us is a magnificent tale of power, proof, and passion.

Did you know that appearances are deceiving? You might look at our world today and think there is so much solid matter however this is not the case. Almost everything around us is empty space, if you took out all the empty space in the world the mass of the Earth would fit inside a single sugar cube.

As our thirst for knowledge continues to grow, people had tried to understand and alter the world in the middle ages; these people were called alchemists. These “alchemists” protected their secrets through codes and ciphers along with astonishing practical abilities.

Where did the middle ages scientists base their understanding of the matter? The answer is the Greeks, the Greeks that everything in the world was a combination of the four elements: Water, Fire, Earth, Air.

A brilliant alchemist brand thought that he was close to finishing the Philosophers stone, which was a mythical object that could turn any element into gold.

Alchemists thought everything on earth is living, even metals which can then be transformed, mutated, and purified.

Through many trials brand discovered something unexpected, which was phosphorus.

Brand, through a complex process, extracted a white stone from urea in human urine. This white stone is white phosphorus which is phosphorus in its most natural form. The name phosphorus means giver of light, which was an important for the later invention of the match stick. 

A scientist in Yorkshire, England going by the name of Joseph Priestley was looking for God not just in the Bible but also in the natural world he was one of the leading air experimenters in the world. He went to study air by heating substances including an alchemist favorite red calcx which is another name for mercury oxide. He found out that this red powder turned into liquid mercury when heated at high temperatures. The gases emanating from this included an element called oxygen. Priestly described this new air as “Good Air” which turned out to be the most important of the new airs discovered.

Priestly went to meet with a family called the Lavoisier's’ to tell them about the air he had discovered with fiery properties. The Lavoisier's for those who don’t know own the best equipped laboratory in Europe. Lavoisier called this “Good Air” Oxygen, the air off life. Lavoisier reversed the process and the gas and metals recombined to from red calx. An astonishing discovery was made the Lavoisier found out that this red calx weighed exactly the same as before. Antoine Lavoisier was considered the father of modern chemistry. 

The Lavoisiers' wanted to find out how to produce this flammable air in mass quantities . An apparatus was made to test of a water molecule can split two gases oxygen and the inflammable air which was later termed to be oxygen. This process of splitting molecules was called electrolysis. As a lighted splint was extinguished through hydrogen gas, a loud popping sound occurred. This inflammable gas actually inspired Napoleon to make a balloon military core.

One thing you might not have known about is that the Lavoisiers' was vulnerable because he collected taxes to make a living. Antoine Lavoisier however was not scared of this, and by doing this, he was put to death.

A scientist called Humphrey Davy heated potash ran electricity through it and found that by doing this the electricity broke apart the potash and a brand new element was discovered, Potassium.

One of the most famous authors in history, Mary Shelly was disturbed by Davy’s work, this influenced her to write her novel, Frankenstein.

Elsewhere up at the northern slits of the blue mountains stands a remarkable tree, this Cinchona tree was the best defense against malaria.

Cinchona  plantations were created all over the tropics. However, this could not satisfy the growing need for the bark. So Scientists turned to chemists for a synthetic version of the bark they succeeded by isolating quinine which was the active ingredient in the bark that combated malaria.

Electrons were first subatomic particles to be discovered.

A valve was used to amplify electrical signals or to switch binary signals.

The story of us what is the world made up was a comprehensive episode that showed the development of our understanding of science. I was actually amazed that they fit that much information in just under 2 hours. I never knew the alchemists played a pivotal role in science. I always thought they were the crazy people trying to turn lead into gold. It was amazing how many of the elements we have today were discovered by accident. Discovery is truly an astonishing thing.

TRUST THE PROCESS KINGS AT 10 ZUMBA EDITION

I woke up on the morning of February 7, 2016, it was an unusually cold this morning but nothing was going to stop me from getting to school and leading my group in the Zumba we had for SSIS Malarayat’s 10th foundation day celebration. I wasn’t nervous at first but when I got into the classroom my heart started to kept beating faster and faster because I didn’t want to mess up since I was the lead of my group. The time came and my group was first up our warm up song was club can’t handle me by Flo Rida and our 1st song was fire burning by Sean Kingston . So it was time I along with my amazing group mates went onto the stage and got into our positions.

My Group on stage ( Group 1 )

We started and it was going perfectly, none of us forgot a step and if we did we had MJ there to remind us the next step. I was truly amazed by the sight I saw on stage. The audience were actually participating, when I jumped right they jumped right when I jumped left they jumped left. It was so cool to see the bobbing heads of the entire SSIS Student Body.

WE DID IT, a weight has just been lifted off my shoulders. We are finally done, now it was Miss Rizchel's intermission number alongside grade 10 students Shane Mendoza and Chloe Perez. The dance moves were amazing as usual and it was really fun to do them. I looked to the audience and was surprised they still had the energy to push through with this intermission number. Everyone was so psyched to do this zumba though. I think it may have to do with missing part of their first period hahahahaha. The intermission was brief but tiring. I myself was very tired after that and we had two more dances to go with the other group. I can’t imagine the energy that the audience must’ve had to do all of these dances.

Miss Rizchel along with Shanes and Chloe

Ok Miss Rizchel’s intermission number was over and it was the other groups time to shine. They also had a total of two dances but this time instead of a warm up they had a cool down dance. Their first dance was Trumpets by Sak Noel & Salvi ft. Sean Paul then their cool down dance was All of me by John Legend. The other group’s dance was absouletly hilarious from body rolling to pumping. It was actually more fun than ours but C'est la vie. They then had a very nice cool down dance it really gave our bodies ample time to return back to normal after that somewhat intense physical workout. Can’t stop singing All of me, loves all of you….. hahahaha I’ll stop there your eardrums might burst.

Group 2

A few students wanted to their voices to be heard after the zumba activity. Let's see what they have to say shall we?

"It was fun.It made us happy. I like dancing,and since zumba is more of exercising,it's double the fun."- Hyun Ho Rho (Grade 6)

"The Zumba was a fun activity and not helped the students stay healthy, but also helped awareness for fitness levels. Children might've potentially realized how playing games will help them stay fit. So it helped a lot."

- Ben Ward (Grade 7)

"The Zumba was great! It was fun and I enjoyed doing it. It was nice to se everyone exercising and working hard but, having fun as well. It was very relaxing and calming and my body felt really refreshed after. I am looking forward to the next time we do Zumba."

- Victoria Vistan (Grade 8) 

"The Zumba activity released the school spirit by energizing the students with various moves. I enjoyed every moment. I wished the instructors prepared more for us. The activity helped in boosting the whole institution's physical and emotional mood and I hope to have more activities like it."
- Lila Hernandez (Grade 9)

"The activity is a success because the students were able to know the essence of exercising. Not only they enjoyed, they were also able to benefit from this activity by being energized for their upcoming classes. This activity can help make students realise that being physically fit is an important aspect of our lives."

- Eisen Villanueva (Grade 10)

"Honestly, I thought the whole event was successful. Everyone loved it, which satisfied me too." 

- Katya Mazloum (Grade 11)

GO KINGS GO

Creds to The SSIS HERALD for the pictures

Quantum Leap Reflection

In the documentary entitled “Quantum Leap” I learned many things. Such including that we as the human race created a set of laws that describes the clear and certain motion of galaxies, stars, and planets. However, we have discovered a brand new set of laws that completely change our view of the universe and redefining our understanding of reality these laws are known as the laws of quantum mechanics.

I never knew that quantum mechanics ruled over every atom and tiny particle in every piece of matter. In the quantum world, there’s a sense where things don’t like to be tied down to one location or follow a specific path. It’s almost like that the same thing is in different places at the same time. It’s crazy to think that something even as small as an atom could potentially be in multiple places at the same time. What you do in one place can affect what happens in another place without you or anyone being there.

You might be asking why we believe these bizarre laws, for the past 75 years we’ve been using these laws to describe how an atom behaves and experiment after experiment scientists have proven these laws to be always right.

A set of physical laws called Classical mechanics all have equations to see how that specific event happens and allows us to predict an event with the utmost certainty.

Bohr believed that atoms resembled miniature solar systems; there were fixed orbits these electrons can have. When an atom is heated its electrons will become agitated, and the electron would be changing orbits. Each downward leap the electron produced lights in specific colors. Now, this model seems so inaccurate, but back then I believe he was revered for his knowledge.

The double slit experiment is so amazing. When the commentator tried to show us what exactly was the double slit experiment he was at a bowling alley. With a barrier with two slits and a sheet in the back. He showed us that there are three options the bowling ball will hit the barrier or will pass through the slits and hitting the sheet. As more and more balls pass this seems to be the case wherein the balls that make it through the barrier go to the same spot every time.

When Max Born said that electrons are a probability wave I was first confused because I knew electrons as particles, not waves. Then I heard his explanation, and it was clear. These waves that were once thought of an extended electron is not the electron itself but where the electron is most likely to be.

One quote I heard within the documentary was that “The universe is governed by probability” I couldn’t agree more. All matter in the universe are made up of atoms that are governed by probability, not certainty. In life nothing is certain, but many outcomes are probable.

Quantum entanglement like the guy said I a confusing subject even he didn’t get it in college. I was confused at first too. Quantum Entanglement is the theoretical prediction that comes from the equations of quantum mechanics two particles become entangled if they are close together and their properties become linked, even if u separate those particles sending them in opposite directions they remain entangled

Overall Quantum anything is a confusing topic to understand. It will take years at a university to start comprehending the bare minimum. However Quantum theory I believe is very real and since there is nothing to contradict that it does exist in my eyes.

The History of the World in 2 Hours Reflection/ The Story of Us (Primer)

It was so hard to comprehend that before the big bang there was nothing. Mankind has been asking the question of “Why did our universe suddenly erupt in a mass expansion?” over and over again. This expansion of energy created all the energy that will ever exist, power the stars, fuel anything that ever lives, any energy you will consume, and dates back to the beginning of time.

It’s amazing how gravity, the great sculptor of the universe, formed our first galaxies. When the temperature reaches 18 million degrees, Fahrenheit hydrogen atoms slam together creating a new element, helium and radiating bursts of energy. This process created the stars in the vast expanse.

The more complicated elements were created in the stars. These “element factories” produced more and more elements. To learn that the universe created the elements we use today on a daily basis like nitrogen, oxygen, and iron is just astonishing.

To learn that without supernovas we wouldn’t be here today. I love the quote “We are all stardust” because it is true, what we are, dates back to the beginning of time.

Our sun was born and takes up 99.9% of all the dust and gas of the solar system. That .1% is just enough for gravity to form our planets and in turn our earth with a day lasting only 6 HOURS I couldn’t believe it!

If you showed me primordial earth, I would say that it was a completely different planet since the primordial earth is just a barren wasteland of molten lava. Lighter material floats to the surface and forms the crust. Heavier material sinks forming an iron-nickel core which in turn creates our magnetic field which shields our earth. I like to think of it like a gigantic force field surrounding the earth.

An object the size of Mars smashes into our earth and with some molten debris being thrown into space. Within a year gravity gathered this material and created our moon. Without the moon, we wouldn’t be here right now because it gave us a tilted planet with seasons.

As our planet cools, rain starts pouring down forming puddles to rivers to eventually our oceans. Within our primeval oceans, six simple elements combine and form the key substances to create life, the most spectacular being DNA.

Life then formed, with the earliest organisms being bacteria which later create one of the most vital elements to life, Oxygen. As the earth advances through time, more and more complex life begin to develop and evolve. Our planet begins to look more and more like the Earth we know today.

Overall I am just flabbergasted by everything that happened to start at the beginning of time. It’s crazy how each event of the timeline happened exactly at the right time it needed to, to form our universe, our stars, our galaxies, our earth, and us. I am a firm believer that God made the earth, but it is truly interesting to view our creation from the point of view of science.

My Digital Footprint!!!

I make my digital footprint when I browse the web like watching KissCartoon, Wikipedia, Vimeo and much more. I use 9 Gmail accounts for emails. I have many social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, YouTube, and Pinterest account. I use my various electronic devices to update my social networking accounts. I also maintain a blog about myself and my experiences. Others are also shaping my digital footprint by mentioning me in comments and tagging me in photos.

I have used Google or other search engines to see what information is out there about me, my social networking profile picture is a photo of me, I include personal information, such as my birthday and address in my networking profile. I have tagged or untagged a photo of myself because I liked or didn’t like what was said about me.

My digital footprint says about me is that I seem to be too dependent on the internet for recreational, personal and school purposes.

For me, a positive digital reputation is important but not crucial to us. If you care for a positive reputation, then you are saying that you care about what people say about it be it good or bad. WE should have a mindset in where we block out the negativity and only care of what we think of ourselves. It is still important however because this is your public face to the world. Anyone can view it so might as well make it nice.

"I Can't Breathe" - Kenji

        "I can't breathe" Today on November 22, 2016, a very special guest came to SSIS - Malarayat. Her name is Bianca B. Bernardino she is a writer for Summit publishing company but, we all know her as the author of the bestseller, She's dating the gangster. I was so excited to meet Miss Bianca not only because she is an alumna of our allied school but, also because I wanted to see the person that made Kenji and Athena a reality. 

           Miss Bianca's story is amazing; it had many twists and turns, but after all that, she ended up on top. She wrote this story in 2006, and it is still prevalent in many of our lives. We've laughed, we've cried, we've even felt heartbreak by the events within she's dating the gangster. This book was an everyday read for me. It felt like I was immersed in the story. You know a story is a great read when you start to feel the empathy for the characters. To be completely honest, this is my new favorite book. I never thought any story could top Divergent but this did. She's dating the gangster is a perfect mix of love, hate, jealousy, romance, and heartbreak. 

    

      My favorite character was Lucas because he is always there for Athena even at times when Kenji was not. This talk with Miss Bianca was an enlightening and eye-opening experience, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. If Miss Bianca is reading this thank you so much for coming to Stonyhurst and good luck on your future en devours.

Healthy Vs Unhealthy

"Media products may or may not be healthy and truthful depending on the way they are created. Therefore, consumers must be aware of the media products they entertain."

Media products may or may not be healthy and truthful depending on the way they are created. Therefore, consumers must be aware of the media products they entertain.This statement rings true. An example of a media product is social media. Social media could be healthy if you use it for communication and news updates however, if you use your social media account with malicious intent in mind then it may become an unhealthy addiction. For example you only created a social media account to bully someone anonymously, that is then when using this media product becomes unhealthy. Everything is OK if taken in moderation. Too much of something is never a good thing. In this day and age media products are more prevalent than ever and the norm is that you should have an account in every social media site. Consumers need to be aware that having a social media account just to have it is a dangerous thing. A lot can happen to an account that is seldom used like getting hacked. Consumers need to be aware of the media products they entertain.

"Beware of addictive social media. Everything in moderation. This applies particularly to the Internet and your sofa. The physical world is ultimately the source of all inspiration. Which is to say, if all else fails: take a bike ride." Aaron Koblin

Is Media and Information Literacy Important?

“Media and information literacy is important in the rapid growth of media and ICTs (information connection technologies). It sees media and information literacy as vital to the empowerment of people, ICTs in education and equitable access to information and knowledge. – UNESCO

For years experts and amateurs alike have asked the question “Is media and information literacy important in the rapid growth of media and information connection technologies? The answer is of course it is important. First let’s define what media literacy and information literacy is. Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media while information literacy Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

Now how do they contribute to the continued rapid growth of media and information technologies? Well the basis of any technology that has been created is knowledge on how to operate and create it. That is why we need to be media and information literate. Below are some characteristics of what it means to be information and media literate.

Can understands media’s influences and representations

Can make informed independent decisions

Can learn about the world around them

Can build a sense of community

Can maintain public discourse

Can engage in lifelong learning

Can produce information

Can think critically

Can use media or self-expression and creativity

Can use media in a safe and responsible way

Can participate in democracy and the global information network

If you have some or all of these characteristics you can call yourself information and media literate. By just looking on the characteristics if you don’t have any of these then you yourself are not ready to contribute the natural growth of media and information technology. We have advanced in technology so much in the past century. Technology will continue to advance thanks to information and media literate people here on earth.

A Strong Spirit Broken (Don't Quit)

          It is inevitable that things go wrong no matter how hard you try to prevent it. When walking through the path of life, you are bound to encounter mountains you have to climb over. In other words hurdles, you have to jump over to make it to the finish line. There are going to be times when you're running out of funds, with piles of debt looming overhead when your dream is to smile again, but depression is holding you down, and when care is weighing you down with the prospect of never going back up. These might make you tired; you may take a break, but it shouldn't be a permanent one. Life is unexpected with many ups and downs just like a roller coaster you go left, and you might fail, you go right, and you might succeed.

          You might have thrown up the first time and didn't want to ride it again, but you might've enjoyed it. You will never know the sweet enjoyment of just throwing your hands in the air and enjoying the ride. By the end of the day, you might as well regret it. 

          We flip a coin and leave it up to chance whether it lands on failure or success since Success and failure are two sides of the same coin. Storm clouds brewing overhead, you can never tell how close the sunshine is. It may be closer than you think. Never give up even when you are at your worst that you can truly shine through. Don't Quit.

Paraphrased from
Don't Quit
Edgar A. Guest

When Things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and debts are high,
And you want to Smile but have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out,
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up,
When he might captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown,

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

Hear Ye Hear Ye Read all about it - Bjorn Abueg

Personality Feature

It’s 6:30 am on a gloomy Tuesday morning. As a sports scholar wakes up from a sleepless night, he rubs the sleep from his eyes and lay in bed for 10 minutes to browse the net. After his short rest, he sleepily walks into the kitchen and makes breakfast to give him the strength to make it through the day. After a satisfying breakfast this sports scholar heads into the shower to freshen up before school. 10 minutes later he puts on his uniform and packs his bags for both school and basketball training. On the way to school he mentally prepares himself for the challenges that will be coming throughout the day. This sports scholar is named Bjorn Alexis P. Abueg, but everyone calls him “Bjorn” or “BA”. Bjorn heads into class and everyone is always excited to greet him. He just has this “happy” aura to him and his physical features aren’t bad as well. Bjorn stands at 176 cm, shiny jet black hair, tan skin, beautiful brown eyes, bony face structure, skinny yet muscular, has abs, and has braces. Bjorn slowly takes his seat and quickly thinks of the things that has to be done for the upcoming subjects. Bjorn even though a varsity makes sure he keeps up with his academics. The day is passing so slowly. Bjorn thinks to himself “Can’t this day go by any faster, I want to train already.”

The school day soon ends and Bjorn is ecstatic for training. There are no locker rooms in Stonyhurst Southville International School Malarayat so Bjorn goes and changes in the boys’ bathroom on the 3rd floor. He removes his school uniform and neatly folds it on the bathroom sink. He reaches into his bag and takes out basketball shorts, sleeveless basketball jersey, elite socks, and his signature Kobe basketball shoes. After changing he heads down to the basketball court on the ground floor and starts some shooting while waiting for the other boys to finish changing. Since Bjorn is the captain of the basketball team he leads them through the stretches, through drills, and then through a game.

After an exhausting day full of academics and sports Bjorn is absolutely drained. Once he returns to his home Bjorn always has an appetite and eats to replenish some of the lost energy he lost during the day. After cleaning his plate, Bjorn doesn’t even rest he dives straight into his school work without any hesitation. Once Bjorn has completed his school work any remaining time he has he puts it to rest. Bjorn is usually a late sleeper he sleeps around 11 pm. It’s 10:50 pm Bjorn starts to unwind and starts getting ready for bed wearing a clean jersey and shorts. Then when Bjorn wakes up he repeats the same process.

Who really is Bjorn Alexis P. Abueg? Bjorn Abueg was born on January 5, 2000 in Inosluban, Lipa at his Lola’s home. The parents who brought Bjorn into this world were Marichy and Percival Abueg. Bjorn’s hobbies include basketball, singing, and guitar. Bjorn is loved by many, he is humble and kind and will always be there for anyone anytime anywhere. Bjorn has a dream, a dream to become an electrical engineer. He also has a bigger dream where he has a beautiful wife and 4 children. Bjorn has very few negative traits if any at all. Bjorn tends to be quieter at times and he is a bit too thin, he needs to get some meat on those bones of his. Bjorn’s good qualities far outweigh the bad. If his good qualities were to be written it would be written on a white board while his bad qualities would be written on a 1/8 sheet of paper.

Here are some quotes by some Bjorn’s classmates, teammates, and friends in Stonyhurst Southville International School Malarayat.

Eisen Klein G. Villanueva has stated that” Bjorn is one of a kind. You will not notice him as a captain at first because he is really very simple and soft-spoken. But his leadership and encouragement to us whenever we have games is really what made him a reliable captain. He doesn't criticise on any of our actions instead he finds compliment about it. We are very thankful for Bjorn for leading us throughout the year.” A very thoughtful sentinment from one of Bjorn’s basketball teammates. Not only students have this opinion about Bjorn, Lester Francis Lorzano the sports coordinator said,“Bjorn is a good Leader”. Even people who have left stony keep Bjorn in high regards. Like Vincent Vasquez Cutanda,“He's a very hardworking captain, everything is on him” and Allen Pernez, “Bjorn is a good role model to his teammates. He never skipped training. There was a time that he's sick but he went to school to personally tell our coach that he can't train. He's a well determined captain ball for me”. Not only sports varsity think of Bjorn in a good way people like Elaine P. Caoibes said,”“Bjorn is a Multi-talented person”,Sofia Torrano “Si Bjorn kala mo sa unang tingin mayabang at babaero pero kapag nakilala mo sobrang kulit, mabait malayo sa inaakala mo. Magaling magitara, kumanta at magbasketball. Malalapitan mo kapag may problema ka. Masipag magaral” , and Rennier Cuevas,“He is a Comedian, thin , helpful, laugher, and pogi”

Bjorn has some pretty good friends like Denson Pesa who said”“Bjorn is Mabait, responsible, matalino, always positive”, John Martin Balatero, “He is kind but deadly”, Qiara Gutierrez,“Bjorn for me is super down to earth. I would never hear him bragging about how good he is in something. He never fails to understand and surprise me. He is a gentleman and a kind hearted person. He's ears are always open to whatever I am to say. He would sometimes just listen to me talk. He is actually my role model. He's very religious. He is a protective when it comes to his friends and love ones. He likes to joke around and never fails to cheer up the ones who are down!” Someone who does not want to be named has said that, "Bjorn? Well, he's genuine. He thinks simply and doesn't make things any more complicated. He goes with the flow and despite things going unusual for him, he makes it through, one way or another. He's smart, gotta give him that haha. He thinks with both heart and mind. And other than being "ulagain" and "kengkoy", he makes people smile. That's what makes him genuine, at least to me."

All these people have only positive things to say about Bjorn. This shows that Bjorn has very little negative traits to his name. Bjorn all in all is just the complete package, handsome, humble, and talented. Bjorn is a friend that everyone should have because through anything he will be there for you, through thick and thin.

I'm Sorry!!!

Video Conference with other countries !!!!

#GenerationGlobal A few days ago we had a video conference with 3 other schools. One from Indonesia, One from Pakistan, and One from Nuvali,Philippines. We had very good dialogue surrounding the topics of peace and conflict. It was an enlightening experience to hear the opinions of other nationalities.

There was one topic though that i really retained it was when Xavier School Nuvali was talking about our government it came off as the Philippine government is bad and frightening. I actually agree with them i never was a support of Duterte and his aggressive diplomacy. I believe a president should be cool,calm, and collected. Duterte has proven in the short time he is president that he is not any of those. He has a foul mouth and i believe he shouldn't be president.

My belief also is that only God has the right to determine life and death of a person. If we are the ones now to dictate who lives and who dies we are in turn playing God. Playing God is a path we don't want to continue down. I have this philosophy where "the tighter we squeeze the more they will rebel" I believe there are more diplomatic ways to deal with conflict here in the Philippines especially the so called 'War on Drugs:"

El morales la observación - 8 "Experience and Tolerance"

7 Growing in tolerance for frustration, conflicts, and pressure


My tolerance for frustration, conflict, and pressure is very low. To be completely honest I am irritable and impatient person. Frustration is what gets to me the most, if I have to keep doing something over and over again because of an insignificant detail my frustration builds until I burst. I have learned that conflicts are unavoidable and you should not give into your emotions. Through these outburst however I have grown more tolerant of the frustration, conflict, and pressure in situations like these. An example of this is I was in a stressful situation with my friend, I said something he misunderstood and frustration started to build, a conflict developed, and peers were pressuring me to fix the situation already. After this whole mess we made up and became friends again. The next time he misunderstood me our relationship didn’t go out of hand. By this I can see we grew in tolerance for each other. Experiences are great in teaching a higher level of tolerance to these things.

Taal Vlog

Dreamland Vlog

El morales la observación - 7 "My Destructive Past"

Prompt: Learning more effective ways you express emotion

I am not going to lie have done some very destructive things when I wanted to express my emotions. Usually the emotions I display are the negative ones I am rarely happy. I overthink and let negative thoughts swirl in my head. Sometimes it just consumes me. In this dark time I did little constructive thinking. All I thought was that everything was my fault and I wanted to punish myself for it. I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep, I never hanged out with my friends, I never allowed myself to smile, etc. I could go on and on with listing what I did to myself but the list would be too long. I really made myself suffer and it was not healthy. I began to lose more and more of myself until I looked myself in the mirror and didn’t recognize the man I saw before me. When I saw that stranger right in front of me something inside my clicked and knew I had to stop all of this.