THE 9 CIRCLES OF CNSHS

          There is a 14 year old boy named Cedric living in a simple neighborhood. He is smart, obedient and he is the model student of his school. Everybody loves him and many of his classmates look up to him. But one day, Cedric befriended a group of troublemakers. They influenced him to do things that a high school student shouldn't do. Cedric thought he was doing the right thing so he became fond of it. This made him lose focus on his studies and this caused him a lot of trouble. This worried his parents so they decided to talk to him about it but Cedric didn't want to talk to them.

           One night, Cedric finds himself in a completely different place. It is very dark and Cedric doesn't know what to do. He sees a tall person walking towards him. That person introduces himself as Luke. Cedric immediately asks Luke about how he could get out of that place. Luke says that the only way to get out of there is to go through the school named CNSHS, the place where students are punished for the sins they did at school. Cedric asks where he could find it and Luke tells him that he is know standing in front of CNSHS.

           In front of the gate, Cedric sees a sign that says "Abandon all hope, ye who enters here". He becomes very hesitant but Luke says that it will be alright and that it's the only way for him to get out. The two of them venture forward and Luke tells Cedric that they have to go through the 9 circles of CNSHS and that each circle represents the sins of students. The first circle is the gate or The Latecomers. In here, Cedric sees a long line of students holding pens and notebooks. Luke explains that the students here are those who always arrive late at school. The students are punished by making them right long essays about their reason of being late and promising that they won't do it ever again. After finishing the essay, the students are tasked to take 100 squats and write an essay all over again. It is a never ending cycle.

          They move on to the second circle. The second circle is the gym or The Vandalizers. Cedric sees the place full of blackboards. Luke explains that the students found here are those who deliberately damage school 

property and that the blackboards are used for the punishment of the students. They are forced to write the sentence "I will never vandalize school property ever again" over and over again.

          The third circle is the canteen or The Greedy. Cedric smells something foul and Luke says that Cedric should watch his step and that the smell came from rotten food and human excrement. He also says that this is the punishment of the students who are greedy. They are forced to lie down on the floor of filth and the only thing they're allowed to eat are those on the floor. 

          After passing through the foul smelling environment of the greedy, Cedric and Luke advance to the fourth circle, the field or The Litterers. This circle is full of garbage and nothing not even a small part is clean. The students found here are those who throw their garbage everywhere and not pick up the litters they see. Luke explains that their punishment is to pick up all the garbage around but everytime they pick up the garbage, more will come. This whole process never ends.

          The fifth circle is the Learning Resource Center (LRC) or The Talkative. Luke tells Cedric to cover his ears because this circle is full of noise and it could break his eardrums. Cedric does so but he can still hear the loud noises. Luke explains that this is the punishment for those who are fond of talking and making a lot of noise. The students are tied to a chair and their mouths are covered in duct tape while they listen to the loud, unpleasant sounds. 

          The sixth circle is the classroom or The Slothful. This circle contains students who are too lazy or unwilling to work or use energy. Cedric asks Luke why there are a lot of books and papers on the floor. Luke explains that this is the punishment for the students who are lazy. They are forced to read books, write essays and lab reports and they are given a lot of homework and projects. The deadline for each activity is getting shorter everytime and if they don't submit them in time, they will be given twice as much.

          They continue forward to the next circle. Luke tells Cedric to stay close to him  because he won't be able to see things well in this circle. Cedric does so and observes that the whole place is very dark and he hears a lot of moans and cries. Luke tells Cedric that they are now in the seventh circle, the HE or The Envious. Cedric asks why the whole place is filled with darkness. Luke tells him that the students here aren't allowed to see for they have gained sinful pleasure from seeing others with great achievements and possessions brought low. 

          The eighth circle is the guidance office or The Obstreperous. Cedric continues to hear moans and cries and he sees students with their parents beside them looking disappointed. Luke says that the students here are those who break the rules or those who behave illegally or dishonestly. Cedric also observes that there are a lot of mirrors around. Luke says that these make the students reflect on their sins.

          They continue on with their journey. As they move closer to the last circle, Cedric observes that it is getting quieter and that he can no longer see anything in the dark. He says that everything around him is filled with hopelessness. They suddenly feel really cold and Luke tells Cedric that they have arrived at the ninth circle, the Principal's office or The Cheaters. Luke explains that the sins of the students here are the worst of the worst. They act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain advantage. Because of this, their punishment is expulsion. They will never be able to acquire their diplomas making them unworthy to enter Purgatory or Paradise. They will forever suffer by doing the punishments of the other eight circles. 

          After seeing the nine circles of CNSHS, Cedric realizes the sins that he committed and repents for them. He also feels sorry for the students suffering in CNSHS. Luke comforts him by saying that all the students except the students in the ninth circle will be able to reach the highest heaven, one of pure light, intellect and love if they repent for the sins that they have committed. Cedric feels relieved and thanks Luke for all the help he gave. Cedric asks Luke why he helped him and how he knew about him getting lost. Luke tells Cedric that a certain someone believes that Cedric will be able to help other people reach the high heavens because he is a person full of love, hope, and kindness. Cedric already knew who that certain someone is and thanks Him for the faith, strength, and love that He gave. After that, Luke says farewell and Cedric returns back to his home.

IS TEXTESE A TYPE OF LANGUAGE VANDALISM?

          In our world today, texting has become an essential part of our everyday lives. It is very useful for us because it allows us to communicate faster with others. A high percentage of cell phone owners text every day and most of them are young adults. Since these young adults send almost 100 text messages a day, it is no surprise that their method of texting has found its way into the classroom. There are a great number of studies that talk about the way the informal language in texts hinder kids from understanding how to write and speak properly. While some young adults think that it helps them improve their communication skills, experts say that it ruins the English language.

          Many teachers are disheartened by this kind of technology for they believe that it destroys the students' comprehension in the English language. They claim that using abbreviated words in order to save space and time distorts their ability to use words properly and their ability to express themselves eloquently through writing.They also say that many students turn in papers with poor punctuation, misspellings, and bad grammar. But there are also some teachers that praise texting because it is opening up a new world of writing for students that the classroom was never able to. Simply put, it is developing its own kind of grammar. Some texting acronyms were even added to the Oxford English Dictionary and have been constantly growing for each passing year. It also seems that there are a lot of studies saying that texting increases reading skills and drives speed and brevity of communication.

           Even though I have my own cell phone, I never got addicted to texting. Yes I text very often but it was only because it was necessary or because it was for an emergency. If you ask me about whether texting ruins my knowledge on the English language or not, my answer would be no. Simply because I believe that learning another's language doesn't affect one's ability to use proper English as long as the person knows the grammar rules and therefore knows the difference between colloquial speech and correct English.

WORK EQUALS EXHAUSTION, REST EQUALS BOREDOM

          People always seek rest in a struggle against difficulties and when they have conquered these, rest becomes insufferable because of the boredom it causes. This is really common especially for students. When they are at school and they have a lot of work to do, they want to go home and rest but when they are at home and they have nothing to do, they want to go back to school. It's kind of ironic isn't it? But we all know that it's true and I am sure that many students felt this way this past semester break. To be honest, I also expected my semester break to be something like this but as I remind myself about my experiences from that 1 week vacation, I asked myself if it was worth it or not.

          The day before the start of our semester break, I was both excited and nervous. This is because even though I should be resting, I had to review for my quiz bee about ASEAN. It is on November 28, 2013 so I really had to study. I was really happy when I found out that I was chosen to represent our school but it also made me feel stressed because that topic is not that easy to learn. There is a lot of memorization involved especially with the names and dates. But I didn't want to waste this opportunity so I studied about it for the first four days of my semester break. Those days were very productive for me but at the same time, they were like brutal training! My brain felt like it was about to explode because all the information I memorized got jumbled in my head. It was very exhausting but I felt really happy and relieved when I finished it.

          The next two days of my semester break were full of rest and fun. I mostly spent it at bed and at the computer. What I mostly did was watch movies and anime. I love watching anime because it helps me escape my normal, uneventful life as much as possible. Watching isn't the same as doing, of course, but it really helps. From watching anime I get to know characters and they become like my friends even though I know they aren't real. Anime sends me to a whole different world where possibilities are endless. I also learn a lot of life lessons and feel countless emotions through the course of the series. Right now, this is the best adventure I can get. But all my time wasn't only focused on anime. One of my classmates told me to watch a Korean drama series entitled "To The Beautiful You" because she said that it was very good and it was. It really was. I also watched a few horror movies to get into the Halloween spirit. My mom is a big fan of horror so it was really fun to watch with her.

          From October 31 to November 1, we went to my grandmother's house in Rosario, Cavite. We always go there every year during All Saints' Day. I was able to meet my cousins and other relatives (I haven't seen them for a while so I was really happy). The night of October 31, we watched Thor 2: The Dark World in SM Rosario. It was one the movies that I wanted to watch so badly because I am also Marvel fan. It was really good and the plot twists were very unpredictable. On November 1, we went to the cemetery with our relatives and lit a lot of colorful candles. Later in the afternoon, we went to my aunt's house in Tagaytay and we spent the night there. Before going to sleep, I played Dama with my parents. I was able to win a few games at first but after a while it was an utter defeat. They are really good (as in professionally good).

          The next day, the rest of our relatives followed us and we all ate at a Bulaluhan restaurant. The food there was really delicious (but I guess eating with my family was a great factor). We went back home after that and I was able to take a really long nap. When I woke up, I immediately finished all my projects and homeworks. I spent the last day of my semester break downloading songs and watching movies with my brother. To be honest, I just learned how to download songs that day and I was really happy for that accomplishment. My brother and I mostly watched horror movies.

           Overall, I have to say that my semester break was worth it. I was able to spend a lot of time with my family, I was able to do something productive with my schoolwork and I was also able to rest and do the things I love. This was actually one of the most memorable semester breaks I ever  had and I will be forever thankful about my experiences.