Facebook, myYearbook, Friendster Addiction

Technology now offers many things. It grants us the easy access in everything we want to know and we want to discover. But I guess Computer is the best product of technology. You can instantly send messages to your love ones abroad regardless of the distances. You can surf the internet and when you have papers to make it would be very easy for you to edit it without additional burden.

Staying in a quite undeveloped place I learned to use computer late enough compared to some people who has the money. At first I don't even know how to turn it off and turn it on. I don't know what to could on the pats of the computer. In short I am really naive when it comes to this product.

Time changes. All poor things improve. All dark minds were enlighten same as my naivety in using computer. I am now a Computer Science student and at least I learned many things about computer. If at first I don't know any part of the computer now i could proudly say I've learned enough already. I may not learn all but I guess I've learned enough to make me pursue the field where I am now.

Addiction. We all know that frequent using of computer is bad. To much could affect ones health(I guess). But why is it that addiction among teens and actually all people regardless of the age get hooked in sites like Friendster, Facebook, myYearbook, etc.. What could be the secrets of this sites?

Me, myself first learn about the site FRIENDSTER. Friendster is a privately owned social networking website. Its headquarters are in Sydney, Australia. The service allows users to contact other members, maintain those contacts, and share online content and media with those contacts. This site is also used for dating, discovering new events, video and photo sharing and a lot more.

During my five months of using Friendster, I always see too it that my shout outs were updated. That my layouts were the best. I always open it. Actually I've spend four hours in Friendster alone. See how addict I am when it comes to Friendster?




official logo of FRIENDSTER


Years passed. I get tired. It seems that Friendster does not have appeal on me now. I rarely open my account. I don't update my shout outs anymore. And then I discovered FAcebook. I like the games. They have a lot of it actually.

As we all know Facebook is a global social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region. The website's name stems from the colloquial name of books given at the start of the academic year by university administrations with the intention of helping students get to know each other better.



official logo of FACEBOOK


More and more sites mushroomed in the internet. People find it hard to choose of which site they are going to sign. People get confused wether this site is a good one or not. Months ago I discover a site that really caught my attention. It really puts me into addiction. I don't want to be away with that site for just an hour. I enjoy bidding, i enjoy playing its unique game, I enjoy being in group. I enjoy myYearbook.




My yearbook is a social networking site and open to all prospected member. Anyone can enjoy buy friends comment on picture and be in a battle.

Addiction in this sites is bad as I weigh it. But who cares? I enjoy it.

Miagao: A Place to Be

Miagao Aerial view


I'm a native of Zarraga, Iloilo, Philippines and at first I don't have the knowledge about Miagao. The very well known church and everything about it. But of course it changes as i reached this place.

I am now here in Miagao. I'm studying here at University of the Philippines Miagao Campus. I've seen the very famous Miagao church and yes its really beautiful.


This picture shows the front portion of the Church.



The whole front portion of Miagao.


Nowadays when you say Miagao people always picture in mind the Miagao Church, a National Shrine included in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. Constructed more than two hundred years ago in the year 1797, the Miagao Church stands as a living legacy of the culture and way of life of the people of Miagao, anchored in a strong foundation of Christian faith.

But its not just the Church alone. Miagao also attracts tourist to its yearly festival called SALAKAYAN.


Gigantes at Miagao's Salakayan Festival

What are you waiting for? Come visit Miagao now!

Philippines: Storm Prone

A tropical storm lashed the mountainous northern Philippines on Sunday, killing at least five people in landslides and floods, blowing roofs off houses and toppling power posts, officials said( USA Today, 2008).

Why is it that Philippines experience a lot of Natural Calamities? Last year the province of Iloilo got struck by typhoon Frank living the entire Iloilo a mess. It puts Iloilo underwater. Many people died. They were drowned by the sudden increase of waters current and height. Approximately 50 people died in Iloilo alone, 15 in antique and there is still people missing. Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) official says that it was the worst flooding experienced in Western Visayas. Yes I agree.

That typhoon really bring so much disaster. I remember it is the opening of school classes but was postpone because of this calamity. Iloilo then was into put into the state of calamity by the Iloilo provincial Government. Government officials were appealing for help. “We need all the help that we can get,” said Iloilo Mayor Jerry Treñas in a phone interview from Morocco where he is on an official trip. He appealed for donations of ready-to-eat food, potable water and dry clothes (Burgos Jr., Nestor , 2009). Frank bring terror to every ilonggo. When it rains people here in Iloilo were now scared to sleep. They stay awake so that they could be prepared when another flood envelopes the whole city.




Another year has passed, people doesn't forgot the tragic incident cause by Frank. They now became aware. They now became prepared. Another Typhoon is coming. They should not be asleep. News about the coming of typhoon Parma travels like light as the storm enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

Typhoon Parma destroy the Northern part of Luzon. It kills innocent individuals. It damages many infrastructure. It makes the whole Northern Luzon into a very wide swimming pool.




Weeks have passed after Parma. Its raining again. Dark clouds enveloping the sky. Rain droplets are starting to fall down. We'll there be another typhoon?

I should be prepared. I should stay awake! I don't want to die because of another typhoon.

Smoking Teens: Why?

Cigarette Smoking among teens is rapidly increasing nowadays. Some started smoking at the age of 10 and some at even earlier age. Why is that so?
Smoking is considered as past time and to ease stress by smokers. They always include this habit to their daily routine. They could not finish a day without lightning a stick of cigarette. They feel incomplete without using it.
Teens usually are prone to this kind of acts, maybe because they just wanna have fun or because they wanted to get in into their groups. Some teens also says that there parents are doing it that is why they just followed. We can see here that parents really has the great role in polishing their child's life. Yes! Parents are models for their children. Whatever they do their children tends to follow it. No matter how wrong it was (like drugs, cigarette smoking) as long as YOU parents are doing it, in the eyes of your child it is good. Remember In child's eyes wrong will be right if they see someone especially their parents do it.
I am not generalizing the parents. Actually my mother is an exception to that too, but we cannot deny the fact that to some this is happening. They are not minding doing silly things like this in front or in the presence of their children. Parents, always remember the future of your child depends on how you make or how you polish them.
Parents are not the only source of child's attitude. I know that. You may have good parents but when you go out and met new friends which is too normal for us teens to do may also be one source of child's attitude. Let me site an example here. Let me say Ana. Ana is a very obedient girl. She follows what her parents says, well of course her parents are doing good things too. They are not into vices that makes Ana's family a role model family. But when Ana reaches the time where she meet's new friend and wanted to be in group their conflicts arises. What if the group she is aiming to be in will make her do silly things for her to be in that group. We could not erase the fact that some groups have that, especially when you enter a sorority or a fraternity. Nowadays we could rarely find a holy fraternity and sorority. Yeah. You can find for one if you has the taste to be in it.
Now let's go back to our situation. Now, Ana here is forced to smoke and do drugs because she really wanted to be called as "in". She now consume a pack of cigarette a day when in fact she is not doing it in the past.
Yes. As you grow you meet many challenges. Well its up to you if you will just go with the flow are do your best to pass through such circumstances. You may have good parents. You may have good friends. What is important here is how you handle yourself. It is you who will decide of what you will do and you will not do. Remember your future lies not on anybodies hand but in yours.

Cigarette Smoking

Study shows that tobacco is a "major health problem" in Southeast Asia. "Approximately 50 percent of males smoke and youths, especially girls, continue to take up smoking," experts from eight of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members said. ASEAN consists of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In the Philippines, statistics shows that the Philippines rank high among nations with the most number of smokers. In 2003, the country ranked fifth in the world for adult male smokers aged 15 years and older and 26th in the numbers of female adult smokers and still increasing as time goes by (R. C. Lontayao, 2008).

On the other hand, almost 34% of the 46 million smokers identified in 1998 attempt to quit smoking each year. However, less than 10% of those 34% actually succeed (ACSH). This clearly shows that only few people quit smoking and majority of this people who plans to quit failed. Every year around 5.4 million deaths are caused by tobacco. In the Philippines, 20,000 Filipinos die from smoking-related illnesses each year (that's 2 every hour). Smoking is linked to 5 of the top 10 leading causes of deaths, according to Government data (Hawkins).

With this very scary death rates, why does people especially those teenager get addicted with smoking? I have interviewed people and asked them the reasons of why they smoke. One lad who really caught my attention is a friend of my roommate. He is 13 years old and an out of school youth. Cyril Paulma, commonly called Buddy to his friends once told me that he first indulged on smoking when he was just 11 years old.

“Purely for fun”, Buddy told me when asked why he was smoking. He also added that it was his friends who introduced it (cigarette) to him first. Fun. This same answer was very first reason why people smoke. According to Ernest Dichter smoking, for many of us, then, became a substitute for our early habit of following the whims of the moment; it becomes a legitimate excuse for interrupting work and snatching a moment of pleasure. Also, he says that other people look at smoking as a reward. A cigarette is a reward that we can give ourselves as often as we wish. When we have done anything well, for instance, we can congratulate ourselves with a cigarette, which certifies, in effect, that we have been "good boys." We can promise ourselves: "When I have finished this piece of work, when I have written the last page of my report, I'll deserve a little fun. I'll have a cigarette."

I asked Buddy if he has any plan of quitting smoking but he laughingly told me it’s difficult already. He added that the more he consumes a cigarette the greater is his drive to smoke more. This situation could be the problem of people who does smoking. They wanted to quit but had a hard time doing it.

Now, to remedy this kind of situation there are many approaches to stop smoking. One of these methods is using gum or eating skin patches with nicotine. The use of gum or skin patches containing nicotine has been one medical approach. When the patient stops smoking, it provides the replacement of nicotine into the body. The theory behind this approach is to gradually reduce the amount of nicotine replaced until none is provided. (M.S. Beitner). But I think the very first thing you will do to stop smoking practically is to start to yourself first. Try to weigh the consequences, the bad effects of the continuous usage or the good effects on it to your body when you quit.

Do not be ashamed to ask for support from your family, friends, and even public organizations. You can find a support group or a smoking cessation program through almost any hospital. If you have not succeeded once, do not become desperate. Remember that every attempt at stopping smoking increases your chances of success next time. Know that more than fifty million Americans have already quit this unhealthy habit. You always should give yourself credit for trying (Darlene Marlow).

Parents if any or friends could also help you minimize smoking. As what National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University wrote, parents are a child’s number one role model and have the most influence on their lives. Children may argue or seem to tune parents out, but they still look up to and listen to what they have to say.

Whatever way it maybe it depends upon you if you have the urged to stop. You wouldn’t like to acquire that cancerous thing I guess. So you should act now.