"Charie Rivera"

         

            

             I was actually planning to blog sometime last year, apparently due to my busy schedule or I guess since I couldn't find the courage yet I use the reason that I was only able to find the time to write only now, It’s been less than a year now since Mam’Cha died. She was my former teacher when I was in high school.

I remember, she was one of my favorite subject teachers when I was in High school, well actually all of my English teachers were my favorites, simply because it was kind of my favorite subject next to AP. One of the reason I am always enthralled about her is that she’s really a kind-hearted teacher. She’s really the kind of  person that really cares genuinely. I could really attest to that because I’ve seen it.

I find it strange though because  before we knew about her passing, 2 days prior to that I dreamt of her, I don’t even know why, I was a bit confused and a bit flustered actually since it has been years since I have last seen her, I find it really strange. It was a happy dream though, it’s like she’s bidding her goodbye, so I was also a bit teary-eyed on my dream. Then, las I've mention 2 days after that I received the news about her passing

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Help Save Mother Earth

Visit Localcooling.com(and install their software)
Local cooling is a software that you can install in your computer to manage its power consumption.
how is it different from a computer built-in power management?
for one,
it actually monitors how much trees, gallons of waters, and kilowatt
you save according to your personalized setting.
what also so cool about it is you can log-on to your own account on their website and compare how much you saved w/ other users in the world.
So how's that for joining a global cause in saving environment..ayt..

use Blackle instead of Google
Imagine how many people use Google to do their online search.
The Google.com page use a white background w/c consumes more energy that if you had, say, a black background.So imagine if all those people using Google would use black background for Google.This would thus significantly decrease the total amount of energy needed for their monitors to display their searches.Blackle.com rides on this possibility.They used black background to run Google.It has the same search results. It's just that they used a black background. It may take some getting used to but, hey, that's just a small sacrifice to help save Earth, right?.

Printing w/ Less Ink
most of the things printed by regular students will probably be heavy in text and not so much w/ graphics.
when printing this documents put your printer's setting to where it will use minimal ink.
You only need to view the letters for them to be readable and your printer need not to be its best setting for this.
Do not include graphics if they are not needed since printing these would need a lot of ink. Meaning to say, if it is just for aesthetic purposes or for the work to appear better, skip putting the pictures or the drawings.

Printing Paper
If you need to submit printed documents on a fairly regular basis, approach whoever you will be submitting these and ask if you may used paper that has been used on side already. If he agrees you may use then the other side to print your document.(just make sure the paper is still presentable especially if you are submitting this to your professor). W/ this, you get to help save Earth resources and help save some of you allowance. (Remember, a lot of times it is the substance of your work that counts and the way it looks.)

Save on Paper and Ink again
Have you ever noticed the many ATM receipts just thrown in the garbage beside the machines?
Essentially, paper and ink wasted the moment the receipt goes on that can. Instead then of printing the receipt for your transaction just choose NOT TO PRINT A RECEIPT. This should be especially true ir your just checking you account balance. Most ATM's flash on their monitors the information you need to know anyway. Just don't be lazy to wait for that few seconds when it does.

Technology is already a given in our world. It is really that people that using it and will use it. As end users of technology we have the responsibility not only to use it for our own advancement but also to take care of our only home, Mother Earth.

Source: Catalyst[07-08]
-by Erich Saplala Shih

In Sweet Memory of a Friend

January 13, 1991 - January 4, 2009

Up until now, I still can’t believe what happened. A part of me keeps thinking that maybe, somehow, next week or next month, I’ll see him again—that we might bump into each other somewhere, have a little chitchat, or catch up. But I have to accept the painful truth: that’s never going to happen. He’s gone.

I remember it was late at night, past 9 PM, when I received a message from my best friend. At first, I almost ignored it because I thought it was just another forwarded quote. I was casually scrolling through the text until I saw his name toward the end. That’s when I read the message again—this time carefully—and realized it was about his passing. I didn’t know how to react. For a moment, I even wondered if it was some kind of a joke. Maybe I was in denial. But deep down, I knew—no one would ever joke about something like that.

To some people, he was known for being mean—a real badass, even a bully. Hehe! Proof of that is the fact that we, his friends, used to call him “Big Boss.” But just like most people, there was more to him than what met the eye. He may have seemed intimidating on the outside, but deep down, he had a soft heart, especially when it came to his friends.

He was the type of person who spoke his mind without hesitation, often coming across as if he didn’t care about other people’s feelings. But I always felt that was just a wall he built around himself—his way of protecting himself from being hurt. One thing I can say for sure, though—when it came to his friends, he was always ready to fight.

I guess it takes one to understand one. The moment he felt that I understood him—that I saw why he acted the way he did and why he spoke the way he spoke—that’s when he started to trust me as his friend. Looking back, it’s funny how happy I was when that happened, especially considering how unpleasant our first meeting was.

Now, I feel even more grateful that we became friends. I’m glad I got to know that side of him. At least, I have something truly good to remember about him. And I’m writing this not just because he’s gone—not just to say something nice about him—but because this is exactly how I feel. And he truly deserves to be remembered this way.