School Tennis Club

On Sept 18, our club members met at the open court and played tennis together. It was raining for the last 2 weeks on Fridays, so we were not able to play. While playing, I realized that the string of the tennis racket was loose, so after the game, I had to change it to the new one. 

I am not really into sports, but being a member of this club is really a great experience, and playing tennis is very interesting. In this activity, I have learned so much about myself when it comes to sports. I know that exercise is important to keep me healthy, so playing tennis has increased my awareness of what my body can and cannot do. It is a good and fun way to exercise. I have therefore learned to give my commitment to this sport and persevere even if it is difficult to do because I easily get tired and breathless. This has also given me the great opportunity to learn how to collaborate with my teammate whenever we play doubles, make friends with other players from other grade levels, and bond with them after the game.

Hydroponic Activity

There are many things that I learned in the Hydroponic Activity. One of them is the hydroponic system which uses physics plus pressure concepts. This eco-friendly system uses a tank where crops and fishes can grow.  Doing this project is challenging since this activity involves physics, which is a complicated subject. Building the tank needs strength, so most of our members relied on those who can carry the tank. Our pipe’s cover also got broken. We were almost done when it happened. Nobody noticed it from the beginning until we were done building our tank which was kind of frustrating. We checked it and found out that the covering had a hole in it, so there was no pressure to make the water go down.

We had to do the same process again which involved cutting tanks using a saw and a drill. Everyone in our group made effort in building it again, so we were able to finish successfully.  For this mistake, I want to recheck the materials that we are going to use next time because repeating the whole process is really tiring. Generally, building the hydroponic tank activity was fun. I learned to face a new challenge and work with a team to make work a lot easier. I collaborated with my classmates and persevered to build and complete the tank. I learned how to cooperate with my group mates in order to build this tank. I am able participate in a productive team-building activity. I also learned to be committed, focused, and optimistic. This was a great learning experience for me!

Medical- Dental Mission

Helping many people is one of the  best life experiences that I had during our Medical-Optical-Dental mission on May 17.  At first, I didn’t expect anything unusual. Actually, I thought this is just another day. However, I didn’t expect that I will be concerned about the people who are going to have their free check-ups. It started when I was assigned to wash dental tools that are used by the doctors. It was my first time to wash dental kits, so I really was very nervous because I was afraid of dropping something of cutting myself with it.

There are a few challenges that my group mates and I encountered while doing this task. It looked simple, but it was really difficult. We needed to hurry so that the doctors can use the tools since there are more people coming. Cleaning dental instruments needs patience because we might cut ourselves while doing the process. We also lacked manpower when the activity was about to be finished. A few students remained, but people were still coming in. Good thing, some members from another group helped us do our job. The biggest challenge was the heavy rain.  We haven’t anticipated this weather, but we have accomplished this activity well and we  have also helped many people.

The medical-dental mission was a success. It was fun to do those stuffs even if there were challenges. I have learned many things from this activity.  I became more patient and calm in a stressful situation. I was able to face a new challenge and I worked well with my team in doing our task.  In joining this activity, I was also able to develop my skill in dealing with people from poor communities.  Globally, poverty is a big problem, so health is a big issue. I realized that doing volunteer work, especially in helping others with their health problems is the right thing to do, so I want to continue doing this even when I already graduate from Brent school. I really think this was a great experience that I’ll never forget.

Tennis Lesson at the Baguio Tennis Club

 

I am going to introduce my coach, Sir JunJun

He is 31 years old and has 3 children.

He is the top player in Baguio City.

He is actually my dad's coach...

Last year,  I started to take tennis lessons from him.

Tennis is really hard to learn.

There are too many skills to learn and playing tennis really needs body power!

Today, I practiced forehand and backhand strokes.

In my tennis lessons, I learn to be more aware of my strong and weak points in sports. Playing tennis is not easy, especially because my body is not fit enough to play, but I have to have strong determination and commitment so that I can achieve my ideal body weight someday. This challenging experience is also a great way for me to develop my skills in sports.

Careful listening and paying attention to my coach's instructions and movement are very important, so I can learn much more easily if I am focused and committed to this activity. Tennis also teaches me how to be a good sport and a good team player, especially when playing doubles. By cooperating and being attentive to everything, I believe I can be good at this sport someday.

Violin Lesson

Today, I had a violin lesson with my violin teacher. I practiced a new song, Bach’s “Gavotte” in Suzuki Violin Volume 5 with her.The song Gavotte was originated in about 17th century from France, and spread through Europe. This song was originally composed for cello by Bach. However, this song sounds well with the violin, so it feels good to play it with the violin. While playing, I had a problem with the changing of strings; however, I was able to do a vibrato well. 

Playing the violin is such a fun activity for me. I have already finished level 5, so I will go to level 6. Playing the violin teaches me to be aware of my strengths and weaknesses, which is necessary in the development of my talent and music skills. I take on new challenges whenever I get to learn a new piece, so I learn to listen well to instructions and pay attention to detail. Playing the violin may look easy, but if I don't pay attention, it is easy for my teacher to hear my mistakes. I have learned to cooperate well with my teacher and be focused with what I am doing in order for me to improve easily and also to be aware of opportunities for my own growth in my violin lessons.

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Today is a Present

Even in the  mundane routine of daily life

We can laugh about small things too

understanding one another,

so today is a wonderful present

Today when we can see our loved ones is a greater present  than any expensive gift

somebody said.........................................................................................................................

Math Club

I joined the Math Club. The aim of our club is to practice our Math skills for the Math Olympiad. Joining this club gives me great time and many learning experiences.

I enjoy working together with my club members while practicing in solving many problems with them. We get to discuss how to deal with difficult problems, and we share what we know with each other. I get to initiate topics for discussion, and it is interesting how we all collaborate with each other in planning ways of solving the difficult problems.

I get to find out my strengths and weaknesses in Math and develop myself further by listening to my co-members. Solving problems is always challenging, but it is very interesting. I get to develop new skills by getting involved and committing myself and my time in this club.

Inter-house Maths Bee Competition

I joined the Math Bee Competition on April 27, 2015 and won Second Place in the Individual Category for Seniors. I wish I could have finished First, but I am satisfied that I have done my best in the competition. The problems were very challenging, and it was much harder because of my nervousness and anxiousness of being in the competition itself.

This activity has given me a lot of things to think about. Although I thought I was good at Math, I still have a lot of weaknesses and that there are still a lot of things that I need to learn. I also realized that I had shown my strength in my skills in Math, having been able to reach my place in the competition. This  has also given me more confidence because it is never easy to be under pressure, but I have undertaken this great challenge and I persevered to keep going until the very end of the competition without quitting. I learned that commitment in facing challenges is very important in life, and I will surely remember this even when I graduate from high school.