The Name worth a hundred Titles  

Posted by pamG



Saint Louis University
As the name rings a bell or two in our minds, we should try to see more than that.
It is a name worth hearing, worth discovering…And it has stood for a hundred years. The SLU Centennial is going to be held from December 2010 to December 2011. Don’t you think it deserves a gift or two? (Talk about narcissism)
Let’s break down what I was talking about.

It is a name worth hearing, worth discovering.
Its humble beginnings started off when a group of CICM Missionaries landed in the Philippines to spread the word of God and…all that stuff. They saw Baguio (my hometown) as a gateway to the Cordilleran region- the place where they intend to preach, because there were many indigenous tribes. That happened in the year 1907.
In 1911, Rev. Fr. Séraphin Devesse, a CICM missionary, founded a one-room elementary school for ten local boys in the city. In 1915, the other grades followed. And in 1921, the high school level was established. On May 13, 1963, the Saint Louis College was granted a University status by the Philippine Government.
From its simple foundation as a one-room classroom for ten local boys, to a university of four campuses with more than thirty-thousand students, it has grown into one of the most prominent and respected educational institutions, not only in Baguio, but the whole Philippines as well.

It has stood for a hundred years.
Let’s just add a hundred years to year it was first established. 1911 plus 100 is equal to 2011.

The SLU-Centennial is going to be held December 2010 to December 2011.
We’d celebrate the occasion for a year; because the year 1911 is the year it was established. (And other than that, to celebrate it the sooner means……more fun, for everyone!)

Don’t you think it deserves a gift or two?
Well, who wouldn’t! In our tradition, no matter where you’re from, (I know that you know what I’m talking about), giving gifts on someone’s birthday is a good thing. Then, what more for someone who’s turning into a hundred years old? Let’s add some spice to what I’m talking about…Saint Louis University is turning a hundred years old this coming December! He’s almost a century old!
…By the way, for those seeking some help in their English, the type of Figurative speech I used in the sentences back there is called Personification…Just for the record.
Back to the topic, don’t you want to give him a gift? I think I speak for every student from that school saying that they want to give him a gift. Otherwise, where are we now if that school is not standing right now to brighten our minds?
Since we are speaking to an inanimate object, we don’t know what it wants. But still, we could give it a little something. In which case, why not another title?
SLU: The school that started a change
SLU: The school that brings back life
SLU:  The school worth honoring

Those little things might not sound as “grand” as I was picturing, but I know for sure, that it’s the thought that counts.

A fruitful thought:
Though simple gestures may not seem grand and alluring,
It’s not the price, or the amount
It’s not the size or the quantity,
It is love and sincerity given along with the gift that weighs much more.



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SLU-LHS: My school, My home  

Posted by pamG

Saint Louis University- Laboratory High School
It sounds kind of “sciency and geeky”, right?
Answer is: not really…

Well, actually, it kind of is.
I mean, the name comes with the stuff—geeky stuff and high-tech stuff…and some others I don’t have the name for. Hahaha
Let’s start first, and foremost, how I got to talk about my school.
It’s a requirement, in my Technology and Home Economics class. But since that’s the case, I’ll admit. I have been planning to write about it; but, it just doesn’t fit my schedule…writing and typing, I mean. Anyhow, I’m here right now, in front of the laptop already, so why not start typing…and blogging.
Moving on, let’s talk about how I got here…to this school.
After graduating from Saint Louis School Center, SLSC, I went to Saint Louis University- Laboratory High School, SLU-LHS.
Aside from the reason that the school is near our house, I heard of how competent and socially involved and more…”more better” it was. I’m not comparing the high school of SLSC, which is the SLSC-HSD or the Saint Louis School Center-High School Department from my present high school. Neither my elementary school nor my high school’s elementary, which is the Saint Louis University- Laboratory Elementary School. Ah, here. I’ll clarify it. SLU-LES is the elementary of SLU-LHS; while SLSC is the elementary of SLSC-HSD.
My home
SLU-LHS is my home; I spend most of my time there. At home, its evening; so, what we do is to sleep. Basically, our days are mostly spent at school; therefore, we could consider it as our Second home…that’s just what I’m trying to say.
My school
SLU-LHS is my school. It is where I learn new things or deeper meanings. It is where our knowledge broadens and where our wisdom grows.
They say that experience is the best teacher. Yes, I agree with that. But, this is what I am to ask: How are we going to face the experience, and to really say that we passed the test if we don’t know when the trial actually hits us? Moral norms, school, and society are factors that guide us in saying that we are actually faced by this type of life-dangling-by-a-strand challenge or just some trivial one. Another word for experience is the following: encounter, happen, face, live through, undergo, be subjected to, and alike. And so, we make THIS kind of decision. After making the decision, we have already EXPERIENCED the situation. And therefore, we did learn from the situation—the knowledge we gained from the situation gave us a deeper meaning on what the moral norms, school, and society were suggesting to be true and correct.

This coming December, SLU would be celebrating its 100 years as standing as a school. From its humble beginnings, it would now become a century old. The Saint Louis University would be having its centennial celebration. (Read my other blog entitled “The name worth a thousand titles” for more information on the university’s history)
I guess the best gift I can give to my school, my SLU is to give it a good name…or if not, continue to preserve its already-respected name—especially my own school. It is my pride to say that I am from that school, a Louisian.
A Louisian by name and by status…based on where I am standing now.  Come join me, and let’s discover all the more all the things about my school, my home, my SLU.
Hey, could not that be a gift to him already? Gaining knowledge regarding it? Hahaha…
…especially now, when the SLU Centennial Celebration is coming…

A fruitful thought:
Experience could or could not become the best teacher.
At some points, yes. But not all the times.
Some situations do not need to be tried.
…we cannot take back what already happened,
…make decisions wisely, and you wouldn’t need to regret it afterwards…

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My Game, My Labyrinth  

Posted by pamG

It’s just a short pang of pain… Then, it would eventually be over…I know I can get over it, I definitely can.
Life is a maze full of different turns. It’s like The Labyrinth. Every turn could lead to somewhere else you never intended to be.  Still, life is like that, Heck, reality is always like that! You’d have to make a decision not from looking behind you, but from looking at where you are standing.
Yesterday, you couldn’t predict that this is what’s happening now, which is leading to this decision...And today, you cannot predict what decisions you are to make tomorrow because you are not faced with a particular situation today. Simple as this, let’s take an example. Yesterday, you slept in your sweetheart’s house because you got drunk after the party and you couldn’t drive. Before going to the party, yesterday, you didn’t decide to sleep over your sweetheart’s house. But when you were faced with the problem of being drunk, you decided to really do sleep in his house. Another example is this. You cannot make a decision today about marrying that same sweetheart; because, tomorrow, or in the future, it’s not a guarantee that you and your sweetheart are still together.
Back to what we were talking about earlier, Life is like a maze, Life is the Labyrinth. Every turn leads to somewhere. Every passage leads to another room. Every step leads to another opportunity—that is either to reach where your destination is, or to find yourself in another room that leads to another passage.
It is confusing, most times, but it’s worth it. You’d learn to avoid the corridors marked with a skull, or learn to take them. You’d learn to be cautious and to be alert. You’d learn to be creative and to be resourceful. You’d learn to adapt to every thing happening to you and to how people act around you too.
To think that I’ve been traveling this Labyrinth for almost fifteen years already, I’d be starting to get the hang of it. But no, I’m not. I don’t avoid the paths that are marked with red and bold letters of “DANGER!” Actually, I risk where I am most times. I follow civil laws, yes. But the rest? Pshaw…let’s place them aside first. Why not take risks? They could lead to greener pastures…the bad thing, though, is that it could also lead to drier lands.

I’m not saying follow my example, though…

Conclusions for what I’ve been talking about earlier are the following:
-         -Life is a maze. Life is The Labyrinth.
-         -Every turn leads to somewhere you never fully intended to be.
-         -Make a decision not from looking behind you, but from looking at where you are standing at the moment.
-         -Learn to make the right decisions, and to make the right turns.
-         -And last, but not the least, learn to take risks at some times too; because, in doing this, we are exploring more possibilities and exploring more opportunities.

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