HEROIC PETS: One of a Kind

#1 Shelby

Shelby was the 45^th winner of the Skippy Dog Hero of the Year Award. She is a 7-year-old German shepherd who saved the life of her four owners. After a long and cold December day, the Waderbach family of Ely, Iowa fell asleep comfortably in their warm beds. Janet Walderbach woke to the sounds of her two children crying. While she was rocking one of them back to sleep, she herself fell asleep, waking up several minutes later to the nudging and whining Shelby. Since both Janet and her husband John were suffering from headaches and nausea, they put the whining dog outside. Instead of quieting down, Shelby began to bark wildly and scratch at the door. She wouldn’t stop until Janet, John and the kids were all out of the house. With everyone outside and feeling sick, the family took a trip to the hospital where they were diagnosed and treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. They later found out that the carbon monoxide level in their home measured at 280 ppm, a level that easily causes death. For her courageous actions, Skippy awarded Shelby with $500, a one-year supply of Skippy dog food, and an engraved food bowl.

#2 Zoey

Zoey, a four and-a-half pound, ten-month-old Chihuahua knows that it isn’t size that makes a hero. On a hot summer day in 2007, Zoey was playing in the backyard with her owner Marty Long and his 1-year-old grandson Booker West. All of the sudden, Zoey darted towards little Booker and the area where he was playing. Apparently, she had spotted a rattlesnake, and jumped in to take the bite for the boy. Zoey was left with a one-inch scar on her face and ran to Marty crying. Her head soon swelled to the size of a grapefruit. Luckily, Zoey got to the vet in time to save her with antivenin and blood plasma. Zoey made a full recovery and still loves to play in the yard with Booker.

#3 Tommy

Gary Rosheisen of Columbus, Ohio lives alone, but takes many safety precautions. Since he was diagnosed with severe and painful osteoporosis and several mini strokes Rosheisen has kept 911 set in speed dial, has a cord above his pillow to reach paramedics, wears a medical alert necklace everyday, and even tried to teach his cat, Tommy, how to call 911. One morning, before Rosheisen donned his medical alert necklace, he fell onto the floor between his bed and wheelchair. From this position, he couldn’t reach the paramedic pull-cord above his bed or a phone. After a few unsuccessful yells for help, Rosheisen gave up, and lay limp on the floor. To his surprise, police soon came to the apartment. Strangely, they had received a 911 call from the apartment but there seemed to be no one on the other end. The only explanation is that Tommy made the call. Only then did Rosheisen realize that training Tommy to dial 911 had paid off. Rosheisen considers Tommy to be his hero.

#4 Binti Jua

Naturally, Gorillas are nurturing animals, and Binti Jua (“Daughter of Sunshine” in Swahili) is no exception. Although she is the niece of Koko, the Gorilla famous for learning to communicate with American Sign Language, on August 16, 1996 Binti Jua became legendary in her own right. That day, a three-year-old boy visiting the Brookfield Zoo of Illinois climbed over the Gorilla enclosure wall and fell 20 feet onto the concrete below, rendering him unconscious. Spectators watched in horror as several huge Gorillas curiously circled the boy. Almost immediately, Binti Jua took charge of the situation, growling at other Gorillas as they approached the boy, and finally gently carrying him to an entrance of the Gorilla enclosure, where zookeepers could retrieve the injured boy. After only 4 hours in the hospital, the boy was released and has fully recovered.

#5 Chips

The German shepherd tank-guard Chips was the most decorated dog of WWII, and probably the most famous war dog in history. Assigned to the 3^rd Infantry Division, he was one of the first dogs shipped overseas, serving in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. While invading Sicily in July 1943, his handler was attacked by a concealed machine gun. Chips immediately followed the shots to an Italian pillbox where he captured 4 Italian soldiers and saved the life of his handler. That same night, with powder burns and a serious scalp wound, Chips helped capture 11 more Italians. The U.S. papers called him a hero, and General Eisenhower personally thanked him for his services. Upon returning to the States, he was awarded the Silver Star for Valor and a Purple Heart, the later has been revoked citing it as being “demeaning to service men” who were also given the award. In 1993, Disney produced a movie called “Chips the War Dog” to commemorate this great hero.

#6 Lulu

Pot-bellied pigs are one of the most intelligent and loyal pets. In October of 1998, Lulu, a Vietnamese potbelly pig heroically saved the life of her owner, Jo Ann Altsman. On October 10, Altsman suffered from a heart attack alone in her trailer. Sensing that something was wrong, Lulu went outside plopped down in front of a moving car on the road just in front of the trailer. The motorist spent almost 45 minutes trying to coax the pig off of the roadway to no avail. Finally, Lulu somehow managed to bring the driver into the trailer, where he found Altsman on the floor and immediately dialed 911. At the hospital, doctors said that if it had taken even 15 minutes longer to get Altsman to the hospital, she would have died. To thank Lulu for saving her life, Altsman gave her a jelly doughnut. Altsman became so attached to her potbellied pet that she always keeps her in the house, even though she has gone from weighing 4 pounds at the time of the incident to over 150 pounds currently.

#7 Belle

In this day and age, if you want to be a dog hero, it’s not enough to learn how to use a home phone. You have to be able to dial from a cell phone. Belle, a 17-pound beagle from Orlando, Florida did just that to save her owners life. One day her diabetic owner Kevin Weaver had a seizure and collapsed from low blood sugar levels. As she was taught, Belle immediately found Weaver’s cell phone and bit down on the number 9 (speed dial for 911). Weaver was taken to the hospital and resuscitated. Later that year, Belle was taken to Washington D.C. to receive the first VITA Wireless Samaritan award presented to a dog. Every year, this award is given to someone who uses a cell phone to save a life. Canines are particularly good pets for diabetics as they can detect slight abnormalities in a person’s blood sugar levels with their keen sense of smell. Weaver says that Belle usually alerts him of his dropping sugar level by whining and pawing at him.

#8 Tripod

About a year ago, John and Mary Smith of Independence County Arkansas adopted a five-year-old three-legged rat terrier in-order to save her from the pound. Recently, Tripod had the chance to return the favor. One night while Tripod slept at the feet of her owners a fire broke out in their home. By the time the couple realized what was going on their bedding had already caught fire. Elderly, and slightly obese, Mary was overwhelmed by the thought of getting herself and her wheelchair-bound husband out of the flames and decided to stay with her husband to “accept their fate.” Tripod, However, didn’t seem to agree with this plan. He kept barking at them and pulling at their clothes until finally, with the encouragement of the crippled dog, the couple was able to escape from the burning home. The Smiths fervently believe that the only reason they are still alive today is thanks to Tripod.

source: http://www.petsbest.com/petheroes.aspx

I can do this...

Last Friday, the school had the induction of officers for the different clubs. Well, obviously, I am included. I have sworn as the Vice President for Documentation for SALIW (I LOVE SALIW!!!) and Auditor for the English Club.

Now I am officially in the position... Can I do this? I hope so.

For the past years, the documentation for SALIW has always been the problem when it comes to the end of the year, in the signing of clearances. I fear the fact this might also happen this year. It is fine if my clearance will be the only one to be held, but no. All the clearances of the SALIW members will not be signed if I won't submit the "scrap book". How shameful would that feel?

Honestly, I am a very dedicated SALIW member myself. I love to be in that club. I got to meet a lot of nice, friendly people and I got to experience a lot of things that I know, I wouldn't have experienced if not for them. I got to bond with a very wonderful teacher also, Ma'am May who I consider as a mentor, as a friend, as a mother. Most of all, I got to do the thing which I love...DANCING.

It is only the start of the year and I still have a long way to go... I will still encounter a lot of problems and I know that I can surpass them because I know that:

[(2)hard work] + perseverance + prayers and faith in God + a little help from friends + a little bit of fun = SUCCESS

I can do this... I can do this... I CAN DO THIS!

One of God's Precious Gifts : MY FATHER

A father has always been a sentinel for every child. Because of this, a lot of people have the same thoughts that fathers are superior. Yes, they are...but in a good way. Like in my case, my father is a friend who has always been an inspiration. He tries to show me that he is predominant to gain the respect that he deserves and also to teach us to know our limitations. He has been a good influence to me for unlike other fathers, he doesn't have vices. He'd rather cook our food, wash our clothes and clean the house than hang out with his friends. He is also a religious person for he taught us to devote some of our time every weekend to attend mass. We have to prioritize it or else, he will talk to us and let us realize its importance to our lives. Lastly, he is very family-oriented. Though he has his own family already, he never forgets to visit his mother (my grandmother) and at the same time, bring us to her to bridge the gaps between us (for we don't see each other that often). Indeed, I am very lucky for having a father like him. I will forever be thankful to God for a very special gift, that is, my father.

My family..

This is my family diagram...

Patience is all we need…

Last Sunday, I woke up with a text message from Dei saying that Ma’am May was brought again to the hospital and was operated again. I was surprised because she had just been operated, if I’m not mistaken, 3 or 4 weeks ago. We are supposed to go to Kuya Shandel’s house to visit Ma’am May so Dei texted Kuya Shandel to know if we can visit or on what time, that’s how we knew about what happened.

When we arrived in the hospital, I was so curious about what happened to Ma’am May. We are hesitating to go inside her room because we don’t know what to expect, but we were hoping that she doesn’t look the way she did the first time we visited her on her first operation. Kuya Shandel was inside and two other boys who, maybe, was Ma’am May’s former students (according to Dei, maybe they were part of the batch before her sister.). We just stood there, not knowing what to do. Kuya Shandel offered seats but we did not take them and we said in a joking manner, “Nagpapatangkad po.”

Dei asked Kuya Shandel about Ma’am May’s condition and he explained to us everything with a diagram made by the doctor (thankfully, Ma’am May did not look as weak and as ill as the first time). Ma’am May, though we are far from her, was also explaining to us and the other two boys about what happened to her and tears was falling from her eyes. She said that she pity the fourth years because she felt that they need her (she was teaching English…) and because the UPCAT was near. We miss Ma’am May already and we want her back. But since, this happened, we have to be patient and just wait until she can go back to the school…

Life is so unfair!

This week was so tough…whew! Thank God I have survived another week of exams. Last Monday, I didn’t get enough sleep because I have to study as hard as I can to get a high grade. The subjects we took last Tuesday were Math, Araling Panlipunan, English and Advanced Statistics.

The fact that we were going to have A.P. on our first day of the exams troubled us because we only have a few hours for studying but this subject requires a lot of memorizing (there are a lot of facts!). We also need to study a lot for English because our topic was a bit confusing (it was about infinitives, infinitive phrases and the functions) But I didn’t study Math anymore since I have studied already during our long test which we had last week (if I am not mistaken…). Our test in Advanced Statistics was just fine…

On our second day, we took Chemistry, Physics, Filipino, MAPEH and Elective (mine is Zoology). Chemistry and Physics were fine, I felt safe when I took it. Filipino was so exhausting to take. Almost all of the questions were open-ended! Imagine that…MAPEH was a bit hard too, because there are also open-ended questions and we have to draw a diagram (which I have no idea how to answer! I didn’t know that we need to memorize that!) Zoology was also hard! There was a part in that test where we have to answer the type of tropism or nastic movement that the situation suggests. It was all about plants! We are taking Zoology but that test was about plants!!!!

Never mind the test… We have a very funny experience when we ate in Claro’s on the second day of test. We were very noisy then. We were waiting the food to be served so the tendency is for us to chat (we were talking about our test…). The food is already there held by this cute waiter. Since we are very noisy, he cannot go between us to serve our food so he suddenly shouted “Wait! Sino ang umorder ng Selecta 5, Kanino ung ubod?” in a very gayish way! We all laughed because we thought he was a straight man but no! He was a gay! To think that he is very cute! Life is really unfair…

We also had a very bad experience. Actually, I am not directly involved in this trouble but indirectly, maybe yes. The group of Kathleen was about to throw their trashes (leaves, other biodegradables…) to the pit in the Pharmacological Garden. But unfortunately, it was locked so they just went back. I think after a while, I don’t know who saw but there are non-biodegradables in the pit (which was forbidden to be thrown there) and some first years accused Kathleen’s group in throwing those. I think Ma’am Pareja got angry but there are already other people from the first and second years who admitted in throwing the “forbidden trashes” there. I am just not sure if the blame was lifted from us already. I am affected because Aaron and I really wanted to win the Earthwatch Teens (we are our section’s representatives). I can’t accept that just because of those blames which really aren’t true, we won’t reach our goal. Again, life is really unfair…

Hold on to your friends...and don't let go.

It was last Monday when something very unexpected happened...

Dei and I have just arrived in school last Monday when she told me that she felt pains in her stomach. We are to have a flag ceremony that day and I told her not to attend anymore since she does not feel good, but she still insisted that she will attend the ceremony because she has no one to talk to in our room. I just let her thinking that she'll be alright.

While in the flag ceremony, we are dancing the CALABARZON song when I saw her sitting down. I was thinking what to do when Sheila went infront of our platoon to call our platoon leader to assist Dei. She was asked if she wants to return to the room bet she said that she's ok. She doesn't look "ok" to me...

When the ceremony ended, we were walking back to the room when I asked her what she feels. She did not reply and I got an impression that she does not want anyone to bother her so I just left. Inside the room, I was about to get cleaning materials (my group was assigned infront of the guidance center) when one of my classmates called me. So came nearer and saw that Dei was already on the floor (she did not collapsed, she just sat down until she reached a lying position).

Surprised by what I saw, I asked A-jae to go with me to call the nurse. But since we saw from afar that the clinic is still closed, we came to the nearest teacher we saw, Ma'am Elaine Malones. We told her what happened to Dei and she told us to approach our adviser first. We saw Ma'am Del Rosario infront of the guidance center so we run as fast as we could. We said that something happened to Dei and she needs to go there.

After telling her, we went ahead. Inside the room, we saw Ma'am Arlyn Tolentino, our former adviser (we had to change adviser because she was already the chief adviser of the third year level). She was holding Dei who was having chills. After seeing that the two teachers are already there for her and after knowing that they have already called her parents, I just attended to my responsibilities (cleaning).

When we were walking to the room, I saw her parents at our backs. Thank God they have arrived. At that time, I know that she will be fine. She was taken home and that day, I was thinking of what might have been the cause of what Dei felt. I can't help but to worry because she is my friend and I don't want anything bad happening to them.

I just felt relieved when I knew that she was at home and she's doing fine. The next day, she was already in school but she isn't as active as before, but I understand her. She didn't get enough rest.

I really thank God that nothing severe happen to her. I hope that this won't happened again and she would take care of herself.

I believe this is me...

My PURPOSE...

During our English time today, I was thinking of a lot of things, including the story that we tackled, Jonathan Livingston Segull. The story was very interesting. I was also thinking about what really happened to Dei yesterday (OOOPS! Just wait for my next blog, I will have that topic...). But what made those thoughts disappear in my mind was when Ma'am Del Rosario gave us this assignment: "Publish a blog with the topic, What is the purpose of my existence?". That question struck me, I don't know why. Maybe, it is because my life has always been just a big cycle-in the morning, I have to wake up, take a bath and eat, then I have to go to school, then after dismissal time, I have to go to my school bus. At home, I have to fix myself and do my assignments and eat dinner, I have to prepare to sleep and wake up the next morning to go to school... and so on. I have been doing this in my life since I was a little girl and so I have forgotten things like finding out the purpose of my existence in this world.

I am aware that I am really blessed compared to the other people my age. I have parents and relatives who have been very supportive to me and who never leaves me in times when I need them. A lot of teens and children are not given the opportunity to study but I was given this rare chance to learn in an educational institution which, I can say, is one of the best. I was gifted with knowledge that helped me survived through every school year. I was also given a lot of special abilities and talents which I know, not everyone possesses. Yet, I don't really know what God wants me to do with all these. But for sure, He wants me to use them all, not only for my benefit, but also for the benefit of others.

Most probably, He wants me to, first of all, give happiness to my parents. Why would God give me to them if I would not be giving them happiness? I have been studying hard and trying to achieve a lot because I want to make them happy and proud of me. They have guided me through every step of the way and I want to repay them by showing that they are never a failure in raising me up as a person. I also believe that I was given to my friends because I should be there for them when they need me, and I know that they will also be there if I need them. What are friends for?

My knowledge is something that God entrusted to me which I believe should be nurtured until I grow old. Most importantly, this knowledge shouldn't be kept only for myself, it should not even be used for competing with other people. It should be utilized to help others broaden their own knowledge for their own advantage and at the same time, for the advantage of the others. My special talents are given to me, most probably because I can use them as tools which can change sadness and sorrow into happiness and joy.

Most importantly, I believe that God gave me everything I have right now to show everyone how great He is. He wants people to understand that He will never let us down and that he will always be there if we need Him...like how He showed it to me.


My REPRESENTATION...

I want to represent my self as the "drama or theater masks" and the theater itself. My life had a lot of different acts and a lot of emotions. Like a theater actor, I may seem to be happy but deep inside, no one knows that I am dolorous. I may put a smile in a very sad face but no one knows that I can't even place a smile in my own face. Like the theater plays, my life is not as easy as it looks. I had a lot of challenges. There are times when I had to do an "adlib" to survive. Nevertheless, after everything else has been done, I would be very fulfilled and contented because I had ended another episode of my life... while looking forward to a new one.

Reaching for my dreams...

I am not sure if I can say this already but I am really excited for this plan...

I have always wanted to help other people and share my blessings to others who are less fortunate than me. I have always seen celebrities go to foundations and institutions who help other people in the television so I told myself, "Don't be too ambitious because you are not like a celebrity to do that...". But I realized that you don't have to be a celebrity or a famous person to help other people through a very special person, my very special friend, Dei.

We have thought of this "Sing and Dance Benefit Concert". This is because after hearing our classmates sing after our Chemistry class inside our room, we thought that they are so gifted, why not use it to help other people and at the same time, enjoy what we really want to do: sing and dance (We also dance when we really can't do anything inside the classroom.).

We are planning to persue this on November. If this will be continued, I know that two of my dreams will be fulfilled. One is, as I have said earlier, I really wanted to help people. Since, this is a benefit concert, all the money that we will be earning will be donated to several foundations and institutions who help unfortunate people. Two, I really wanted to perform infront of crowd, be it singing or dancing. I am hoping that someday I would be able to present infront of an audience who will applaud to my every performance, not just inside the school but also outside.

Up to now, Dei and I are talking about it whenever we are not doing anything, during our breaks and free times. I really look forward to this concert...

Surviving my second week of school...

Whew...! A tough week had passed. To start this week, I am the first student again to be absent in class... and for the same reason! I got sick last weekend because I was still not used to eating few food during lunches and breaks so I experienced stomach ache and LBM with slight fever (This started last Saturday which continued until Sunday.). Last Monday, I felt better already but because I haven't made my assignments yet (I felt weak during the weekend and I can't even stand!) and I easily get tired when I stand, I still have to rest so I decided not to go to school anymore.

Last Tuesday, I have to adjust since I was not able to go to school the day before. I did not miss anything much when it comes to the discussions and those kinds of stuff but I sure miss a lot of tests, the reading tests and pre-tests. I missed the Reading and Comprehension Test in Filipino and the Vocabulary, Reading and Comprehension, and Speed and Accuracy Tests in English. I also missed the pre-test given by Ma'am Rhea in Math. I tried getting all the tests last Thursday and Friday except for Math (and I am not sure if I still need to get it...).

For the past days, I am really having a hard time dealing with my elective subject which is Zoology. It is because we are only answering a lot of questions given by our teacher without discussing the topic and also because we are so many in the class! If I'm not mistaken, we are more or less 50 students with 2 teachers. I am really not used to it but I am trying to cope up because I know that I have no right to complain and because I am not the only one who is having a hard time.

Well, today is a very cold and stormy day. Currently, Cavite is included to the cities and provinces that are in the storm signal no. 3. I really want this to continue until tomorrow because I still don't want to go to school! I still can't get enough of the weekend rest and I didn't get to visit Ma'am May in the hospital and have our Karate training with Sensei Julio (I mean, Jojo! ^_^) because of the rain. I also had to walk in the flooded streets...YUCK! But if ever classes won't be suspended tomorrow, I really hope to do better! Wait for me... HERE I COME!!!

Back to School!!!

June 10... Back to School!

Well, i don't know what else to expect in my new journey towards this school year as a Junior Sayanista. Is this going to be an easier or a harder year for me? As i have experienced in my past two years as a Sayanista, I can say that it is really hard yet very fulfilling. I got to try a lot of new things like going to a far away place (like Dumaguete City), ridng in an airplane with only my teachers and friends. Also, I got to learn a lot of new things (Enough said!).

Last Monday, I saw again my beloved classmates and friends after a long summer. I missed them so much! I still can remember our happy times in our Sophomore year. I am just sad that some of them have been transferred to another section. This means that I won't see them as often as last year.

Now, I have to make, again, a lot of adjustments. Last summer, I can wake up and eat anytime I want. But since now, I have to go to school, I have to wake up early and my eating time is limited. I can't eat in class, even if I get hungry. The worst part is, getting hungry is my weakness. I easily experience stomach ache and LBM whenever this happens. In fact, last year, I was the first student in my class to be absent because of the said reason.

Nevertheless, I still look forward to this new school year. I hope that it would be as fun-filled as last year. The new teachers are all nice and I am really excited to be learning with them.