I'm Still Working On That Clever Title

ATTENTION: This blog was written by the amazing Aleks. Okay let's proceed.

So, today is May 24, 2017, and you are happy bc it's this guy's birthday David something something I don't even know.

I LOVE YOU JILLIAN

Graduation Speech

Welcome, teachers, staff, family, and fellow graduates of 2017. We are all gathered here today, to mark the end of our last day being a middle schooler, and prepare to become a high schooler. Since the beginning of eighth grade, we have set our countdowns for it to be graduation day, so we can finally get out of school and begin our summer vacation. But, the more graduation day comes, the more surreal it is that we will never walk the halls of Golf Middle School and have these wonderful teachers teach us anymore, and that in just 3 short months, we will all walk the long halls of high school.

There are many people that helped me become the student I am today. First, I would like to acknowledge my teachers that I have been with here at Golf Middle School. The teachers here at Golf Middle School are super helpful and try the best they can to let us understand something. They have dealt with our weird eighth grade selves and the weird things we talk about or do in class like playing Ba Baa Black Sheep and A Thousand Miles in Spanish class, to whining about running the mile is P.E. They go to school earlier than they have to for students who need help with something and even stay after school. The teachers here at Golf want to teach us everything they know with what we’re learning so we can become successful in the future.

Next, I would like to thank my family. My family have been by my side and never left me in tough times. They give me school supplies for school, food, water and a roof over my head, and even make me breakfast and also drive me to school in the morning even when they could be sleeping at 7 in the morning.  I’m so thankful that they have always supported me and without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

Lastly, I would like to thank my friends and classmates. What is nice about going to a small school is that you know everybody. When I first came to Golf last year, I thought I was not going to make any friends since everybody had their own group of friends in seventh grade, but I was wrong. A lot of the students were really welcoming and I feel like I’ve known them for years. My friends are amazing and they never fail to put a smile on my face. I think all of the students in this grade are family even if some of the students have been here for a shorter time than other students.

This is just the beginning. We may have finished middle school but we still have a long way to go until the end of high school. I will never forget all of those memorable memories created with friends, teachers, and even the whole class. But most importantly, I will never forget Golf that is filled with so many nice people that I will miss. Thank you class of 2017 for an unforgettable 2 years here at Golf Middle School.

To end this speech, I would like to add a famous quote by Dr. Seuss:

A Letter to My 5th Grade Self

Dear 5th grade Jillian,
  Entering a new school and even being in your first year of middle school can be pretty scary, but once your in your last month of 8th grade, all of those stupid thoughts you thought of that night before the first day of 5th grade was just a waste of time. Honestly, middle school is not that bad, trust me! You meet new friends along the way and you create really good memories. The teachers are really nice, don´t trust what people say about how they feel about their teachers on TV. Remember to be yourself, but don't be too embarrassing. This is gonna be one long journey and its gonna be a crazy rollercoaster, but just study and have fun and you'll survive.

Sincerely,
Jillian

Endings and Beginnings

It is almost the end of the school year and it is our last year in GMS. Though this is only my second year at this school, I've made a lot of memories and met new friends along the way. Before the end of the school year, there is a lot of preparations before we all have to graduate. Some of them are a living nightmare, but some of them are going to be really fun. The "living nightmare" is final exams. I don't even want to talk about it because I hate anything that has to do with taking tests. But, the more exciting things are Camp Maclean, the 8th Grade Dance, and Graduation of course. I can't wait for Camp Maclean because I went last year and it was a blast, but, I heard there are more exciting activities for the 8th graders than the 7th graders so I'm really excited. For the 8th grade dance, I think it is one of the last times the 8th graders get to have fun and do an activity together, and we get to have a fun time with our friends. Graduation, oh how I'm excited for graduation, I can't wait for that night because after that night, I'm finally done with school. As of this day, it is April 30, meaning we have exactly a month until we graduate. I can't wait. :)

It´s Complicated.

You know on Facebook, how they have a In A Relationship, or Married, or It´s Complicated status on their profile? Well first of all, I´m not in a relationship or married, but I´m in a complicated relationship; with school. Waking up at 6 am is way to early for me even if I try sleeping early. Being in school for 8 hours is hard enough, and then we have to go back home and work on more school work A.K.A homework? That is too much for me. There are some classes that I don´t like going to like math or science, and those two classes make me feel like I´m in class for the longest time. School also puts so much stress with all of the quizzes, tests, exams, and worst of all, final exams! 

     So basically, what I´m trying to say here is that school is just a big blob of stress, homework, and studying. 

13 Reasons Why

Since the beginning of April, one of the biggest things I have been hearing about is how people binge watched 13 Reasons Why on Netflix, and that it is a really good show and that they really recommend it. So, I thought of giving it a try on watching it to see if it is really good.
   
Now, I know what some of you will be thinking, why I did not read the book before I started watching this. Well, I'm sorry but I'm a slow reader and I just really really wanted to start watching the series ASAP.

Anyways, 13 Reasons Why is about this high school student, named Hannah Baker, who commits suicide. Before she died, she created tapes, that have reasons, or talking about the people, on why she committed suicide. I'm glad that they made a Netflix show based on this to teach people, especially teenagers that suicide is not something that you should do. This part may sound cheesy, but it is true, if you start seeing something different about someone in your life, that may be depressed, or has anxiety, tell a trusted adult about it, so they can help cure them before it is too late.

I highly recommend watching 13 Reasons Why, and I promise you that you will not put your phone down after watching the first tape. Have fun!

Puppies Galore

I am pretty sure puppies make everything better, so I hope you do well on PARCC by looking at these really cute puppies! Enjoy.

A Tribute

For my blog post this week, I am doing a tribute on my grandma. When I was younger, my parents were always at work and it was convenient for them to have long shifts because my grandma would just watch over me. My grandma did a lot to take care of me, especially when I was really young. If I was injured, she would immediately help me and make sure I was okay, if I was hungry, she would prepare me a delicious meal, and after I finished playing with my toys, she would be the one to clean everything up. Sometimes, I would take advantage of my grandma when I was younger, and I would demand her to do something for me because I knew she would end up doing it. But once my grandma died in 2014, I felt very bad that I never got to care for her when she was weak and couldn't do anything. Sometimes, I wish that I can turn back time and care for her during the time when she needed me the most.

A Magical Meeting

If I were to meet 3 famous people, I would definitely pick Darren Espanto, Kathryn Bernardo, and Daniel Padilla. Darren Espanto, I've mentioned him several times in my blog, but if you are not aware of who he is, he is a singer from the Philippines. I've always dreamed of being able to meet him, and I did, but I'd like to actually have a full day of just hanging out with him. Darren loves roller coasters and so do I so I would definitely choose to go to Six Flags with Darren. Kathryn and Daniel are a love team from the Philippines, so I would hang out with the two of them at the same time. Kathniel went to Universal Studios for an endorsement about a year ago, and they loved it, so I would choose to go to Universal Studios with them. If only this wasn't for just a blog post and it would turn into reality.

Springfield

One of my favorite field trips would have to be going to Springfield in 7th grade. We got to school pretty early in the morning and rode a coach bus for about 4 hours. The bus ride was pretty fun because I got to sit with my friends and got to watch movies. We learned a lot and we got to go to many really interesting places like a museum, Abraham Lincoln's Tomb, the Capitol Building, and Lincoln's house. At the end of the day, we went to Chuck E' Cheese for dinner and went back to the school. Overall, I had a great time going there because I learned a lot of things and got to create awesome memories with my friends.

Disney Disney Disney

I grew up watching Disney movies, preferably Disney Princess movies, and sometimes when I don't have any movies to watch now, I just stick to Disney cartoon movies. My mom once told me that when I was younger I wanted to change my name to Jasmine, because of princess Jasmine for about 6 months of my life, thats how weird I was. I would say though, that my favorite movie growing up and probably up to know would be Cinderella. I just loved the story behind this movie and I always admired her glass heel. Cinderella is such a strong person because though her evil stepsister's kept bringing her down, she was always still remaining optimistic and she is so caring for others,  like when she dressed up her mice and treated Bruno carefully. If you haven't seen Cinderella, you need to watch it because it's really really good.

My Favorite Singer

My favorite singer is Darren Espanto. I've talked about him for a couple of blog posts now, so you can tell that I am obsessed with him. Darren Espanto's voice is really different from most male singers. His voice is high, and when I mean high, I mean like REALLY high. He has sung many songs sang by legends, and he has gotten many awards. At the age of 15 years old, you wouldn't believe that he now has 3 albums, and even performed at the Coliseum of the Philippines for his birthday concert and had 3 other concerts besides that. Many people idolize him because of his voice and his looks.

Here are some Youtube links to some songs that he has sang. They are a mix of songs from his album and also some covers. Enjoy!

Chandelier- Sia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO71MnQHCCc
One Moment in Time- Whitney Houston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx9TGB-0KtQ
Listen- Beyonce https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-914Rtx3bSY
Stuck- Darren Espanto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oy2iNcmk4U
I Believe- Fantasia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQBfwW6VyD8

My 3 Goals if I Become the President of the United States

These are my top three goals if I ever become the President of the United States of America:

1. Homes for all!

There are many homeless people and even homeless families who live in the United States. That should come to an end. If they are not able to afford a home, then I think we should have more homeless shelters that will provide three meals everyday including snacks as well as giving them education. Not just the children but as well as adults who never got to finish and become successful, it is never to late.

2. Stop Violence

There are many people in this world, especially here in the United States who are getting physically hurt. The United States is the only country in the Earth that all races get to unite as one. We must show everyone that will visit or even live in the United States that we are a safe country and that we will not harm you, but how can we do that if we are getting hurt? I think that people with guns must have a license and have special training on how to properly use one. Not only people that will be purchasing the guns but also people who sell guns. 

3. Treating Everyone Equally

Theres so much happening now because of who we are and what we do. I think that if I was the President of the United States I would treat everybody equally. If there is a person of a race that is doing something wrong then yes, I agree to kick them out of this country, but not the whole race. Not all of them are doing something wrong, and I hope someday more and more people will understand that.

My Favorite Gifts That I Received

I've received so many awesome gifts in my life for Christmas and I honestly couldn't be able to choose one. So for the year of 2016, one of the best gifts that I received was my dog, Chichay. I got her on October, for my early birthday present and a majority as an early Christmas present. For my big birthday present that I guess you could count as a Christmas present was a trip to the Philippines on my birthday week, so that meant I got to skip school, which I was very happy about. I'm glad that I spent it with my family that I never see a lot and I am so happy that I received my dog, and I couldn't be any more grateful.

My Name

My name is Jillian, you maybe, probably already knew that, but if not, then hey, I'm Jillian, and people usually just call me by Jillian. People don't usually call me by any nicknames all the time, and I wouldn't mind what you would like to call me by, too.  There's so many names in the world and I wonder sometimes why my parents named me that. My name means youthful and child of the Gods. My parents named me Jillian because they wanted my name to be unique from any of the other names in my family, so as you can see, they didn't want to base my name from someone in my family. Also, my parents wanted some of the letters in their names combined into my name. The first letter of my name is a J, (obviously) and so is my dad's. There's also 2 L's in my name, and so is my mom's. And why not add in my middle name. My middle name is Faith. My parents, and some other parents I bet like to call their kids' middle name as their "second name," which is really weird, and then they would give my middle name as my mom's maiden name, yes, pretty weird. Anyways, my parents used named my middle name, or second name, or whatever you wanna call it Faith because they had faith in me being born, because I was not gonna make it being born because I was a pre- mature and was in an incubator for a long time. Welp, that's my name!

If I Were to Work at a School

I wouldn't imagine my future teaching at a school. But, if I really were to have my future career at a school, I would probably be a music teacher.
            The reason why I would choose to be a music teacher is because I've been playing instruments for about 6 years now. I first started playing the piano, then I took violin lessons, learned the guitar, the flute, (but quit a couple of months later because I basically passed out from playing it) and I also play the ukulele. So as you can see, I've had a lot of experience with music. I can teach them things like dynamics, beats and measures, and things like that. If I were to teach music for a grade, I would probably choose 1st or 2nd grade. I would choose 1st or 2nd grade because I'm really good with little kids, and though kids are really crazy at that age, I think I can handle it. I could maybe even do an after school program of teaching piano or orchestra; it doesn't matter to me if it is at a school, or what age level, though.

My Gratitude List

As I am sitting in my English teachers' classroom while working working on my blog, I hear my stomach growl. I look around my surroundings, and think about how I have so much to be thankful for.

1. I am thankful for my family. I am super grateful that I have a family like them and never seem to bring me down as much as they annoy me sometimes. I'm glad that they've been by side since day one.
2. I am thankful for my friends. Whats life like without them? The answer to that is very boring. They make my day with funny jokes and insults and they just make me smile. I'm glad I get to see them in school everyday so even my school day won't be boring either.
3. I am thankful for Darren Espanto. I'm glad I found out about him so I have something to look forward to listening everyday while doing homework, or something to wake up to so I can look on his recent posts on social media. (I know I'm weird but you have to tell me you do it too!)
4. I'm thankful for food. I am super thankful for waking up in the morning to have breakfast on my plate and having lunch and dinner as well. Oh and being able to eat junk food. :)
5. I am thankful for my home. I am glad that I live in a warm shelter with people that I love and make memories from.
6. I am thankful for music. I cannot stand a day without listening to music. If you make me do that I'll go crazy! I feel like without music, days will be gloomier, the sky will be darker, and everyone will always be sad. So I'm glad that someone created music in this world.
7. I am thankful for my country/nationality. I am thankful, proud, and glad to be Filipino. I am thankful for all the traditions my Filipino family have every holiday and just being able to go to the Philippines to see the lifestyle there.
8. I'm thankful for technology. I'm thankful for the invention of computers and phones to communicate with friends and having social media. And of course, having Google for an open encyclopedia, dictionary, or just having an open world of the internet on my hands.
9. I am thankful for school and being able to have an education. I know, I know, school sucks. I agree with that too, but imagine that this is a step on being successful in your future.
10. And lastly, I am thankful for my health and being able to go to places I want to go and having the strength to.

Food, Glorious Food!

Whenever my parents would ask me what I would like for dinner, I would most likely just ask to order a pizza. But not any kind of pizza...Giordano's pizza! I love Giordano's pizza, especially the cheese stuffed deep dish pizza. The reason why I love it so much is because once you take that bite of thick, crispy, crust, and about 10 inches of melted cheese topped off with just a delicious mess of sizzling sauce, it makes me think of all my fears and troubles vanishing away as the sauce and cheese start to warm my stomach. Did I get you hungry? Because I just did, yes I just got myself hungry. But once you take that second bite, its like your just having a normal day eating a slice of pizza. Relatable?

Childhood Memories

When I was young, I was the only child, so I always got the attention. Well, I have an older brother, but he lives in the Philippines, so I still am the only child in the house. But anyways, as a kid my aunts, uncles, and grandparents always gave me the spotlight. They made me dance and sing in front of them and my grandparents would teach me how to speak Tagalog very often, without them, I wouldn't be able to understand a thing on what my family say in the house now. In Kindergarten, I started to watch T.V nonstop after a long day of school. I watched Arthur, Little Bill, Hannah Montana, Kim Possible, the Rugrats, and so many more that I cannot name or else you'll be staring at your computer screen for what will feel like forever! But, the best of all, I LOVED Max and Ruby. That show was literally my childhood. I loved it so much because I loved all the silly things Max did like building a cake out of worms or trying to hide away from Ruby. Believe it or not, I tried making a cake out of mud and worms in my grandma's garden outside of my house. Looking at Kindergarten Jillian, I can say I had a good childhood, but quite odd considering I had no one to play with but myself.

My Trip to The Philippines

                      Over the summer this year, I went on vacation to the Philippines for the 4th time in my life. I always love going on vacation to the Philippines because I get to meet all my family and get to experience a lot of things that you would normally not experience on a daily basis in the United States. While I was there, I got to go surfing in the beaches of Baler, Bamboo rafting at the national park of Minalungao, and go to the coolest waterpark in Northern Luzon, Poracay! But the best of all, I met my all time favorite celebrity, Darren Espanto on July 3rd. it was an amazing experience and going on vacation this year to the Philippines was an unforgettable 1 month. :)