III - Heneral Luna "Bayan o Sarili"

Many who have heard the name Heneral Luna surely thought of heroism. According to the dictionary, the noun heroism comes from the Greek hērōs, which referred to a demigod. As someone who shows great courage and valor is referred to as a hero, their actions are considered to be acts of heroism. When you usually heard of the word "heroism", the first thing that may popped into your head is bravery, great acts of bravery to be specific and you will even think of the superheros that is famous nowadays, like Superman and Batman but heroism is not just an act of bravery, but heroism is putting other people first even at your own peril, even if it means sacrificing. Yes, it may sounds hard and impossible but heroism consists of forgetting yourself just to attend to the needs of others. Your self is your last priority and others on the other hand are the ones who you put first on your list of priorities.

Antonio Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta

Antonio Luna was born on October 29, 1866 in Manila. He is an Ilocano and was a Filipino who fought in the Philippine-American war. 

The movie, "Heneral Luna", is a 2015, Filipino historical biopic fil depicting Genaral Antonio Luna's leadership of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the philippine-American war (source: Wikipedia). It is an amazing film especially It was directed by Jerrold Tarog and was produced by Artikulo Uno Productions. The role of Antonio Luna was played by the famous actor, John Arcilla. 

Paulo Avelino is the also one of those who has a strong impact in the audience because of his good looks, obviously. He played the role of Gen. Gregorio Del Pilar.

The movie had the magic of bringing us back in the past and it taught us something which we haven't learned from our past history classes. I used to excel in our history classes before because back then, I am good at memorization but I think I don't learn a lot before. It's just for the sake of passing. I just memorize those terms and forget all about it after the test. I had this regret of what I've done before because upon watching Heneral Luna, I realized, I should've not just memorize those terms and pay more attention to it. Thanks to Heneral Luna, It brought me back in the past and make me realize things. It's an awesome film because it taught us that the colonizers are not our worst enemy, but rather, OURSELVES. It is quite ironic that during the war before, there comes a time that even their alleys became their enemies. Manpower lacks that time and that's their biggest mistake. Pride is also there that time and I think It is also one of their biggest mistake before. 

Heneral Luna is not a boring film because Mr. Tarog also placed some humor in the story and It makes the film more understandable because the people who watched it can relate to the movie. We easily grasped the story because the characters played their role as if they are the one who really fought for the country. The film showed us that Heneral Luna is not perfect. He is once a normal person and also committed mistakes. Some of the politicians and business men don't like the way Gen. Luna is running things. The one he is leading has this different way of thinking that's why they even don't like the way Gen. Luna leads. He is this kind of leader who is arrogant and strict- even boastful. 

I am quite disappointed of other Filipinos in the movie because they are a traitor. It is so disappointing that a Filipino killed his fellow Filipino. A Filipino killed Heneral Luna.  hey should've followed Gen. Luna's plan for the country. Being a boastful and arrogant leader? It is always on purpose. It is for the Filipinos to learn and have this intense love for the country like Gen. Luna. Overall, the film was magneficent and I will surely recommend it to other people because it will really take you to the time where the nationalism took place and what is the real meaning of it. 

It is not only dying for our country that makes someone a hero. It is all about this great desire to do something for our country and taking action no matter how small the act you want to do. 

II - Christian Life

"I'm not a Christian because I'm strong and have it all together. I'm a Christian because I'M WEAK and admit I need a Savior."

I am once a Roman Catholic and me and my family were attending church every Sunday at St. Michael Parish located at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. It feels so good that we are having our family bonding every week even though my parents are both working. I feel so loved because they still managed to get along and have fun with me and my sister once in a while. After church, we usually go to the mall and eat lunch. Back then, I used to be excited every sunday. I find it so perfect, I thought It will last...

I graduated from a Christian School during my elementary. It is when I started serving the Lord as a Christian. I'm still young by that time so I admit I'm not that serious back then. When I reached High School, It is where I realized that serving God is not a game and I should take it seriously. Our church, Grace of Jesus Presbyterian Church is my second home and the people there were my second family.


I attended youth camps and other youth fellowship because I want to grow spiritually. Yes, after those camps, the fire of my passion in serving the Lord burns.

I served as a back-up singer and keyboardist in our church.

We are having our rehearsals every Sunday starting from 6pm until 8pm. The worship service is from 9am until 12pm and sometimes, there's a fellowship after that, usually from 3pm until 5pm. My parents had a problem with my schedule because every Saturday and Sunday, instead of having a rest and staying at home, I was in our church. It was a conflict until now. They can't understand me, maybe because they are still a Catholic. They used to compare Catholic and Christians. They even mentioned the time the catholic worships which is only an hour. At that time, I feel that my freedom of serving God was lost and I feel persecuted which is a little bit exaggerated but who cares, that's what I feel.
I had a hard time getting along with my family because they're bitter about my ministry and we are always arguing.

Moving on...

My mom suffered from stroke three years ago. We were so shocked because of that situation because It's like a dejavu because my dad also suffered from stroke when I was almost a year old. We didn't see that one coming. I used to idolize my mom because she's so smart and very dedicated to our family that caused her to work so hard. I know that my mom is a strong woman. Even though we encounter problems and a lot of arguments, I still love her and I'm very blessed to have her as my mother. At that time, we experienced total downfall. Everyone shed a tear and we even struggle financially. The happy moments we had before? I thought it will last but I think I was wrong.

Because of our situation at that time, I started to question God, "WHY?", of all the families in the world, "WHY US?" I know it is wrong to question  and doubt what God can do especially I'm a Christian but I don't know, it seems that I'm so devastated at that time and I'm starting to lose hope. I think we lost everything. I admit, that my light, shining so bright before is slowly losing it's shine. I may be a weak Christian by that time and I really wanted to gain back the shine I have before. 

I started to bring back what I used to do before. I started to have my daily devotion again and I'm so grateful that I have my second family to comfort me and help me stand again. Yes, those things helped a lot and the shine that I had before started to show again. I learned that our faith may be tested so that we may trust His faithfulness. I know He has His precious plan why He let us face that struggle. Now, I am still a part of the music ministry and the youth ministry in our church which we are referring to as Young Christians in Action. I am also an officer in our ministry, a treasurer to be exact and we are now learning to be a good disciple of Christ.

God doesn't promised that this life is a bed of roses because it's not, instead He promised that He will be there all the days of our lives. Just let Him be the driver of your life and I know that everything will fall into place.

I may not be perfect and I know I fail Him everyday. I make mistakes and I always mess up but God's grace is bigger than my sins.

I - Aspiring CPA? Who?

Hi! I'm ELLA :)

I am Elaissa Jenni L. (Lopez) Mira. 17 years of age. My classmates usually call me "MIRA" which I hate the most because I don't really like being called by my last name. It's too formal and I feel so awkward that's why I prefer "ELLA."

I graduated from Senator Renato "Companero" Cayetano Memorial Science and Technology High School. It's too long? I know but I really love that school. I had experiences before where I struggle writing the name of my school in the application forms and even on exams because it doesn't fit the box where it should be placed. Just sharing.

So, let me introduce myself so you can get to know me more. 

I am taking up Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at Asia Pacific College. Why? Simply because I want to be a Certified Public Accountant and help my family. I do have doubt if this course is really for me but I have to strive and study hard in order to finish my chosen path. 

I love to eat, a LOT. I love pizza, pasta, fries, mashed potato, chocolate, doughnuts and ice cream. I love the color of Pink, but I don't like wearing pink stuffs. Weird right? Hmm. I'm also into singing. I'm also fond of reading stories, especially those that is from Wattpad and stories with picture like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries. I also like writing stories. I like watching movies (horror, romance, and comedy), listening to music, particularly sweet and mellow songs which is also my genre when singing. I love Taylor Swift, Britt Nicole, Kari Jobe, Ariana Grande, and Boyce Avenue.  I spend my free time in Social Media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and hanging out with friends. 

I am a moody type of person. My mood swings is faster than the traffic in Metro Manila. One minute, I'm happy and the other, I'm sad. I don't know. If I were give a chance to erase one personality of mine, that is the moody side of me but I'm blessed to have those people around me that despite of my bipolar attitude, they are still beside me and love me for who I am. I am more of a listener than the one who talks. Some people's first impression to me is "mataray" and "masungit" because of my eyes which is according to them. Yes, sometimes I do have those attitude but not often. It depends on the situation but I can be anyone's friend. Just approach me and we can talk :) 

I am a simple kind of person. I prefer wearing pants rather than skirts, sneakers rather than heels, tshirt rather than those for girly ones. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a lesbo, it's just that I'm more comfortable wearing those but I do apply make-ups (I started when I reached college). 

I have so many dreams? hmm, I think the term "goals" is better, like becoming a CPA, having my own house (not just a house, but a big one with swimming pool), having my own cars (a black and a pink one), and go to PARIS. yeah, I've always wanted to go to the city of love and I will definitely reach that dream. I also want that the marriage proposal of my future husband is in Paris.

I'm so blessed with this life that I have. I want to spend all the days of my life giving glory to God and I want to live my life to the fullest.  So, I hope these things helped you in getting to know me more. I want to end this with a quote: 

"It doesn't matter how others see you." okay? So, that's it. Now, you have met the one who is aspiring to be a Certified Public Accountant. Thank you for reading my first blog :)