A moment in time

They say high school is the most wonderful because you will experience new things beyond expectations. School year has started and I’m second year high school having new friends and classmates and to my extent of seeking someone captured my attention. I found him cute and interesting but he looks strict and boastful. Every day I just watched and observe him. We only talk if it is important beyond it nothing happened. There was a time when our teacher arrange us in chronological order and unfortunately he sit beside me. He smiled at me that make me feel happy and nervous. I was frozen by his presence. We keep silent and listen to the teacher discussion. After how many days we talked and he even teased me. Every time he smiles I feel that there’s a butterflies in my stomach and my heart beat faster. Started that day I was ashamed to face hi, so we were back again to what we were in the beginning.

            One day our P.E teacher assigned as our designated partner and unfortunately he is my partner. What we are going to do is to practice together with our group a cha-cha and performed in front of the class. I was thinking of what to do because I can’t concentrate when he is too close to me. We just follow and observe the routine. I feel nervous when we started practicing the leader of our group tech us the routine and performed in front of us. When it’s our time to do it we feel ashamed to one another. I can’t hold him and touch his shoulder so my hands are hanging in eh surface and also him towards me. Our leader pushes us towards each other that only an inch where far away and our bodies are close enough. I directly push him away but she just smiles teasing me.  Our leader scolded us that we need to concentrate and focus to our partner.  We practice again and he pushes me towards him. He murmured to my ear that make me froze and stares at him widely. He said “, your cute, don’t be ashamed on me”. I looked down and lost my concentration. We were so close and holding each other’s hands. He holds my hand and waist so tight and I also hold him back in the shoulder. Our leader announces that we have to do our best and the boys must guide the girls. As we move he touch my chain and raise it to face him but I insist because I can’t stare him in a long period of time but he still did it so we were staring each other’s eyes and he smiled at me. The time for our practice is done so we sit back to our chair and prepared ourselves.

            After our classmates perform, we were the next to present. We stand to our assigned place while doing the proper position. Before the music start he smiled at me and push closer to him. I just enjoy and feel the moment while his with me because it will only happened at this moment of time. After the performance our classmates tease us but I look down and stay silent. The class has ended and no one of us dares to speak but he smiled at me. We walked together in the lobby with his friends and my friends. As we parted our way home I look back at him and saw that he look at me too.  

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SINULOG of CEBU

Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines with a very rich history. The main festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity. The festival features some the country’s most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry: participants garbed in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. The streets are usually lined with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a Sinulog sa Kabataan, which is performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the Grand Parade. Aside from the colorful and festive dancing, there is also the SME trade fair where Sinulog features Cebu export quality products and people around the world flock on the treasures that are Cebu. Recently, the cultural event has been commercialized as a tourist attraction and instead of traditional street-dancing from locals, Sinulog also came to mean a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is traditionally held in the Cebu City Sports Complex, where most of Cebu’s major provincial events are held.

        The revelry and the spontaneous shout of "Pit Señor" has become part of the Visayas-Cebuano culture. The celebration traditionally lasts for 9 days, culminating on the 9th day usually a Sunday, when the Sinulog grand parade unfolds. The Sinulog contest is traditionally held at the Cebu City Sports Complex where most of Cebu's provincial events are held. Smaller versions of the festival organized by Cebuanos are also held in various parts of the world aside from the Sinulog festival in Cebu City 

The Sinulog was already danced by the locals in honor of their wooden statues in the period before the Cebuanos were baptized. Later on, after the image of the famous Santo Niño was brought to Cebu and  the Catholic faith was established in the region, the dance was made a part of the yearly fiesta in honor of the Santo Niño. 

While dancing, people are shouting  petitions and thanksgivings to the Santo Niño. Shouting is necessary because the pilgrims have to be sure that they will be heard by the Santo Niño.

“Pit Señor! Señor Santo Niño, Manoy Kiloy...." 

The Sinulog became indeed a dance ritual in honor of Santo Niño!