My beginning as a legally recognized individual occurred on July 16, 1995 in San Juan City, in Cardinal Santos General Hospital. Of course I can't consciously remember anything from the first two or three years of my life after birth except for some memoribilia kept by my parents for quite a long years….. thanks by the way. It was then that I had to ask my parents about myself during that time to tell something about my past pictures, well, pretty interesting though.
My father, for whom some part of my name derived ( IELN ), which is NEIL, was an electrical technician by that time after graduated from Technological University of the Philippines. He is also the architect of my name either, guess why? He always wanted my name to be associated with my parent’s name, Paul, my mother last name Paulino, then Ieln, my father’s rumbled first name Neil…nice, isn’t it? I’m the eldest among three, with my brother and a sister at 8 and 3 year old respectively. Both of them had their name initial of “P”, just like mine, Patrick and Paulene.
My mother, originally Marissa C. Paulino, was just a full housewife at the time she gave birth to me until I got the age of two. She worked as a cashier in SM department store in Mandaluyong City after finishing her schooling in Arellano University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science three years after . She is now currently working in Ospital ng Makati, Pembo Makati for over three years after a long layoff from work.
My parents were both neighbors separated only by just a three foot fence from each other house during that time. Both were friends although a three year gap between them doesn’t mean to hindrance their childhood sweetheart combination or whatsoever. They bind together as one on March 16, 1995 in St. Ignatius of Loyola Church after a fifteen long years of friendship. Both of them were very supportive, just like a friend to me either, of course with respect. It was then that my father told me to look for my past pictures after telling him that I had to make an autobiography.
Although I can’t consciously remember my first birthday celebration, but, pictures shows a lot of happy memories. It was exactly a year after my birth when my parents organized my birthday celebration in our residence. Foods, drinks, toys, friends, and relatives are part of my celebration even have a parlor games with lot of prices to win. Exactly I remember during my seventh birthday party when I suggest my parents to have my party with clowns. I enjoyed very much during the celebration party.
Much I remembered when I was at fifth year of age, my parents put up a business whose nature is a computer shop. It was in February of year 2000. At that time computer games are most likely well favored among kids like me, even the adult too either. Counter Strike published by Sierra was the most favored computer game by that time. It took several hours for me in front of the computer just playing and admits that I was being addicted to computer games very badly. At that time I was on my kindergarten 1, in Day care center, before my PCS days in kinder 2 until now. The business was a success because there were only three computer shops in our vicinity by that time. We also extended the operating hours just to accommodate the influx of customers’ everyday. But the success was short lived, stopped by a natural phenomenon, a typhoon. Mid October of year 2000, three consecutive typhoons strucked Metro Manila in just a couple of weeks resulting to a massive destruction in terms of flooding. We also became flood victims since our baranggay Tomasa Ususan was in a waist deep of flood water. It comes to a point where my father decided to evacuate from our flooded house and moved to a higher and safer shelter in Pembo Makati where he rented. He also moved our computer equipments to his cousin in Cainta Rizal fearing that could destroy the computers by means of moisture. Those days were completely in devastation. Living to a rented apartment where we are uncomfortably sheltered, having no enough supply of water, no cable network, no air-conditioning unit, no enough space to sleep to, no smooth surface bed, no enough space to work with, because all of us including my grandparents, my cousins and uncles shared the rented apartment. Besides we are financially burden the fact that our computer shops stops its operation. It took over a month for the flood water to subside and it is then that cleaning and disinfecting was the overall task of ours.
I learned to play pool at the age of five when my father put up a billiard table besides our computer shop early in year 2001. I was rewarded by him to play pool as much as I can when I was graduated from my kindergarten 1 aside from simple foods we shared with cakes and pastas.
I continue my kindergarten 2 (now called preparatory), my elementary until now in my high school in Pateros Catholic School. I’ve met a lot of new friends for every level added in my schooling. I enjoyed a lot in my elementary days and hoping that I will enjoy much as what many people says now in my high school, well, I hope so. During early years of my schooling, I had hardly noticed several of my teachers, maybe because I don’t participate well, or perhaps I am emphasizing my exceptionally traits of being soft spoken. But deep inside, I’m a funny man, silent but deadly, just kidding. I have crushes or infatuations. Many told me specially my parents that I am a good looking man. Well, I don’t deny it, I’m not conceited but I got evidence, see for yourself though.
As I looked on my past pictures from several albums in our cabinet, I remember on exploring our digitally stored pictures in our computer. There are so many pictures to choose on a 40 gig hard drive. I hardly remembered the first time I’ve been in Subic International Airport maybe I’m just around 3 years old. Then, on December of last year 2007, our family including both my brother and sister and my mama traveled again to Subic. Now I do appreciate the moments all of my immediate families are shared together. I really enjoyed every moments me with my brother and sister played together. Many places we’ve been through we make sure that our cameras and video cam were brought together. It is then christmas is fast approaching where cool air blends to spirit of christmas. I went to zoobic zafari, butterfly garden, ocean adventure and others. We ate our lunch along the breakwater besides ocean adventure and have a picnic.
It is really nice to see and cherish moments from our past. When class ended, and summer approaches, we usually go out of town. I went in my grandpa’s province in summer of 2005 to down south Malilipot Albay in bicol province. After a long and winding 15 hour in car, there I saw for the first time the Mayon volcano, then I whispered that someday somehow I could be able to climb it and see its crater, I hope so. Imagined, I was accompanied by my father to take a ride in a motorcycle driving the circumference of Mayon volcano. We also drove an uphill climbed to tourist destination called Mayon resthouse about 2,500 ft of Mayon volcano itself. The view was spectacular, overlooking the town of Tabaco, Legaspi, Camalig and Ligao Albay. The beaches were just a walking distance away from my grandpa’s house and with no entrance fees, a 150 pesos payment for a makeshift cottage. It was then my first time to enter in a cave. We went to Hayup-hayupan cave in Daraga Albay. My feeling was so intense thinking that those stalagmites and stalactites might collapse and bury us alive.
Then on April 1, 2007 my father asked me if I want to go to Baguio. I’ve heard from some of my classmates and friends that have been there before that the place is cool, scenic, and beautiful. And I never had second thought on my mind except but to agree. We departed at 11:00 pm of tuesday April 3, 2007 to avoid traffic congestion along EDSA because it was holy week and much of Manileñio are out for a vacation somewhere in the provinces. It was a tiring and sleepy as my father driving his car for almost 6 hours straight until he woke me up together with my brother to have a stopover with the Lion’s head to have a glimpse and take some pictures as souvenirs. Maybe at around 6:30 am. when we got there. Then we go to Lourdes Grotto with a hundred steps stairways. I remember that my little brother Patrick wants to urinate immediately but we cannot locate an either a bathroom or a urinal, but instead, fearing that could danger ones health of keeping the call of nature, he urinates just in the sidewalk instead hahaha. 
We are laughing out loud as my father grabbed his camera from his waist bag then, point and then shoot. He is now currently studying in Grade 2 in Pateros Catholic School the same school where I am enrolled. Then we went to the rented place along Naguilian road to take a rest and have our overnight staying there too. Much places we visited in Baguio, like The Burnham park, mines view, strawberry farm, Camp John Hay, PMA, The Mansion, The Wright park, and the city proper of course. I can’t imagine what my father told me that he and his friend just the two of them slept in Burnham park in their early teens. He said that the night was very chilly and frightened the fact that they were only strangers. He said that it is one of his unforgettable experiences. Well, I never thought of doing the same thing anyway.
We are laughing out loud as my father grabbed his camera from his waist bag then, point and then shoot. He is now currently studying in Grade 2 in Pateros Catholic School the same school where I am enrolled. Then we went to the rented place along Naguilian road to take a rest and have our overnight staying there too. Much places we visited in Baguio, like The Burnham park, mines view, strawberry farm, Camp John Hay, PMA, The Mansion, The Wright park, and the city proper of course. I can’t imagine what my father told me that he and his friend just the two of them slept in Burnham park in their early teens. He said that the night was very chilly and frightened the fact that they were only strangers. He said that it is one of his unforgettable experiences. Well, I never thought of doing the same thing anyway. 
Last summer of April, 2008 we went out of town again. This time we went to the province of Nasugbu Batangas for a beach outing. I woke up at 3am of dawn, and we departed at 4am. Along the way we stopped in Tagaytay, before going straight to Nasugbu. I was so excited because it took me several years to swim in open beaches again since my vacation in bicol about 5 years ag0. We arrived in Munting Buhangin at 8am and as soon I reached the shore, I immediately got swam. The sand is fine, and the waves are calm. It was a sunny day of April 8, 2008. It is then that my mother called me and advised that I should apply first the sun block lotion before going out to swim again. I have with my grandmother, my papa, mama, brother and my sister. Me and my brother have a lot of funny things shared, and we’ve been in the water for a quite long time, we’ve even don’t waste a single minute without in the water. As a result, even we apply sun block lotion in our body and faces, we still got sun burned. We leaved the place at 4:30 p.m.
Sometimes I become sentimental when you’d been parted away from your old friends when school begins during my elementary years. Some have gone and transferred to other schools, other migrated to other countries, some remains, but, in different sections. But on the other hand, it might be advantageous as well, meet new friends, classmates, and buddies, and the fact that it is part of growing up, I just can rid of it. On my 6th grade, I participated in a chess tournament in our school, but unfortunately I finished only at 6th overall.
I remember when I was in grade 5, my teacher in Hekaps gave us an assignment regarding to list some news report and current issues like those shown in television to report in front of the class, and of course, we must memorize the lines. Here comes the time where I will be the one to stand and report in front of my classmates, but I got nothing, I had no assignment. So my teacher punished me to stand up at the corner of the blackboard in front of my classmates until the class ended. Teary eyed and so ashamed, standing up like a statue, I’ve promise to myself that it will never happen to me again,at least......
My graduation day is also one of my memorable event in my life because I finished my elementary years. Also, i’m very glad that I graduated and my parents are very proud of me. My mother prepared pasta and bought a cake for me and shared to others and with my relatives. Quite sad for me because I may not be able to see my other friends and classmates because some of them are going to other schools for which they are more prefer for.
I remember when I was in grade 5, my teacher in Hekaps gave us an assignment regarding to list some news report and current issues like those shown in television to report in front of the class, and of course, we must memorize the lines. Here comes the time where I will be the one to stand and report in front of my classmates, but I got nothing, I had no assignment. So my teacher punished me to stand up at the corner of the blackboard in front of my classmates until the class ended. Teary eyed and so ashamed, standing up like a statue, I’ve promise to myself that it will never happen to me again,at least......
My graduation day is also one of my memorable event in my life because I finished my elementary years. Also, i’m very glad that I graduated and my parents are very proud of me. My mother prepared pasta and bought a cake for me and shared to others and with my relatives. Quite sad for me because I may not be able to see my other friends and classmates because some of them are going to other schools for which they are more prefer for.
I learned how to be like my parents who became a good model to me. They taught me how to become a responsible person and to discipline myself as a son in many ways. They tought me how to do simple household chores like cooking, wash the dishes, cleaning, and the like. They always give me advices, so that they can guide me when I’m still growing up and to develop my self-confidence to be an independent person in the future as well. As a sophomore student, I’m still adjusting in my High school life because I must study harder, so that I can achieve my dreams to become a successful seaman someday. As an elder brother to my siblings, I will do my best to be a responsible brother and to be a good role model to them. As a good Christian community, I promise to help my community by starting in a simple way of helping to unfortunate people like sharing. I can show them that I deserved to be a good fellowman in our country.
Paul Ieln P. Bino
2nd Year St Boniface
Pateros Catholic School
