Issuu

DUM SPIRO, SPERO W H I L E

B R E A T H E ,

a literary folio

H O P E

T A B L E

Authors

O F

C O N T E N T S

Somber

Dedication

The Butterfly Effect

Liberte

A Battlefield Called Life

3 Mountain Called Life

25 Life as a Roller Coaster Ride

7 Life's Art

Always There

Meaningful Meaningless

The Portal

Lily of the Valley

Gallery

Pied Piper

AUTHORS

Julianne Brittany Pino

Cassandra Urbano

Immanuel Mamuyac

Layout Artist

Editor-in-chief

Associate Editor

Rheanne Casilang

Nicole Palaylay

Princess Soriano

for those who dream and continue to inspire, with this book, may all your endeavors come to life

LIBERTE by: Cassandra Urbano

Liberté by: Cassandra Urbano

You told me that the only freedom We could ever have Is within our own mind It is a place where our fantasy And reality can exist, Intertwined But what if my mind Becomes a scary place to be What if I don’t want to live here How can I feel free? Freedom does not exist Anywhere outside It is impossible to find Anywhere, Except your own mind

mountain called by: Cassandra Urbano life.

julianne brittany pino

Mountain Called Life By: Cassandra Urbano

julianne brittany pino

In German, there is this saying, “to help someone over the mountain,” which means you help someone survive. But there are so many mountains to climb. There are so many cliffs and slopes in all of our lives. We all have mountains to overcome, what if no one is there for us? For some, the path to climb the mountain may get too rocky. Life is indeed beautiful, but it is not always easy. It has problems too, and the challenge lies in facing them with courage, letting the beauty of life act like a painkiller, making the pain bearable during trying times by providing hope. The road to surpass the mountain called life is surely different for each person. But one thing is for sure, we all have our individual battles that we are facing, some are just more intense than others. There are days when it’s tolerable, but there are also days when it’s destructive.

Sometimes we overcome them, and sometimes we fall into its trap. Not everyone will show that they are having difficulties managing their way through the mountain, not everyone is brave enough, at least yet. Hence, it’s important to always show kindness, we do not know who is on the verge of slipping and falling from the height of their problems.

julianne brittany pino

As humans, it is innate in us to avoid our individual problems. We distract ourselves by helping someone face their problems. But at the end of the day, no one might be there to do the same for us. We may not realize it, but we might still be at the bottom of the trail, while those around us are almost at the top. Nevertheless, one should always be ready to face adversity and challenges. A person who has not encountered difficulties in life can never achieve success. Difficulties test the courage, patience, perseverance, and true character of a human being. Adversity and hardships make a person strong and ready to face the challenges of life with equanimity.

julianne brittany pino

Happiness and sorrow, victory and defeat, day and night are just two sides of the coin that we encounter on our hike over the mountain. Similarly, life is full of moments of joy, pleasure, success, and comfort punctuated by misery, defeat, failures, and problems. Life is not always in our favor. Sometimes, we have to struggle first, reach the top of the mountain, before we realize how truly great life is. Before helping someone over the mountain called life, we must be at the peak ourselves.

life's art

by: julianne brittany pino

8 We know what it means for a painting to be beautiful Reflected on the vividly colored canvas Not limited to pen and paper Strokes and scribbles each with deep meaning Perception and awe by the beholder A keen eye for details, but accepting of errs

But what about a life? How does the scale judge its beauty? How does it weigh its worth? Where does it lie its meaning? How is it defined?

julianne brittany pino

Is it comparable to a piece of silver coin Or is it worth more than gold Is its value based though the seeping colors from its canvas Of the artist’s selection of palettes, the versatile mix of combinations, patterns, and colors

Is it dictated by others perceptions Judged through exhibitions Labeled through price tags, Is its legends much more interesting Than the impact it gives at the end

Are people dull of color Or are others just unappreciative Of all the blank canvases waiting to be painted, by an artists careful brush Are we devoured by our own existence Or do we mirror other’s perceptions On our idea of art

by: julianne brittany pino

If a Meaningful life Is Defined as a rollercoaster of opportunities, Another door left open by ones’ closure, And learning to live like there’s no tomorrow

julianne brittany pino

Then why do these rollercoasters reflect of uncertainty Why is it perceived as limited to two doors, Or an opportunity only arising upon loss Why is it being deemed meaningless The moment one’s eyes do not meet tomorrow?

julianne brittany pino

MEANINGFUL-MEANINGLESS

If a meaningful life revolves around passion, Journeying the depths of what is yet unknown, Then why is it pointless without direction, Meaningless without concrete exhibitions, Free for exploration, but limited on actions? Meaningful at the basis of creation Meaningless without interpretation How do we know we live a life worth living? With a means worth remembering? Not just moments of existence But with an experience of just being

julianne brittany pino

Lily of the Valley 13

Lily of the Valley penned by Nicole In a vast field of petals and blooms I can’t seem to tell the difference between you and the efflorescing buds Was it the view surrounding us? Or the picturesque you? Will you wither as well as time ticks? You sent me a knowing smile with a soft whisper, “Even in this pain, I will always choose to live for you.” The same hands that held her in the starless nights; the exact same hands that came to know her heart and mind like an open book Was now hanging stone-cold beside her in the four-cornered room.

The silence was deafening, heavy sighs, and feathery touches echoed. And maybe in this scene, the pain was too unbearable after all.

pied piper. By: Nicole Palaylay

PIED PIPER

From my illustration, to explain the details the color red is recognized to be something dangerous, harmful. Whilst the yellow is perceived as a bright and happy feeling shade. The colors are the visual representation of good and negative effects when we learn new things in life every day or from time to time. Just like what Plato said, not all learnings lead to the right path. While as for the title, the reason why it’s named pied piper is that it’s known as following someone with dangerous or unknown intentions. It’s a paradise in disguise. The same goes for this art. The person is falling and there’s a missing piece of him/her. Yet, its shadow shows completion. It’s okay to not know everything. Take the courage of not knowing anything. This still completes us even when we feel as though we don’t.

SOMBER By: Rheanne P. Casilang

Somber Had I known that the presence of other people Can cause me resentment? Full of acrimonious thoughts indeed. These people and circumstances made me feel How will I be able to find the light? When in fact, I grew and thrived in clouds of gloom Then understanding the agony they had caused From making me suffer with the people who come and go From hideous acts and scenes I have witnessed personally I thought “they just pass by, they don’t stay” And thus, shaded emotions emerge from the apex of my heart, my being Will I still be able to rise up? With the emotions stirred up in my sanity As I try to escape my cave Barely making out alive to leave gloom Hunting down possibilities I can take to leave agony And soon enough, will be breaking through my system of anger Will I be willing enough to see things the other way?

A property of chaotic systems

The Butterfly Effect is a social phenomena wherein unseen effects made by people can affect individuals on a larger scale. It's significance is undeniably unnoticeable, however, it gives a larger effect compared to what it may seem.

A Battlefield Called Life

by Immanuel T. Mamuyac

22 The world

didn't

stop

when we wanted The world

it to.

remained whole as

we were in two.

breaking The

trees

danced

the

empty wind blew. The

flowers kept blooming; people

around us, too.

happen for a reason,

things

They say But

there are

what if

times

they don't?

that

Are

you going to yourself

let remain stuck season,

in a Questioning why

why

your plans

life

for your are

postponed?

23 you lose

Sometimes, people to and

concrete gravestones.

Sometimes,

you lose

hope

to tragedies overgrown. do we

But why the world Is it

blame

for the way it never stopped? because it

when we catch up?

never bothered could not

say

People

heal

does not all wounds. really

is that

But how

we survive? With

and the

battle scars past's

ghost

Stitched to our undersides?

Things happen for a reason. And at times when they don’t, We find our own reasons From the wounds etched to our bones.

life as a roller coaster ride.

BY: IMMANUEL MAMUYAC

Some people say that life is like a roller coaster ride. It is full of fun, with was taken duringwhich a field different This kinds photo of routes and loops Star City,It’s which made mecrazy, recall a maytrip seem at complicated. beautiful, saying which states that life is like a frustrating, exciting, difficult and amazing ride.YouItcan is never full of fun, with allroller at thecoaster same time. predict of routes and loops whatdifferent is going kinds to happen in the future, it'swhich a mystery. will beIt’s upsbeautiful, and downs, may seem There complicated. crazy, twists and turns,exciting, but we could not just frustrating, difficult and let amazing it all stop atif the we do nottime. like You what can is happening same never predict justwhatlike when you can't ingettheoff just it's is going to happen future, because you are There feelingwill weak be because a mystery. ups of andthedowns, ride. twists and turns, but we could not just let it stop if we do not like what is happening just like when you can't get off just because you are feeling weak because of the ride.

But if we are going to think about it, does life need to be this complicated? Like, we just want to live, but why do we need to experience downing situations which could even destroy us? Isn’t it supposed to be fun and full of excitement and not sadness, regrets, and challenges that we need to experience? Why can’t we make it fun all throughout just like we want it to? Why do we need to face a series of obstacles that we can even barely pass through? If this is what we’ll experience in exchange of the fun, then maybe life is not that beautiful, fun and worthwhile at all.

Life, without a doubt, really is the hardest thing to go through. Life is a gigantic roller coaster with many ups and downs. These ups and downs come at various times and different lengths throughout our lives. We never know what to expect. It is due to the downs which always seem to hit us the hardest, as it feels like we will never hit rock bottom and we are free falling in this endless hole of pain. These downs seem to bring out the worst in us and suck the life out of us. However, even when our lives feel like they are crumbling on us and we're suffocating in this hopelessness, we should bear in mind that there is always an up that follows it. Life is a roller coaster, but we are the engineers of this roller coaster and have the power to determine how many ups and downs there are in our lives. We just have to stay optimistic and sit tight, in order to enjoy our lives and grow throughout the ride.

always there.

BY: PRINCESS ABEGAIL M. SORIANO

In this photo, it will focus on Humanism’s view on the meaning of life. Based on Humanism, promoting and helping other humans is the meaning of life. As seen in the photo, there is a lady carrying a child while looking at the beautiful sky. It showcases that both people are helping each other out. Since they have each other and they are contributing to each other’s lives by their love and care, then this proves that their lives have meaning. If the person doesn’t have anyone, does it mean that the person doesn’t have any meaning in his life? In this view, is it required to have somebody in order to prove that their life has a meaning?

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the portal Princess Abegail M. Soriano

Death is unavoidable, a human can die from old age, disease, accidents or anything. Hindi natin alam kung anong mangyayari sa atin after nating mamamatay. There is still no evidence on what happens after a person dies. Here are the three possible portals that the person can go to after it dies.

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For the portal on the left side, if the dead person enters there, then the person’s body and soul dies. It means that the person will be terminated or eliminated from this world. As for Spinoza's view about death, he said that the sole purpose of the soul is dependent on the body and if the body dies, then the soul succumbs to the death too because it cannot exist alone. Another is Aristotle, he argued that the soul cannot exist without the body and it therefore perishes together with the body at death. With the statements of the two philosophers, it can be viewed that, if the person dies, its body and soul dies along with it.

For the portal in the middle, if the person dies, its body will die but its soul will still live. In this situation, the person’s soul will still roam around in this world. According to Plato, the soul is immortal and therefore survives the death of the body.

For the portal on the right side, if the person dies, it has a new chance to live another life. The soul will transfer to another body to begin a new life. Plato also proposed that birth is not the creation of the soul, but only its transmigration from one body to another. Even the Greeks believed in reincarnation, in which they termed it as “metempsychosis”, which means the idea of transmigration of the soul after its death.

However, what does happen to the person after he/she dies? Does the dead person vanish like a bubble, or does the person’s soul stay and live, or does the person have another chance to live, or maybe there is something more to it that we still don’t know. Many possible things can happen after the person's death but it will remain unknown to the living.

the portal The three circles represent the portals. I got inspiration from movies, in which if the character enters a portal, it will go to another place.

Gallery.

where chaos takes shape

julianne brittany pino

PIED PIPER. by: Nicole Palaylay

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the portal

thank you.

for as long as we breathe, we hope.