Rheims | October 2022

In a circular released on October 27, the Academy of Saint John (ASJ) announced that it will conduct 5 days of in-person classes starting on

administration, cognizant of the

efits our learners can gain from on-site

chose to adopt the ‘five days of in-person

schools in General Trias which were awarded a safety seal and a Certificate of Compliance by the Department of Education Region IV-A last April 21, signifying the school’s readiness to conduct in-person classes.

believe that in-person

in the academic community

be replaced by online learning,” the school said in the circular.

“An in-person modality is necessary if we want our learners to develop their psychosocial skills and reach their full potential. This is something that you, parents are fully aware of. No matter how good our teachers are or how efficient our learning management system is, there will always be learning gaps and losses. Only a full onsite modality will expeditiously bridge that gap.”

The Academy of Saint John is one of the private

ASJ secures ASMEPPS nationals spots

ETHAN NIVERA

The circular was released in response to the re cent DepEd order No.44, which was released on October 17, allowing private schools to continue blend ed or full-distance learning after November 2.

In DepEd order No.44, private schools were given the option to conduct five days of in-person class es, four days of in-person classes and one day of on line class, or three days of in-person classes and two days of online classes. However, private schools are still required to conduct full face-to-face classes.

DepEd order No.44 is an amendment to order No.34, School Calendar for SY 2022-2023, which requires all Philippine public and private schools to slowly transition to full face-to-face classes. [R]

October

from

All

ETHAN NIVERA

DepEd allows blended, full-distance learning for private schools

Private schools may now continue online-dis tance learning after November 2, according to the Department of Education in DepEd order No.44, which was published on October 17.

In order No.44, DepEd amended its previ ous order, No.34, which was issued last July, which required all private schools to transition to a full face-to-face modality starting November 2.

“DepEd is cognizant of the current sit uation of the private sector due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic the amount of invest ment in online learning technologies, the de velopment and institutionalization of best prac tices on blended learning, and the unfortunate closure of small private schools because of loss es,” DepEd said in a statement.

The amended order provided modal ity options for private schools to follow. According to the order, private schools may have in-per son classes from Monday to Wednesday, and online classes on Thursday and Friday; or have face-to-face classes from Monday to Thursday,

and online classes on Friday. It also gave them to option to continue full-distance learning.

On the other hand, pub lic schools are still required to transition to full face-to-face classes on November 2.

“After the said date, no public school shall be allowed to implement purely distance learning or blended learning, except for those that are expressly provided an exemption by the regional director, those whose classes are auto matically canceled due to disaster and calami ties, and those implementing alternative delivery modes,” the order said.

The Department of Education main tained its confidence in implementing faceto-face classes for Philippine schools “to pro mote academic development and the overall mental health and well-being of (our) learners.”

DepEd added that they will close ly monitor its blended learning program to ensure that it will benefit the students and address learning issues. [R]

Marcos Jr. appoints new DOH undersecretary

Take care of the athletes - Marcos Jr.

Noli Eala, the chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), was recently instructed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to “look after the athletes.”

“Our President told me to take care of the athletes, He said their nutrition should really be take care of,” Eala said.

"And I think it's a policy direction that completely fits our plans in the PSC, so we will focus on this."

This was instructed to him when Ernest John Obiena, the world’s third best pole vaulter, paid the President a courtesy call in Malacañang, wherein Obiena highlighted the importance of tak ing care of the nutrition of Filipino athletes.

The Department of Health confirmed the appointment of ex-PNP chief Camilo Cascolan as DOH undersecretary, Oct 23.

His appointment ment of other directors

"Yes, we appointment papers

Atty. Charade Mercado-Grande directors," the DOH

The following ed officials appointed

Charade Mercado-Grande

Maria Lourdes Caballero

Girlie Enriquez Veloso

Maria Joyce Udtuhan Sophia Macaranas

In disagreement, of Healthcare workers its disappointment towards nouncement.

AHW believes

“PBBM's appointment is a clear manifestation ident's extreme lack for the lives, health, welfare of the health and the entire Filipino Cascolan's appointment a huge insult to our experts who are most

fied to administer and run the affairs of the DOH," the group stated.

said that even though expertise in emergen

Task Force and gave it to Eleazar,” he stated, “I for COVID Task Force COVID protocols in the was in a quandary.”

commented on this

appointed at the height of capable, and he brings especially in instilling dis and safety measures Senator Bong Go stated.

“Bakit naman sila ma-i-insulto? Kinuha ‘yan ni Pangulong Marcos para tumu long magpatakbo sa departamento na ‘yan. Prerogative po ‘yan ng pangulo. Hindi ‘yan prerogative ng mga naiin Dela Rosa said.

Cascolan was appointed as previous President Ro but left after 2 months reached the mandatory age He also became an of the Office of the February 2021. [R]

The government agency for sports has shown it’s all-out-ef forts by providing meals from breakfast until dinner, even including morning and afternoon snacks for Filipino athletes.

The meals provided have specific meal plans to ensure nutri tion and improve athletes' energy for training and competitions.

The PSC also continuous ly offers daily online consultations and lectures on basic meal plans and other nutritional needs for national athletes and coaches as it further pushes nutritional aware ness.

This might be the be ginning of a development in our sports community, making Filipino athletes feel more valued and em powered, and inspiring young and aspiring Filipino athletes. [R]

ETHAN NIVERA

AMEERAH SALAHUDDEN

RAJ REMMOR CRUZ

PHOTO

President Marcos supports the development of the MULA satellite

VIZMANOS

President Bongbong Marcos showed his support for the development of the Multi-Spectral Unit for Land Assessment (MULA) satellite, which will be developed by engineers from the Philippine Satellite Agency (PhilSa), and will be launched around 2025.

It will be the largest Filipino-built satellite, which will possibly launch into space three years from now. This satellite will help the Philippines gather data on all land, air, and sea territories.

MULA can also detect air and water quality, as well as traffic situations in the country. This project aims to improve the Philippines’ security evaluation, maritime domain awareness, and 24-hour territorial monitoring.

It will only weigh 130 kilograms and is equipped with a camera that can capture images with a high resolution. Once it is sent out to space, it will stay in a low earth orbit, and rotate around the globe ten times daily.

In a meeting with the Department of Science and Tech nology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. and PhilSa officials

led by Director General Joel Jo seph Marciano, President Marcos said that he is looking forward to the development of the satellite, built only by Filipinos.

“I am looking forward to the development of our MULA satellite and its subsequent launching sometime in 2025,” Marcos said

The President also commended the commitment and determination of the PhilSa Engineers and the agency in the development and creation of the satellite.

The satellite was said to cost more than ₱2.578 billion. Meanwhile, PhilSa has already allotted ₱828 million for the continuation of the project next year, and the funds for the project would be part of the upcoming 2023 National Expenditure Pro gram.

In a statement, Malacañang said MULA will be a game-changer for the Phil ippines’ economy as well as space technology, with the help of previous knowledge from the creation of the Diwata and Maya nanosatellites. [R]

Elon Musk to continue funding Starlink satellites in Ukraine

Tesla

CEO Elon Musk recommits himself to providing Ukraine with Starlink satellites for free so that the people and soldiers of Ukraine can still continue having internet services.

Starlink, which has got ten a lot of controversies con cerning the problem in Ukraine, is planning to send out satel lites to the country, which is currently fighting the invasion of the Russian army.

Elon Musk also pro posed a peace plan for Russia and Ukraine, which somehow angered the people of Ukraine, and also led to a Ukrainian ambassador cursing Musk.

In a recent tweet, Musk said that his company might be los ing money, but they will still contin ue to fund Ukraine’s Government for free with no charge.

“The hell with it even though Starlink is still losing mon ey & other companies are getting billions of taxpayers $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for

free,” Musk tweeted.

The tweet has gotten a lot of hate and support and as well as getting the attention of thousands of people on the platform, with one comment saying “No good deed goes un punished,” to which Elon quick ly replied, “Even so, we should still do good deeds.”

The tweet also shocked the people online, as a few days prior, Elon Musk stated that his company can’t keep on fund ing the satellites in Ukraine and that his company is in no po sition to donate terminals to Ukraine.

With Musk’s plan back on track, he asked for the help of the Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense to cover the cost of the project, which will cost them nearly $400 million.

Starlink satellites will be a great help for the country of Ukraine to help rebuild their economy, but as of October 17, there are no further statements from Elon Musk regarding his change of mind. [R]

Xpeng X2 takes its first flight in the skies of Dubai

LIAM VIZMANOS

Chinese company and e-vehicle manufac turer XPeng surprised the world with the first public demo of its flying car named XPeng X2 in Skydive Dubai, United Arad Emirates.

XPeng X2 is an eco-friendly vehi cle, with the looks of what can only be seen in sci-fi movies such as Star Wars and Back to the Future, but the most important part of this car is the ability to fly in low altitudes.

The company has conduct ed 15,000 safely manned flights and as well as testing the vehicle in extreme con ditions to ensure the safety of the people.

On the day of its test flight, the company received a permit from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, approving the ve hicle’s first-ever flight in the skies of Dubai.

Xpeng’s Vice chairman and President Brian Gu stated that Dubai is a city of innovation and that X2 can help change future mobility.

“Dubai is a world-renowned ‘City of Innovation,’ which is the reason we decided to hold the X2 first public flight event here. To day's flight is a major step in XPeng’s explora tion of future mobility,” Gu said.

As XPeng X2 hits the skies, the test flight will be helpful for the next generations of flying cars as well as the mobility of the people.

It is said that the Chinese-built flying car can be used for easy medical transporta tion and short-distance trips around the city.

As of now, the company plans to produce the XPeng flying cars and aims to release them by 2024. The X2 will cost buyers approximately $156,000.

The 90-second test flight of the X2 will mark the journey of flying cars to change the mobil ity of transportation for future generations. [R]

LIAM VIZMANOS

Editor-in-Chief Ethan Nivera

Alixia Canalin

Benedict Barbuco

Raj Remmor Cruz

Joana Kiara Frando

Zoeline Honrado

Trisha Ilar

Joshua Nocon

Ameerah Salahudden

Alphonse Viador

Liam Vizmanos

Sofia Marielle Malvar

Mr. Kent Bryan Colocado

Mr. Richard Pineda

Ms. Daisy Romero

Beyond Tricks and Treats

All Hallows’ Evening: doesn’t that sound

cool? I think the “Evening of All Hallows”

even cooler. Well, that’s what Hallow een, the holiday that many people just gloss over because the celebrations are for children,

short

Celebrated in October 31, popular

that people do in Halloween include trickor-treating, costume

pumpkin carving,

But why

not

prevalent

in the Philippines

are in

countries?

not part of the culture that we grew up with? Maybe we just have a different way of celebrating it? Or maybe we just can’t put up Halloween themed decorations because we already had Christmas decorations since September?

Yes, yes, and most definitely, yes. With the Philippines being predominantly Catholic—and very religious at that—Undas is basically our way of celebrating Halloween, where we honor our dearly departed either on November 1 (All Saints’ Day), November 2 (All Souls’ Day) or, more often than not, both. The last days of October that other coun tries spend decorating their houses, preparing their costumes, and carving their pumpkins are spent by most Filipinos in traveling to their hometowns and making preparations for the celebrations they will have in the cemetery. It just goes to show the true Filipino spirit, from being family-oriented to being religious. Some even celebrate ‘Holyween’ in place of Halloween, where instead of wearing weird or scary costumes, children dress up as saints. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Most people would say that Undas is a much more meaningful celebration than Halloween, and they’re probably right, but I think some Halloween tradi tions that are more common in western countries could be integrated into our culture to make it more celebratory, and I would even go as far as to say that everyday should be like Halloween because it helps us feel freer and encourages self-expres sion. Quite a leap, but bear with me.

The main component of Halloween that the Philippines lacks is costumes. Well, it’s not com pletely absent, you can still see kids going around some neighborhoods trick-or-treating in spooky clothes, but it’s not as widespread as it is in other countries. I think it’s safe to assume that we’ve all worn a costume at least once in our lives, and I think it’s even safer to assume that we all had different ex

periences; some of us loved it and others hated it. If you’re one of those that hated it, it’s because you had no choice and you were required to wear that costume, isn’t it? If you’re one of those that loved it, it’s because you chose that costume, because you had lots of fun wearing it, and you just looked and felt so cool, isn’t it? You don’t hate wearing costumes because you hate costumes, you hate wearing costumes because you didn’t choose to wear it and you weren’t free to do so. The same goes for many things in life.

You don’t hate chores; you just hate when you’re forced to do it—I’m sure some of you have cleaned your room one random evening purely out of boredom. You don’t hate studying; you just hate being forced to learn things that you consid er useless or are not passionate about—you know, those unnecessarily long marathons of random educational videos on YouTube, just because they piqued your interest. You don’t hate talking; you just haven’t found the right topics to talk about or the right people to talk to—I’m sure some of you (us) introverts can babble on when a person you’re comfortable with asks you about something you like, and you probably enjoyed it, too.

Or maybe you just do hate wearing cos tumes. You just wear normal clothes because that’s the best way you can express yourself; the freest you can be. But hey, what even makes reg ular clothes different from costumes? They’re just ‘strange’ and worn in special occasions. I mean, you can show up to a Halloween party in a completely normal outfit and say, “yeah, I’m… dressed up as an unknown serial killer.”

The costume wearing tradition of Hallow een makes even the strangest costumes accept able, so why not make this an everyday thing? I’m not saying you should be a witch or skeleton or zombie every day (but I mean, if you want to and it doesn’t break any rules or bother anyone then you do you, I guess); the costume is more of a metaphor, and like writers do, I’m not going to explain it to you. You can figure it out.

Life is a costume party, so show up in the coolest, most ‘you’ costume you can find. Not a costume that masks your identity, but one that amplifies it. [R]

“Sound of water”

“Old Pond, Frog jumps in, Sound of water”

What you see above is a haiku done by Matsuo Basho, a famous Japanese poet during the Edo period, who is recognized as the “father of haiku.” The haiku above may not seem like a haiku, since it does not follow the 5-7-5 syllable count, but that’s basically only because it was originally written in Japanese, and later translated into English, leading to what we have now. This haiku poem is really just a matter of perspective. Take it from a literal sense, it’s a good haiku! It’s sim ple, clear, and clean. See it from a poetic sense, it assures us that there is always peace after chaos. “Oh my gosh, how!?” Should be what you’re thinking right now, and I totally under stand that. During the quarter exam, I was asked to explain the meaning of this haiku, and it took me around 2 hours to finish answering it. It’s really hard to see such a deep mean ing in such a small number of words given to you.

It’s very possible that Basho just wanted to write a haiku about a jumping frog, but this is my interpreta tion: Silence. You’re sitting by the pond in peace, when all of a sudden, a frog jumps in the pond, creating a short, disturbing “plup!” as it impacted the surface of the wa ter. This sound disturbs your peace, but this peace re turned shortly after the frog jumped in the water.

In life, we’re bound to meet challenges and obstacles that will “disturb” us and destroy our peace. Wheth er you’re a high school student, a college student, a work er, a parent, or whatever you may be right now, you’re not immune to stress. And I’m not saying this to scare you, no. I’m saying this because it’s what happens to us. According to the American Institute of Stress, about 33% of peo ple report feeling extreme stress, 77% of people experi ence stress that affects their physical health, 73% of people have stress that impacts their mental health, and 48% of people have trouble sleeping because of stress.

Stress, first of all, is what one feels when under physi cal, mental, or emotional tension. Thus, there are a lot of things in life that cause stress. The Mental Health Foundation said younger people have higher stress related to the pressure to succeed and housing worries are a key source of stress for younger people (32% of 18-24-year-olds cited it as a source of stress in the past year). This is less so for older people (22% for 45-54-year-olds and just 7% for over 55s). Moreover, school, home, and work-related stress are also very common. Basically, anything that puts one under pressure is a cause of stress. And as we all know it; stress also causes a lot of negative things to us. The most common effect of stress is de

pression and anxiety, two mental health problems that, if not monitored, could lead to the worsen ing of one’s physical health and even death through self-neglect or suicide. According to the Cleveland clinic, stress may cause chest pain, a weaker immune system, exhaustion and fatigue, insomnia, headaches, dizziness, muscle tension, and more. Chronic stress may also lead to one’s addiction to vices such as gambling, drinking, or using drugs.

Human as I am, I, too, experience a lot of stress. If you’re familiar with the term “hell week”, you’ll know im mediately what I’m talking about. If not, then “hell week” is something students use to refer to the Quarter Exam week due to how hard it is to survive that certain week. Any ways, we, students, undergo a lot of pressure during the hell week. I would just like to congratulate you all for mak ing it past that week! Of course, outside of the QE week and school, there are a lot of factors that may cause stress to us. Personal problems, problems in home, problems with friends, one really can’t express the burden of stress.

Whenever I see news online of people taking their own lives due to depression, it really saddens me because there’s so much more things that life would have given them. I honestly feel bad for them because I understand that they’ve gone through a lot. But people, please never give up on yourselves. In spite of all the rocks life throws at us, it’s always important to prioritize ourselves first. Sure, education is important, but would you risk your health just to get a perfect grade for a single exam? Hypocritical of me to say this, but we need to watch our schedule. Get adequate amounts of sleep, eat right, and most importantly, find time to do what you love! Life feels more fulfilling when we do things we enjoy, am I right? Personally, I find writing as my favorite time passer. You may not know what your forte is right now, but you’ll discover it eventually!

I understand that it’s easy to say, but it’s hard to do, but no matter what, we must keep moving forward. Life must go on. That certain period in your life wherein you feel like breaking apart is nothing but a challenge and something we can learn from. Whatever you’re experiencing now, we’ll get through this together. I am proud of you. We are all proud of you. We need not worry, for these problems we’re experiencing are but mere frogs jumping into little ponds. In due time, everything will be back to what it once used to be. You will be fine. I will be fine. We will be fine. Everything will be fine. [R]

Banning K-dramas; Will it boost the local film industry?

K-dramas might get banned to help promote local films? Yep, you read that right. Last October 18, in a senate hearing, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada proposed a plan to ban K-dramas to promote Filipino-made films. He stated that banning K-dramas crosses his head because Filipino artists are losing their jobs. After the news about Sen. Jinggoy’s plan to ban K-dramas blew up, it caused an outrage all around social media and them stating that people like 'Sen. Jinggoy should be banned instead.'

Obviously, I’m against Sen. Jinggoy’s plan to ban K-dramas to promote locally-made films. Al though I don’t watch K-dramas, I could imagine if someone in the Congress plans to ban anime to promote Filipino animation. The idea of ruining oth er people’s happiness, in this case, the happiness of millions of Filipinos to promote something, is bad. It is what made millions of Filipinos happy despite the problems they’re facing during this pandemic. I could relate to this since I also consume a lot of foreign media especially during the earlier days of the pan demic. I would spend hours per day watching anime and it made my days a little more bearable.

Sen. Jinggoy is wrong about us Filipinos not supporting our artists. Parokya Ni Edgar frontman Chi to Miranda recently tweeted, “Sold out po ang Eheads. No. 1 ang Doll House sa Netflix. Laging trending ang SB19. Nakikipagsabayan sila Moira at Ben&Ben sa foreign acts sa Spotify charts dito sa Pinas. Pinoys will support local artists, regardless of the accessibility of foreign options, basta magaling.” I agree with Chito Miranda. We support our local artists because they are accomplished in their fields. There are a lot of posts in social media about the fact that Doll House made them cry and how Baron Geisler did so well in the movie. I saw a lot of posts about people buying and showing off (probably flexing) their tickets to the upcoming reunion concert of Eraserheads. The things I saw are probably on the tip of the iceberg but it re -

ally showed how Filipi nos show their love and support for our local artists. No one wants to watch a TV show or movie with a repetitive plot, no one wants to watch something with bad visuals, and no one will support an artist with no potential.

Instead of banning and putting the blame on K-dramas on why local artists aren’t support ed, why not fund these local artists with great po tential in the film industry? When these artists are funded, they will have access to a lot of stuff (e.g. equipment, special effects, and talented people).. And since they’re going to have access to a lot of equipment, special effects, and personnel, it would motivate these filmmakers to make films that could be on par, if not better than foreign films.

Filipinos will truly support those who are re ally talented. I disagree with what Sen. Robin Padil la said to Tirso Cruz III, the current FDCP chairman, “Kami po ay naguguluhan dahil kapag tumingin kami sa salamin mas pogi naman kami sa mga taga South Korea.” It seems like he’s implying that Filipinos ap preciate K-dramas solely because of the actors’ looks. With all that being said, we must continue to support these talented artists not solely for their looks, but rather, for their performance in their art. [R]

PHOTO SOURCE | Rappler

Become Bewildered and Wander the Unknown

TRISHA ILAR

“

Watch where you’re steppin’ because I am a duwende. I also go by elf, dwarf, or goblin. Puwede!” as sung mischievously by Mikey Bustos in a video entitled Filipino Mythical Creatures Rap.

Remember the days when you were a kid? Have you ever remembered being reminded to say “Tabi, tabi po!” every time there is a mound you’ll come across? Even to the stories of offering something to small color ful mythical creatures that are playful around trees, es pecially with kids. Small yet impactful creatures that can curse when not respected and not given “alay” or offer ing of food. Duwendes are just one of the rich Filipino My thologies that we have. Let’s raise the chills and thrills this October 31st by getting to know them more!

Compared to a duwende, Kapre is a tall, dark-haired, muscular figure. His dwellings are the big tall trees, and his hobby is smoking cigars up the tree trunk. He is primarily benevolent and even falls for women. It gets mad when tree gets cut down; furthermore, it also likes to prank ple by getting them lost. It’s not only the Kapre who has habit of pranking and punishing, but also the Tikbalangs, peculiar mix of a human and...a stallion? Moreover, Tikbal angs are known to have three golden hair strands, that, when plucked by humans; will serve as an indicator that the balang was now owned by the holder of the strans. As to pres, they have a small stone, and once acquired by humans, they will grant them a wish. Another half-breed of woman and the mythical fish creature is the Sirena, who lives under neath large bodies of water. They are known for their highpitched and beautiful voices that can allure men whom use to sacrifice to the water deities. In terms of taming them, only the person they love can make them friendly.

Knowing the said creatures, where do the concepts of them originate? It dates back to the beginning, wherein Filipinos were animists and believed that every nature has its deities or guardians, usually called diwatas. As time passed, the influences of interaction with other coun tries through trading added more details to Filipino mythol ogy. One of these is the horses brought to the country and Hinduism's power, giving rise to the belief of tikbalangs. There’s also the depiction of Kapre with the wave of en slaved people brought by Iberians from East Africa through India.

Indeed, time and other factors influence the beliefs and creativity of people. In this modern era, technology is further enhanced and becomes a good platform for pro ducing creative horror stories and ideas for people. This Halloween, Alternative Reality Games became famous for bridging reality and fiction to make people feel the scenes scaring and thrilling them more. Furthermore, horror mov ies with the touch of Generation Z, wherein vlogging and streaming are used to tell stories, are now a trend.

May it be from the times before of rich mythological creatures to scary digital characters, it indicates and tells stories about that period through an imaginative and indirect way of telling details to people. It is already a part of our identity, telling us who we are. These also helped develop beliefs and respect for nature that formed hearts and minds. Therefore, these entities and things mentioned above are definitely...more than what they seem. [R]

PHOTO

| ArtStation,

HAIL HOLY QUEEN

JOANA KIARA FRANDO

At this time of crisis, most of us Filipinos seek refuge in the stance of prayer. We grew up with the words of our parents that guide our lost selves into finding comfort in the face of God. My mother once told me that the one thing that kept her going through thick and thin living in abroad as an OFW was prayer and faith. I bet that for lots of people like my mother who are facing difficulties in life, they too are dependent on their faith to give hope to them in times of challenges. Truly, prayer is a part of Filipi no culture, thus in this month of October, the Lasallian family of Academy Saint John greets and commemorates the celebration of the month of the Holy Rosary.

At the time the pandemic hit, many of our fellow Filipinos lost something that they cherish. Whether it’s people they love, things that were important to them, or a certain expectancy that life was about better if only did the pandemic not occur. Most of us lost hope, most of us lost faith in the word of God, and even I, as a student, did somehow at some point lose faith in the once prayers that held me to the front of life. Undoubtedly, praying is not the trend when it comes to us youth. In the Academy of Saint John, as a commemoration to the month of the holy rosary, every morning before our classes start, we first pray the rosary. Everyone is invited to join the prayer that is led by the students themselves. It appreciates the long history of our religion and at the same time promotes this faith we have to the youngsters and other members of our society that strays away from the path of prayers and goodness.

As a daughter of a catechist, I grew up in a household that envelops in our hearts the importance of prayer. Praying gives us the time to think, time to breathe, and a time of calmness and prosperity. The rosary is used as a medium of prayer, to focus ourselves on that calmness of mind that is as though we are meditating while sending our intentions to the one above. It gives us that short minutes of connection to our faith, letting us forget the dreadfulness of the life that we felt as though nothing but a burden. With every bead of prayer in the rosary, we reminisce the story of sufferings, of joy, of madness and finally, we remember the journey of a life that is similar to ours, the life of Jesus and the life of her mother. A journey of a lifetime that is quite relatable to our pain right now, filled with bittersweet experi ences and happiness but at the same time the memories worth cherishing.

Breathe in and breathe out. Hope is never not here, you just have to capture it in your arms, keep it in your hearts, and believe in it as your faith will keep you going. Keep going and keep echoing that voice of chivalry you have, and at times when you are tired, always remember that the burdens of life are not just yours to bear. Just close your eyes and pray, it is never not good to seek refuge in the hands of our Mother Mary. [R]

Movie Review: Doll House

ZOELINE HONRADO

Netflix has once again introduced us with a wonderful Filipino film. “Doll house” as one of its latest masterpieces, has climbed to the top spot of the Top 10 Movies in the Philippines, with its inspiring and amazing story, after being released on October 11, 2022, nationwide. The movie starred Baron Geisler (as Rustin), Althea Ruedas (as Yumi), and Mary Joy Apostol (as young Yumi). I’m not really a fan of Dramas, but I can say that this is one truly admirable movie. From the story up to the overall performance; this was a movie I would truly be proud of as a Filipino.

The movie starts off as Yumi meets her biological father in a caregiving center. The setting of the story was then moved a few years ago, as Rustin celebrates his friend’s birthday. They were drinking, singing, and enjoying their lives. The next day though, after a night of fun and happiness, Rustin’s friend passed away due to a drug overdose. After that incident, Rustin decided to go back to Rotterdam, where his 8-year-old daughter cur rently lives. He visited in disguise and introduced himself as “Clyde.” For the sake of his daughter, he finally de cided to turn away from illegal activities. They had fun and the best moments of their lives were made.

Secrets aren’t meant to be kept forever, though as his identity was later revealed by the standing mother of Yumi, and both were set to part. Yumi was determined to see her “best friend” again, and went to Rustin’s house. They then had fun again, and attended the audition Yumi was eager to participate in. Rustin promised that he would bring Yumi back to Rachelle (Yumi’s standing mom, the sister of Yumi’s biological mother), so he kept his promise and brought her back. After that, he lost his happiness, and engaged in illegal drug consumption once more. Since he wasn’t allowed to see Yumi anymore, he decided to go back to the Philippines and change his ways through rehabilitation. He was close, but then his father died, causing him to do drugs again.

The ending of the story brought us back to the caregiving center, where Rustin is being taken care of. As Yumi visited her father, she took care of him once more, even though he doesn’t remember who Yumi is. The movie ends as Yumi enters Rustin’s room and finds out that he has been making all those doll houses for his best friend, Yumi, hence the title, “Doll house”.

To be honest, I was sobbing throughout the movie. This movie had me crying like a baby and staring at the wall for hours. It is a great movie. I love how Rustin’s story teaches us that in life, we should value the smallest things. We shouldn’t enjoy life too much, and take it as a joke. Prob lems can’t be solved by consuming too much alcohol and overdosing yourself. Our lives may be cruel, yes, but we shouldn’t forget who we are, and give up on ourselves.

The line “she knows how much of a monster I am…yet she still smiled at me.” reminded me of Yumi and Rustin’s father and daughter relationship. Their relationship was just beautiful; it was so wholesome. Rustin tried his absolute best, and put a lot of effort in changing just for Yumi. Rustin did regret everything that he did in the past, so he also deserves forgiveness. His willingness to change just for his daughter should be appreciated. He may be considered a monster, and he may have lost a lot, but he never lost his worth as a human being.

The music, the acting, the setting/s, everything was so good. I enjoyed the movie and it made me realize so much in life. I'm sure most people will do so too. May this movie serve as a lesson to people out there, that it’s never too late for a change, and that everyone deserves a second chance. Let us not think too highly of ourselves; after all, we all have done things in life that we now re gret. Let us now live our lives, appreciating life and having fun while it still lasts. [R]

AMBEDO

Zephyr seas spoke blissful orchestric waves to wards the tickling chills of the breeze. I felt the weight of my body drown ever so lightly unto the tickles of the sand, embracing me and enveloping my cold barefootness with warmth. The soft touch of the neverending sounds of crashing small waves onto the shore brought me back to memory lane. On the day that I wrote the words “I love you” in the thickness of the sand beneath me. That day when I watched those little lumps of waves wash off my momentum of expression in a few seconds.

I calmly took a deep gasp, trying to intake the shivering winds instead of the warmness of my anxious breaths. I closed my eyes and let the sym phony of blues resonate within my whole body, engulfing me in its bewitching lullabies as I try to forget for just a second the demons lurking within the depths of a thing called “thoughts”

“You’re here again?” a voice of a girl be hind my back spoke. I shut my eyes as I re member all too well that sweet calmness that always brought a bitter smile to my lips.

“I’m here again. I’m sorry” I replied to her, not looking back as I know I’ll see noth ing but disappointment. As I uttered those words, I can feel her arms snake around my waist as she sits beside me.

“Open your eyes and what do you see,” she said softly. I opened my eyes hesitant ly and saw all the bittersweet burdens I have been begging to forget right in front of me.

“A girl and a boy, running down the seashore. Picking up all the pretty corals they’ll see while writ ing down all the words they could think of beneath their feets” I uttered with a breathless voice. I was hesitant because everything seemed so nostalgic, so real. It was as if reality has been morphed with

the paper towns of my mind that keep all these un wanted ruminations of my past and present.

“What did I tell you? Look at the reality. Look at where you are now. Breathe your breaths for to day, not for yesterday.” she scolded me once again just like how she always did back then.

“I’m not there with you. I’m not your comfort place but a cause of your incapacity to see reali ty.” I felt her stand up and walk around the warm sand behind my back. I still sat there immov able. I couldn’t feel my body, it was as if the sand has fully engulfed me in its fairy dust bed.

“It’s time to wake up from your dreams brother. The world needs you to wake up. I need you to wake up.

So please… go” she tells me with a soft teary voice. If I were to see her face right now, I would’ve guessed that she was crying. Her peach cheeks will be in a shade of pink. Her almond eyes were still yet beautiful under those pouring of tears.

“I wish I can choose my reality” I looked down at the ground and saw that the sand wasn’t sand but thick clumped mosses. I gazed through the see, it was in a pinch of marmalade not zeph yr.I looked back to the horizon and I see nothing but calm waves and rocky shorelines. I looked back at myself as I realized that once again. I’m here in the same spot where everything ended. After a while of hesitancy, I looked back behind me, and alas it was true.

She was never there. She never was and she never will be.

- Joana Kiara Frando

the dictionary of obscure sorrows

DEADLINE

Glaring and staring at the wall It feels like my head is about to fall. I'm just trying to meet the deadline. It's 3 a.m. and I'm still online.

- Benedict Barbuco

nine.

A short time left, Nine more months to live It’s futile, with Nine more weeks to give Time flew, now Nine more days to adore

But dear, Nine more lives to love you more

BICYCLE

The brakes won’t stop As I was about to drop I wished I didn’t go faster Because this was a disaster.

Bruises on my knees and elbows Will I be able to go home? Maybe I’ll just go with the flow Holding my broken phone.

- Liam Vizmanos

WORLD RECORD Spinning endlessly Played like a broken record Stretching out of tune

Joshua Nocon

THOUGHTS

My mind is a jungle of different thoughts. echoes like Simba and Tarzan crossed. Am I bluffing this thing? I’m too exhausted to even think. Trying to watch movies, thinking why I am drinking smoothies. I remember preparing nachos, not these avocados.

- Ethan Nivera

- Ameerah Salahudden

Art by: Sofia Marielle Malvar

Art by: Sofia Marielle Malvar

Art by: Sofia Marielle Malvar