MEMBERS’ BLOCK

Dazed, and No Longer Human

BEN NIVERA

“Do you believe in gravity?” Said the ominous entity, As he takes my eyes out And in agony, I shout

I black out, and now I’m in paradise I’m still just me, yet I feel so wise Then, in my room, I wake up again Muted and tied, surrounded by men

The cycle continues and I slowly lose my mind My sanity’s gone, now no one can find What was my name again? John, Dave or Simon? I feel dazed, am I no longer human?

KYZZIA PAGUIRIGAN

In my 13 years in ASJ, I have been an athlete from being a swimmer for the whole duration of grade school and being an archer for the entirety of my junior high. It’s a little unfortunate that I couldn’t continue it in my senior high school because of the global pandemic.

But after retiring as an athlete I pondered on what to do next and during the beginning of my Grade 12. A certain someone asked me if I’m up for a challenge, at first I refused thinking that I would just be dragged into a contest that I am not suited for, but this person said that I was invited to be part of the Rheims team and to join in as a writer and that someone vouched for me and with that comment I thought that it would be a great opportunity to be part of something special and unique and from writing my first essay to making this, my last writing, I have experienced so many things even though we are limited by this online platform. Rheims has fulfilled my high school life.

As I remember my first two writings was an English and a Tagalog essay and one was about Cornetto and I remember it being my Tagalog topic and when the evaluations came I admitted that I used Google translate for my Tagalog because I was so bad at it. But through my ups and downs, Rheims was with me all the way and for that I am deeply grateful especially for the experience on the talk shows that I hope I can witness and help with in the future..

KYZZIA PAGUIRIGAN

Kinaya. Kinakaya. Kakayanin.

ATASIA PINEDA

Naalala ko pa nung summer ng Grade 11, palagi kong nakikita sa Facebook and Twitter Feeds ko yung mga pinopost ng Rheims na recruitment posters. Tapos niyayaya din ako ng iba kong kakilala na part ng Rheims before and at present na sumali na rin daw ako, so I did.

The first few months of it were indeed very challenging because not only did it test my ability of balancing my time properly, it also questioned my abilities as an amateur editor. From simply editing holiday posters for the Multimedia Division to co-anchoring Rheims Direct for the Broadcasting Division to becoming the event director of the Valentine’s Day project real quick.

P. S. I chose photojournalism when I answered the application form.

No hard feelings, I promise. Actually, I am grateful to those people who have assigned me as the Junior Editor of the Multimedia Division. Those people guided me towards a path where they believed my skills would be honed, appreciated, and foster more. I was always the type of person who is content with playing safe and incapable of quickly adapting to change. And this experience brought me out of my comfort zone for a positive reason, to teach me three important lessons. Namely, to move forward without the thought of looking back, never settle to where you are right now, and always have room for growth and creative criticisms.

UNANG HAIKU KO SA RHEIMS LET'S GO

BEN NIVERA

Unang haiku ko ‘Tong binabasa mo now Haha yun lang bye

LOVE-LIES-BLEEDING

With an artifice plugged in my ears, the king’s shouting drowns the music I love to play

A symphony of orders and fear fills my head as the guards drag me away

His voice mixes with my beloved’s and their faces merge into one I abhor

I want to shove my fingers deep in dirt and bury the one I love and adore

Just to keep him close to the flowers I grew for us with hidden messages and spite

For I am just a simple gardener and not the prince I dream to be and beside

MARIELLE NAVARRO

Not yet (a requiem)

MARIELLE NAVARRO

I am asked constantly about what I want to be when I finally grow up. Yet, the brain they question cannot comprehend the idea of having grown further than what I already am, despite wanting to be more. If I am already overwhelmed by the present and cursed of the knowledge that this is not my limit, then what I hope for my future is that I am not tired enough to look down at the child I once will be with both resentment and envy towards my privilege to still be allowed to make mistakes. (I was taught that people who have grown cannot commit such atrocities for they are always correct.)

When I grow up, I hope that these thoughts of mine will not be immortalized. Ironic, when I have always been called sensitive which I translated into being called a poet. Perhaps my desire for people to read my words on paper is overthrown by the sheer selfishness that no one will ever look at my works and cry over something that should have been kept away from the light day. (I was told that my emotions can only be expressed if they are in the range of niceties, but my poetry commonly relies on the organized chaos that is within me.)

One day, I will touch the firmament and as I am set ablaze, the world that I have written will burn with me until we are nothing but a candidate for a topic scholars will learn with nothing but an exasperated sigh. I want to grow up as someone and no one; both at the same time. For I made myself believe that to be loved, I must be needed even at the cost of who I am. (This was made clear to me when I was much younger, when my classmates leeched off of my things and told me that I was a good friend for doing so. My mother told me the opposite, but I did not believe her.)

When I am grown, I hope that I will still be allowed to create mistakes. (As if they are what make me whole and alive.) I wish to have the courage to expose my heart to those I love. (Not the heart I was forced to behold, but the one that is imperfect and fragmented.) And when I finally find that courage, I hope that I have enough love not to give it away. (It is where my art stems, and I am yet to create my magnum opus.)

When I grow up, I want it to be on my own terms, and not dictated by a career or a word. So, for now, I will remain where I am until the notion of progressing beyond myself has finally grown less absurd.

CASEY QUIMORA

Jack of all trades, master of none.

ANDREW DELA PLANA

“Jack of all trades, master of none,” as the expression goes, which commonly disparages people who can do many things and have many skills, rather than mastering a single useful skill and becoming a specialist in it. For example, it could allude to a student who has a lot of hobbies but never masters any of them. His peers could say that he should focus on one so that they could “master it”. I myself have been insulted with that phrase before, and I found myself thinking whether they were right. And, happily, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I’m better off as a “jack of all trades.”

In a pandemic, it’s natural for people to start finding new hobbies and interests, to explore themselves more, and to grasp what their future holds. Since one has a lot of time to spare, they tend to try new things, or practice the skills they already know to further hone them. “Jack of all trades” people would typically try to learn many things to further themselves instead of picking a specific area and mastering it. The path to self-discovery will let them learn about their strengths and weaknesses much more easily and discover where their skills lie. However, we should also remember that “masters of one” sometimes have no access to different resources, hence their situation—and just no one is allowed to judge. People still ignore these factors and would want to focus on forcing people to be “masters of one”. As I said, I was insulted by the phrase before. However, after minutes of research, I quickly found out that the phrase has a full version, and it was a compliment, after all. The full phrase was “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one,” which admits that while being a master of none, it would

oftentimes still be better than mastering a single area. There’s no shame in being a master of one too, as mastery in a certain field will increase your credibility and knowledge of the area.

Why is this important? Well, judgement is a huge factor in one’s learning process. While a person is trying their best to discover their fortes, the peers around them discourage them, until the person disengages from their interests and will not have the chance to discover themselves. It would be best if people wouldn’t focus on how other people discover themselves, especially if the person isn’t affecting others. Every person is different, and each has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. They all learn through different methods and go through different paths of learning. It is imperative that people remember that, since every person is different, they have their own methods of learning their skills, mastering their knowledge, and discovering themselves.

Throughout these years, I’ve learned that being a jack-ofall trades suits me better. I could enjoy myself more, I could adjust because of my skillset, and I could be a lot more helpful to others. For me, mastering a single skill will get me nowhere because of the kinds of people around me. Almost all the people I know are competent, and are reliable to themselves, and to others. By being a “support”, or an extra hand, I could contribute not only to a single group of people, but to multiple areas. For me, this would be a great contribution to the people around me. By engaging in academics, journalism, and my hobbies—such as arts and crafts—I could contribute more than being a “master” in one of these areas. I learned that with my academic expertise, I could help people with their lessons better. I learned that with my crochet crafts, I could produce art that I never thought I could do before. I learned that with journalism, the light that shied away from the human gaze could once again be brought out of the shadows.

Finally, everyone has to remember that each person has their own separate story and method of doing things. Be who you are–may it be a jack-of-all trades person, or a master of one person. It is our lives. Let’s live it how we want it to be, just as long as we don’t hurt others.

ANDRE MOJICA

BRYAN FLORENTINO

Summary of what is it like:

New. Journey. Create. Explore. Expand. Conquer. Adapt. Overcome. Battle. Cry. Joy. Honor.

Qualifying into the Creatives Division as a junior member is what I think my limit would be when I decided to submit the Google Form of the Rheims’ registration before. I said to myself that being a member of an organization for the school would help me greatly in my college applications. I didn’t expect that I would be the head of an entire Division for my second year. I was shocked, for it is accompanied with many responsibilities, endless meetings, non-stop output making and checking, running out of ideas and the spark to create and many more. But also felt grateful for when that I was given great power means that people believes in my capabilities.

Being a head entails many things and by that, almost all things should be considered in every output to be posted. In every ounce of our creative juice used in the sake of journalism, I learned new things that helped me improved my craft. At first, it was hard but as you get into the beat of how things should be done, you can easily adapt to its highs and lows. I enjoyed every little bit of being in the organization as if it was my main point of focus throughout the whole school year. I always looked up to “Per Aspera Ad Astra” helping me get over with every encounter I had ever had, making it as one of my mottos in life. Through hardships to the stars.

JOHN CZAR SALAGUINTO

Otaku Corner

Presented by Renz Bautista

Otaku \ō-’tä-kü\

n. - a person having an intense or obsessive interest especially in the fields of anime and manga —often used before another noun

Etymology: borrowed from Japanese, literally, “your

house, your home.” Source: Merriam-Webster

RENZ BAUTISTA

SLAMBOOK

List three (3) items on your bucket list that you want to do when COVID-19 ends

TRAVEL TO JAPAN DO COSPLAY SKYDIVING

Share your favorite day of the year and why? OCTOBER 28, MY BIRTHDAY

IGNs used when playing games RAPTIDE KREI NINO FAVORITES

BEVERAGE

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM W/ POMEGRANATE PEARLS (STARBUCKS)

ARTIST AND SONG

BEN&BEN, MAYBE THE NIGHT

FOOD

BEEF PITA DONER (TURKS)

ANIME

KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR

TV SHOW

HELL’S KITCHEN (US)

DIS OR DAT

When chilling, you watch videos on: YOUTUBE | NETFLIX

Would you rather do the ___ or ___? DISHES | LAUNDRY

Would you rather eat at ___ or ___? MCDO | JOLLIBEE

A trait I would appreciate more FUNNY | SMART

I would rather watch a 2 HR. MOVIE | 2 SEASON SERIES

I would rather SHOWER | SOAK IN TUB

Color preference LIGHT | DARK

Upload a favorite photo from your phone gallery:

Context: LASSO Academic and Cultural Fest held in Ozamiz City last January 9, 2020. I, Kent Go (3rd from left), and Angel Lataza were the champions of the Quiz Bowl Contest (Quiz Bee - General Knowledge)

ANIME

Top 3 Genres: ISEKAI ROMANCE-COMEDY SLICE OF LIFE

Most anticipated anime atm: CLASSROOM OF THE ELITE S2

Most anticipated anime movie atm:

QUINTS MOVIE [LF KASAMA MANOOD :) ]

Top anime recommendations?

KAGUYA, RE:ZERO, SPY X FAMILY, 86, TENSURA

Favorite Isekai: NO GAME, NO LIFE

Favorite Romcom: KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR

Favorite Slice of Life: MY DRESS-UP DARLING

First anime watched: ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM

Favorite ongoing (Summer 2022 season): SPY X FAMILY

Most looped anime songs on Spotify:

STORYSEEKER - STERO DRIVE FOUNDATION LEVEL - YANAGINAGI, THE SIXTH LIE I SWEAR - SWEET ARMS CENTIMETER - THE PEGGIES

You may view may My Anime List (MAL) by visitng the link below. DISCLAIMER: All ratings indicated are of my own preferences. https://myanimelist.net/animelist/Raptide

Animanga exclusive (incl. GI); one character only per series

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

NINO NAKANO

The Quintessential Quintuplets

KURUMI TOKISAKI

Date a Live

KAGUYA SHINOMIYA

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

SHINO ASADA

Sword Art Online

MARIN KITAGAWA

My Dress-Up Darling

HU TAO

Genshin Impact

MAI SAKURAJIMA

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

YOR FORGER

Spy x Family

NINYM RALEI

The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt

MICCHON SHIKIMORI

Shikimori isn’t Just a Cutie

SUZUNE HORIKITA

Classroom of the Elite

GENSHIN

DATE STARTED PLAYING + ar

OCTOBER 10, 2020 (ar 59)

FIRST 5-STAR

DILUC (DURING FIRST GANYU BANNER)

MAIN(S)

HU TAO (C1), GANYU (C0),

KAMISATO AYAKA (C0)

MOST ANTICIPATED 5-STAR

KAEDEHARA KAZUHA

NO. OF LIMITED 5-STARS (incl. cons)

11

BEST 4-STAR BUILT

XINGQIU

FAVORITE LOCATION INGAME

GRAND NARUKAMI SHRINE, NARUKAMI ISLAND, INAZUMA

FAVORITE ELEMENT

CRYO

50-50 WIN-LOSE RECORD

4-7 :(

If ever you will cosplay character/s from GI, who is it?

ALBEDO, ZHONGLI

Perfect 36 star clearer of Spiral Abyss since November 2021 second half

*per volume

Ang sarap balikan ang mga araw na excused ka sa klase para magreview at makilahok ka sa contest sa labas ng school.

Ito yung mga araw na makikita mo ang lahat sa sarili mo habang ginagawa mo ang mga bagay na passionate ka.

Naalala ko pa ang mga pag-aaral, pagpapagod, pagpupuyat, pagpapahinga, pagkain, paglalaro, at kahit paggawa ng mga samu’t saring kalokohan bago at habang nasa contest.

Masaya sa feeling yung nakakamit mo yung mga panalo, lalo na kung ito ay inaasam mo talaga sa nakalipas na mga taon.

Masaya sa feeling yung ikaw lang nakakatama ng mga tanong sa quiz bee sa sobrang hirap, lalo na kung nasa difficult round ito at ito ang nagpanalo sa iyo.

Masaya sa feeling yung nakakapunta ka ng iba’t ibang lugar na di mo pa napupuntahan para lang magsagot ng math o science.

Masaya sa feeling na nakasuot sayo ang medalya na babasagin o may hawak kang trophy na masasabi mo na sa iyo talaga.

Masaya sa feeling na nagkakaroon ka ng mga bagong kaibigan dahil sa mga contest.

Masaya sa feeling na nakakasama mo sa group contest ang mga kalapit mong kaibigan o kaeskuwela na kapwa contestant, lalo na kung nakachampion.

Masaya sa feeling na nakakapagbigay ka ng karangalan sa iyong eskuwelahan sa larangan ng patalastasan.

Ngayon na ako’y graduate na, hanggang ala-ala na lang muna ang mga ito sapagkat ako’y magbubukas na ng bagong kabanata ng aking buhay.

Ipapasa ko rin ang mga karunungan at karanasan sa mga susunod ng yapak ko at iba pang mga contestant.

Mamimiss ko itong pagiging buhay contestant.

Ako si Renz Bautista, ASJ math at science quizzer, now signing off.

CASH FLOW

Panong cash inflow? Di ganito, ask mama to make padala

DEBIT O CREDIT

Bawat transaksyon, Tanong ng kaklase ko, Debit o credit?

ADJUSTING ENTRIES

Nabalanse na, Kala mo tapos ka na, May adjusting pa

RENZ BAUTISTA

Fulfillment

RENZ BAUTISTA

I have been interested in joining Rheims during the first months of my Grade 10, specifically when they post video works of school events. I also remembered contributing a SciTech article about Diphtheria, which had many revisions. Upon seeing the recruitment posters for the first month of online classes, I immediately applied and accomplished the Google Form link. I still remembered how formal I am when I got into the interviews and were given articles to write about relevant events that day (PLDT and Liza Soberano issue, Dolomite beach and I can’t remember the other one). I got accepted and wrote my first feature during the month of August about the plight of medical frontliners. Features were written until the month of December, where I was introduced in the world of news and the column. I genuinely enjoyed my column writing experience as it was very different back then.

Months crossed and a lot more has happened. I was the contest chair for the Essay Writing contest for Gawad Alab. I conducted multiple surveys in school and wrote articles about their results. Wrote my monthly columns and was immersed in other articles. Until during the month of April 2021 then I was appointed to be the Managing Editor and the newspaper layout artist. There was many doubts crossed over my mind as I was not adept in the layout process as it entails a lot of creativity and artistry. The internship month was generally smooth, but I have already felt how intense the workload is and thought to myself, “this will be a long 12 months.”

A.Y. 2021-2022 opened and it marked the first month of me in office. It was difficult to adjust as the workload, pressure, and standards reached higher levels. The first few months were hard. Soon, I was appointed to more positions and were given more responsibilities. In the process, more doubts and what-ifs emerged. There were more sleepless nights (and of course, more cups of coffee) to the point my academics and social life were compromised. Several times, the thought of quitting for good lingered over. But still, I still chose to continue.

Rheims has made me see my different self. I was exposed to unfamiliar territory, immersed in areas out of my comfort zone and made new memories. Rheims enabled me to broaden my horizon and see a different outlook on the reality of journalism and work-life relationship in general. Life will always give you challenges and in these challenges, you learn. As they say, go big or go home.

I can finally say, that I am a graduate of Rheims and as for what we always say to our staffers, “once a Rheims, always a Rheims.”

YES. A word with 3 letters that changed my high school life. In front of the #neverforgetandneveragain sign, the then chairman, and the adviser of the Lasallian Rheims, made an oath to take this post as the Chairman of the Board for SY 2021 - 2022. It was not an easy decision. Beforehand, I really wanted someone (this someone is now my confidant and one of the very reasons that I keep on fighting the urge to give up) to take the post. He has every inch of skill, attitude, and capacity to handle it. However, I also got excited to take the risk.

Well, I took a stand to face these challenges to improve myself and take a different path that deviates from academics. More than a year after, HERE I STAND, WE STAND. YES. I really had the moments where I wanted to let go of this position. YES. I frequently get exhausted from the tons of work, papers, and meetings. YES. I am not as skilled as others. YES. It is really hard to handle this. But also, YES, this was really worth the risk and the leap.

I am Lance Jerson C. Crisostomo, the SEB Chairman and the Editor-in-Chief of the Publication, taking my hat off for a final bow!

LANCE CRISOSTOMO

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