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From a Tangled Rope to Greater Heights Kisly Moira Pera
We are all impacted by the Pandemic in one way or another; people losing their jobs, conversion of face-to-face class to online learning, source of income. Most people are slowly dying. All of these happened in a blink of an eye. Although staying at home is beneficial to mitigate the virus, there is an underlying cost that most people find too difficult to handle; isolation. Resourcefulness and determination never left the hearts of some people managing to thrive and go further - proving that no virus can stop them from chasing their dreams. One of these people is Linkin May De Leon, a 19-year-old, 2nd-year student taking up Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE) in PHINMA-University of Pangasinan. I am personally moved by her story simply because of her bravery. We cannot deny the risks and possibilities of failing in the starting line of establishing a business, let alone doing it online while studying simultaneously. The beginning is always the hardest, they say, and when asked what does the beginning looks like for her, she claimed, "It’s like a tangled rope waiting for you to untie the steps, the progress and little wins.” Her small business is called "Thrifted Gems," which has been remarked for being a well-known online shop in her town. Although it's not the beginning of her business career, this seems like a second shot. She had a small shop in 8th grade but was not consistent in selling pre-order items. Her current business results from her love for secondhand clothing, which she came up with during the lockdown, along with thinking of what would ease her boredom. She describes it as an "old passion" she didn't know would ignite again. When asked if she had a go-signal from the universe or in the
same way within her belief that made her decide that it's time to get back, she replied, "Yes. I do love what I’m doing and this business made me more independent (than) I am before.” Like any other person who aims to start a business, she also had doubts, especially in the beginning and now. Still, she believes that learning comes after failing, and “when you learn you win." It might be just a matter of courage and love for what you do that would take you higher than you expected. Most of the time, we could just use some help from people we know we can rely on, people we love and trust, and people that inspire us to believe in ourselves. For Linkin, these people are her family, true friends, her boyfriend, and those strangers she met online who reiterates that they get inspired by her, which she's grateful for. Linkin does have a bunch of people who believes in her together with those she inspires. Juggling her studies and her small business might be a difficult feat for her, especially because she's at the collegiate level. Still, she says she has learned to discipline herself and balance her time for academics and business. She also explains that it's fun and beneficial for her to run a business. Linkin keeps in mind her priorities- to graduate and pass the board exams. These victories don't mean getting into business is always sunshine and rainbows. Inevitable struggles are always present in any field. But this is what she has to say about how she handles them; "Most of the time I don’t really mind negatives, my business, dreams and goals have my focus, not them.” Running a business or not, we all have our own weapons against these struggles. As for her, those are her prayers, patience, discipline, and humility. Inspiring indeed,
the only competitor she considers is herself. The evident mushrooming of online sellers around town is one of those I have observed upon the reasons why some people withdraw from selling online. Linkin eliminates this view as she explains, "Truth to be told (the) market is such a place where you find people outworks another. But like what I said, my business only has my focus. The only competitor I have is myselfto be better than who I am yesterday. It’s not my loss if I see others doing better than me, or not my gain if I’m achieving greater things than the rest. I only focus on what I have and what’s up to improve.” And since we're confident that "Thrifted Gems" is on to the "Greater Heights," I asked her what's next for her business, she unravels, "There’s a lot, that I pray, work and prepare for. Actually, thrifted gems is the root of my cosmetic line, branded and brand new apparels, jewelry and shoe line. And by the end of this year (hopefully) we’ll have our own bodega of secondhand clothing.” Establishing a business doesn’t mean you need to have tons of money before deciding to get there and start. Hold your positivity, purest intentions, passion, and hard work on your right hand and your courage on the other, and don't look at temporary setbacks as failures.
As a cue to stop, you could go beyond Linkin's "Thrifted Gems" as one of the living examples with consistency and discipline. If you are someone who is in doubt about starting your small business, this is what she has to tell you; “You’ll only know if you try, this is the sign.”
An Outlet of Misery; Music Micah Theresa Pidlaoan Do you ever feel like sitting in the corner of a room and suddenly a melody popped up in your mind and just continuously humming in your head? And the thing you would do is to voice out that melody, pick up your guitar and pen, and start making a song. Jessie John C. Bautista, known as JJ Bautista, is one of those kinds of people. He is a 19-year-old 1st-year college student and taking a Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English.
His love for music started in seventh grade when his teacher told them to share their talents in front of their class. He left with no choice, so he tried to sing. His teacher and classmates saw his potential in singing. From that moment, he started to have a passion for music. Since then, he also began to play instruments like guitar
and piano, mix music, and write songs. JJ, a singer-songwriter, had released two singles on Spotify. His first released song was “Nahuhulog sayo” he said that this song was dedicated to someone. “Tungkol ito sa kaibigan ko na nagkaroon ako ng feelings para sakanya, natatakot akong aminin sakanya ‘yung nararamdaman ko kasi if ever na ireject niya ako is masisiira yung friendship naming which is very important to me.” he said that he need to take the risk, he expressed his true feelings towards his best friend and turned it into a song. No doubt that some days we feel empty about life and everything. Do wanna be motivated? I suggest you listen to the song "Ituloy mo 'yan," JJ's second released song. This song caught many people's attention, and many were touched and related to this song. “Sige lang, ituloy mo ‘yan. Huwag kang susuko sa bagay na gusto mo” this is one of the lines/lyrics of this song. It turned out great that this song was nominated on Spotify “sobrang nakakaproud sa feeling na yung gawa mo, nakapasok sa playlist ng spotify” he said. His music made
a significant impact on many people who need the motivation to pursue the things they want to achieve. He is a musician and student at the same time. JJ doesn't have any worries like having conflicts in his studies and with music. He said that he could smoothly manage it both, and whenever he feels stressed in his studies, he needs a little break to play music to make him feel relaxed and clear his mind. It is his way to meditate and restart his mind to study and do his school works. Music makes him make things more manageable. JJ also stated that he will choose to be a musician if he succeeds in the music industry. Still, if not, he said that It will always be okay, and he will continue to be an educator. JJ enjoys listening to OPM music, and some of his favorite musicians include Ben&Ben, Arthur Nery, Munimuni, and Ed Sheeran. For him, music had helped him from depression way back when he was left with no choice. When he and his ex broke up, he made music as avoidance or distraction to help him move on. He also stated that all his emotions were expressed in music. JJ also gives some advice to people who are just starting to build and create their music and also to all aspiring musicians like him. “Maging confident lang sila sa talent nila kasi sakanila yuin,binigay sakanila ‘yun kaya kailangan nilang I-express or I-share sa iba”. He also said that don't be afraid to take risks, and the most important thing is you should always trust yourself that you can make it, never doubt yourself. And now let’s have a sneak peek to his next song to be released. “Malapit ng matapos, hindi gaano ka instrumental, acoustic parang chill lang. Fewer instruments," he said. It is like soon we'll hear a chill vibe song from JJ. Suppose you haven't listened to his music and songs. In that case, you can visit his youtube channel @ JJ Bautista, and you can also stream “Nahuhulog Sa'yo” and “Ituloy mo 'yan” on Spotify. JJ is genuinely a brilliant musician who can inspire and motivate people with his music. Let's support his music and happy streaming, Flames!
