#chermed

[klutz-20]

The Man: A Leni Robredo Biography

“The best man for the job is a woman.” - Leni Robredo

Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo, an alternative lawyer and public servant, is the 14th Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines. After years of working with the poor and the marginalized, teaching the less fortunate about their rights under the law, Leni, as she is popularly known, emerged into national consciousness following the loss of her husband, long-time Naga City Mayor and Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. Called upon to carry on his legacy of good governance, she stepped into the political arena in 2013, when she won as Representative of the Third District of Camarines Sur.

On April 23, 1965, in the lands of Naga, Camarines Sur, Philippines; a woman was born, a woman who in the future will fight against the biggest of odds a woman has ever faced. In the name Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona, she was recognized to be first of the three children born to Naga City Regional Trial Court Judge Antonio Gerona (Father) and Salvacion Santo Tomas (Mother).

There is not much known about how Leni spent her youth or who she surrounded herself with but she is known to have attended the basic education department of Unibersidad de Sta. Isabel in Naga and graduated from elementary school in 1987, and from high school in 1982.

Leni lived a normal life, born as Filipina, and just like every Filipino, was dedicated at her passion and goals. She earned her degree in economics from the University of The Philippines Diliman in 1986, and proceeded to study law at the University of Nueva Caceres, graduating in 1992; she then passed the bar exams in 1997.

Leni knew the path she was taking, and realized her potential to help her fellow Filipinos. Not much is known about what inspired her to follow the path of politics, probably due to his father occupation but Leni chose to temporarily forego law studies and instead decided to work as a researcher for the Bicol River Basin Development Program (BRBDP) – it is a government agency tasked with integrated area development planning in the three provinces of the Bicol Region. During her work in the agency, there she met the man would finally make her heart skip a beat and someone that would impact her and give courage, one that she’ll forever treasure – Program Director Jesse Robredo. The two loved each other very dearly and was always together, helping people, providing support to those in need, and proving their capabilities as trust-worthy public servant to the masses. The wife and husband were eventually blessed with three healthy children named – Aika, Tricia, and Jillian.

Having passed the bar on her second attempt in 1996 and admittedly in May 1997, Leni served in the Public Attorney’s Office, a role in which she often took up the defense for cases pursued by her husband, who by then had become Mayor of Naga.

The family lived a very comfortable life and their children grew full of love and compassion, just like their parents but unfortunately, all this would come to pass as Jesse Robredo – Leni’s beloved husband – unfortunately died on August 18, 2012, when his plane (Piper PA-34 Seneca) a light aircraft he was traveling in crashed off the coast of Masbate Island. He was traveling back home to assist her daughter’s swimming competition.

This left Leni and her children devastated and lost. Just like any other family, they held each other dear. Jesse Robredo loved his children very much and taught them everything they need to know; it was no secret that Jesse was compassionate, kind, and warm – the way his beloved children grew up was proof of this. Jesse’s death left an impact on Leni and their children, one that would forever remain within them, even as Leni continues the fight.

Leni knew then that she needed to continue what her husband had started but even then; on her own, she was able to do good in the country by becoming the coordinator of Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligan (SALIGAN), founder of the Lakas ng Kababaihan ng Naga Federation, an organization that provides training and livelihood opportunities for women, in 1989; and being named the chairperson of the Liberal Party in Camarines Sur.

She continued on as she ran in Camarines Sur’s 3rd congressional district on 2013 and won, Participatory governance and transparency were the major objectives and thrusts of Robredo's legislative agenda. The first law Robredo authored in congress was the Full Disclosure Policy Bill (HB 19), which would have mandated all government agencies and their sub-units and projects to disclose their budget and financial transactions in a conspicuous manner "without any requests from the public.” Robredo also authored the People Empowerment Bill (HB 4911), which sought to allow more participation from Filipinos in decision and policy-making, and the Participatory Budget Process Bill (HB 3905), which sought to increase participation in budget-related decisions in government projects by locals. She also wrote the Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Bill (HB 3432) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, language, disability, HIV status, etc.

Leni’s passion to help and be of service amongst the Filipino people did not stop here. On October 5, 2015, after her three daughters set aside their initial objections, Leni announced that she would run for the post of Vice President of the Philippines under the Liberal Party in the 2016 election, as the running mate of presidential candidate Mar Roxas. She won the election with 14,418,817 votes, or 35.11 percent of cast ballots, narrowly defeating her closest rival, Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, by 263,473 votes or by 0.64 percent.

During her term, Leni did things on her own but provided as much help as her accompanied President – Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Leni also showed strength and fulfilled her promises she made during her campaign such as her Angat Buhay Program – a program that focuses on six advocacy areas, namely: public education, rural development, food security and nutrition, women empowerment, universal healthcare, and housing and resettlement. From the beginning of her program in 2016 up until January 2022, the program has benefitted 622,00 families in 223 cities and municipalities across the country.

These feats, accomplishments did not go unnoticed and during the year of 2016, Leni received numerous awards from different universities, non-government organizations, and foreign acknowledgements; examples of these are: her being awarded the Honorary Outstanding Woman Award of the Year by the Thai government, coinciding with Thailand’s Women Day due to her work and advocacy on women’s empowerment and gender equality, the award as the Most Influential Filipina Woman of the World given to her by Filipina Women’s Network, and different doctorates from universities within the country such as: Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Saint Anthony in Iriga, Camarines Sur, and University of the Cordilleras.

However, despite these achievements, accomplishments, and good deeds she made count during her term; negative news, bad comments, and bullying were still thrown at her at the time. Many saw her as useless and found her to be not worthy of her position but she remained steadfast and loyal to her own morals, using her influence and power to continue helping those in need and provide a trust-worthy and corrupt free governance. She was a mother, not only to her children but also to the country.

On October 7, 2021; she announced her readiness to run for president and filed her candidacy as an independent, running with her is the Senator Kiko Pangilinan as vice president who filed his own certificate of candidacy under the Liberal Party. After all that she’s been through, the many people she’s helped, and the many challenges she’s faced; she is currently facing her biggest challenge yet.

Leni Robredo, in her own way, paved the way for women to start believing in themselves. Tested by life, circumstances, and challenges; she never lost sight of who she really is and remained steadfast to her ethics. She showed strength within her weakest moments, and showed compassion in the world full of hate. Many might hate her, see her as unworthy, and not fit for position but we all cannot deny that Leni did everything and more. Having lost her only love, becoming a single parent is not easy, let alone raising them to be fine young ladies but despite these odds, she kept a strong face, and confronted all the challenges, allegations, and judgements thrown at her all while proving her worth as the Vice President of the country.

[hazzibee]

A Master in Making

 Biography of Hayao Miyazaki

It is nice to reminisce about Saturday mornings watching Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, The Secret World of Arrietty, and many more with a cup of warm Milo on the side. The feeling of starting a new journey with every story brings nothing but peace, excitement, and satisfaction to our minds. Studio Ghibli has changed the childhoods of many people around the world with their magnificent and beautiful array of stories. Have you ever wondered how these colorful animations were made into reality and the man behind its curtains?

On January 5 1941, a master was born in the land of the rising sun, Japan. Hayao Miyazaki was the second son among his three siblings. His father is Katsuji Miyazaki, the owner of Miyazaki Airplane. The company manufactured airplane parts for World War II. Hayao described his relationship with his father as cold and distant. Yoshiko Miyazaki is his mother. She had a great influence on Miyazaki’s works, where women were portrayed as strong and independent like she was. She often questioned socially accepted norms and battled with her illness for nine years.

When he was a child, he felt like an outcast. He was told that he would not live past 20, because of his digestive problems. They later moved to Kanuma in 1945 due to the city-bombing. In 1947 he started school as an elementary student in Utsunomiya as an evacuee. This was also the year his mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis and battled with it until 1955. After he finished third grade, they moved back to Tokyo, where he finished his primary education at Omiya Elementary School.

He continued his education at Omiya Junior High School. During this time, manga rose in popularity. He dreamt of becoming a manga artist. He could not draw faces, but he did excellently at drawing airplanes, tanks, etc. He destroyed his earlier works. For Hayao, they were a replica of another artist's style, hindering his growth as an artist. When he was a Senior High Schooler, he discovered his love for the film after seeing the first colored animated Japanese film “The Tale of the White Serpent”

In 1956, he entered Gakushuin University where he majored in Political Science and economics. Throughout his college days, he joined a club named “Children's literature research club”.It was the closest thing to comics. They read and discussed European books and comics. This influenced his early works that incorporated European settings. Finally, in 1963, he graduated from college.

In the same year, he landed a job at “Toei Animation” as an in-between artist. Three months later, he got involved in the labor union and led the fight against social injustice. When 1964 came, he became the chief secretary of Toei's labor union. In the same year, he dated his coworker, Akemi Ota, who became his wife in October of 1965.

He worked as the chief animator, concept artist, and scene designer on “The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun ” in 1965. His approach to animation was largely influenced as he worked with his mentor, Yasuo Ōtsuka during the production of this film. Another mentee was under Yasuo Ōtsuka’s wing, who is the director of the same film; Isao Takahata.

Mangas and countless adaptations were made during his career with Toei Animation until he left in August 1971. He was hired at A-Studio where he continued to work with Takahata until June 1973, when he moved to Zuiyō Eizō, which is now known as Nippon Animation (1975). After 5 years (1979), he left Nippon Animation for Telecom Animation Film, where he directed and trained its employees. 

Ideas were developed to adapt the comic “Rowlf ” written by Richard Corben. During this time he was interviewed by the editorial staff of Animage, where he showed his outlines and sketches and saw potential in Hayao’s work. The "Warring States Demon Castle” and the adaptation of the comic “Rowlf” were proposed but rejected. Despite that, they have come to an agreement for Hayao’s work to be published but not made into a film. It was titled “Nausicaa the valley of the wind” (Feb 1982-March 1994). He drew each chapter with a pencil, and printed it with monochrome ink for the magazine. He later resigned in 1982. 

Hayao was encouraged to work on Film Adaptation, which he initially refused, but then he changed his mind on the condition that he can direct. He chose “Nausicaa the valley of the wind”.He had difficulties with the screenplay as the manga only had 16 chapters. The mercury poisoning in Minamata bay inspired Hayao for the film to portray strong female characters that fight for the environment. It was released to the public on March 11, 1984, where it grossed ¥1.48 billion at the box office.

In June 1985, along with 3 other people, Hayao Mizaki founded “Studio Ghibli”. From 1986 to 1989, he directed 3 out of 4 films that the studio published at this time, including ” Laputa: Castle in the sky” (1986), ” My Neighbor Totoro” (April 1988), “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (July 1989). His works during this time were largely influenced by European settings.

Not until the 1990’s the Japanese elements slowly incorporated in his work because of the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990.‌ Studio Ghibli signed an agreement with Disney to distribute its films internationally in 1996. The following year, his film “Princess Mononoke” (1967), slowly gained popularity globally. In 2001, when he released “Spirited Away”, he won the Academy Award for the “best-animated feature”. In 2006, the international media Time magazine voted him one of the “Asian Heroes” of the past 60 years because of his contribution to the animated film industry. 

In 2013, the “Wind rises” was released as well as the announcement of his retirement was released to the public. When he was 74 years old, he received the Academy’s Honorary Award (2014). By this time the public had accepted the retirement of the master, but he announced in 2016 that he was directing another animated film titled “How Do You Live?”.It was revealed that the 17 mins of the film had only been made and wouldn't be released before 2022.

Amazingly, a master like him can’t stop creating. He said in an interview that he doesn’t watch his movies more than twice as he notices its flaws and regrets not striving for perfection. He believed that we should always seek for improvements and become the better version of ourselves. Even though he tried to retire many times, he couldn't help but create. As a young child, he witnessed the horrors of war. It became his motivation and his will to live, to put a smile on peoples faces with the colorful touch of emotions through his work. Creation that will shape future generations to come.

[max-crawford]

“To the protagonist who’s starring a not-so-interesting story”

An Autobiography

Every protagonist has a story to tell that’s worth listening to. Either to get to know them or to get information about them, people listen to stories because they’re interesting and unique.

My story? It's neither of those.

Hi. I’m Jason Quiwa. You can call me “son” for short and this is my “not-so-interesting” life story.

I was born on the 7th of August, 2004 in Manila, Philippines to pure Filipino parents. My father’s name is Rodney Quiwa and my mother’s name is Cristine Quiwa. They’re both working parents with my father working as a Civil Engineer in Qatar while my mother is working as an Industrial Engineer here in our country. I am the youngest out of the 3 children my parents have and also definitely the cutest.

As a toddler, I am constantly surrounded by my relatives from both my mother’s and my father’s sides. My family and I live in my grandparents house here in Urduja Village, Caloocan City but by the age of 4 years old, we moved into the house just a few houses away from where we lived. This second house was my Uncle’s house that was supposed to be bought by my grandfather on my father’s side.

At that same age, I started my nursery school. The school was a small neighborhood school named Little hearts school and it was walking distance from our house. Kindergarten and Preparatory school came and I transferred to Shekinah Grace School of Caloocan. It’s another neighborhood school and it’s bigger than my previous school at the time.

Throughout my childhood, I was a street kid. I was the kid that went out at 4PM everyday knocking on all of my friend’s houses without shame and asking their parents if their kids could play with me. This made me well known by many adults that lived in our street.

By the time I hit 8 years old, me and my family moved back to my grandparents’ house where we previously lived. This was because conflict transcribed on my father’s side and we were affected by it. I also transferred schools yet again and this time, I transferred to Holy Redeemer School of Caloocan. A school that heavily implemented English as their mother tongue (and also the school I stayed in for 7 years!). At this time, I started learning the English language slowly. I watched movies that were in English and read books written in the same language.

When I reached 3rd grade, I was able to speak in English without any hiccups. Well of course there was room for improvement but nonetheless, it was considered as pretty impressive by many. That includes our principal at the time. I was often told stuff like “You’re a great speaker!” or “You’re a great example to students here in our school.” by many teachers which I appreciate a lot but looking back at it, man I don’t feel shame. Around the same time, I picked up dancing. I danced to a lot of songs and didn’t care if I looked gay doing it.

Speaking of the word “Gay”, that word was thrown a lot throughout my middle school years from 4th grade all the way up to 6th grade. Because of my “flamboyant nature” and being friends with girls more than boys, many schoolmates thought that I was gay and I often got teased for it. This led to me slowly questioning my sexuality but I never thought anything more than that at the time. I just thought everyone was being mean with their accusations. 

One scenario was back in 4th grade when our MAPEH teacher tasked us to group ourselves into two groups for a dance performance. Of course, the class separated into boys and girls and I was in the middle. I was asked by my teacher which group I would want to join and that made me think about which would be better. Despite me wanting to join the girls as they were my friends, I was peer pressured into joining the boys and I regret that a lot.

Anyway, back on track. Summer of 2017, I joined an English workshop with a friend which was a lot of fun! It gave me something fun to look forward to in the summer and every single day that I’ve spent in that workshop was always a great experience! Being able to commute and travel by myself under the bright sun was fun. 

By the middle of summer, the workshop ended and the school hosted a little ceremony celebrating the end of their first year of doing workshops. Us students from the English workshop got to perform a little speech choir performance and it was a great time.

7th grade came by and that was the year when I started to take my sexuality seriously. I was very conflicted about my own sexual orientation and through the process of figuring that out, I became pretty snarky. To shorten the long story, the pressure of finding oneself was too much and I will admit, I was hasty about finding myself and it didn’t do anything good but at least it gave me something to start with.

I transferred to St. Joseph College of Novaliches once I reached 8th Grade and after being stuck to the same environment for too long, it felt liberating to be introduced to another environment. It was scary of course as I didn’t know anyone and a full day of repeatedly introducing myself doesn’t help with the anxiety at all. But with all that anxiety, I was able to make an impact regardless.

Throughout my 8th grade life, I was constantly bombarded by invitations to clubs like speech choir, Cheer dance, and also to be the school’s representative for competitions. All of which I declined as I was new to the place and wanted to take my time and familiarize myself. One club I did join though was an English club where I met a friend that had this huge golden retriever-esque personality. His dorky personality made me fall for him but of course it didn’t work out.

As I continued my high school life with me moving on to 9th grade, I became more and more sociable and I started to gain more friends. 9th grade was my peak year because I met and befriended many people from different sections and grade levels. I also started venturing out to Cheer dance, speaking competitions like oratoricals, and hosting school awarding ceremonies. The same year, I finally came to terms with my sexual orientation and came out to my friends as gay but still kept it to my family. Overall, my last face-to-face school year was fun and it really made me feel like I’m living.

2020 came and I’m 16 years old at this time. Throughout the long summer, I met online friends, one of which was Persephone or Percy for short. She and I went to the same school but never crossed each other’s paths and even had a little “Your name”-eque situation. In the same summer, I picked up writing again and started to create original characters and short stories about them. This became a small hobby of mine as I wrote more and more.

Another year passed as 2021 came and this was the year when I came out to my parents about my sexuality. It was a hard fight between myself and my logical thinking but I did learn things about them that I never knew they had and this made me close with them. This was the year when I finally met Percy in real life for the first time! Our houses are near each other it’s quite shocking. As I started Grade 11, I came in with the goal of improving my skills and till this day, I am on that journey.

You see, I consider my story as something that isn’t interesting as I don’t have much to show. I don’t have any experiences that I think are worth talking about for people to learn from. Not to say that one’s life needs to have a traumatic or a wattpad kind of story, it's just that mine isn’t that much at all. Or well, yet. Sometimes, a story is all about its slow build up before the climax and maybe, that’s my kind of story.

[monotonouslead]

Golden Valor to Discover the Skeleton in Their Closet: The General Luna's Odyssey

BIOGRAPHY : Think of a famous national person and write down the basic information about his life.

“In exchange for all the lives lost, we owe it to them to learn their story.” - Captain General Antonio Luna

On October 29, 1866, half of the moon's disk was lighted like a jealous star lurking in the cloud when a great general was born into this world who would rekindle the valor of the Filipinos. General Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta was a courageous Filipino born in the central Philippines, in Binondo, Manila.

Joaqun Luna de San Pedro y Posadas's son with Laureana Novicio y Ancheta. The Luna family is well-known for their clan, owing mostly to Antonio's older brother Juan Luna, who won multiple accolades in our country for his four-cornered masterpiece, Spolarium. A work pondered and framed by emotion and reality. His brother Jose, on the other hand, is a successful licensed physician. Joaquin chose to leave the Luna family's idyllic life and move away with Luna. To fight for the Philippines and attain the motherland's independence; the chosen country, the Philippines.

Under Maestro Intong's stern teaching, he was already accustomed to reading fluently, writing proficiently, and performing arithmetic by the age of six, and as a result, he was recognized as a kid with extraordinary ability.

Luna earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1881 before going on to study chemistry, music, and literature at the University of Santo Tomas. During Antonia Luna's nine-year stay in the Philippines, he decided to accompany her older brother Juan Luna's voyage. Antonio received his licentiate in pharmacy from the Universidad de Barcelona, followed by his doctorate from the Universidad Central de Madrid.

It can indeed be said that he had all the talent, fortune, elegance, and chivalry, but his serene and directional existence was disrupted when his gaze fell on the beautiful sculpture of Nellie Boustead, a mestiza daughter of a Filipina and a wealthy French-English businessman. Antonio and Jose Rizal's close friendship was gradually swallowed up by a sinister cloud just because of a rose that bloomed out of nowhere. Antonio Luna fought his love for the girl he once loved, a fight he knew he'd lose. He had lost the only love he had ever known.

Antonio chose to study to divert himself from his wounded heart as a result of his anguish. He went on to study bacteriology and histology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and went to Belgium to deepen his studies in those fields. Since Antonio Luna was fortunate enough to submit a well-received paper on malaria while in Spain, the Spanish government offered him a position as an expert in infectious and tropical diseases in 1894.

After that moment, the same year, Antonio decided to return to his home country, and work as a chief scientist at the Municipal Laboratory in Manila. Together with his brother Juan, he formed the Sala de Armas, a fencing association. The Katipunan saw this as an opportunity to approach the two brothers and persuaded them to join the Katipunan created by Andres Bonifacio. However, Antonio, along with his brother, rejected the approach because they believed in a peaceful reformation of the system rather than a violent revolution against the Spaniards. Even though the two of them declined the offer, Antonio, along with his brothers Jose and Juan, were imprisoned. The Spaniards assumed the brothers were opposed to their leadership, which was actually accurate. At the same time, they were accused of being part of the Katipunan. Except for Antonio, the rest of his siblings were released. Juan used his reputation and influence to secure his younger brother, Antonio.

Dreadful events occurred. Antonio awoke with a new perspective on Spanish colonial control. Antonio Luna began his gory odyssey in Hong Kong, where he trained in combat tactics and military organization under the legendary Belgian military instructor Gerard Leman. After a while, he returned to the Philippines and battled with all his will for his motherland. The disintegration was felt by the General. Every Filipino military group in the area began to examine and train soldiers. However, the desire to unite Filipinos has steadily faded. The General filed his resignation letter, but President Aguinaldo eventually came to his senses and persuaded Antonio to return, appointing him commander in chief. Luna had a concrete plan that could have saved millions of Filipinos from slavery, but rivalry and the power of the people's gaze encircled him and killed the General on July 5,1899. He was deceived by his own countrymen. Antonio, who merely wanted freedom and independence for their country, Blood is truly poisonous. It gradually changes shade until you discover it wasn't red after all.

His bravery and devotion to our pearl of the Orient Sea became our motherland's shield, and from this high vantage point, he cast his gaze on the invaders, the Americans. The conquerors' enticing words blinded and imprisoned the Filipinos, but Antonio was different. His incisive sense piqued the scattered hearts of Filipinos in our country. He reassembled the once broken piece that the Spaniards had shattered. I was astounded that such a one-of-a-kind and courageous sculpture could exist on the planet and dwell with the Filipino people. As the clock's arm moved, the images suddenly lay in front of me. Now I'm not sure if we deserve someone like him. A sculpture whose sole aim in life is to devote his entire being to the freedom and independence of his motherland, the Philippines.

[towfuh]

𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚟𝚊𝚜; 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲

“If, let’s say, you were to write a story with me as the main character, it would certainly be a tragedy. No. Everyone’s the same, in fact. All those that walk this earth. All steal and from all, something is stolen. We can’t help it. That’s who we are. 

Steal and be stolen. Imprison and be imprisoned. Follow and be followed. Do and be done unto. Affirm and negate, over and over. We fight ceaselessly to save ourselves from loss. And yet, the people and places we love will one day surely be lost. We all will surely be forgotten. Life is sad. Empty. But despite knowing we will one day disappear, we still strive in wretched ways. We still wish to be beautiful. 

And I consider, “Which one?”. I choose, “This one.” Forever choosing, forever being chosen. Nothing more, nothing less.” - 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥:𝐫𝐞, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕𝟕

𝐇𝐢. 𝐒𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐦 𝐈?

‘Twas one well-weathered, average fourteenth of April in the year 2004 when I was brought upon this earth, particularly in the wind-swept desert of the country of Bahrain. After nine months curled snug inside the warmth of my mother’s womb, my being had finally experienced the sensation of coldness for the very first time. A foreign chill, blinding lights, a shrieking cry, and soft moans of happiness. Admittedly, I do not remember much of the past, but this, the very first memory of my existence, is one that I shall never forget. 

I’ll be frank, my existence was a result of an affair outside of wedlock. After my mother, the lovely Emelyn O. Cabuhal, had moved to Bahrain in order to find work, she had fallen into a forbidden love; Somehow, she had gotten caved in by my father, Rodrigo D. Gangan’s slick charms and handsome demeanour. A saleswoman falling for an engineer; It was the romance story of a lifetime. In the end despite all austerity, things had eventually worked out, and as a result was me being their happy little accident. 

My mother had originally named me after the Thessalian princess, Cyrene, from the lore of Ancient Greek mythology. However, I doubt that most are savvy of who she is. Although an inferior shadow amongst all the other renowned heroes of Greece, my mother had a deep affinity for this particular character due to her unrelenting courage and strength. Princess Cyrene was known to have been a fierce huntress, wrestling with even the most ferocious lions and slaying them bare-handedly all for the sake of protecting her homeland.

Bravery and strength, back in the day, especially that painted upon a woman were extremely unusual characteristics that were often looked down upon in the past. My mother did not heed this much attention, and had hoped that like Princess Cyrene, her precious baby would grow into resemblance as that of Princess Cyrene’s courageous and indestructible portrait.

Thankfully, I did. As I had interviewed my mother in preparation for writing this biography, her eyes shone up with pride as she foretold how as a baby, I was never one to cause trouble. I was, by her words, very well-behaved, silent, and almost too mature for my age. Every so often, shivers would run down my parent’s spine as my infant eyes would just merely watch them with something akin to defiant astuteness. It was no question to them that I would grow up to be someone remarkable; But, perhaps, in what ways?

In my younger years, I had been brought up with the luxury of a princess; Or at least, that was how it had felt for me. Left to right, I was heavily spoiled by my parents; Almost to the point where I had to never experience getting dirt on even the tips of my pale nails. Back then, my being became sublimely colored in pretty and posh pink - dolls, dresses, desserts. I can recall the sensation of my former desire for everything bright, feminine, and simmering.

My parents would frequent me to join Flores de Mayo, local fashion shows, singing competitions, and many more; Always too keen to have their child work and participate in so much and do so much in order to fill their childish desires that they were given no opportunity in partaking in the past. The line, “You’re lucky you got the chance to do this,” always stuck besides me like a burning birthmark, but I was too prideful to let it eat me away negatively. It’s alright; I’ll shoulder the burden and carry our dreams. 

Due to such persistent coddling, I was not as academically-driven as I am now; As I continued to pursue leisurely activities, I admittedly neglected my studies. Would you have believed me if I said that I had almost failed not one, not two, but almost four subjects in the span of my early elementary days? Unbelievable, right? Instead, most of my time was spent fondly hanging around peers or inside the church, partaking activities hosted by my local congregation. 

Looking back, it honestly leaves me awestruck how social and extroverted my younger proprium was, as it seems that now, my energy has decreased tenfold, and even the simple act of socializing left me flabbergasted and anxious of its impending interaction. I am certainly not the young, lively child as I was in the past. As I shift through the many photographs laying inside our albums to scavenge for materials for this self-indulgent writing, I would be lying if I said that these pictures of my youthful self appearing devoid of misery left a bitter tinge in my tongue. The me in the past certainly did not know what was coming around for her in the years to come. 

It was also during this time that I had come to love animals; How trivial may this piece of information be, but my passion for animals had strongly persisted up until today in the present times. Had it not been for the dog who have stuck to my side like glue during the precedented years, perhaps I would have not been as empathic as I am now.

However, as I look back into my life, I realized that even as a child, I was very superficial. Never had I ever really been a dreamer; I had no real ambition. I dreaded the question poised by adults regarding what I wanted to be in the future, because never could my mind wrack the courage to think far along the tracks. Perhaps it is because of my romantic self who had believed that I was already, currently living the dream, Blinded by the walls of utopia that were plastered by my parents, I did not know what more I could have asked for. 

I was abruptly awoken from this dream after I had lived past a decade into this world. In the beginning of the year 2015, my father and I had to repatriate ourselves back to the Philippines, leaving my mom behind in order to act as the breadwinner of the family. My father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, forcibly causing him to retire from his well-paying job as an elevator engineer. I began to miss not only the grainy particles of sand that constantly filled the desertic air of Bahrain, but my mother of all things. 

Indeed, the shift from the Middle Eastern metropolises to the green, overpopulated cities of the Philippines left me feeling alienated beyond my wildest imaginations; However what most impacted me was my separation with my mother. Words cannot put how was suffocating, so terribly suffocating was her absence in my life. Whoever quoted the famous saying, “Distance makes the heart fonder,” is no one to make short of. It’s unbelievably true, and perhaps even more heartwrenching than one thinks it is. 

A year later on July 9, 2016, my father passed away from a heart attack. I never got to see him in his final moments because prior to his passage, as his condition had begun to worsen, he, alone, had moved back with his first family in Isabela. Nights never pass without me wondering if before the last breath had escaped him had he ever thought back about me, even if just a fleeting thought. Admittedly, I was ever the daddy’s girl; And I doubt that up to this day, I have yet come to terms with his passage. There were many things that were unfortunately left unsaid, and many I regretted. 

From a dainty pink, my being was forced to soak itself into a deep, dark hue; And as I had struggled to come out, my skin was already marred in a hue of gloom. Because of the darkness, I could not even identify what were the things that I used to like or love. Everything was covered up with blotches of pressure, pain, and trauma. I had never realized how hard reality truly was nor had I understood what I had done that made me deserve such misery. When I was finally hit with the realization that the world was definitely not as kind as it had looked like inside the comfort of my parents’ embrace, the feeling was unwelcomely sudden. It was as if I was dethroned from my position as princess and was banished from my own kingdom for all of eternity.

Depression began to devour the entirety of my being, and just in a span of two years, I had lost more than 10 kilograms in weight, had forty-three self-inflicted battle scars, and committed several attempts of self-destruction; All but unsuccessful - fortunately and unfortunately. My entire self was thrown around, beaten up, and shattered in several fragments, and up until this day, even as almost a decade has passed, do I believe that I am completely healed.

To be completely honest, I do not remember much of my younger days. It had only struck me one afternoon as I was lying in bed that I could not seem to recall much in my childhood; Have you ever heard of Dissociative Amnesia?  Everything was a blank slate, exactly like the moment when you insert a CD in the DVD player, but all that appears on screen is a noisy, hurtful static. That’s why I am never one who’s fond of reminiscing the past, but for the sake of this activity, I have tried my hardest.

Sometimes, I wonder, if it had not been for my romanticism that had continued its pursuit throughout the years, what else could’ve supplied my hopes? Would I have still continued standing on the face of the earth up until this day? In the end, I chose to continue to walk, and at times when I could no longer walk, I crawled. Life felt so daunting and horrific, and if I had to relive it once again, I doubt that I’d make it through the second time. Once is always enough.

In order to pass time, I had committed to entertaining myself through various modus operandis. I sang; I danced; I read; I drew; I played video games; I joined social groups, virtual groups, and actively tried to participate in the realm of academia. I bet that every activity of leisure that could be found under the sun I had already partaken in one way or another. All of this I had done in order to fill the gaping emptiness within my heart, trying to find the solace that I was obsessively searching for. 

There were days where I talked from morning to night, with or without company; Perhaps afraid that if I let silence even a second of an opportunity to fill the space, my being would’ve been devoured entirely and I’d be stuck lingering inside it forever.

From all the things that I had done, my most favorite would have to be reading. 

If I had to choose between sketching a croquis of the person I loved most, or of a dessin of a preloved book, I would forever choose the latter with no hesitation. Admittedly, these slabs of paper have also been the primary pigment that had made the most profound color in my life. 

It was not until several years later into my late teenage life that I had stumbled upon a particular line from an old book. In the small paper read the lines, “That was the first fissure in the columns that had upheld my childhood, which every individual must destroy before he can become himself. Such fissures and rents grow together again, heal, and are forgotten, but in the most secret recesses they continue to live and bleed.” The fog in my mind had finally risen. These words were what had given my bleak canvas more color.

Apart from the wisdom adorned in the rigid pages of books, if it had not been for the peers who I had met along the way, most especially my one and only batch of my late elementary days prior to my arrival to the Philippines, as well as those in my high school period, the awning cloth would have had loosen and fallen from the wooden stretcher.

The foundation of what made me today laid in their hands; And I am glad, wholeheartedly filled with gratitude, that I have crossed paths with them for both the better and the worst.

Up until this day, I am still deciding on how to apply the various tones and variations to my canvas’ surface. Currently striving to survive my first year in senior high school; 

Whenever posed with the question of how my day was, I’d always reply, “So-so,” and it’s not pitiful but a fact. Compared to the remnants of my estranged bygone days, I am doing much better; Much healthier to both body and mind, and much convalescent to the many traumas that had used to pinned my being down. 

In the past, I have experienced the notion of being a “horrendous piece of art,” and no longer do I want to commit the same mistakes. In the first place, is there even such a thing as a “horrendous piece of art”? No, there definitely is not. Now, I delicately hold myself with love. 

Every small stroke of my life’s invisible brush I take with time and precision. Now, I allow my own colors to flow freely in any direction. With the emergence of brand-new experiences, sensations, and emotions, I have yet to create a piece that would conclude my most sincere feelings. 

As I continue to live on, I shall continue to ask myself, what am I painting? Is it a figure of Cyrene? Perhaps a palette of fuchsia, or a whirlpool of monochromatic shades? Always, I continue to answer: I am my own canvas. 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭-𝐬𝐨-𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐝.

[viollentine]

"𝑰'𝒎, 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆, 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒆. 𝑰 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏. 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈."

𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚 𝐀𝐊𝐀 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲

Bretman Rock was born on 31st July 1998 in the Sanchez-Mira, Cagayan, Philippines, in an Ilocano family. Rock moved to Hawaii at the age of seven and played sports while growing up including baseball, soccer, cross-country, and volleyball. At Campbell High School, Rock was on the track team.

Rock began his social media career in 2011 by joining Twitter and launching his YouTube account. However, he just began making YouTube videos in 2015. Talia Joy, a fellow YouTuber who suffered through cancer, inspired him. He decided to start making films and began applying full-face makeup. Rock was first chastised for his looks, but this just served to encourage him.

Rock's main objective is to urge his audience to accept their uniqueness. He also started sharing videos on the famous app Vine. These little, 6-second movies perfectly captured Rock's sense of humor and endearing nature. He makes make-up lesson videos on YouTube, such as "How to Do Your Eyebrows" and "How to Contour." Rock presently has over 6 million Instagram followers and over a million YouTube subscribers.

Time magazine named him one of the 30 Most Influential Teens of 2017. In 2018, he was also included to Forbes' "30 Under 30 Asia – Media, Marketing, & Advertising" list.

In June 2019, Rock graced the cover of Gay Times during Pride Month. Rock attended his first New York Fashion Week in September 2019, when he teamed with stylist Andrew Gelwicks.

Rock played the role of "The Playboy" in the ten-episode fourth season of the YouTube Premium web series Escape the Night, released in July 2019. In December 2019, MTV announced that Rock would be the star of the next season of the YouTube show, No Filter.

Rock's beauty line, created in conjunction with Wet n Wild Cosmetics, will be released in early 2020. To promote the line, he held a press tour in Los Angeles in February 2020 with businesses such as Buzzfeed, Condé Nast, Hearst, and others.

Rock featured as a guest star on the third episode of James Charles' YouTube Originals series "Instant Influencer" on May 9, 2020. Rock will unveil his eyewear collection, primarily sunglasses, in November 2020 in conjunction with Dime Optics, a Los Angeles-based firm. He released six frames, four of which were only available at Dime Optics and two of which were only available at Revolve.

On May 14, 2021, Rock appeared with other online personalities in Bella Poarch's music video for her first track, "Build a Bitch." Rock was nominated for an MTV Movie and TV Award in the Breakthrough Social Star category in June 2021. On the day of the event, he was named as the winner.

Rock makes a surprise appearance in the music video for Sub Urban and Bella Poarch's song "INFERNO" in August 2021.. He also took part in a live webcast promoting the video.

Rock became the first openly homosexual guy to appear on the cover of Playboy magazine in October 2021.

Bretman Rock really entertained me. She thought me on how to do my makeup, she always gives us the smile and entertainment with her family. Also, the MTV show also displayed her vulnerable side. She told us that being unique is what makes us human and we should always value ourselves.

[ajc-love]

THE DOLL

A very loud sound of a crying baby filled the whole room. From a recorded doll comes the loud crying of a child.

"Shh. don't cry baby, Mommy is here. Time to drink your milk, baby." Said the woman to the baby doll on the floor of her room.

“Your eyes are as colored as mountains. Your hair is so beautiful with curls. Your lips is like the color of the roses in my garden. The mixed face of your father and me. I love you so much, my daughter.” The woman said to the doll as she pretended to give it milk.

“The clothes I bought are really your thing, my daughter. Especially the belt I made for you.” The woman said.

*tok~~ tok~~ *tok-tok Sound of the door coming from outside the woman's bedroom.

“Good morning, Ma’am. It’s time to take your medicine. And I have someone with me, so that while you are taking the medicine, she’s the one who will take care of your baby.” Nurse Shiela said to the woman.

“Ok, this is my daughter. Hold her tight, huh!” the woman said to the other nurse next to nurse shiela.

When the other Nurse hold the baby doll or the considered daughter of the woman, Nurse Shiela inevitably looks at the baby doll. She remember something.

The eye of the doll used to be as colored as mountain but now it can’t be checked if it’s an eye or just a big hole in the baby doll’s face. The once most beautiful curly hair of the baby doll is now losing almost half of the hair, and it looks like it has burned. The lips that used to be as beautiful and as colored as roses are no longer visible. The formerly most beautiful baby doll dress is almost gone, and there are still traces where the dress and the belt of the baby doll were burnt. The baby doll's right hand was gone because it had burned. It's just a useless toy for others, but for the woman Nurse Shiela takes care of, it's a dominant toy that she has already taught that it's her child.

“Nurse Shiela? Hey, Nurse Shiela. Yuhooo~~” The other Nurse said while waving her hand in front of Nurse Shiela’s face.

“ hmm.. yeah....what is it?” Nurse Shiela said.

“You’re spacing out, Nurse Shiela. Ever since you saw the baby doll again, you've been stunned there.”

“I cannot help but think about that incident every time I see that baby doll.”

“You still can’t forget what happened, Nurse Shiela?”

“How can I forget that accident? That accident was the reason why my mother became like that. The reason why she had to stay here in the mental hospital is because of her childishness which come from that accident. And the reason why she has mentally unstable. How can I forget that day when I experienced the feeling that I had no parents because that day was also the day that my mother considered that ugly baby doll as her child even more than me. How can I forget the day that caused me misery?” crying Nurse Shiela said to her fellow Nurse.

Nurse Shiela immediately wiped away her tears. Then Nurse Shiela hurried to give her mother the medicine so that her mother could rest properly. After that, they also left the room without talking to his fellow Nurse.

PROMPT: Pick an object that is ugly and create a character who finds it very beautiful. Have the character describes the object in a way that convinces the reader of it's beauty. Now write a second version where you convince the reader (through describing the object alone) that the character is mentally unstable.

[findingdoris-blog]

“Regret is the most painful thing in life.”

by Eizelle Noquiz

A memorable line from Vincenzo that was stuck in my head after I watched the TV Series- It’s not just a series, It screams perfection! ✨

photo from Google

Vincenzo is a Dark Comedy Thriller Korean Drama released on Netflix. It is a perfect combination of humor, action, and awe-inspiring moments which keep the viewers on edge. Starring Song Joong-ki as Vincenzo alongside her leading lady Jeon Yeo-been with the two great actors Ok Taecyeon as Jang Jun Woo and Kwak Dong-Yeon as Jang Han Seo. Directed by Kim Hee-Won.

The first-broadcast ratings of this drama were 7.7% (AGB nationwide), ranking 4th in the first-broadcast ratings of tvN dramas. The series finale received a 14.6% rating making it one of the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history. It also made the series the 6th highest-rated drama in tvN history.

A little preview in the drama, Vincenzo,

An eight-year-old child, Park Joo-Hyung, went to Italy after being adopted by an Italian family. Park Joo-Hyung was renamed Vincenzo Cassano and became an Italian lawyer, a consigliere for the mafia. In search of Gold, he sets out to his motherland, South Korea.

However, a real estate company under Babel Group has illegally taken ownership of the Geumga Plaza, and Vincenzo must use his skills to reclaim the building and recover his fortunes. Vincenzo then becomes involved with lawyer Hong Cha-young, the attorney. The latter will do anything to win a case but found her way back when her father was killed under a corrupt order lawyer under Babel Group's payroll.

Vincenzo is an excellent series no words can’t explain how exciting it is, each episode is breathtaking, and the fans of “Oh My Consigliere” are getting wild day by day we’re like a hungry shark, craving for more thrilling episode.

Whenever I am together with my friends, we always talk about the episodes of Vincenzo and its memorable moments, and it feels good to get kilig from ChaCenzo and sharing our thoughts together about the drama.

Kaya’t huwag ng magpatumpik-tumpik pa! Add Vincenzo to your binge-watch list and be part of the Cassano Family because Vincenzo is most definitely worth watching, proven, and tested by yours truly.

(Grabe yung kilig ko habang nagsusulat! I just love the flow of the drama and of course ChaCenzo my labidabs aaaaaaaa! Fan na fan mo ako SJK!)