Miah Learns to Write

I just recently finished binge-watching The Walking Dead’s seasons 7 and 8 after a long time of setting it aside to watch other shows. I wasn’t disappointed with how things went but I wasn’t all that excited either. However, I was saddened at the death of one of the central characters of the story, Carl Grimes because he died after getting bitten while he was trying to help a stranger, Siddiq. I think the show has touched upon the idea of having a meaningful death and the hope of a better tomorrow, especially in season 8. Due to the war that broke out between the Saviors and the other communities, people were just dying one after the other. And I believe the viewers have also felt exhausted and frustrated with how trivial the show treats these characters’ stories, ending in haphazard deaths that don’t really make much of an impact to the overall narrative except for the shock value that they bring. Although I do think it’s staying true to its uncompromising stance when it comes to...

Photo by Raj Eiamworakul on Unsplash Since I have never been in a relationship before, I don’t really know anything about breakups but based on observations and stories by others, they give me an idea that it’s usually depressing. Not all breakups are though, some people part ways on good terms. I would like to explore the idea in this article and it will be focused mainly on romantic relationships. However, I think separation in general is similar and probably only differs on the intensity of the bond between the people involved. On this note, I would also like to write an article about separation anxiety later. I am going to try to empathize with people who have been on both sides of a breakup, that is, those who initiated the breakup and those who received the breakup for lack of a better term. First, those who broke up the relationship. I understand that there are various reasons that somebody would have to break up with the person they were in a relationship. Some of them are...

Photo by Nicholas Gercken on Unsplash I don’t get why people who are together would avoid putting labels on their relationship. What is so abhorrent with defining the relationship that you have with that person? I think it makes things a lot clearer for both parties to know where they are at and how they are going to move forward from that point. However, let’s take the other side for a moment. Why would I not want to be called somebody’s boyfriend or some other label that would define what kind of relationship I have with that person? Perhaps, the main reason would be the uncertainty or rather, the mindset of “I don’t really want to mess with the good thing that we have going so it would be best to stay where we are right now”. But sooner or later, it will come up while casually talking and you would be forced to face the music. Right then, both of you need to make a decision and that would set the stage for what’s going to happen next. People may see it as a big commitment and...

Photo by Joshua Ness on Unsplash That is the question. From my perspective, dating is when two people go out together with the intention of getting to know each other, seeing whether they are fit for each other, and developing their feelings more by spending time with each other. Wikipedia defines it as “a stage of romantic relationships in humans whereby two people meet socially with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as a prospective partner in an intimate relationship or marriage... [it] refers to two people exploring whether they are romantically or sexually compatible by participating in dates with the other.” As a 21-year-old single guy who has no dating experience and has never been in a romantic relationship, I am wary of dating because it’s foreign to me. It’s not that I’m scared of getting myself out there, meeting people then opening myself up to them with the possibility of getting hurt. Rather I just don’t want to jump the gun so that I can experi...

Photo by Robin Higgins on Pixabay I came home anxious after my first day as a 5th grader. I was hesitant to call my mom on the phone. I didn’t know how to tell her about what happened at school so I decided to just be blunt. Practicing what I had to say in my head, my heart was thumping. I waited for my mom to answer the phone. When she finally picked up, I nervously blurted out and told her, “Ma, we need to speak in English always. I can’t speak in Filipino.” That moment was forever etched in my mind because it changed my life. But I was so scared about the implications of that turning point. I knew it was going to be awkward and I needed to adjust. It felt like I was going to become impaired because of the kind of restraint that I would be subjected to. But I thought I needed to do it. My grades were on the line. When our 5th grade English teacher told us that we had to speak English always, even at home, I thought she must be kidding. In my mind, I was looking for some s...

Credits: Ramen Parados Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san brings me back to my childhood days. In this anime, Nishikata finds himself in a losing battle against Takagi, his seatmate who likes to playfully tease him to see his funny reactions. So he tries to come up with the perfect plan to win against and get back at her. However, time and again, he finds himself being outwitted and outplayed by Takagi causing her to poke fun at him even more. He also often gets in trouble at school because of Takagi’s antics. So will he succeed in his quest? There is something refreshingly nostalgic about Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san. It makes you want to go back to your younger days and relish the sweet moments of youth. I enjoyed watching the anime and I even decided to check out the manga just because it really piqued my interest. I am very much fascinated with how the story would go even though there is a sequel manga that shows an after-story of the original. I think with this kind of manga or...

Photo by Eldon Vince Isidro on Unsplash Joseph de Maistre, a political philosopher, once wrote, “Every country gets the government it deserves,” and “In a democracy, people get the leaders they deserve.” With all that’s happening in the world today, we often turn to our leaders to establish order and guide their people. But in the same breath, we almost always put the blame on our leaders when things go wrong. I think this has been the case for liberal democracies across the board and it makes me wonder, “What is it with people? What in the world are they thinking?” I first heard the quote above from my PI 100 – Rizal professor. Now you might think, “Why were you discussing that in a Rizal class? What does that have to do with Rizal?” It’s actually a long story that involves several crash courses in sociology, political science, philosophy, and history. But to cut the story short, we discussed the revolution that Rizal wanted to launch in the Philippines and how he was going abo...

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash I believe teachers are the backbone of an economy. They form the building blocks that make up the support structure much like the skeletal system or the foundation of any infrastructure. And similar to the bone marrow, they are instrumental in providing new blood to the economy. Teaching is a very noble profession, an ancient craft. There are those with the gift for teaching and those with the passion for it. Whoever has the gift should refine it. While those who have the passion should invest time in learning the craft. I say teaching is a craft as much as it is a skill because I believe teachers create new ways to pass on information to others. One needs to evolve not merely to stay competitive, although it does give them an edge. Rather innovation in teaching should be done for the sake of the changing times and culture that shape the students of today. I have had many credible, reliable, and excellent lecturers and instructors. But I believe th...

Photo by Lindsay Henwood on Unsplash Ever had that thought cross your mind? Or perhaps you find yourself saying that too often? Do you always seem to encounter situations in which you later utter to yourself, “Maybe I should have waited for the right time”? There are numerous opportunities that come our way. And I am one to encourage others to grab them whenever they can. When you want to do something and it’s your passion, I believe there is no better time than the present. As I said before, if you keep waiting for the right time and continue making excuses, the right time will never come. You better be ready to take hold of the chance when it comes your way because it may never happen again. Surely, I would have wanted to take on various opportunities before. But I let them slip away from my fingers and I missed out on some interesting things. For most of my life, I was very safe. I only did things if somebody pushed me to do it and usually if it had any impact on my academ...

Kimi no Nawa, Your Name. It’s probably one of the most popular Japanese animated films in the last five years. Many fans waited eagerly for its release and initially, I heard rave reviews about it. Fast forward to today, the times I brought it up, people were telling me that it is an overrated film. They say the movie didn’t live up to the hype. But what should I think about that? What is it with Kimi no Nawa? So was it overrated as a lot of people say? No, I didn’t think so. For me, it was just right. I wasn’t really all that hyped about it in the first place. However I did grab a copy when it was first released because friends recommended it but I didn’t watch it until two years later. Was it sad or deeply emotional? The idea of the story was, but the execution of it made me feel like it was like a feel-good movie. It did resonate with me though because I understood the feelings that the characters were going through as they had their weird experiences with each other. But ...

Who doesn’t like a good tragedy? In my case, I love beautifully-crafted tragic endings and Your Lie in April does it quite well. What I loved about it Your Lie in April ( Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso ) is an artistic masterpiece. I seriously don’t know how else to express how sophisticated, refined, and beautiful the cinematography was. It’s the kind of feeling that you get when you experience a picture perfect scenery. You just look at it with awe and take in its beauty. That’s how I describe the visual aesthetic of Your Lie in April. In the same way, the music speaks to our hearts and elicits communication through our feelings. The music is just as phenomenal especially the epic openings and endings. This is probably the only time when spoken dialogue didn’t play a big role in touching my emotional side. Rather what tugged at my heartstrings was the emotion evoked by the music. All technical bits are simply amazing. There are simply no words to properly describe how amazing the...

In the first part, I focused solely on Itachi because I felt that he probably had one of the worst fates throughout the story. But he handled it with courage and a lot of heart. So here are some other moments that made me cry in Naruto. Naruto and Gaara Naruto’s relationship with Gaara is probably second only to Naruto’s relationship with Sasuke. There’s a deep bond that connects the two, both being Jinchuuriki until Shukaku was extracted from Gaara. By the way, Gaara is my other favorite character. They understood each other’s pain and loneliness as they were both considered outcasts and monsters by their fellow villagers because of the power that they wielded. What the people around them didn’t understand was that they had feelings too. They were not just weapons of destruction that can be used for political gain. But they were human beings who have the same need for affection, acceptance, and love. Because of the way they were treated, they questioned whether there was e...