Miah Learns to Write

Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash Our decisions can determine certain outcomes in life. Some may have life-altering consequences, while others have only seemingly minor repercussions. Nonetheless, we all need to make decisions in life and no matter what those decisions lead to, you won't know until you actually make them. The fear of making the wrong decisions often paralyze people, and instead of facing their circumstances head on, they make excuses to delay making a decision. Of course, before making a decision, one must weigh the benefits against the costs, or take into account the risks associated with each option. But take too long making a decision and either the opportunity will simply pass or the problem will soon overtake you. I think what causes indecision in a lot of people is simply the fear or the worry of making the wrong one. So, for example, wondering which job opening to apply for or who to marry. Sure, these are significant decisions in a person's life, ...

I have been asked this question far too many times than I could count. Almost as much as a woman in her 30s being asked by friends and family, "Why aren't you married yet?". Or, a newlywed couple during the first couple of years in their marriage being asked, "When are you going to have kids?", particularly by aging parents who have become impatient, and are wondering when they will get to have a few bundles of joy bouncing on their lap. To be honest, I have been trying to come up with the best way to articulate my position without causing any misunderstandings. My usual response used to be "I'm not yet ready" or "I haven't found anyone yet". But that doesn't exactly encapsulate everything that's going through my head when it comes to this matter. You see, I have thought about romance, relationships, marriage, and other related subjects for over 10 years now. And the answers to those questions are rarely straightforward. So, I...

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash Hi! It's been about ten months since I last posted on my personal blog, and that's simply because I haven't found the time to self-reflect. Over the past year, I've encountered crossroads and important junctures in my life where I've had to make several decisions that made a significant impact on me. To be honest, I'm just glad that I made it through 2022, alive and breathing still. Not unscathed, but hopefully, a bit wiser and more human(e). It was a tumultuous year, not just for me I bet, but for many people. But, it's the first time in which I've had to stand on my own two feet without having the assurance that, if I fell, somebody would catch me. Being away from family magnified the reality of having to take responsibility for myself, and the decisions I had to make. It really taught me to buckle up and prepare myself for a very bumpy road ahead, facing the unknown, and challenging myself to leave the confines of my ...

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 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...

Photo by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplash Finding the right way to end things is very tough. I think that’s why many stories are criticized across all media. Before I go on, when I say ending, I refer to it as the part starting from the climax until the resolution of the story. For example, in Titanic, I would consider the ending from the time Jack died until the end of the movie. There are some beautifully executed endings like Of Mice and Men or Breaking Bad. What makes them brilliant I think would be the impact it left on me. The stories themselves were remarkably written. And being able to end it the way they did was the cherry on top. I think being able to stay true to what the narrative is saying allowed these stories to end beautifully. The writers didn’t compromise. Based on the events that have happened and the journey of the characters, the writers were able to bring about the narrative to its logical conclusion. You would think that if the story was well-written from the...