LOVE STRUCK?

          Not many people know when love really starts. Some probably have been in love but don't even know it. More than a friend but not quite lovers... A delicate relationship like this changes gradually once it is noticed, and keeps on blossoming, just like the changing seasons. Have I ever been in love? Maybe yes, maybe no but what I do believe is that being in love is a beautiful feeling that involves not only my hypothalamus but also my superior vena cava.

          Love is something that we cherish and is forever part of our lives. It can make or break what we think of a fairy tale where the prince charming always rescues the damsel in distress. But how does it really feel to be in love? Well, it is a feeling of an adrenaline rush gushing into your face, a 360 degree turn to your routine boring life, a feeling of being beautiful inside out and being the center of attention of the most important person in your life. It is an inspiration, not a distraction. Now, defining love has a wide variety of colors, different views and a lot of personal opinions based on various experiences. For me, love is defined as a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible - it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment and offer more joy than any material possession could.

          They say loving yourself is way more important than anybody else but why would you love a boy? What is so important and so valuable? Well, maybe because God created a man for a woman, yin for yang and XX chromosomes for XY chromosomes. They are always in pairs and they are obvious combinations that even stars in the galaxy will not contest. I do believe in fate and if I find that right person, he will be the light that will bring me happiness after wandering in the darkness for so long. But of course, before being so drastic on things, that boy must first possess the qualities that I truly admire. He must be he must be matured enough to handle things in the right manner, understanding, loving ,god-fearing ,and will accept me for being me, not because of fame, peer pressures and not even by mere curiosity.

           No single thing is perfect by itself. That's why we are born to love others to make up for what we lack. Love is so powerful - it can turn frowns into smiles. It can help overcome the difficult obstacles that we are faced with in life and it can even turn all ugliness in the world into the most beautiful portrait we could ever have the pleasure to behold.

BEYOND REALITY

          On a cold winter night, Juliet is talking to herself on the balcony of their house. She is confused about her feelings towards Romeo, her best friend. She is asking herself if what she feels is true love or not. Romeo, unseen by Juliet, is hiding behind the bushes of the garden and overhears everything she is saying. Romeo is actually in love with Juliet ever since they met and he didn't have the confidence to express his feelings. But after hearing Juliet's true feelings, he finally decided to ask her hand in marriage. Romeo shows himself to Juliet and asked her to marry him. After hearing this shocking revelation, Juliet's eyes were filled with tears of joy. Juliet says yes and Romeo was overjoyed. Romeo put the diamond ring given   by his mother to him. This ring was preserved and given from his ancestors and now to him by his mother, saying that it should be passed to whoever he will marry. Their wedding was planned to take place in Italy. They planned the wedding before they board their ship to Rome. On their way to the Verona Royal florist, they came across the soothsayer. They were astonished by the shocking news that the soothsayer said. They were warned to beware of the Ides of March. The couple was so afraid for they planned the wedding to take place on the 17th of March and they will board their ship on the 14th of March. They thought of their plan all over again. The Montagues and Capulets suggested to postpone the wedding but the couple believed that the warning of the soothsayer is only brought about by superstitious beliefs. On the 14th of March, the couple boarded their ship to Rome.

          On board the ship are Romeo and Juliet’s guests. They are all well known personalities from various allied kingdoms. From the kingdom of Denmark, Hamlet, from the Kingdom of Rome, Julius Caesar, Cassius, and Brutus, from the Kingdom of Scotland, Macbeth, from the Kingdom of Syracuse, Antipholus and Dromio, from the Kingdom of Ephesus, Antipholus and Dromio, from the Kingdom of Athens, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia, and from the Kingdom of Messina, Beatrice and Benedick. At midnight, everybody was having the time of their life when Beatrice and Benedick suddenly notice that the Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse and the Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus are actually twins. The mischievous Benedick told Beatrice that they should play a prank on them. Beatrice agreed and commenced their plan. Beatrice flirted with Antipholus of Syracuse and told him to ask Dromio of Syracuse to fetch her a glass of water. Benedick told Antipholus of Ephesus that he will give him a treasure chest full of gold if he gives him a piece of cake. Antipholus of Ephesus easily believes this and told Dromio of Ephesus to get him a piece of cake. When both Dromio got what their master wanted, Benedick and Beatrice switched the places of the two Antipholus. Dromio of Ephesus gave the cake to Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse gave the glass of water to Antipholus of Ephesus. Both Antipholus got mad because they thought that their servants were mocking them. The 2 pairs of twins chased each other all over the ship. Dromio of Syracuse accidentally trips on the floor and accidentally pushes Antipholus of Ephesus towards the captain of the ship. As the captain falls, he accidentally stirred the ship towards an iceberg and caused the ship to sink. Everybody fell overboard except for the Capulets, Beatrice, Benedick, Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse, Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus because they were able to get on the lifeboats along with the crew of the ship.

          After the dreadful shipwreck on March 15 (based on the soothsayer’s Ides of March), all the guests of Romeo and Juliet were drifted upon a mystical island which was then believed to have superstitious beings. Auspiciously, they were able to prosper in the barren island a few days right after the shipwreck. There they came across with Oberon and Titania, the mysterious king and queen of the fairies, together with Helena, their gorgeous princess and Puck, their relentless aide. Puck has this potential to mess up a relationship between two lovers simply by squirting a mystical juice to the eye of either the guy or lady once they were asleep, so that when they woke up, they won’t be together again as if they were not acquainted with each other. Prior to the abhorrence of Capulet and Lady Capulet to Romeo, Capulet ordered Puck to squirt the mystical juice to the eye of Romeo so that he could not be acquainted with Juliet to any further extent. Lucky for them, Puck was able to do so. Meanwhile, Helena was in love with Demetrius, a guy whose love interest is Hermia. Helena has no other choice but to order Puck to squirt his mystical juice to Demetrius so that he will be falling in love with her. At the same time, Egeus, a mighty blacksmith of the island, was also disgusted with Lysander, whom his daughter Hermia loves so much. So Puck was then ordered to do the same like what the Capulets and Helena ordered him before, and he was successful in doing such.

           From then on, perplexity between three couples had started. Romeo was now in love with Hermia; Demetrius was stunned by the lovely Helena; and Lysander has a deep adoration to Juliet. Thus, Helena was successful with her plan. Upon having Demetrius in her life, Helena pretended to have been pregnant to him (but actually, this is not true). To his delight, Demetrius ordered his servants to get everything ready for their daughter.

          Almost a year had gone by; still Helena seemed not to be pregnant. Upon knowing the truth that Helena was not actually pregnant, Demetrius drove away Helena from his mighty realm, leaving her outside stumbled upon the shimmering hallway. Demetrius, having disgusted with what he knew, started to look for his first love interest which is Hermia. He searched every part of the barren island; day and night he screeched Hermia’s name, but after a month of incessant search, he could not find Hermia any longer. And according to what he had heard from the adjacent realm, Hermia was currently the queen of Verona in Italy with his husband Romeo. This put himself into suicide.

          On the other hand, while the prosperity continues to stretch throughout the island, they decided to have a leader to be elected in order to maintain the peace and order of the newly-occupied island. Out of several aspirants, Julius Caesar has been chosen to rule the island. He overpowered several aspirants, including Brutus and Cassius. Resentful and envious with what has transpired, Brutus and Cassius reunited to topple the leadership of Julius Caesar. They began spreading rumor about Julius Caesar: a rumor that would put his leadership and even his life to an end.

          Hamlet who was elected as one of the senators to complete the panel of senators has his father, Alonso executed by a group of armed men after a senate hearing in Naples (since his dad was once a senator, too). The suspects are still anonymous up to date; this gave Brutus and Cassius the idea to point Julius Caesar as the prime suspect.

         Without knowing by Caesar, Brutus and Cassius are already spreading rumors throughout the citizenry of the island about the “execution” of Alonso, which is all a hoax. All was easily convinced since Caesar was once known to be a powerful yet ruthless executioner leader of Mantua. He immediately put convicts into death without prior hearings and court proceedings.

         Upon hearing the rumors, Hamlet had this sudden outburst of anger to Julius Caesar. But since he was a senator and a dignified statesman, he cannot carry out his plan of Caesar’s assassination so as not to besmirch his reputation. Without any hesitation on his part, he ordered Macbeth, his fellow camp-de-aide to execute Caesar in a Senate hearing.

         Few days after, Prospero, a faithful and loyal follower of Alonso who got stranded in the island after Alonso's assassination, heard the surreptitious plan of Caesar’s assassination. On the day of assassination, Prospero tried to avert the plan, saying that he’ll be stating the golden truth about Alonso's death. Hamlet, trying not to besmirch his reputation, decided to bring the plan of assassination an end, since according to him, all was just a rumor and there is no valid evidence to verify that Caesar assassinated his father before. Prospero was relieved and he told Hamlet the truth behind his father's death. According to Prospero, Alonso died when they were on their way home from the Senate hearing in Naples. They were riding their ship when suddenly pirates came aboard and tried to steal their ship. Alonso protected all his men and drove all the pirates away but Alonso didn't notice that one of the pirates stayed behind and stabbed him on the chest. Prospero killed this pirate and Alonso died in his arms. After a few hours, a raging storm came and the ship sunk. Prospero got stranded in the island and was the only survivor from the tragedy that occurred.

         Meanwhile, in the mighty realm of Demetrius, Helena was stacked and still wondering what happened to Demetrius. She then ordered her servants to search for Demetrius. After few days of searching, they found Demetrius’ body and saw a knife which he used to stab himself. Upon knowing the news her servants reported to her, Helena ran in the hallway. She then stopped at the fountain and tears kept falling in her eyes. Day and nights had passed yet she is still crying and not eating. Her servants are worried for her condition. By this, her servants decided to send a letter to Romeo, Lysander, Hermia and Juliet. The letter is about the condition of Helena that her servants thought that will surely help to improve her condition. The two pairs of lovers; Lysander and Juliet, Romeo and Hermia came. They were shocked for they saw Helena crying then laughing. In short, she’s out of her mind and now she’s crazy. Her servants tell the whole story of what had happened to Helena. They said that Helena is blaming herself because if she didn’t pretend to be pregnant then Demetrius will not be disappointed and will not find Hermia in the barren island, resulting for him to stab himself after knowing the dreadful news. Hermia was shocked why Demetrius wanted to find her. She ran to Helena’s bedroom.

        In Helena’s bedroom, Hermia heard her singing a song. The song is about her act of ordering Puck to pour mystical juice to Demetrius’ eyes. Hermia, upon hearing the Helena singing, called Romeo, Lysander and Juliet. They began to wonder who is Puck and what the meaning of the mystical juice is. They’re mind are full of questions, so for them to satisfy their curiosity and to find all the happenings behind this, they went back to the barren island. There, they searched and searched. Until one night, they were so tired and hungry and wanted to have rest. Then, they heard someone coming. They saw Julius and Prospero. They immediately asked them for help. They asked if they knew Puck. Prospero said that Puck is just beside them. The two pairs of lovers were shocked. They don’t know that Puck is just playing around them. As they started to chase Puck, Juliet tripped at Romeo’s foot. A diamond ring fell from Juliet’s pocket in her dress. There, she suddenly remembered his love for Romeo. She remembered that Romeo is the one who gave that ring. After she remembered and will now tell it to Romeo, Prospero suddenly casted a spell and the lovers fell asleep. Prospero then ordered Puck to bring back the true feelings of the lovers. Puck poured the mystical juice to their eyelids. Upon waking up, everything is back to normal again. Romeo is madly inloved to Juliet again, same as Lysander to Hermia. They immediately went to Helena and found her asleep. The lovers heard a sound saying” wake up, wake up”.

        The lovers closed their eyes and opened it again. They found themselves in the ship safe and secured. They were shocked for Demetrius is alive and he falls in love with Helena. Then, they discovered that it was just a dream; a bad dream yet to be remembered. That day, they reached the shore of one of Italy’s beaches. A triple wedding occurred with the other boards of the ship as their guests. Then, they lived happily ever after.

TEACHERS ARE UNDERCOVER SUPERHEROES

          Becoming a hero doesn't always mean that you have to save lives and have superpowers. A hero doesn't always have to wear colorful outfits and carry high-tech gadgets. Heroes are found among us and they can be simple as we are. Everyday, we see them teaching young minds. Every hour, we hear them giving advices on how to live and love life. Every minute, they teach us what is right and what is wrong and every second, they serve as inspirations for us to have a better future. They are the people I consider my heroes and they are my teachers.

          Education is one of the greatest gifts that mankind can ever receive and teachers serve as its strong foundations. Without them, we are nothing. They provide us the knowledge we need to have a successful life. They serve as the stars in the night that guide our way so that we won't get lost. They are our second parents whom we can always run to in times of sadness and doubt. They help us become strong like rocks and they teach us to stand up everytime we fall. Even though they are always busy and they have a lot of problems in their minds, they always have their ears and hearts open for us. Teachers are like potters who once molded clay. They worked on it everyday with perfection and care and even though their hands became dirty and ragged, they continued to bare with it in order to perfect the sculpture. This shows that teachers molded students to become better people using their kind and gentle hands. This also serves as an inspiration for us do our best and never give up no matter how hard the situation is.

          Sometimes we think that teachers are scary but if we look deeply into their hearts, we will see how kind and caring they really are. We will be able to appreciate all the efforts and sacrifices they gave. They are here not only to teach us but also to care and love us. Without them we know nothing. No one in this world would know how to read, to write, and to understand one another. Without them we will never be able to stretch our wings and reach our dreams. Because without them, our way to success is dark and empty.

"FAIR IS FOUL, AND FOUL IS FAIR"

     "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" is the most famous and perhaps the most significant line in Shakespeare's Macbeth. This is one of the last lines spoken by the three witches in Act I Scene I, when they are foreshadowing the events that will come in the play. This line is a paradox or an idea that contradicts itself and many interpretations were made to explain what it means. 

       For me, this line pertains to one of the themes of the play which is the difference between appearance and reality. To put it simply, the difference between how something seems and how something really is. It is a major concern that fits well with the medium of the play and it shows that there is no significance of good and bad for their roles can be reversed. 

       I also had a personal experience related to this line. It happened 3 years ago. I was just a freshman at Cavite National Science High School and I didn't know anybody there except my classmates during elementary. I didn't want to interact with my new classmates because I felt really shy and it seemed like they all know each other. I also had a lot of first impressions. I thought that they were all serious and competitive and I also thought that some of them were unfriendly. But as I spend more time to get to know them, I realized that they are all nice people. They are really funny and friendly and they are the type of people who you can call real friends. Yes they can be serious and competitive sometimes but they are always there to help me whenever I need them. Just like what people say, first impressions aren't always true.

       Fair and foul can be different in various perspectives. Like something bad for someone could be something good for the other. A lost for one would give victory to others. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair". It is a world where things aren't what they seem to be. A world where you're never sure which is appearance and which is reality.

THE BATTLE BETWEEN LOVERS

          Great stories like William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" begin with a fundamental list of ingredients: the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. All of these ingredients make up the plot or the events of the story but the most important ingredient in the recipe is the climax. The climax is the point of highest tension or drama and this is where the action starts in which the solution is given.

          "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is one of Shakespeare's strangest and most delightful creations, and it demonstrates both the extent of his learning and the expansiveness of his imagination. I believe that the climax of this play comes in Act III, Scene 2, where the four lovers, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena and Hermia, are at the height of their confusion. Both Demetrius and Lysander end up pursuing Helena instead of Hermia because of the love potion and this made Helena believe that the three of them are mocking her. Demetrius and Lysander decided to fight for Helena's love and Hermia becomes so jealous that she tries to challenge Helena to a physical fight as well. As they all run off to fight, Puck and Oberon are left to prevent them from hurting each other by tricking them into the right areas to lead them apart and sort the problem out.

          The supposed to be physical fight became an emotional fight between the girls. Harsh words were thrown around and ugly memories from the past were brought up such as Helena thinking that Hermia was a spiteful woman when they were younger. These are the reasons that made this part of the story thrilling and exciting. It made me want to continue reading because it is intriguing to know the true feelings of the girls when you know that they aren't under any kind of spell.

          There are other interpretations of the climax of this play because there are other sub plots and characters involved. My opinions are based on the plot of the four lovers but I believe that no matter what interpretation there may be, this masterpiece will continue to inspire other people and it is truly one of the best.

IT TAKES A STRONG PERSON TO SAY SORRY AND AN EVEN STRONGER PERSON TO FORGIVE

          People always say that we have so many ways to describe forgiveness but only a few strategies for actually achieving it. They say that the best strategy to forgive is to forget. Yes, we've heard this a million times already but is this really how we feel? When you get hurt by someone, could you actually just forget and forgive him for what he has done? Forgiving seems impossible right? It's like giving them the permission to hurt us all over again but forgiveness is not something we do for others, it's something we do for ourselves. The grudge stops here.

          Like everybody else, I also had experiences that caused me a lot of pain. The most painful experience happened when I was still in elementary school. I had a classmate that I had known since kindergarten and she was the closest friend I ever had. She was the person that I called my best friend. I always felt happy and safe when I'm with her and I always say to myself that having this one special friend makes me the luckiest girl in the world. But this friendship slowly faded away as time went by. I noticed that she was becoming distant and ignorant towards me and one day, our friendship ended. I found out that she was saying things behind my back and that made me feel betrayed. It was like all those years we spent together were nothing but worthless acts. I tried to understand her but it was just too much. We got mad at each other and eventually, we stopped talking to each other.

          I eventually came to understand that in harboring the anger, I got myself trapped inside the prison cell of bitterness and despair, serving time for someone else's crime. I was giving the reins of control over to the person who had caused me pain. Forgiving was not about accepting her deeds, it was about moving on with my life. It's saying, "You don't get to trap me in the past. I am worthy of a future." I took all my courage with me to forgive her and by doing so, I had finally set myself free.

          This experience showed me a new path towards a better life. I had met people whom I can call my true friends and I know that they will always be there for me and I will always be there for them. It also made me realize that none of us are bad people. We run across each other and we learn about ourselves. We make mistakes and we do great things. We hurt others, we hurt ourselves, we make others happy, and we please ourselves. We can and should forgive ourselves and each other for that.

SMART BUT NOT SPORTY OR SPORTY BUT NOT SMART?

       In the world of students, there are two kinds of people. There are athletes and there are academically excellent students. Athletic students are those who excel in sports and those who are physically fit but not all of them have high academic standings. On the other hand, academically excellent students are those who do extremely well in academics and scholar performances but most of them are terrible in handling physical activities. To put simply, athletes use their bodies while smart people use their brains. Even though they have so many differences, they also have something alike. Both athletic and academically excellent students must have discipline, perseverance, and hardwork in order to achieve their goals.  Talent alone doesn't produce athletes and intelligent people like Kobe Bryant and Albert Einstein. Both of them overcame a lot of obstacles and both of them learned from the mistakes they made throughout their journeys.

        If I were given the chance to start over and choose between being good in sports or being an academically excellent student, I would choose being academically excellent. This is because for me, having good grades will give me a higher chance of having a brighter future. There will be a lot more opportunities where I can show what I can do with what I know compared to athletic students. Not many athletes are able to continue their career and some of them aren't even able to share what they can do. Another reason is because I can also use this knowledge in learning and planning out strategies in various kinds of sports. I may not have the physical power but I will have the mind power to counter my weaknesses.

        Smart but not sporty or sporty but not smart. Whichever one you are isn't really important. What's important is for you to be proud of what you can do. What you have is something that God has given you and he gave it to you for a reason. All you have to do is to use your talent and knowledge for the right thing and for the betterment of the world. Always remember that nobody is perfect. Nobody knows everything and nobody can do everything. Just be yourself and always believe in what you can do.