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SK Election: Opinion Article

Community responsibilities area unit a personality's duties or obligations to the community and embody cooperation, respect and participation. The thought goes on the far side thinking and acting as people to common beliefs concerning shared interests and life. A basic community responsibility is voting in elections. And youths are part of a community they are the future leaders and so we have SK Sangguniang Kabataan that gives youth power.

SK Sangguniang Kabataan or youth council is the governing body of the youth assembly or Katipunan ng Kabataan of every barangay. The katipunan ng Kabataan is an assembly of youths in every barangay whose primary objective is to enhance the social, political, economic, cultural, intellectual, moral, spiritual and physical development of the youth in the country. All Filipino citizens at least fifteen but not more than twenty-one years of age who are actual residents in the barangay for at least six months and registered in the Sangguniang Kabataan, or in the official list in the custody of the barangay secretary. It also helps youth to be prepared on there adult duties especially when they became the future people who will lead this country for better.

SK has many powers like promulgate resolutions necessary to carry out the objectives of the youth in the barangay, in accordance with applicable provisions of the Code; Initiate programs designed to enhance the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual, moral, spiritual and physical development of the members. Also SK holds fund raising activities like beauty pageants, sports, and many activities that are for youth's and also create projects in the community. Youths are part of a country so having SK it helps many youth's like me to be helpful in making our community better.

Being registered to a SK in a community is like having a obligation in your shoulders because you have trainings like leadership training, theatrical workshop, and many more. Section 423. Creation and Election there shall be in every barangay a Sangguniang Kabataan to be composed of a chairman, seven members, a secretary and a treasurer.

A Sangguniang Kabataan official who, during his term of office, shall have passed the age of twenty-one years shall be allowed to serve the remaining portion of the term for which he was elected. So I think in an SK election we need to have high standards or qualifications so that we especially youths will be more engaged or for youth's to be empowered and function well.

Everyone of us has responsibility not jot in our self but also in others or our community. We must be responsible also in our actions because it affects also the people around us especially if your in the SK. In summarization it is ok to be an SK but you will have to choose the best or if not the best a person who can do what it is to be a SK. Our movement especially the higher ups affect the people or nation that they are in too. 📷

Aa Omar Masanque

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Every step makes a difference: Life in quarantine

Nobody expected that one day, every one of us will have to stay inside our house without or parents telling us to do so. No one really knew that there will be a moment in life where time will stop for the most of us for almost two years. Nobody actually thought that this would take longer than they expect it to be. Even I, thought that this will last for only a week or two. And I never would have thought that I will be stuck in a place I’m supposed to call home.

I was supposed to meet someone for the first time the same day classes were suspended because of the COVID-19 cases. I was really excited because I thought I’ll be having a great time with them for a while. When my parents told me to go home immediately and not to go anywhere or stay inside the school grounds, I couldn’t do anything but to comply, so I had to cancel our plan. I knew very well that if I disobeyed and didn’t go home after, there will always be a limitation waiting for me. I had to go through the day even if it started pretty badly; eventually I ended up sleeping on my last class for the day. I guess my Statistics teacher just let me sleep since we all knew that classes will be suspended any time sooner.

And as expected, it did. At first it was okay, I finally got some decent rest since a lot of things happened before classes were held back. As the days pass by, people became afraid of the virus and bought essential goods in bulk due to panic, which left others with nothing. Who would’ve known that groceries and stores will soon have a first come first serve basis on the products they sell. Everyone wished for the virus to go away one day the same way it appeared in our nation and city without even knowing how. I wasn’t exactly afraid of the virus, I never really went out of the house anyway. To be fair, I was the one who felt fear for the people in the streets who will surely have a hard time to adjust with the sudden changes in our surroundings due to the virus. And personally, I was afraid that I won’t be able to enjoy, discover, learn, and improve the things I have in life, and I was even more afraid that time would pass by and I’ll look myself in the mirror and realize that I never changed. That I wasn’t able to use the time we spent inside our shelter to make myself better.

In all honesty, I wouldn’t be surprised if I did. Our household wasn’t the best to begin with. I knew that if I stayed here inside for so long, I would be in a bad state. Not physically, I do my best to stay physically healthy by eating balanced meals and drinking lots of water. That counts a protection for the virus whenever I have to go out, just in case. Some of my friends on Facebook have shown pictures of them getting the “glow-up”. It’s really nice for them, I’m kind of mad at myself for not having any noticeable change on my overall physical appearance, and yet I continue to convince myself that I’ll be able to do so after this academic year. But if this is going to be about our mental and emotional health, it would be different. I tend to overthink every now and then; the pandemic didn’t help at all. Everyone is experiencing an internal turmoil, something that most wouldn’t dare talk about. No one is exempted from any struggle one might encounter during this whole mess we’re in as a result of our government’s incompetency. And personally, my energy has decreased since March 2020 and it’ll take a while to recover.

I told myself to be strong and hold on to my dreams, so I continued to persist through all the challenges I faced within this big ordeal. Sometimes I find myself tearing up or getting sad for no reason at all. And I know very well that it has an underlying root, but I never spoke about it, except for that one person who never failed to listen and understand. From what I have observed, it is of essence that everyone has at least one person they can talk anything about with. In these trying times, our faith, trust, relationships, dreams, will, and your philosophies in life are continuously tested, so people need someone they can rest their head on. I understand people who are struggling to cope up at “home”, but nevertheless I am happy that we still keep going no matter what.

There are times that I drift away from my sense of self, but then I’ll have to tell myself that this is just another hurdle in life. A rather huge one I must say, but I’ll get through it with the people who supported me ever since and I will always be there for them the same way they never left me when we were in need of company. And I realized that even if I wasn’t able to create or accomplish something really exceptional, every little step that I take, every effort that I make, everything that I did and enjoyed, every moment I spent talking with the person that I love, every music that made me understand the world better, and every piece of myself that I worked so hard to improve, are just as important and commendable. And I’m proud of myself for not giving up and for making sure that everyone dear to me keep themselves safe. Reminding your friends and family to take care is a great thing and it helps our country to slowly recover from this virus we’ll defeat too, sooner or later. And with that, life goes on.

Written by: Kaela Gabrielle P. Ilagan

Photo by Moritz Spahn on Unsplash

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Keep Moving, Keep Living

Our lives seemed to come to an end last March 10, 2020. Classes were suspended, the economy goes down, roads and streets are empty, only healthcare facilities are filled with lots of people infected by the COVID-19 virus. The world stopped for a while. We thought that the quarantine and suspensions will only last for a week or a couple of weeks then it continues to extend for a month and another month.

Everyone is worried about themselves, families, and friends especially those who are working in the medical fields. COVID-19 virus is scary but what's more concerning is the sudden surge of calls on mental health hotlines when the pandemic started. For some, this pandemic is a blessing because they could rest and spend more time with their family but honestly, it is a challenge. A life and death situation for those who aren't privileged enough and those who are not on good terms with their family just like me. I can say that at some point, I am still lucky that I am with my family but it feels even more exhausting.

For someone like me who lives their life outside their house, this pandemic feels like a curse or something. My mood swings worsen, became even more mentally unstable, stopped being physically active, and loses more weight as time goes by. It affected my academic performance a lot. I stopped attending my online classes from October to December to take a rest. I knew I needed it more than those numbers on my card. Crying all night, cutting my hair, and staring at the ceiling for hours has been my coping mechanism for the past few months. A friend of mine kept in touch with me even if I'm not picking up his calls. One day, I saw one of his tweets, saying that at this moment, everyone is dealing with something too so let's help ourselves and not be a burden to someone. That one hits me so hard that I started pushing myself to be productive and competent again.

Things are uncertain and the situation we're in is not easy but I learned that we have to keep moving even if it is hard. We could use some help from other people but at the end of the day, all we have is ourselves and no one else so let's not depend our lives on other people or things.

Lie Anne Remedio

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COVID-19 Experience: A Testimonial

COVID 19 is a virus that change many lives from the task we do everyday, work, thinking and many more that we can think about. It has been 2 years since this pandemic started and it is devastating from whatever i look at it. It has brought us to point that some of us have mixed emotion and we tend to remember our lives before the pandemic mesmerizing the time of happiness at the time of sadness. It all started last March of 2020 it gave us fear because it spread that fast I'm the whole world. I experiences this fear when we started lockdown just at home doing what we do everyday. Me and my family before the pandemic do groceries we bought necessary things that it is needed for this lockdown like alcohol, mask, food, and other things that we need for this lockdown that can last for a longer time.

As time passed I feel like I'm doing what I do over and over again and it is exhausting. It became more complicated when class started it is new for most of us because we learned trough online and it is hard to focus. As a student we should be responsible on what we are doing and as a honor student i must maintain it and it stressed me out. I can't focus on what I'm doing and it makes me dizzy eventually. I often stress myself at it freaks me out whenever I don't get he results I want to get. At some point I lost my wants to study because it stressed me but because of my classmates and friends they gave me strength to study again. By playing games I give me comfort and forget the stress.

Omar Masanque

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Participating for the better: A preparation for the future leaders

Voting is one of the primary rights granted to citizens of the country. It is as well regarded as a privilege; as ones who are able to do so, are required to comply with the preconditions to be a verified voter. The right to vote has been established in our young minds during our first years of education. As such, the youth needs to learn the implication of their choices early on, most importantly if choosing the right leaders. Likewise, it is as important as exposing them to the importance of leadership and good governance. Thus, the creation of Sangguniang Kabataan, an organization aiming to act as the voice of the youth for each barangay led by young aspiring leaders.

Sangguniang Kabataan, or simply SK, targets to create programs specifically aimed at the involvement of individuals under 21. While the goals of SK are great, others are quite skeptical about the future of these leaders-in-training and the political body in general. This is due to the preconception of its predecessor, Kabataang Barangay, which was made under dishonest motives.

During the 1970s, then-President Ferdinand Marcos established Kabataang Barangay (KB) to provide the youth opportunities for a clear, definite role. Despite holding elections for the youth council, Marcos appointed her daughter, Imee Marcos, to be the first head of KB. Which, indeed, left a bad taste to the masses. The ones who questioned it became one of the many victims of the Marcoses: just as the faith of Archimedes Trajano whose corpse was found fatally battered after being vocal about his dissent.

That being said, the organization became infamous for its questionable system and authoritarian rule. Ironically, the youth grew distant from the said council, contrary to its intention. Kabataang Barangay had its power slowly dissipated as soon as the Marcoses were toppled out.

Replacing the New Society’s Kabataang Barangay, Sangguniang Kabataan has its similarities regarding local projects however differs now in the political setting and requirements to be in office. Albeit the differences, do the controversies ever stop; if not, tone down? How much do our Kabataan today know about their local youth representatives?

As one might assume, whenever Sangguniang Kabataan is mentioned, it is easy to correlate them to be involved in barangay beauty pageants and basketball tournaments. These projects are getting old as time goes by. Despite promoting integrity, do these activities honor the voice of our youth? Is this the best shot the youth of today can do? If not so, then it is time to change the course of a lost ship drifting aimlessly for a long time.

The young ones of today would be the ones controlling the country next. It is crucial for teens and young adults alike to be aware of happenings, particularly in their community. Much more if nothing ever happens at all. Effective youth leaders would take notice of the sparseness of camaraderie within the community; the opposite would not care at all or worse; blame it on the lack of cooperation of the inhabitants. Would the successor, Sangguniang Kabataan, be able to ever genuinely change how the population views the youth-governed political body or was it just established to avoid the previous reputation of its forerunner?

It is time for us to decide how we should be led. As part of the younger generation, we are tired of repeating history. We should now learn to make every vote count for leaders deserving of the title. We should prove our generation to be capable of change. And change requires our movement, by making our votes matter. We, young dreamers, should be encouraged to be eligible voters for the Sangguniang Kabataan. Not only does it practice to be keen in choosing among the candidates, but it is also convenient. Once an eligible voter for Sangguniang Kabataan, they become a registered voter instantly when legal age comes.

The youth should take pride in our right to vote even with the political bodies in our community. Not everyone is capable of this right, hence also called a privilege. Are you registered to vote for the Sangguniang Kabataan yet?

Written by: Kaela Gabrielle P. Ilagan

Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash

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Hip: A Music Review

The title sounds intriguing, right? Well, "I say Mama...Mamamoo~ Anneonghaseyo, Mamamoo-imnida" It was a song by a South Korean girl group named Mamamoo that debuted in the year 2014 with the song "Mr. Ambiguous" and fandom called "moomoos". I am no expert in music but I assure you that their strong vocals will keep you from repeating their songs over and over again. They are known for their retro, jazz, and R&B concepts but are always exploring different genres. Mamamoo always receives a lot of hate from other fandoms for not having a really good visual, always self-choreographed MV's, and other issues.

They released an album entitled "Reality in Black" on November 14,2019 with a lead track called "Hip". This is a type of song where it'll make you feel yourself and boost your confidence a lot. Unlike their other songs, "Hip" was focused more on choreography but the vocals? and lyrics? still powerful. What's more interesting is that "Hip" ended up entering the US World Digital Song sales with the peak position of "1" in the year 2019, the same year it was released. It was an uptempo dance-pop track composed of catchy lyrics that will make you dance confidently in front of a mirror. All four members absolutely nailed their parts, both vocals and dance moves will make you go "oooh~".

This song refers to loving yourself for who you are and breaking toxic societal norms. It screams "Girl Power" all throughout the song. Mamamoo will never change who they really are no matter how hard the other fandoms push them. So if you're feeling pressured by society, I think you should listen to this song and stan their group while grooving your "Hip."

Lie Anne Remedio

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Dati: A Song Review

A song that catches the attention of many people by its rhythm and mood. This song is pleasing to the ears thus enjoying high play time on many radio stations. It has a bubbly, youthful and fresh appeal to me. Written by real-life sweethearts Thyro Alfaro and Yumi Lacsamana, Dati tells about young love and even bagged the Philippine Popular Music Festival (Philpop) 2013 Grand Prize sung by Sam Concepcion and Tippy Dos Santos. I could somehow relate to the lyrics that mention many references to the usual 1990s Filipino setting.

This song is for a childhood lovers that loves each and share their memories since old days. It's like everything is simple and easy when they are just a child but it became complicated when they grew up. Love is both they feel for each other having fun and together especially when they are young. Though it is not stated if they know that they love each other but the feeling they are longing is expressed in the lyrics.

"Ngunit ngayo'y marami na ang nabago't nangyari," this line tells us that many things already changed and occurred. That everything has already changed so it is hard to build it again because it is already damaged. "Ngunit ngayo'y malayo ka't malabong mangyari," also in this line it is connected in the first one like it is saying when combined it is impossible to be us again because many things already changed and occurred.

Love is a feeling that we experience especially when we are still young that almost of us experience. It is good to have a person that you enjoy and always by your side but they are times that you will face challenges that can affect you relation but in the end it will you help you both to have stronger relationship.

Omar O. Masanque

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Politics: Age doesn't matter

Politics is always involved with everything and everyone has the capability to be involved with politics. Practicing suffrage at an early age could be a good thing, it might lead to developing a deeper understanding of politics and higher but reasonable standards in choosing leaders as time goes by. Parents, as well as society, hinder some of us from getting involved with formal politics but luckily, schools do have organizations that honed our leadership somehow.

At the age of 15, youth can now register for Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections and have the power to vote for their preferred leaders. Youth Council was meant to provide opportunities for youth to participate in formal politics and has proven that politics is for everyone. Sangguniang Kabataan has encouraged a lot of youth to turn their ideas into a real project, trained them to a great leader, helped smaller communities that are neglected by the national and local government, become the voice of youth who are silenced by the society, and lastly, served as a new hope for those youth who are lost and confused.

Filipino citizens witnessed how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed a lot of incompetent leaders that cause more problems rather than providing a solution. A government system that favors the rich and people with power and is composed of politicians that work for money and not for their people. Us, having a President who makes fun of sensitive topics, is threatened by competent women officials and mocks other officials during live broadcasting. These situations can be prevented if we start teaching youth about the dirty system of politics and letting them practice their suffrage in a rational way because toppling down an incompetent government isn’t possible without an educated voter.

Everyone, especially the younger generations, must learn about the responsibilities of being a voter, how to practice their right to vote, to whom they must give it, and why those leaders deserve it. SK elections could instill in people’s minds that popularity should always come with competency and not money but competency is the top priority. Let’s raise our standards and keep demanding a better response from the government.

-Lie Anne G. Remedio

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Unsafe in my Safe Place

March 2020 since the lockdown began, and since then it changed our lives from our daily routines, our sense of fashion, our standards but above all, it changed our mental stability. It has been evident that our mental health has been going through a roller-coaster ride, at some points, we are happy then there's something that reminds us to be sad just like we are prevented from going out and bond with our friends. . At times, we think of something that gives us joy, afterwards, we'll stress ourselves by thinking about it. During pandemic, mental health is like our internet connectivity, it's unstable.

2020 gave us fear, it brought something different and life changing, a pandemic. A virus forced us to stay in the four corners of our house, some are with their family, friends, and some are living alone. I am very lucky to be with my family during this trial, my siblings and I shared the same bonding, online games. Pandemic tested our precautionary measures, and our surviving skills in general, but with me, it gave me anxiety and stress. I am locked in a house and felt exhausted that everyday you will see the same things. As time passed by, I started to get irritated even with small things. I stress myself for some other things, and sometimes I feel sad for unknown reasons. I started to feel sensitive. It all worsened when the classes started, I couldn't get away with my laptop and other gadgets. As a class president, I should be very responsive, and as an honor student, I should be competent. And I put pressure on myself when I can't handle the situation. Sometimes, I cry.

I am stressing myself whenever I don't get the result I wanted, and it makes me sad to the point of thinking I was not enough. It was hard, yet I found a way of getting out of that scenario, I started cleaning my room, it became a hobby. It gives me comfort and relaxation at the same time. It removes my stress and anxiety, and it makes my room clean. In the end, I realized that more than the virus, the pandemic puts us in a situation where we assess how smart we are, and what are the things we are willing to give up to keep our families safe.

-Joseph John Melo Beaniza

Photo by: VIGNESH SUBRAMANIAN

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Suffrage is a right; Qualifications are low

The right for suffrage should be practiced if there is an opportunity. So much blood is drawn, and tons of tears have fallen in order for us to attain and practice it freely. Right to suffrage is automatically been blessed to all the citizens of the Philippines as they reached the age of 18, in accordance to the 1987 constitution, therefore we should initiate to register and vote someone who has competencies, leadership skills, good manners, and a heart for service and its people, whether a national, local, and in a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) level.

SK gave so much of an impact, more than just having sports competition, and beauty pageants for youth, they are the way in order to connect to our youngsters when it comes to awareness, and imparting social knowledge. Although it is evident that some SK Chairmans, SK Kagawads, or even bigger politicians won just because of their fame, money, and influence, and not because of the skills, and heart to service, it is our job, as a youth and as a voter, to evaluate and assess whether a particular candidate fits to our own description and qualifications of an SK Representatives and a leader. As a youth, I believe that the power of Sangguniang Kabataan has a huge significance in making a community better, as he or she impart knowledge thru seminars, and develop sports activeness thru leagues, with that being said SK plays a big and major role in making our youth a holistic member of the society in the years to come.

It is just and right to practice our suffrage and the right to vote in an SK election, on the other hand, we should raise and set our qualifications with regards to educational attainment, social works, debates, and proposed solutions to the existing problems. SK is not all about fame and sports, they are all about empowering youth, so they should be an epitome of an empowered individual first.

In summation, the practice of suffrage is a right, but the qualifications and standards not just for SK but also to the whole politics in general, should be higher and much stricter, youth look up to them, and they should embody and possess a character that is worth looking up for. Our politicians are the key players why our society is moving forward, they lead us in making our society a better place to live in.

Government officials are more than just a public figure, they embody us, they represent our beliefs, cultures, and its people. We need to vote for 2022, we need to vote for change, for a new beginning, we need to vote for the future generations, we should practice this right for suffrage, register for 2022 because YOUR VOTES MATTER.

- Joseph John Melo Beaniza

Photo by: Lauren Mounce

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Joseph John Melo R. Beaniza

Joseph John Melo R. Beaniza is a Campus Journalist, and a former Sports Editor of Batasan Hills National High School, and top Center for Excellence in Leadership and Research in Quezon City for 2020. He believes in the "Aksyon-agad" mentality, or do it as right-away. He knows that time will flow like water, and it will not come back again. Joseph also passed DLSU's Communication Arts, UST's AB Journalism, FEU, and NU. This writer aims to publish books and stories that would narrate things that are happening behind what we see with our naked eyes.

Omar O. Masanque

Omar Masanque is a former Sports Writer for The News Voyager in Batasan Hills National High School, and is a former Volleyball Player. This young writer is passionate in believing that being at the bottom, doesn't mean you're at the last, it means you're getting momentum to fly high. Omar is an enthusiastic person who would stand for what he believes in. On top of that, he is always willing to help those who are in need.

Lie Anne G. Remedio

Lie Anne G. Remedio is a Humanities and Social Sciences student and a former Star student of Batasan Hills National High School. She always sticks to her beliefs but knows how to listen or accept new ideas and believes that everyone is capable of change. Lie Anne aims to advocate for human rights and feminism someday, and be a public speaker who will inspire more women to keep doing what they love and to keep breaking the societal norms.

Kaela Gabrielle P. Ilagan

Kaela Gabrielle P. Ilagan is a former Science Feature Writer of the New Voyager, Batasan Hills National High School's official English publication, and is currently a Humanities and Social Sciences student. A woman with many dreams who aims to create art that would help her express herself. She believes that in order for one to achieve something they want in the future, they must focus on doing their best in the present. An advocate of environmental protection, mental health, and the welfare of children, Kaela is dedicated to use her skills to educate people of issues that are often overlooked and inspire others to follow what they're passionate about.

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HITCHCOCK and LILAC: Facing the “Whys” and “Hows” of Life

Youth is often considered as a stage in life where young people enjoy and discover the “finest” things that life could offer, such as good memories, friendship, huge dreams, and new experiences, that most of us probably looked forward to when we first came into high school. However, there are things that the adults didn’t tell us about, focusing only on the fragments that a child, entering their adolescence years, would be interested to hearing. “Hitchcock” by Yorushika and “Lilac” by Minami leaves the listeners questioning themselves with the words perfectly pieced together to create songs that shows the dilemma that most would go through at some point in their life.

HITCHCOCK

...Features the feeling that every human will have to come into terms with. Being lost and trapped in a life you’ve been thought to live eventually gets exhausting and you begin to ask yourself what is it for and why should one follow the same process that everyone goes through. The speaker of the song, a teenager based on my own perspective, asks their teacher, an adult in contrast to someone young, many questions about themselves and life, that one may find hard to explain.

"Why does the scent of the rain make me feel nostalgic? Why does my heart clamor as summer approaches? Why do I cry when people laugh at me? Is it all right to think that even so I'll be rewarded someday?"

“What should I do from now on?”

“Is it selfish to just want to look at the blue sky?"

"Why do I lie even though it makes my heart ache? Why do only bad people prosper? Why is it that the character for "happiness" includes the￥(money) sign? Is it on purpose that leaving out a single stroke turns it into the character for "pain"?

“Is it selfish to just want to relive memories?"

"A story where people die dramatically will sell, won't it?

“Is this really all right? Can I go on living like this?

To which the speaker assumed that the adult would answer, “No one knows that”, something that we often hear from the elders when we ask something that they think would be hard for us to understand. The song heavily reflects the state where the youth are confused about what they really want in life and the struggle of not having any idea of what one should do next after accomplishing something that they’re "supposed” to endure. Childhood and teenage years are mostly spent for education, not having enough time to fully make the most of the happiness they could achieve within these years, because of how the society and the adults instill the idea of earning riches from a high-paying job, rising to a rather high status, and achieving recognition in life is the basis of success. Take the line “Why is it that the character for "happiness" includes the￥(money) sign? Is it on purpose that leaving out a single stroke turns it into the character for ‘pain’?” for example, which shows an interesting wordplay on the Japanese character of the word ‘happiness’ which contains the characters for the Japanese currency (Yen) and ‘pain’, implying that money is often considered as a source of happiness in our society while those who don’t have it experiences pain instead.

Not that education is not something worth experiencing, but considering the amount of time one would spend living the rest of their life after that doing something they haven’t really reflected on due to the societal pressure, is something that everyone turns a blind eye on. Many children loses their innate imagination as some education system forces them to digest and memorize knowledge that they’ll have to use in the future, incorporated with the sophistic ‘word of wisdom’ that “Tears make people stronger”. To which the speaker of the song allude to by asking “What was your dream, Teacher? Did you forget it when you became an adult?", expressing the reality that children, teenagers, and even adults alike often forget what they actually wanted by conforming to the haunting life the world wants people to take in order to keep this rotting system going.

The whole process ends up killing not only the dreams and aspirations of many, but also lives of those who are fed up with the ‘responsibility’ they never wanted in the first place, to which the speaker associated with "A story where people die dramatically will sell, won't it?.” Some just want to live a simple life while working on a job that is in line with their interests and they are truly passionate about. It is not always about how much one earns within a week or a month and how much influence they have over people; sometimes it is just about contentment and living the most of their life, something that the song implicitly expresses.

LILAC

...On the other hand, conveys different perspectives of the speaker in the song towards life. The first half of the song shows how tired the speaker is from living a life they hold no control to, saying that “There is no allowance to live on, by doing things that don’t fit in life.” The idea of going through life with just pressing A and B buttons, akin to a video game, in order to simplify and make decision-making easier, reflects the struggle they are experiencing with how difficult surviving every day and situation can be.

“Life has no constraints Life keeps moving forward Life's wisdom gives you mountains of reasons to live for Life is just like this indefinite real world we live in. Life's rough Life's tough..”

These lines are taken in a pessimistic context the first time it was mentioned in the song, as the speaker sees the "mountains of reasons to live for" as a burden, which can be associated with the responsibilities the society imparts with every person in the community considered as a reason why one has to continue to live, or the system won’t function properly. And so, it can be inferred that the speaker is just living for the sake of doing her part despite having a rather passive lifestyle and listening to what the masses say, despite denying that this “is something I don't have time and energy to spare on” and indirectly comparing their own to a hero’s private life, which she assumed is really dull. Through this however, the speaker reflects on themselves that following orders from others or conforming and agreeing to what they see fit for them regardless of what they really think or opinion about it, admitting that while this is rather preferable in order to make things easier, they decided to discard such wearisome concept that people’s “…voices are killed and suppressed” by the society’s corrupted and self-conceited views, refusing to be someone hollow, full of regrets and melancholy.

In the last parts of the song, the speaker takes the lyrics (stated above) in an optimistic perspective, contrary to how they viewed it before, realizing that one must keep going on through life in while facing adversities, knowing that there are different things everywhere, though some may be as simple as a leaf falling from a tree or the first object you bought with your first pay check from a job you’re passionate about, now serve as "mountains of reasons to live for". Realizing this would allow people to enjoy more things in life, though not easy as others would say, it is important for everyone to understand and accept that not everything goes your way and that there are too many unpredictable occurrences that we may encounter, so one should remember to live their life to the fullest.

The selection of music above are both Japanese songs, that others would spend their time questioning people who listen to music from of a different language, such as Japanese and Korean, how will they be able to understand the meaning if they are not capable of speaking the language. One thing that they have to keep in mind is that music doesn’t exactly require language for people to be able to at least feel or understand the message a song invokes, as it only takes a listen or two to the notes and instruments that make up the whole atmosphere. And that is why subtitles exist, where people who are capable of speaking different languages translates the songs, sometimes also provided by the artist themselves, so that international listeners will be able to enjoy the music just as much as native speakers would.

HITCHCOCK and LILAC serves as music that connects to people and allows them to relate to the message so that they’ll know that they’re not the only one who experiences specific feelings and musings in life. They both express thoughts and emotions of humans that are hard to explain or put into words, with the fear of being vulnerable and to be judged. It helps people to realize that there is no specific way to live and there is no guarantee that you’ll succeed if you graduated as a Summa Cum Laude in college. There are no actual Hows in life; it is up to us to decide and to create a way, a new path, for you to achieve your dreams and be happy in your own unique and special method. And finally, it gives someone an assurance that there is someone with them in this world full of discord, rest assured.

Written by: Kae

Photo by Manthan Gajjar on Unsplash

[ataraxia-solace]

Tatsulok: A Song Review

A song that describes the reality, a cruel phase, and a truth behind the majestic views of 7,640 islands of the Philippines. Tatsulok by Bamboo touches the hearts of many as it tells a real story, a narrative that hides behind the camera and from the eye of an ignorant. The first beats reflect the fear, the intensity on bamboo's voice can be felt all throughout, the sincerity of the song speaks itself.

Although the song features the evil side of the society, it also encourages us to fight for what is right, it persuades us to not let the societal hierarchy describe and decide our destiny and fate. It tells us that the power is in our hands, and justice is for everyone, regardless of their status.

"Hindi pula’t dilaw tunay na magkalaban, ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan, hangga’t marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan, at ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman," [Red and yellow are not real enemies, color and mark are not the alibi, as long as many people are enslaved by poverty, and justice is exclusively for the wealthy] the line tells us that there's no enemy but those who are abusive, and greedy. It's not the color, it is not the socioeconomic status that divides us, it's our ambition to be on top, it's our desire and hunger for power.

Tatsulok is more than just a song, and a story, it is an eye opener for those who are blind, a hearing device for those who are deaf, a voice for those who cannot speak. It is more than just a form of music. This song gave inspiration to many Filipinos, who are scared to fight. This song gained its peak during late 20’s and still plays a significant role in some activism. This music represents the courage and the bravery of the Filipino people. After all, every song has its own purpose, and Tatsulok is more than a song, it is an anthem that speaks on behalf of those who are abused, and mistreated. - Joseph John Melo Beaniza