#one of the most common last names in the philippines

[jabberwockprince]

13 is a special number. On this day, the youngest child of the Reyes family was born. On their 13th birthday, they would receive their very first gift: a real birthday cake.

Like a true gourmet, Venison celebrates by selecting their favorite meals of the day--nuns for breakfast, politicians for lunch, lonely people for dinner. And, of course, ice cream for dessert!

Spina Venatores throws a three week long birthday bash for each of its members. Because of this, they spend half of the year partying and the other half cleaning their own mess.

it's also venison's bday!! (and the bday of 70% of other OCs but shhh) so here's a little doodle!

[f1angelz]

filo girly request for oscar 🧍🏻‍♀️🫶🏼

im thinking of a scenario where reader is part of a love team and oscar gets jealous or she gets questions when shes on a show it interview about him and they love her and oscar together if a fc is needed i love atasha mulach's vibe

𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒏 — oscar piastri x reader

summary: oscar’s girlfriend is a celebrity and has an on-screen partner. when she gets asked about her and oscar’s relationship during an interview, what is she gonna say?

content warnings: none, just fluff. (not proofread sorry </3)

this fic contains tagalog phrases and words highlighted in italics. for non-filipino readers, translations are provided in small text. *(mahal = love)

── .✦

It’s 3 in the morning in Silverstone, and Oscar couldn’t sleep.

Maybe it’s because he arrived a few hours ago and can’t bring himself to rest, or maybe it’s because his girlfriend had an interview on the other side of the globe.

Oscar’s girlfriend is a celebrity in the Philippines, Y/N Y/L/N. She’s had multiple projects, endorsements, and films that have also gone global. Before getting into this relationship, Oscar knew the consequences that he would have to face— long distance, media, and other factors.

But he loved her. That’s what mattered the most, right?

Not until Y/N recently had a TV series that went viral, as she was paired with one of the most famous actors in Filipino TV. Their chemistry was undeniable— weeks after her TV series was released, she was all over the news along with her on-screen partner. There were fan accounts, edits, and even fanfiction about them.

Everytime a new post was written about them, Oscar’s jealousy grew. Although Y/N always reassured him that it was strictly on-screen, He really couldn’t help it.

Oscar’s thoughts stopped when he felt his phone vibrate on his chest.

my love 💞: hi, mahal! i know you’re still up. my interview is almost gonna start. watch me?

my love 💞 has sent a link.

my love 💞: there’ll be a monitor in front of us during the interview. i’ll be able to see it on screen once you’ve joined, okay? i love you!

Oscar smiled.

mahal 🩷: okay babe, i’ll be joining in a few. goodluck!

Oscar sat up and reached out for his laptop which was on the desk, opened it up and clicked on the link she sent.

The show was already starting, the hosts greeting the crowd both in the studio and livestream.

Y/N and her on-screen partner were introduced. Once they both entered, the crowd went wild, cheering for them with their ship name. Oscar looked at the livestream comments and sighed, everyone was crazy for them.

The show went on as usual, asking them about the TV series and how filming was going. Eventually, the hosts asked about their personal lives.

“So Y/N, We’re aware that you’re dating F1 driver Oscar Piastri. Kamusta naman kayo?”

(So Y/N, We’re aware that you’re dating F1 driver Oscar Piastri. How are you guys doing?)

Y/N smiled and let out a nod, “We’re doing really well. Actually, kakapanalo lang nya last week in the Austrian Grand Prix. I was there and I couldn’t have been more proud.”

(We’re doing really well. Actually, he recently won last week in the Austrian Grand Prix. I was there and I couldn’t have been more proud.)

The hosts smiled and fawned over their relationship, “I’m sure he’s proud of your career too. But we’re curious, hindi ba siya nag seselos? For sure aware naman siya sa love team nyo.”

(I’m sure he’s proud of your career too. But we’re curious, does he get jealous? For sure he’s aware about your love team.)

The studio crowd cood and Oscar’s heart started beating.

Y/N let out a small laugh, it was a common question that people asked her since their relationship was public.

“Hindi naman siya nag seselos, I wish.”

(He doesn’t really get jealous, I wish.)

She humored, and the rest laughed. Oscar laughed too at her response, assuming that it was something funny since he couldn’t understand.

“All jokes aside, hindi naman siya nag seselos. He knows very well that strictly for work lang yung ginagawa ko. He’s the best boyfriend I could ever ask for.”

(All jokes aside, he doesn’t really get jealous. He knows very well that what I’m doing is strictly for work. He’s the best boyfriend I could ever ask for.)

One of the hosts asked, “Do you have any message for him?”

Y/N cleared her throat, “Hi, mahal! I know you’re watching right now kahit sobrang late na diyan. Thank you for always being very supportive, you know how much I love you. I can’t wait to see you on Sunday!”

(Hi, love! I know you’re watching even if it’s super late over there. Thank you for always being very supportive, you know how much I love you. I can’t wait to see you on Sunday!)

The crowd smiled and teased, clapping at her message.

Oscar was smiling from ear-to-ear, and somehow, he wasn’t as jealous anymore. He saw the livestream commenting on their relationship and how cute they were. Maybe he shouldn’t be jealous after all.

The show eventually ended and Oscar closed his laptop, returning it on his desk. He opened his phone and sent Y/N a message.

mahal 🩷: you know i’ll always be here for you, right? no matter what time it is where i’m in.

my love 💞: i know, mahal. and i know you’re jealous too 😆

Oscar laughed, maybe he was bad at hiding it.

mahal 🩷: maybe i was a bit jealous.

my love 💞: oscar jack piastri, you literally have my heart and you’ll always have it. okay?

He smiled. God, he loves her so much.

mahal 🩷: i know, and i’ll do everything in my power to keep it safe. i love you ❤️

my love 💞: go to sleep, i know you’re getting tired, mahal. i love you too! see you on sunday ❤️

Oscar gave her message a heart react before turning off his phone.

And off he drifted to sleep, knowing that he was the luckiest man on earth that night.

── .✦

a/n: i had so much fun writing this, it’s been 2 years since i wrote a fic !! also i’m so grateful for those who requested. much love 🤍

[southeastasianists]

A fear of spiders, or arachnophobia, seems quite common around the world. Last year, a team of researchers published a global database showing the pervasiveness of arachnophobic sentiments in media based on their investigation of a decade of online newspaper coverage from over 80 countries. These fears remain even though less than 0.5 percent of spider species can actually harm humans through their venom, and most of these species live far from humans anyway.

But there are some exceptions—and my home country, the Philippines, is one of them.

One of the authors of the study, entomologist Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo, is also from the Philippines. In an interview, she explained that unlike most countries where spiders were depicted as sources of venom and harm, in the Philippines spiders figured in news reportage mostly as pets or as participants in the popular pastime of laro ng gagamba (literally “game of spiders”). The game involves catching spiders, taking care of them, and making them fight other spiders.

I know the game very well. When I was a child growing up in Laguna province in the Philippines, I played it with other kids in my neighborhood.

My father taught at the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Forestry, which was located on Mount Makiling, some 60 kilometers away from Manila. Those of us who grew up on the slopes of the mountain would go into the forests to look for the fiercest, strongest, and most unique spiders. We would then house them in medicine bottles or matchboxes, and feed them ants, grasshoppers, and other insects—until it was time to play.

When two of us were ready to fight, we would place our spiders on the opposite ends of a stick of walis tingting, a kind of broom. Another person, who acted as a referee, was usually asked to hold the stick. Then, we’d nudge our spiders to walk toward one another and fight. The winner of the wrestling match was decided very quickly, sometimes within seconds or at most a few minutes. It ended when one of the spiders was killed or incapacitated, or when a spider either fell off the stick or tried to run away more than once.

We had names for the different spiders we commonly caught: gagambang botchog (round spider), gagambang pari (priest-like spider), gagambang ekis (spider with an X). Sometimes we would give them nicknames based on their appearances: gagambang pula (red spider) or Voltes V (after a Japanese anime character).

Could it be that this game desensitized us to spiders, making us less fearful of them in contrast to many other parts of the world?

This question interests me not just because of nostalgia for the spiders of my childhood but as an anthropologist who today explores human entanglements with other species. I’m fascinated by how we perceive and live with other creatures, including animals we pit against each other and play with—from cockfighting in Bali to bullfighting in Spain to cricket fighting in China.

When it comes to widespread fears surrounding spiders, a closer look reveals a more complicated picture of human responses and interactions with these creatures. The arachnologist David Wise, for instance, surveyed folk tales from North America to Africa that cast spiders in a positive light, leading him to conclude that not all societies are arachnophobic.

In the Philippines, a handful of scholarly accounts of laro ng gagamba depict people’s close relationships with spiders. Some of these detailed accounts remind me of my childhood days, while others go beyond my own experiences, showing how diverse and sophisticated the practice is across the country.

One example comes from an ethnographic account by cultural anthropologist Ty Matejowsky, who researched spider wrestling in Pangasinan province in Northern Luzon in the early 2000s. He recounts how boys and young men collect, train, and play with spiders, often for money. Although my experience of laro ng gagamba didn’t involve placing bets, Matejowsky sees the game as an entry point for many Filipinos into “gambling culture.” (He also presents the practice as exclusive to boys and men, but I remember playing it with neighbors who were girls.)

Matejowsky also details how players attempt to heal their spiders who may be hurt in battle. “As surprising as it may seem,” he notes, “steps can be taken to rehabilitate injured spiders for an eventual return to wrestling.” For instance, players place the leaves of ampalaya (bitter gourd), thought to have restorative properties, in the spider’s box for a few days before slowly resuming the regular diet of “insects and bits of meat and rice.”

Barrion-Dupo, with two biology colleagues, conducted a survey of 300 spider game players in Northern Mindanao from 2014 to 2015 that revealed more details of the practice. Gambling on laro ng gagamba matches, the investigators found at the time, could involve sums of up to 10,000 pesos (around US$180).

Fascinatingly, the researchers also recorded various substances people fed to the spiders to prepare for a fight. The list included various vitamins and supplements, dextrose, coconut water or meat, duck egg soup, Jujube plum fruit (Ziziphus jujuba), milk, honey, energy drinks, and even human breastmilk. The gamers usually placed these substances on cotton balls and left them in the boxes where the spiders were kept.

These details show that more than just a game, spider wrestling in the Philippines involves care and intimacy between humans and spiders. Matejowsky describes it as an “attachment … that approaches what some feel for more conventional pets.”

Today laro ng gagamba continues to be played in rural areas in some parts of the country. Barrion-Dupo sees the spider game as offering children “first steps in science and natural history,” ultimately contributing to an appreciation not just for spiders but for the environment at large.

However, the research by Barrion-Dupo and her colleagues also shows the game has a potentially detrimental impact on the populations of various spider species. Gamers usually extract mature reproductive females from the wild; female spiders, as it turns out, are more ferocious than their male counterparts. The researchers call for policies to restrict the game to prevent species decline.

As far as I know, spiders are not often included in animal rights discourses in the Philippines. (Matejowsky’s article noted spiders are considered “pests, not animals.”) However, these attitudes may change in the future; some people are already discussing the need to expand animal welfare concerns to include insects, spiders, and other invertebrates.

Even without active intervention, however, the game already seems to be declining in popularity.

When I recently returned to the neighborhood where I grew up, I was told that none of the kids ventured into the forests like my friends and I used to. During the pandemic, people were forbidden to go outdoors, and many public green spaces were off-limits for recreational activities. Plus, the advent of electronic gadgets and digital technologies has meant that children today, whether they live in urban neighborhoods or mountainous communities, are far more likely to be familiar with Spider-Man than the spiders that share their environments.

Regardless of the ultimate fate of laro ng gagamba, however, I hope our familiarity and fascination with spiders will continue.

[ammomancer]

pn character name post...TWO! last name edition and also the random psychonauts around the motherlobe who i didn't feel like including in the first one

including ones that aren't real surnames but are real words/clearly plays on real words. if one is missing assume either it doesn't mean anything/I couldn't find a meaning or I didn't think it needed explaining (e.g. Sweetwind, Doom)

Aquato - clearly a play on "aqua"

Nein - "no" in German

Zanotto - from a diminuitive of Zane or Zani/Zanni, the Venetian form of Gianni, which is short for Giovanni, which is the Italian form of "John" (God is gracious, Hebrew). unrelated but "Zanni" is also where we get the English word "zany"

Oleander - a flowering shrub that is grown as an ornamental or landscape plant despite being poisonous

Cruller - a kind of twisty donut :)

Boole - possibly from a Middle English word for bull

Canola - genericized trademark of a brand of cooking oil. the "can" is short for "Canada"

Zilch - German surname of uncertain etymology, slang for 'nothing'

Athens - after the Greek city, which Athena was probably named after, not the other way around

Lutefisk - Norwegian word for a traditional Nordic fish dish. it's soaked in lye.

Bulgakov - son of Bulgak (Bulgak being a surname in its own right that means "restless" or "troublesome"). Mikhail is probably named after the Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov, best known for The Master and Margarita

Fir - as in a fir tree

Phage - short for bacteriophage; a Greek suffix meaning "eater"

Bubai - Mandarin word meaning "invincible"

Tripe - animal stomach lining prepared for food; figuratively used to mean nonsense or valueless ideas/writing

Fideleo - possibly from Latin "fidelis", faithful/loyal

Cooper - barrel maker (English)

Soleil - "sun" in French

Houndstooth - a fabric pattern (that Becky does not wear)

Rolls - likely alluding to fat rolls

Bonaparte - French-ified version of Buonaparte, an Italian surname meaning "good match" or "good solution"

Teglee - derived from famed black velvet painter Edgar Leeteg; "Leeteg" was originally "Lütig", which I can't find a straight answer on what that means

Inflagrante - from "in flagrante", a shortened version of "in flagrante delicto", a Latin term that literally translates to "while the crime is blazing" and basically means "in the act"; it can refer to being in the act of doing something bad but particularly when shortened also means. well. in the act of Doing A Sex

DeLucca - alternate spelling of Italian De Luca, "[child] of Luca"; Luca ultimately meaning "from Lucania"

Pokeylope - pokey (slow) + lope (to walk slowly). good turtle name

Loboto - clearly a play on "lobotomy"

Forsythe - man of peace (Scottish Gaelic)

Natividad - Spanish for "nativity", meaning birth but particularly referring to the births of Mary or Jesus. a common name in the Philippines in addition to Spanish-speaking countries

Martinez - son of Martin (Spanish). "Martin" is derived from "Mars", Roman god of war and root of the word "martial"

Joseph - "he [God] will add" (Hebrew)

Gette - variation of Goethe, derived from "Gott" (God in Middle High German as well as modern German)

Neriman (also spelled Nariman) - a name of Persian origin, possibly meaning "brave mind"

Potts - topographical name. if you lived near holes in the ground you might have gotten called Potts

Malik - "king" in Arabic and various other Semitic languages; as a surname, is most common in India and Pakistan

OKAY now for the miscellaneous motherlobe NPCs

Brianne - "hill" or "power" (Celtic)

Chet - short for Chester, "fortress" (Latin)

Colin - young dog (Scottish)

Crenshaw - possibly "twisted wood" (Old English)

Dustin - from Thorsteinn, "Thor's stone" (Old Norse)

Evan - from the Welsh form of John

Forrest - take a guess.

Frank - Frenchman, more or less

Hawkins - diminuitive of Hawk or of Hal (from Henry, "home ruler", Germanic)

Jared - descent (Hebrew)

Kim - diminuitive of various names

Kramer - shopkeeper, merchant (German)

Lance - land (German/Old Saxon)

Larry - short for Laurence, "from Laurentum" (Latin)

Lori - short for Laura (laurel) or Lorraine (kingdom of Lothar, a Frankish king)

Sherri - from "cherie", French for darling

Susan - lily (Hebrew)

Thad - short for Thaddeus, Greek name of unclear origin

Whitlatch - "white path" or "white stream" (Old English)

[purplesurveys]

1914

Name something you keep on the nightstand. The microfiber cloth for my glasses so I can clean mine as soon as needed.

What does a man brag about the most? I uh...don't know. I never hang with groups of dudes lol, and the ones I know don't really do a lot of bragging around me.

What's the most you've tipped your waiter or waitress. The highest I give is ₱500 and that's whenever I host a big party (10-15 pax). I leave ₱200 if I was very impressed by the service; otherwise my standard practice is at ₱100.

As a child, what frightened you the most? Cockroaches, because we had flying ones at home. The fear has carried over to this day because I still hate seeing them.

I also didn't like seeing anyone drunk because the men in my family who did never knew how to take care of themselves. It was horrifying watching them stumble and slur their words; physical altercations were the worst thing I had to witness. Among family. So imagine how pissed I felt when I tried alcohol for the first time and learned that drinking has a lot to do with just knowing how to control yourself.

Name a dish you take to a potluck. The ideal option would be pizza but that's what everybody brings, so my go-to has evolved to be Mama Lou's truffle mac and cheese. They're not what anyone would think to be their first choice, and yet everyone goes crazy over them. As a people pleaser, I always want to make sure it's my tray that makes their way to plates the most haha.

What's a popular vacation location? For Filipinos, definitely any of these: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore. I've been to Singapore but have no interest in the other two.

Name a complaint people have about their job. That they are not paid enough for the life they need to sustain.

Name something you put off doing until the weekend. Taking our pets to the vet. The queues are always unpredictable, and the last thing I'd want to happen is to be 5th in line during my lunch break and be stuck on the road three minutes before a 1 PM call. So say if they were due on a Wednesday, I'd just take them that same weekend.

What's a common remedy for a cold? I just let it pass if it's only a cough or cold. Fever is a different story – I'm rarely sick, so when it happens it crashes hard on me. When I get a fever, I usually find myself asking for soup since it's the only thing I'll have the appetite for.

My mom also has this honey ginger tea that she makes me drink 1-2 glasses of. It's nasty, but I do it for her so it doesn't go to waste.

How many scoops of ice cream do you put on an ice cream cone? 2 max and that's pushing it. I'm a slow eater, so it's sure to melt. It's also why I've always preferred having ice cream from a bowl/cup.

Name a type of nut. If I'm having the nut itself, pistachio. In terms of flavor, almond or peanut.

How long is the typical vacation? Anywhere between 2-5 days. Except for the time we were in Bali for 7 days, I've never been on a vacation for longer than a week.

Name a popular athlete. Simone Biles.

At what age should you have children? Whenever you're ready and financially capable. It's different for all.

During high school, what was your worst subject? Chemistry. I feel like my teacher only passed me out of guilt(??); my test scores ranged from 68-89. Never tasted a line of 9 from it lol.

Name a famous Jack. Jack Nicholson.

How many speeding tickets does an average motorist receive? I have no idea. Speeding's not that big of a problem here to begin with because the Philippines is the Traffic Hellhole of the World LOL

Name a profession a kid wants to be when they grow up. Teacher, doctor, princess.

Name a famous TV detective. Sherlock Holmes.

At what age did you get your first kiss? 16.

What month is popular for weddings? Ber months.

Name something people forget when they're in a hurry. Wallet.

[eirinstiva]

Something about Aloysius Garcia and Spanish names

Watson in his last letter started "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge", story published in two parts, and this letter belongs to "The Singular Experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles". This story can be found in Spanish as "La aventura del pabellón Wisteria" or "La aventura de Wisteria Lodge".

There are a lot of queer (?) flags about John Scott Eccles and his infatuation with the friendly and handsome foreigner Aloysius Garcia, of Spanish descent.

Considering that in Spain there are many languages beside Spanish, one could try to guess more about his origins looking at his name. Sometimes the same name developed a different pronunciation and/or spelling in each region of Spain like Jorge-Jordi or Javier-Xavier-Xabier.

García (/ɡaɾˈθi.a/ in Spain, /ɡaɾˈsi.a/ in Latin America) is a name and patronimic surname and the most common last name in Spain. There are many variants of García like Garcés or Gacía but this is the most common in all Spain, also very common in Latin America and Philippines. This surname is so old that there are records of his use in 789 CE.

Aloysius is the latin version of Ludwig. There are many variants of this name, so if one wanted something more Spaniard (?) the name could be Luis, Aloísio (Spanish), Loís (Aragonese), Lluis (Asturian), Lluís, Ludovic (Catalan, Valencian), Lois (Galician), Koldobikaa or Koldo (Basque). If his parents wanted something similar to an English name Luis is the better option because its pronunciation /ˈlwis/ is similar to Louis or Lewis (/ˈluːi/ or /ˈluːɪs/).

Maybe that's why the first time I read this story many years ago the character felt like a generic hispanic-latino-idk man.

Friendly reminder that I'm not from Spain, but Spanish is my first languaje, so maybe there are some details missing.

[str0yberries]

TAKE

Oh my goddd thank you so so much :DD I don't celebrate the new lunar year but I truly appreciate this ask, it made me laugh how the person looked so serious while throwing the wrapped money. This single-handedly made me want to research the history of red envelopes and guess what?? It’s a tradition to give your friends and family bright red envelopes filled with money. But it’s not about the money — it’s all about the envelopes. They symbolize good wishes and luck for the year ahead. With today’s technology, many people have exchanged digital red envelopes instead of traditional paper ones.

The tradition comes from an old story about a demon, Sui, who would terrorize children on New Year’s Eve. Parents would try to keep their children awake by giving them eight coins to play with. Inevitably, many of the children would fall asleep, and the coins (eight immortals in disguise) would light up and drive the demon away. The envelope is now symbolic of the coins.

The amount of money never includes the number 4 because the Chinese pronunciation of “four” sounds like the word for death.

It’s the biggest holiday in Asian culture

The Lunar New Year is the oldest and most important holiday in China — and it’s also celebrated in countries like Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. Over 2 billion people celebrate the holiday around the world.

It’s also called the Spring Festival

Even though winter weather is still around, the Lunar New Year is also called the Spring Festival. The holiday welcomes the beginning of spring. The traditional Chinese Lunar Calendar originated about 4,000 years ago and was created to divide the year into seasons for agriculture. Because the new year falls around the time the sun is entering a position to start a gradual warming, many farmers will start planting crops – signifying the beginning of spring, which is one of the ways the holiday was also dubbed the Spring Festival.

Many traditions – like wearing the color red – started from an ancient legend about a monster

According to Chinese legends, a beast named Nian would devour villagers on New Year’s Eve. Many traditions are linked to the “Guo Nian,” which means surviving Nian’s attack. For example, legend has it that many people tried to ward off Nian with food, but wearing red is what ultimately drove the monster away. It’s also why fireworks are a big part of traditions – the sound is said to scare off evil spirits.

The dates change every year

Many Chinese rulers debated the start of the festival, and for years, the dates went back and forth. It finally was decided that it should follow the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. This marked the beginning of the festival as the first new moon of the year and ends will the full moon, which is 15 days (about 2 weeks). This means it can fall anywhere between Jan. 21 and Feb. 21. And this year it seemed to be the tenth. Lastly, did you know that the fireworks aren’t just to make the sky sparkly??

The story of Nian isn’t just about wearing red to scare the monster away. Traditional Chinese culture also used fireworks to frighten the evil spirits. In China, fireworks will go off at different times depending on the region, but the most common times include when the reunion dinner is ready, at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, again in the morning of the new year and the last day of celebration.

[encyclopika]

Animal Crossing Fish - Explained #237c

Brought to you by a marine biologist and gastropods (who are also weird)...

CLICK HERE FOR THE AC FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!

Here's the last installment of the ACPC shells miniseries. The diversity of mollusks that AC shows is pretty great, though I wish some of these weirdos made it into the mainline games. Mollusks can be broken down into three major Classes the everyday person would recognize (there are others, but these are the well known ones) - Bivalvia, Gastropoda, and Cephalopoda. Today we're looking at the Gastropods, the snails and slugs and the most numerous of the mollusks at a hefty 70,000 species. Let's get into it~

Strawberry Top Snail

In every way, the shell of the Strawberry Top Snail (Clanculus puniceus; STS from now on) is so reminiscent of a goddamn strawberry and I can't get over it. It's so bright and vibrant. The STS is native to the Western edge of the Indian Ocean near Madagascar, South Africa, and Mozambique. Top snails are named so because they look like an old-timey spinning toy. They are generally herbivores, scraping algae off rocks with their radula, a spiky tongue-like appendage in the mouth of Gastropods that lets them scrape food, whether that be plant, meat, or detritus. The STS is an herbivore and can generally be found in the intertidal zone stuck to a rock eating algae. What a life!

By H. Zell - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41628798

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Anatomical Murex

If you think this shell is odd, I've got news for you - there are about 1,600 species within this animal's Family, Muricidae with growth like this. Most snails in this family have some of the most complicated yet beautiful shells with strange protrusions, spikes, bumps, and ribbing. These protrusions are called varices (singly: varix), and they are extremely important in identifying the species that have them. These snails are texture gods. The Anatomical Murex (Homalocantha anatomica), also called Pele's Murex, often has 5-6 varices per whorl in its shell. They can be found in the Red Sea, throughout the Western Pacific to Hawaii.

By C. CHEN - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26698151

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Guildfordia Yoka

I honestly couldn't tell you why ACPC decided to call this by it's scientific binomial, but such is the mystery of AC. It's common name is the Yoka Star Turban (Guildfordia yoka; YST from now on), and it is a type of turban shell snail. It belongs in the Order Trochida along with the Strawberry above. That relation to top snails is more obvious in the picture below. The YST is a tropical species of the Indo-Pacific near Japan down to The Philippines.

By Hectonichus - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61829033

And there you have it! Fascinating snails, yeah?

[repo-net]

hey look it's repo posting about his ocs again haha

God, how many years has it been since I last posted about an OC on this blog? Almost 2, huh. Don't worry Aoyama, you're still one of my golden boys and I'll always love my street kid. But for now, I want to show you all a little something I've been working on.

So, I know there's like a 99% chance none of you care about wrestling the same way as I, but I know you've at least heard of WWE and what it's about. And one of my biggest dreams is to write a full-fledged story with my own characters and story. One of these stories is a story about a young and dreaming child that's a nobody from a faraway island watching TV one day and stumbling upon professional wrestling, and being inspired to become one as well and become the champion of the world of wrestling and be recognized by everyone. I should mention that in this universe, wrestling isn't 'scripted' the way it is in real life. What differentiates the protagonist's plot though from your usual rise to the top storylines that most of these 'underdog' stories have is that his story doesn't end after becoming champion, but rather; it's just getting started.

After becoming the champion and still not getting the recognition and respect he feels he deserves, he starts to break down into a flame of insecurities and he crumbles into a shattered man that will do anything to stay at the top. Basically; he goes from the hero you wanna root for to having a whole ass villain arc. It's sick as hell, dude. He undergoes a whole character development to character derailment story and I think breaking down the protagonist in such a way is a unique take to have when writing this story. Wrestling is such a cheesy and emotional genre that has some really grounded and touching moments when it's given a chance too, and with the absolute variety of characters that come out of it from the badasses to the horrorshows to the comedy acts, they all have their role and this massive number of tropes and acts I can take inspiration from makes for an absolute perfect long story to write with tons of different characters with their own arcs clashing together. It's gonna be amazing one day, I promise you.

While I do have a doc that has a few of the ideas and stories with only a handful of the absolute pile of characters and timeline I've already built for it in my head, I want to shine the light on who I consider one of the best pieces of writing I'll ever come up with. She's my pride and joy and I fucking love her. This is the first half of the story's main antagonist and the undefeated champion for our protagonist to overcome; Reyna.

(used Koikatsu to make this model)

Name: Reyna

From / Age: Calamba, Philippines / 30

Finishers: Lucena Spear (A twist on the spear, where instead of shooting her body towards her opponent directly, she does it from the back and plants them onto their front on the mat. Like a shot in the back/a backstab, which is a very common theme in her story from her rise to being the champion and her reign as one. Named the Lucena Spear as José Rizal died in Lucena by getting shot in the back.) (pin) and the Santiago Lock (a rear naked choke. Named the Santiago Lock as the aforementioned Rizal was locked and imprisoned in Fort Santiago during his time.) (submission)

Story: A group of three friends find each other while working in a small wrestling promotion in Southeast Asia as they develop and hone themselves. Whiro, a deceitful and talkative man with a brain beyond others who knew how to get in his opponent’s heads by bringing up their history and knowing how to personally attack and break people. Ares, a bloodthirsty, violent, and thrill seeking fighter who loved nothing more than a match that put her and her opponent’s body on the line in extreme stipulations such as street fights, cage matches, etc. who had a rather tame demeanor outside of battles. And finally, Reyna; a generally silent and calm but powerful woman able to down even the toughest of fighters in the world. Usually repressive in her emotions, she tended to do most of the heavy-lifting in the group, and was incredibly protective of her two friends, willing to destroy and go to war for each of them, protecting them from intruders that could influence the three of them.

In spite of her usual restrained emotions, Reyna does have a darker side to her that can get as sadistic as Ares and as manipulative as Whiro that occasionally seeps through her facade when her emotions crack or she feels she or her friends have been wronged, but as far-gone as all three of them were, they kept each other in check and truly did love each other like family. They were like soldiers-in-arms, and all of them had a consistent win record over each other in 1-on-1 matches - Whiro usually had Reyna’s number because of his ability to wear her down emotionally and force her to make bad decisions in the ring, Ares regularly beat Whiro as he couldn’t intimidate her and her love for a messy fight overpowered any psychological warfare he tried to inflict, and Reyna consistently overwhelmed Ares by simply being too strong and physically better than Ares no matter the match type the lunatic would choose. They’d eventually all get scouted into FightFrenzy, the world’s largest wrestling company to showcase their talents. 

Reyna racked up win after win against impressive, credible opponents with strong records and fan favorites, which turned a few fans against her because of her ‘boring’ personality and how every single match consistently went her way convincingly. Whiro had been a bit of an enigma and a heel among the audience despite his worse record, as his sly way of winning matches had turned some people off from him. He didn’t really mind playing such a villain though; he was having fun. Ares had quickly become a favorite among the crowd as she had quickly gained respect from the viewers and backstage for never backing down from any challenge against her, no matter how dangerous it got. Each of them continued to develop their profile.

Whiro’s record continued to rollercoaster into a rather uninspiring 3-3, getting into the most matches as he tended to start trouble with people the most, giving more people reason to fight him in the ring. Ares had gone 3-1, as she still needed time to recover in between the absolute bloodfest her matches tended to have and was pretty feared backstage by most people due to her nature. Reyna would eventually continue to be undefeated and sit at a comfortable 5-0, even having beat the booker’s son twice in one night (though it only counted as one win on her record). This pissed him off to the point where he’d make a decision that would change the course of the company - and that was getting involved with some backstage politics to break the three apart. Despite how cunning Whiro was, his insecurity of having to stand next to two people who was either universally respected or an undefeated and powerful fighter had been slowly getting to him, knowing full well he could never be the number 1 guy in the company so long as he was involved with them.

And so, after Whiro suffered an embarrassing loss one night and getting involved with the booker’s son backstage, who promised him a path towards the top so long as he were to leave and stab the other two in the back. His insecurities getting the better of him, he accepted, and the next night, as Reyna was preparing for her next match, she got beat down from behind by Whiro, putting her out of action for a week. Ares, who had just walked into the scene, was too shocked by the initial sight of Reyna on the floor as Whiro stood with a steel chair in hand, ended up getting taken off-guard and was beaten to hell by him too. The group imploded, and the three of them would go their separate ways. And without being around one another to keep each of them stable, everyone in the trio went off the rails and lost themselves more and more, becoming more distant from people and refusing to trust others easily.

With the help of the booker’s son and the structure slowly favoring him to open up a path towards the champion, Whiro climbed the rankings before eventually winning the big one, and was now the new champion in the promotion. Satisfied with himself, his ego grew and he personally offered his first title defense against Ares in a Loser Leaves match as his obsession with getting into people’s heads and making things personal made him thirsty to get one up on Ares. But she had seen absolute hell ever since then, still being the barbarous wrestler that she was. Happily accepting, Ares takes down and ends Whiro’s reign as quickly as it started in a feel-good moment in an intense match, as Whiro could only watch on with a broken spirit as his contract was terminated and he was exiled from the company. After becoming the champion, Ares grew some newfound friendships in the back as plenty more had respect for her for being at the top, and her reputation as a fighting champion made her a likable figure. These relationships and her win over him helped her overcome her trauma from Whiro's actions and she had grown more mature as a person.

Reyna on the other hand continued to fall apart. She still hadn’t gotten over Whiro’s betrayal, but she targeted anyone but the people in her former friend group, going after the booker’s son, the executives, Whiro’s peers and people he’s fought or talked to. She blamed them for influencing him and convinced herself that he had been broken by them, and bottled up the rage and hate she had for how the entire situation went down as she became the most dominant force the company’s seen in a long time, all fueled by Whiro’s betrayal. Sitting at 9-0 and being granted a shot at the title by the booker against the champion Ares, the stage was set for the final chapter of a very personal and bloody fight inside a steel cage in an “I Quit” match, where the only way to win was to destroy your opponent so badly that they had to mutter the words “I Quit”.

Despite all of Ares’ attempts as she left Reyna wounded and hurt, she just couldn’t find a way to put Reyna away for good as she always got back up. Without Ares and Whiro to keep her calm, Reyna had finally come unhinged and had left Ares into a bloody, immobile mess as she did everything to try and make Ares declare her surrender. But Ares refused. The fight went on, before a spot where Reyna landed a vicious Lucena Spear against Ares quite literally broke a segment of the steel cage off, enough to leave Ares unable to move her body. But she was still awake, still breathing, and that much was the motivation she needed to not say she quits. With Reyna dragging the two of them to the ring, she took the part of the steel cage in her hand and held it over Ares, asking her to say she quits. And again, Ares didn’t give in. After telling Reyna to ‘go fuck yourself’, the challenger flipped the champion on her back, and was about to stab through Ares’ back with the spiky part of the steel cage.

Until… from the crowd, Whiro came crashing through the part that had broken in the cage, having fought off security to get to the ring and pushed Ares away and dragged her into a corner, sitting her up, stopping Reyna from landing a blow that could’ve ended her life. He looked gone. Messy hair, looking like he hadn’t slept in months, and his body had taken a toll for the worse. As the moment set in for Reyna, she looked Whiro in the eyes and broke down into an emotional mess at the sight of him. As Ares was a confused and injured mishmash, Whiro tries to bridge the gap between the three of them as he tried to talk to Ares to explain and mediate the situation, but just as he was talking to her, Reyna had taken him from behind after ripping the wires off of the steel cage part she had and locked him into a Santiago Lock, choking him close to death as she had it wrapped and locked around his neck.

Begging for Reyna to stop, Ares finally gave in and yelled “I Quit” with tears in her eyes, as Reyna threw Whiro’s unconscious body in the corner across from the now dethroned champion. She stared Ares down, and all of the emotions that she had held back for years; ever since being the silent one in the group that did most of the work to the eventual incident that broke their group, she beat the hell out of Ares until she was knocked out. With her former friends laying on opposite sides of the ring, Reyna took the championship belt in her hand, raising it and stood tall in the center to a sea of boos erupting from the crowd, as the new queen’s reign of terror had just begun. Ares and Whiro were never seen in the company ever since then, having been hospitalized and their careers having likely ended. And that was how Reyna had turned into the sociopathic, undefeated champion that she is today.

------------------------------------

"Take this title? Off of ME? I've done everything you can do in this business. If you run into a wall and hurt yourself, don't blame the wall. You want to be recognized so badly? I'll leave your name in the history books in the long list of people that I've conquered when I retire as the greatest of all time."

"This entire industry runs off of me! You say this is your ring? This is MY sport, and you live in MY universe!"

Her personality will speak for itself once you've read her story, anyways. This is only her backstory too of how she became the champion that she is today; her story and what she does in the main storyline is still under work, but even that is coming out fantastically. Reyna (and this entire thing, really.) is a character that I just look at and feel so much fulfillment every time I see her. Everything about her just works in the way I want it to.

Anyways, that's all for now. I know this post is lengthy and I'm a little doubtful anyone even read it, but I just really wanted to share this because the whole project means a lot to me and I hope that one day, I can look back on this post and say; "Goddamn, look where I came from."

[onenettvchannel]

OneNETnews Investigates: The West Coast Outbreak of 'E.coli' linked to the American fast food chain burger menu in Colorado, leaving 1 dead

T.W.: Sensitive content, reader's discretion is STRONGLY ADVISED!!!

DENVER, COLORADO -- An E. coli outbreak had badly linked to the McDonald's Quarter Pounder burgers with several states affected, and Colorado being the most significantly impacted, as reported from late September to mid-October 2024.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 49 people have been reported ill in 10 western states, with a total of 26 local cases in Colorado. Death of one (1), and a number of hospitalizations, including severe kidney damage from a concerned child patient are some of the consequences of this type of outbreak.

In response to the outbreak, McDonald's has temporarily pulled the Quarter Pounder off the menu in affected states, including this said state of Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, among other parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

In a pre-recorded video message to local media reporters… 'Mr. Joseph M. Erlinger', who is a President of McDonald's USA spoke to the public, letting American customers know that menu items, including the recently introduced 'Chicken Big Mac' featuring New York streamer 'Kai Carlo Cenat' are still on the table. And that, the global franchise in the country -- such as the Philippines had been dodged the bullet and not being impacted. Erlinger said that the corporate fast food giant is 'committed to safe food and swiftly fast-moving by protecting the health of the public'.

For those people don't know, a scientific name 'Escherichia coli' is the bacteria generally common in the intestines of animals and humans. Most of the strains are innocuous, but some, for example, E. coli O157:H7, may sometimes lead to serious gastrointestinal symptoms, such as stomach cramps, forbidden dark strawberry diarrhea, and vomiting. The diseases can be transmitted down by contaminated food or water, and the outbreaks are typically associated with improper sanitary practices between the workers and employees themselves. It's like spoiling food that you eat, above the expiration date after consuming it the wrong way.

Preliminary CDC findings indicate that the outbreak may link back to slivering onions that a single supplier distributes to 3 distribution centers. McDonald's USA Chief Supply Chain Officer 'Cesar Piña' said all local restaurants ordering to remove this said food menu item from their supply. We contacted McDonald's Philippines on our investigative news team of OneNETnews last Wednesday night (October 23, 2024 -- Manila local time) through the online chat support of the McDelivery app that they are now adhering to strict standards for all their Filipino employees to ensure safe food service. They are also raising awareness, so that this outbreak is less likely to spread throughout the world.

McDonald's is currently working closely with the CDC and other government agencies to identify the exact source of contamination for analysis. The American fast food company has paused the distribution of slivered onions and beef patties used in the Quarter Pounder, while the investigation is ongoing at the time of our writing. Stock market shares of the fast food giant to be plummeted of 6%. Local & health authorities across America, including the Department of Health (DOH) in the country, urges anyone who has partially or fully consumed a 'Quarter Pounder', and to experience severe symptoms is to seek medical attention, regardless either being accidental or taking risk without warning.

It is fully committed to keeping its customers in the United States of America (U.S.A.) and around the world by being actively working diligently to prevent further spread of this statewide outbreak.

SCREENGRAB COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: Google Maps

SOURCE: *https://www.cpr.org/2024/10/22/colorado-e-coli-outbreak-mcdonalds/ *https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks/e-coli-O157.html *https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/mcdonalds-chicken-big-mac-us-october-10/5854524/ *https://www.designrush.com/news/mcdonalds-teams-up-with-kai-cenat-for-the-new-chicken-big-mac *https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/oregon-9-other-states-see-e-coli-outbreak-from-mcdonalds-quarter-pounders/ and *https://theglobalfilipinomagazine.com/mcdonalds-quarter-pounders-linked-to-e-coli-outbreak-across-us/

-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team

[altruisticenigma]

I am now legally

That Bitch™️

Just kidding,

Today I legally changed my name to Miyerkules; Myr for short 🇵🇭❤️

❤️‍🔥12/15/23 ❤️‍🔥

I already have my court order document and sped ran through SSA updates. Now I’m just waiting on my card in the mail 💞

Name ramblings and queer pride below this cut:

I chose the name Miyérkules for several reasons:

1) I never knew what name I wanted to change to, just that I desperately wanted to get rid of my birth name. Every time someone called me by my birth name I internally cringed. I was picky and never found anything I liked. Last March after returning from the Philippines, I figured out I wanted a Filipino name to honor my culture. “Miyérkules” means Wednesday in Tagalog which is the day I was born. It also is as far removed from any Christian or Spanish influence as possible, save from the fact the word is the same in Spanish just spelled differently lol.

2) Wednesday is the middle of the week. Kind of a crossroads. Hekate is my patron Goddess; in a way this is a nod to her.

3) I was surprised to find the word Wednesday originated from “Woden’s Day,” or Odin’s Day. I also worship Odin casually, and my last name is Norwegian in origin. My name was somehow a crossroads of both my Filipino and Nordic heritage now without me even intending.

4) Since it’s a day of the week, it’s also as gender neutral/ambiguous as it can get. Being non-binary it’s nice to not have a name that leans either way, or any way at all.

Miyerkules may be a mouthful and a half to say (I tell everyone this when I introduce myself with my new name lol), but it’s very significant and has a lot of thought put into it. 💕 I just tell people to call me Myr but some select special few call me my full first name which I adore and prefer.

Changing my name came with a lot of fear, doubt, and second guessing. Half of my family is Christian, the other half is Filipino- I was and still am worried to get criticism and judgement from both. The name I chose is definitely not common nor is it an easy name to pronounce. I’ve been afraid to draw attention to myself in a negative way.

But a couple of things pushed me forward with courage. First, testing my name with close people was a way to ease into it. My partner and friends of course had no problem.

My workplace is safe enough so I began to “transition” there later on- I changed my screen name in some systems and told people my new name. I was very surprised to find out that no one questioned my name change; they just took to it and only asked how to pronounce my name. Some even reached out to find ways to make me more comfortable.

I was even more surprised to find that when I started introducing myself to customers as my new name (nickname), they never made comments or questioned it either. I even had one customer who asked me what my full first name was which delighted me.

Changing my name has been miraculously easier than I thought, and blessed with more support than I thought possible. I have PTSD and struggle a lot with assuming the worst. I had a lot of hypervigilance going into this. Instead I’ve been more than reassured that in my everyday life I’m going to be okay. ❤️‍🩹

I still have to tell my extended family that I’ve legally changed my name, which is scary, but not so much now that I know I have support behind me to go back to. My parents already know (they’re one of the first I told and the people whose judgement I feared the most), and their reaction was completely tame. I’m ready to live my life the way I want to.

And that’s just what this is mostly about isn’t it? More than anything, I’ve realized this is my life and I get to live it the way I want to. I’ve lived for so long accommodating other people’s comfort levels and living in their comfort zones. I’ve made moves that restricted me but kept me safe. I want to live my life authentically, and I can’t keep waiting around for either a fear that isn’t there or for people to tolerate or accept me. I deserve to take up space and exist alongside other people, even if that inconveniences them.

Someone I loved died before they could live their life the way they wanted. The way I now live doesn’t just mean I honor myself, I honor their memory because I know that’s what they’d want for me. ❤️

Being queer isn’t just about finding your niche and existing in opposition- it’s existing DESPITE opposition. It’s powerful and so much more. I’ve learned a lot about myself this year; while the fear is still there, so is the determination and pride.

[frankhightower]

Seriously considering Bluesky now

For a while now, I've been observing what I call the Twitter Exodus, watching the "goodbye" tweets to see what everyone is jumping to. Bluesky seems to be what most people have settled on (which I find hard to take seriously because... how can you just rip off the creators of Ice Age and get away with it? Threads at least had a somewhat original name!) Many people have pre-emptively identified their last straw as Twitter becoming a wholly paid service -- i.e.: tweet button becoming disabled because you haven't paid your membership fee. This happened yesterday in The Philippines and New Zealand, which I can only guess were chosen as guinea pigs for being a very poor and a very rich country, respectively. The stated reason: “It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” says Musk. Not to again draw comparisons with Facebook, but when they rolled out a similar test trying to control disinformation during the 2016 election, they chose Mumbai and Westphalia, if memory serves; not whole countries! I had been reticent to jump on Bluesky because, as you can tell, I have trouble handling the social media accounts I already have! They all work slightly differently: on Twitter, replying to a tweet means the algorithm won't even bother with what you said; but Tumblr, reblogging to continue the thread-equivalent is just common courtesy; while on Instagram, there's just no such thing! FA has-built in prev and next buttons for this purpose while DA seems to expect you to create a new gallery for every storyline (but since they also don't allow gallery folders, practically no one does it!) Reddit wants self-contained posts that fit its subreddits (so linking to the last page in the series is a no-no, readers will just have to remember it) and no one uses Ko-fi as social media seriously. Not to mention that making my old art internet-ready (which is what I'm doing to bring my instagram "up to date") feels like a chore. But most of all, the crushing realization that Mastodon doesn't have Quote Retweets (or rather, that the servers that have them are few and far between) was horrible for me. At my last count, anything on Twitter gets buried after about 10 minutes, and people usually scroll through Twitter for about 30 at a time. My work around has been scheduled Quote Retweets 5 times a day (approximately the times most people are online). Not having it on Mastodon hasn't turned out to be that big a problem since Toots seem to "live" a few hours, like in Ye Olde Twitter. But I fear that, with all the people who say they've "moved to Bluesky", I'll have the same problem... but with no solution this time.

Posted using PostyBirb

[rafeny]

Can I Tell You...about Berna Romulo Puyat.

Although we’ve never met in person, Berna Romulo Puyat and I have come to know each other thanks to Instagram. We started direct messaging each other a few years ago when she posted a picture wearing one of my clutches given to her by a common friend. Berna has been a long time advocate for wearing Filipino design. In her role as the Philippines Secretary of Tourism she traveled everywhere in the country and through her I saw so many beautiful destinations I have since added to my bucket list. More recently, she has been appointed the Deputy Governor of Central Bank of the Philippines.

I wanted to name a clutch after her that best embodied her spirit, style and love for the Philippines. The Berna clutch is a classic half dome silhouette crafted and molded from natural raffia. It has a variety of hand-embroidered floral motifs and other components that are all hand made in the Philippines. Each clutch has a drop-in chain shoulder strap allowing you to wear it as a crossbody bag. It’s the perfect clutch to wear if you’re going somewhere fun and festive this summer.

Read our Q & A :

1.    What is your idea of happiness?

Spending quality time with my loved ones.

2.    What is your greatest extravagance?

Traveling.

3.    What is your current state of mind?

Peaceful and content.

4.    Whose style do you most admire?

Grace Kelly! Her style was simple and classic, but never exaggerated. Grace would exude elegance, even when wearing button down shirts, capri pants, full skirts, cardigan, and ballet shoes. I also love the way she accentuated her outfits through simple accessories, such as pearls or a nice bag.

I can still visualize myself wearing her clothes because her style and fashion sense are timeless.

5.    What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Raising my children as a single parent since my husband passed away in 2010.

6.    What is your most treasured possession?

My wedding and engagement ring because, without Dave, I wouldn’t have had my children.

7.    Who is your favorite writer?

Kevin Kwan! I only watch movies or read books that have a happy ending so no surprise there. 

I couldn’t stop laughing when I first read his book Crazy Rich Asians! I find his work so funny and relatable. It also didn’t come as a surprise to me when he included Filipino characters in his book, Rich People Problems.

I was fortunate enough to have met him last year and can confirm that he is as intriguing as the books he writes. 

8.    Which living person do you most admire?

If I narrowed it down to two choices, I would choose my mom and dad. I am fortunate enough that my parents are still with us. My mom, Lovely Tecson Romulo, is now 83 years old and my dad, Alberto Romulo, is turning 90 this August.

Mom always inspires me to be strong and to strike the balance between being a mother and a public servant. Dad always reminds me to uphold honor and integrity in public service to preserve the trust the public places in its public servants.   

9.    Where is your dream destination?

I am blessed to have visited the various UNESCO World Heritage Sites in our country such as the Rice terraces (Cordilleras), Vigan City (Ilocos Sur) Puerto Princesa Underground River (Palawan), Baroque Churches located in Intramuros, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and Iloilo City and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (Palawan). So my dream is to visit other sites in other parts of the world.

The top on my list are Angkor Wat (Cambodia), Machu Picchu (Peru), Old Havana (Cuba), Works of Antoni Gaudi (Spain), Chitchen Itza (Mexico), and Serengeti National Park (Tanzania).

I also want to revisit Cappadococia, Turkey to ride the hot air balloons! Nine years ago, my daughter and I woke up as early as 4 am on two separate days to ride the hot air balloon. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to because of the weather. 

10. What is your motto?

“Happiness is a choice.  Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. You can choose to focus on the good or the bad. I choose to be happy.”

If you love the Berna clutch and want to see the range of colors and motifs it comes in. Tap on the box below.

[jjoer]

STOP THE VIOLENCE: BULLYING

Bullying is a widespread problem inside and outside the school; it is a big problem for students especially to children, young people, and LGBTs that go through it. It leads to short term and long term outcomes, including concentration problems, learning difficulties, mental problems, depression, anxiety, etc. It may consist of threats, verbal and physical abuse, sarcasm, insults, and so on. In extreme cases, victims can become suicidal as a result of bullying, while in other very serious cases, it can get out of hand and lead to the bully murdering their victim. It’s also a huge problem for parents and teachers, because stopping bullying is a hard task and they often don’t know the best ways to go about it.

Bullying occurs when an individual or a group of people repeatedly and intentionally cause harm to another person who is unable to fight back or avoid being targeted. Bullying can be a form of physical, verbal, racist, sexual, and cyber bullying. When we say physical bullying these are the involvement of hitting, tripping, biting, hair pulling, and even damaging property. Verbal bullying is often accompanies physical behavior. This includes name calling, spreading rumors and persistent teasing. Racist bullying can take many forms such as mocking victim’s cultural language, customs, belief, and skin and also making offensive gestures. Sexual bullying is unwanted physical contact or abusive comments. And lastly Cyber bullying is with the use of social media to threaten, embarrass, humiliate, harass, and torment the victim.

Last February, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, committee on basic education, has revealed disturbing statistics, citing the Philippines is the most problematic in the world for bullying among over the 70 countries. A 2016 National Baseline Survey on Violence Against Children led by the Council for the Welfare of Children indicated that 65% of Filipino students aged 13 to 17 have been bullied nationwide, according to CPNF Executive Director Bernadette Madrid. And the DepEd reported that 404 learners nationwide killed themselves while 2,147 others attempted suicide during the Academic Year 2021-2022.

Personally, it is a very serious matter where the outcome of this problem is tragic. It is very important to monitor daily the learners in order to prevent tragic outcomes. Its complexity requires a collaborative approach, which means that parents, teachers, students themselves need to be involved and also authorities like police if the situation is worse. Solutions to bullying in schools vary widely. Some parents and teachers believe that the situation is not hopeless for the lives of insignificant children. Many of them have been bullied and believe it is widespread in schools. This type of problem is very common especially today that these generations are very stubborn and easy going. They can be threats because of what they see and learn from other people and when parents cannot discipline their child properly. As a future educator, it would be a big challenge for me on how I can be effective resolver when it comes to this serious matter. Life is a treasure where it needs to be protected like these learners or young people. They are the hope of this society so it is our one of duties to take action and advocated to “Stop Bullying”.

[kharonion]

V1ktor for the oc asks 👀♥️

Thank you, Gothie! 💚 » SEND AN OC NAME… «

01. Full name: Victor Andre Montoya.

02. Best friend: Jackie Welles †, Johnny Silverhand †.

03. Sexuality: Demigay.

04. Favorite color: Royal purple.

05. Relationship status: Taken (basically common-law married) to Kerry Eurodyne.

06. Ideal mate: Someone actively working to craft a new beginning, and is patient as he learns how to do so for himself.

07. Turn-ons: Mouthiness at his neck, power play.

08. Favorite food: Wontons.

09. Crushes: None that he remembers.

10. Favorite music: "Classic" techno, particularly Pacific Dreams.

11. Biggest fear: Losing the very few he emotionally lets in.

12. Biggest fantasy: A happily ever after of moving to a remote island of the Philippines with Kerry, secluded from the stresses of the world forever.

13. Bad habits: Probing for information (sometimes relentlessly, and always thoroughly), maintaining a practiced callousness.

14. Biggest regret: Being unable to properly be a pillar of emotional support for Mama Welles when she needed it the most... as well as every time he's made Kerry worry.

15. Best kept secrets: The true nature of his life as an Arasaka agent.

16. Last thought: Is this next meeting really fucking necessary?

17. Worst romantic experience: He's had none before Kerry, and so far, no experience comes close to a label as "the worst."

18. Biggest insecurity: How he carries himself and comes off to other people—granted he gives a shit about that at the given time.

19. Weapon of choice: Katana.

20. Role model: He, truly, has no damn idea.

[snugsodium]

Experience Italy in the South of Metro Manila

Ferrari, Da Vinci, Maldini, Rossi, Versace, and Columbus. What do they all have in common? The answer is Italy.

A country well known around the world, Italy’s impact and influence are far greater than imagined. Traces of Italy can be found everywhere and one of the reasons why are its people. This boot-shaped country has given birth to artists and wordsmiths renowned around the world like Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Caravaggio, Alighieri, and Machiavelli, to name a few. These artists helped define art and literature. Another reason why is sports. The Azzurri or the Italian national football team had recently been crowned the champions of European football last Sunday, July 11. They are considered as one of the best teams in the world and they’ve won the biggest international prize, the FIFA world cup in 2006. In relation to sports, Italian racing team, Scuderia Ferrari, founded by Enzo Ferrari, is the most successful team in Formula 1 history amassing 16 constructors’ championships and 15 drivers’ championships. Besides its people and sports, Italian food is also known and eaten all around the world. Restaurants carrying different kinds of pasta, pizzas, gelato can be found everywhere and even variations of their dishes are also made much like the Filipino-style spaghetti. Similar to food, Italy is also well known for fashion. Italian fashion houses such as Versace, Armani, Prada, Moschino, and Gucci to name a few, dominate the world stage.

Many want to go to this charming country, but not everybody can. Especially now that traveling to other countries for leisure is prohibited. But there is a way to experience some parts of Italy, without boarding a plane, here in the Philippines. In the south of Metro Manila, several communities, malls, and restaurants designed with ideas of Italian sophistication are present. But where are they and how do I do so? Here’s how you can experience Italy in the south of Metro Manila.

The rustic and the sophisticated design of Italy can be found in the South

In the metro, there is already an abundance of restaurants that serve good Italian food. And the Venice Grand Canal mall has been catering to numerous people already. However, in the south, Italian-themed places are also present. Going down, you will find Evia Lifestyle Center. This Italian-inspired mall by Vista Land houses several Italian-themed restaurants. Stroll through the piazza and you’ll find San Marco by Coffee Project, a café inspired by the beautiful Italian ambiance. Dine under the beautiful sky art of the piazza with your family or friends to get a whip of Italy’s floral feel.