Hello,

You’re probably in a room full of geniuses right now, wondering why you deserve to be in there. They’re all talented in every way possible and you’re not even a master of anything. You’re a terrible speaker, a bad illustrator, and a decent photographer. But at least you know how to write a proper paragraph.

You’re also probably overthinking, down to the most minute of details, if you’ll be able to graduate next year or if you’ll be able to make your family proud with a diploma, or maybe even a medal.

However, as the year passes by, you’ll find out that the stress and pressure you went through just to be what you think is the best version of yourself, is useless.

Senior year is not for you to shine the brightest rather it’s a time for mistakes and embarrassment. Speak in front of a crowd, fail a class, pass a requirement late, and most especially, write without regrets. These are some of the things you won’t be able to do once you don that sablito (sash) you’ve desperately been longing for.

Being part of a family of writers does not mean you have to be the best one there is. You’ll soon realize that these geniuses aren’t so different from you. They’re as confused as you are and they’re not here to make you step up your game or pressure you into being an outstanding writer and editor. They’re here to help you grow and support you in whatever you dream of doing.

So pick up that pen, or more likely, that laptop of yours and write down everything that comes to mind. Ideas fly faster than you think, and knowing you, you probably won’t remember them. The number of drafts you have is simply a social construct to tell you that you already need a final idea. Don’t mind that, you can make as many as you wish. The number of drafts you have is not even your biggest problem. Hitting a wall is far worse, especially when you’re deadline is only a few hours away. During these times, you only have two options: you either break it down or dig a hole right under it. Giving up shouldn’t be in your vocabulary. But don’t fret too much, the words you need would come randomly to you in the most ungodly hour of the morning or at an absurd time during the night.

As a farewell, I am going to let you in on a little secret: being terrible at something only gives you a bigger room to grow. In the end, when the final note in UP Naming Mahal resonates inside that theatre, no one would remember how good you were at playing the guitar, or singing, or even writing. In the end, you’ll all be remembered for being part of a family tied together by smiles, tears, and glory.

Love the people (and things) around you and let that love bleed out onto the pages.

God knows I would’ve done the same if I were back in your place.

From someone you probably stressed a lot about,

[Morayta]

Di magtatagal, buwan naman ang maghahari

Pati ang mga butas sa sahig ng langit

Sila na ang magsisilbi mong liwanag

Sa gabing walang kasiguraduhan ang dala

Nagbabantang panganib sa bawat sulok

Mga aninong hindi malaman ang may-ari

Ito’y kapwa sunod nang sunod sa akin

Anghel ba o mga demonyong bantay?

Ngunit mga ilaw ng mga lampara’t gusali mo

Ang nagsisilbi kong mga gabay pauwi

Hindi kailanman mawawala sa landas

Kung sa kalsada mo’y mananatili

Ang heleng pampatulog sa magulong siyudad

Katahimikang bumabalot sa aking paghimbing

Hanggang ako’y magising, ika’y nariyan

Binabantayan ang aking mga panaginip

Basta’t ako’y nasa iyong mga bisig

Nakakamit ko ang kapayapaan

Pantawid-takot ang kislap ng iyong mga tala

Kapit sa patalim ma’y hindi ka nagpabaya

Bagama’t ganito ang iyong kalagayan

Magulo, maingay, marumi, walang pag-asa

Maynila, Maynila, ikaw pa rin ang aking uuwian

Tuwing ang araw ay puno ng pait

Ikaw ang unang lalapitan

Kukuwentuhan ng ukol sa kahit ano

Ibabahagi sa ‘yo ang sakit

Kung may bahid naman ng lungkot

Ikaw ang unang iiyakan

Lulunurin sa luha’t pighati

Ngunit lilisan sa oras na tumahan

Kung nag-aapoy na galit ang nadarama

Sisigaw ng masasakit na salita

Babatuhin ka ng mga sumpa at reklamo

Sisisihin sa kamalasang nararanasan ko

Ikaw ang aking tanging tagapagligtas

Sa aking pagtingala, pakiramda'y gumiginhawa

Ang iyong bughaw na yakap

Ang tangi kong hanap

Ngunit sa mga panahon ng tagumpay

Saya, tuwa’t galak

Di kita kilala

Sapagkat ang silbi mo’y tapos na

Ikaw, musa, ang aking sining:

AKDA

Sa bawat taludtod ng aking tula,

Ika’y nananahan, aking sinta;

Ang bawat gamit ko ng wikang matalinghaga,

Sa iyong magandang diwa’y tumutugma

Ngunit ano’ng kakayanan ng aking wika

Upang tunay na maipakita ang iyong ganda?

GUHIT

Sa aking mga guhit hawig ang ‘yong mukha,

Sunod sa ’yong porma ang aking mga linya;

Sinusubukang ang ‘yong imahe’y makuha,

Sa dibuhong ikaw ang natatanging paksa

Ngunit sa kabila ng mga detalyeng ipinepresenta,

Hindi pa rin sapat ang lapis upang ika’y totoong makita

LARAWAN

Sa bawat pagpahid ng aking pinsel sa lona,

Ang iyong karikta’y sinusubukang makuha;

Ang bawat bahid ng pintura sa ’king likha,

Sumasalamin sa kulay ng iyong mukha

Ngunit, hindi pa rin sapat ang pintura

Sapagkat di nito nakukuha ang tunay mong diwa

ISKULTURA

Sa iskultura naman ika’y makikita,

Itinatanghal ang iyong anyo’t itsura;

Ang bawat bahagi mo’y sa marmol hinulma,

Sa pagsubok na kasakdalan mo’y mabigyang hustisya

Ngunit kapag tiningnan ang mata ng estatwa,

Walang buhay o damdaming ma’aring makita

IKAW

Kaya’t ikaw mismo ang sining, mahal:

‘Di sa ’kin o kahit kanino man;

Hindi sapat ang wika ng simpleng makata,

Walang binatbat ang marmol at pintura,

Sa iyong kadalisaya’t natatanging ganda,

Sa iyong purong ngiti at kahali-halinang tawa;

Anumang subok ikaw ay salam’nin,

Anumang subok ‘yong diwa’y hulihin,

Hindi sapat ano man aking gawin,

Sapagkat ikaw mismo ang kasukdulang sining

Always

You will still be all right for me

Even if who you are

Cannot be determined by simply looking

Even if I have to seek

Every inch of this land

From what's out in the open

To the depths of our souls

Even if what you desire

Is a mere concept no one can hold

Even if I, myself am not sure

Of what it is, what it feels like

Or what it will bring

Even if where you are

Is far away from the usual

May it be two, three, or a thousand steps back

From where I used to be

Even if when you love

Your actions show the opposite

I will love you

Even if it means being pushed away

Even if how you live

Means hiding your true self

I will look beyond your eyes

Beneath your smile

And accept all there is

Even if you build walls

To keep people like me

From coming close to you

I will wait despite uncertainty

Until I am worthy of you

And even when everything has been revealed

Don’t you worry, my love

You will always be all right for me

The answers to our questions can’t always be found somewhere.

But that doesn’t stop us from asking still.

Why

Why do we try

Despite the risk of failing

Striving for achievement

And the satisfaction it might bring

Why

Why do we decide for ourselves

And refuse to abide

By the rules and norms

Our society and surroundings provide

Why

Why do we fear

Of things we haven’t even experienced

Even though, we are not certain

Of their existence

Why

Why do we love

And prepare to leave everything behind

Constantly jeopardizing the state

Of our heart and mind

Why

Why do we believe

In things we can’t even hold

In the abstract and conceptual

In things we can’t even start to unfold

Why

Why do we aspire

To reach the highest of our dreams

Despite the improbability it presents

Despite how impossible it seems

Why

Why do we question every thing

And not being content with what we already know

Asking questions that are quite repetitive

And waiting for solutions that might not even show

The answers to our questions can’t always be found somewhere.

But you see, the beauty of life lies in secrets we don’t know…

Yet.

“How can someone be so perfect?”

When one lays eyes on you,

This is the question always uttered

But is never actually answered

How can they not wonder?

With skin as fair as snow

And eyes impossibly fathomless

With lips that promise intelligence

And words that can soothe any tired soul

With a prominent nose

That highlights everything

And dimples gracefully appearing

Like an angel’s kiss too deep

With a smile that holds enough mystery

And laughter that beats any symphony

But unlike the majority

Who fawn over your external charms for a moment,

Then move on to the next exhibit

I luckily saw something your label did omit

They never recognized

How you help people without their consent

Then hide when they ask whom to thank

How you tirelessly offer support

To anyone who is about to give up

How you effortlessly create smiles

With hilarious jokes and antics

How you refuse to be ordinary

Doing things the way you want to

And how you give plenty of love away

Without worrying if you’d be repaid

After discovering what glimpses failed to notice

I now have an answer to the question constantly asked

“I realized how you’re not just a piece that's breathtaking to look at

You’re perfect because you’re someone much more beneath all that”

I was

Dull. Monochromatic. Unappealing.

A single-colored fragment

Wandering aimlessly

Looking for someone or something

But doesn’t know exactly

Every day was just a copy of another

Repetitions of yesterday

And endless patterns

All blending to gray

Then you appeared

Another isolated piece

Of one shade

And everything changed

Every day became an adventure

With you and me as heroes

And the world as our stage

We would dance in red

And cry in blue

We’d laugh in yellow

And love in different hues

Now, fragments of a myriad of colors

Broken and shattered

But fated by the universe

Two destinies meant to concur

With the moon and the stars conspiring

To bring us together

Now we are

Captivating. Complementary. Beautiful.

There are billions of people in this world

That I wouldn’t be able to meet

All linked by the same thread

Weaved in the same web

And I was fortunate enough

To interact with many

But because of unexplainable reasons

The one that matters most

Is the nearest

Yet hardest to reach

Six

Six degrees of separation

Few but tough obstacles that hinder

The barriers between him and me

Five

Five moments of hesitation

Waiting for the right time to profess

Yet leaving with feelings still kept hidden

Four

Four months of false hope

And these were entirely my fault

For interpreting all his friendly gestures wrong

Three

Three words of confession

Imprisoned in my own doubt

And shall stay a secret forever

Two

Two eyes of longing

For the smile he has, caused by another

And the happiness radiating from him and her

And one

One heart full of pure affection

For the boy oblivious to the joy he brings

To me who receives no love in return

And yet, refuses to give up and believe

That I was the only one destined to fall

He was the one I have always looked for

And that an “us” will remain a theory

Never anything more

Yesterday

It all depended on what you did yesterday

The clocks’ hands were witnesses

Of how a promise can end so easily

And how everything dissolved so suddenly

It all depended on what you did on that day

When you said you needed some space

I promised I’d wait for the time

When both of our stars would align

It all depended on what you did earlier

Your silhouette I see in every corridor

You keep running on my mind, day by day

And now, you are just a few meters away

It all depended on what you did a few seconds ago

You passed by as if I were nothing

As if you forgot our love once great

Which ended under its own weight

It was not the first time

That our backs were facing each other

With a heart left midair

It’s hard pretending not to care

When you pass by again

Please, do not utter a single “hello”

This heart is tired from loving uncertainties

All it wishes for is to let you go

Our story starts on a normal day….

And chingu was left forgotten…..

First day of a new school year….

And chingu was still left forgotten…..

Months have passed…

And chingu was still left forgotten….

For weeks…

But chingu’s words were forgotten…..

Once again….

All along, chingu was by her side but still forgotten….

Then something shocking happened….

Will chingu be remembered now?

EPISODE 8

Because all along….

…I was meant to choose you.

A new day, a new beginning

It’s been too long since I last saw you

Four months in the air

Four months of waiting for you to care

Too scared to look for a clue

That somehow, you liked me too

So I yearned for classes to return

As to see you again, was my only concern

I promised myself I had to be the first

To approach and not wait for a cue

I made an effort to speak to you

With more than just phrases

Time flew and moments together were now a routine

Now I’m here deciding what to be for Halloween

I shall depict that of a fair lady

The naive heroine of a classic tragedy

And as if it were a plot of destiny

Star-crossed lovers, we portrayed unknowingly

Yuletide season is now coming up

Time for joy and time for cheer

You asked me out, to see the lantern’s glow

I accepted, without knowing what’s to follow

And so we agreed to meet together

Just the two of us under the celestial sky

Flustered, I lost all my finesse

Still shy, I boldly answered yes

My happiness, I tried to contain

But the beating of my heart, I cannot restrain

A new year, a new chapter

I thought everything would be happy ever after

I’m sorry, I did mean to answer

It just took too long, so I thought it didn’t matter

Hours turned to days turned to weeks

The memories we made, now turned bleak

This is the night we’ve been waiting for

To restore the connection we lost

Cause you’d rather stand there, staring elsewhere,

So I tried to laugh and show that I didn’t care

I’ve been waiting

For something to happen

My hope faded, little by little

My patience vanished while waiting for your sign

And before I knew it, the last dance ended

My pride won, we left and parted

We have avoided each other ever since

Back to secret gazes, wordless but longing

I was just a fool who trusted in you

Hanging onto every word, as if they were true

I know I was never worthy of you

But I still tried and did my best

You seem like you’re unaffected

It was just a game for you, I suspected

Maybe this was your plan from the start

Congratulations, you played with my heart.

Listening to you

Now while talking about her

While you’re looking so blue

Makes me wish you would look for another

Word by word, I tried to guess

How best I can tell you

That for me, you’re different from the rest

But secrets are better than the truth

Then you said the most hurtful words you will ever say to me

With letters that implied your feelings:

I see her in every corner and even when I close my eyes

Little by little do I realize that she is the one

Only one for me in this world of endless possibilities

Vowing to her my love and she, promising back, felt like I’ve won

Everything that I am she loved piece by piece

Hallucinations were all that those memories were

Easy come and easy go, her attention faded

Regretting, I should’ve fallen for someone better

With a pat and sigh

I let you go

With a smile and a wave goodbye

My hopes now hit an all time low

But no, you chose to stay for another

To show everyone that for her, you’d be a fighter

For every stupid decision she makes puts you in danger

Like a rope on your neck growing tighter and tighter

I want to be among them

I want to be up there

I want to be a shining gem

To soar without care

He told me,

“You know, you’ve been wishing on the wrong star

See that one, the second to the right?

There, it doesn’t seem too far

To Neverland, it will guide you with its light

“Faith becomes the wings you need

To fly up there with me

And trust will surely do the deed

To be what you want to be

“Do you trust me?”

“Take my hand, let, whatever our fate is, be.”

To an unknown world, he took my hand

For a while, I didn’t want any other

But an adventure, so exciting and grand

Is bound to end one way or another

To end the unforgettable journey we had,

He faced me and smiled, as if it wasn’t sad

“It’s time to let go

But not to say goodbye

For saying goodbye is forgetting, don’t you know?”

And with that he left, back up to the sky

I want to be numb

Because hoping for you is futile

Being young forever is too burdensome

So to wait this long is too brutal