Finding Hope

  poster by: Danya Faye Mamuyac PAGLAOM Starring: Althea Nasha Dionaldo, Steven Lee Nuique and Margarette Inocente Written and Directed by:  Al-khaizer Bael Warad Produced by: Al-Khaizer B. Warad (Duma Isla Productions) Edited by: John Edward Supat Cinematography by: John Edward Supat and Cyril Jay G. Ortega Music by: Zeph Buenavista and Sam Akinbode Synopsis : He always wondered why she clung to him more tightly on rainy days; her eyes clouded over like the dark sky ahead. He hoped, with all his heart, to see her truly happy one day. As Cosmo navigates through his new life as a student at the university by the sea in an unfamiliar city, he finds that his college days would shape him and haunt him for the rest of his life. Synopsis written by: June Antoniette Martinez Click  here  to watch the trailer. For the full film, click  here.

Lately, I've been caught up in the busyness of life and neglecting to take care of myself. I used to enjoy cooking wholesome meals, exploring new places on my bike, and staying connected with loved ones, but those things have taken a backseat to my academic pursuits and other responsibilities. Although I know that pushing myself too hard is not sustainable, I've kept doing it, hoping that someday I'll reach my goals and feel fulfilled. However, something shifted last night. My heart felt heavy, and I couldn't keep up the facade of invincibility any longer. I broke down and let myself feel the pain and grief that I had been suppressing for a long time. It was a humbling experience, realizing that despite my achievements and strengths, I am still vulnerable and human. One of the things that weighed heavily on my mind was my little brother who passed away years ago. I haven't fully processed his loss, and I feel a sense of regret that I didn't show him more love an...

“Gapakapoy-kapoy ra man ka uy.” We hear this a lot from people who never understood the fulfillment that you get when you organize projects, advocacies, events, or fundraisers. Yes, it will always be a choice, but I’d rather contribute something than be apathetic. You can choose between staying in your comfort zones or going out of it. I’m not blaming anyone here, but I don’t want to be mute and deaf from the things that are happening outside the comfort of our homes. A lot of people have become jobless, families who are in the poverty line are having a hard time, breadwinners cannot provide for their families anymore, and underprivileged children cannot cope with the demands of online learning. I admit that I am a privileged person, by being able to study in a private institution and having a family who financially supports me. I don’t want to be just privileged; I want to be privileged enough to help other people. Use my privilege to spark change and create a ripple effect for ot...

"Some people only look at the shell and not what’s inside it, or they don’t bother to break the shell, so they will never see. I want to be near you, to always see you and touch you, and feel your beating heart. Let me be the one to save you from the storm, someone who will walk with you even when the road gets rough. The world is cruel so be safe, my dear." "I guess you were only there to make me smile when the rain fell hard on me, when my heart was heavy and filled with doubt, you helped me carry all those negativities away. If I could rewind time, I would rather still have met you. Even though I knew in the end, we may not see each other again. Because at some point you made me happy and I will forever be thankful for that. I love you, and I still regret until this day that I never told you how I felt for you. As I realize that every day, you also said your bittersweet goodbye to me." Watch the full film  here.

I’ve always been an over-thinker and a workaholic. And most of the time I tend to forget about the importance of having faith in God, and especially in myself. My mind was always messy, and my heart was never contented with everything that I do. But thankfully, I have people who care about me and who push me to become better every day. No words can define how grateful I am. You will learn the importance of faith, when you are struck with the most difficult challenge.

Tonight I experienced what I have always feared; doing an online meeting and having it cancelled because of poor internet connection. I know everything will be alright, and this is just one small challenge that I have to conquer but I guess I’m just afraid of what others may think, and how incompetent it may sound and look.‬ ‪Looking back, I realized that I’ve been through a lot of hardships and troubles. But most of the people that I’ve worked with never gave up on me, instead they encouraged me to do more and to look at the bright side of things. So I did. And whenever I look at them I see hope and I know that these people possess a lot of potential and I don’t want that to go to waste.‬ ‪It is important to have a really strong support system and a team who trusts you. A team who is willing to go into the frontline with you, whether or not you win the battle. And through all of the challenges I believe that I’ve made a lot of friends out of them but what I will never forget are the t...

I have never been a really good big brother to you, and it still bothers me up until this day. I could have been, but my childish behavior back then made our relationship shaky. The day I realized how important you were was when the day we lost you, I couldn't bear the fact that you were gone and that the last time I was able to truly treat my little brother right was the last day I was going to see him, touch him and listen to him. That day you and Mamang left for you to be tested and diagnosed. You gave me a tight hug that day... one of the tightest I had. There have been sleepless nights when I blame myself, but I eventually snapback because I know you never wanted that to happen in the first place. It was not me, not anyone but it was Leukemia. Thanks to you I've become the person I am today, thanks to you I've overcome all the failures I've been through, and thanks to you that I've learned what a big brother should be like. I promise to make you proud and h...

No matter how hard I strive academically, I always see myself falling down the hill and crash into hopelessness. I’ve always tried to make my family proud with my little victories — a certificate and medal for being an ROTC officer, a community outreach that I participated in or even just passing an engineering major subject. Looking back to all the decisions that I’ve made; I realize that not everything was planned out and not everything was a coincidence. It all happened because I decided to continue and there was no turning back. Yes, I may have had a lot of wrong decisions but eventually all of them led to where I am right now. I couldn’t be prouder. It made me stronger and I realized that losing means learning. Failures are a part of growing up, we fail because we reached our limit and that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try again. I have learned a lot not just inside the four walls of our classroom, I learned from the people I met as I walked in the halls of Silliman, I learned...

Dear Journal, I am new here in Silliman and I am still adjusting to the environment. This school has such a long history and it shares its fair share of memories with the acacia trees that populate the entire campus. It’s still June and not long before August starts, I have already heard about this two-week long celebration where you get to climb on a wall, touch a snake, pet a goat or even get married. I took the opportunity to research this talked about Silliman event as I was interviewing some of my upper-class men in my college. They say Hibalag is where you meet a love that is temporary and doesn’t transcend. It is an old friend that you only get to meet occasionally but you cherish deeply. Our teachers would narrate how they built their own booths in the early days of the booth fest and how it has been a yearly tradition. Some of my relatives who also studied here recalled so much memories during Founders Week. They described Hibalag as if it was something they hold dearly. M...

  “Closing time... you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here... Closing time, time for you to go back to the places you will be from... This room won't be open 'til your brothers or you sisters come. So gather up your jackets, and move it to the exits. I hope you have found a friend. Closing time... Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.” I may be a few months late by now but that doesn’t matter anyway. There’s something special about this group that I have handled together with Kirsten, Thea and Nikka. Their commitment, enthusiasm, and passion gave us the spark we needed throughout our preparation for the Hibalag Booth Festival. These are the bright minds behind the curtains of the festivity and they deserve to be acknowledged not for fame nor prominence but because of the sweat that came after the hard work, the tears that dropped down after a breakdown, and the endless anxieties and sleepless nights that we have experienced throughout the ...