Author: sia

We Salute You!

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There were leaders that have existed in this world who are considered to this day as legends. Most of us fail to acknowledge these great people who have accomplished a lot for the sake of future generations. We observe our authorities today and see differently in each and everyone of them. Some of them, for us, may be good enough leaders, or someone who do it for the sake of earning money, or possibly leaders who are an utter disappointment (and we wonder how come they got their position).

Here we give you 3 of the many Leaders who we think are worth remembering and why they deserve to be remembered:

1. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. was the leader of the 1960s African-American Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The primary goal of this movement was to end the racial segregation and discrimination against dark-skinned Americans. A commendable practice of his leadership is that he combated discrimination and advanced the civil rights of his people through non-violence. He established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with his fellow activists, and he became its president. Many questioned his leadership, but proved them otherwise when he led the Birmingham campaign. He was imprisoned many times, but his persistence and his great passion to reach his goal inspired many to follow him and to shun their silence about their rights.

Why him???

How will others respect you if you yourself do not respect yourself? How do you expect others to treat you a certain way when you do not treat yourself that way in the first place? If a leader cannot respect himself, then his followers will never respect him as well. His people will be rejecting and neglecting orders and will undermine his authority.

  • DISCIPLINE

    Discipline is a crucial characteristic one has to acquire in order to become a leader. Discipline builds strength, respect, and character. If a leader has discipline, then his followers will display the discipline that is asked of them because they see it in their leader.

  • NOT IN NEED OF APPROVAL FROM OTHERS

    Leaders who have no one to impress are the ones who are free from pressure and are able to lead their people according to what his/her people needs instead of what others might say about him/her when making decisions.

2. WINSTON CHURCHILL is known for his notable speeches of motivation and determination which helped the British people to overcome the struggles regarding Hitler’s despotism. Their opposition against each other lead to World War II. At the same time it was his exceptional administration in World War II that stamped him out. Striking, courageous and indefatigable in his resolve to tackle the strength of Nazi Germany, he motivated an anxious and reluctant Britain through his sheer vitality and power of identity to resist stark chances and never give in.

It was because of Churchill’s deep motivation and solid insights that led the British individuals to believe in him and his ambitions that kept Great Britain and its people safe from tyranny. Churchill’s vision was of protection toward oneself and the safeguarding of governments and Western civilizations against the propelling foundations of power and fascism.

Winston Churchill was likewise a powerful statesman on the grounds that he had the quality of vital prescience. A sample of his sharp instinct is found in the result of the Munich Agreement. Churchill was also powerful pioneer due to his enormous capacity to rouse individuals; his special key knowledge; his determined enthusiasm; and his composed identity; but a time before his successes; he also made a lot of tragic mistakes before he became the leader of Britain. 25 years before he won against Hitler, his profound flaws could be found in his leadership in: Gallipoli in World War I. After such tragedy and a time of illness, he was back in the government to serve again. He just simply rejected the idea of standing down and that’s when his ambitions started to rise even more – protect Britain from Hitler.

Why him???

  • AMBITION
    A leader isn’t just about having the power and authority. A leader should always have a set of goals in mind which will be put into action wholeheartedly for the common good, progress of his nation, and unity of his people. Yet, individuals need to trust in this vision so as to make it successful.
  • COURAGE

How can a leader put his actions, without any frustrations, without courage? It is essential for a leader to have this trait to avoid being unproductive and unreasonable actions. Courage does not only refer to actions but also to having the guts to sit down and listen to what others have to say. It’s about being bold to accept and do the right things.

  • COMMITMENT
    A leader and his people can never achieve one dream without love and trust. A leader without commitment will never progress with his visions because he lacks the desire and motivation which will be the only way to allow one to achieve the goal the one seeks.
  • OPEN-MINDED

A leader should always consider all the options before making a decision. Close-mindedness will lead to recklessness and would possibly cause his people/nation’s downfall.

3. CORAZON AQUINO, even with the assassination of her husband, became the unified opposition’s candidate in the Philippines as President Ferdinand Marcos called for an unexpected election back in 1986. She was known for starting and leading a non-violent revolution that became a world changing event, called the People Power. A great woman who stood her ground throughout everything even as she gave her speech in the US Congress, which earned a sincere applause with each sentence. Truly she deserved to be called a leader.

   Why her???

  • HUMBLE

A great leader should know how to humble themselves even if they acknowledge how good they are at what they do. People tend to corrupt their mind with ego when they forget where they first started, which is at the bottom. Boasting will get you nowhere but only pull you down. A great leader knows how to listen to his people and be compassionate, because as an individual we are all equal.

  • PASSIONATE

A leader, to be great, should of course love what he is doing. How can you be great at something that you don’t enjoy doing? This drives everyone to enjoy their work because the leader influences them with a positive attitude.

  • CONVICTED

Being convicted to his own belief should not only be a leader’s trait, but an individual’s character. You should also learn how to compromise with your team’s belief because it is a challenge that you don’t face alone, but what you face with your team.

Being a leader is not something that we take easily into account. It stands with great honour that partners with being reliable to the people you lead. A leader is being held responsible with the task given at hand and is driven to do the best he can.

To all the leaders, whatever your position may be, you should learn how important your role is. Being someone who takes to heart what they do is someone worth looking up to and worth remembering.

“Lead by example…

be willing to do whatever it takes.”

Series Review: The Selection Series by Kiera Cass (a review by Alleilei)

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‘Im not choosing him or you, I’m choosing me.’

We all make choices in life that we sometimes plan or we sometimes do spontaneously, may it be because of the probability of benefits that we get from it or just because we decided with our emotions.

‘The Selection’ Series by Kiera Cass explained and showed different ways how love, as much as we consider it blissful, will always go through different obstacles. These sometimes pressures us to make decisions that we feel that we are yet to be ready for.

America Singer, a simple yet beautiful redhead girl from the caste of Five, fell in love with his childhood friend Aspen. They kept their relationship a secret for they thought that it would be safer that way. Everything was perfect for America, despite the conflicts of the castes and the rebel attacks in the palace, until everything fell apart when Aspen decided to break-up. Not really expecting heartbreak, America Singer decided to enter a contest, similar to a pageant, which holds a competition on who can win the Prince’s heart. Cliché and Chick Flick as this story may seem to be, but it doesn’t stop with a one-sided story of romance.

As you go through the whole three books, you will be surprised and amazed as to what a person can do to protect her loved ones, fight to prove oneself without the pressure of conforming to the endless pattern of succumbing to the prejudicial value of the hypocrites who will do everything for power and wealth. This is a story that is immediately judged, because of an introduction to a world wind romance but unexpectedly ends with various issues that you would be surprised as to how much it is a great read. It is a must read, because of the story that will definitely keep you standing on your toes.

“Life is not waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

 -The Selection Series by Kiera Cass

Literary Recommendation List

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The writers behind this blog have come up with a list of literary pieces that they want to impart unto others. The writers’ felt the need to share their literary experience and readings to you, so that you may also embark on this journey of which they greatly enjoyed.

Poems:

A Question -Lang Leav

A Way Out -Lang Leav

I Want It now -Roald Dahl

Sonnet 29 – William Shakespeare

You Were Brave in that Holy War – Hafiz

You Shall Be Free- Trinidad Tarrosa-Subido

As the Ruin Falls –C.S. Lewis

On A Vulgar Error –C.S. Lewis

The Condemned –C.S. Lewis

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening –Robert Frost

Short Stories:

Fish Bones -Larissa Lai

The Cask of Amontillado -Edgar Allan Poe

The Story of An Hour -Kate Chopin

At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers – Salman Rushdie

Where I Lived and What I Lived for (from Walden) – Henry David Thoreau

A Rose for Emily – Katherine Mansfield

Our chosen plays:

Phantom of the Opera

Les Miserables

Hairspray

Ghost

Legally Blonde

Novels:

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Series Review: The Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin (a review by Izzy A)

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 “You will love him to ruins.”

Mara

Seventeen-year-old Mara Amitra Dyer wakes up in a hospital having no recollection of the tragic incident that took the lives of her three friends and left her as the only survivor. From Rhode Island, her family decides to move to Florida to give Mara a new beginning where she unexpectedly finds love with Noah, encounter more deaths, slowly recovers her memories that could save lives, and realizes that there is something special and peculiar about her that makes her different and dangerous from everybody else. As the story progresses in the next book, Mara continues to discover more about her ability, her past, and her relationship with Noah.

I love this trilogy to ruins. If you’re in the mood for a dark, intriguing, and heart-pounding journey with a dark twist of a love story and the right amount of humor that will make your head spin and will keep you awake at night, then The Mara Dyer trilogy is the one for you. The first book in the series is The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the second is The Evolution of Mara Dyer, and finally The Retribution of Mara Dyer which concluded the series last November of 2014.

All of the books were indeed page-turners. They induced so much emotion from me as a reader that sometimes I find myself laughing out loud for a minute and then suddenly I have to urge myself to run to flip the light switch on and hide under the covers of my bed. The author of the book sets the scenes so well that the words basically jump out of the page and into my imagination, greatly affecting the visuals in my brain and my reactions to the story.

The humour of the characters were very paradoxial to the theme of the story which actually balances out the darkness of the story with the needed comic relief. Mara was a very refreshing main character with a very sharp wit, boldness, and unrelenting―setting her aside from many other YA female protaganists that are out there. Noah complements her unfailing smart-mouth who has the attributes of that of a rich boy that is rebelling and unconforming, but underneath all that is a misunderstood boy with a loving personality. Every single banter, every snide comment, and every heart-wrenching moment in their relationship was very fascinating and gripping to read as it unfolded.

What I love the most about this trilogy, aside from the characters, is that you never know where you are heading. The unpredictability is the best thing about it. Just like the main characters, you too are left in the dark. If I think my assumptions are correct, I am only proven wrong in the latter part of the book and even in the next books. You get confused for one moment, then you gain understanding just to lose it all again. It’s unusual that I somehow enjoy being confused because through that I get to understand what the main character is going through. As the story progresses and as I read on I empathize with her along the way. There never is a dull moment in the books―if the scene isn’t creepy and thrilling, it’s funny and heart-warming.

Overall, this series is one of my favorite trilogies. The unusual and compelling storyline and the well-written characters are my favorite parts about it, even though I did have some problems with how the series wrapped up. The Mara Dyer trilogy is received with positive to mixed reviews, but I strongly recommend these books, especially if you are in need of a page-turner.

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Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (a review by Micia)

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Anna and the French Kiss has always been one of my favourite young adult romantic love stories. It’s not the kind of a typical teen love story; it has great twists, an amazing setting and adorable characters. The writing style was great; it made me kept turning the pages and also it was like my best friend trying to share her ultimate secrets with me. Loaded with sentimental near misses, Anna and the French Kiss is a beguiling, sensible book. For every last bit of its show, there was an unmistakable feeling of tension to the written work and the storyline that made the book extremely engaging, alongside the boundless measure of charming scenes in the book.

cover-anna-and-the-french-kiss

Anna Oliphant, the main character of the story, is not very happy with the fact that her dad is going to send to a boarding school in Paris, France; the School of America in Paris. Trying to spend a year away from Bridgette; her best friend, Toph; her kind-of-boyfriend, Josh; her brother, and of course her parents would make everything else harder, not just because she’s not used to French culture and doesn’t speak French but also trying to survive a place that you don’t know ALONE. That is the case until she met this dazzling and appealing guy named Etiene St. Clair. She met him when she came to her neighbour, Meredith, to make a friend, on her way back, Etienne suddenly appeared. She was caught in a gaze; St Clair is just too gorgeous as described in the book. They became friends, well… best friends actually. But the thing is, Anna’s taller than her and he has a girlfriend. My feels suddenly went down the moment I knew that. I already felt the chemistry between them and then, BOOM, he has a GIRLFRIEND. Which makes the story more interesting when you’re trying to find out how will they end up as friends or as lovers 😀

Anna and St. Clair’s story is very adventurous, fun and exciting. I enjoyed reading this book because of the landmarks put in the story; it made me want to go to Paris so bad and meet my very own St. Clair. Lol. Okay, back to the story… Anna and St. Clair both have a rough relationship with their fathers so they could somehow relate to each other. When you read the book, you’ll also enjoy the slow progression of their friendship until it is clear that there’s already a romantic chemistry between them. But both of them seemed to be holding back because Anna has Toph (her kind-of-boyfriend back in Atlanta), and St. Clair has Ellie (his girlfriend). Well, they were kind of naughty here because they tend to go out to the movies, party and sleep just with each other; knowing that they have their significant others. But I’m glad how the story ended up for both of them.

“Home isn’t a place, it’s a person” – Etienne St. Clair

That’s when St. Clair realized that Anna is really for him and he is meant for Anna so he decided to break up with Ellie. Finally he admitted his love to Anna on a top of a building in Paris. Their love story is just simply my favourite and always been one of my dreams to have such an adventure and exciting relationship with a significant other. The main characters, the storyline and the writing style are just simply captivating. This book is a good read and highly recommended for everyone.

Behind the Veil of Preferences

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Several media broadcasts and news articles were featured ever since the people’s feedback on Charlie Hebdo had been put into action, but what seems to be missing in these media broadcasts are the main objects that caused the outrage—covers of Charlie Hebdo issues. News channels like CBC, CNN, and MSNBC refuse to show any of those certain covers where Prophet Muhammed is portrayed. Some news channels say that they don’t handle things that are intended to unnecessarily offend; thus, they ended up describing the subject instead of showing the actual photo that offended many, because they believed that it wasn’t necessary to show it, especially in light of the recent events. Yes, it could be offensive to some individuals, but as journalists and field reporters, they should not have been afraid to reveal certain truths.

Other news channels did not seem to have a problem with presenting the cartoons. These certain channels don’t put out the covers of the cartoon because it might be unnecessarily offensive, but would they do the same for the so-called ‘unnecessary offenses’ concerning other religions? Would they take down the ‘unnecessarily offensive’ articles and pictures if there weren’t threats of terrorism attacks that might be directed towards them?

It was not just about intervening failure but also the covers were what the viewers needed to help them with their assessments. Not letting your viewers see what your subject really is, won’t let them understand the story. In this case, the ethical standards for journalists had failed in performance. While the news channels prove to have good intentions, there continues to be a question that needs to be answered: Was it really to avoid offense or is it because of the fear of the extremists?

Unknown Truth: ‘The Honorable Death’ or ‘The Horrible Death’?

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The attacks of terrorism against the satirical newspaper, ‘Charlie Hebdo’, led to the death and demise of 12 people and wounding 11 others, capturing the attention and focus of the rest of the world. The rate of news and opinions about this incident has increased rapidly and dramatically around the world during its peak and even two weeks after the incident, undeniable it is still one of the most discussed topics in the world.

Through reading news articles, watching news reports, and even scrolling through our twitter feeds, the assessments and notions regarding the brutal and ruthless killings vary. Many of the articles and news reports only fire the flame of our distress as we read them. It is very infuriating to read articles about how the editors, cartoonists, staff, etc. deserved what happened to them. It is very aggravating to read and hear reports about the complaints concerning the constraints for ‘freedom of speech’, when ‘freedom’ is not synonymous to the obliteration of limitations.

Conjuring a satirical newspaper will indeed invoke reactions against those they place criticisms upon. The creators are aware from the beginning that publishing their opinions would be a great risk to take just to express thoughts that clearly goes beyond the line of limitations. The risk of offending other cultures/religions hold dire consequences and yet they still continued to write.

It is true that we have freedom of speech; but what is supposed to be decoded has limitations, for it is carried with duties and responsibilities especially when the nature of the action is irrelevant. Charlie Hebdo, as we all know, is a satirical magazine. Although satirical writings are supposed to be humorous, ridiculous, sarcastic, and exposing, it shouldn’t be disrespecting or placing false accusations on people’s faith or religion. If one is very articulate and literate, one should know how readers would probably respond to the written accounts; knowing that Muslims in France are quite oppressed by their society because of past events which lead to racism of French Muslims, why bother being another oppressor? Freedom of speech doesn’t always necessarily imply that one is right nor one is secured, sometimes it even causes one’s own downfall. If Charlie Hebdo wanted to say something about condemning terrorism, the publishers should have put something that wouldn’t include any attack against things that are out of its context.

With regards to the attack of the extremists, putting an end to the life of others because they have been offended, you can never be and will never be acknowledged as something that is justifiable. Regardless of how hostile or tacky another person’s opinions are, it is never a reason to take a life. The people behind Charlie Hebdo certainly did not yearn for what transpired; rather it only serves as a result of the grim actions of extremists. Voicing out emotions and notions against the offenses placed is one thing, and following up on it with viciousness is another thing.

Neither victory nor honor was gained by both parties. Both have committed their mistakes against each other. It is quite obvious that there is tension between these two parties, yet the result of this tension has turned into something very inhumane. But bygones are bygones, and what is done is done. The best thing that we all could hope for now is to obtain justice for those who were killed. Hopefully, both parties would realize their wrongs, become aware of limitations, and most importantly to settle this issue in the most conceivably ideal way without ruthlessness.