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St. Christopher, Christan Lawrence P. Lua

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St. Christopher, Christan Lawrence P. Lua

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"Who is me"

They say what I do is what makes I me,

but as I stare at my image I wonder who am I really?

I live my days conforming to what those around me seek,

to the point that my personality seems so boring and bleak,

But when I am alone an antithesis of my essence is shown,

The difference between dark and light right then and there is made known,

It is as if a different person had possessed my body,

Though no one can see I know I cannot be sloppy,

For I fear the day that I am unveiled,

Only to be ridiculed cut up and nailed,

When society becomes accepting only will I let them see,

Until then I will dream of the day that I can just be me.

I made a three-stanza poem circulating around the Idea of how I cannot truly be myself around others due to a fear of being shunned and not being accepted. I did my best to convey how I felt whilst keeping it poetic. Often in real life, I wear a face mask to hide what I look like, this is because I am afraid that other people might find me unattractive or ugly. Similarly, I also act differently around certain people to match their energy and rarely act like myself around others.

As for the image I had attached, I decided that a Chameleon best represents the message of my poem. Chameleons are best known for their ability to change colors and blend into their surroundings. In a way, it is a metaphor for how we change the way we act around other people and in different social situations.

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St. Constantine_Carurucan, Allen Rogin K.

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St. Constantine_Carurucan, Allen Rogin K.

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“Is that really... the limit to your power? Do you honestly think that you won't get any stronger for the rest of your life? Instead of sitting around frustrated, it's better to keep on moving forward.”

Desire to find true strength and power is not what I'm really after, as a regular 9th grader I've witness a lot of 10th graders having a hard time when they were at their 9th grade state.

So like the quote Saitama has said, don't push you're limits instead break them, don't give up, fight through and stay strong.

That's why we Junior High School students should keep going forward to are goal reaching Senior High and Collage.

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The Siopao Symphony: A Rose and Poetry Tale

In the realm of rose and poetry, I find my solace true,
A canvas for my heart's desires, painted in vibrant hue.
With verses sweet, I'll lay my soul, my passions intertwined,
Revealing who I am within, my essence unconfined.

Among the petals soft and red, my love for food does bloom,
From savory to sweet delights, my taste buds find no gloom.
A feast of flavors in my world, a culinary dream,
In every dish, I see a story, in every bite, a gleam.

In the arms of Morpheus, I seek my nightly rest,
A lover of deep slumber's grace, in dreams, I am truly blessed.
With each embrace of soft oblivion, I find my peace and quiet,
For in the realms of sleep, my soul takes flight.

I'm the kind to mend the hearts, to lend a helping hand,
To fix the world's conundrums, to make the troubles stand.
It's not that I escape my own, but rather, I'm at ease,
When making others' lives more bright, my heart's true warmth does please.

And oh, siopao, steamed delight, in your fluffy embrace,
I find comfort in your presence, a taste of my happy place.
As I explore the world of prose, in rose and poetry's embrace,
My true and unfiltered self emerges, with a smile on my face.

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In the bustling heart of Manila, where jeepneys weave through the chaos and karaoke echoes through our tight knit neighborhoods, you'll find me  a simple 9th grader. But I'm more than just a face in the crowd. I'm a blend of melodies and friendships, just like the artists I admire Frank Ocean, Kanye West, and MF DOOM.

When the city's humidity is too much to bear, I escape into the rhythms of Frank Ocean, letting his soulful tunes carry me away. In his music, I find a reflection of my own search for meaning in this labyrinth of life. Just like Kanye West, I'm unapologetically me. His words remind me that it's okay to embrace my quirks and quirks are what make me unique. And then there's MF DOOM, the enigmatic wordsmith, whose intricate lyrics challenge me to think beyond the surface.

But music is only part of my story. I am a 9th grader in Manila, a place where dreams are as vast as the Pacific, where friendships are as strong as the jeepneys on EDSA, and where music, like the love that surrounds me, knows no boundaries. And the melodies that resonate in my heart.

The city's chaos is my canvas, where I paint moments of laughter and memories with friends. Just like the samples Kanye West masterfully weaves into his songs, I blend my passions and create my unique symphony of life. And when I walk through the urban maze, I carry MF DOOM's enigmatic spirit, hidden behind the mask of my everyday persona. Manila, my city, my inspiration, where I discover my true self in the midst of the diverse stories that shape my identity.

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“The choice that leads to failure and success”

Life has a choice. A choice ends with neither a good or a poor decision. Everything you choose is who you are now.

Choices have no time; there is only now. Either you will choose to go forward or stay. Sometimes we can regret not choosing to go forward, and it can result to a bad decision. Is it bad not to choose? I have tried one, and the ending was unsatisfactory. And all you need is a little push to choose.

A choice can lead to failure, but that doesn’t mean that we will not succeed. It can not only lead to defeat, but it is also a lesson that makes us a better person. I would suggest choosing to move forward instead of staying. There’s a saying, “If you only choose on what you can do, you’ll never be more than you are now. A choice It can not only lead to failure, but it is also a lesson that makes us who we want to be.

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In a world nowadays where everyone is either trying to one-up one another, betray one another, or sell one another out for their gain, finding a trustworthy friend is almost as rare as a Blue Lobster.

I, a naive person back then, and still am to a degree to this day, was looking for a person with the qualities of a great friend, Brutal Honesty, Loyalty, and Empathy. Still, as stated before, the chances of finding such a person were as rare as a blue lobster.

So the years went by, looking for a person with such qualities, but to no avail; it almost seemed impossible to find a confidant with such attributes, and the search was slowly becoming a farce.

Then, it hit me like an arrow to the knee, and a realization from the heavens hit me.

"If I can't find someone with these attributes, what's stopping me from becoming the person with the attributes?"

So the search ended in a different pursuit: if the qualities of a good friend are as rare as a blue lobster, why don't I become the friend?

So the pursuit began; if the quest to find a great friend with these qualities is as rare as the blue lobster, I'll increase the chances by becoming that friend.

So it isn't as rare as a Blue Lobster.

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As most people would pick up the rose,
I am the thorn most people would avoid,
I could hurt them if they'd choose me so it was foolish to wish I suppose,
I can't help but imagine what could've been but who knows,

I'm so tired of pretending while everyone gets to naturally pose,
For the spotlight, I'd bleed for-- red as a rose,
I'm so tired of acting as if I am a summer sun,
In reality, I am a cyclone that whenever you see you would run,

As the skies cried-- I let my sobs out,
Until when will it be like this?
I screamed even more as there was no sound coming from my mouth,
My eyelids are getting heavy as I feel my energy getting decreased,

And as most people would pick up the rose,
I'll always be a thorn in their eyes,
Except me-- I'm sure I'll soon learn how to pose,
And even if everyone sees me as something flawed--I'll still be able to call a thorn nice.

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Like a destroyed artwork I am,
I don’t know where and what to aim.
However, one must take a step and try
once more,
Having to repaint the art in order to restore.

Art is influential for it helps you with your perception,
Treated with care and caution,
As long as you have an inspiration,
one’s artwork will undoubtedly be a perfection.

Through paintbrush, emotions are expressed,
So you shall paint if you feel depressed.
Learn to build yourself on your own,
Since you’ll only have yourself, all alone.

Like climbing a thousand steps of stairs,
Suffering in regret and despair.
Fall, if you must. But remember to climb back up.
For on a particular same spot, you shan’t get stuck.

Amid darkness and storm,
Beauty will be reborn.
The once unpleasing painting,
Will be made breathtaking.

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It's only natural for relationships to come and go. But it seems like they've only been going away and none coming. All friendships I've had are all left in the past. Something that will never come again.

Is it so bad to hold onto the past when it's all I have left of them? I tried staying in contact but it seems like I'm the only one who is trying or wants the relationship. It all feels like I'm just desperately clinging to something of the past.

I look around me and everyone seems happy with their friends. While I'm left with the memories of my friend. I thought I would be okay with letting them go, being alone. I thought wrong. The loneliness is finally catching up to me. I know I shouldn't cling to the past, but is it so wrong to want to be content and happy again?

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"I am who I am."

As this year starts to close, I look back and realize: "After many years, still no achievements, huh?" As every year passes, I try to do something new to find what I am passionate about, yet nothing really clicks. Drawing? Terrible at it. Music? Wish I didn't even try. Acting? I might as well be a clown. A new year has passed, and I have still yet to have something to be passionate about. "I should give up," I thought while lying in my dark, ill-lit room. My room, which used to be full of creativity, aspirations, hopes, and dreams, suddenly became a gloomy, sorry room filled with shattered hopes and dreams.

I feel as if I am sinking into an endless ocean of disappointment. I close my eyes as the water consumes me and fall slowly into the dark abyss. While I descend, I reflect on all the goals I had hoped to reach and all the people I had expected to live up to, yet they're all so far away now. I just wished I wasn't so useless. I reach the ocean floor, where all my broken promises and expectations are laid. "So you're just gonna give up again?" I hear a voice I never expected to hear. I open my eyes and see.....myself? I was too shocked and confused to even react. "So are you just gonna lay down there or work on your dreams!" He said, "Look, you'll never live up to the people you want to be because they are not you. You shouldn't base your entire life on someone else." "Be yourself because YOU are enough!" I couldn't respond. All this time, I have been wanting to be someone else. I have not accomplished anything because I always believe I am not enough and should be someone else.

Suddenly, I felt like a beam of hope had pierced the ocean. I see myself swimming up from the ocean floor following this beam. As I ascend to the surface, I see everything that makes me myself. I see all the hobbies and things I tried doing—music, art, and acting. I wasn't terrible at them; I didn't pursue them because I thought I wasn't enough. Now I realize that I am enough, I am creative, I am me! I break the ocean surface and see the light of hope shining on me. I woke up; I felt as if my gloomy room of regret returned to its original form. I picked up a notebook on my desk. While full of inspiration and creativity, I took a pen and started to write: "I am who I am."