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Walking my dog makes me feel better since it's my exercise and it helps me clear my mind. I also do journalling to help me express myself. I vent out my anger and rants through writing; this helps me understand myself better and know how I cope up with things.

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I usually use the mcu as an escape from the harshness of college. Apart from helping me unwind, it provides a nice source of inspiration for me through its moral lessons or its characters' feats. This year is definitely my peak of stanning, mostly because of the surge of content on Disney+. It felt nice though, as I got to reconnect with my younger self on this journey in college through my love of marvel.

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It's quite hard for me to just sit down and relax, but I find that when I do what I love most is watching shows especially of my favorite groups! I also love reading novels and mangas that are more slice-of-life or reflective in nature. To help me keep track of my days and to help me record my memories, I also journal very often!

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Ever since I was a child, I have already discovered my interest and love in playing different sports. Among all sports that I have played, tennis is the sport that really associated with me wherein I was able to acquire scholarships from various schools because of it and I am grateful that all of these have happened to me. Whenever I play and think of tennis, I feel joyful because I have always enjoyed the game, the friendships made, the energy, and the things it helped me to become a better person in life. With that, I take great seriousness and determination whenever I play any tennis games, especially during competitions and as I would always give my best to win and show what I can do.

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Growing up, building Lego sets was my favorite pastime. When I stepped into high school, I realized that it was quite an expensive hobby that I needed to discontinue. Following the first semester of online classes last school year, I badly needed something as a hobby and so I went back to building lego sets but this time I buy more budget-friendly knock off brick brands. I'm glad I was able to find the right recreational and de-stressing activity for me especially during this pandemic. (Akim, 3 AB DipIR)

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If there is any priority that I have in my life right now, it would be my undying passion for committing myself to academic philosophical research and therefore reading a lot of material related to it. Ever since I entered Grade 11, I already felt as if there was something that I wanted to do besides spending the rest of my days playing video games, eating, and sleeping (my obsession with video games had a detrimental effect on my academics back then). As of the moment, I have decided to study philosophies of education in my spare time. A few books I am reading right now on the topic:
* The Cambridge Introduction to Jacques Derrida
* International Handbook of Philosophy of Education
* The Ignorant Schoolmaster:  Five Lessons in Intellectual Emancipation

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I am passionate about reading and writing. I am student-journalist when I was in high school. It makes me mighty glad when I write about pressing matters hounding the school, the community, and the country. (Cyrus Millamina 1-BS MGT Y3)

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I've been a K-pop fan since I was in Grade 9 and my constant is EXO! I used to stan other groups as well like Monsta X, iKON, GOT7, Seventeen, Super Junior and more but due to being busy with academics, I decided to just focus on stanning EXO! (though I still listen to the songs of the groups above). EXO has been my source of happiness ever since and they made me try new hobbies as well like writing stories and digital art!

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I think that I’m someone who wants to do so many things but gets tired in the process of it. I’ve started journalling since March 2021 and I’ve been filling up the pages. I found more ways to know what alters my mood, what makes me happy, and what gives me fulfillment.

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I'm very passionate about filmmaking (videography and video editing) and creating playlists for each vibe on spotify.

- Brian Madera

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I have three dogs, and they have definitely been my stress reliever during the pandemic. Everytime I would get too stressed with acads & work, I'd always play with them or walk them outside.

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Making Playlists, Modding on Discord, and Listening to Music

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Making Playlists, Modding on Discord, and Listening to Music

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Okay so stuff I love to do. I love listening to music- I've been a music kid since like forever, learning how to play guitar, violin, and sing among other things. I love playing instruments and I write songs in my free time. I actually have an album on Spotify hehe, feel free to ask me if you'd like the link to it!

I love listening to music because it serves as healing. It's a reset from all the things that have happened throughout the day and just focus on myself and the music. It lets me feel so many emotions in so little time. Music has made me cry more than any other form of media lmao, and I think it's a good thing. I actually clock around 174,000 minutes on Spotify listening to music which is kinda pepejesus (a discord emote) to some, but hey it helps me so I love it! Music is my life, and honestly if I actually had the time and willpower to just focus on music as my career I'd do it.

I also love making playlists on Spotify as seen in the image above. I love making it based on genres I love, or specific themes, situations, or feelings I have. Most recently I've been making playlists about my boyfriend because it's too easy to and I've been thinking about him a lot recently so I just made several playlists about him :)) I make playlists for all my friends too! I base it on their music taste and also songs that describe my relationship with them, it's pretty cool. My playlists actually get quite a bit of followers on Spotify which is amazing for me cause I'm happy that people like them and can relate to the themes of my playlists so I just curate them as best as I can! Psst, if you want a playlist just hit me up and I can make one for you!!

And finally, I like to mod Discord servers in my spare time. I discovered Discord in 2018, when I had to communicate for a Model United Nations event (can you tell, I'm a politics nerd) but I only really discovered it and made many friends in 2020. I joined one server in 2020, and immediately made friends and helped people out in that server and early this year, I applied for staff and got the job! It was tough, but that is a server I highly want to improve because it means a lot to me, so I'm happy I get to improve it everyday. It makes me smile just seeing people appreciate us staff members for working on the server, and I'm able to communicate with people all over the world on a common ground (an exam board, of all things). Here's to hoping I can continue to improve that server :))

-alex
Favorite songs rn: My Time by bo en, Flaneur by Plini & Anomalie, and After the War by Reinaeiry

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Since elementary, I always am inclined in sports. I have tried different sports and excelled in some of them. You can call me Jack of All Trades but Master of None. I entered the swim team of our elementary school as an ace while being a table tennis varsity at the same time. Besides this, I also tried training the anyo arnis for fun and badminton as well. As I entered high school, I tried new sports such as lawn tennis and basketball. Luckily, I got into the 3x3 Varsity Basketball Team of our school during my last playing year. Through perseverance and hard work, we reached the WVRAA, Regionals in our province, but were suspended due to COVID. Now due to our situation, the sports that I have mentioned are not that possible to perform. So, I ventured into a new sport last November 2020, unfamiliar to me, Crossfit but mainly Weightlifting. I am now in love with this sport and it serves as my breather from school. I am now trying to be a master in this field and am trying to break my personal records step by step.

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I have always been in love with music. Not because this is something I want to do with my life or something that I want to make a career out of. I love music because it makes the little things come to life. Every happy experience, every sad thought, every boring day, has all been made better or more alive thanks to the songs I have for the day.

Music also allows me turn my mind off for one second and just focus on the song. It gives me time to take a break. It gives me time to feel when everything else seems numb.

Sometimes when days get especially rough, I can just play a song and start dancing or singing like the whole world is gone. It is just me and the music playing.

P.S. Current fave playlist: Solar Power

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Having to balance school and the extra-curricular work can be taxing especially during exam weeks so whenever I feel stressed or out of mind, I take time to rewind and relax. My typical home spa days includes cleaning my room, lighting up a scented candle, personal grooming, doing my skincare routine, and taking streaming hot shower to melt away the stress. Afterwards, I would either take a long nap or play with my 3 doggos.

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I love our dogs so much! We have 7 dogs, and 6 puppies. Their breeds are shih tzu, dachshund, and askal. They are my main source of serotonin!
I am also a KPOP fan. My bias group right now is NCT, and I am happy that many people are now stanning them too!

-Kyla Anne Estorba

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What I am passionate about and what I love

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What I am passionate about and what I love

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I am passionate about helping people. It's something pretty innate and is a driving factor for my dream and (hopefully) future profession. I was sick a lot as a kid and knowing how painful that was, I wanted to help those who were sick and help relieve their pain. This branched out and I started wanting to help people whenever I notice people aren't feeling well (emotionally and physically). And so! What I love and what makes me smile is seeing other people genuinely smile because it means they're happy.

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I was already deep into the K-POP zone before the pandemic started, but it wasn't until then when I discovered my love for stationery and used it as a means to let my creative self out. I would always see these aesthetic posts circling around on Instagram and Twitter, and I wanted to try doing it myself. This meant a lot of spending every Shopee sale, but it's definitely worth it. It's a great way for me to destress from all the schoolwork and allows me the time to breathe. I'm not bounded by any limitations and am able to creatively express myself in any way I can.

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Recently I like to listen to K-Pop. Oftentimes I would sing songs from my favorite groups and attempt to copy the choreography from their songs to relieve myself of stress. this actually started during the pandemic when I was just looking for stuff online and I stumbled upon TXT and NCT and other groups that I now "stan" such as ENHYPEN, ITZY, and other 4th Gen Groups in K-Pop. I also like to sing and play the guitar sometimes, but I think I've lost my hobby of playing the guitar as well. as baking sweets because I am a sweet tooth! I would say I love music a lot that's why K-Pop has really been a huge factor in keeping me sane during the pandemic and these hard times. It's almost as if I was relying my happiness on my favorite groups and idols that's why I was starting to become concerned with myself because I would think that my fangirling was distracting me from addressing the problems that I am dealing deep within. But either way, K-Pop has recently been positively affecting me because it honestly helped me find what I love doing the most? Although it's not clear, but I do find the entertainment industry exciting and interesting for me especially since it's related to music.

-- Lauren Nathalie Asica

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Listening, Watching, and Dancing to KPOP

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Listening, Watching, and Dancing to KPOP

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Doing these things make me feel excited and motivated everyday. It helps me to look forward to something everyday. It also keeps me sane specially these trying times. I also love dancing that's why I am fond of watching dance choreographies of KPOP though I can't dance that well like them. My ultimate groups are EXO, Monsta X, and NCT. I also hope to find new friends who share the same interests. :))

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Ever since I joined this Reading for Life elective, I've been reading voraciously. I love how each novel I dive into takes me to so many different worlds and lived experiences. For moments in time, I feel like I can escape and be somewhere else where there is no pandemic, and just immerse.

My rotation right now looks like this:
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (instant fave!)
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

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I love hanging out with my friends. They' are the building blocks of my comfortable bubble. The pandemic stopped our weekly physical "get togethers", and so we do this by getting together in Discord and play video games.

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I have always sung. Singing is an integral part of who I am and, sometimes, it is the only thing that keeps me adrift. I do not know what else to say about singing because my love for it is easy to explain. Singing is like breathing; it is that natural and elementary.

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Something I’m passionate about is improv. Improvisation is a theatre form and a theatre technique (but is open to everyone), where everything is unscripted and on-the-spot. It may sound intimidating, and it might be initially, but for me, it’s always a pleasure doing improv. Improv allows me to be whoever I want to be. What’s reassuring about improv is that whatever mistakes happen are turned into opportunities. Improv has made me a more authentic and assertive as a person.

-Anon

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I honestly didn't expect to play a sport growing up since I didn't like doing strenuous activities. However, when my best friend told me to accompany her in trying out for our school's volleyball team, I felt as if I belonged and so I continued. This then became my turning point in life because it truly changed me for the better and it became my outlet whenever I am stressed out or something. It's sad though that I can't play it anymore because of the pandemic, but I truly can't wait for the time to come that I may be able to play it again.

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I have been accustomed to rituals of taking care of myself such as relaxing (video games and sleep). But now, the best that make me feel at peace is to detach.

Knowing that I have attachment issues; now that I found myself in a better position to exhibit independence.

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Listening to KPOP just makes me feel so good and it helps me take a breather from all my problems. My favorite KPOP group would have to be NCT because of their nice songs and funny members. Aside from listening to KPOP, I also like to play games like Genshin Impact if I have more time to spare before going back to my school work.

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So far, I feel like I've been on a loop with playing video games and watching the same-old movies since I felt like I had nothing better to do. But when school started, I've been trying to find ways on how I can keep myself from being overwhelmed in a healthy way. So I decided to bike around my village for a certain amount of time to get that sunlight serotonin. Apart from biking around, I've also started to read a bit of self-help books and journaling as a way of grounding. I've also always enjoyed listening to various music (specifically video game OSTs) for some daydreaming sessions whenever I'm free from assignments or when I'm taking a break.

- Axel

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I love watching movies and TV shows, whatever genre they are or generation they came from. It gives me a temporary break from my reality and transports me into the life of others. This weirdly helps me in my self growth as I take mental notes for myself when a character makes a mistake or if they do something commendable. I can also see the creativity of the production crew as their movies present different plots and storylines that gets viewers hooked.

- Emma

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I absolutely LOVE reading, I've read a lot of stories when I was a young boy, but as I grew up, I didn't focus on it that much and gradually lost interest. And ever since this pandemic started and we were all stuck to our screens, I needed a alternative way to distract myself from this uncomfortable new normal, I already had outlets like online games, and music, but I wanted something new. I wanted to go on an adventure or experience a world, which is why I heavily prefer the genre of fiction/adventure. Not only do I enjoy, but I am fascinated whenever I am able to leave reality behind and experience the adventures just from simple words on a page.

After what seemed to be centuries since the pandemic started, I picked up my first book, that book being Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days" and went on this marvelous adventure with Phileas Fogg, Passepartout and Mrs. Aouda. From the rocky seas experienced in the SS Carnatic to the shootout in the American Railways, I adored every single second, every single sentence and every single word of it and that's when I rekindled the old fire of my childhood.

The picture above shows my current book collection, unfortunately my old books were passed on to my cousins, but with this book collection, I was able to turn a new page (no pun intended)! The book I am reading right now is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, an excellent read that I recommend wholeheartedly, simply because of Ray Bradbury's pristine word smithing and storytelling. However, since I started learning in Ateneo, my reading time has decreased drastically, but I'm slowly but surely adjusting time for that hobby.

- Elpidio III Gulpan Mandal

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To be honest, I participated in this class because I don't really know what I like doing or what I do for fun. I'm really lost right now and I'm seeking to find something that excites me again! But this lockdown, my boyfriend and I started to bake a lot and it really made me happy! I like the house smelling like a bakery and having something to munch on after our post-baking nap.

- Ranielle

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This makes me incredibly happy. Playing tennis has been the one thing I look forward to doing each day since the pandemic started. Playing has made me realize how strong I can be both physically and mentally.