The list of inanimate objects that fills up the day of a person is way too many to mention but in the midst of it, there would always be that one thing that fills your day up with love and contentment. 

Although my first thought is my ever reliable laptop because it helps me survive my everyday life (a.k.a. assignments) and all the demands of college life it’s not what fills my heart with excitement at the moment.

Tickets, especially plane tickets. 

Recently my family decided that we would go on a trip, I thought it would just be around the Philippines as what we would usually do but this year we’re going abroad #ReyesOnTheRun. Since it is my first time flying abroad I’m the most excited person in the bunch. The feeling of finally having that precious paper on hand makes my heart fill with joy. 

 

It makes me happy because Kate Spade has been my favorite brand for bags, pouches, and wallets since I was young and it’s been a while since I owned a new item from the brand. I love Kate Spade because their designs are diverse which means any type of girl can identify with a product. There are the classics, the pastels, the ones where it has animated designs and animal-shaped forms, and the ones for the tomboy type of girls. The products of this brand may be slightly expensive but the quality is top-notch. All the Kate Spade bags and wallets my cousins and I own are still alive and intact throughout all the years it has been with us. That’s about it, I guess. I already wrote too much for a wallet anyway. I swear I’m not as materialistic as it seems.

That one object that makes me happy at this point in my life is nothing but my eyebrow liner. It’s the Eyestudio® Brow Define + Fill Duo by Maybelline (this is not a product review, I’m just really happy about it). It may seem like I’m just being vain, well maybe I am a little bit, but there’s more to it than me just wanting to look good. 

                They say that the eyes are the windows to your soul and if that’s the case then your eyebrows are the frame of those windows. I’m not really sure why but people these days put a lot of importance on their brows it’s gotten ridiculous - both men and women now groom their brows, if animals have eyebrows; I bet they’d groom it too. Anyways, my brow liner keeps me happy throughout the day. Whenever I get stressed out because of school stuff and probably my extracurricular businesses or just an exhausting day, all I do is look in the mirror and I say to myself “Well, at least my brows are on fleek!” and that gives me enough reason to smile and keep on pushing. It also gives me that extra confidence that helps me carry myself or present myself to people because when you know you look good, you’d feel good but in this case, it’s your brows that look good. 

                My brow liner also somehow reminds me of my mom. I remember that time when I was at home and we were getting ready to leave and go to the mall, my mom was yelling and telling me to hurry up because I was taking too long then she went to the room and she saw me doing my eyebrows. She came up to me and said “Anak, napakaarte mo naman.” and we laughed. Every time I do my brows in my dorm or anywhere else, I’d hear her voice in my head and it also makes me giggle. She just finds it weird and funny that I take more time to get ready than her.

                So, whatever life has to throw at me, I’ve got my brow liner and I’m ready to face it ON FLEEK!!

Euri Camus
3ELS2

When I play my ukulele, I get the feeling of relaxation, calmness, and peacefulness. I like this feeling because it helps me loosen up and unwind from all the stress that I encounter every day. When I’m doing something important for a long period of time and decided to take a break, I immediately get my ukulele and start to play it because hearing the melody that comes from it rests my thoughts and gives way to all the things that stress me.

My ukulele, which is a Makana brand,  is very to me special because when my parents and I went to Sta. Mesa to buy it, we found out that that ukulele is the last one of its type because what I love about it is that it has a built-in tuner which means I don’t have to buy one anymore. So, that feature had sold me on buying it. 

It was my 17^th birthday when we bought it which means my ukulele is now 2 years and 3 months old and I want to continue having it and keep on learning new songs to play because as long as there’s music, I will never stop playing it.

I can also document my life using my smartphone. I can take pictures or videos of beautiful places I visit, or take note of beautiful phrases I hear. I can share my life with others, or simply keep a record of where I’ve been and where I want to go.

But, mostly, I love my phone because of my books. Ever since I was a child, books have been my constant companions. They have been doors to new characters, windows to new worlds. They are the things that make me happy. My books have opened my eyes to new knowledge I would have never learned had I not been a bookworm. I learned about different cultures, different worlds, and different people. I learned important life lessons, like sacrifice, love, and confidence. I met different characters and fell in love with them. Now, I can carry all these books in one handheld device. 

My smartphone is important because it is one device that does and contains multiple things that make me happy.

Rhafaela Bacal 3ELS2

Out of all the things that a person could have, there’s always one thing that would stand out and make that person extremely happy. In my case, the thing that makes me happy at the moment is my Chlorophyll powder. I use my chlorophyll powder as a paste for my pimples. It helps the pimple come out and dries it up after 3-5 days. It is really helpful to me since I have acne problems. I find using the chlorophyll powder very useful since it’s all organic and there are a lot of benefits you can get from it. It also makes me happy because recent studies show that chlorophyll, when added to drinks, can help weight loss and give you a healthier skin. It can also prevent cancer, help reduce wrinkles and can act as detox for your skin. Even though I'm not yet as flawless as those Korean stars I see on TV or as slim as Emma Watson, I'm happy to see the results.

     I started using it when I got to college because it was too big for me back then and I didn’t really like thick blankets. My mom used to use it but eventually, she gave it to me because I was going to move out and I really loved the feeling of it. It keeps me warm and its soft sensation never fails to make me feel relaxed. Having it on me instantly changes my mood. Whether I am feeling sad, lonely, angry or scared, I always find comfort in my blanket. Being away from home all the time, I think my blanket makes me feel the coziness of my own home whenever I am in Manila. It makes me feel like I have my mom, my dad and my sister with me all the time. Every time I bring it home to be washed, I always make sure that I bring it back to Manila right away because I wouldn’t be able to sleep without it. With all the stress going on in school at the moment, the comfort my blanket gives me is what I really need. 

Both the items give the same amount of happiness for me as it is a tool invented to provide entertainment. Both items are different but, it provides the same kind of entertainment from series to movies from music to news. Both have different functions but both have the same kind of output it wants to deliver. The difference between the two can range from its functions to its uses. 

I personally use both electronics as it provides me comfort and pleasure. I use the television for news, TV series, and movies. I use the laptop for various purposes; from news to movies; from videos to music; and also academic purposes. Both can have same functions as time passes by. 

                I have always been a techy kind of person, and I think even my parents knew that for they always think of me as some kind of an electrical engineer or a computer technician. I like to fiddle with things, know my way through them so that when problems arise, I would know how to fix them. I am exactly like that with my laptop. The laptop that I am talking about is the laptop that I just bought this January, and I treasure it because I bought it using the money that I saved. It makes me happy because I can see where my money went, and knowing that I bought a laptop using that money makes me happier for my old laptop is damaged already and I badly needed a new one. Having a new laptop means I won’t have any more problems writing papers required for my subjects, I can make a presentation again using PowerPoint, I can edit pictures again, and the most of all, I can know my way again through it. Having a laptop that has a newer version of the operating system means it has new features and I can’t help but bring myself to look for these features and to tweak my laptop according to what I want. Other reasons why my laptop makes me happy is that it is so light and that means I can bring it to school without worrying that the bones in my back would snap. My laptop makes me happy because I can download again, something that I cannot do in my previous laptop that it makes the work more stressful; I can watch Korean dramas and TV series much clearer because of the resolution; the battery life is longer than the previous I have and that means I can use it around 5 hours without charging. Really, I just love my new laptop because aside from the fact that it came from my own money (technically it doesn’t really came from me but you know what I mean) and that it suits all my needs.

                My laptop makes me happy because I gain joy in using it. But what I really think is that it’s not the object that makes me happy but the experience that I gain in using it. I gain new knowledge by searching the Internet through my laptop, I can read my readings through my laptop and that makes it easier, I can almost do everything on my laptop and that what makes me really happy. As Dalai Lama said, “Happiness is not ready-made. It comes from your actions.” And no matter how small or big your actions are, I believe that those can bring you happiness, genuine happiness. Appreciate what you have now and I know you will be happy.

I had my first ever burrito in 2015, in the street of V. Concepcion. I cannot afford the expensive ones sold in Army Navy so those sold in V. Con will suffice. Nonetheless, it tastes amazing. It was introduced to me by my good friend, Bianca. I couldn't be  happier that she introduced me to this Mexican food. I never knew burrito could taste so good.  

I usually have garlic and cilantro for my sauce. I don't want anything other than that. The pungent smell of onion stays in your mouth for quite a while but it's tolerable. Your friends will still talk to you but beware of those judging eyes and noses. Well, I believe that the smell only proves that you had a sumptuous burrito for lunch. I don't know if the store where I buy burritos sell burritos with spicy sauce because that would taste even better. However, I haven't tried that, yet. 

The cheese. Oh, the cheese! It tastes even more heavenly because of the cheese. Even though they only put a small amount of cheese, it still feels like everything is made of cheese.  

I don't even mind if they are being sold along the streets without proper sanitation. They store their ingredients in a huge styrofoam cooler. Their cooking pan is even burnt but it's fine as long as it will only make my burrito even more delicious. I guess the smoke from the vehicles passing by also contributes to the flavor. Well, one sanitary thing they do is that they wear plastic gloves while making my burrito. 

In fact, I just had my burrito earlier for lunch and that made me happy. 

The first thing that came into my mind when asked what the thing that makes me happy is my phone. I bring my phone everywhere, from formal occasions to simple gatherings, name it, I bring it. Not only because I use it to communicate with the people I interact with, or to access social media, but it serves as my memory saver as of now.

                My phone makes me happy because I’m the type of person who is a memory hoarder and my phone saves memories for me; I take a lot of pictures when there is an event just to look at it after few days or weeks. I’m the type of person who goes through a hard time thinking whether to delete a certain picture or not, because I feel like I’m deleting memories too. Being a memory hoarder doesn’t only apply to pictures, but also to messages, I tend not to delete conversations that seem special to me. So when I want to reminisce, I can just read it over and over again.

                Not only that, my phone saves me from awkward situations too and I know I’m not the only one guilty of this. For instance, I am in a room full of acquaintances, and I don’t have anyone to talk to, I just pretend to do something in my phone, and I’ll be looking busy already. I may look like I’m texting someone, but I’m just actually opening and closing different applications in my phone.

                My phone is like my go-to buddy, because whenever something good or bad happens, I save notes in my phone, because it’s not every day that I bring my notebook with me, but I do bring my phone with me every day. It has become my own personal diary too.

                Yes, I know phones are temporary. But I believe that everything is. As the saying goes “The only permanent thing is change.” I guess what matters is, you are happy with what you have right now, and you should cherish it.

Then my eighteenth birthday came. I never expected anything special that day. It felt just like an ordinary day for me, I even thought that my parents had forgotten it because no family member greeted me. It was a school day, I was supposed to finish my class at 9 but our professor was fortunately not around. I went back to the condo, with a little hope that maybe my family was there, but unsurprisingly, they’re not. I was about to cry when my mom called me, she told me to go home to Batangas because something important has happened. So, I stressfully packed my back and went to my province. There, inside a van, my cousins we’re waiting for me. They brought me to a salon and had my make-up and hair done and they gave me a red gown to wear. I was crying on our way to the venue because I really didn’t expect it. We arrived at the venue and saw all of my family, relatives and friends, looking at their best, and I was delighted. The party started, and it the 18 wishes is still my favorite part of the day, my parents told me everything they wanted to tell me, and then, I’ve felt that we are a family again.

That was also the day when someone special to me gave me a large “panda” stuff toy, which I sleep with, every night. It was memorable for me because pandas are my favorite, and also, the people who gave it. I name it “AA”, from the name of the givers, Alexa and Andrei, my cousins, who were the ones who have the biggest contribution, not only in making my party successful, but also making our family together again, as one.  

 

So what is something that makes me happy? 

A planner. Not only because of the black glitter sequins that makes my 2017 planner sophisticated, nor the good quality paper that doesn’t make my pen blot. Rather, it is the reminder that I am being a responsible individual, who learned to juggle time in doing all my school works and extra-curricular activities, and at the same time to “legally” sleep, watch movies, spend quality time with my friends, and/or write anything about the universe. 

A lot of people are complaining that they are sad about not having so much time, but what they are subsequently disregarding is the fact that they just have to own a planner, plan, and include non-academic or academic activities to their lists, and then they will be happy. 

Hillary Atondo

A thing that is making me happy at the moment is something that someone gave me. I appreciate it a lot because I didn’t really ask for it, but still, that person thought of giving it to me. And I think that’s a very kind gesture. It’s also looking very cute and it matches the overall pinkness of my room. I hope the Philippines is cold enough though, so that I could wear it. Right now, it’s just stashed in my cabinet. 

I always appreciate it when someone gives me something but this one, for some reason, I like very much. I think I’ll probably wear it someday when I’m in Korea or Japan or Canada (A girl could dream, couldn’t she?). But for now, it will stay snug in a box where I put things like letters from playmates, friends, best friends, and classmates in the past, bracelets and necklaces which are given as gifts, pieces of paper with doodles and messages on it, and all sorts of things that remind me of good moments in my life.

Whenever I would like to reminisce, I would just open this stash and be reminded of the times I spent with these people. Sometimes, they make me happy. Sometimes, they make me contemplative. But I would always end up appreciating these gifts and mementos.

Lorraine Tiu

Art materials has always been on the top of the list of things that really make me happy.  Drawing has always been my hobby ever since childhood. I am that kid that would rush to art supplies section of the National Bookstore just to gaze at art materials that cost an arm and a leg. I still do that a lot even if right now, I am mostly a digital artist.  However, I can’t always bring with me my laptop and graphics tablet, it is, if not quite, really heavy. In that case I would switch to your classic traditional art.

There are many art materials to choose from if it comes to traditional art and this frustrated artist would be really happy to talk about it for hours. However, time is limited, so I chose to talk about my beloved pencil case instead. 

I am that living thing that is in constant need of paper and pen (aside from my graphics tablet). In the brink of boredom; any brand will do, even tissue papers are not safe from me. With that said, my pencil case is my savior (since I could draw on any surface if I need to).

It is pretty handy in size (at least for me). Its transparency enable me to see its contents and it makes it all the more special. It includes the basic necessities in my life- I mean things that I need for drawing such as my trusty mechanical pencil, its lead case and eraser. However, there are times that I would suffer from pencil crisis so as a result, I use light weight pens, especially the ones from Faber castle.

Recently I did an upgrade and added markers to my collection. Before, I am more of a color pencil person but right now I have discovered markers, my life has never been the same. Most of them are brush tip pens, since it has this good feel when it glides on the paper and it has a good coverage. I usually use them to color my drawings which are mostly from the anime that I am currently addicted with. 

If I am allowed to call a thing my best friend, it would be my pencil case. 
 It got everything that I usually need and I love it for that matter.

I am not a very enthusiastic person, and I don’t easily feel happiness with material things. But there’s just one exception that every time I see this shade, I can’t help but smile.  Teal is my happy color: bags, pens, handkerchiefs, wallet, notebooks, highlighters, pillows, blanket, and even slippers, you name it. There’s something about it that makes me feel beautiful.

 

Out of all my teal-colored things, my most favorite is my wallet. It is the best shade of teal that I could ever wish for. It has 3 pockets for the peso bills, 8 small pockets for my personal cards, and a coin pocket.  It is so space-wise that I can also put receipts inside, and also my condo unit key. Its most unique function is that I can put my phone in it just because it fits well. With all these pockets and features plus the fact that it comes in handy and it brings elegance to my hand practically sum up why I am in love with my wallet.  I consider it the most precious to me, second to my cellular phone.

 

I say material things don’t really get a grip on my attention but if it is my favorite color, it really makes me happy in snap. With my wallet, it’s just so valuable to me than any other teal-s that I have. Well not just because it is with that color, but because of its essence with my daily life.   

Just recently, a friend had given me something from when she and her family traveled to Korea. It was a pair of chopsticks. An object of about ten inches has become a source of my happiness ever since it was given to me. First, it is because I really did not expect anything from her and I did not even know that she went to Korea for a vacation during the Christmas break until she posted a photo in one of her social media accounts. Second, I was really planning to buy myself a pair of chopsticks because to be honest, I am in my third year of college, I claim to love eating Korean and Japanese food but the irony of it is I do not know how to use a chopstick! So when she gave me one, I was really grateful and extra excited to use it. Third and a big part of why it makes me happy is because it is my goal to visit Korea and experience the culture that Koreans have. I may be perceived as mushy or overreacting but every time I use the chopsticks and top it off with a spicy ramen, I get a bit of a feeling of being in Korea even though I haven’t been there yet. 

Now that I think about it, it is the little things that really make me happy. Whenever people say that it is the thought that counts, cliché as it may seem, but I really believe it. I consider the little things my simple joys. 

As we deal with life every single day, we experience its various kinds. First, there are days when you feel like the world is finally going in your favour and everything just keep falling on its place. It feels like God has finally heard our prayers. We feel lucky to be alive. However, just like the cliché plot in every movies where there is the beautiful and good things, its opposite, of course, will always be present which are the ugly and bad things, comes the second type of days which are those days when we feel like nothing seems to go our way and that the world just keeps letting us down. And, lastly, there comes those days that are dull, nothing seems to excite us anymore and getting out of bed is not part of the option, but you are forced to because no matter how dread, sad, and lonely we feel inside, the world is not going to stop and wait for you to get on your feet again.

            Lucky are those people who experience the first kind of days that I mentioned above at least thrice a week. But, for those who constantly just encounter the second and the last or third kind of days, aside from I can relate and feel sorry for us, the unfortunate people, I say we have to learn how to turn days like those into something at the very least bearable, if not good. We have to think of ways on how we can actually ease the feeling of negativity. 

            In my case, when I encounter such days when I feel like I have done nothing right and it just feels suffocating and I am drowning with the negative thoughts and energy, I would most likely find the best thing that I know would always make me happy and maybe, if you know me very well, you have already guessed what it is…yes, food. For me, there is nothing more satisfying and truly appeasing than the taste of my favourite food, specifically and usually, it is chocolate and cold coffee.

            When I feel down, pressured, and stressed out caused by the amount of schoolwork in every courses we have now that we are in our third year in the university, I find time to end my day eating the food I am craving for on that day or just go straight home after school because there is no better food for me than the ones cooked by my mama.

            In life, in order to survive, we must think and have something to look forward to everyday. It can be the plan of binge watching a television series, going out with friends, or maybe similar to mine, just food…eating, and have some good time alone.

            My grandmother once said, “You cannot find happiness in material possessions.” When I first heard it from her when I was just probably around seven years old, it made me wonder. If that’s the case, how come whenever I get to see books in bookstores, and toys in toy stores, my heart flutters? It was as if I was Gretel, looking at a chocolate and candy-covered house in the middle of the woods, drawn into its beauty. As time went by, I realized I was beginning to disagree with her. There is something about materials things that make a person feel ‘happy,’ even if that kind of happiness is more temporal than the happiness one can get from experiences or actual events. 

Perhaps, I was born time-conscious. If other people tend to have an obsessive compulsive disorder which turns them into a neat freak, I probably have a ‘time-conscious’ disorder (if there’s such term). Ever since I was young, I despise being late to class, not being able to submit before the deadline, and not being able to do tasks on my scheduled time. For me, time is essential and one who does take time for granted has not valued life at all. My time-consciousness even brought me to a point when the other members of my family tagged me as “the girl always in a hurry.” They see the simplicity of time. I see the complexity of it. Time controls our every move for we move in accordance to the time that we have, and being aware of time makes it easier to get things done. 

Now that I am about to turn twenty in a few days, I suddenly realized, that among my prized possessions, it’s my salmon pink wristwatch that keeps me blissful and at peace when I do not forget to wear it – a symbol which reflects my being time-conscious. It was actually a gift from one of my best friends, Hillary. She said that she bought it in Singapore last Christmas vacation. It was actually a set, with two bracelets which I often use whenever I hang out with my friends and family. The strap was a bit big for my wrist but I do not mind at all, I still wear it. The wristwatch, other than its actual use as a time-checking device, reminds me that there are people around me who will make time for me – to listen to my stories, to tell me what to do, and to correct me if I am wrong. Like a watch’s strap, these people make me feel secured with their presence. Like the minute hand, they constantly move me to make right decisions, and get me to my goals like the hour hand even if the progress is not quite fast. 

A wristwatch might be a plain, boring, material possession for some, but for me, it reflects time – the time which all of us have to take seriously, for time, once gone, is a time that can no longer be retrieved. It only moves forward, and all we have to do, is to make sure that we are not left behind.

As of now, the object that makes me happy is my Kumamon named Daegu. I bought my little bad boy on the 27^th last month (February). I can still remember the exact date because it was the day I was able to meet up with my best friends from high school. 

I have always been in love with stuffed toys. In fact, I own a whole lot. As far as I can remember, I have been collecting stuffies (I’m sorry. I really call them stuffies hahaha) ever since I was a child. Stuffed toys give me company when I’m alone. Also, whenever it’s cold voilà! I have an instant cuddle buddy. I am really fond of soft objects, I don’t know, they’re just really comfortable.

It was a Monday when I bought Daegu at a store named Miniso inside SM City, San Lazaro. Honestly, I had no intention in buying a stuffed toy that day. It was not even on my shopping list, but when I saw the rack of ‘the good stuff’, I immediately got one and placed it into my cart. After that, I was so happy and excited to snuggle myself into the cute stuffy-pillow.

Another reason why I love it so much is because it reminds me of what happened on the day I purchased it. Just as what I have said earlier, it was the day my best friends and I met for the very first time here in Manila. We seldom meet at our province when it’s vacation because it is either I am out of town or it is them who aren’t home. We’ve had a lot of fun, and were able to catch up about the things we’ve been missing out. That day was the only exception to my dread for Mondays, for it was full of bliss.

Lastly, Daegu is special to me because this past week, school has really been a pain in the arse. My baby stays up with me until I’m finished with my schoolwork and when it’s time to sleep, it helps me forget about my nightmares. I feel safe when I embrace my Daegu.

Without my makeup kit I feel incomplete. One thing that you will surely find in my bag is my makeup kit. My makeup kit comprises of a concealer, eyeliner, blush on, eyebrow pencil, mascara, eye shadows and lippies of different kinds. Each makeup has its own function and role that it plays not only on making ourselves look good but also of purposes that are comparable in our lives.  I use a concealer to cover dark spots or portions of my face specifically of marks under my eyes, spots in between my nose and others. Like the way we must conceal things that are to be kept in life. Those dark memories which we need to forget for a while to keep going.

I use eyeliner to highlight the edges of my eyes so as how we should highlight things and matters that are needed to be prioritized and stuff that are not to be taken for granted in life. Matters like studies, relationships and future careers. I use blush on to emphasize my cheeks whenever I smile like on how we must put importance on the things that makes us happy rather than of the bad ones. 

I use eye shadows of different varieties to add color to my eyes identical on how we must add and put flavor to our personalities to jive in with a variety of people with different personas. I use an eye brow pencil to shape my brows the way I want them to look like. Similar on how we should manage and take control in shaping our lives the way we want it to turn out. 

I use different types of brush to blend and to remove excess makeup similar to the way we should remove and brush out things that are not important and significant in our lives.

I use mascara to expanse volume and extend my eyelashes resembling to the way we should extend our patience when trouble comes a long our way. And lastly, I use my lippies to enhance my lips and match the tone of my whole make up. Parallel on how we should learn to stand out and be different among everyone else. Be different! Be unique! Like the color of your lipstick! 

Other people including I are too afraid of showing a bare face, having been frighten on what other people might say about them. They use makeup as a tool to hide their true selves instead of showing what they really are. Don’t use makeup as a cover up but rather use it as medium to highlight things that are to be loved about you! Be true! Be you! Stay fab!

 

Well, enough of that.

But the thing that really makes me happy is my recently acquired ukulele. My father accompanied me when I bought it and it is what I spent my birthday money on. Before actually purchasing the ukulele, which I dubbed Yuki Lily just because, we went to a couple of stores that sold the instrument. Choosing was difficult because I had no knowledge on what kind of ukulele I should get. I thought I could just go into a store and point to one and say, “Yes, I want that one!” Silly me. We found Yuki at the third store we went through. A salesman was playing it. It was blue, and the words “La Union” on its headstock. I loved the way it sounded so me and my father decided to purchase it along with two books for ukulele beginners. 

I am still trying to memorize the different chords to play with it as well as some simple songs. I play it whenever I feel stressed. I just strum it again and again, playing the four same chords I learned: G, C, Am, and F. The amount of school works given to us prevents me from spending a lot of time for practice so, I just play it whenever I can. Right now, I am trying to learn how to play “The Judge” by Twenty One Pilots.  I cannot wait for summer vacation so I can be able to learn more songs to play and someday, hopefully, I may produce my own songs with it.    

I collect notebooks, and yes, it’s one of my fetish.

I have been collecting notebooks for as long as I can remember. Since I was a kid, I loved collecting things. I remember I started collecting cute pens of different shades and sizes. But as the time went by, I realized it was a stupid idea since I discovered the ink would ran out eventually. Thus, shifting my attention to its trustee partner, the notebook!  This has go on since I was in high school, every time the school starts I would always buy two to three extra notebooks to add to my collection. 

As of the moment I have approximately 36 unwritten notebooks in my room, excluding the ones I have already used. They are well tucked in a drawer in one of my cabinets. Until now the drill has been quite the same. Whenever I pass by bookstores or crafty shops, my eyes would always be on the hunt for notebooks to add to my collection. The cuter and more stylish the notebook is, the more irresistible it is to buy.

You might be thinking like my sister right now and probably asking the same question that she keeps on asking me whenever she tries to snatch a piece of my collection: “What are you going to do with all those notebooks?”              

Well, all I can say is, as an aspiring writer, it makes all the difference. I have always been into writing when I was young. And personally, I prefer handwritten letters or notes. For me, it feels more sincere, genuine, and industrious. The thought that I have a lot of fresh pages to write on makes me feel like I have more spaces for my outrageous, shallow, hilarious, and uncanny thoughts somewhere. They are welcome in my notebooks.

Thus, I therefore conclude that notebooks make me happy.

Whenever I don’t want to be bothered and just want to do something without people chatting me up, I just plug it on my phone, put the volume up, and insert the two little cute pods that ease me and isolate myself from other people. There are times I can’t express my feelings into words then there is music that speaks for me. It soothes my mind and gives my heart a rest. 

by Mary Jolina Francisco

3ELS2

I am not a person that gets attached to inanimate objects but if I had to choose an object that gives me joy, then it would be clothes. My weight has always been an issue since I was younger because it was hard for me to pick clothes that I like which would fit me. I always had to wear the ones that only had my size that we can afford but they were quite limited. That is why now that I have grown up, my keenness to buy clothes grew. 

The clothes that I enjoy wearing are not tank tops, skirts and dresses; I prefer shirts, pants and sweaters. I would instantly purchase it if the style or print on it piqued my interest. I am one of those people that really looks for discounted clothes and buys when there is a sale, completely aware that it is a hoax. I also have this slight addiction of not wearing my newly bought clothes; I would only allow myself to wear them if there are already new ones that will substitute them in my closet. It causes me stress when my mom nags at me for wanting to obtain additional clothes even though there are still some unused ones in my closet. Despite of this, I am still far from being a shopaholic since I can still control myself if I know that I cannot afford it. I would not risk expending all of my savings if the clothing is not worth its price.
                      
I know if it is wise or not to purchase something especially since it is not even my hard earned money. I am blessed to have a comfortable lifestyle which allows me to get the things I want so I should really appreciate it by not wasting money but my love for clothes makes it really difficult for me sometimes.

Guitars have played a very important role in my life. They are always there for me. They helped me deal with a lot of problems. Whenever I have a bad day, I just play my guitars, or maybe clean them, or maybe just look at them. This has been happening since I was in grade school. Anxiety is another thing it has helped me with. I always tend to be anxious when I was in high school, and playing the guitar is one of the things that can make it better. 

Guitar helped me with my problems, but they did not stop there. They are the reason that I got to know a lot of my friends now. I was in a guitar club my whole high school as I love it so much, and also because I do not know any more skill. Playing the guitar is one of the few things that I am comfortable doing. It made my life more joyful and became a tool for me to experience great things. Guitars also introduced me to the artists who influenced my personality and inspired me to be a better person.

As you can see, guitar has given me a great life. However, there are also some negative things that came with it. Yes, I made a lot of friends through it, but I also got in bad terms with some people because of it. The times when playing the guitar is not yet a passion for us, but merely a competition. There is also a period in high school that I got so serious on improving my skills with it that I rarely talk to my family, and even to my friends. During these years, I play the guitar after I woke up, and I immediately go to it when I got home after school. It is basically the only thing that I am interested in then, nothing else. I got so hooked to it that there are many times in which I have chosen practicing over going to trips with my family. In spite of these few things, I still think that guitar is the most wonderful invention of mankind.

But my iPad deserves an acknowledgement for making me so happy. 

This thing accompanies me 24/7, from the moment I open my eyes until I close them.
Its loud familiar noise called “strum” wakes me up in the morning, and its blinding screen light goes all-nighter with me every time I have something to do.

It was also the same friend who taught me everything, good and evil you name it.

Whenever I’m alone, it was my company. My submissive friend who does everything that I command, not unless it has a virus. Lol.

It captures all my important memories, and logs my significant events. It’s like a hybrid of my mom and my dad, It just makes me happy, what else is there to say.

It has everything that I want and all the things that I need, and I think that’s the reason why it became my happy little pill. 

 P.S
No offense to my phone, I love you also. 

-Noreen Penullar 3ELS2