Kapawa January Wall Newspaper Volume 7 Issue 5

In a bid to claim victory, the houses of Paris, Rheims, Parmenie, and Rouen have geared up for the upcoming Liceolympics on Feb. 13–17.

In line with this event, the House of Rheims commenced their plans last year, juggling it along with their rehearsals for the Literary Music Festival.

“Our Liceolympics preparation [...] started back in [...] December, hence we were able to lay out plans and schedule way ahead. Whilst simultaneously supporting the ongoing [Literary Music Festival] week, we were also monitoring the progress of our plans [....] making the process manageable [...] despite [our] circumstances,” Abigail Montebon, house representative of Rheims, stated.

Meanwhile, despite the challenge of schedules, the House of Parmenie was able to push through with its current plans.

“Transitioning from Liceolympics was very stressful, especially [since] we didn’t have ample time after the [Literary Music Festival], but thankfully before [that] we already started preparing for the Liceolympics and it made transitioning easier. However, it was very tiring and demanding because we didn’t have time to rest,” expressed Kelly Gabriel Occeño, House of Parmenie Coordinator.

With the four houses scheduled to compete in several competitions, Montebon laid down her goals for the upcoming competition.

“Our one main goal for the upcoming Liceolympics is to exhibit unity [...] centralized in building a strong and intimate relationship with one another. Since this event not only aims to showcase the different talents, skills, and capabilities of the students, our house also desires [to incorporate] union. We manifest on growing jointly in order to conquer this endeavor. As we rise from the ashes, we will stand as one, fight as one, [and] conquer as one,” Montebon stated.

With Liceolympics starting just around the corner, pressure mounts among the four house coordinators to deliver their respective sides to victory.

“The hardest part of being the coordinator is spearheading all events under Liceolympics. As coordinator we must ensure that each event receives all their needs such as venues, equipment, and water. Also, we must make sure that each assigned department handles the event they were assigned to properly and ensure that each of the participants in their event are all ready and trained to compete in the Liceolympics,” Occeño shared his insight.

Everything For The First Time

The golden ray of light peered through the window pane, daunting the star-like glitters that emit flashes of light caused by the foreign connection that even the right order of words could not describe. Perhaps, it is the aroma of experiences, evidenced by a permanent mark, and has made its way up to the surface of my mind.

The wind blew my hair and I inbreathed the comforting breeze of how the first embrace, first smell, and first hold felt like—stirring me with warmth and soothing me in places hidden from everyone’s touch. The shivering splinters of booze burst and awakened my soul from my cloud of reverie as the sunlit bliss packed the room with beaming dust of delicate emotions.

My eyes flicker through the skies of tangerine as the sun slowly fades and the coolness of the night seeps in where dreams are exchanged under the illuminating moon and every star hears about the wishes through the warm air I breathe out and how it’s written on the cool and calmnight. I feel my heartbeat skip brought by the whisper of manifestations amidst the lush corner of my sanctuary. It is the celestial sensation and the mystical trance of falling in love that makes the entire room gleam amidst the darkness, it is as if the univers is tinted with grandeur of goodness in full radiance like the galaxies exploding different hues of blue and red. Underneath the dim tones and body covered with thick blankets, the starlight painted the atmosphere, replacing the grays with specks of stellar soot to lift the world placed upon my shoulders. In the fatal landscape of reality, I found a paragon, oozing with ease and hope in exploring the mysteries of things.

As the sands of time dribble down, in the break of dawn, I am reminded of how my gaze starts to wander to the scenes of nostalgia that left a stamp, something that I’ll forever daydream about. It filled the chapters of the book and became a part of my story, wherein I found the sprout of narratives worth remembering. And if a key opens a door to take my feet to these places once more, I would live in those moments, always—for the first time.

When you disguise disrespect as jokes, they can leave stains that are hard to remove—like icing when smeared on the wrong things or people than pastries.

Last January, Actress-vlogger Alex Gonzaga was under fire over a video showing how she smeared icing on the waiter’s forehead at her birthday celebration. When the video went viral on Twitter, many shared their sentiments quickly. Most called out Gonzaga for being “mannerless,” pointing out her rudeness for humiliating the server in front of her guests. On the other hand, some backed her up, denoting that people were blowing things out of proportion when cake-smearing is a birthday tradition.

Although smearing icing on people’s faces is one of the default practices on birthdays, the situation between Gonzaga and the waiter is a different story as it is clear proof of what power imbalance looks like. While her side insisted their family was close with the waiter, the fact the latter wasn’t close enough with them to be invited as a guest makes a huge difference.

Even though some insist the waiter would’ve fought back if he wasn’t okay with the act, one thing they might’ve forgotten was that people working in hospitality management live by the notion, “Customers are always right.” If he fought back, the chances of risking his job were high, especially since a flock of people who found Gonzaga’s stunt entertaining surrounded him.

Moreover, the events that transpired after just fueled the fire. Gonzaga apologized on her Instagram story, saying God taught her humility, kindness, and better judgment for her 35th birthday. In addition, the waiter releasing a statement written on paper with his signature about accepting the apology outraged netizens even more.

Once again, this issue is a reminder that jokes are supposed to be entertaining—not offensive. When one crosses a line, proper accountability is genuinely apologizing for not knowing any better instead of guilttripping people and weaponizing religion. On top of it all, let this be a lesson to everyone to treat people with respect, whether they’re a part of the lower, middle, or upper class.

GIANNA MARELLE R. AGUILAR

When one crosses a line, proper accountability is genuinely apologizing for not knowing any better instead of guilt-tripping people and weaponizing religion.