LEARNING

9 FREE APPLICATIONS TO ASSIST VIRTUAL LEARNING

WRITTEN BY ANN CLARISE MERCADO

‘Tis the season for technology to run practically our entire lives. What with the new normal calling for the dire need to turn our lives virtual, applications such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Canvas flock our gadgets. The following platforms are must-have applications that are user-friendly and essential in accomplishing our daily tasks:

CamScanner

A compact mobile scanner—easy scan, easy share. Its optical character recognition feature allows you to extract texts for easier editing. Moreover, its auto-enhance feature makes the image quality in PDF forms appear sharp. In this era of online submissions and soft copies, this application lets you do more than just capture; anything within reach is possible— scanning, saving, archiving, uploading, and sharing made easy!

Google Drive

Google Drive is undoubtedly one of the known cloud storage services that everyone can utilize with the use of a Gmail account. Storage and organization of data may be done on your phone or laptop, and allows you to control and limit access to every file you share. Unlike other platforms, Google takes pride in its advanced security systems, including its famous two-step verification and activity tracking.

Grammarly

College sees to it that every student must know how to write—essays, research papers, thesis, you name it, we write it! What comes with this is the great deal of grammar-checking and proofreading that never seem to make sense, especially when you are closer to the deadline than possible. Worry no more, as this application allows you to automatically detect and correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, style, enhancement, sentence structure and plagiarism—your writing, at its best!

Focus To-Do: Pomodoro Timer & To Do List

Procrastination takes up double the time of accomplishing tasks, but the well-known Pomodoro study technique helps with time management like no other. This application breaks down your tasks into manageable chunks to keep your mind sharp and fittingly occupied. It is an all-in-one Pomodoro timer and to-do list that categorizes sessions and sets task priorities. You can beat procrastination!

Forest

This self-discipline application restricts phone usage and helps you dedicate your time focusing on school-related tasks instead. Plant a seed, set a timer, and then get your work done. Staying off of your phone lets you grow one virtual tree, literally nurturing your forest while you stay productive!

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

This well-known dictionary can be downloaded in a snap, and all your words fit in one place! It features quick searches, describing word origin, pronunciations, and examples that use the words in sentences. Indeed, a quick way to expand your vocabulary!

Notion

Combines the features of a note-taking app, a task-management app, and a spreadsheet tool, among many others. All these work together to create a powerful application that provides a personal or team workplace. It also offers several templates when writing your notes, to-do lists, and organizing your schedules in a creative way. You can show your artsy self and be productive at the same time!

Photomath

Calm your Math fears with Photomath—a free mobile application that can read, analyze and solve mathematical problems through your phone camera and in one quick snap. Photomath also lets you see a step-by-step procedure on problem solving; answering for you and teaching you at the same time. Shoo the math stress away!

Quizlet

Quizlet is a free online study-buddy that features flashcards and interactive games to help you in reviewing your notes. Quizlet is the best study companion for your upcoming exam; this application allows you to focus and learn, to self-test your knowledge, and to create your own study guide sets through games such as speller, learn, test, scatter, and space race. Learn better with a virtual study companion and ace that test!

And the list goes on… Maximize and explore what your institutional email can access, as AUF allows access to other useful online applications such as Canva and MS Office. However, one should keep in mind that amidst the convenience provided by technology, we must stay sensible individuals. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: “with this freedom comes great responsibility.”

Homemade Quarantine Creations FILIPINOS MADE VIRAL

| BY ANN CLARISE MERCADO

Months of lockdown did not bring Filipinos’ resiliency into a halt; these periods of confinement unleashed their creative minds in developing viral food trends. Despite the farrago of emotions, they did not just find joy, satisfaction and comfort in these foods, they also turned it into a source of extra income. Here are the top 5 quarantine food trends that we go loco with during the lockdown:

Dalgona Coffee

As months slowly ticked by, people increasingly missed having coffee in their beloved coffee shops, and settled with making their own alternative. Hand-whipping 4 simple ingredients, namely instant coffee powder, sugar, creamer, and warm water together make a butterscotch foam which looks similar to Dalgona. When spooned over milk and mixed, it makes a perfect Dalgona coffee, which originated from South Korea. Filipinos, however, experimented with Milo, juice, cake, and other variations possible, which presents a true Filipino color—we never lose when it comes to creativity.

Ube Cheese Pandesal

Pandesal is a signature Filipino bread and has always been a Filipino staple but we never got to partner it with anything but coffee and hot chocolate. While in quarantine, someone came up with the genius idea of mixing ube to the dough and adding cheese in, turning it into a total online craze! The vibrant purple bread and melted cheese, and the taste of rich sweet and salty combination captured the palate of not just the Filipinos but also those abroad. Other than the ube cheese pandesal, various other bread crazes went viral, such as the sourdough bread, banana bread, and cinnamon rolls.

Baked Sushi

Upon hearing the word “sushi,” an image of rolls of several ingredients wrapped in rice and seaweed instantly come across our minds, but during the quarantine period up until today, Filipinos have made another version of it—the Baked Sushi! Deconstructing the ingredients of sushi and layering it onto a pan—from the layer of fluffy Japanese rice, crab stick, salmon to its toppings of mayonnaise or cream cheese, once baked, will grant us another delicious way of eating it!

DIY Samgyeopsal

Korean samgyeopsal really captured the Filipino heart because of its unlimited servings of meat, side dishes, drinks, and incomparable barkada time. Missing this Korean feel pushed Filipinos to be creative, resulting in DIY samgyeopsal or samgyup sa bahay creations, and home delivery samgyeopsal.

Fancy-fied and Upgraded Canned Goods and Instant Noodles

Saving up money in such times and stretching out available resources is a must, giving birth to these five-star quarantine dishes. Transforming varieties of local canned goods into dishes like corned beef hash, sardines spaghetti, hotdog sisig, and sardine nuggets became a popular trend. Among these came the upgraded instant noodles, sparking everyone’s interest and utmost creativity. Online classes both serve as a convenience and a challenge; you can be time-flexible and timeconstrained at the same time. It is essential to know how to deal with distractions, such as Netflix, mobile games, vlogs, and social media. Keeping in mind the following steps would substantially change your self-discipline, dedication, and focus during online classes.

Wake up early, take a shower, and eat breakfast.

Similar to our habits before the pandemic, it is better to wake up an hour earlier than your class. This will give you time to prepare yourself before attending your first class. As we are always told, early birds catch the worm. Another thing is to make sure that you’ve taken a bath which makes you feel refreshed and recharged— this boosts your body to be more active and awake. On the other hand, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it helps your brain function better.

Spot your perfect place to do online classes.

Most of us took the liberty to attend classes in our beds, which only attracts us to go back to sleep. Look for a peaceful spot at home where you can focus solely on studying. Ensure that there will be no distractions, such as your family members, noises, and devices. A perfect spot for learning will

help you focus and be more active in participating during your online class.

Tips on Surviving Online Classes

By Leslie Layug

Have an organized schedule.

Aside from the given schedule on when to attend your online classes, it is essential to plan when to do your tasks and study. If your mind functions well at night, you must follow it. If you feel comfortable assembling your task and learning in the afternoon, plot your schedule in that time frame. You may allot an hour to study, a fiveminute break, and another hour to finish your tasks.

Stay away from distractions.

We disregard completing our modules and decide to continue watching our pending Netflix series, playing our favorite mobile games to rank up, or shooting a new Tiktok challenge. However, it is essential not to be distracted when completing our tasks and studying. Instead of treating these as distractions, use them as rewards for finishing all your daily tasks.

Take a rest.

Despite all the tips above, always remember to take a rest. It is essential to recharge when you feel tired and exhausted for it makes you think and seem more prepared to face and complete your tasks. Resting will make you think, recharge, and ready again to face the screen and complete your pending tasks.

Everyone is struggling with distance learning. Some may even take this as an advantage, which is why it seems to be easy for others to complete their modules in a day or two. Whatever type of online student you are, you must know how to balance work and life. May these tips help you in taking your online classes.

Prank booking and the worries of online delivery

riders— Carl Dave Santos

With approximately one-third of the global population on lockdown, assistance that delivers groceries, medicines, food, and other essentials have significantly grown in-demand. In our current situation, where most establishments are closed, and it is seemingly difficult to get food and supplies from the market stores, these online delivery systems have proven to be useful and necessary. appreciation in their service that supply us all the necessities we need, straight to our homes. These services that endlessly cater to accommodate, bringing no further trouble to everyone, has made our quarantine lives a lot more manageable.

“Ili-ili tulog anay, wala diri imo nanay. Kadto tienda bakal papay, ili-ili tulog anay…” is the warm first stanza of a Visayan lullaby that depicts the rooted connection between a mother and her child. However, there are forces and injustices that will inhumanely hamper this tie.

Motherhood is not just about bearing a child, but it is a seed of new beginning for a parent who will witness the growth of her baby, on the dark edge of their existence it is their hope to hang on. Nine months of gestation is truly a bittersweet moment, what more for a motherbearing-child behind bars, in a congested place where water is scarce and nutritional food is limited. Confined in that situation worrying for the unborn child’s health, bouts of sadness and fear would creep in.

A brave and bold Filipina, who grew in a poor community and witnessed the real facet of life in her country, a dyed-in-thewool youth leader who defends and upholds the rights and welfare of every Filipino was apprehended in November 2018 for purportedly possessing illegal firearms and explosives. After a month of arrest, it was in Camp Crame when she found out about the new life forming within her. Worries and fears for her unborn child hit the mother-tobe as she continued to endure those cruel and atrocious conditions.

The battle does not end there; she continued fighting for their rights and appealed for freedom in the name of humanitarian and legal rights—her grapple from the privileges of every Filipino to the grievances of the youth and the welfare of the poor communities is now

Great Flow of a by Ann Clarise MercadoRiver extended to the her fight as a mother who will do everything for the sake of her firstborn, but her calls were further unheeded and delayed.

Despite all difficulties, in the first week of July, she gave birth to a daughter with a low birth weight that beyond doubt mirrored her pregnancy’s tough times in that constricted place. Just after a few days, the gleeful mother and her innocent daughter were compelled to return to jail. Thorny times does not end there; the sought for the dismissal of her case and the proposal to stay for a month with her infant to breastfeed her was rejected by the judge, until they were separated last August and her baby was just barely six weeks old!

How heartbreaking for a mother to be separated from her first born, for she will not be able to hear her child’s laughter and cries; she will not be able to witness her first words and steps; she will not be on her side when she needs her. Poor little thing did not feel the warmth of her mother’s touches and hugs, the sweetness of her mother’s kisses, the lullabies, the stories, and will not experience everything she should have experienced as a child of a fighter mother. In October, she lost her fight; the threemonth-old infant could no longer hold on and wait for her mother.

This little angel’s last days on this pitiful earth became more of an eyesore towards the justice system. Her baby’s burial was filled with tension as handful camouflaged armed officers surrounded a mourning mother, who was dressed in full white, and handcuffed, denying her the chance to hug her deceased daughter for one last time. We cannot help but compare this scenario to high profile prisoners with far worse crimes, who were granted greater privileges.

This is by far one of the countless ardent stories of a Filipino mother and child I have heard in my 20 years of existence. I have been asking myself, where is the icon of a blindfolded lady carrying a sword and a balanced scale? Has she pulled out her blindfold for some time, thrown away the sword and obscured the state of balance? The last words of a lamenting mother: “Pinagkaitan tayo na magkasama. Hindi ko nakita ang halakhak mo. Lalaya akong mas matatag. Hindi tayo dito nag-iisa. Panandalian ang pagdadalamhati natin. Babangon tayo.” Indeed, she proclaimed that it is not yet the end game; this fight will not be suppressed easily, not until justice is met.

Life is uncertain just like the flow of water in a river, there will be inevitable challenges but it will continue to stream until it reaches the ocean—the end of its flow. Baby River reached the ocean—the end of life—but the river also symbolizes a new beginning; Baby River serves as the flow for her mother’s existence and an immense motivation for people to continue to fight in the name of justice. Do not worry little one, your mom is a vigorous woman, you make her stronger; you can tulog anay [sleep now] Baby River.

Ni Ann Clarise Mercado

by John Leslie Layug

There is an impostor among us. This phrase and the game in which it originated from has been part of our timeline over the past month—Among Us.

Among Us is an online multiplayer social deduction game released in 2018, developed by the American game studio InnerSloth. It comes with a space-themed setting and lets users play with two roles. Most of the time, players get to be the crewmate while some land the role of impostor. This game is about winning by completing the tasks given and not getting killed by the impostors. On the other hand, impostors will win through lying their way out and killing all the crewmates. It sounds like a detective type of game that Filipinos enjoy.

In 2020, the game’s influx of popularity is noticeable. A lot of online streamers started to stream their gameplays on their pages, piquing Filipino interest. For students who want to escape the stress of online class, this game brings people to another world where they get to play and communicate with fellow crewmates around the globe. Most of the time, individuals wish to play impostor to pretend and play with wit. During voting time, the exchange of sentiments between all players create rapport and help people engage in communication. For a while, we get to forget the stresses of real life.

The thing that we Filipinos like in this game is getting to play the impostor. We get to fool others, and get out with lying for a short while. However, impostors are not new in real life. In fact, we surround ourselves with them, and it is inevitable. Unironically so, we play this game to try and put ourselves in their shoes. We live in a world of Among Us—sometimes we are the crewmates and most of the time, impostors of our own selves.

In game or in real life, we cannot deny that we somehow portray the impostor role. It is not the case all the time but it seems more challenging when playing the role of an impostor. Better keep in mind to communicate well to prevent getting caught. It is in no question that they do not earn much, and just the right sum to make ends meet. Yet they have remained steadfast in their service for the people—a mighty feat that bests them as front-liners that contributes to resolving the issue of this health emergency. With that being said, we have to protect them at all costs. Much like our medical front-liners, they need support and protection from their employers and customers. Besides the health risk, some of them get maligned or harshly criticized for the things that are often out of their control— delayed food, broken packages, and off-quality products. than not, it is the delivery drivers who will shoulder the cost. A viral post with over 175, 000 Facebook engagement showed an unfortunate case of three riders with canceled orders of over 5,000 pesos worth of food to an account named “Jane Castro” who does not even live in the mentioned address. Fortunately so, the neighbors paid for the costs of the order.

This calls for urgent matters that need to be addressed to protect our service providers. With this widespread phenomena, House Bill No. 6958 is only timely and relevant in bringing assurance that justice is served. This bill, once passed, will penalize people who commit pranks, fakes, and cancel delivery orders and services. Likewise, the bill prohibits the shaming and humiliation of the delivery riders.

Sa lahat ng mga kape, siguradong hindi mo nanaisin na maging decaffeinated coffee. Bukod sa pagkawala ng 97% na caffeine nito ay ayaw mo rin namang maramdaman ang decafpiliin! Anong kape ka; isa bang matamis, mapait, mainit, malamig o matapang na kape? Pero hinay-hinay lang at baka sa sobrang tapang mo, pati maling tao iyo nang pinaglalaban.

Black coffee

Simple lang pero malakas ang dating! Walang halong gatas; kape lahat. Sila ay mga natural na minimalist. Tahimik pero ubod ng moody, sis. Pero kahit may pagkapait ang buhay, patuloy lang ang laban!

Espresso

Hindi sumusuko hanggang marating ang tutok, gaya ng crema sa ibabaw ng espresso. Dahil sa pagkabittersweet, hindi mo mabasa ang takbo ng isip, pero mahusay ang pamumuno, masipag, at goal-oriented. Bihira lang ang mga ‘yan, kaya ingatan!

Caffé Latte

Laging inuuna ang kanilang mahal sa buhay bago ang sarili. Sa nilalaman nitong 1/3 espresso at 2/3 steamed milk, talagang madadama mo ang kanilang strong and rich na pagmamahal. Walang jowa, dahil sa dami ng choices ay hindi makapili. Lakas!

Cappuccino

Parang caffé latte pero mas sweet. Kapag nalalagyan ng froth and foam mustache ay kinikilig at iniimagine ang mga eksena sa mga koreanovela. Pero sila ay tapat at malikhain. Keep on dreaming!

Frappuccino

Matapang pero malambot ang puso. Kung gaano katapang ang lasa ay siyang kabilis malusaw ng crushed ice nito. Lagi ring nasa in. Gagawin ang lahat keysa maghinayang kinabukasan!

Mocha

Naniniwalang ang buhay ay hindi puro saya; may mga pagsubok din ito at dito sila natututo. Pero mas binibigyang pansin ang sweetness keysa sa bitterness ng buhay. Stay positive lang!

Iced coffee

Chill lang ngunit hindi hinahayaan ang iba na diktahan ang kanilang buhay. Umaraw man o umulan ay laging nandyan. Isang tunay na kaibigan, sa pag-aaral ay maaasahan!

Instant coffee

Kung bukas ang pasahan, siguradong bukas din sisimulan pero hindi markadong “late.” Sinasabing mas gumagana ng maayos ang utak kapag ilang oras nalang bago ang deadline. Pero kapag kasama mo sila, sasakit ang tiyan mo kakatawa. Good vibes lang!

Ginigising tayo ng kape sa bangungot ng kahapon; ayos lang ang magkamali at madapa—ang importante ay babangon ulit, sasalubungin ang umagang kay ganda, at patuloy ulit sa laban ng buhay! Hindi ka nag-iisa, lagi mong kape-ling ang iyong pamilya at mga kaibigan!