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[maeggsss]

World Press Freedom Day

World Press Freedom Day commemorates the active freedom of speech, where every individual, especially journalists, are not repressed and unafraid of their right to vocalise prominent societal issues. In the year 2024, where the digital era actively is heavily utilized to share information, mis-, dis-, and mal- information are rampant. Journalists are heavily scrutinised for their active role in advocating for climate reformation and effective policies due to such media and information disorders. Hence, this year commemorates the efforts of those journalists who combat misleading and false information with regards to environmental issues.

For more information:

https://www.un.org/en/observances/press-freedom-day#:~:text=In%202024%2C%20World%20Press%20Freedom,the%20current%20global%20environmental%20crisis

https://mediacouncil.or.ke/services/signature-events/world-press-freedom-day

[maeggsss]

"I don't ever want to get stuck with babysitting again." (2006)

"No one is allowed to take youth away from young people." (2017)

-Gojo Satoru

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧✧༝┉˚*❋ ✧༝

When i think of complete holistic growth, I think of Gojo Satoru. He is a character from the Jujutsu Kaisen series who plays as the teacher or "sensei" of Yuuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, etc.

Satoru was born with the title of the "strongest" after being the first user of the six eyes and the limitless technique in over 400 years. While this may be a blessing, the repercussions of his birth actually shifted the balance of the Jujutsu world; curses were getting stronger day by day due to this phenomenon. Needless to say, he was spoiled as a child because of the proclamation of being the current "strongest".

His character developed when he was a teenager who enrolled in the Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College or Jujutsu High where he shared a class with Suguru Geto and Shoko Ieiri. Notably, Suguru and Satoru had a deep bond with each other with both of them being known at that time as the "strongest" due to their special grade status.

In 2006, both students were assigned to escort and assimilate Riko Amanai with Tengen, an important figure of Jujutsu society. Rather than sending her to Tengen immediately, they let Riko enjoy the last days of her life and her youth. Ultimately, Riko was killed not through assimilation but through a bounty / assassination that was placed on her. Her death disrupted both lives of Gojo and Geto; Gojo aimed to grow stronger and heightened his techniques while Geto was struggling over her death and his opinion of humans since the people responsible for Riko's death were humans. Geto spiraled and eventually became a cursed user (opposite of a sorcer who exorcise curses and protect people), an information that Gojo had a hard time grasping as Geto was someone who he valued in his life.

With Geto's defection, Gojo decided to become a teacher so no one would have to go through what Geto had gone. He aimed to make the next generation stronger or on par with him. In 2017, he met Yuta Okkotsu, a 16 year old, who was planned to be executed due to his immense power of a special grade spirit (and former love interest), Rika Orimoto. Instead of killing Yuta, he enrolled him to his alma matter where he helped him improve on his abilities. Soon after, he met Geto again as he [Geto] proclaimed to create a society where humans ceased to exist.

On the 24th of December 2017, Yuta and Geto clashed with each other, with Yuta standing victorious. During Geto's final moments, he and Gojo talked and it was soon revealed that even after everything, Gojo still had trust for him. Gojo ultimately killed Geto but did not dispose of his body.

The year of that, Yuji Itadori was introduced as a vessel for Sukuna (one of the most dangerous cursed spirits or the "King of Curses"). Once again, an execution was held for Yuji. Gojo took care of Yuji and instilled his teachings onto him.

During the Shibuya Incident, Gojo was sealed due to having an encounter of Pseudo-Geto (an entity named Kenjaku possessed the undisposed body of Geto). After having completely been sealed, Gojo placed immense trust on his comrades.

19 days after being sealed, Gojo was now placed under the predicament of fighting Sukuna, who now possessed Megumi. Although Gojo was killed in the process, he had expressed how thankful he was but regretted that even after he had given his everything, Sukuna was still unfazed. In the afterlife, it was shown that he was with Geto, Nanami, Haibara, and the people who had made his youth the best time of his life, the people who saw him as "human", not the "strongest".

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Gojo was basically a man who was spoiled from the start, looking down on those who he deemed weak. Overtime, his character bloomed after having had lost his youth due to Toji Fushiguro. Toji had a son, Megumi, who Gojo took, trained, and cared for. Aside from the incident with Toji, he had lost his best friend, Geto, and with his defection, he made it his goal to change Jujutsu society's traditional views and help children grow stronger but still maintain their youth. His character is really complex, but what I can learn from him is that being the strongest comes with many consequences. Although his end was bittersweet, he was the happiest when he was able to be with those he cared for, the people responsible for his "blue spring". Gojo is one of my favorite characters in fiction not only because of his charming personality, but because of his character as a whole. He had truly developed over the years and for that, I could say that his growth was worth watching.

This relates to my real life experiences as I am someone who is really stubborn at times, but there are people who have shaped me into becoming better. For that, i am grateful for they have improved my individuality and capabilities.

And just like Gojo, who was perceived as just the strongest, I also struggled to find my true identity. "Are you the strongest because you're Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you're the strongest?" is the surrounding question of Gojo's existence. It is important to know thyself first to have an established and well-formed holistic growth.

"blue spring"- In Japanese culture, these words imply excitement. It also refers to nostalgia and fondness, as well as a time of happiness and hope.

retrieved from: https://blog.rosettastone.com/5-japanese-words-that-dont-translate-from-japanese-to-english/

(gif credit: top row: silversoulsociety, middle left: tatakaeeren, middle right to the bottom all goes to their respective owners - sorry i found and downloaded those gifs and the image over a month ago and i couldn't find the owners🙇‍♀️)

[maeggsss]

“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism.”

- Carl Gustav Jung

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Addiction has been something that many people have encountered in their lives. As for my grandfather, it was what led to his eventual demise.

My grandfather was described as a drunkard. He did not display any animosity nor harmed anyone when he was drunk but my mom's greatest wish was he would sober up. I would hear stories from my mom on how he had always been drunk and smoked regularly. Despite his habits, he would advocate for his children to not smoke as smoking generally endangers your health. Sadly, he couldn't follow his advice and would continue smoking. We never knew if he struggled with personal issues but from my perspective, I think he did.

I never met him as he had died before I was born. A lesson I could learn from his story is to never resort to negativity, in his case, vices. There are better and healthier mechanisms that could be incorporated when things become overbearing.

Seek help from people and know that you are never alone. There are always people who are willing to listen to you.

"“We feel alone, and in this we are connected.” - Leo Babauta 🕊

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"Food is our common ground, a universal experience."

James Beard

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We can universally agree that eating food, whether it be homemade or bought, is something that we all enjoy. We can share and associate fond memories with our friends and loved ones through food. It can connect us with the past and present as food can be a way of recalling keen experiences such as events, parties, and the like.

Food has not only been something that allowed me to connect with people, but is a coping mechanism. When I feel angry or sad, I often eat those feelings away with my favorite food, accompanied with my favorite shows; stress-eating. This constant displacement of emotions have led to this formed mechanism which has helped me tons but it grew unhealthy as I often relied on it, to the extent it became detrimental to my physiological health.

I was really conscious of my body image since even though I kept eating, I couldn't gain weight. Although that is desired by many people, I didn't find this body of mine ideal because I would actually like to gain a substantial amount of weight. I was often called skinny which evoked me to eat a lot so that I wouldn't be perceived as "skinny" or the person "who would only eat so little". I was obsessed with gaining weight to the point that these feelings were directed on my eating habits.

I would eat junk food, drink soft drinks, skip meals and make up for it by eating twice the amount or oftentimes, skip meals since I knew that even though I would eat a lot, I still couldn't gain even 5 lbs. I was really exhausted but kept trying in hopes of wanting to achieve my ideal body weight.

It took me 7 whole years to slowly realize that my habits were really unhealthy. Fatigue and constant headaches along with a few body aches were the signs of my detrimental habits that have eventually caught up to the present. I took the initiative to eat more healthily, integrating fruits and vegetables and limited my intake of junk foods. I began exercising during the weekends and got a good amount of hours of rest.

I shouldn't heed to every person's ideals and to learn that I am unique. My body weight is something that I still have to accept but I take pride with my height as I am one of the tallest among my peers. I have received compliments about it and it allowed me to change my ways in terms of maintaining my body and health.

“You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.” -Amy Bloom ❁

[maeggsss]

"The One Where We Lost a Friend"

Death and the grief that comes after is never an easy nor a pleasant experience. We reminisce of the memories we share of that person and immediately think of all the ups and downs you have with each other.

Chandler Bing was easily one of my favourite, if not my favourite character in the sitcom, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I was instantly hooked by his witty jokes, sarcastic comments, and how relatable he was. His remarks never failed to make me laugh even through my downs in life. This character wouldn't have come to life without Matthew Perry, the genius responsible for Chandler Bing.

On October 29 of this year (2023), Matthew Perry, unfortunately, had passed away after suffering from a cardiac arrest and the eventual accidental drowning as he was swimming in his jacuzzi. His death was obviously a shock to everyone in his life, and I was affected by the news. Even until now, I watch the show as if nothing had happened as I try and block what had really occurred in real life. Matthew was a good man who wanted to help others, especially addicts as he was an addict himself. There are moments where I still believe he is alive and that maybe he had been saved. I could only hope for the best.

Matthew's death brought me to a complete denial of the situation as I could never fully accept that he indeed had died. I was once again brought to my saddest days, like when my grandmother and grandfather passed away. I vaguely remember being in denial since upon visits, I automatically think of them waiting in their houses for our arrival.

It was a very painful experience personally as I considered them to be my friends, my family. What I learned from their deaths is to take time and be with the people you love. Spend more time with them, and be thankful for their presence.

Take time for yourself and seek help from others when it becomes too much or overwhelming.

Grief will always be a part of our lives, and it depends on how we overcome it.

"I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour.

I'll be there for you, like I've been there before.

I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too."

- I'll Be There for You by The Remembrandts

(All gifs and videos go to their respective creators/owners)

[maeggsss]

And you say, "Get over here And play a video game"

-"Video Game" by Lana Del Rey

One of my hobbies as a child was playing games with my brother. I would remember the memories of playing Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Street Fighter with him and would cry every time we played against each other. I could say that these moments led to my current predicament of always feeling angry and the need to win every game.

Fast forward to the present, playing games have become a stress reliever (although I might admit is also a factor of my stress). Every time I would feel so worried or angry, I would open Valorant and channel all these emotions into this game until I would feel better.

Although it is fun, entertaining, and addicting, I usually limit myself and not play as often as I do. I balance my life by maintaining and developing more hobbies such as reading, writing, and cooking. It is important to balance all your interests so that you won't develop unhealthy habits from them, such as sleeping late or skipping meals.

Over the years, I have taken an interest in solving puzzles as well so that I won't be hooked too much with online gaming.

Find interests that could be easily balanced and sustainable. Look and aim for habits that improve certain aspects of your life. In my case, I aimed to engage in activities that enhanced my mental and emotional capabilities.

“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” – B.K.S. Iyengar ♧

[maeggsss]

"Heaven is a place on Earth"

Belinda Carlisle

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One of my fondest memories before the pandemic occurred was visiting the city of Carcar with the sole purpose of going to Simala for the first time with my family. The church landscape allowed me to appreciate the beauty of not only the surroundings, but the people who created a welcoming and meaningful ambience.

The church did not only contain sacrilegious objects and figures, but letters expressing their gratitude for their successes in life. I remembered feeling blessed for everything that I had received.

This core memory allowed me to reconnect with the Lord and to convey my woes and worries that I had experienced at that particular time of my life such as how when I couldn't get things right, I would cry just to make myself feel better. For that, I am thankful since at my lowest, I had developed the mechanism to talk to others and importantly, to pray to the Almighty of all the troubles I have encountered.

" It's our faith that activates the power of God." -Joel Osteen ♛

[maeggsss]

"I like the view"

"You're my best view"

Ed and Rose from TLC's 90-Day Fiance

♡✧˖°༉‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.♡✧˖°༉‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.♡✧˖°༉‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.♡✧˖°༉‧♡✧˖°༉‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.♡✧˖°༉‧♡

This iconic line - turned meme - best represents my intense love for sightseeing; the want to capture every moment of every time and any day. This allowed me to momentarily take a break and repress all accumulated negative energy and stresses from my daily/personal life.

"Pause and take a deep breath, for there is so much that the world could offer." -♡