I am Sarrah Jane

"Monstress" Issue #1, the masterpiece of Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, exhibited a person's complexities that are negatively accepted by many individuals. Physical imperfection, unusual strength and strange difference should not be considered by the society as a threat to most people. The comic story stated that there's more hunger in this world than love. From this context, Liu emphasized the inequality in this world and how it favors perfection over others. This paper aims to enumerate the dissimilar aspects that are considered harmful by the society to ordinary people that are living usual lives and why it should not be considered as hazards to humanity. From this account, the deeper effects and context of the society's treatment to a certain diverse individual will also be tackled.

Sana Takeda used powerful symbolisms and illustrations to strengthen Marjorie Liu's approach on the story. At the beginning of the episodes, Maika is presented in shameless nudity to the men that are surrounding her. With the chain fastened around her neck, she is rendered powerless during that time. Characters are presented in a blended and strange manner. The monster qualities were emphasized as they are illustrated with the normal human beings. Extravagant and enormous designs of the powerful people's places are noticeable in the scenes. Such details convey how the society looks up at the individuals who could use their wealth and power to do anything that they want to those who are different from them. Monsters with incomplete body parts that are used in creating more powerful beings gives us the idea that others would still worsen an individual's imperfections just to create a perfect thing out of hurting them. In general, the dark and sad colors used in the comic signify the dreary and poignant condition of how the society treats unusual aspects of a person's being. The small children held as captives symbolize the helplessness of these individuals towards people who looked down on them.

Maika's physical imperfection was used against her and became the reason why people would look at her in a different manner. Her deformed arm was criticized by one man at the first part of the comic episodes. For him, her imperfection was very obvious and she doesn't deserve to have great value in the eyes of many people in our society. People with disabilities are sometimes treated as a threat to other people for they need more assistance and attention that makes the development progress slower than the usual goal. For some, people with disabilities are useless and are harmful to our economy for they won't be able to contribute skills and effort that a normal person can. Aside from Maika's deformed arm, the symbol marked on her chest was a big issue for the people in the society. The crowd who saw her chest immediately treated her differently for it means that she belongs to a different group of arcanic religious cults that worship demons or Monstra which are ghosts that appear through harmless apparitions. In an instance, Maika has been branded as a threat to the society.

The main character's unusual strength was accepted negatively by most people. A lot considered her strength as a dangerous factor to many. When she and the other captives were brought to Sophia Fekete, Miss Ilsa told them to be obedient because fighting will only make it worse. In this statement, Maika's powerful strength has already been remarked as something to be avoided just to have a better condition under Sophia Fekete's hands. Her successful effort to break the chains using her mind was only considered by the other captives as part of the witch tricks. Strong people who have the courage and the abilities to fight for what is right, are considered threats to the society. For many, being obedient will give lesser hurt and sufferings. As quoted from the comic, fighting will only make things worse. 

Maika Halfwolf's strange personality is considered an extreme hazard to the humans. Her partial human individuality made her intimidating for the human criminals waiting to buy her. Their confusion about her real identity was difficult to appease due to her physical characteristics. Another instance was when the little fox girl wanted to help Maika when she stumbled and cringed on the ground. The little fox was confused if she needs to help her or not since the other kid told her to stay away from Maika. In the end, she realized that Maika wanted to eat her so she ran away from her. This part of the comic doesn't only show Maika's threat to other people because even to herself, she is a great danger already. In fact, she is still convincing herself that she is not a monster despite her hunger for strange food. 

People who are totally unlike to the majority in terms of their needs, preferences and origin are usually misjudged by the society to the point that they are classified as harmful individuals that will affect the peace and order of the many. 

To draw the conclusion, one should note that the society has been cruel to the people's discrepancies that are remarked as a threat. Whenever physical imperfection, unusual strength and strange differences are measured and misjudged by the social order, appalling labels and deep wounds are tattooed on a certain diverse individual. In Sana Takeda's note, she wished that our inner monsters will never wake up. But with the misconceptions and misjudgment given by the society to certain people, these inner monsters within us are already rising up. We are all different. We have our own monsters within us. How will you use that 'monster' inside you is up to you. There are many Maika Halfwolf's striving to be part of the social order who wishes to be of help despite being considered as a threat. Every human being has the opportunity to look for the pass through these differences and see how everybody can work together for the social order that curtails each and everyone's hunger for love and acceptance. 

 At the core of the booming industries and inviting places in Santa Rosa, Laguna, there resides the Feast Technopark headed by Bro Jon Escoto. Just a quick drive from the famous Nuvali and Tagaytay, you can already experience the warmth and magic of God’s love at the Feast.

The Feast Technopark holds its weekly Sunday mass and worship service at the Grand Platinum Hall of the Technopark Hotel from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. With the Feast Laguna District Builder, Bro Jon as the head of the community, everybody is warmly welcome to join the weekly gathering of the Light of Jesus family. 

Originally situated at the Southern Luzon Hospital and Medical Center for almost four years, the former Feast Paseo community finally found a new abode last December 6, 2015 at the Technopark Hotel which is very accessible via Greenfield Exit in Santa Rosa, Laguna. 

With an average of 170-250 attendees that comes in all ages, Feasters are warmly greeted by the servants that are waiting for them along the staircase and at the entrance of the Grand Platinum Hall. With an estimate of 50 servants, the Feast attendees are drawn closer to God through the different ministries available such as the Warmth Ministry, Singles Ministry, Media Ministry, Intercessory Ministry, Music Ministry and Kids Ministry. Light groups of the Awesome Kids, Youth, Singles, Young Couples, Couples, Solo Moms, Yeah-Men and the Wiser Women are also continuously growing in Christ. 

Bro Jon Escoto is backed up by the council formed by Jeff Lorenzo as the Events Head, Gener and Maville Castillo as the Light Groups Heads, Benj and Mon Mendez as Discipleship Heads, Bhu and Em Jocson as Feast Events Heads and Jemelyn Afable as the Administration Head. 

Observing its sixth month in their new home, the Feast Technopark family continues to welcome new people with greater intensity of excitement and warmth. Every now and then, the Feast Technopark conducts engaging activities for the Kids’ Ministry and personalized retreats like ‘The Force’ last year and ‘New’, a four-series retreat, which was conducted last month. Retreats and recollections for the youth, singles and couples are also offered to those who would want to know God personally together with hungry people who are seeking more of Him in their lives. 

Aside from enjoying Sunday get-togethers and devouring new food discoveries with loved ones, what a better way to relax oneself but to relinquish your worries to God? Come and calm your heart by breathing in God’s free and overflowing love at the Feast Technopark! 

For more inquiries regarding the Feast Technopark, you may visit our Facebook page or contact Jay Mercado at 09231852592

 Ordinary people embrace the world of sports like professional players. The public yearns for updates and results of game plays. In every face-off, viewers express opinions and gives commentaries in social media whenever they can. Thus, it is a must to know the feature and content of a remarkable sports article. 

Sports writing is considered by many as the most complicated type of journalistic writing. Aside from giving the correct details and using the appropriate words often referred as “sports lingo”, the writer must be able to make the readers visualize the movements and witness the worst and the best moments of each game.

Sports writing is composed of three parts: Lede, Body, and Wrap-up. 

1. Lede. As starters, this must give the final scores and highlight an individual who made the game nerve- wracking to touch reader’s emotions. 

2. Body. Anchored on the lede, the body gives more details presented in chronological order. 

3. Wrap-up or Ending. Inspiring quotes from a coach or a player is the best way.

There are varied types of sports writing. Below are the different types and examples. 

1. Straight-Lede Game Story. This is the most basic type of sports writing that offers the common must-know details- who won, who lost, the scores, the star player, and a quote from the coach. 

Example: The DLSU Lady Spikers climbed out of a 2-1 deficit to defend their UAAP Women's Volleyball title, 19- 25 25-14 18-25 25-18 15-10, in a packed Araneta Coliseum on Saturday. The Lady Spikers forced a fifth and deciding set before racing to take a huge lead.  

2. Feature-Lede Game Story. Beneath the statistics and the people, this type of story offers a new angle to the readers particularly the how and why of a game. 

Example: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday urged the World Boxing Organization (WBO) to review the “unfair decision and officiating” in his fight against Australia’s Jeff Horn.

3. Delayed-Lede Game Story. This is a more in-depth and longer version of a straight-lede. 

Example: The rising stars that make up Gilas Pilipinas' 12-man line up for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) are hoping to win a medal from the tournament. Despite not wanting to have high expectations, Kobe Paras on Saturday said he's hoping the team will bring home gold from the upcoming SEA Games, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 19 to 30.

4. Profiles. The best and new players even their coaches tickle our interest. Profiles make the readers get to know these personalities in words. 

Example: Entering her fourth playing year for the Ateneo Lady Eagles, Alyssa Valdez has emerged as one of the most decorated and popular players in Philippine volleyball.

5. Season Preview and Wrap-up Stories. The start and ending of a season are generally the best moments to feature the coach and players preparation, expectations, triumphs, and fizzles. 

Example: With less than two weeks to go before the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon, Gilas Pilipinas has barely had complete practices yet. But head coach Chot Reyes on Saturday said that no team will outfight Gilas.

6. Columns. Positive and negative opinions regarding coaches and players are professionally stated here. 

Example: Also, Ginebra didn’t run nor made any ef ort to speed up the game, which was uncharacteristic of a team so loved for its vaunted high-octane of ense. Their half-court sets reeked of unpreparedness.

Considering all these factors and plunging yourself into the great world of sports, you will surely be a great sports writer in the making! 

Activities: 

1. Read through online sports pages and get examples for the different types of sports writing. Compare and contrast their features and contents. 

2. Watch the latest game of a sport that interests you. Jot down the scores, the key players, and quotes from the coaches. Using those data, write a Straight-Lede Game Story. You may look for a sample from a sports page to compare your work and identify areas of improvement. 

3. Think of an athlete you admire. Write a sample of Profiles based on the accurate data that you will get online.

Sources: 

Bakisan, Irene. “Sports Writing”. http://irenebakisan.weebly.com/sports-writing.html (accessed 29 July 2017) 

Bartolome, Jessica. “PHL's FIBA Asia Cup 2017 players determined to outfight rivals. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/sports/basketball/619990/phl-s-fiba-asia-cup-2017-players-determined-to- outfight-rivals/story/ (accessed 31 July 2017) 

Bartolome, Jessica. “Gilas Pilipinas' SEA Games roster hoping for a medal”. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/sports/basketball/619971/gilas-pilipinas-sea-games-roster-hoping-for-a- medal/story/ (accessed 31 July 2017) 

“Boxing: Pacquiao wants review of ‘unfair’ Horn loss”. http://www.eaglenews.ph/sports/boxing-pacquiao- wants-review-of-unfair-horn-loss/ (accessed 31 July 2017) 

Burke, Monte. “Five Examples of Great Sports Writing”. https://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2013/12/12/five-great-scenes-in-sports-writing/#6986600d36cd (accessed 29 July 2017) 

Madrilejos, Allan. “Ginebra's Game Seven performance leaves fans with a terrible hangover”. http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/redmanized/ginebras-game-seven-performance-leaves-me-with-a-terrible- hangover-v02 (accessed 31 July 2017)

    Memories are simple things that happen in our lives which we will never be able to have again. These recollections happened in the past and all that we can do is to preserve them in our minds and heart through the use of mental images and material things that will represent those wonderful times we had. Oftentimes, we would have those precious moments saved through the use of pictures and videos. Some of us would even result to keeping some things that were part of the important event in our lives. For every time we look at these memories, we are sent back to those happy times that we had. But why do we need to have all those bulky scrapbooks, tons of pictures and videos and boxes of particular things? We only need one small trinket- rubber bracelet.

    Important events like weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and even funerals may be treasured through the use of these bracelets. The dates of these events are worthy to remember thus putting it in the bracelet would really serve as a strong reminder to us who will be wearing it. Instead of giving too much souvenirs that will just be stored in compartments, why not go with these personalized bracelets? Through these, we can save money and be particular with the importance of such events in our everyday lives.

    Rubber bracelets can also be used when we move from one life stage to another. A perfect example for this is when we graduate from junior high school to senior high school. We can also have this when we achieve something that we have been aiming for so long like becoming fit, having a baby and getting a degree.

    Apart from the personal events where we may use these bracelets, we can also adapt this for organizational and community events that aim to raise awareness to the society about the endeavours that encompass its goals. Civic events like Cancer awareness and Environmental awareness often make use of these bracelets to promote the organization’s stand regarding societal issues. Physical activities like running, biking and swimming also make use of these bracelets to signify the event where these participants were involved.

    Rubber bracelets are also used by people like us to promote themselves to others especially during electoral campaign. In our country, candidates of the national election involved in the high positions often make use of these bracelets to put their names and give it to many individuals that might vote for them. Even those in the local government election can also make use of these bracelets as part of their campaign for its cheap price. These candidates who seek for many supporters can easily get our attention using these bracelets as soon as they include their color and symbol. And once these people win in the election, these bracelets will be part of national events’ memories.

    Whenever famous people like athletes and singers would have a concert here in our country, these bracelets are part of the memories. Avid fans purchase anything and everything that will be a remembrance of such big event with their idols. With its flexibility in colors, designs and styles, these bracelets will surely get us involved with.

    Certain places like offices, gym, schools and commercial establishments make use of these rubber bracelets to promote their company or institution to many people by just asking their loyalists or customers to wear these for them. As we leave these places when we choose a different job or graduated from the school, these bracelets will carry the memories that we were able to make from these spots.

    For a very cheap price, we can already choose from the different styles of these rubber bracelets. There are debossed, embossed, color filled, color coated, one inch, ¾ inch, segmented, swirled, silk screened and micro wristbands. From these choices, we can make use of these bracelets whatever the important events are. As customers, we have the freedom to apply all of our chosen colors, designs and styles of these bracelets depending on the purpose that it will serve. From the important people, places and down to the timeless events in our lives, these will eventually preserve all of our wonderful memories in the in the best way possible.

    Memories don’t linger too long in our system. With the fast pace of this world, it will be too hard for us to keep these wonderful moments in our minds for a lifetime. Thus, it is necessary for us to have something that will make us treasure these moments in our hearts. Why not bring these memories wherever we go? With these rubber bracelets, we can always recall a loved one, an achievement, a place, that unforgettable event every time we look at our bare wrists.

    Captain America, Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman are just some of the Marvel heroes that can surely save the world with all of their out of this world super powers. We are not one of them and we can never have those prevailing powers. But we can also save the world in our own simple ways using a portable storage container. How? 

    With the growing cases of pollution and garbage here in the world, doing our simple ways to help reduce the number will really be a big help to our planet. With or without proper training or strict regulations, we can apply solid waste management in our home, workplace and even in school. We can sort biodegradable materials like left-overs and papers from non-biodegradable wastes like plastic containers and glasses. After sorting them, we will be able to recycle some and create fertilizers for our plants. By then, our waste wouldn’t be as much as what we were throwing in the dumpsites. As soon as we start doing solid waste management in our place, the only wastes that we will be adding into our dumpsites are the non-biodegradable materials that we cannot recycle.

    From this simple beginning, we can escalate our ways of saving the world in a larger scale. If we are handling big companies and corporate social responsibilities in our workplace, we can help in developing the environmental awareness of the people in our society regarding solid waste management. If we have the extra budget in helping the society with their environmental endeavours, we may donate a portable storage container that will be used in our solid waste management facility where non-biodegradable materials are stored prior to recycling and dumping. It is important that we allot an appropriate place where these wastes will be stored to avoid polluting the place and creating problem and illness to the people. With the availability of the portable storage container, we can easily keep these wastes and transport it to another place for recycling or dumping purposes. 

    If we are really certified environmentalists who wanted to preserve our natural resources, we can also use a huge portable storage container as a classroom or a residential home. This is not impossible since these containers can withstand our climate because they are wind and water tight. Since these containers are not just for commercial purposes but also for residential purposes, why not consider such as a good place for our classrooms and homes? Usually, old and reused containers are used for residential purposes especially for those who don’t have the capability of having a regular home or classroom. Nevertheless, if we prefer to use these storage containers as part of our residential purposes, it won’t be a great burden for us since these quality containers are also available in affordable prices. Instead of spending too many resources on construction materials and paying the contractors, we will save a lot of money from these efficient containers. 

    Now, if we hold a position in the national or the international government or organization, we may also want to use these portable storage containers in a positive and utmost way. There are some who just hoard their wastes inside a container, wait for it to stink and just leave it there forever. Some would even send containers with their wastes to other countries. We all know that this isn’t the proper way of getting rid of our waste. These containers aren’t even made just for this. We can really make use of it in a proper way through solid waste management policies and other environmental actions that would help save our world. 

    In choosing the appropriate container, it is important to consider some aspects depending on how we plan to use them. Standard and high cube containers range from 20 feet to 45 feet. The gross weight could be 67,200 lb or 71, 650 lb. The maximum capacity ranges from 59, 200 lb to 63, 023 lb. The internal capacity of the containers ranges from 1,166 cu. ft. to 3, 040 cu. ft. Aside from this, the door opening of each container also matters depending on our purpose of using it. Whether we plan to use these storage containers for residential or commercial purposes, we need to be aware of all these specifications. 

    Saving the world doesn’t require super powers or great authority over others. We can do so much than just hoping for greater things to happen. The world is changing and climate change is overwhelming. Should we wait for Superman or Wonder Woman to act on the problem that we ourselves have started? It’s never too late for us to save our world. It just takes one step at a time. We have our useful resources. Consider a portable storage container as a powerful armor.