#creativenonfiction

I see her in the sunshine

She wakes me up and her hand is there

Outstretched to me with the warmth she radiates

In contrast to my broken heart

I take it. Of course I do.

Her resting place is a patch of grass

On top of the burning star

That we race around endlessly

The million degrees of fire and heat can’t touch her

They wouldn’t dare.

She visits me in dreams

In the place my mind returns to so often

I see her on the swing furthest north

And her ghost remains.

She comforts me when I unintentionally hurt a friend

She laughs with me until we cry in the back of a crowded room

She’s never anything but kind.

I cross paths with her occasionally

And she stands there beaming

Happy to see me and happy to be.

She leads me to her little garden on the sun

And flowers bloom where her feet grace the ground

Strands of her hair are woven into careful braids

And cascade down her back in the blinding light

We sit and talk of summertime and loneliness

And all the things she’ll never get to do.

She apologizes for leaving and I suppose it’s okay

A chance to walk in the stars

And bring life to desolate flames

Is a destiny that only she could deserve.

I watch the sun disappear into the earth as she did

Nia Lake, also known as Ilijan Dam, is a popular tourist spot in Tubigon, Bohol, Philippines. It's a large irrigation dam built by the Marcos government in the late 1970s to early 1980s. The dam is designed to irrigate rice paddies in several nearby barangays.

You can reach Nia Dam from Tubigon Public Market by riding a tricycle for about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can take a tricycle to Avelino Chagas Elementary School (8 minutes) and then walk for 20 minutes to the dam.

Nia Lake is a popular spot for fishing, hiking, and road biking. There is no entrance fee or environmental fee, but visitors are encouraged to be responsible with their garbage.The trail to the dam is generally considered easy and takes about 1 hour and 18 minutes to complete.Dogs are welcome on the trail and may be off-leash in some areas. Some people say that there is an alligator living in the lake, so it's important to be safe.You can witness Mount Ilihan on the left side of the road when driving to the lake.

Julia Diane I. Cifra, Junagin Corsiga, Angel Pescador

Last weekend, my friends and I went on a trip to a newly opened spot in Tubigon, Magsaysay Drive. Julia had passed by Magsaysay Drive before, but she had never entered it because it was still under construction at the time. Since Julia and her family knew the struggle of driving up the steep roads to reach Magsaysay Drive, they left their car at the base of the incline, near the 14th cross of the Station of the Cross. Accompanied by Julia’s mother, we began our walk up the mountain roads. It wasn’t easy, especially with the steep incline making our legs feel heavier, but the journey wasn’t boring since we were in good company. We talked, laughed, and took pictures and videos along the way. The road wasn’t straight but rather curvy, winding along the mountain. When we reached a higher point, we caught glimpses of Tubigon, though the view was partially blocked by trees. It was still exciting to see what felt like half of Tubigon from that vantage point — we could spot Mater Dei College, the port, the rice fields, and some houses.

Walking gave us time to enjoy the surroundings and take in the fresh air. Along the way, we met some people who were jogging, which made us laugh because we were already feeling tired while they still had so much energy. We even joked about how we must be getting older since we got tired so easily, while some older people passed by us without even looking tired! Even though the climb was challenging, we had fun joking around and making the most of the journey.

After more than 20 minutes, we finally reached Magsaysay Drive. The entrance fee for both adults and teenagers was 20 pesos. As we entered the gate, we were greeted by music from a group of students, likely from Holy Cross Academy, singing loudly on the karaoke at a two-story store to the right of the gate. To the left of the entrance, there was a charming flower path lined with vibrant orange flowers, where we also saw some small dogs and a cat. Walking along the orange flower path revealed the full view of the place. Cottages, benches, and tables with seats were scattered around the area, creating a relaxing atmosphere. The view of Tubigon was breathtaking, especially now that there were no trees obstructing the scenery. The ground sloped downwards towards other picture spots, making us feel a bit dizzy at times. Julia and Angel took most of the pictures, capturing the beauty of the place and our memorable experience.

Once we reached the top, all the effort of climbing up was forgotten because the view was absolutely breathtaking. From there, we could see the whole of Tubigon and the vast sea stretching out into the horizon. Every corner of the place was picture-perfect, so we took tons of photos. One of the highlights was a giant hand structure that we climbed on; it looked scary at first, but it was actually fun! The giant "I Love Bohol" sign was also a nice touch, painted in the colors of the Philippine flag, making it a great spot for more pictures.

If you're planning to visit Magsaysay Drive, I highly recommend bringing a "banig" or a picnic mat because the place is spacious and perfect for a picnic with family and friends. I felt a bit sad that we didn’t get to stay longer; we could have enjoyed a food trip there too! Overall, it was such an enjoyable experience, one of the happiest moments I will always cherish. If I get the chance to go back, I’ll definitely bring snacks, a "banig," and my loved ones to enjoy the amazing view together.

My experience with women first began with growing up around my mom, my grandmother, my mother’s 3 sisters and my closest cousin. Then I was enrolled into an all girl’s catholic school for grade school, and then to another all girl’s catholic school for highschool. Consistently being surrounded by women and also unsupervised during the age of the internet, there’s no surprise I turned out how i am — a queer girl’s girl who obsesses over her female relationships, be it platonic, filial or in the rare occasion, romantic.

Perhaps you wonder about the title of this soon-to-be buzzing blog: Sappho and the City. One sleepless night, I had been binge watching the hit TV show of a similar name, Sex and the City and it got me inspired to talk about relationships too. If Carrie knew men, I knew women. It also dawned on me just how entertaining my own encounters with women were. As rare as my love life had been, each chapter of it was as exciting as a new episode of Carrie’s life. Not to mention, I have three girlfriends of my own, constantly there and consistently getting updated with the whirl and organized mess of my young adult life. The only thing missing were rounds and rounds of cosmopolitans.

Yes, there is a big difference between Carrie and I. She’s 35 (at least by season 4); I’m approaching 21. She’s a columnist. I'm a fashion student in college. She’s in the city that never sleeps, New York; I’m in New York, Cubao. She’s got a shopping addiction, I also have a shopping addiction. Only, I can’t afford Blahniks. But I find myself resonating more with her than any of the other girls in the cast. Drawn to share morsels of my own womanly intuition and wisdom, I decided to try my hand at her work with my own little twist.

So why Sappho? She’s a famous Greek poet known for her lyrical hymns about loving women and to put it simply, I am a queer woman talking about my relationships with women. To be specific, a femme lesbian sharing her discoveries as she traverses the bumpy roads of girlhood, loving women and cultivating lasting relationships with them. From the first blush of romance, to sapphic heartbreaks all the way to co dependent homoerotic female friendships a la Bunny by Mona Awad, I’ll write about it all.

I may have no Mr. Big in his Armani suits, or Aiden with his masculine, American charm to talk about. But I do have a laptop and stories to share about the highs and lows of being a young 20-something year old girl who loves women.

January 10, 2023

Most students have a fear of failure and/or being left behind by their classmates and friends. This is a fear I have since elementary school. As a consistent honor student, being left behind and failing exams are one of my biggest fear. So with less than a week to prepare for my finals, I started to gathering all of my learning materials such as PowerPoints and Handouts and compiled them based on their subjects. All of them are organised by name in my laptop for easy access and downloaded them to ensure that it is accessible even with the absence of wifi.

Although I may have started a bit late in making my reviewers, I have plenty of time to do them in school as I have a lot of free time recently. Most of my teachers allowed us to do anything in their period so long as we do not make a lot of noise and cause a ruckus.

One of the ways I spend my time as a break from studying is reading. There is only so much knowledge I can retain before I get tired and overwhelmed by the information. To avoid burn out, reading fantasy books or essays helps me to destress and enables me to take a break whilst doing something productive that isn't school related. Another form of relaxing and one of my motivation is through journaling. Journaling people that inspires me, whether they are fictional characters or real people, never fails to remind me what I want to achieve in the future. It always reminds me to embody their character for motivation, "(this character) will do this. They will be working on this right now."

Today was a cold day for me, although I don't know why. I feel sad and weak and I don't know why. Maybe it's because I've been thinking a lot lately and our school stuff goes along with it, which also adds up because I've been feeling empty lately and don't feel like doing anything. I'm not motivated by what I can't understand, I feel like I'm in a game where I'm the only one who has to act and help myself... I don't know. I've been feeling so drained lately that I'm losing my appetite for everything, hay! Wish me luck!

I'm not okay. I didn't do anything but sit aside to rest because I had nothing else to do today. I have already compiled everything I will pass this week. That's why I just came in to do nothing today. Although, we only had a discussion today on one of our subjects which is the DRR and after that no one taught us again.

(I want to start of this self-introduction by asking a question, that you may also consider answering) 'what are your goals in life? Do you want to work? For the nation? Police? And do you genuinely believe that you can accomplish your goals despite how cruel the world is? My name is Jan Andryl C. Calipusan though I sometimes go by "ND, "Dryly" or simply "Andryl" in general; I am taking up the major in Psychology and I believe in the saying 'never give up on your dreams till your hair turns gray' I am as tall as an african buffalo who can stand up to 5ft tall. I have brown almond eyes and one distinct feature that I love about myself which are my long natural eyelashes that I took from my father. I have natural black hair and light-tanned skin tone. I was born on this small city, but I couldn't spend much enough time here when I was a kid. In 2010, my family and I left the country, and the past 5 years, I spent my childhood in Brunei Darussalam, one of the most stunning, peaceful nation. It is known for its gorgeous lakes, Islamic Architecture and rainforest landscapes. Coming back here(Philippines) in 2015 was overwhelming for me because I hardly knew any Tagalog words and had to get used to, yet another new environment. But I am happier than ever exactly, I've established many friendships, even discovered my passion for dance, and have also grown up to realize the world is not a perfect place. People suffering, emotionally and physically, people like me, you. We people are like flowers, we are in such process of blooming, but how can you bloom if you won't see the beauty in yourself, and everything around you?