MMA Lumina x Tanglaw

29/04/2022

Farewell Message
By Elijah Chiuco

While I was scrolling through my news feed in Facebook a while back in 2021, I noticed my classmates adding green templates to their profile pictures as if they were in an organization or something. As an inactive Facebook netizen, I told myself that I won't be engaging in any of that for the rest of my senior high school days, since I have this weird shyness about posting in social media. I WON'T change my profile picture with a green template on it, though I was curious about joining the organization…NO, I won't, periodt.

Was what I thought until I dug up my long ago buried passion for art and drawing. Ever since the pandemic, I stopped sharpening my skills for drawing and almost forgot about it all completely, killing time by playing online games and by hours of scrolling through different social media platforms.

When Lumina x Tanglaw was looking for artists and designers, I challenged myself to try and get back into it. I wanted to revive my skills and at the same time, inspire people with my art. There was only one problem. I was l a z y. I was only beginning to learn digital art, struggling to make clean lineart and wondering if I'd perfectly color an artwork.

Editor-in-Chief Gabby Dolar instructed me that if I were to join the Cartoonist department, I needed to pick one out of three topics given to me and to draw it, with explanation and everything. So, I found some time to actually do it, then another problem arose . I accidentally deleted my artwork. Running out of hopes and aspirations, I left it at that.

Until one day, Gabby directly messaged me in messenger, saying that they were accepting any application even without having to do something. So, I magically got in. At first, I didn't contribute much since I didn't know what to do. As time passed by, I got used to it little by little, and actually made, completed, and posted some artworks.

Not in this post though. Sorry everyone, I don't have a drawing to show since the school year just ended and I want to rest. But I do want to share the things I learned while in Lumina x Tanglaw.

I learned to be patient, since not everything comes at the time you want them to be, though when they do arrive, they have the most fulfilling feeling.

I learned to be organized, since I juggled tasks in school and tasks in Lumina x Tanglaw.

Last but not the least, I learned to value determination, since not all things you want come by so easily.

Oh and by the way, I haven't changed my profile picture template yet. I probably still won't, sorry for that, but it doesn't mean that I'm not a member of this outstanding organization.

If you've stayed and read this far in this post, I appreciate you being here. Just to let you know if you don't yet, Lumina and Tanglaw both mean light. Lumina x Tanglaw has shown me that in spite of the darkness being overwhelming, light will always prevail in the end with the right people and attitude. To be honest, I'm still not 100% close and knowledgeable about Lumina x Tanglaw's members, though I know in my heart that these people have shown me what it feels like to see the light.

This is Elijah James G. Chiuco, an artist of Lumina x Tanglaw, signing off.

29/04/2022

Farewell Letter
By Naam Aquino

Becoming part of an actual school paper team helped me realize two things.

First, with the more personal aspect of the art of writing and writing for the school paper, this act itself demands more than just technical writing skills and factual information.

To be a good writer is to pour out one's heart and passion, and to work with a purpose or goal that is greater than simply getting by in the journalism club and passing one's writing assignments on time.

And with growing as a writer, and this may be applicable in other fields and practices as well, it's important for one to focus inwardly and to constantly push to compete with or to best one's self, not to compete with others.

In Lumina X Tanglaw, when I first heard of and first witnessed the works of our younger members, I was quite surprised with their skills and vocabulary. Then there's my classmates who each specialize in certain posts and content that fully utilize their abilities as writers and artists. From these and many more experiences, I learned that it is best to celebrate other people's accomplishments and talents rather than use them as measurements of my own success or worth. We all have our own unique role to play, and the only one we need to beat at anything is our former selves.

To all our moderators, co - writers and artists, and beloved supporters and viewers, focus on your special path in life, as a writer or just a regular person, and use your talents and your privilege to help whoever you meet along the way.

~Naam Aquino, LxT English Managing Editor, signing off.

29/04/2022

Farewell
By Cheska Pernia

Honestly, bidding goodbye to an organization that has been more than a comforting shelter is really hard. When our constituents came on the first day of our organization, I vividly remember their shyness and a wide array of personalities.

But, take note, when this club, the Lumina x Tanglaw finally opened up its windows, it can be attested how humble and talented our fellow was. Apparently, the people who I have worked with together with all the events that we have supervised, have imprinted remarkable footprints on my heart forever. Seemingly, I hope that this goodbye may be only momentary. That may the coming day bring everyone all the success both personally and professionally. Well, of course, it is much happier to see that all of you may be able to incorporate the same enthusiasm in your new endeavors as you did here. Indeed, it was a pleasure working with you all.

I will always be more than grateful for your time and dedication during our working acts– meeting the ends for the benefit of the organization. Above all, I want to greet everyone with well-wishes as you embark on a new challenge. May we keep in touch and good luck everyone!

~Cheska Pernia, LxT Filipino Managing Editor, signing off.

29/04/2022

Branches Shoot Upward, Roots Grow Downward
By Mara Romilla

I used to think I was a little sprout meant to grow into a tall tree, high up the ground until you can see my branches far off in the sky. My motto used to be “nothing is impossible.” If I can see it, I can reach it. If it’s there, I can dream of it. I wanted to aim high, higher, highest until my trunk would be unreachable and my foliage touches the heavens.

Obviously, I’m not a tree. I’m human. I’m not very tall either (I’m only 160cm) so I can’t reach that far, both physically and metaphorically. As a mortal being, obviously, I have limits. If younger me wanted to get the most perfect scores and get into a famous school, I two years ago had other plans. I wanted to go somewhere quaint and quiet away from the chaos, and that’s how I landed in Mayfield, a school only a bungee jump away from my house, literally.

When we see a tall tree, we only see its huge trunk and far-off branches. But what we don’t see is the root system, holding the tree firmly into the ground. We don’t just “grow up,” we also “grow down,” if that makes sense. It’s nice to aim high, but we shouldn’t forget to stay still and look at what’s on the ground.

I never asked myself the what-ifs if I ended up at another place. I think I made the right choice to be in Mayfield right now. I chose to chill a bit and focus on my roots here, and in the process, I was able to grow as a person. If I chose another path, I wouldn’t have won an award in the Science Research Congress, I wouldn’t have joined the Ani-Pop fan event, and of course, I wouldn’t have ended up serving as Lumina x Tanglaw’s Associate Editor.

To my lovely teachers and my classmates in Grade 12-Cattleya, I’m so happy that I was able to cultivate my roots with you. You’re one of the reasons I could reach even higher. And to my Lumina x Tanglaw fam, I enjoyed my two years writing with you guys. I might’ve annoyed my co-editors with all the deadlines and the nagging, but I hope I was a good Associate Editor to you all. Even if I wasn’t always in the spotlight (I’m quite the introvert, talking to people drains me a bit) I think I did a nice job guiding some people from the background. Congrats on our newsletter’s pilot year, we all did well.

To everyone who’s reading this, remember to take a step back often and look at your roots. It is one of the ways you will grow as a person.

~Mara Romilla, LxT Associate Editor, signing off.

29/04/2022

Leap of Faith
By Gabby Dolar

My mom often tells me to try new things, whether they be too easy or too difficult. Learning is important, but growth is just as important too. As my senior high journey started, I decided to make it a goal to be more involved with extracurricular activities. And it was then that I joined the Journalism Club.

It was challenging, to be honest. We had many things to learn, such as how to be news anchors like my idol, Mike Enriquez, and how to compose and take photos. I found those challenging at first, but they were really fun to do. That is why I decided to join the same club in the following year.

The club was renamed to Lumina x Tanglaw, and I was asked if I would be interested in joining as Editor-in-Chief. I agreed and thus began an unexpected journey. It wasn’t always an easy ride; we encountered many problems along the way, and at one point, I started asking myself if I made the right decision to join. For the longest time, I was always only just a follower and not much of a leader. This was a huge leap since now I was in charge of looking after and leading the school publication.

Not all were difficult times, though. There were also positive things that came from them. I had teammates who I don’t normally get to talk to, or were just schoolmates I used to pass by the hallways of Mayfield, that I grew somewhat closer with due to our common goal. During the interviews we had conducted for articles, I was able to see through different perspectives and learn new things about the school and the world around me. From all the hardships that came, there was also growth. From our meetings, I learned how to be patient and understanding of others, and how to lead people effectively.

I would like to thank our moderators for guiding us throughout this school year. The opportunity you've given us helped us grow and allowed us to refine our skills in this field. The seeds of inspiration which you have planted in our hearts will continue to grow. To my teammates, I thank you for your cooperation and for trusting me during our school publication’s first year. You are all so talented, and I regret not being able to meet you in person. I am glad that the universe found a way for us to meet, even for a short while. To our readers, I thank you for the support and feedback you gave. Your kind words have helped out a lot as it gave us a reason to work even harder. If you have been inspired by one of our works, then why not join the club next year and inspire a new batch of readers.

Thank you all so much. Never take any opportunity for granted, and always try new things. You wouldn’t know what the future has in store for you if you do nothing at all.

This has been Gabby Dolar, LxT Editor-In-Chief, signing off.

27/04/2022

A Hello from a Goodbye
Poem by Iris Canta

26/04/2022

Becoming the Witcher
By Mara Romilla

Last April 3, we sat down with Mr. Naam Aquino of Grade 12-Cattleya, the winner of this year’s cosplay category of the Ani-Pop event. He brought home the bacon by cosplaying Geralt of Rivia from the video game The Witcher.

According to him, he got into cosplaying by the influence of his cousins. They were into the Lord of the Rings series and the game Command and Conquer. He says these awakened something in him when he was young. He recalls running around with plastic toy swords and layers of belts and paper as a kid. When he grew older, he learned to appreciate cosplaying as a form of art.

He says that he had mixed feelings about winning because he rarely gets to participate in such types of contests. He was happy he was able to show off his work. Even if there were only a few contestants, he still felt like the competition was quite tight because of the costumes and performance level that his opponents exhibited. But overall, he felt happy that he won. But like the character that he portrayed, of course, his victory came with toil beforehand.

When asked about his difficulties, Mr. Aquino mentioned two difficulties, mainly creating the armor and wearing it on himself. There wasn’t much time due to schoolwork, so some of the armor was finished only a few days prior to the competition. Fortunately, some of the armor was already pre-created a while back because of his hobby of creating random pieces of armor in his free time. There were also problems with measurements and actually putting the costume on. There were some unforeseen circumstances with the armor design with regards to the layering. Also, he was alone in the house on the day of the competition, so he had to wear the costume on his own. When asked about the weather, he said, “I’d say it wasn’t a difficulty, parang it helped in my performance, to add to the whole ‘Witcher’ vibe. Kasi Witcher is [a] monster hunter, they go village-to-village. They’re always on the path. ” If viewers can recall, it suddenly started raining in the midst of the cosplay category, while Mr. Aquino was holding his showcase outside. “Being in the rain helped, It really didn’t bother me. I’d say ang concern ko lang is if my phone got wet,” he added.

We asked him if he considered other characters or costumes to cosplay for the competition. The first thing he thought of is Geralt of Rivia’s other armor sets, due to the intricate designs of these costumes. But if he’d tried other characters, he would use the ranger outfit of Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings, because of the details of the costume and the similarity of their hair. He said he also would’ve considered cosplaying any character from the Fallout games because he’s interested in the post-apocalyptic military-style outfits.

Are you planning to enter next year’s cosplay competition in Ani-Pop? Don’t worry, Lumina x Tanglaw got your back! We also asked Mr. Aquino for tips for those that want to enter the contest next year. He said, “Pag inannounce na yung contest, I would advise the future contestants to immediately start working on their costume, especially if they’re going to be made from scratch.” One of the criteria for the contest was the creativity and the resourcefulness, he notes. He says it’s better to plan and create the costumes early to avoid cramming. “I would advise them also to take some tips from mga HELE teachers natin,” he adds. Some of the most important parts of cosplay, in particular, making the costume, is sewing and finding out measurements. These are taught to students in HELE and TLE classes. He says that the outfits shouldn’t just look accurate, but should also be functional and fits the wearer well. If invited as a judge in next year’s contest, he said he’ll also look at the steps that lead to the final product, if invited. He wishes to not only look at the surface level but also would like to look at the effort the contestants put in making the costumes.

Once again, we congratulate Mr. Naam Aquino for winning this year’s Ani-Pop cosplay category. He didn’t only successfully create the costume for Geralt of Rivia, but we think he embodied his essence quite well. We’re also looking forward to next year’s set of entries, and we hope that some budding cosplayers took a thing or two from our interview with Mr. Aquino.

25/04/2022

Behind the Fang
By Cheska Pernia

AniPop: An April Fan’s Day Event awarded Mara Romilla, a Grade 12 student, for her exemplifying contribution and performance as she gazed on moves for a dance category, with her entry, Medusa's “Snake”. Her dance is inspired by a survival show namely, “Planet 999”. She wanted to eradicate the social standards for women such as being weaklings and ought to be a nobody in society.

“I am a girl. I can be powerful. I can get anything I want if I work for it”, Romilla stated. In its symbolism, a snake is seen to be “cunning” yet it can be “powerful” and so are women, metaphorically.

Mara learned the movements in a span of two weeks, recorded within a day, and edited consecutively for two. In fact, she also danced in 3-inch heels and happened to have gotten injuries from tripping. As a perfectionist herself, she also scrutinized each clip and took its technical aspects in such seriousness.

The twelfth grader’s hard work paid off in the end, as audiences were all in awe of her performance. When asked how she would feel about returning for next year’s AniPop for this category as a judge, Mara said that she’d like that, and added that she would be very attentive to every single detail of every entry, should she be given the opportunity.

“[If] people will join next year, I will really pay attention to the details they put into the contest and, of course, I will recognize their effort very well, so they really won’t be disappointed na ‘Ay yung work ko dito lang siya mapupunta kasi okay lang na manalo pag hindi mag effort’ - no! Because I’m actually going to be really thorough with the details, and with the passion and everything in the dance, so that people will really do better in their passion and their hard work would pay off really well.” said Romilla.

22/04/2022

Good day, Mayfieldians!

Before the school year ends, we would like to present the third and final part of the Mayfield Memes trilogy by Naam Aquino.

Since today is the 22nd of April, we have decided to present everyone with a total of 22 new memes to enjoy. We hope you like them.

Always remember to stay safe and healthy, Mayfieldians! Have a great day/week ahead.

20/04/2022

AniPop Art Competition Winners
By Gabby Dolar

One of the activities held in “AniPop! An April Fan’s Day Event” was an anime art competition. With the given theme of “Harmony”, every participant had to come up with an artwork depicting it with characters from their chosen anime or game.

There were two divisions in the category: Traditional and Digital. The former was for participants who preferred to use the good old pen and paper for their work, while the latter was for artists who are more versed in the modern tools of the trade.

The winner for the Traditional Art division is Miguel Villanueva of Grade 11 while Romeo Del Rosario of Grade 10 emerged as the victor for the Digital Arts division.

19/04/2022

AniPop Dubbing Activity Winners
By Naam Aquino

Among the winners of Mayfield Montessori Academy’s recent Anipop event are Sierra Magallona and Amira Peñol of Grade 9, the duo who won in the K - Drama/Anime Voice Dubbing category for their performances as Jolyne and Gwess from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean.

In an interview lead by Gabby Dolar, Sierra and Amira expressed some difficulties and concerns in proceeding with this event, but eventually, they wound up forming a duo and voice acting together since it would be an enjoyable experience, despite the difference in their interests in anime.

Preparing for the event itself, they did a handful of continuous takes early in the morning and in the afternoon, resorting to tricks such as recording their lines in the closet so as not to disturb others, and they exchanged messages and created their script together on Messenger.

While they were in the process of forming teammates and preparing for this event, other options they might have gone with were the show “All of Us Are Dead” and “Death Note”, before landing on “Stone Ocean”.

During the event itself, as their footage was being broadcasted live, Amira stated she was delighted to see all of the positive comments of the viewers, while Sierra left the meeting to compose herself after laughing so much at their presentation.

They had doubts they’d win because the group they were going up against had chosen Attack On Titan, a newer and more hyped anime than their chosen anime, Stone Ocean, which is part of the longer running and older series of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Eventually, it was announced they won first place and they claimed news of their win totally surprised them.

In the end, they expressed their enjoyment from participating in the event. For Amira, it was like a mini dream come true, to be like the voice actors and actresses she looked up to. For Sierra, she enjoyed the process of preparing with Amira, and to see a glimpse into her interests, into the world of anime.

For the future dubbing participants, all they had to say was to use the closet, as it is an effective method for voice recording, and to keep things simple and put passion into their work.

18/04/2022

AniPop Song Cover Winner
By Iris Canta

Carl Joseph "CJ" Tolibas of Grade 11-Aster was announced as the winner for the Song Cover contest during the Anipop Event held on April 1, 2022. After winning the award, CJ was interviewed by our team to ask him about his experiences participating in the Ani-Pop Singing Contest.

CJ sang “Mafia In The Morning” by the K-Pop girl group, ITZY. He chose that song because he is a big fan of the K-Pop girl group. According to him, the vibe of the song was something that he could listen to everyday. It makes him feel like a “boss man” whenever he listens to it. Accompanying his love for the song, he also added that he also shares the same passion with their dances.

When asked about how he felt knowing he was the only one who joined the activity, he felt sad because he wanted to see the output of other students. He felt a bit lonely, but he also understands that some students might not be as confident as he is to join the contest.

Overall, CJ found the event enjoyable because of his love for K-Pop despite the challenges he faced with memorizing the pronunciation of the lyrics. He enjoyed the challenge because he has always aspired to be fluent in Korean. According to him, he was able to practice, and become a little bit better.

Despite having only him join the contest, he was able to find joy in the event. He also extends his thanks to the organizers and batch representatives who made this activity possible. He also hopes that more activities like this continue.

On behalf of Lumina x Tanglaw, congratulations CJ and to the other students who participated!

12/04/2022

Congratulations, Teacher Mela! 💚💛💚💛

Congratulations to our very own Mayfieldian, Teacher Mela Suarez, for passing the 2021 Philippine Bar Examinations! 💚💛

11/04/2022

Ani-Pop! An April Fan's Day Event
By Sierra Magallona

31/03/2022

Hello Everyone (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

1 day left until AniPop! Save the date, and see you there!

I hope you enjoy my Komi-san and Marin-chan crossover. This idea was a sudden jolt in my head when I was imagining anime classmates. Also, I tried soft painting for the first time, and am happy with the result. Art is weird.

Artwork by Elijah Chiuco

30/03/2022

Good day, Mayfieldians!

How’s it going? Only two more days left before the Ani-Pop fan event! Are you all excited?

Something I learned from watching JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is that you don’t have to take things too seriously everytime. For the longest time, I found it weird how the characters stood the way they did; which was ironic since “bizarre” is already in the title.

Sometimes, we need to have a good laugh here and there, especially during tough moments. Life is too short to be taken too seriously, although there is nothing wrong about that. Without variation in the things we do, we often get tired and we get burnt out from all the stress. That’s why we must find ways to enjoy what we are currently doing to avoid that.

Let’s say you are doing a stressful requirement with a friend. Make it a habit to take breaks and talk about stuff that’s unrelated to the project, as to relieve you momentarily from the heat of the moment.

Find ways to enjoy the things you do. Call a friend if you have to, and ask for assistance. After all, life is one bizarre adventure we cannot go on alone.

Stay safe, Mayfieldians! Have a great day and see you in AniPop!

29/03/2022

How’s it going, everyone?
There are 3 days left before the Ani-Pop fan event! But before that, let me share something with you: my secret to always feeling cool.

Let’s be honest, not all days are always sunshine and rainbows. I often find myself worried about my grades and college applications. This leads to me overthinking. I’d end up second-guessing myself and lose confidence. Things like these make me reminisce back when I blasted 2NE1’s Fire and Wonder Girls’ Nobody on radio, dancing and singing while holding a pink and purple toy mic, as my aunt gave me 20 peso bills for my “concert.” Back then, I was a superstar in my eyes. I felt like I was on top of the world.

Every now and then, I’d try to relive these moments by putting on some songs with sick beats and uplifting lyrics. Then I’ll pretend that I’m having a concert, dancing the smoothest moves, and belting out the highest notes. I would perform my heart out thinking that I’m the coolest person ever, absolutely idol-worthy, not caring if my singing was out of tune or my dance steps looked wacky. In other instances, I will write or affirm short manifestations while Lisa raps “In my hands is a fat check” or while my favorite girl group sings “It’s dazzling, this road I’m walking.” Little actions like this are like a reminder to myself of who I really am, and I’m super awesome regardless of the situation.

Now you know my secret!
Here’s a link to my playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0PDbcSyTLdT0LkC1ksdfll?si=dfMXIMNRR8yvrdlhVfJS1A

Give it a listen and make yourself feel super awesome! And don’t forget to come to our Ani-Pop event, see you!