Nico Collins: The Deeper Meaning Behind "Alone"

Source: https://cdn.idolbirthdays.net/
imgs/7/7d/nico-collins.jpg

        Nico Collins is a 23-year-old, promising singer and songwriter, who has been growing fame for his official YouTube Channel, NicoCollinsOfficial. His growing fame led him to gain massive amounts of popularity because of his original styles and lyrics for his songs and music, as well as remixes for some of his popular songs. Nico is also a well known YouTube Star. He was born and raised in the United States and has a young sister named Chelsea Collins, who is also a promising singer and songwriter, and they have been collaborating together with making and writing songs. But for most of his life, he has been keeping them private on the internet, especially with family life, education background, etc.

        The gain of exposure for his music started back in 2013, where Nico would begin recording song covers of popular songs, individually or duets with his sister, Chelsea. Aside from doing song covers, Nico would also be recording his own original songs, which would slowly raise him popularity and fame for his original songs. Stated in an article by SongWriterUniverse, Nico and Chelsea won "Best Song of the Month" Contest back in December 2016 with their original song, "I Never Knew I Loved You", which is a heartfelt song with a classical ballad style, but it's still fresh and contemporary to be on pop radio airplay.

    

Source: https://genius.com/
Nico-collins-alone-lyrics

    One of Nico's songs is entitled "Alone", which gained over 3.9, almost to 4, million views on his official YouTube Channel. The official lyric video was published on October 2, 2018 (2 years ago). The song has been written and produced by himself. Throughout the entire lyric video, it was just someone recording a video of walking through the neighborhood. Unlike from other popular songs, which some have the same kind of sound but with different lyrics, this song has a sense of originality and expressing a deep meaning within the lyrics and he has done the same thing with his other original songs; having a sense of originality and a deep meaning behind the lyrics in those songs.

Source: https://www.pinterest.ph/
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Source: https://www.pinterest.ph/
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    The meaning behind this song "Alone" is actually a reflection on Nico's past. Although, there aren't a lot of information on Nico's past, it may have been expressed through the use of song writing and expressed through this song. And many people can relate to what the lyrics means in the song, especially of what they are often going through. Some lyrics have a deeper meaning, like the first verse of the song with the lyric "She's the only one who saw who he was, no one else could read him". That heavily implies to some people, even at a young age, who have a hard, troubling time when it comes to trusting other people and what they are like. Throughout the rest of the song, the boy in the song grows and starts going through problems and wants to take it all away, like drinking or smoking, and that is real life problem with teenagers. They do these kinds of things to take their problems away, but it would only make it worse if they keep on doing it, over and over again. But the boy made a realization that he wouldn't be able to fit in with the people he was hanging out with, especially if conditions are only getting worse for him. This would also lead him to believe that no one would be able to understand, hiding himself emotionally and psychologically to make it seem like everything is okay.

      

Source: https://www.pinterest.ph/
pin/385761524337738733/

        In the end, this boy finds his passion, which are writing songs and making music, in order to express himself for who his is and also realizes that he doesn't know anyone else that went through the same kind of situation as he is. But with the use of his song and to anyone who listens to it, they would know that this person (preferably to be Nico himself, narrating his life through the song) have went through those kinds of problems and know that they are not alone.

References:

Nico Collins - Idol Birthdays. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.idolbirthdays.net/nico-collins

Kawashima, D. December 8, 2016. Nico & Chelsea Collins’ “I Never Knew That I Loved You” Named December “Best Song Of The Month”. SongwriterUniverse. Retrieved from: https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/nico-collins-chelsea-collins-161.htm

Nico Collins - Alone Lyrics. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://genius.com/Nico-collins-alone-lyrics

The 3C's | CHOICE, CHANCE & CHANGE

Source: https://www.pinterest.ph
/pin/543809723758895742/

 Ang salitang "Kaibigan" at "Pagkakaibigan". Maraming magkakaibang kahulugan na susuporta sa dalawang salitang ito. Gayunpaman, ang pinakakaraniwang kahulugan ay ang mga Kaibigan ay dapat magpakita ng katapatan, respeto at pagmamahal sa bawat isa, na bumubuo ng isang pangmatagalang pagkakaibigan at ginagawa ang mga bagay na magkasama hanggang sa huli. Ako ang tinawag mo ... isang "introvert", hindi ako nakakakuha ng maraming kaibigan sa totoong buhay ngunit marami sa kanila sa online. Gayunpaman, mayroong isang pares ng mga tao sa aking buhay na nakikita ko bilang aking mga kaibigan at nandiyan kapag kailangan nila ako.

    Ang 3C's: Choice, Chance & Change, talagang ipakita kung paano ang aking relasyon sa tatlong piniling taong ito. Kung ako ay matapat, nahihirapan akong pumili ng tatlong tao para dito dahil hindi ako ganon ka-choosy sa ilang mga tao na magiging kaibigan ko.

1. CHOICE - Krista Lendio

    Pagdating sa pagkakaroon ng mga kaibigan sa akin, nais kong magkaroon sila ng ilang mga katulad na interes, libangan tulad ko. Ang dahilan kung bakit pinili ko si Krista para sa aking pipiliin ay dahil naging matalik kaming magkaibigan noong kami ay nasa elementarya pa lamang kami, partikular sa panahon ng Baitang 2. Maraming pagkakapareho kami, lalo na sa aming pag-ibig sa pagguhit, iba't ibang mga cartoon show at ngayon, paggawa at pagbabahagi ng mga video sa online sa aming paboritong larong mapaglaruan. Kahit na malayo ang distansya namin, gusto kong mapanatili ang mabuti at magiliw na pakikipag-ugnay kay Krista at magsaya kaming magkasama sa pamamagitan ng mga bagay na mahalin at tangkilikin nang magkasama.

2. CHANCE - Kristel Sencio

    Si Kristel at ako ay magkaibigan sandali, bagaman nagbabahagi kami ng ilang mga interes at bagay na pareho naming gusto sa pag-awit ng mga kanta at, kapwa sa Choice, pagguhit. Gayunpaman, ang aming pagkakaibigan ay hindi talaga, tulad ng sinabi mo, isang "matatag" na relasyon. Madalas akong mapunta sa mga mood, madalas siyang mapunta sa mga mood, at may mga oras na hindi kami nag-uusap. Kung makita ko siya ulit, nais kong ibalik ang aming pagkakaibigan at subukang bumalik sa kung saan ito nagsimula.

3. CHANGE - Marc Gabriel Obando

    Okay… paano ko masasabi ang tungkol sa taong ito? Ibig kong sabihin, siya ay isang mabuting tao at madalas akong pinatawa, ngunit may ilang mga bagay lamang na hindi ko makaya tungkol sa kanya. Ang kanyang pag-uugali ay ang tamad na uri at tuwing bibigyan siya ng isang gawain, hindi niya ito magagawa kung minsan, at madalas itong magalit sa akin kapag hindi niya nagawa ang kanyang bahagi sa ilang mga proyekto o hindi nakikipagtulungan sa iba pa. Siya ay para sa aking Pagbabago dahil nais kong magbago ang kanyang tamad na ugali at talagang makipagtulungan sa ilang mga gawain, upang hindi siya maiwan ng ibang mga bagay at matulungan siya sa daan.

    Tulad ng nakasaad sa simula, maraming iba't ibang mga kahulugan para sa dalawang salita: "Mga Kaibigan" at "Pakikipagkaibigan". Ngunit ang pagpapakita sa mga kaibigan ng iyong katapatan, pag-ibig, respeto, at suporta, ito ay gumagawa ng isang mas malakas at mas mahabang bono ng pagkakaibigan. Natutuwa akong makilala ang tatlong ito, ngunit palagi kaming may mga pagkukulang at iyon ang gumagawa sa aming natatangi at naiiba. Ang mga kaibigan ay hindi dapat maging pareho upang maging magkaibigan, ngunit ang mga Kaibigan ay dapat na magkakaiba upang maging magkaibigan at lumikha ng isang mas malakas na pagkakaibigan na magkasama.

True Love is Real: Cupid and Psyche & Orpheus and Eurydice, through Good and Bad

     We all know what love is, right? We all do, but do we know what true love is? That's the question. There are many different meanings to what true love could be, but the true meaning of true love is that it requires commitment and sacrifice to one another, even if they are in the world of the living or in the afterlife. Cupid, Psyche, Orpheus and Eurydice; these are great figures of showing the true meaning of true love in their love stories. Even though, they may have their challenges to come and sacrifices to risk, nothing is stopping them in order to reach their happily ever after in their own story.

Comparison of their love stories:

    Now, there are a few key points that weren't added to diagram above, and some of those key points needed further explanation. With the first key point in the diagram of Cupid and Psyche, Venus instructed her son, Cupid, to pierce Psyche with an arrow that will make him fall in love with the most vile, hideous man alive. This is a sign that Venus grew jealous over Psyche's beauty, despite not being born as a Goddess but born as a mere mortal. In real life, there is jealousy between those who are superior and those who are just below them. The superiors will worry about their well-known trait to be taken away by someone else, making them jealous and wants to get revenge on them by making a change, even if those superiors see them as "weak" or "bad" in their perspective.

    Another key point is Psyche proving her worth to Cupid, in front of Venus, by performing a few trials, even if contains sacrifice to step up to the challenge. Orpheus did the same when it comes to finding Eurydice and bringing her back to the world of the living; his love for her didn't stop him from seeing her, even in the afterlife. So he went down to the Underworld and with his lyre and emotional music, he was able to get through the obstacles that were in his way, including Hades and Persephone. Both of these scenarios show real-life situations with certain couples need to show their worth to the family, especially with males proving their worth their girlfriend's parents. These certain tasks can be tiring, but those opportunities are able to turn the tables around and feel accepted.

    In conclusion, what is the answer to the question? The answer to that is true love between two people that know that they each other very much means there wouldn't be a certain conflict, which makes the perfect love story and showing what true love really means. Even they were given challenges that puts their life on the line, they will never give up and run through every path to love, even if there are obstacles that are blocking their path. 

African Tribal Music

                The continent of Africa is known for their different culture and history. Within their culture and history, they are always contributing their life through playing music. They mainly play their music during special occasions and events, and they frequently rely of every variety of percussion instruments, including xylophones and drums. African music are being passed from generation to generation, which makes it very important to the people in Africa when it comes to religion.

                    As mentioned, African music is used and played during special occasions and different events, but they are also used to educate the young, curing the sick, protesting against rulers or tax collectors, but they are also used for entertainment and passing it down from generation to generation. The video above are music that have been played by the Africans for different occasions. Their music may sound similar, but they are different to the many tribes in the continent and have many distinct musical traditions. Their music have been influenced by their language, the environment, culture, history, politics, and population movement. Although, they use this kind of music for every different tribe, they provide entertainment to keep everything uplifting their spirits.

REFERENCES

Music of Africa. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Africa

DENR & The Implementation of the Consumer Law

 

    The Department of Environment and Natural Resources are responsible for taking care of the country’s natural resources through exploration, development, utilization, and conservation. While this department is in charge of conserving our natural resources, most of these resources are being used to make different kinds of products that would be used by many citizens in the country within their everyday lives. However, those products contains different ingredients and consuming the use of our resources slowly with much production within that same product. If we keeping using that same ingredient, then there would be a low supply of that same ingredient within our environment. Which is why I propose to have the Department of Environment and Natural Resources implement the Consumer Act of the Philippines (RA 7394). The Consumer Act can help balance the use of ingredients and chemicals that are being gathered from the country’s natural resources and being manufactured into different products that we all know and consume. But what are the reasons why the Consumer Act is needed to be implemented within the Department of Environment and Natural Resources? Questions are needed to be answered and this Consumer Act implementation is helpful for the environment and the natural resources in our country.

    As stated in the beginning, the Philippines is known for it’s supply of natural resources within their environment and some of those resources are being used to make and manufacture products for people to be using in their everyday lives. However, with most companies that are manufacturing these products, they don’t always manage the uses into their products and would be wasting those components in their products that they think aren’t very useful to combine with their products. This causes to lower the supply within the country and throwing it away into garbage waste and we don’t want the country to slowly cover itself in waste.

    “Safety is the number one priority”, and that is being reminded by everyone that are using such products that can be flammable and damaging to the environment. Everyone must the safety rules behind different components and ingredients in a single product, especially if they can cause a, rather, big accident if it is not being used properly. Know, most companies for different products are not being careful of what they are adding to their products, but having the consumer act is the perfect law in making sure that the products are safe and not hazardous to the consumers, keeping the environmental atmosphere clean and not ruined by chemical fumes from within our products.

    There wouldn’t be a single product without any toxic chemicals and/or substances that many companies are using for these products. If the previous reason is discussing about ensuring the kinds of products are being made for safe and not hazardous for consumption use, this talks about certain things are needed to be inspected before they’re being added and ending with the finished product. Most chemicals or substances are more toxic than others, that would lead to different conditions that can effect the environment. Ensuring the safety of many, having an inspection check of certain chemicals and substances before being added into the products is a must, and this won’t be an effective case for people to have an issue with it, along with the environment as well.

    Everyone is needed to be careful with the products being used by many people in their everyday lives. Even if the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is doing a great job of supervising the use of different natural resources in the country’s environment. But there are some parts that the department needs to take care of, like managing the use and waste of our natural resources, most especially with the use of toxic chemicals and substances in our products.

    We all need to take care of ourselves, but the environment needs taking care as well. Being careful with how we use our products means that we are purposely taking care of the environment and NOT wasting the goods of our natural resources that are being put into the products.

~~~~~~~~~~

Department of Environment & Natural Resources
https://www.denr.gov.ph/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Environment_and_Natural_Resources

Consumer Act of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 7394)
https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1992/ra_7394_1992.html
https://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org/client-protection-in-the-philippines

Response to "Filipina: A Racial Identity Crisis": The Problem of Today's Society

“Filipina: A Racial Identitiy Crisis” is a painting done by Pacita Abad, an, itinerant, Ivatan and Philippine-American painter. The painting, being depicted by Abad’s handiwork, is showing two women with two different skin tones, and both are wearing cultural clothing that can be seen in the Philippines to show their cultural and indigenous groups. Abad’s painting was created with the use of lithograph with pulp-painted chine-collé and metallic powder on a 43 x 30 canvas. This painting, and all of her other paintings, have a major impact by her own journeys and experiences, along with her personal experiences as the subject within her painting. The theme surrounding her paintings are figurative political and social documentary paintings and later, media mixed paintings.

The painting is separated into two different colors on the canvas; one side of the canvas shows the use of gold thread and subtle colors while on the other side is showing bright colors of handwoven cloth, yarn and beads. With this painting being one of Abad’s greatest works on canvas, looking at the painting for a second time, this is revealing the meaning behind racism which is, surprising enough, the current problem within today’s society of racial problems and issues. It is creating a line between different skin tones.

After looking at these paintings a few times while writing this essay, there are many thoughts going through my head of what the situation is currently happening, especially racism. I remember reading them on multiple news articles and watching them on television. With the passing of black people, like George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, and black and white people confrontations, like Christian Cooper, many people are becoming racist while others are supporting them, despite their skin color. With George Floyd’s passing, especially, I knew it awakened many people to protest for the “Black Lives Matter” movement and cheering that everyone should be equal with one another, despite their skin color. I am a person with tanned skin and hearing about these problems and issues concerning the lives of many black people, I am full aware of how much pain and stress that they are all feeling, even if it’s just their skin tone.

From what I can see in Filipina: A Racial Identity Crisis and how it’s representing through art language, it is showing how certain people can see others because of their skin color. Whenever I see these issues happening, I would always have this one question stuck in my head: “Why are people not treating each other as equals?” Whoever we really are, different skin color; different race; different groups; or anything else, we are all children of God. It doesn’t matter of the colors of our skins and differences of our races, we are all human and we have our own rights in society, not to judged by others. And, like many, don’t see us, like myself, with open arms and being too close-minded with themselves, always judging others and seeing the actual thing of who they are.

Pacita Abad’s paintings may have been and exhibited in many, different museums and galleries around the world, she has travelled to more than 80 countries after briefly studying painting in Washington, DC, and New York. She uses her journeys and experiences while she’s living in Asia, Africa, and the Carribean, they are all part of a major impact on her artworks, and using personal experience to make her artworks more meaningful for people to understand why. No matter where we are going around the world, it’s better to understand what we learned from our experience, like different branches of different skills that we must learn and understand. I always wondered why I wanna know different skills sometimes, it’s because I want to learn and understand how that experience would be like if I would be learning that skill, or even getting myself curious of how different countries are like.

References:
Wikipedia Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacita_Abad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Lives_Matter

Artsy: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/pacita-abad-filipina-a-racial-identity-crisis
https://www.artsy.net/artist/pacita-abad

Filpina: A Racial Identity Crisis (Pinterest): https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/184647653452254302/?nic_v2=1a37Ircel

"Ang Aming Buhay ay isang Libro, mayroon tayong Kalayaan na Sumulat ng Anuman"

 "Ang Aming Buhay ay isang Libro, mayroon tayong Kalayaan na Sumulat ng Anuman"

    Nakatira kayo sa mundo kung saan ang sinuman ay maaaring maging anumang nais nila, iyon ang paraan kung paano ko isinasaad ang aking kahulugan ng salitang "Kalayaan". Ang bawat isa ay may kalayaan na mag-desisyon. Walang pumipigil sa kanila sa kung anong uri ng desisyon ang kanilang gagawin, pinili nilang sundin ang isang landas na sinimulan na nila. Ang bawat isa sa atin sa mundo ay nagsusulat ng aming sariling kwento. Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit nakikita ko ang aking mundo bilang isang libro. Maaari kaming magsusulat ng anumang bagay upang umunlad at sumulong sa ating buhay, ngunit may kalayaan din na magsulat ng anupaman at maghanap para sa hinaharap.

    Bilang isang kabataan sa henerasyong ito ng oras, naghihintay pa rin ang kalayaan doon para maabot ko ito at agawin. Gayunpaman, maraming mga paraan upang magawa ko ito  ngunit magtatagal upang magawa ito. Tulad ng, may ilang mga bagay na sinusunod ko pa rin at iniiwasan sa lahat ng oras. Hindi ako ang uri na tumalon diretso, nais ko lamang itong antayin nang kaunting sandali hanggang sa magawa ko ito. Kinukuha ang aking quote bilang isang halimbawa, dahan-dahan akong nagsusulat kung paano uunlad ang aking kwento. Iyon ay isa pang paraan ng pagsasabi kung paano ang aking buhay ay magiging progreso at sumulong sa hinaharap. Ang ideya ay ang pagpaplano ay ang pangunahin na unahin para sa akin na sumulong sa hinaharap at dahan-dahang pagbubukas upang malaman ang mga bagong bagay mula sa iba at higit pa. Nais kong ipahayag ang aking sarili para sa kung sino ako, bilang isang kabataan at bilang isang taong nagsusulat ng kanilang daan patungo sa kalayaan sa kanilang sariling kwento sa buhay.

    Anuman ang ating ginagawa, kahit anong sabihin natin; lahat tayo ay may opinyon sa buhay na nais nating ibahagi at kailangang marinig ng marami. Ang kalayaan ay isang bagay na maaaring mangibabaw sa ating sariling mga tinig at kilos. Tulad ng nakasaad sa quote, sa sandaling muli, "Our Life is a Book, we have the Freedom to Writing Anything", nangangahulugan ito na ang bawat isa ay nagsisimula pa rin at nagtatrabaho patungo sa kalayaan sa pamamagitan ng karanasan sa kanilang sarili na may isang kwento na sasabihin at kanilang paraan ng pagsulat nito.

Image 1: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/580260733233397644/?nic_v2=1a37Ircel

Image 2: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/209839663862393305/?nic_v2=1a37Ircel

For ESP 10 - Kalayaan