A Junior Me - The Last Days

By Ralph Niere
I can't believe how fast time goes! It seems as though I have just written a post here entitled "A Junior Me". As I transformed from a sophomore to a junior, changes bombarded my life as a student. From this short period of time as a junior, so many things happened, be it positive, negative, sad or happy. And now, I am almost a junior no more.

Let me reminisce my life as a junior student. Way back from the first day of classes (which seems just a tick of a clock), my insides leaped when I found out that I had the same classmates. I could not imagine the happiness of being one again and the reality that I will be seeing and meeting the same faces for another ten months! A lot of new teachers are here, too. Moreover, there are also two new sisters. I could still clearly remember the whole first day.

All memories are not that enjoying though, but each really does teach a lesson or two. I could still remember the day when I lost my laboratory manual. I mean, how can I be able to do the procedures and experiments without the manual! That is not to mention when I forgot to bring my project the day before the exams, and that day is the signing-of-admission-cards day! I could also remember the time when our adviser told us that we will have no Christmas Party - that was a hard blow. No matter how we convince, even beg him, he will still not join the party. He was disappointed at us because we kept on changing our minds and we had several wrongdoings back then. Fortunately, for every dilemma, we learned our lessons and we tried our best to remember them.

Aside from those trying times, I also experienced enjoying moments, as though I am not at school at all. I could recall the smiles painted and carved on everyone's face whenever a monthly activity is going to happen. I don't know, but contests give a certain feeling that makes us happy and excited. It gives us a wonderful feeling to try our best to enjoy and win. I even won first place on a poem writing contest once. I can also remember the day we journeyed to the city to witness a musical drama by the Rogationist Seminarians in Ayala Center Cebu.The fact that almost all juniors were there overwhelms us. So many more nice memories happened - I could not even understand how they all fit in such a short time.

Sometimes I ask myself, "Why do good things have to end? And, why is it very hard to end?" I admit, until now, i can't believe I am nearing the end of my junior years. How could that be? However, all of us have to continue on our ways, as time flows endlessly and through eternity. I am almost a senior. Hey, wait just a minute and maybe I am going to graduate after that!
 

The Phantom of the Opera: Who is the Real Antagonist?

By Ralph Niere



The enthralling love-triangle story of the Phantom of the Opera shows us what love can do and what power it holds. Aside from its very naturalistic theme, a number of us are shrouded with confusions as to who is the real antagonist. Is it the so-called "Opera Ghost", or Raoul?




Before coming up with the antagonist, I think its rightful for us to discover the protagonist. There are various sides and different angles on the story. However, I think its suitable to say that the whole story is about the Phantom, or Erik, his real name. Even the title of the story is Erik's alias. In addition to that, the whole story narrates his life, how he lived in the dark, damp and gloomy catacombs below the opera, how he lived his life being called "Phantom" and "Ghost" and how he fell in love with Christine Daae. Since the story is about Erik, we can finally reach the conclusion that he is the protagonist.




Erik is the protagonist, who is the antagonist? The antagonist is the one who opposes the protagonist. He is usually the one who causes the protagonist some trouble and strifes. In the story, the one who opposes Erik is Raoul, Vichomte di Chagny. By saying that Raoul is the antagonist, I am not saying that he is delinquent, iniquituos and insensitive of Erik's love for Christine. I am stressing that by opposing the main character, he made himself the antagonist.




This is just one of the many masks of the story being uncovered. There are still many mysteries that are waiting to be unraveled. This is why The Phantom of the Opera is different from other stories. This musical tragedy coupled with its teeming mysteries, challenged the minds and touched the hearts of several people - movie-goers and music-lovers alike.