By Crissia Po, Year 10

Released in November 11, 2008, Fearless is the sophomore album of American pop singer, songwriter, and 10-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift. This country album contains thirteen songs about falling in love, experiencing heartbreak, and finding love again. Fearless is about facing one’s fears, fighting for one’s beliefs, believing that someday everything will change for the better, letting go of people who treat one poorly, and having the courage to love again despite the numerous heartbreaks that one may have experienced. Some well-known songs in this album are “Fearless,” the title track about taking chances in love; “Love Story,” a very romantic song based on the William Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet; and “White Horse,” a tear-jerking song about breaking up with someone who is unfaithful in a relationship. Fearless  is the best album released in 2008 because this album is full of meaningful songs. People of different ages can relate to the songs in Fearless. The beautifully-worded songs and pleasant melodies clearly show that Swift gave effort into creating this album.  

The songs in Fearless encourage those who are heartbroken to love again and those who feel like giving up to never stop chasing their dreams. The lyrics “And when you're fifteen/ Don’t forget to look before you fall” from the song “Fifteen” is a reminder of the importance of thinking before acting. Hurtful actions or words have destroyed relationships and changed others’ lives forever. “The Best Day” tells us to appreciate what our parents are doing for us. All our parents want is the best for us. They work hard everyday to provide our needs and wants. They support us in our dreams and endeavors. We should always show them our love and care.  “Change”, the last song on Fearless, inspires us to fight for what we believe in and never give up on our dreams even though the path to our dreams is filled with hardships.

The songs in Fearless are relatable to people of different ages. Adolescents can relate to “Fifteen,” a song that describes some of the things that high schoolers experience, like having crushes and feeling disappointed. People in relationships can relate to “Fearless”, “White Horse”, “Breathe”, “Tell Me Why”, and “You’re Not Sorry”; these songs are about taking risks for love and the challenges of being in a relationship.

Swift put her heart and soul into the creation of Fearless. She wrote all the songs in Fearless; the songs are based on her own experiences. Swift composed beautiful melodies to her songs and sang with emotion. This shows her honesty and genuineness that makes her loved by millions of people around the world.

In Fearless, Swift wrote beautiful songs that people of any age can relate to. Swift showed her creativeness in producing Fearless. Through Fearless, she shared what she learned about life, friendship, love, and heartache. Because of these reasons, I give this album a 5/5 rating.

by Aleah Sia, Year 12

WARNING: Article contains major spoilers

Dormammu, I've come to bargain.

When I heard that Benedict Cumberbatch was going to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I was overwhelmed with excitement. Imagine the famous British actor (who plays Sherlock) flashing an American accent. Truly, this ignites creative sparks that embraces a whole new dimension to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Cumberbatch plays a successful, arrogant neurosurgeon with miracle hands and an ego similar to Tony Stark’s. However, when Strange was texting whilst driving, he crashed his Lamborghini which resulted to dysfunctionality with his hands. After months of searching for help, he finds salvation in Kathmandu wherein he gets taught by the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton).

The visual landscape we encounter in this film is extremely daring and to my opinion, was the highlight of the film. The audience at first witnesses Strange bouncing between dimensions from the dark shadows of outer space to a kaleidoscope of colours. Scott Derrickson, the director of the film, does a marvelous job creating visual dazzles extracted from the comic books created by Stan Lee. As Strange begins to learn his powers, the scenes progress to beautiful ‘folding’ effects, when Strange starts to learn how to change the environment around him. 

Though the film has been accused of whitewashing for giving the role of the Ancient One to a British actor whilst supposedly being a Tibetan descent, the Ancient One was my favourite character. Despite her having little dialogue and emotion, she is the character the audience acknowledges the most. She is the master of magic as she sees everything, including the inside and outside aspects of people. She shows that even the most heroic of characters are flawed. 

However, those who are not fans of excessive use of CGI may not enjoy this movie. Moreover, Strange’s character is similar to Starks’. Strange, with the loss of his medical career, embarks on an adventure to find himself, just like how Tony Stark dug through his past. He’s irreverent and satirical, just like Stark. The script of the movie is also very similar to a typical Marvel movie; as Marvel studios releases a handful of superhero movies every year, their scripts tend to be alike and their plots become quite similar. In addition, his female love interest, played by Rachel McAdams, is the stereotypical boring character that we see in every Marvel movie. 

Overall, Doctor Strange may not be Marvel’s best film, but it was still an entertaining film to watch with friends and family. I am sure everyone is looking forward to Doctor Strange’s return in a sequel and, especially, in Avengers: Infinity War. 

by Gabby Uy, Year 10

As any bookworm knows, finding your newest escape from reality isn't always easy; you’ve read John Green more times than you can count and your copy of The Hunger Games has more dog ear than cover. Come on, put Harry Potter down already - here are five more under-the-radar books you absolutely have to read.

1. More Than This by Patrick Ness

Patrick Ness may have won his Carnegie Medal for A Monster Calls but this book is arguably just as deserving of an award. It begins with the “death” of the protagonist, who later wakes up perfectly healthy in a post-apocalyptic world with no memory of his past. If you like existential crises, science fiction and having your brains twisted into pretzels, then this is definitely the book for you. Seriously. My copy has dents from being dropped out of shock multiple times. 

2. Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

By now, you’ve probably seen or read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, but even some of the most ardent fans of the series I know haven’t heard of the more elusive companion book released just this September. Tales of the Peculiar is a compilation of (usually gruesome) folktales about peculiars, who are sort of like the mutants in X-Men for those of you who haven’t read the series yet (shame on you). None of the stories are based off of any existing fairytales, which is what makes them so refreshing. This book is a perfect way to join the ever-growing fandom (and trust me, you want to). 

3. It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini 

Centred around the life of stressed overachiever Craig Gilner, It’s Kind of A Funny Story perfectly encapsulates the pressure to “succeed": to get ‘The Right Grades,’ to get into ‘The Right College,’ to get ‘The Right Job.’ While it does have some heavier topics, it balances these out with a hilariously self-deprecating tones - to quote Teen Vogue, this is “A book about depression that’s not the least bit depressing.”

4. Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Horrorstör - a traditional haunted house story set in not a creaky old mansion but a furniture superstore - may be the lightest read on this list but it’s also one of the most original. Three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour night shift at the local Orsk branch, which presents the staff with broken bookshelves and smashed wardrobes every morning even though security cameras reveal nothing. As the name suggests, the novel is terrifying, despite the fact that it’s disguised as an innocent furniture catalog. Let’s just say that after reading this, you'll never want to step into Ikea at night again. It's a must-read if you like gore, dry humour, mystery and gore. Did I mention gore? 

5. Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Sleep will be lost - enter at your own risk! The Asylum series follows the story of Daniel Crawford who joins a summer programme at a college which was once known as Brookline Sanatorium, an asylum for the criminally insane. Brookline is strangely reminiscent of a more macabre Hogwarts: both have colourful histories, hidden secrets and of course, the occasional serial killer. The dialogue is amazingly witty and to top it all off, the novel is full of haunting (sorry not sorry) vintage photos. This is my personal favourite on this list and I would certainly recommend it for any of you horror movie junkies out there. 

Hopefully your shelves won’t seem so basic now. Happy reading! 

by Alexa Nazareno, Aleah Sia, Kimmy Tanchay and Sanya Saxena

WARNING: Article contains major spoilers

Nostalgic references to eighties pop culture, compelling acting among seasoned actors and rising child stars, and a mysterious bald girl with a number as her name. What’s not to love about Netflix’s critically-acclaimed original series, Stranger Things?

Amongst the many TV shows we’ve watched on Netflix, Stranger Things is definitely one of the best. This series is fun, scary and a perfect tribute to the 1980’s indiana era, with the spot-in hairdos and clothes. There are some genuine scares in there, but some heartfelt moments as well. It builds speed and tension at a remarkable, consistent pace - making every episode more entertaining than the one before.

Much of Stranger Things’ charm comes from their references to 80’s pop culture, nostalgia that reverberates through the show’s music, clothing, and overall atmosphere; series creators Matt and Ross Duffer were perfectly able to capture the notion of mystery and suspense that has been under-shadowed and is uncommon in more modern thriller movies and television. It is also evident that the Duffer Brothers were heavily inspired by the style of Stephen King’s books, and were able to mirror these aspects to make the show as exciting and engrossing as it was. Nods to 80’s pop culture through 10-hour sessions of Dungeons & Dragons, retro Coca-Cola ads on tube type televisions and a Goonies-inspired gang are just some of the other beloved references to the era.

The acting by the iconic Winona Ryder and David Harbour was amazing. However,the child actors definitely stole the show. They are such likable, funny characters that easily made the audience root for them, giving the show a bit of a contrast of comedy amidst the thrilling suspense.

Amongst everyone in the show, Millie Bobby-Brown’s portrayal of the character Eleven is spectacular. Millie took on a difficult role, one that involved very limited speaking lines and mostly about her ability to react to the surroundings as Eleven would; but there wasn’t a single second in the show that her performance wavered or broke character. Her character was very real and original which is  one of the reasons why the show keeps the audience engaged from start to finish.

The writers of the hit series apply long-overused movie tropes to their utmost advantages; instead of the ‘mean popular guy is dating the smart pretty girl’ or the ‘seemingly ordinary town has a dark secret’ stereotypes weighing down the story as ‘awkward baggage’, they play them up and come out with an originality that is so refreshing to see in an age where reboots and sequels have dominated the market.

The suspense that intensified with each episode was good, but also worked against them near the end of the season. The story was incredibly well-written during the series’ first half, building up tension towards what we think will be an unstoppable showdown between the characters and the supernatural element of the plot, but this was built up only to be cut off so abruptly, making the ending feel hurried, and almost anti-climactic.

Despite being the main protagonist, Eleven is underdeveloped as a character. Even with a rich back story, her limited dialogue adds to the mystery of the show but also restricts how her character is portrayed. 

Eleven’s “death” seemed somewhat overshadowed as she added an interesting sense of excitement and uncertainty, making it stand out from a typical boyhood adventure show, only to quickly kill off her character without much thought afterwards.

And how can we forget about Barb? Will Byer disappears and everyone is looking for him but nearly no one, including her family, even bats an eyelash when Barb went missing as well? Okay, Nancy did try looking for her at the start but halfway through the series, everyone just forgot about poor Barb. This plothole bothered us way too much.

Overall, despite a few flaws, Stranger Things will not disappoint and will keep you binge watching for hours on end, constantly clicking the ‘next’ button. This show is currently in the making of the second season so all of the unanswered questions will hopefully be answered (including the origins of the story and Barb’s disappearance). We definitely recommend this show to anyone who loves thrilling mysteries, supernatural and science fiction. If you got a free weekend, get ready for some Netflix and chill.

by Gabby Uy, Chris Lim, Xiying Tham, Vince Tiu, Francine Whiting, and Piper Yu

This halloween is sure to be yet another frightfully exciting event. What could be better than grabbing your favourite noms and sitting down to a good ol’ movie? Here are our top 5 films to watch this halloween. However, please check the age ratings to see if the movie appropriate for you!

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Audience Rating: PG

Genre: Animated/Comedy

Dir. Genndy Tartakovsky

Count Dracula owns a hotel where monsters can go to relax and have a break from their scary lives. When his daughter Mavis turns 118, the Count invites a host of the scariest creatures to celebrate her birthday. However, the Count grows overly protective when an ordinary human accidentally crashes the party and falls in love with his daughter.

Ouija (2014)

Audience Rating: R-13 

Genre: Thriller

Dir. Stiles White

An ouija board is a medium through which players can allegedly communicate with the supernatural during a seance. Oujia: Origin Of Evil, takes place in 1960s Los Angeles where a widowed mother and her two daughters run a seance scam business and unintentionally invite a nefarious presence into their home. When the youngest daughter is found to be possessed, the family attempt to retrieve her soul and send the spirit back to the other side. 

Coraline (2009)

Audience Rating: PG-13

Genre: Animated/Fantasy

Dir. Henry Selick

When Coraline moves to a new home with her family, she discovers a secret door that sends her to a different dimension of her world. In this alternate world, everything is seemingly the same; she has the same mother, father and house but instead, people there have buttons as their eyes. In many different ways she enjoys staying in the new world a lot more because of more freedom and enjoyment. She rejoices in her discovery; however, when her “Other Mother” in the new world encourages her to sew her eyes with buttons and stay there forever, Coraline joins forces with a black cat to use all her resources and bravery to make it out alive.

Corpse Bride (2005)

Audience Rating : PG

Genre: Animated/Fantasy

Dir. Tim Burton, Mike Johnson

Victor and Victoria’s families have arranged their marriage. Even though they both like each other, Victor is nervous for what’s to come. One night, he heads out to the forest to recite his vows for the up-coming marriage. Suddenly a branch forms into a hand - belonging to a dead bride named Emily- and yanks him down to the  land of the dead. Desperate to escape,back, Emily helps Victor find his way back to the world of the living before Victoria marries a wicked and villainous man, Barkis Bittern.

Frankenweenie (2012)

Audience Rating: PG

Genre: Animated/Horror/Comedy

Dir. Tim Burton

A young boy named Victor is a science nerd, who unfortunately does not  have many friends other than his dog Sparky. However, almost coincidentally, his dog dies. The next day, Victor doodles and  mourns over Sparky’s death during science class. But something grabs his attention. His teacher brings death back alive. This gives Victor a spark in his mind to bring Sparkly back. Join Victor as monstrous and unintended consequences haunt him.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (2016)

Rating: PG

Genre: Fantasy

Dir. Tim Burton

When Jake's grandfather leaves him clues to solve a mystery, he discovers Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But danger presents itself as he learns about the residents' special powers and their terrifying enemies. Eventually, Jake realises that only his own peculiarity can save his equally unique friends. The film is based on Ransom Riggs' novel "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children."

One Missed Call (2008)

Audience Rating : R-13

Genre: Mystery/Horror

Dir. Eric Valette

After the death of their friend Shelley, Leann Cole receives a voicemail from the future of the date and time when she would die. On the scheduled day, Leann sees weird things and in the exact hour, she is attacked by a force on a footbridge over a train station while talking to her friend  Beth. Beth meets Leann's boyfriend Brian, who also received a call, and witnesses his death on the street. When her roommate Taylor Anthony receives a call, Beth befriends Det. Jack Andrews then tells her that his sister was the first victim of the phone call. They decide to investigate the connections of Jack's sister and find the name of Marie Layton, who apparently abused her daughters. Jack and Beth run against time trying to save Beth from her fate.

Good luck sleeping tonight!

Dean & DeLuca
By Alessandra Sy and Bea Nazareno, Year 12 

Dean & DeLuca is a popular restaurant that originated from the streets of New York. Since we’ve experienced the coffee from their New York branches in Soho and Broadway, we had pretty high expectations. After visiting the restaurant, we immediately noticed that it strayed far from its market-type ambiance. It would have been preferred if they had retained some of their NYC roots, as they seemed to completely rebrand their image, causing it not to feel like the authentic Dean & DeLuca. However, if you are judging the restaurant without experiencing the original branch in New York, and purely on the Manila base, it’s a great place to grab a bite and have a sip of coffee.

Coffee

The Manila heat made us gravitate towards ordering their iced Hazelnut Chocolate Latte and their iced Macadamia Nut Latte, both orders at 180php. Although both beverages are pretty sweet, you can still distinctly taste the coffee, giving it a good balance. Over-all, their coffee is good if you prefer sweet beverages, but if you genuinely have a taste for coffee, it’s definitely not the place for you.

Price

Dean & Deluca is a pretty pricey restaurant. The most expensive caffeinated beverage is the iced Matcha Green Tea Latte, which costs 220php, and the most affordable cup is a hot Americano at 125php. Although costly, the portion size is much larger than any other cafe, which counteracts the price. Although the coffee is delicious, the portions only come in one size, which is a downside for those who want less but have to pay the same price.

Atmosphere

Dean & DeLuca’s atmosphere can be summarised in one word: loud. The restaurant’s constantly buzzing with customers, so noise is always in the air, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Although they have great service, due to it’s busy environment, the intimacy of the servers with the customers is lost. It’s much more difficult to gain their attention as they always have someone else to serve. Location plays a big role in this, since it’s right by Rockwell and an apartment building, so peak times are definitely lunch breaks. The interior is predominantly white with black accents, and photos of New York plasted all over their walls. This makes the place seem very open and bright, despite being packed with customers. Dean & DeLuca is definitely a place to go with family, or with friends to hang out, but not a place to be productive unless you are comfortable with revising in a loud environment.

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Find Dean & DeLuca at Ground Floor, Edades Tower And Garden Villas, Amorsolo Corner Waterfront Drive, Rockwell, Makati City

Open Mondays to Sundays at 8AM to 12 Midnight

Follow their social media account:

Instagram: @deandelucaph

Habitual Coffee
By Alessandra Sy and Bea Nazareno, Year 12 

We found out about Habitual Coffee upon hearing that its unique café only serves coffee that is brewed using an AeroPress: a coffee maker known for its smoothest and richest brews. Its drinks have claimed the prize of the 2nd runner-up at the 2015 World AeroPress Championship, and the winning prize at the 2015 Philippine AeroPress. The road leading to this hidden beauty is almost always congested with traffic, but we knew it would be worth it when we arrived to try the prize-winning drinks of this speciality café.

Coffee

We ordered the Flat White single origin espresso, and Rose Chai Latte, a non-coffee bestseller. The Flat White, a beverage prepared by pouring microfoam over a single shot or double ristretto shot of espresso, is delicious because of its strong, authentic coffee taste. It’s the perfect drink for those coffee addicts out there. The Rose Chai Latte is a beverage we ordered as it stood out the most amongst the vast selection. The taste is unique and distinctive with its dominant cinnamon flavour. 

Price

Habitual Coffee’s prices are fairly reasonable; however, they could be considered quite expensive due to its small portions. Its most affordable beverages are the Espresso, Long Black, Hot Chocolate, Iced Chocolate, Cream Earl Grey Tea, and Oolong Tea, all for the price of 120 php. On the other hand, its most expensive drink is the Iced Mocha for 180 php.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of Habitual Coffee is very calm, stemming not only from the spacious industrial interior, but as well as the lack of noise from both the customers and staff. It’s definitely a place you can go to when you need to be productive and get cracking on the work you’ve been procrastinating. The café offers fast wi-fi, which makes it easy for you to access your e-mail. It has a quiet setting with soft music playing in the background, and is a real contrast to its neighbour, a crossfit gym!

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Find Habitual Coffee at 2135 Chino Roces Avenue, Legaspi Village, Makati City

Open Mondays to Saturdays at 7AM to 9PM, and Sunday at 7AM to 7PM

Follow their social media accounts:

Facebook: Habitual Coffee

Instagram: @habitualcoffee

by Gabbi Gane, Year 12

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the latest fad jumping around these days - yes you’re right, it’s Jump Yard. Jump Yard is the first and largest indoor trampoline park in the Philippines with over 2000 square meters of jumping space and multiple activities for all ages. There are two foam pits, three basketball hoops, a dodgeball arena, and more to keep you entertained if the  trampolines start to bore you. There’s no need to book - you can literally ‘jump’ straight in after filling out a short waiver as a part of the safety process. Don’t worry - the whole warehouse is pretty safe due to multiple spectating staff and safety nets. You’re even allowed to bring your phones inside the jumping space for those of you who want to take cool snaps! However, all valuables are your responsibility so be careful!

Maybe it’s just because I’m unfit, but you get really tired within the first five minutes of jumping around, which could lead to boredom. But have no fear, their soft opening rate is 250php per head per hour; time bounces past pretty fast, so before you even get close to boredom you’ve jumped right off the clock. Jump Yard is very entertaining, and it is a perfect location for a group hangout. The only downside is that it’s around 30 to 45 minutes from BGC; nevertheless, it is worth the trip, and as it’s very tiring. This could mean that it would be perfect before a night in with popcorn and movies (check out our Film Flashback article for good movie recommendations.) Don’t wait too long - their rate may be adjusted to 350php soon. Bring extra money for jumping socks or some snacks. Don’t forget to stay hydrated!

For more information, go to http://jumpyard.ph/

Rate: 7.8/10

Location: Road E, Frontera Verde, Ortigas Avenue cor. E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave (C-5), 1604 Pasig, Philippines

Opening Times:

    Monday - Thursday:      12:00 - 21:00
    Friday:                 12:00 - 22:30
     Saturday - Sunday:          09:00 - 22:30