Turn your #squadgoals into reality: Five tips on saving money with your college squad

by Regina Dionela

Imagine having the time of your life with your squad, going on road trips and adventures, indulging
on food from different places and your wallets keep on giving.

It might seem so hard to achieve since college professors and organizations bombard you with
projects and your group ends up spending a lot of moolah.

Another situation that makes your wallet 100 to 0 real quick is STRESS-EATING & SHOPPING.

With all the malls, online shops, restaurants and up and coming food parks, you have no loophole in
ignoring the temptations all around you to give in to stress and shop your way out of it.

Well, there's nothing wrong with spending your money to satisfy yourselves and forget about your
stressful college life but there's a better way to do it without jeopardizing your goals and this article
lays it down for you with five tips that can make your squad (and your wallets) happier and
healthier.

1. Put up your calendars and SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE!

Remember the saying: ACADS BEFORE LAKADS.
Note down all of your deadlines, meetings and exams before your squad schedules your
hang-outs. With doing this, you get to prioritize and at the same time, schedule a little less of hang-
outs since you have a lot of academic-related things to do before your squad can go on an adventure
and that means you'll have more time budgeting and saving money in anticipation of your hang-
outs!

2. Barkada promos are your BEST FRIENDS

May it be for travel packages, tickets to music festivals or simply dining in a restaurant,
having the squad go all together is an advantage because of promos that'll make you save a lot of
cash. Restaurants near universities and colleges are offering a lot of group promos.
 A restaurant called "The Study" located in Regis Center at Katipunan Ave.
offers a barkada of the week promo that lets your squad avail a free
meal if you take a group photo in their restaurant and tag their
social media accounts in your post. What an easy way to have free
food right?

For travel promos and coupons, head on to

websites such as Metrodeals and Sodexo to find hundreds of
promos that can cater to your squad's needs.

3. There's nothing wrong with bringing food from home!

Don't you always feel the need to splurge on food during your breaks? Deny it all you want
but college makes you turn into an eating machine because of stress.
With all the options you have in the cafeteria and the dining spots surrounding your school,
the barkada tends to spend a big sum of money and that's not going to help you achieve your
#squadgoals.
There's a way to give in to your hunger but still have your cash intact. Why not bring food
from home? Assign each one of you to bring packed lunch or snacks each day to lessen the damage
to your wallets or better yet have a mini salu-salo every day and each bring food to share. Happy
and healthy tummies and wallets!

4. Have a saving system for the whole barkada

Learn from your #TitasofManila and adapt their saving system called paluwagan. It is a
money lending cycle where each person involved should give a certain amount of money and with
each month, a person will earn the collected money and this runs for the whole year. But instead of
giving the money each month to a person, why not save all of the money until the end of the year?

Have your own piggybank for the whole squad and spend your squads savings at the end of
the semester just in time for your sembreak adventure! Just a reminder: dont count your chickens
before theyre hatched. Calm yourselves and be surprised of how much youve saved at the right
time you need it.

5. Bring out your creative juices and start-up a business

 With the whole barkada involved in brainstorming, coming up with your brand and
investing in the business can be easy peasy. Pastries, clothing, cosmetics, you name it and it will
surely be a hit since its a team effort. Use social media networks, such as Instagram to be your
online shop for a convenient and effortless way of selling your products.
Billie Campanella, one of the owners of the brand Hirache said, Owning a business with
your friend is a good start. Since you know each others abilities and preferences, you can easily
compromise and produce a successful brand.
Hirache which sells minimalistic and functional backpacks started out as only a
requirement for Campanellas course (Entrepreneurship) in Miriam College, however,
Campanella and her partner/friend decided to continue selling
since it was greatly accepted by their market.
She added, This business helped us to
earn money without having to ask our parents
and it became our go-to fund whenever we
wanted to splurge a little bit.
Owning a business may take a lot of hardwork and effort but all of it pays off in the end and
it can help you get extra income for your #squadgoals fund.

View those #squadgoals posts in your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds and make
them a motivation for your squad. With these tips that can help you in saving money for your
squads adventures and hang-outs, youll be posting your own #squadgoals on your social media
accounts in no time.

Youth shining light for the lives of thousands

by Regina Dionela

As national hero, Jose Rizal said, "Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan." This statement has
been heard by Filipinos through the years. True enough the youth is really the hope for the country.
The youth will be the next ones to lead the country and the next generations to come. Being
involved and aware of what is happening in the country today is important and this vital role of the
youth was shown by Miriam College students as they walked along Katipunan Ave. holding candles
to commemorate the lost of thousands of lives due to the war on drugs in the Philippines.

Several departments and organizations in the Higher Education Unit celebrated the week of
peace in line with the International Day of Peace last September 21. Various activities were
organized throughout the week-long celebration for students to participate in, including the selling
of Peace Balls (fish balls) in the Paz Adriano Grounds, Spoken Word Poetry in the Upper Lanai and
the recognition of Miriam College as a zone of peace. In the week-long celebration, one of the
highlights was "May Halaga ang Bawat Buhay" - a candle lighting for the deaths linked to drugs
which happened last Wednesday, September 21 at 6:00 pm.

Before the candle lighting, a mass was held in the ESI Conference Room at 4:30 pm led by
Fr. Albert Alejo. Hundreds of students, employees and professors from different departments
attended the mass and proceeded to walk from the ESI Conference Room to Katipunan Ave.
(footbridge in front of Gate 2 of Miriam College). Lit candles and black tarpaulins that said "May
Halaga Ang Bawat Buhay" were held by the students. Residents of Brgy. Loyal Heights, members
of Kaisahang Ugnayan ng mga Mamamayan (KUM) and students from neighboring universities
were also present during the silent procession and vigil.

Rie Fujinami, an International Studies student and the Vice President for Internal Affairs
(CAS) of the Sanggunian in Miriam College said Since we are to be the hope for the future it is
very important for us to be aware of the reality that is happening in our society. relaying her
message to the youth and their important role in this event. She also added, It wasnt in anyway
political, but rather a peaceful and prayerful one. as she narrated how she felt about the outcome of
the candle lighting. Yumi Casem, another International Studies student who was also present in the
procession also said that, The silent procession wanted to spread awareness across the nation of
what is happening not just in our country but also in the world and give importance to the value of
life and our right to live as human beings.

Students were seen leading the procession carrying candles to give light to the lives lost. The
lit candles and black tarpaulins were left along the sidewalks of Katipunan Ave. as the event came
to an end for the people to hear and see their message loud and clear that every life has its own
importance.

OWNING THE SPOTLIGHT

by Regina Dionela

Millennials taking over different platforms by storm

Janina Manipol

A model, influencer, videographer and a filmmaker rolled into a 25 year old woman named
Janina. With her 99.6k followers in her Instagram account @janinamanipol, she is truly a social
media influencer. She has been tapped by well-known brands to endorse their products, such as
Sunsilk and Adidas. Her Instagram feed is also considered as IG goals by her followers and fans
since it is full of awesome shots of her and her squad
called the Love Club which is a star-studded barkada that
consists of Coleen Garcia, LA Aguinaldo and other
well-known personalities.

Janina is also continuously travelling places all around

the world, capturing beautiful landscapes and

summing up her trips with her well-crafted

short videos showcasing her talent in
videography.
(www.instagram.com/janinamanipol)

Recently, Janina and her partner Seb Gilbert have launched a travel and lifestyle video production
company called Maldavar Films (@maldavarfilms on Instagram).

Janina Manipol surely knows how to handle whats in store for her and put her talents into
good use. Well, her Instagram and Twitter bio might give a hint on how she does it.

PURVEYOR OF POSITIVITY & GOOD VIBRATIONS | Everything in moderation,

including moderation. I let my motives be my motivation.

BretmanRock

Bretmanrock Sacayanan Laforga or most commonly known as Bretmanrock is an Ilocano-

born and Hawaii-based 18 year old social media superstar. He shot to fame by posting videos of
himself doing makeup tutorials and basically his every day experiences.

His How to Contour Youtube video was his ticket to stardom as it paved the way for him to
currently have 6.5 million followers on Instagram and 647,000 followers on Twitter. He became
known for his genuine videos that showcases his great sense of humour and confidence. Not only
that, but hes also great in make-up as seen in his different works on his Instagram feed, whether
its a simple look or an out of this world and funky one that matches well with his crazy and fun
personality.

(www.instagram.com/bretmanrock)
Being true to himself and making others smile by his quirky videos enable people to see him as a
social media personality that doesnt need a filter that is kind of common nowadays. He doesnt
need to wear a different mask when hes on social
media networks, what you see is what you get. His
instant fame grabbed the attention of popular make-
up and clothing brands that tapped him to advertise
through social media networks since he is very
influential.

Bretman also recently launched his own line of

clothing and accessories and is currently in
partnership with well-known cosmetic brands such
as Benefit and Morphe. His fellow Filipino make-up
enthusiasts are also excited to see him in his Make-
up Master Class on December 18 at the Power
Plant Mall in Makati City and according to
MNLLondon, the organizer of the event, there is a
high demand for slots seeing how popular
Bretmanrock is today.

Clarice Marty, 20, a fan of Bretman since summer of 2015, said, I saw one of his videos on
Facebook and I eventually looked him up on Instagram.

His make-up is always on point and how he makes ordinary events or things that could happen to
everyone everyday candid and funny made me admire him. She also added that what
differentiates him from other social media influencers is his straightforward attitude which makes
him funnier.
Because of being true to himself he became a star, take notes from Bretmanrock, love and believe
in yourself! As his Instagram bio says,

Empower your confidences and love.

Curtismith

Mito Fabie a.k.a Curtismith, is a 22 year old Filipino rap artist that is breaking boundaries
through his well-written verses. Hip-hop is a rarely touched genre by Filipino artists specifically
mainstream ones and now Curtismith is redefining hip-hop and rap by making it known as
something that is honest and genuine without the stereotype of being a genre that involves hate
and superficial agendas in the Filipino landscape. Not only is he a rapper but he also does
spoken word in various events such as Stages Sessions. The rise of his fans
and followers have been continuously growing and even Spotify
carries some of his songs.

(www.instagram.com/curtissmith)

His latest EP, entitled Falling Forward focuses on his own experiences as part of the youth. He
shares his experiences, struggles and mistakes he encountered and made in the past.
 Veigh Gogola, 19, a listener of Curtismith songs said, His (Curtismith) songs sound fresh
and new compared to other Filipino artists.

I can relate to his songs. Whenever I listen to him, I feel that he understands me. she
added. When asked what her favorite track is from his latest EP was, the song entitled LDR was
the one she mentioned because the rap part caught her attention and she really loves its flow.