"Perlita, you are about to graduate in a few months. What is your ambition in life?"  Asked by Mrs. Ramirez, my teacher in fourth year highschool.  "I want to become a lawyer just like my father. I intend to follow in his footsteps!" 

Let me tell you a story about a woman who went through a painstaking experience at a young age. Through it she had developed a defense mechanism to protect her emotions from negative elements. She was always lost, abandoned but somehow managed to press on. What I am about to write here is based on a true story. However, in order to protect her I will be using fictional details. Also, let us just give her another name and I choose "Tess." She was born to a royal family, yes, she is a descendant of a sultan in their region. Without being overbearing, It is crucial to know this detail because it is part of her childhood. She is a royalty by birth and by blood.  Her parents were a product of an arranged marriage but, as expected and unfortunate they ended up separated. Arranged marriages are typical in some parts of the South. As per Tess her parents loved each other but due to circumstances beyond their control fate had decided a different path for them.  Princess Riaz was the grandmother of Tess. She was a vital part of Tess' childhood. When asked how she describes her grandmother she only said give a few words.  Tess' uncle  Akil Riaz, was the antagonist in this story but became the protector at the same time. He took care of Tess just to compensate for the pain he caused Maria Riaz - Ayan, who was the mother of Tess. Growing up she faced different kinds of cruelty that she mistakenly thought was love and care. This will unfold in the character of Nene Gonzales - Riaz.  Her parents were a product of an arranged marriage but, as expected and unfortunate they ended up separated. Arranged marriages are typical in some parts of the South. As per Tess her parents loved each other but due to circumstances beyond their control fate had decided a different path for them.  However, the father of Tess, Rafi Zain, made a vow to Tess that someday he will work things out and they will be united again as one happy family.  The struggle of Tess started when she lost her grandmother without warning. In Tess' mind nobody can hurt her for as long as her grandmother was around. Until an unfortunate event happened. Nevertheless, she may have lost her greatest protector, somehow, she had taken the shield and the sword with her and built walls that surrounded her. A defense mechanism she had developed. So, whenever someone or something would attempt to hurt her she has devices to protect her.   Second challenge hit the emotions of Tess when her mother was married off to another man. She bursted into tears because she thought that her family would never be together again because she failed to protect her mother from another marriage. Hence, she used to take the blame.  Tess' challenges in life never seem to leave her. She had to overcome obstacles in every chapter of her life. This is so when she lived with her uncle's family. Here, Tess was finally content as she now has something she can call a family. Little did she know that it was a nightmare.  The character of Tess exemplifies courage and positivity. As you continue to read you will find out that she developed a habit of deleting the unbearable pain and focusing on the future. She learnt to forgive people and hope that the same people will change. In the midst of the cruelty of her step aunt-in-law she finds a way to cope up. For instance, she will be asked to clean the house which is a challenge for a young teenager. She usually wakes up at 4:00 in the morning to cope up with her homework and study her lessons. Turns out Tess was one of the Dean Listers in school.  Until a hero came to her rescue and gave her a sense of security all through her life. They were high school classmates. They went to the same college school. Allan Nagi saw her again and he realized that Tess was the one.  She was in euphoria that made her decide to leave her career for her family. They became best friends and partners as a married couple. Tess was able to overcome her emotional battle by the love and care Allan was giving her. In reality there is no perfect marriage but Allan was her hero and came to her rescue and gave her a sense of security all through her life.  High and low or rain or shine Allan has been there for her. He provided her with the best life when they went abroad. He spoiled Tess financially and of course the emotional security. In the end, Tess might have encountered unbearable struggles and pains but because of being a fighter she managed to fight it through.

From the aerial view ng province, dahan dahaan mag zoom in papunta sa municipality hanggang sa barangay papunta sa street. Nag focus ang view sa isang tindahan na may pangalang " Aling Bebang." ma Makikita sa tindahan ang isang babae nangangalang, "Maritess." Sya may kausap na nanay. Anya ni Maritess, "day! alamo ba anv latest chismis tungkol kay Sophia meron daw syang kinakasama at ito daw ang finacier ng business. E ano pa nga ba ineexpect kung bakit umunlad ang tita mo edi may sugar daddy." Reply naman ni Nanay, paanp ka nakala siguro na sugar daddy nga yung lalake?" sagot naman ni Maritess, "eh kwento sa akin ng kapatid nya." about 5 feet and 3 inches tall, mataba pero makikita mo na ang dominating physical appearance nya ay ang tsan na lagpas sa boob line, na matigas, hindi katulad ng ibang tummy na malambot. flat ang buns nya pero gifted sya sa harap. hindi sya naka make up pero ang kilay ay maayos...

I grew up in a society dominated by men. I witnessed that female members in every family should, at all times, yield to the male members' wishes and demands. Be it the father, the brothers or uncles. They rule because they are men and that should never be questioned. Which I often see wrong. What if the woman is not amenable to the ideas or suggestions, are they disregarded because of their sexuality? This is the environment I have been exposed to as far as I can remember.  I know someone who is a mother,  she was a career woman but there was a point when she had to leave her career for her family. Now ended up suffering from dementia.  A woman who was intellectual, street smart, fast thinker, the go-to of the clan. Now, she needs her children's assistance to dress her up, feed her, clean and put her to sleep. Sadly, she could not communicate through words and her memories had deteriorated. As per her doctor, one of the many causes of dementia is an abrupt stop of using your brains. When you suddenly stop your active lifestyle. In her case, she used to be a wide reader, for unexplained reasons, she just lost it. Her novel books are now left rustic in the book shelves. Was it her choice to leave her career? According to her, she was persuaded to sacrifice her flourishing job for her children. Women are expected to make such a surrender, why is it due to the fact that they are women? When things are the opposite in terms of male species. I am fully aware that in this day and age, both married couples have to make a living in order to survive and save the family from starvation. However, reality bites, it has been different to the rest of us.  I reckon when I was in my preteen, I witnessed my aunt forced into a marriage where she had no say. Take note, in spite of having a college degree. Her opinion did not matter because everything had already been decided by her father. Unfortunately, she ended up marrying the man whom she had never met before. Neither have gotten acquainted before. Yes, It did happen in our society. I still vividly remember that after the sad ceremony, the married couple were locked in a room. After a few minutes,I heard my aunt screaming then she stopped. I was looking at the door and thought to myself, "my poor aunt, she was forced into the marriage and even consumated the marriage under duress". Fast forward, she brings home the bacon and is able to provide financial assistance to the education of their children. She had done it alone.  Another aunt of mine was again left with no choice but to marry a man that she never knew from adam. I have witnessed her scream, her violent ( yes!) reactions against the arranged marriage, I thought she turned mad, she was even cursing everybody in the room. There was a plan of escaping or wanting to leave the house but my uncles and my step grandfather were on guard. Until the unfortunate event materialized.  In my family, all of your movements are restricted by the rules of men around you. You cannot do this, you are prohibited to do that or you are not allowed to go to that place. like as if your goal is to destroy yourself. Come on! However, these men have all the freedom to do whatever they please. Go anywhere they want. Do whatever they wish but women are expected to behave accordingly - without a voice. If you start to voice your opinion on something you will be shut down for being opinionated.  Last time I checked we are human beings too. Therefore it is natural that we have a sense self- preservation. We do things with precautionary measures, precisely, to protect ourselves. We know the consequences of our actions.   In school, I don't understand why men objectify women by cracking jokes at the expense of women and they laugh it off. Like they have a universal language that they themselves can only understand. Be wary of your choice of clothes otherwise men will base their opinion upon it, because; you will be classified by what you wear.  One time, I was walking my way home, and suddenly a truck passed by with construction workers in it, they whistled and cat called me. I looked upon myself to double check if there was a hole in my blouse or was I wearing revealing clothes. But, I was wearing a school uniform. Our school uniform was composed of blouses and pants. So, I wonder what drove those men to do disrespectful behavior when I was just a young lady and had decent clothes on. Was it because, it's human nature for those men to react that way whenever they encounter opposite sex, regardless of what kind of apparel she is wearing?  In a working environment, mostly women have no voice particularly in a kind of business dominated by men. If you show your strength you will be classified as intimidating and bitter. If you let them discover your sensitivity then you are a weak creature. I thought it was a challenge to work with women, but, it is more painful to work with men because of their egos. Yes, circumstances like this exist.

It was my first time to work in an environment different from office setting. I go from one place to another to spread awareness for a political candidate. However, I realized that politics is a different animal.