Filipinos enjoy styling themselves, which they refer to as OOTD, or outfit of the day. They can pull off a celebrity’s entire style by shopping at thrift stores, or ukay-ukay for us. People save money because the costs are not high, yet they are branded. The quality is no different than what popular stores sell; the only difference is the word “preloved clothes.” Thrift shopping is time-consuming, and you should be patient because you will be checking all the bunches of clothes hanging in the shop just to find that outfit that you are looking for, but it is worth it
in the end. In our subject, creative nonfiction, we were required to buy an outfit from a thrift shop, and the model would wear it with their best smile and pose. We roam around the city, and shops are anywhere; it is up to the people which store they choose. Therefore, we went to the best thrift shop for us in the city, “Jamzel’s Ukay,” near
Martone Department Store. They sell everything: shoes, trousers, bags, and even blazers. Take notice of these simple recommendations to make your ukay-ukay experience more joyful and stress-free.

1. Bring a little handbag that holds all of your belongings.
   The best kind of bag to bring would be a shoulder bag because you can just clip that onto your waist and then have both hands free to comfortably look through all the clothes. When you’re walking around a thrift store and going through all the narrow aisles, you don’t want to be worrying about lugging around a big backpack or side purse. Additionally, you shouldn’t carry too much; the only things you actually need in your backpack are cash, a phone, and any other small necessities.
2. Wear relaxed clothing.
   If going thrift shopping, it would be better to wear loose clothing because, of course, you will be trying to fit numerous clothes. You’ll take off your fit every time you fit something, and it is easier to remove comfortable clothes. Also, the temperature in thrift stores is definitely hot.
3. Be patient. With the huge selection of clothing you see when you enter a thrift store, it can be overwhelming to start looking. Instead of overthinking it, start by going to one clothing rack and looking through it all before moving on to the next one. This way, even if you don’t get to look at everything, you’ll at least have seen everything you got to see and you won’t miss out on any cool pieces. Just come up with a system that suits you best so that saving money may be fun. You’re sure to find some intriguing things if you’re patient and take the time to carefully consider everything.
4. Inspect both the male and female portions.
   Don’t simply stick to one gender’s apparel department; especially if you’re a lady, the men’s section has some really cool clothes as well. They provide a wide variety of graphic t-shirts, big jackets, and occasionally even a pair of jeans that fit.
5. Don’t be afraid to make “tawad”
   Making “tawad” is a Filipino expression that is used to request a discount. Always attempt to do this, especially if the prices are quite high since they occasionally have a tendency to price items a little bit higher than you’d anticipate. Additionally, your chances of receiving a discount may be considerably better if you’re purchasing a large number of things.

Ukay-ukay stores are not that bad, and it is really worth it after hours of searching for an OOTD. They are all affordable; the prices in the department stores are 50 percent of them. If you are looking for a sign to go thrift shopping, this is it. Do not forget to bring your friends for a happier shopping experience.

As I held my sister’s palm—who was then pouring with tears, I showed strength that never came out of me before. Strength that I can say is half true but is wholeheartedly necessary. I have to be the big sibling for my sister who was 4 years old and my brother who was 5.

The tears behind the iris of my eyes are what kept me silent as my parents grabbed their four-wheeled suitcase. It brought me back to the last time I saw my mother cry. It was when she had an argument with my grandmother. Arguments that are centred with my mother’s decision of not continuing college that greatly impacted the life she has right now. The decision of birthing me instead of enrolling for the next semester at nursing school.

It was me whom my mother chose. It was me who caused her setbacks. And it was also me who became the reason why they had to fly on the other side of the world for better income. Sometimes I blame myself but most of the time I am pressured to achieve greater things for them. To this day, they expect me to be the best. In fact, they have a life planned out for me—to go to law school after my undergrad.

I am Wreighnel and I am a grade 12 student of Ilocos Norte National High School taking Humanities and Social Sciences. I am a debater; A writer; and a Capricorn. I am Wreighnel and I strive to be the perfect son. 

The perfect son to my father means to be able to provide him the tallest basketball player grandson he will ever have. To my mother, is to have a son who owns properties and millions of money that will nurse her when she gets old. 

But I will never be the perfect son because I do not plan to have kids nor to have a wife. I know that they’re aware of that. As early as 3 years old, I showed them that I wasn’t the son they expected me to be. I wasn’t the son who could provide them with grandchildren.

Is he a he?— was already a question for the people around me long before I figured out myself that I was gay. I was a hyper little boy that played with dolls over trucks, like my aunties better than my titos, and feminine things over masculine. I was a boy that didn’t pass the standard of being a “he”. 

At 13, I began questioning: What does it really mean to be a he? Every night, I enter a world where I try to conform with society’s standard of being a boy because I badly want to finally fit in. Do I have to be hyper masculine or do I have to ride a motorcycle? Do I have to date multiple women at the same time like what my lolo padong do or do I have to smoke and drown myself with alcohol like my tito wapo?

As I grew up, I learned that I don’t have to be a he. I don’t have to conform to the binary standard of gender. I don’t have to believe that  I have to be a boy to be enough and I don’t have to be a girl either. I’m neither a boy or a girl. 

With all of these realisations and acceptance from myself, I learned to finally accept my identity even if others think that this is “just a phase”. To finally create my own story and be me as the author.

I know who I am and I wish to show my parents that—the Wreighnel who’s familiar to them but in the same breath, Wreighnel who’s different. Two months from now, I’ll be able to see them again and show the fruit of my labour. After almost five years, I’ll be able to hug the people who first chose me over anyone or anything. To finally show them that I may not be a he anymore but I will always try to be the son they once loved.

WELCOME!!

Latest from our YOUniverse

A look Over the Shoulder: a blog on finding yourself while being yourself.

What does it mean to live as a teen, trying to figure out more about yourself and being at the receiving end of glares and pointed fingers of adults saying: you’re flinching away from your home country by doing this?

What does it mean to search for yourself without actually uprooting your origin?

It’s scary to be born in a generation of pixels and wires that you suddenly forget what it actually means to be seen and be alive. To be someone on his/her/their teens with a perception of running through abandoned train tracks, embarking on quests and saving the world and then boom… borders are closed, you’re facing a screen with equally anxious teens and an exhausted middle-aged teacher. You have no social life and no chance of saving the world, much more yourself.

So, can we really blame the youth for looking away from real life and resorting to staring at screens? Should we raise our voices at them while they watch twelve episodes of a Korean drama with red eyes and pajamas long due? Is there really anyone to blame?

This is where nationality squeezes through the screen. While teens try to survive their lives (or the lack thereof), they start making trail tracks away from their homes. 

I, myself, is a testament to this. My early junior years were spent reading Percy Jackson series just so there’s someone I can identify with. The big textbook would be positioned upright to hide the thick Mark of Athena book I was actually reading.

So, when the world shut down, I spent most (if not all) of my time in my room reading and reading and well… reading. 

It was clear to me that the only way to associate to myself is to dissociate from the rest of the world. And so, nationality wasn’t the priority during those times, it was survival. 

The older generations aren’t mad at seeing the back of their kids fade across the distance, they’re upset and sad to see that what they fought so hard for, got left in the dust. That, they used literature as a form of activism, risked their lives for freedom and their kids willingly let themselves be colonized by the west and sometimes even other countries in Asia. But just like those generations before whose purpose was to fight, our purpose now is to find who we actually are.

Now how do we find ourselves without abandoning where it all started. Well it’s actually quite simple: bring a part of your home wherever you go. 

One time, in a camping trip, I brought books. A big, heavy bag of books were clasped in my fragile hands the whole time making marks in my palms and grunts as I lift them again and again and again. The reason for this is just because I wanted to. 

Another one is that I always wear my bead bracelet. There were kaleidoscopes form inside the beads when the light strikes and I love it so dearly. It was a gift from my grandmother and it being wrapped around my wrist feels like it is her hand: warm, tender and gentle.

A fragment of your home sometimes is all you have and all you need and so, bring it wherever you venture into. 

Sing songs of how beautiful and ethereal Pamulinawen was that everyone fell in love with her in an instant. Brag about Lam-ang’s extreme power and bravery to fight against a whole battalion of enemies and end with a victorious cry. Wear the towering shoulders of a Filipiñana with pride and flaunt the golden skin of a Filipino that is a testament to their hard work and love for nature.

Bring a piece of your home, a piece of the Philippines in your search for yourself as it will be your pillar of survival and your navigator in the strange allies of the world. The cross of the Lord clasped within your palm will be your companion when you seemed to know no one, not even yourself. 

Nurture yourself and reach your full bloom without breaking the pot where you started your life and remember, a flower doesn’t have to leave the soil to reach its full form.

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by 11 – HUMSS – Almario – s. y. 2021-2022

Badua • Blanco • De Jesus • Melchor • Agorilla • Ballesteros • Dela Cruz • Gapuz • Trillanes