T

he Eleventh Hour marked a cherished

beginning. Sixty minutes before the clock “Her eyes are
struck midnight, on the 8th of July 1999, a of the most
princess was born. Little did her parents know
delectable
that the little bundle in their arms would grow
to slay millions of dragons, and cross every chocolates,
boundary thrown her way. And it all started hair as
when she picked up her first book. That was changing as
the moment everything changed. the Earth, lips
as sweet as
The princess had adventures with dashing young princes, elegant and honey, smile
fierce princesses, magical lands, and powerful fairies. She didn’t let as good as
anything stop her passion to learn and she excelled in reading, singing,
gold.”
dancing, acting, modeling, spelling, public speaking, and of course…
dreaming.

She was such an overachiever.

At the age of seven, she and her family moved to a distant land called
“Dubai” of the kingdom “United Arab Emirates.” There, she
experienced going through t h r e e different schools to study. She spent
a year in Apple International School, and two years each in Pristine
Private School and The Philippine School-Dubai. It was in Pristine “Her strong-
Private School where she met her (then) knight in shining armor, willed spirit is
Shakeel Jowhershah, her best friend who hailed from Sri Lanka. They not an easy
were inseparable. Their love for animals brought them together and thing to forget
.
their renowned intelligence kept them close. Her presence
demands to be
But alas, it was not to be. Clariza was moved to her third school,
leaving her with memories of running around the playground and remembered.”
teasing remarks. Her knight in shining armor was gone within the blink
of an eye.

Her journey took her to The Philippine School-Dubai, where she met
her new partner-in-crime, Pamela Ysabelle Olaes. The princess
successfully toppled the “Queen,” Menwa Buenaobra, off her pedestal
by defeating her in trials of love, declamations, pageants, and of
 course, academics. But time went by pretty quickly and before she
knew it, she was graduating and was shipped off to Cebu.

All her friends, gone.

Comfortable home, gone.

Pet turtle, gone.

AC–dearest, sweetest, AC–gone.

Her first year of high school was worse than being launched from a
trebuchet to outer space. Not only did she have to adjust to the
tropical climate, she had to adjust to the school’s–quite frankly–
ludicrous rules, nature-ventilated classrooms, dusty roads, new
classmates, new teachers, and the new disciplinary system.

She was verbally bullied and blamed for a lot of things beyond her
reach. Whispers flew left and right but being the strong-willed
princess she is, she turned her nose up at these accusations and
persevered. She managed to earn the trust of a loyal group of
followers b e s t fr ie n d s , who helped her survive the rest of high
school. Namely, Lyka Requina, Irish Nicart, Ann Ferlyn Albos,

Chrysjohn Ornopia, Rhea Mae Alao, Jenrique Joshua Patingo,

and so much more. Now that she’s in her final year in SLC-C, she
can’t help but think, “thank all the gods t h a t ’s almost over.”

She built her own invisible fortress as the years passed by. This
fortress would stand and serve as her legacy once she left the
institution. She is seared into the hearts and minds of people she’d
crossed paths. Her strong-willed spirit is not an easy thing to
forget.

Her presence demands to be remembered and she is confident that

she’s done all she could to leave a mark that’ll last for decades to

come.

And so, the records of princess Clariza’s life must pause for we
cannot skip towards the end while it is still ongoing–who will be
brave enough to hold our dear princess’s heart? How will she leave
her mark in this w o r ld ?–it is impossible to say. And we must be
careful with spoilers… Sweetie.

The End?
2