Opinion

13 Reasons Why – I need to write this.

QUEZON  City, Philippines – “This is Hannah. Hannah Baker.” Such a simple line but it has a big impact, especially after learning that it was written by a girl who committed suicide. And that is the story of arguably one of the most controversial TV series today, 13 Reasons Why. If you haven’t watched the series yet, I give this ample warning. The series may trigger negative feelings and if you are easily influenced, you […]

Everything you need to know about honorary doctorates

QUEZON City, Philippines –  The University of the Philippines caused quite a stir among some netizens and some in the UP community only recently. The powerful policy-making Board of Regents offered to confer an honorary degree –  Doctorate of Law, honoris causa, to be exact –  to President Rodrigo Duterte, citing tradition as the main reason. But the offer did not suit well with the protesters, who said the President, who has been criticized for his supposedly inhumane war […]

Humanity, identity, technology – my review of “Ghost in the Shell”

QUEZON City, Philippines (April 10) – What will happen if you take a human brain and transplant it inside an artificial body? That is the profound question asked by the American science fiction/action film “Ghost in the Shell.” Based on the Japanese media franchise of the same name, “Ghost in the Shell” is set in the future. If you are imagining a future that is bright and shiny, you are  wrong. In this movie, the […]

Top 10 highest-paying jobs in the Philippines

QUEZON City, Philippines (April 3) – Graduation is upon us! Fresh graduates now have that unenviable task of looking for employment. Fortunately, finding a job in this day and age is not as difficult as in the past. One only needs to go to the myriad of online job sites to find one that will suit his or her preferences. Early this year,online job site Jobstreet.com released a list of the top 10 highest-paying fields […]

Spend time on what matters

QUEZON City, Philippines (March 27) – How do you spend your time every day? At the end of every challenging day, it is normal to feel tired and drained. Its a surprise that many wake up happy and ready to make a difference in the world we live in. At certain points in our life, we become obsessed with planning ahead, but how many of us stop to reflect the actions that we did in the […]

Let’s fight depression!

QUEZON City, Philippines (March 27) – Experiencing ups and the downs  is  normal in life. It’s the experiences – both the good and the bad – that shape how we perceive the members of our society and  culture. Yet for some individuals, there is the constant feeling of always being “down.”This is what is commonly known as depression. Depression is a mental ailment that causes a person to be constantly sad. It is usually fought […]

How to be more attractive according to science!

QUEZON City, Philippines (March 22) – We usually think that a person can be called attractive if he or she has  good looks. Fortunately, experience shows us that good looks are not a prerequisite for one to be perceived as attractive. Try the following. Surely you’ll see the compliments coming.   Be funny! A good sense of humor is more often than not in the list of anyone looking for a future partner. Consider this […]

Water not just a basic necessity

QUEZON City, Philippines (March 21) – Water is a basic necessity of life.  The fact that the human body is 60 to 80 percent water means that we need to drink a certain amount of liquids to sustain and replace the bodily fluids that our body loses when we sweat or urinate. Going beyond the obvious, there are numerous studies supporting that water is more than just a thirst-quencher. Aside from what we learned from our teachers that water […]

Sa Wakas – a Pinoy rock musical

QUEZON City, Philippines (March 20) – “Sa dinami-dami pa naman ng gustong malimutan, ikaw pa ang naiwan sa puso’t isipan…” Those are the words that my officemates had to endure hearing for an hour after watching Sa Wakas, A Pinoy Rock Musical, as I sing the lines at the top of my lungs with my not-so-good singing voice. Years after its successful first run at the PETA Theater in 2013, Sa Wakas, A Pinoy Rock […]

Escolta – a blast from the past! (part 2)

QUEZON City, Philippines (March 7) – “Commemorate and revive the beauty of old Manila”-  that was the very purpose of the recently conducted Escolta Block Party. Spearheaded by the folks of the First United Building, this collaboration is actually the second Escolta Block Party after the success of the first one last November of 2016. February 18 of this year marked the second and equally successful block party on the oft-forgotten street of Escolta. Local business […]

Escolta – a blast from the past! (part 1)

QUEZON City, Philippines (March 6) – Growing up with a family where both of your parents are post-World War II babies, there are these days when they will just burst out with stories on how great Manila is during their generation, how the city exudes pure elegance even after the Battle of Manila in 1945, and how the structures built in downtown Manila became a representation of how rich our culture and history is. In one […]