Categories
Menagerie

Trying times: A family against a fatal illness

A common sight on the silver screen and unfortunately in the lives of many in the Lasallian community is the struggle of the terminally ill and the traumatic wake it leaves behind on those around them. For many of us, it’s bad enough that our parents, who have always been these larger-than-life figures in our…

Categories
Menagerie Menagerie Feature

Only, but not lonely

Growing up with the question “How many siblings do you have?” was as much a burden to hear as it was to actually answer. I would always look down shyly and quietly tell whoever was asking that I had no brothers or sisters – I was, and still am, an only child. After hearing quite…

Categories
Menagerie Menagerie Feature

Getting Uber It

With October already upon us, more and more people are excited to partake in the month’s festivities. Attendance in Halloween costume parties, trick-or-treating around neighborhoods, binge watching scary movies, and last but not least, exchanging horror stories. Last month, however, Filipinos were unfortunately greeted by a rather early horror story: They had awoken to the…

Categories
Menagerie Menagerie Feature

Beyond the scenes: Stories and realities from the drug war

This is what we think we know: we’ve heard enough sides to know the truth. It is a primetime narrative summarized as incidents fueled by entwined destinies of noble intention and bloody execution. But the headlines and three-minute reports rarely ever tell us much. Besides somber faces caught on camera and the families whose lives…

Categories
Menagerie

Writer’s Recap: Geek Day 2017

A sudden flash of bright-colored wigs here, an assortment of oversized props over there; these are the telltale signs that yes, you’ve found yourself in the midst of a geek gathering. Pop culture enthusiast or not, one cannot help but be drawn to the flurry of excitement. Be it the intricate costumes, themed merchandise, or…

Categories
Menagerie Menagerie Feature

Resorts World Manila attack: The day the mall stood still

The clock turns midnight and with it comes the echoes of gunshots and smokescreens of fire exiting the Resorts World Manila. A horror scene much like in the movies, now so much more visceral and enigmatic, with the suspension of disbelief bordering reality. About a month later and still, that haunting scene resides among the…

Categories
Menagerie Menagerie Feature

The rise and rise of contractual workers

Not too long ago, rallies protesting the practice were rather common. Unfortunately, nothing significant would come from them. For the unaware, contractualization is a common business practice characterized by keeping employees under short-term contracts and not classifying them as “regular employees.” Corporations, especially larger ones, do this as a means to cut down on the…

Categories
Menagerie

Rant and Rave: Precious Moments Gift Shop and Restaurant

Be it a haven for collectors of well-loved porcelain figurines or simply a sanctuary for those seeking comfortable solitude, this quaint little nook hidden within the metropolis of Makati is none other than the SamBREW Cafe inside Precious Moments Gift Shop and Restaurant. Having just been reopened after undergoing renovation,  Jojo Sonillo, president of Precious Moments…

Categories
Menagerie

Green Pulse: On stricter regulation of social media

Social media became witness to last year’s significant turn of world events. From #Brexit, the United States elections, the Aleppo crisis, the impeachment of South Korea’s President, to President Duterte’s anti-American streak, our news feeds have been fueled with stories that have spread like wildfire. The democratizing power of networked spheres spur easier citizen participation…

Categories
Menagerie Menagerie Feature

Close encounters of the ghost kind

Films such as The Sixth Sense, The Conjuring, and The Blair Witch Project, have piqued interests regarding the belief of those returning from the afterlife as ghosts. These movies portray ghosts as entities who try to haunt us, send us messages, or tell us to stay well away from certain places or things. But while…