When friends approach you and ask for tikoy, you know it’s that time of the year again. Also called the Lunar New Year, many of the practices done during the holiday are believed to have started when a Chinese village was attacked by a mythical beast called the “Nian”. These practices continued throughout the centuries […]
It has long haunted our country. We’ve all heard the numerous urban legends about contaminated needles in dark cinema halls and other tales that took on the form of monsters under our beds. Above it all, the implied shame. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immunodificiency syndrome (AIDS) was a conversation the Philippines […]
To endure the hardships of academics and perceptions toward their identities as student mothers are only some of their challenges they face to take good care of their children.
To love is a fundamental necessity—one that is patent and true. It is what makes people feel at one with life, sparking light in the world even in its most hopeless corners. But to love oneself and all of our parts as a whole is still the ultimate challenge. Each one of us interpret and […]
A cultural behemoth, that’s what it is. There is no arguing how the internet and by extension, social media, occupies a unique place in our lives. Its ubiquity brings with it modes of communication and interaction that most take for granted, hiding in plain sight. For the internet is now so integrated in how we […]
Ghosts are no longer just wispy shapes in our peripheral vision. Ghosts don’t stay behind the creaking doors and dilapidated footsteps anymore as the clock ticks. Ghosts are now living persons hiding behind messages left on “seen”, questions left unanswered, and issues left undiscussed. Both, though, leave behind the same ripples of distress and curiosity—haunting […]
I remember the days when my tiny feet were marching along with people who were dressed in saris, flamencos, kilts, kimonos, cheongsams, and all the other dresses representing the globe; my school called it appreciation of different cultures. I remember the days when my tiny fingers were flipping through pages of history books learning the […]
There is a common misconception that Binondo and Ongpin are one and the same. Many use the names interchangeably to refer to the oldest Chinatown in the Philippines and the world, but Binondo is the official name of Manila’s Chinatown and Ongpin is merely one of the most famous streets. Nestled near the heart of […]
Mama, can you tell me a story? As children, we found refuge in stories. But myths are more than just stories we tell—they reveal something about the culture they’re from. As children, how many times have we heard the story of Pinang, the little girl whose mother said that she needed multiple eyes to find […]
For the Kids (FTK) 2019 kicked off its program this January 20 with high excitement. The mini-olympic event invited children with special needs, called “angels”, to participate in a meaningful day with their Ate and Kuya volunteers. Already on its 30th anniversary, it coincides with the tercentenary celebration of St. John Baptist De La Salle’s […]