I love going to bookstores. Walking past rows and rows of books, hearing the quiet prowl of other book lovers in search of new worlds to devour. But not all books in bookstores are abrogated the lust for adventure and mystery deserving of its kind. There are dark corners; but none darker than the Filipiniana…
Category: Menagerie
It is said that the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water from the womb. It is in that regard that the sanctity of brotherhood is so revered in society. We as humans naturally seek companionship; longing to be able to share our lives with others. For some, loneliness is satisfied by making…
Can you hear the quiet hum? It’s the sound of millions across the country praying. The Church of Iglesia ni Cristo, commonly referred to as the INC, is one of the most politically and culturally influential religious groups in the Philippines. A homegrown religion founded by Felix Manalo in 1914, membership in INC has grown…
For the uninitiated frosh taking their first steps into the University, college presents itself as an entirely unfamiliar terrain—a place where no one knows your name, so you could rebuild it in however way you want from the ground up. Such self-reinvention is possible in college because of all the freedom that comes with it.…
The room was dark but the lights were bright. It was seventeen minutes past ten at night. The music was booming and the girls were dancing. The alcohol was flowing and the guests started coming. And then, a Michael Buffer-esque voice came calling, searching for a referee to a round of midget boxing. This was…
A few taps at the keyboard here, several mouse clicks there and many search results later, a list of Facebook fan groups light up the screen. While these groups may seem like any other dedicated to public figures, one spine-chilling detail makes them stand out: The macabre dedication to serial killers. It is interesting, to…
A decade worth of superhero blockbuster action has led up to this; Avengers: Infinity War. Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has given birth to and cultivated an extensive cultural following, redefining the definition of comic book movies time and time again. In Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios displays an incredible amount of…
The movie was revealed to have hit a 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and critic reviews were overall very good. However, the week after it was released internationally, things started to change. While the critic score on Rotten Tomatoes stayed above 90 percent, the audience score plummeted from the 60s down to the 50s, where…
Twirling gracefully in a pool of silk, ribbons, and tulle, Odette is every inch a vision in white. The Prince notices the maiden, instantly struck with the kind of emotion people crossed oceans for, the kind of romance people wrote novels about. It only takes a glance, a few steps closer and then the star-crossed…
Now to others, this may not be so, as many see the Philippine music industry as sort of the awkward cousin (ten times removed) of the glamorous and popular America. However, despite the petty controversy, which is often tainted with negativity, bad vibes, and backlash—whatever else you want to call it, the truth of the…