Learning to be a Mother

A 12-year-old did it. She is the youngest mother I personally know, beating the record of the 14-year-old one. She was just another young, pregnant, unwed, and confused teenager among the many who come to the shelter for help. She was probably among the women who have been ostracized by their ultra-conservative village, because she got [...]

Metapora

Naglinis ako ng ref kanina. Two years ago, binili ko yung ref na yun galing sa 13th month pay ko na umabot hanggang March dahil sa pagiging kuripot ko. Promise ko sa housemate ko yun. Sabi ko bibili ako ng ref para naman may magamit kami sa apartment at di masira ang mga pagkain. Dalawang [...]

The Repentant

Maybe one of the hardest things to do is to forgive. They say that you have “to forgive and forget.” This doesn’t usually apply to me. I don’t really forget because I’m not that forgetful. In fact, I even remember the teeny weenie details of my childhood. I remember that I believed that I can [...]

Pieces of Me

I used to know who I am. I used to be a go-getter. I used to know what I want and accomplish them with all my might. People, especially my friends, know and perceive me as that — someone who is strong, determined, calculating, and certain. I used to be a planner so my friends [...]

A Bipolar’s Faith

I really think that I’m bipolar. Or better yet, I have cyclothymia, which is a relatively mild mood disorder — not a full-blown bipolar disorder. I have my ups and downs. I have my “on” days and “off” days. My moods alternate between elevated and depressed over time. I have been experiencing this maybe for [...]

En Route!

I don’t usually take a cab. But everytime I do, I meet interesting taxi drivers. I’ve met a taxi driver who talked about politics, ranting why the Philippines is still an underdeveloped country, in terms of economic status and financial stability. I’ve met a taxi driver who bragged about his newly-bought and amped aircon jeepney [...]

What’s UP with you? (my humble opinion on gender and sexuality)

I know it is unlikely that this should come from me. I’m a Catholic. I believe in God and I read the Holy Bible. I attend mass and I serve in a church ministry. But I respect other religions, too, in the premise that they believe in one Supreme Being and do not think that [...]

Not Another “Holden Caulfield Moment”

J.D. Salinger’s book “Catcher in the Rye” caught my attention by chance. I was looking for something to do — bored out of my wits at our freshman dormitory. So I went to my friend’s room and saw this book on her top shelf. I browsed the first few pages and then turned to the [...]

Stress Management 101

I’ve been in hiatus because the crazy bipolar (which I sometimes believe that I am) has gotten into me. But I think it was really the stress that has gone up to my neck. So I became sad, frustrated, and tired. I withdrew from my activities and hid from my friends for a while. But [...]

Beyond the Birds and the Bees (Part 2 of 2)

Let’s Talk About Sex… in Schools, Households, and in Malacañang We, teachers, can give them the proper and basic education using books and forms of mass media. In schools, we can teach them how to read, write, and count. But what teenagers really need are lessons on reproductive and sexual health, responsible relationships, family planning, [...]