RAIGE-O-LOGY

"You're missing out on half of your life," someone told me when I declined their question, "Are you on Facebook?" I was aware of Facebook's existence, but I didn't realize that supposedly half of my life depended on it. Although I had an account, I had always been too occupied (or perhaps lazy) to pay much attention to it. I mean, even customizing wallpaper on Friendster felt like a daunting task for me. Facebook, on the other hand, seemed on a whole new level. It had a similar concept but appeared to be more interactive, with games and other features that I was still trying to comprehend. One uneventful afternoon, in a country still predominantly loyal to Friendster, I decided to explore my Facebook account. I uploaded a picture, wrote some random stuff on the info page, and began adding friends. While browsing my sister's page, I discovered that all of our relatives were her friends. Cousins whom I hadn't seen in nearly two decades (except thro...

Typhoon Ondoy delivered a devastating blow to our country, impacting the lives of thousands in unimaginable ways. And as if that wasn't enough, Typhoon Pepeng added insult to injury by exacerbating our wounds. Who should be held responsible for the widespread flooding and landslides? Is it the government, which often misuses our tax money instead of investing in effective drainage systems, housing for the underprivileged, and improved roads? Or should we collectively shoulder the blame as contributors to the infamous global warming? In my opinion, both parties are accountable. The damage has been done, and in times like these, the resilience of Filipinos truly shines through. Even our work was heavily impacted by the floods. Our warehouse, situated in Pasig, experienced cancellations and delays in deliveries. Shortages of goods became a common occurrence across all our stores. On one occasion, a regular customer visited our store and ordered a hotdog with rice meal. Unfortunately, ...

Confined in this cold and dark room Looked beyond lords of illusions Palms run through your crowning glory Painting a face they want to see Shiver for each falling degree Icy sabers stab his body Nobody around to witness Such pain for a man to possess No hope or help would ever come To this nobody who's alone No trace of regret on his face Nothing left at all but disgrace The ink on his hands has dried up When's it going to be enough? She looks back through the cold shiver The warmth starts to flow all over

It's been five months since I started working at a convenience store. The pay is decent, and having the "Store Manager" nameplate gives me some sort of credibility or street cred, if you will. I've also developed good relationships with my co-workers, some of whom have become my closest friends. Additionally, I've formed acquaintances with some of our regular customers. Everything and everyone is going great! However, there's one exception: my boss... To put it in perspective, it's like waking up early and studying hard the night before an exam, only to find out that classes are canceled due to a typhoon. I'm the diligent student, and my boss is that unexpected disruption. To continue with the analogy: If I were Harry Potter, my boss would be a dementor. If I were Frodo Baggins, my boss would be an Urakai. If I were Han Solo, my boss would be Jabba the Hutt. If I were GMA, my boss would be the rest of the Philippines.