Tag: Photo of the Week

THE FIREWORKS looked almost like blossoming flowers as they set off in the sky. Blooming, wilting, falling away—repeat—one after the other, three at once, two at once, one at a time. As I stood among my friends, in the middle of the field where we once played alongside, and sometimes against, one another during PE class, I thought for a moment, if there was an existence watching us from above—the sky and the stars themselves, a divine being of some sort or the God we were taught about—did we seem like flowers to them too at this moment? Blooming, wilting, about to fall away from the soil where we have been rooted for the past four years, others five or more—to be swept away, blown or carried, then to start anew elsewhere, as do the pollens of fallen flowers, and these fireworks o...

TWO WEEKS. It was only two weeks left before graduation, but none of us really looked like we had absorbed it yet, or grasped the idea of finally having the diploma we have worked for for the past four years. Miguel and I sat on the bench overlooking the field’s grandstand, both of us had that dazed look in our eyes. It became like this after passing all our requirements and finishing all our exams. After the last period had ended, we didn’t speak and just looked at each other. Before we knew it, our feet dragged us to the place where we had bonded, and eventually fallen in love. I first broke the silence, asking him, “Hey, is there such a thing as graduation jitters?” My question had somewhat pulled him out of a trance, but he still continued to stare at the empty field across from...

IT DOES not matter. For every time the lights go out, they will go on again. Whether it is after having just opened my eyes or just about to close them, it will still be the same thing I will be seeing, the same memories playing in my mind, like moments from videos turned to GIFs. The sun sets; the sun rises. When you are lying in bed, staring at the ceiling of your room as the yellow star centering this universe paint your world orange, does it really matter which is which? To close your eyes or to open them? To stay still or get up? To pick up from where you left off sleeping or start a new activity entirely? When falling and flying feels the same, dusk or dawn—when there is nothing you are looking forward to anymore—do you think these things will still really matter? F MARIA A...

HIS EYELIDS opened abruptly and his eyes started blinking mechanically. He turned to the clock and calculated how much time he had lost from being asleep. His forehead creased when he realized that he lost almost half of the day. He dragged his heavy feet to the ground, and he heaved a sigh before standing up. His limbs felt robotic, it was as if they wanted to simply dangle from his body, or he might needed to grease them with oil so they would start working again. He started walking to reach his desk, where his laptop was, and his feet made stomping sounds like a heavy chunk of metal being dragged across the room. He winced at each step until he reached the desk. He sat down on his swivel chair, and the chair creaked a little too loud. He opened his laptop, and countless mes...

ADULTS SEEMED to be fond of asking children what they wanted to be when they grow up—or at least when I was a kid, I was often asked so. “A star” was my favorite answer, and I guess it was an answer they found cute, until I reached a certain age anyway—then they just thought I was silly or aimless. At present, I am at an age when people no longer asked me what I wanted to be; instead they asked what I was. I am a doctor, and my parents can never have been prouder. I am proud of myself too. After all the sleepless nights and excruciating bouts of loose bowel movements, constipation and gastritis, here I am now, able to afford five square meals a day, not only for myself but also for my family through work I can be proud of and am very much happy about. Still, even as comfortable...

AS PEOPLE become aware of the social injustices and economic sovereignties by the unfair kings of our society, it is imperative that they fight for the unfortunate being decimated every day due to the abuse that the powerful commit. In our society, people must be aware that these powerful come to the powerless in a rampage, holding their golden scepters while donning shining crowns that glimmer under the blazing sun. It is the duty of everyone to attempt to safeguard the future of his or her countrymen through spreading awareness on this inequality in hopes of narrowing the gap between the impoverished and utterly privileged. In the eyes of the unfair kings of society, all below them are merely pawns that they can utilize and exhaust until they are dried of all use. The masses will ...

WITH ARMS spread open, I allowed gravity to pull me down to earth as it had the leaves that had flown away from their homes. Fall, a foreign season that reminded me of home, the verb for the motion that brought me to where I was. I lay atop my fellow wilted ones, their blades blunted and tender, unable to do any more than trigger an itch along the back of my neck that could too easily be numbed out. In silence, I watched as those left still rooted in their homes cry as they watched more of their fellows dance away to the silent melody the wind hummed. Little do they know that gravity is but destiny, and that the ground is closer to home than the sky would ever be. F MARIA ANTOINETTE A. MALICSE

FILIPINOS ACROSS the country return to their provinces and homes to observe the Lenten season in commemoration of the sacrifice Jesus did to pay for our sins. It is with utter solemnity and fervent praise that we express our gratitude for the forgiveness and blessings God has bestowed. It is with honor that the we recall everything the Christ has given and done so that we may be able to sing praises in His name. Through Lenten season, we must not only be thankful for the ample graces that we have received and the time and opportunity to be with our loved ones, but also remember the excruciating pain Christ has suffered, the moment of His death that He willingly accepted so that humanity would be forgiven by His Father. As we kneel in penitence, we raise our hands up to heaven in a...