IndieCo

It's Christmas in six days, and while it'll be smaller and quieter than in years past, there's still something to be grateful for and to celebrate. As Max writes in his essay, "Change indicates that life is progressing. The only thing we can do is accept that change is inevitable. We need to look at the brighter side, and not be stuck in the painful loss of things we expected to last forever." | M...

Dealing with the death of a loved one is probably one of the hardest moments that we go through in life. On top of this, other problems may surface: depression, financial problems and many more. What makes this worse is when one deals with all these grievances at a young age. Dairen writes about that in her essay, Saying Goodbye. | Dairen Mosqueda graduated from Far Eastern University with a...

We can't deny the negative impact of living in this new normal ever since the outbreak of COVID19. It has disrupted future plans, ruined the economy and perhaps most important of all, it has taken a toll on our mental health. Winona writes about how she has dealt and continues to deal with the anxieties caused by this pandemic in her essay, "With pancakes, I learn to forgive myself." | Winona Sigu...

Whether we think about it or not, most of us are subject to gender expectations. Girls should be graceful, men should be tough and gender non-conformists should act accordingly are phrases that may sound inconsequential but cumulatively, they all have a strong effect on us. Jericho Zafra writes about that in I hate cigarettes. | Jericho Zafra is a third year journalism student at  400-ye...

Alexander Hamilton once wrote about how he perceived childhood as a mitigated form of slavery. He wrote, "There is not a child in the land that can call his soul, or his body, or his jacket his own. He has to wait upon the wisdom, the whims, and often the wickedness of other people. As young people, our wills are just as strong as their, and our tastes are stronger, yet we have to bend the one and...

With quarantine forcing us to stay physically apart, social media platforms and apps allow us to connect with our loved ones and even start new relationships. Ranielle Gallego writes about that in her essay ASL, which is a narration of her one great love that happened online. | Alexandra Ranielle D. Gallego is an aspiring neonatal surgeon taking up B.S. Health Sciences at the Ateneo de Manila.&nbs...

What new hobbies did you pick up since quarantine? What past interests did you start doing again? For Juju, it's biking, working out, and playing video games. But despite being relatively happy doing these things,  he argues that the world right now is not okay, and that we should  not pretend that it is. | Juju Z. Baluyot is a TV producer and writer who has been in the broadcast product...

This week, we'll be discussing "We, the dying" by fourth-year Harvard Med student, Edward Christoper "Chris" Dee. Topics include death, writing about it and everything in between. | Chris was born and raised in Quezon City, Philippines. He is a fourth-year medical student at Harvard and is planning to go into oncology. In his writing, Chris uses patient stories to ask larger questions of mean...

Does your privilege hold you back from moving forward? Are you bothered by the fact that many families out there can hardly make both ends meet? Troubled to see college students clinging to a knife’s edge on the internet in exchange for school funds because of #covid19? If the answer is yes, I bet you can relate to this week's essay, Privilege and the pandemic. | For this episode, we partnered wit...

This week's essay is a tribute for all the moms--moms who relentlessly take care of the household, who work hard to provide for our needs (and wants), and who serve as our light in this tragedy. Too many things in the world are falling apart but mothers—despite being exhausted—choose to remain intact for us. Written by Roeyna, who is a mom herself, this is motherhood in the pandemic. | Roeyna is a...

This week's essay is about making a leap of faith: saying no to something even when the world thinks you must say yes, trusting your own conscience, and ultimately building a new life that is different from what others expect from you. It's about courage and self-respect. | Born and raised in Negros Occidental, Carla currently works as a psychologist at a national government hospital. She wants to...

Have you ever felt some negativity toward a higher authority? Did you feel like wanting to leave your workplace because of the toxicity of a manager or a boss? You're not alone. Mabeth Bonga writes about just that in her essay, "I hate my boss." | A nurse by profession, a frustrated writer, and a hopeless romantic, Mabeth wishes to be inspired as much as she wants to be an inspiration to others. H...

What is escapism and how does it help us face the shitstorms that life may hurl at us? Especially in these strange and unprecedented times, how can it keep us relatively happy, okay or at the very least, sane? Today, Claude Lucas answers these questions in his essay, "Plugged and shaded." | Claude graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Bachelor of Secondary Education, Major...

What does it mean to be brave? Is it true that we were more brash, more bold and braver when we were younger? If so, how do we bring back that courageous and unapologetic child we once were?  Today, Vincent Verzola, a recent college graduate, answers these questions in his essay, "Courage for Others." | Vincent Verzola, 21, is an accountancy graduate of the Unversity of Saint L...

The Corona Virus pandemic has forced most, if not all, of us to make tough decisions. All over the world, companies closed many branches, employers laid off workers, travels were cancelled, and worst of all, many lives have been lost. We have all experienced some level of hardship caused by this public health crisis, however, there are many who have it worse. Rachel calls them the subaud...

Because of the Covid19 Pandemic, most schools are shifting to online/distance learning and there are a couple of concerns raised with this move. How do students and teachers prepare and make the most out of the resources online? What makes a successful online teacher and student? Alexia Adizon, a University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) alumna, takes on those questions in this week's e...

Why be a nurse? Is it because you are convinced that nursing is the golden ticket to working abroad, where there is a high demand for registered nurses in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Middle East? Is it because you are forced into choosing nursing by your peers or family? Or is it simply because you love working with not just your hands (and feet), but also wit...

In many ways, one's character and identity are greatly affected by one's knowledge of his or her parents. But what if you don't know one of them? Natalya Patolot, a rising second year student at the Ateneo de Manila University, takes on those questions in this week's essay, "Tapping Into My Mother's Mind". | Natalya Patolot is a 19-year-old BS Communication Technology Management student at the Ate...

Do you know a scholar or are you a scholar yourself? What were the challenges that you had to overcome? How many stories of hard work have you heard from a scholar? Iela Santiago, a rising second year student at Oxford, takes on those questions in this week's essay, "Microbarriers to Education."| Iela Santiago is a second-year Biology student at The Queen's College, University of Oxford. Currently...