WITNESS

If only we could start from the end, begin from a conclusion, act upon a given outcome, then life’s complexities could be simple, pain could be avoided, joy could be measured and happiness obtained without a gush of tears. Continue reading →

“Starlight, star bright, the first star I see tonight. I wish I were, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight”
I was in second grade when I chanted those words like magic before bedtime. I oftentimes ended with a wish of having a bike, getting a new book, or taking a trip to the beach. When the weather was bad and my father was not home from work yet, I always wished that he arrived safely. But then my incantation transformed into a prayer. My father was not a sheer wish. He belonged to God’s power, not magical thinking. Continue reading →

There was a time when part of my job description was confined inside a wooden box that allowed me to hear voices of other people without seeing their faces. They told me their secrets, they shared their guilt, and they expected some kind of release from the burden of their mischief. Names are not required. Continue reading →

In a world filled with rules, where a space is not mere emptiness and a thought can speak in silence; where we must listen even though we do not hear, straight and simple are terms we long for, though they are shadows that escape the light. Continue reading →

While I push myself to deliver, I struggle against the shuttering of my eyelids against the backdrop of a night shift, stretching vigilance for an hour before sleep takes over. As always, my intent to read is overshadowed by my desire to interact, my wish to chat, and to talk to anyone who would care to linger with my words. Thoughts are sparse. Memory expires. Words are cheap. But if we do not respond, react or transmit what we receive, decadence will set its normal course, and digression will lead to nothing. Continue reading →

What is a eulogy for if the person for whom it is meant cannot even hear? What good is a good word when its goodness is not received? What reason is there for praises when the subject of such praises no longer has reasons to enjoy praise? They are past their lives and surpassed their existence. Yet the oddities and oxymoron of human rituals remain late in reacting, posthumous in recognizing, and slow in appreciating the actuality of life. Continue reading →

For most workers, at least twice a week, health insurance deductions are perhaps the largest piece cut off from our paycheck. According to the Milliman Medical Index, an average family of four pays approximately $10,000.00 in premiums and out of pocket expenses. Gone are the days when zero deductibles motivate even a healthy person to exhaust all standard checkups just so to avail of a regular benefit. Nowadays, it is almost a crime to get sick. Continue reading →

Ever since “Facebook” changed the concept of “friends,” converting strangers into followers and viewers of everything and anything we so decide to post, the social media has somewhat turned itself into a voyeuristic tendencies from selfies to groupies. The likes of “Instagrams, Pinterests, Tweeters and Tumblers” emerged with assorted flavors, specific ends and targeted sectors. Continue reading →

Winter has been like a long procession. Classes have been suspended. Temperatures are at sub-zero. Roads are not a safe terrain. So on cold days like these, we tend to huddle in a closed place, possibly, around a fireplace. With a cup of freshly brewed coffee, a cozy couch, snacks and friends, Continue reading →

So what do you think of the Affordable Care Act?”, I asked one of the housekeeping staff while I was on break. “You mean, the Obamacare?”, she replied. “My husband has a good insurance through the labor union. We are all covered under him. I do not know much about it, but I think our neighbor next door has it. Continue reading →