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Culture Writing

I specialize in incisive articles that examine why we are the way we are and how our notions of selfhood evolve in the online sphere. (But, I can write about literally anything and anyone else too!)

Featured Article

The legend of Reading Club 2000: Mang Nanie and his treasure trove of untold stories

Esquire Philippines

The owner of Makati’s beloved community library has led a storied life. But his next chapter is only just beginning.

Link to Article >

For better or for worse? Why Filipino women must fight for their right to divorce — Kontinentalist

In the Philippines, the family is the lynchpin of society and marriage, the ultimate stepping stone towards a stable future. It’s no surprise then that it’s the only country in the world where divorce is illegal, keeping women from leaving marriages on their own terms and achieving independence.

Growing Up as a Gifted Child and the Rude Awakening of Adulthood — VICE

I was a child genius. Now I’m an average adult.

88rising on That Coachella Set and the Community That Made It Happen — VICE

Anything seems to be possible for the team that keeps their feet on the ground and their head in the clouds.

Going 'off-grid' is a luxury few can afford — iD

A digital detox is synonymous with self-care – but what if doing so cuts you off from your support network?

P-Pop Group Alamat Are Set to Conquer the World — Teen Vogue

The boys are ready to live up to their legendary status as the first multiethnic, multilingual act in the Philippines.

Bianca Gonzalez Intal and Rissa Mananquil Trillo on the power of the platform – Vogue Philippines

Both Bianca Gonzalez Intal and Rissa Mananquil Trillo built careers out of speaking up within pages and on screens. Today, they use their voices to elevate those who need it most.

Meet the Titas of BTS, a group of older women who are giving younger boy band fans a run for their money. — Insider

Because BTS fans mostly skew young, the group has become a safe space for self-expression and to build new, meaningful friendships and support.

How do we define activism in the digital age? — CNN Philippines Life

The incentives we bestow to those deemed “woke” enough are all-encompassing — from likes and shares that serve as currency on every corner of the internet, to actual platforms and resources.

What we can learn from BBM’s side of TikTok — Young STAR

For the next six years, we have to remember that we are fighting for them and for the generations that follow — not against them.

When Filipinos Fight with Filipino-Americans, No One Wins — Esquire Philippines

Choosing to understand why Filipino-Americans are the way they are could be the key to finally meeting halfway.

Recruiters share why multiple internships are not always the answer — Rappler

For Gen Z, what started as a less-than-ideal way to 'meet expectations' has now evolved into a normalized and romanticized phenomenon.

Complete Collection

Features

Why has fandom culture become so toxic? | PhilSTAR Life (June 2024)
I sat in at UP's three-hour class about Taylor Swift. Here's what I learned. | PhilSTAR Life (May 2024)
Bitches and bimbos: Why do we reclaim the slurs of the past? | PhilSTAR Life (March 2024)
Let's view Filipino cinema's piracy culture through a different lens | Rappler (February 2024)
Is oversharing on TikTok good for business? | Esquire Philippines (January 2024)
For better or for worse? Why Filipino women must fight for their right to divorce | Kontinentalist (September 2023)
Pang-ilan ka? On whether birth order determines the rest of your life | Esquire Philippines (June 2023)
Meet the 'Titas of BTS', a group of older women who are giving younger boy band fans a run for their money. | Insider (January 2023)
The teen magazine raised an entire generation of girls. Where is it now? | VICE (October 2022)
What's the state of Southeast Asian sci-fi? | Kontinentalist (June 2022)
What we can learn from BBM's side of TikTok | Young STAR (June 2022)
Welcome to your quantified self | i-D (May 2022)
The desensitization of Gen Z | Young STAR (April 2022)
Why do girls love walking red flags? | Young STAR (February 2022)
What's the point of all these singing and dancing politicians, anyway? | PhilSTAR Life (February 2022)
The fan translators behind K-pop's global success | VICE (February 2022)
What lies behind the work persona? | Rappler (January 2022)
How do we define activism in the digital age? | CNN Philippines Life (January 2022)
Imagining a police-free Philippines | Young STAR (March 2021)
The cognitive dissonance in our comfort shows | Adolescent (February 2021)
The unsubtle feminism in Subtle Asian Dating | Adolescent (October 2020)
A digital citizen’s guide to battling the infodemic | makesense Philippines (September 2020)
Why can’t we stop buying counterfeit clothing? | Lithium Magazine (September 2020)
The problem with online therapy | Lithium Magazine (July 2020)
National obsession: Tales of the homewrecker | reclamation magazine (June 2020)
National obsession: The dark side of Filipino love teams | reclamation magazine (June 2020)
Are the Filipino people truly free? | reclamation magazine (June 2020)

Opinion

Do you really need another reusable water bottle? | Esquire Philippines (April 2024)
Celebrities break up all the time. What makes Kathniel so different? | PhilSTAR Life (December 2023)
Solo dining isn't social suicide | PhilSTAR Life (August 2023)
In defense of taking photos in museums | Rappler (October 2022)
Going off-grid is a luxury few can afford | i-D (February 2022)
Stop shrouding sex education in shame | PhilSTAR Life (February 2022)
Why Hollywood should stop adapting Korean media | Rappler (January 2022)
Does loving your country mean staying? | Young STAR (October 2021)
The fault is actually not in our stars | Bobblehaus (October 2021)
It's time to abolish the K-pop survival show | Bobblehaus (August 2021)
Plant parenting isn't a fad — it's our future | Young STAR (June 2021)
Young female powerhouses are people, too | Young STAR (March 2021)
There's no place online for performative body positivity | Bobblehaus (March 2021)
Public libraries are the future | Bobblehaus (December 2020)
Why the unpaid internship has got to go | Bobblehaus (October 2020)
We are not the heroes of this story | makesense Philippines (September 2020)
All-girls schools have got to start protecting their students | Ashamed (July 2020)
Why I'd rather not believe in soulmates | Uniquely Aligned (May 2020)

Personal Essays

I don't have a group of close friends. It's taught me to be more independent. | Business Insider (May 2024)
Remember what used to be good: On '13 Going on 30' and journalism today | PhilSTAR Life (April 2024)
‘Tumaba ka’: Finally making peace with gaining weight over the holidays | PhilSTAR Life (December 2022)
Notes on nothingness: What EEAAO and NASA taught me about the grand scheme of things | PhilSTAR Life (July 2022)
The friend breakups that made me who I am | Young STAR (January 2022)
Pretty privilege has always been real—but it doesn’t have to be | Young STAR (December 2021)
Seeking solace in 80s music | CNN Philippines Life (August 2021)
Everything I know about relationships, I learned from Kathniel | Young STAR (July 2021)
What happens when your ability to verbally express love gets taken away? | CNN Philippines Life (June 2021)
Here’s to never growing up | Bobblehaus (April 2021)
Growing up as a gifted child, and the rude awakening of adulthood | VICE (March 2021)
What my dad taught me about relationships | Bobblehaus (December 2020)
The truth behind the Internet’s study communities | Adolescent (October 2020)
Self-help books were my coping mechanism | Mid-heaven Magazine (August 2020)
Give basic girls a break | Lithium Magazine/Adolescent (August 2020)
Being a low-maintenance friend this quarantine | Lithium Magazine (July 2020)
An allergy to affection | Uniquely Aligned (June 2020)
My own coming-of-age, as seen in usernames | Uniquely Aligned (May 2020)
To all the boy bands I loved before | Underdog (April 2020)

Service Articles

I don't have any hobbies – so I asked experts if that's a problem | POPSUGAR (July 2024)
How to stop fighting with our friends on vacation | Esquire Philippines (July 2024)
Why do we keep tabs on people we can't stand? | Vox (November 2023)
How to give yourself closure for Christmas | PhilSTAR Life (December 2022)
What to do when your dream job becomes a nightmare | Rappler (September 2022)
Recruiters share why multiple internships are not always the answer | Rappler (March 2022)
Going against the pressure to be better | PhilSTAR Life (January 2022)

Interviews and Profiles

Allow Lauv to reintroduce himself | Esquire Philippines (June 2024)
How Kat Alano broke free from online gender-based violence | Vogue Philippines (March 2024)
Bianca Gonzalez Intal and Rissa Mananquil Trillo on the power of the platform | Vogue Philippines (March 2024)
The legend of Reading Club 2000: Mang Nanie and his treasure trove of untold stories | Esquire Philippines (February 2024)
This end-of-life doula helps the terminally ill embrace death | CNN Philippines Life (November 2023)
What's next after SB19's world tour? The P-pop group check their tarot predictions | CNN Philippines Life (September 2023)
P-pop group Alamat are set to conquer the world | Teen Vogue (January 2023)
This student-run startup is made for and by content creators | Esquire Philippines (November 2022)
Life beyond bars: Stories of hope from former prisoners | PhilSTAR Life (October 2022)
Coming of age with BINI | CNN Philippines Life (September 2022)
Student designers on the future of Filipino fashion | CNN Philippines Life (September 2022)
Fighting for mental health in the White House: Interview with Justine Bautista | Young STAR (July 2022)
88rising on that Coachella set and the community that made it happen | VICE (June 2022)
Senatorial candidates campaigning from the margins: Interview with Carmen Zubiaga | CNN Philippines Life (May 2022)
Zack Tabudlo is here for a good time and a long time | Young STAR (March 2022)

Listicles

The 10 essential River Phoenix movies | i-D (November 2023)
Every Keanu Reeves performance, ranked | i-D (March 2023)
Five Filipino romance movies to stream now | CNN Philippines Life (February 2023)

Reviews

REVIEW: The greatest problem with 'Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko' is not grooming | PhilSTAR Life (February 2024)
REVIEW: The new 'Mean Girls' film lacks the original's snark and sleaze | PhilSTAR Life (January 2024)
REVIEW: Bones and All is a cannibal love story with a whole lot of heart | PhilSTAR Life (November 2022)
The Romcom Revisited: She’s/He’s All That | Bobblehaus (February 2022)
In defense of the unlikable protagonist: A review of Frances Ha, dir. Noah Baumbach | Mid-heaven Magazine (June 2020)
The importance of telling it as it is: A review of Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay | reclamation magazine (June 2020)

Advertorials and event coverage

Creativity rooted in care, and other lessons to learn as a 'tortured' artist | PhilSTAR Life (June 2024)

Shell's LIVEWire program empowers the next generation of entrepreneurs | CNN Philippines Life (November 2023)
How can we create a more equitable society for women? Insights from CNN Philippines' third women's summit | CNN Philippines Life (March 2023)
POLL: Parents and public school teachers on returning to face-to-face classes | CNN Philippines Life (November 2022)
This 'no phones allowed’ book fair brought life back into conversations | PhilSTAR Life (September 2022)
RECAP: The themed rooms at PHxMaArte 2022 | CNN Philippines Life (August 2022)
How the pandemic is changing the business mindset: Advertorial for Globe Business | CNN Philippines (June 2022)
Pio Abad’s latest exhibit is a tireless exercise in truth-telling against Marcos disinformation | PhilSTAR Life (April 2022)
The ball must bounce the same for all those who love the greatest game: Advertorial for Jordan Brand by Nike | PhilSTAR Life (March 2022)

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