For a while it has been hard for me to say the “Our Father” prayer. A confirmed Catholic enamored of female saints and mystics, especially St. Joan of Arc, I used to say the prayer because it seemed to say it all. But...
Love Yourself
Portia Chan
Brown Skin Blues
When I was young, I saw nothing wrong with my color. I was brown-skinned. Filipinos are brown-skinned. My cousins and neighbors are brown-skinned. Why would I think anything of it? When you’re busy with lessons and...
Guest Writer
Breaking the ‘girl code’ and internalized racism
“Guilty!” “What you did was messed up!” Those words encompass how I felt about myself when I reflect back to one time I participated in “show and tell” during first grade. One of my classmates, Teresa, showed how she...
Vi Nguyen
We share: “Today I am proud of myself”
We compiled our readers’ proudest moments to celebrate each and everyone (July Giveaway Entries) All of us have been through ups and downs, good and bad times in our lives, but the most important lesson here is:...
April Editors
The Bully Within
I am a bullier. It took me almost 40 years of my life to come to this realization, and oh, I am also a global happiness coach. But first, let’s go back to elementary school, when I experienced bullying for the first...
Growing Up A Chinese Girl in Hungary
Over the last 20 years, the Chinese community in Hungary has grown immensely and Budapest’s is now one of the largest in Europe. The growth and visible success of Chinese people has divided the Hungarian people; some...
Ruby Ibarra’s “US” Empowers Pinays Around the World
During the recent Grammy Awards season I saw the music video, “You Can’t Judge A Book,” which is one of Mastercard’s new campaign ads. It features emerging artists who have broken industry barriers and challenged...
J Maraan
I get things done, but I am nowhere near being a supermom
Here is a confession: I don’t want to become a supermom. Every time people call me one, I am not elated, neither am I proud of somewhat earning the proverbial title. Don’t get me wrong – I am happy that people...
Ayuni Ayatillah
Ayn Bernos: Loving the Skin You’re In
If you want to be considered beautiful in the Philippines, you need to have white skin and European features. You shouldn’t be pure Filipino, and you most definitely shouldn’t have brown skin, meaning you...
Shayne Nuesca
Ask Madge: “Help! I Have no Self-Confidence”
Dear Madge, I need your help. I’m not confident and I’m not brave. It’s not that I’m scared about ghost or anything like that, but I’m not good enough at standing up for myself. I...
Magdalene