YEAR OF THE OX: PANDORA’S BOX

BY ALMIRA ALMIÑANA

The year of the Metal Ox is about to begin in a few days or so from now. It was as if everything happened and faded in a single blur. Recalling all the past dalgona coffee tutorials, trending dance routines, cooking and baking recipes; and the evolution of TikTok itself, all wrapped into one, served as our mediator therapy for all the physical, mental, and emotional trauma that we’ve been through this year.

All of these came off in a snap—not to mention that the only oxygen that we could freely breathe our noses into without the ruckus of wearing a mask to protect ourselves from are the indoor plants that we grew to call the newest member of the family. One way or another, several netizens could agree to be labeled as a certified plantito or plantita. From good soil to seedlings, and fertilizers, we are all waiting were for a pouring rain to cleanse our unfiltered souls with, too. Every so often, we think of a way to at least fill the void that has been creeping down our throats as we try to accept the fact that we are evolving and adapting to this new normal set-up. It was never easy. And it will probably take us years to entirely digest the reality that we are in right now. But we have zero choices as of the moment as we are yet to discover a possible cure for this seemingly unforeseeable pandemic crisis. What are we most anticipating in life? Is it the pages that we flip in every chapter of our book? Is it that familiar aroma of coffee that we prepare at three o’clock in the morning to surpass the level of emptiness in our chests? Or was it that old savage song that we get to hear once in a while which reminds us still of that one heartbreak that ruled out our lives as if it was meant to stay that way for a long period of immeasurable time? Maybe it was that silence that we get to embrace once in a blue moon, was it? Nonetheless, what makes life so meaningful after everything that we’ve been through is that we’re still here. We are still patiently waiting for a time —ours to uplift an hour or two of our lives someway.

It’s past four in the morning and what better else way to start up and juggle through these old strips of notepads but to reminisce and calculate the time and opportunities that we’ve lost along with our unmotivated selves. What were you supposed to do in April? Were you able to work out on a new routine, last May? Did June push you to get in touch with an old lover? How was July and its unpredictable rings of packages and surprises? I bet Taylor Swift’s August made your heart sink into pieces, did she? Was it September when you realized that you should get back on your past hobbies? Or maybe October was a mess enough that you chose to declutter your man cave, instead? What changed your entire perspective in November? And now that it’s December, were you able to fulfill that three long pieces of a bucket list that you created on the first of January? Whatever among the months it may be, we’re all going through that same old miserable fit.

I guess that we are most vulnerable at 3 AM. And while we’re at it, go grab that pen and paper, still. Pour your soul into it. Write your heart’s dilemmas, misfortunes, and tragic wishful closures. We all deserve a break from every single negative occupant that has been living rent-free in our minds lately. While we demand a vaccine that should reach every single Filipino regardless of their socio-political hierarchy; while we are fighting for basic human rights, freedom of speech, mass testing, and for an incompetent government to finally step down from their bloody shed thrones, it is also ideal for us to fight for our welfare and mental stability. For the year of the Metal Ox, we need to steel ourselves. We are all fighting different battles each day and we deserve to protect ourselves from the harms of burning ourselves into the idea that there is a must to hustle as if there is no tomorrow. You have to protect your sanity and inner peace at all costs. If muting, blocking, or unfollowing an old friend or a close relative would guarantee you a safe space in your social media platforms, then so be it. There is nothing wrong with protecting oneself from the negatives of the internet if it’s already taking a toll on you and your mental health, too. If you’re living in an area where you could no longer see yourself to grow into the person that you’ve always wanted to be, then leave. Leaving doesn’t always mean that you are incapable to handle the situation but it only shows how capable you are to save yourself from dodging unworthy bullets in your life. Were you hesitant to publish that story that you’ve worked hard for several months already? Or are you scared of the unsolicited judgments that you’ll get once you’ve released that song track? Well, 2021 is here for you to say that you should click that enter and go button immediately. Life is too short and unpredictable at that—2020 made us realize that. You have to decide now for yourself and yourself alone. The Year 2021 is the year for us to guarantee ourselves that whatever life may throw us into, we will be okay. We will be Ox-kay for the year of Ox. We have to be okay. And we have to stand as firm as the metal year that we are about to ride on for us to brace ourselves for the real battle that we are about to hop into the streets—2022, the year of elections.

BY RENZO C. TAN

What could be worse than ghosting a committed relationship with a lover? That’s right - ghosting food riders! The very thought of ordering a large amount of food for a rider to pay, pick up, deliver, and be completely ghosted does not sit right with perhaps almost anyone. In any angle you may want to look at it, it truly is dehumanizing and unethical to burden someone’s time as well as effort, especially the ones who work for a living, just to simply satisfy their own perceived humor through this empty, insensitive ‘prank.’

Given the great ease by food deliveries have applied to our daily living, and considering how much our lifestyle is heavily restricted with the pandemic ongoing, it is only right that we do the bare minimum and pay our respects to the food riders who make these food services successful and flourish through the rough times of today. By the simple gesture of ordering with honest intention, and perhaps even going the extra mile by tipping these hardworking drivers, we can be beams of light in their lives as these small actions would contribute greatly to their day-to-day living. It is undeniable how much difference these riders have caused in our lives, whether they may be Foodpanda, GrabFood, or Honestbee drivers, they all equally work hard for our convenience and comfort.

Fortunately, GrabFood, one of the well-known food delivery service apps, announced around last year of June that ‘no-show’ users will receive the appropriate punishments needed, such as account suspension. Furthermore, with the help of online petitions and complaints, the app removed its “Cancel” feature, making sure that users will not be able to cancel their orders as soon as they input their drop-off address and submit their ordered items. This call for action was granted due to the mass series of cancellations of users, leaving the riders troubled with the fact that they queued in line and initially paid for the items they were tasked to purchase. However, in countering this, GrabFood has assured the concerned netizens that in cases that these fellow ‘Caspers’ act out, the riders will be reimbursed accordingly by their respective food delivery services for the unclaimed order.

These riders may be fathers, and even mothers who work for their families, or they may be working students who hope to pay their tuition, and we cannot deny the hard work and dedication that they put into their jobs every single day. These ‘bagged crusaders,’ as I would like to call them, are the ones driving through the streets in the wee hours with their uniforms and food bags, or the ones patiently waiting outside fast foods and restaurants waiting for incoming orders up until curfew hours, and they deserve every bit of our respect and honesty.

BY ROSEN GABRIEL S. GARCIA

The season of Christmas has always been something to look forward to every year – it is a season to gather with our loved ones to share our joy, express our gratitude, and to be reminded of its religious context. However, this year’s celebration has been more important than ever – the upcoming holiday serves as a light at the end of this year’s series of tragedies. The pandemic, a lot of political failures, and natural disasters have challenged our resilience for the past months – Christmas brings us the opportunity to be thankful for making it through the year. Despite the importance of this occasion, we won’t be able to celebrate it like we used to – the risks of transmission of the virus are still present and we are still expected to follow precautions against COVID – 19. As we integrate ourselves in the “new normal”, we find our “merry” in our Christmas in a blur. The mood of this year’s season took a gloomy start – the Philippines used to be in good spirits during this season every year. We used to begin our holidays merrily - a lot of people doing their early shopping for their respective celebrations, Christmas parties we used to have with our colleagues and friends, and the carols on the streets set the usual cozy vibe of upcoming Christmas. These common sceneries have become a rare sight in these hard times because the new normal has put a lot of Filipinos in financial and social predicaments. These led to major changes in the culture we used to practice during holidays before the pandemic. We won’t be able to prepare as much of a feast like we used to have for our eves, given that we are supposed to save as much money as possible. The same goes for gift giving – it is discouraged to spend a lot during these hard times. Not everyone will be able to spend their holidays with their extended families due to curfews and stay home protocols. We are restricted from the usual things we enjoy during Christmas – making the season not as merry as it is supposed to be. Filipinos, we always find ways to celebrate the occasion for our fulfillment. Despite the challenges we face, we always do our best to celebrate to our fullest. We use different platforms to spread the Christmas vibes – Christmas parties and carols are done online. Given that this is a gift-giving season, we can’t stop people from going to different malls to buy their gifts – however, we still do our best to promote social distancing and proper usage of masks and face shields. Christmas may be a time of grand celebrations to be shared with our loved ones but this has never been the essence of such an occasion. We can find the fulfillment in celebrating the event not through being able to receive gifts or being able to have a feast – it is the fact that we’re able to be with the ones we love, being able to express our gratitude to the ones who helped us through the year and being able to aspire for more as we’re about to end this year. We should also not forget its religious context – it encourages us to do everything in a positive mindset knowing that God loves us. Truly, this is a season of love and no matter how the past months have been rough to us, we should be able to celebrate Christmas as something that would give us hope as the next year is about to come. Let’s treat this year’s Christmas as a break from all the problems we had these past few months. After all, Christmas is the perfect way to end the year in hopes and prayers for a better next year.