IndieCo

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.

Rani Gallego is an aspiring neonatal surgeon taking up B.S. Health Sciences at the Ateneo de Manila.  In between chemical equations and integrals, she finds solace in inking her thoughts down on her trusty rusty journal  and painting her feelings on canvases and papers.  Her passions, interests and advocacies keep her grounded on her  life goal of providing quality education for the underprivileged.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

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 production industry for five years now.  When not writing for TV, Juju is most probably reading about geography and international borders,  doing Baybayin practice writings, or watching true-crime documentaries. 

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

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 meaning. Ideas he has explored include lessons from patients who face terminal illness, the opportunity to see parts of ourselves amongst those most ostracized by society, and the role of discussing the impact of love with patients to facilitate communication and healing.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

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 co-produced this with Negros Care, a local youth non-profit that aims to help workers in underfunded hospitals all over Negros Occidental. Please visit @Negros Care on Facebook or @CareforNegros on Twitter for more information on how you can help our frontliners.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

This week's essay is a tribute for all the moms. It's for the 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 28-year-old mom of a five-month-old son named after her favorite basketball player. She currently works as a government employee.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

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.

About the guest: Born and raised in Negros Occidental, Carla currently works as a psychologist at a national government hospital. She wants to write more to raise awareness about mental health issues and encourage others to use writing as a means for healing and growth.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

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."

About the guest: 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. Her writing reflects her suppressed thoughts and raw emotions.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

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."

About the guest: Claude graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Bachelor of Secondary Education, Major in English. He has been a part-time English teacher and Speech Club Moderator at the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School (JASMS)-Quezon City (his elementary and high school alma mater). He is also a voice talent for television and radio commercials, Filipino and English-dubbed foreign and local television soap operas and cartoons, and the voicer/announcer for the Jeepney TV Channel.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

What does it mean to be brave? Is it true that we were brasher and bolder 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."

About the guest: Vincent Verzola, 21, is an accountancy graduate of the Unversity of Saint Louis-Tuguegarao. While in quarantine, he continues to pursue his passions by hosting webinars and contributing articles online. His favorite Ilocano words are "lawag" and "namnama," which means light and hope, respectively.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.

The 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 subaudibles, and she joins us in this week's episode to tell us why.

About the guest: As a writer and an avid believer of the power of ideas, Rachel Lois Gella is passionate about art, philosophy, and anything that connects humans to what makes them feel alive. Additionally, she is a second-year law student at the University of St. La Salle and an alumna of the University of the Philippines-Visayas. She spends most of her days working at the city legal office wherein she can further be of service to the people.

About our partner: The University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level.