Words by Hannah Angelique Bacani

Remember all the times your parents told you that they love you and your siblings all equally? Yeah, well… Hands in the air if you ever doubted this because you’re a middle child. Not to be as dramatic as the youngest, but nobody just ever understands the struggle of being stuck in the middle of the family sandwich.

READ ALSO: This older sister learned something valuable about grades and happiness from her baby brother!

You might have heard of this thing called “Middle Child Syndrome” which is technically not a clinical condition, but describes on point how middle siblings tend to feel ignored because they’re stuck in between the overachieving eldest (Yes, kuya, we’re looking at you) and the gets-everything-they-want youngest.

But fret not, middle sibs. We got you. We listed down 10 things that only you can relate to.

10. You have been mistaken for your older/younger sibling

Or have been called by their names. The middle siblings are just not as memorable, are they?

9. You’re the peacemaker

You had to stop the panganay and the bunso from fighting and pulling each other’s hair out. Middle siblings just want everyone to be happy and peaceful and quiet and civil. Mostly because they’re tired of being in the middle of the drama.

8. You sometimes get ignored

Overshadowed by the achievements of their older siblings and the dramatic tantrums of the youngest, middle siblings sometimes get ignored. It’s not all that bad though, because that means you can also get away with all your shenanigans.

7. You’re independent

Because they oftentimes go unnoticed, middle siblings have learned to find their way around difficult situations and do things on their own.

6. You lived with hand-me-down everything

From your clothes to your childhood toys, everything has been your older sibling’s first. And you still gotta take care of it, because your younger sibling is still going to use it.  Nothing’s ever just yours. That’s also why you’ve mastered the art of sharing.

5. Sometimes you’re just… lost

Since you’re both an older and younger sibling, it sometimes gets confusing when to act like what. You have to be respectful of your older sibling, but also be understanding of the younger. Being in the middle is just too much work. Smh.

4. You learned to just go with the flow

Whatever whims and gimmicks your siblings have, you just go with it. You can be the kaladkarin friend sometimes.

3. You’re a good negotiator

Because you’re used to not getting things the way you want them, you learn to negotiate and make sound arguments. You also learned early on what it means to compromise.

2. You’re the well-adjusted sibling

You know how to compromise, you’re independent, you know how to share, you can handle and get in between of a bunch of cat fights. What more can we say, you’re doing well, sweetie.

1. You’re stuck in the middle… and it’s not at all that bad

You get to be close to all your siblings that way.

Do you have any middle sibling feels? Let us know!

Get ready for an even more iconic Hong Kong trip as Madame Tussauds Hong Kong welcomes the first ever Filipino figure to its roster of legendary personalities in early 2019—none other than the confidently beautiful Pia Wurtzbach!

You probably first heard of Pia Wurtzbach when she was crowned Miss Universe in 2015, but like a true global icon, she has since gone above and beyond her title, using her platform to bring light to HIV/AIDS issues as UNAIDS ambassador and setting an example of confidence and strength.

“When I found out, I was so excited. I couldn’t believe it! In my head, this is something only happens to big stars,” said Pia. “I go to Madame Tussauds, so I know what it’s like and how fun it is there. And now, thinking that I’m going to be one of them, I’m very honored, I’m very grateful, and I can’t wait to see it.”

She recently went through the measurement process—also known as a ‘sitting’—for her wax figure with the team from London. Before the sitting, she wanted to know how it would go so she researched what goes into the making of a wax figure and at first thought she’d have to be put in a tub of wax!

“It was really quite a process and it’s so high tech! One second they were only taking a photo of my face then next thing I know, I see my face from different angles so instantly. It’s amazing,” she said. Pia got a look at the different elements used in most wax figures and even goofed around with eyeballs and different hair colors.

“The team is so good and professional at what they do,” she added. “They even did this process with Queen Elizabeth II!”

A queen herself—Miss Universe, actress, and humanitarian—it’s only fitting that Pia Wurtzbach is the pioneer Filipino wax figure at the world-renowned Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. The popular attraction is home to immersive and interactive zones that bring to life iconic personalities and cultural landmarks throughout history across a variety of fields, including entertainment, sports, science, politics, and fashion.

“Our Filipino guests have always been very important to us and we’ve always believed we should have a Filipino wax figure, so we’re very pleased to have Ms. Pia Wurtzbach mark this milestone with us,” said Madame Tussauds General Manager Jenny You. “Leading up to this moment, we, of course, did our own research, and this is our way to showing the Filipino community living and visiting Hong Kong as well as our neighbor SEA cities that we heard them well. With Pia’s sweet, positive and fun personality, we really could not have imagined having anyone but her to represent the Philippines in this way.”

She adds, “More than being a queen, she has all the makings of an icon and we’re proud to be able to house her wax figure at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong for the rest of the world to be able to interact with.”

For more information, visit www.madametussauds.com/hongkong/ and like Madame Tussauds Hong Kong on Facebook and follow @MadameTussaudsHongKong on Instagram and @TussaudsHK on Twitter and Youtube.

Anything to add to this story? Share your thoughts with us.

A lot of things happened when Steph Curry came to visit Manila earlier this month. There was an Under Armour 3×3 show, the release of his new signature shoes at Titan, and his appearance at the UAAP opening day, to name a few. What you might not have seen, though, is what Steph was up to during his downtime.

One of the things he did was visit Adventure Zone at Shangri-La Fort where some people were lucky enough to encounter him in a very different state. Nastasha shared that Steph Curry had asked her daughter Catalina to cut in line at in front of her at Adventure Zone to go down the big slide.

Her nanny excitedly showed Nastasha the following photo that she sneakily took of him when Nastasha picked them up from playschool.

Apparently, her nanny was super proud and even told Nastasha about how Steph had pinched Cat’s cheek and told her how cute she was! Whether he did it because he wanted to cut in line or really thought Cat was cute remains to be seen, but we love how this stagenanny has gone to 100 real fast! As Nastasha puts it, “Before you know it, she’ll be turning into Kris Jenner.” :p

Do you have any memorable Steph Curry moments from his last visit? Share them with us!

Most pet parents or “pawrents” who love to travel find it difficult to travel with their babies so they are left with no other choice but to leave their babies at home. When you travel with pets, it is likely that you need to make special arrangements for them, which is why other pawrents just leave them at home.

We met a pawrent who travels around the country and he never leaves his pets behind.

Chu has been traveling around the Philippines with his three golden retrievers since 2017.

View this post on Instagram

#doggieventure2018

A post shared by Golden Retrievers (@mastermaoy) on Jul 28, 2018 at 5:18am PDT

They have been to Baguio, Vigan, Lake Lumot in Cavinti, Pagudpud, San Teodoro in Mindoro, Looc in Romblon, and Infanta in Quezon Province.

Recently, another pup was added to his growing pet family or “pawmily.”

We did a quick interview with him and here’s what we found out.

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Best time to visit kuwebang lampas is during low tide during 6-7am or 5-6pm #ilovegoldenretrievers #ilovedogs #dogs #doggieventure2018

A post shared by Golden Retrievers (@mastermaoy) on Jul 28, 2018 at 5:13am PDT

What are the names of your golden retrievers?

I already have 4 golden retrievers named Rio (5 years old, male), Brandy (8 years old, female), Bachus (2 years old, male). My most recent child is named Galahad (98 days old, male).

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Thank u seksing @joan_salanap governor bundat and kounsilor nonong #doggieventure2018 #opdstories

A post shared by Golden Retrievers (@mastermaoy) on Jul 26, 2018 at 6:46pm PDT

What are the challenges of traveling with your dogs?

Traveling around the Philippines with my golden retrievers is safe and fun. Although the difficulty I always encounter is the accommodations allowing pets in their hotel/resort. For that reason, I always have to look for accommodations via Airbnb. I don’t blame hotels or resorts because some guests are intimidated or terrified of dogs. They need to be educated that not all dogs are unruly or violent. There are several occasions that I have encountered during my trips in Metro Manila and in the province where the parents with their child or children would taunt their child to be a good boy or girl or the dog will bite them. It’s a wrong practice! If a child will be educated wrongly about dogs, this child will carry this mindset until their next generation and on and on and on.

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Da most further point of tablas island=tinagong dagat or hidden sea #hiddensea #tinagongdagat #tinagongdagatromblon #ilovegoldenretrievers #goldenretrievers #dogs #ilovedogs #goldensofinstagram @konekteddotnet @philippinebeachlist @philippines @the_philippines @choosephilippines #doggieventure2018 @out.intheworld #opdstories

A post shared by Golden Retrievers (@mastermaoy) on Jun 20, 2018 at 3:32am PDT

What is your favorite place that you have traveled with them?

I really loved Vigan. It was an 11-hour drive from Manila but it was a week that will I never forget. We stayed in Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur via beach front home I rented via Airbnb and the beach was private, peaceful, and clean. From Santo Domingo, we traveled to Pagudpud and Patapat aqueduct for another 5 hours which was an icing on the cake.

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No better home than the philippines…thank u carabao island for da pristine,unspoiled and hospitable community,i love you #wowphilippines #itsmorefuninthephilippines #dogstagram #petsofinstagram #ilovegoldenretrievers #dogs #ichoosephilippines #mimaropa #isladecarabao #doggieventure2018

A post shared by Golden Retrievers (@mastermaoy) on Jun 18, 2018 at 4:44am PDT

What are your tips for other pet owners who would want to travel with their pets also someday?

My advice to pet owners wanting to travel with their pets is to always plan ahead. Look for accommodations that are pet-friendly, restaurants that allow dogs in their open area. Don’t take risks when you travel with your dogs. When we trekked in Mt. Ulap in Benguet, Buruwisian Falls in Rizal, and Mt. Daraitan in Rizal, I hired a guide and a helper to assist us during our hike.

Any other details that you want us to include?

Traveling around the Philippines is always fun and safe with friends and families… even with your dog children.

Share with us stories of your travels with your furry friends!

Earlier this month, Two Serendra, a condominium complex in Bonifacio Global City, was under fire for releasing a citation that penalizes anyone up to P10,000 who feeds community cats.

CARA Welfare Philippines posted a statement about this on its Facebook page:

Here’s the full post:

Although we are aghast at how Two Serendra’s Administration chose to approach the issue of their community cats, we remain hopeful that all parties shall reach a beneficial solution for all given a respectful dialogue and full cooperation of all parties with each other,

As stated in the MOAs between CARA and Serendra Condominium Corporation, we maintain that:

• Spayed or neutered cats will not be forcibly removed from the property as they are important to keep rats at bay and keep other stray cats from coming in.
• Employees should be educated about the basic principles of trap-neuter-return (TNR) such as how to recognize community cats, not to hurt the cats as they are already fixed, vaccinated against rabies and cannot do any harm.
• Employees should be educated about what CARA and the property are doing to HUMANELY manage the community cat population.

Nowhere in any guidelines for humanely managing community cats does it say that:
• Starving them is ok.
• Relocating them to a strange place to fend for themselves is ok.
• Having them picked up by the city pound to be euthanized within days is ok.

We would like to remind everyone that the Animal Welfare Act, amended by Republic Act No. 10631 in 2012, protects dogs and cats from cruelty and neglect in the Philippines. Anyone who commits the following is violating the law:

• subjects an animal to cruelty, maltreatment, and neglect
• tortures an animal
• neglects to provide adequate sustenance or shelter
• abandons a pet

Here are CARA’s action so far about this issue:

• We have initiated discussions with Serendra Retail as early as August to continue protecting the cats.
• While the public and employees are not allowed to feed the community cats in Serendra’s Retail area, we have worked out an arrangement to ensure the cats are fed by feeders assigned by CARA.
• We have sent the Serendra Board two letters requesting a dialogue for the residential area.
• We have reached out to the City Vet Office and Office of the Mayor to help address this issue.

According to Mahatma Gandhi, the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. We trust that we can judge the greatness of Serendra by the way it treats its community cats.

We would also like to take advantage of this situation to remind everyone that CARA is COMPLETELY run by VOLUNTEERS who SACRIFICE much time and effort to promote animal welfare in the country. We study, work, and have personal lives just like you yet we do not get paid a single centavo for all that we do for love of animals.

Should you have comments and suggestions, please share them in a respectful and constructive manner. Let us be compassionate not just to animals but also to our silent volunteers. Offer solutions and WILLINGLY carry them out. Only if WE ALL DO OUR PART can we eventually save all animals who need help.

 Should you wish to also volunteer with CARA, please click bit.ly/VolunteerAtCARA
 Should you wish to donate any amount to support our TNR efforts, click bit.ly/CARADonate
 Should you wish to adopt a pet, click http://animals.caraphil.org/adopt-me to check out our adoptables and https://bit.ly/2MW3yzC on how to adopt a pet.
 Should you wish to invite CARA to speak about responsible pet ownership, pet adoption, spaying/neutering of pets, and the Animal Welfare Law, email secretary@­caraphil.org.
 Should you wish to visit the Laguna Pit Bull Sanctuary, email volunteeratlpb@­gmail.com.
 CARA has recently launched a Dog Boarding Service near Ortigas Center to help support the advocacy. To book a slot, call +632 532 3340.

We are grateful to all our supporters. Thank you to everyone who adds your voice to all the helpless animals out there.

We reached out to Two Serendra and Alveo Land but we didn’t get a response from them as of this writing.

Anything to add to this story? Share your thoughts with us.

Words by John Peter Himor
Photos by Meghan Sevilla and John Peter Himor

Rain or shine, the LGBTQ community sure knows how to have some fun and celebrate Pride! This September, the UP Babaylan, along with several fellow organizations, organized the UP Pride March, an annual pride celebration of the gay community and allies in UP Diliman. There were rainbow flags, rainbow pins, and rainbow banners everywhere you looked around UP’s academic oval, and despite (or maybe, because) of the heavy downpour of rain during the march, it was quite a sight to behold.

Not even heavy rains could stop the celebration of Pride! 

An avenue for campaigns and advocacies

Different Pride slogans at the UP Pride March campaigning for equality. 

This year’s UP Pride March goes with the theme of “Tumitindig, Tumitindi”, manifesting the LGBT community’s campaign for equal rights being stronger than ever. The campaign also recognizes the strong role of the LGBT community in other sectors and in advocating for different campaigns. By celebrating Pride, the often-overlooked LGBT community is made more visible, and their plights and campaigns made louder.

But for many of the UP students, the sole fact of even having the UP Pride March is a statement on its own. As many of the placards say, “Pride is a protest.”

ALSO READ: The Ultimate Watchlist to Celebrate the LGBTQ+ Community

A safe space for creativity and expression

Pride March attendee

At UP Pride March, you are free to express yourself in any way you want with nobody judging—in fact, people will even commend you for it. Confident in your own skin to rock a unique, smashing Pride outfit? Don’t be surprised if someone asks to take a photo not just of you, but with you. Whether you’re a fierce scene-stealer or a demure babe, you’re always welcome to celebrate your Pride at the UP Pride March.

A hangout / celebratory session with your best buddies

Pride March attendees and their rainbow flags and flaglets.

What better way to enjoy Pride than with your best of friends! It is truly a different kind of bonding experience shouting the heartfelt chants and singing along to iconic gay anthems, all the while marching with the people you love and care for the most. Also, it feels great knowing that your friends and/or family support the cause of the LGBT community just as much as you do!

A solid night of fun and gay excellence

Drag performer Lady Gagita performs an iconic medley at the UP Pride Concert. 

A UP Pride March is not complete without some drag performers to end the night! The UP Pride Week and Pride March is often ended by a culminating Pride Concert where several performances showcase the talent of the LGBT community. Shocking drag dance-offs, Aretha Franklin medleys, spoken word pieces, and several other performances are sure to make you proud you support the crazy talented gay community.

Love is love.

ALSO READ: How I Made Sense of the Closet Through the Pride March

The UP Pride March is an exciting celebration of the LGBT community where everyone is sure to have some fun and feel confident in their own skin. Make sure to attend next year’s UP Pride March to get this one-of-a-kind experience!

What are your thoughts on Pride celebrations? Share them with us below!

We love our jeepneys. I mean, that should be evident by our logo. :p

Commuting on jeepneys, however, isn’t always a pleasant experience. We’ve all heard the horror stories – of manyaks, of stolen phones, of arguments gone wrong, and even of knife attacks. This is probably due to the fact that people aren’t necessarily very vocal about pleasant commuting experiences online.

Well, Sam YG has changed that by sharing this hilarious photo on Instagram about two guys on a crowded jeep… and one guy’s face being in a very unpleasant position. Check it out:

View this post on Instagram

Traffic nga naman..bumper to bumper na, tutok na tutok pa #KapitLangKapatid #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines

A post shared by Sam YG (@_samyg) on Sep 24, 2018 at 5:33am PDT

We definitely wouldn’t want to be either one of these guys, that’s for sure! Got any funny commuting stories of your own to share? Tell us about it!

Remember those viral photos of a poor seaturtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose? Well, it turns out turtles aren’t the only ones in danger and plastic isn’t the only thing the sea is polluted with. Nico Roza shared a photo with us of a squid that she bought in a small local wet market in Maquikay Mandaue, Cebu.

“I was cleaning several other squids when I stumbled upon this one,” she shares. “At first I thought it was a small rock lodged in the mantle; but when I looked closer, I saw this rusty bottle cap.”

Nico admits that she doesn’t know how the bottle cap got lodged inside the squid, but it’s quite alarming. “I took out the cap and cleared the squid of its innards and found rust particles deep inside the mantle,” she adds. Apparently, while she didn’t get a chance to take photos of the other squids, two other ones also had what seemed like bits of plastic inside their stomachs mixed with sand.

Have you ever encountered anything like this before? What can we do to minimize these instances?

Please share and spread the word about this young lady who has been missing since September 24, 2018. She was last seen around Project 6 to Tandang Sora in Quezon City.

Full post:

Please help me find my daughter Sunshine.#sunshinecomehome

You may call 911 and report if you find her. Kindly share this post. You can also call the following police station listed here:

Quezon City Station 2 Quirino 9371703
Quezon City Station 3 Roosevelt Area 3721726
Quezon City Station 6 Commonwealth 9317870
Quezon City Novaliches 9363624
Quezon City 9 UP Area 4343942 4343687
Quezon City 10 ABS-CBN 4104347 9241025
Quezon City Cubao 262654 4111612
Quezon City Station 2 Quirino 9371703
Zambales Police Station 09199902186
La Union Police Station 09778444404

Anyone with contacts with ABS-CBN, GMA News, TV5, Radio Stations in Metro Manila, Zambales, La Union or Batangas, please help me forward this.

If you have seen or know the whereabouts of the person in the photo, please reach out through the abovementioned contact numbers.

A vandal who is known as “Charlie” did an underwater graffiti in a coral reef at the house reef of Bauan Divers Sanctuary (BDS).

The story was shared by Vince Tenchavez via a Facebook post.

Here it goes:

Full post below:

Charlie, whoever you are, take that stick, banger, or whatever you used to write on these beautiful corals – and shove it up your…

We found these on September 23, 2018 at around 40ft depth at the house reef of Bauan Divers Sanctuary – in an area where my group and the BDS staff are working hard to propagate coral life by building coral propagation units.

And some idiot comes along and does this. Can’t believe a scuba diver has that low of an EQ and an absence of concern for marine life to do this. We believe this was done either September 22 or 23.

And to Charlie’s dive buddies who witnessed him do this but did nothing to stop him, shame on you as well. You all should know better.

To all my non-diver friends who can see this post, you might think this is cool or cute, but it totally isn’t. Doing this stupid thing kills the coral which took decades, even hundreds of years, to grow. So please don’t even think about doing this.

#FindingCharlie

Some people who have seen the post recommended that Vince should check the guest list of Bauan Divers Sanctuary to find a lead to who Charlie is.

He did this but to no avail. Vince added:

A lot of people have been asking me to check the guest list of Bauan Divers Sanctuary, which we already did. And no one named Charlie was checked in last weekend.

So we believe this person might be a diver from another resort doing a boat dive at the house reef of BDS. There were several boats with several divers diving there over those 2 days. So it’s actually very difficult to find out who this person is. All the more if this Charlie is a foreigner using his “English name.”

If this person posted his masterpiece on social media, someone should have noticed it by now. But as of today, no one has reported yet.

Anything to add to this story? Share your thoughts with us.

Words by Hannah Angelique Bacani

“I have come to love myself for who I am, for who I was, and for who I hope to become.”

We usually see them singing and dancing on stage at concerts, but last September 24, KPop group BTS moved the hearts of many with their speech delivered at the United Nations.

BTS partnered with UNICEF for the launch of Generation Unlimited, “a global partnership that aims to ensure that every young person is in education, learning, training or employment by 2030.”

Accompanied by members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, BTS’ leader RM delivered his speech where he shared his own struggles as a young artist and the hardships of BTS when they were starting. “Some people might not believe it but most people thought we were hopeless. And sometimes I just wanted to quit.”

ALSO READ: I Talked to a Super Fan to Ask Why is BTS so Famous? And Her Answer Made Me Cry

RM also recounted how their ‘Love Yourself’ album and ‘Love Myself’ campaign have helped others to overcome their struggles and to learn to love themselves. He encouraged everyone to love themselves, then speak themselves.

“No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, your gender identity, just speak yourself.”

Watch BTS’ full speech here, courtesy of UNICEF:

What do you think of their speech? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Workdays can be so stressful… and so looooong. As such, memes are usually a very welcome break from the humdrum of our working lives. One of our favorite memes this week was posted by Ces Drilon.

As you should know by now, ‘Stress Drilon’ is beki lingo for, well, a stressed-out person; and some people use it on a fairly regular basis when they feel the stress coming onto them. One such person this week was Ces Drilon herself. That’s right. Ces posted this adorable artwork of, well, herself looking stressed out with the words ‘Stress Drilon’ written on it. Check it out:

View this post on Instagram

It’s only Tuesday wishing it were Friday! #stressdrilon #stressoreñadrilon

A post shared by Ces Drilon (@cesdrilon) on Sep 24, 2018 at 5:48pm PDT

(ALSO READ: 25 Filipino Memes that Saved Our Lives This 2018)

Though we aren’t sure who made it as there doesn’t seem to be any written credits on Ces’ post, it definitely made us feel better. What made you happy this week? :)

Commuting can be such a drag. Because of this, it can be such a relief to see a different site of it, even if it is just i the form of art. Koi Sotto is a nurse by profession, but a photographer and visual artist by passion. He is one of the moderators of Lightroom Classroom PH, an online community open to all Filipino photographers with a common interest in Adobe Lightroom, specifically in editing and color grading photos.

Koi recently finished a project where he created anime style art for our MRT stations. “I wanted to tell a different story about our daily MRT commute life here in Manila,” Koi shares. “We undeniably know the suffering of the commuters at the MRT long line, the waiting time, the chaos inside of the train which will make you wonder if Manila people deserve this kind of dreadful commuting life.”

Koi explains it so perfectly: “Papunta palang sa trabaho pagod ka na then uuwi ka ng mas pagod.” Still, he doesn’t give up on the beauty of our city. “I have always tried to see the beauty in everything,” he explains before continuing to tell us why he loves anime so much. “Ginagawa ko is to watch anime with my headset on while waiting in line or in the train to ignore the miserable situation. I’m an anime die-hard fan since nung bata pa ako, and there are plenty of things anime can teach us. Anime can not only entertain, but also teach us valuable life lessons.”

Check out his full album of anime MRT artwork here:

Koi adds, “I just want others to know that life is amazing when you look at it from a different perspective.” Koi used a premium anime filter and lightroom to give vibrance and adjust the color of the photos. “If you look at the photos, may buhay, colorful, masayang tingnan and we all hope na sana ganito lagi everytime we commute. Parang ang sarap bumyahe if ganito yung nakikita natin. It’s all about the way we look at things.”

Next time, Koi suggests: “If you are trapped in a chaotic commuting situation again, remember to inhale, exhale, breathe, and tell yourself it’s just a bad day, not a bad life. Life is unfair, but you still get to decide what to do about it.”

Koi also shares his favorite anime quote from Roy Mustang of Full Metal Alchemist: “Nothing’s perfect, the world’s not perfect, but it’s there for us, trying the best it can. That’s what makes it so damn beautiful.”

Koi Sotto

http://www.instagram.com/hoiitskoi

http://www.instagram.com/lrclass_ph

Make sure to check all of the Instagram commuters’ accounts, as well (tagged in each of Koi’s photos in the album above).

Words by Micah Avry Guiao

“Every minute, 500 hours of video are uploaded on YouTube, 450,000 tweets are released on Twitter, and 2.5 million posts are made on Facebook. But everything that goes up doesn’t always stay up.”

Ever wonder what happens when you report something online?

Most of us would assume a computer algorithm would do the job–but that’s not always the case. In fact, behind the reported posts are thousands of content moderators who decide whether or not to have the post taken down.

Terrorism, self-harm, animal cruelty, and child pornography–these are just of the most gruesome material that have been squeezing their way in and making themselves known through popular social media websites. All these are things content moderators have to sit through and watch.

Once a post is subject for consideration, it is up to them to either “ignore” or “delete” it. The former when it can still be deemed safe for work; the latter when it violates community standards.

The Cleaners is a riveting documentary that explores those ethical issues at hand. German directors Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck have met with 15 to 20 content moderators in Manila to inquire into this phenomenon.

Watch the trailer here:

What is particularly alarming is that most content moderators don’t really know what they are getting into. Riesewieck revealed that advertisements were looking to hire “community operation analysts.” It is said that the realization comes only after the contract has been signed and the training has begun.

“So they were sitting in front of the screen watching, for example, pornography or a child abuse video. They don’t have a chance to exit because they have already signed a contract,” Block said.

“For most of them, it’s a job they are proud of,” Riesewieck said in an interview with the SCMP. “The salary, compared to other jobs, is not that bad, at around $1 to $3 an hour. With this money, they can care for the whole family of five, six, or seven persons. They are the breadwinners and they are happy to get this job.”

This statement is questionable, however. One commenter noted how “10 hours [of working] is P65-P28 pesos shy of NCR minimum wage per day.”

Aside from probing into the effects of this task on the workers’ state of being, The Cleaners also takes a look on the importance of content moderators like these and what is ultimately at stake for society if the job is not done.

Above is another short clip by BBC Stories where they interview content moderators in an office in Berlin. The woman speaking in the video lamented: “It is the most important job in Facebook. It’s the worst and no one cares about it.”

Truly, viewing such gut-wrenching content for ten hours a day everyday would definitely take a toll on their psychological state. Overexposure can also cause some degree of desensitization to violence.

The woman even goes as far as likening content moderators to machines–a job stripped of humanity.

The Cleaners will be the closing film for the 8th Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, an annual event organized by the Amnesty International Hong Kong, in October.

What do you think about content moderators? Should this job be put to a halt or is it a necessary evil? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

A new X-Men film will be out in theaters that will focus on Jean Grey as the Dark Phoenix, and the trailer has been released!

Watch it below:

Dark Phoenix will be based on The Dark Phoenix Saga, a story arc from the X-Men Universe that sees mutant Jean Grey be overwhelmed by the Phoenix Force, described as “an immortal and immutable manifestation of the universal force of life and passion.” As the Dark Phoenix, Grey becomes evil and sets out for destruction. The arc is considered a classic and is one of the most well-known storyline in comics history.

The film will star Game of Thrones‘ Sophie Turner as Grey, and she will be joined by James McAvoy as Charles X. Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Nicholas Hoult as the Beast, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, Alexandra Shipp as Storm, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler, Evan Peters as Quicksilver, and Jessica Chastain as a member of the Shi’ar race.

There are also rumors that this film will be the entry of the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ever since it was announced that Disney, which handles Marvel Studios, merged with Fox, which handles the X-Men franchise. This rumor began when Dark Phoenix was delayed and had to undergo massive reshoots, presumably to fit in with the MCU storyline. Rumor has it that the X-Men and the Avengers will meet for House of M, a Marvel story arc featuring characters from both franchises.

Again, these are just rumors.

Dark Phoenix will be screened starting February 14, 2019.

Are you excited for this? Share your thoughts below!

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There’s still hope yet: we can still see Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth reprise their roles of Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked!

The thing is, they won’t be playing the roles in the upcoming film adaptation. They’ll be putting on their green makeup and bubble dress for a concert special titled A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway, which will air on October 29, 2018. Menzel and Chenoweth will be the hosts and the performers.

The duo will be joined by Pentatonix, Ariana Grande, and the current Broadway company of Wicked.

Wicked is based on the Gregory Maguire book of the same name, and tells the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, a lonely witch left out of groups because of her green skin, and Glinda, a popular witch. Elphaba is disillusioned by the corrupt government of the Wizard, and she goes on a quest to stand up against evil. Wicked is set before L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is supposed to be the “origin story” of the Wicked Witch of the West.

It was adapted to the stage in 2003, directed by Joe Mantello with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. The original run starred Menzel and Chenoweth, and won seven Drama Desk awards, three Tonys, and one Grammy. After 13 years, it is now the 10th longest-running Broadway show of all time.

In 2014, Menzel revealed that she and Chenoweth were told that they were too old to reprise their roles for an adaptation (Elphaba and Glinda are college students). She also joked that she could play Elphaba’s mother.

Are you excited to see this? Share your thoughts below!

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Another achievement for singer Sarah Geronimo has been announced: she will be representing the Philippines in the upcoming 2018 Japan-ASEAN Music Festival, which will be staged in Tokyo, Japan on October 4, 2018.

The news was announced by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines Facebook page, which said, “The #EmbassyOfJapan, in cooperation with VIVA Entertainment, Inc., are proud to announce that award-winning Filipino singer Sarah Geronimo will be representing the Philippines in the 2018 Japan-ASEAN Music Festival to be held in Tokyo, Japan this coming October 4, 2018.”

Geronimo even invited fellow Filipinos in Japan to watch her, saying, “Hello to our kababayans there in Japan… Let’s all enjoy the show as I’ll be there with other ASEAN artists and soon the experience will be seen on Philippine TV. See you there. Salamat po.”

This is the latest achievement in the singer’s repertoire after she was named Best Filipino Act at the Daf BAMA Music Awards in Germany last year. She joined other winners like Indonesia’s Anggun, and South Korea’s G-Dragon and EXO.

Prior to that, Geronimo was also recognized as the Best Asian Artist at the Mnet Asian Music Awards in 2012, Best Southeast Asian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2014, Best Selling Filipino Artist at the World Music Awards in 2014, and Best Asian Performer at Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards in 2016.

Locally, she was recognized at the Awit Awards, Aliw Awards, Myx Music Awards, the FAMAS Awards, and many more.

Geronimo is also nominated for the Best Philippine Artist Award at the Golden Panther Awards.

Good luck to Sarah!

Are you scared of dentists? If so, you are not alone. In fact, a lot of Filipinos ignore oral hygiene and dental problems altogether. Did you know that 92.4% of Filipinos have tooth decay while 78% have gum diseases (source: Philippine Department of Health website)?

Well, guess what? You don’t have to be scared of dentists. And that is the exact point that Dr. Shideh Nikbin would like to give across.

Dr. Shideh Nikbin is a doctor of dental medicine in both the Philippines and Iran. She finished her post-graduate studies in Orthodontic from the University of the Philippines and specialized in Aesthetic Medicine in Malaysia. Dr. Shideh is one of the founders of Fashion Smile Dental Spa, Aramesh Wellness, and Pizza World, and is currently a board member of the Rotary Club in Circuit Makati.

Dr. Shideh is half-Filipino and half-Persian. She shares that she got her sense of entrepreneurship from her Persian dad, her intelligence from her Filipina mom, and her beauty from both.

(LOOK: You Can Get Secret Braces to Fix Your Teeth)

Dr. Shideh grew up in a family of doctors. Since they own a hospital, she got to learn how to manage patients and run a medical business through her involvement and exposure to it. “I always see an opportunity for myself to grow in my profession, business and personal life,” Dr. Shideh shares. “I chose to start my life, business, and career here because I fell in love with my motherland.”

It was a rough road for Dr. Shideh, though, because she did not know anyone here nor was she familiar with the system. Plus, she didn’t know the Filipino language well. Still, with faith, plans, and dreams, she saw an opportunity in the Philippines to turn her dreams into reality.

“My vision was to have a dental health center that doesn’t just focus on teeth, but the whole framework of the face while bringing relaxation and wellness to patients at the same time,” she reveals. This is definitely something that people all over the world dream of when it comes to the world of dentistry. After all, since we were kids, dentists weren’t exactly seen as an avenue for relaxation and wellness. That aside, Dr. Shideh also took the opportunity to help her Filipino countrymen by providing jobs for them.

Dr. Shideh just started her YouTube channel ‘Dr. Glam’ last August to show that dentists aren’t actually very scary, as well as to share the importance of dental health. “Good dental health can provide a better lifestyle,” she addresses.

“I feel that YouTube is a great platform to reach different varieties of audiences,” she adds. “It can also promote dental health and change the misperception about going to the dentist.”

Dr. Shideh’s YouTube channel aims to show a different side and aspect of a dentist and a dental clinic. It will be fun for younger audiences to connect and learn and get motivated to take better care of themselves.

Subscribe to her channel here.

Over the past few days, millions of users’ Facebook accounts were logged out within the past few days. This happened because Facebook was hacked and to protect its users, Facebook reset those millions of accounts, as well as several other million as a precautionary step. Fortunately, you can just log back in to use your Facebook account again.

As a precautionary measure, Art Samaniego, Jr. urges everyone to do several things after logging into your Facebook accounts again, though. For starters, visit the “Security and Login” section in Settings, where you can see the places where your accounts are logged in. There’s a one-click option to log out all of them.

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A post shared by Shamcey S. Lee (@supsupshamcey) on Sep 29, 2018 at 4:23pm PDT

There’s a new member in the Supsup-Lee household and it’s a baby boy!

Shamcey Supsup just gave birth to her second child with husband Lloyd Lee, and they named him Peter Nathan Lee.

She announced the news via Instagram, with the caption, “This morning I succesfully delivered a healthy baby boy via VBAC. Meet Peter Nathan Lee or “peanut” for short . I want to thank my OB, the anesthesiologist, the whole medical team and of course my husband for believing that I can do it. And to everyone who prayed for me. Thank you so much!”

VBAC, or Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, is described as “a vaginal birth by a woman who has undergone a cesarean section in a previous pregnancy.”

Supsup joined the 2011 edition of the Miss Universe and landed 3rd runner-up, becoming the second in a four year streak of placing in the top 5. Supsup was recognized for her modelesque beauty, her answer during the Q&A (she was asked if she would change her religion for the man she loved), and her intelligence (she graduated magna cum laude at the University of the Philippines with a degree in Architecture and became a board exams topnotcher).

In 2013, she married her long-term boyfriend Lee, a businessman. In 2015, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child, daughter Nyla Kelcey, or Nyke.

Today, Shamcey works as an architect and a restaurateur.

Congratulations to the Lee family!