late-night musings and bittersweet nostalgia

   Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has had serious and far-reaching impacts on the different sectors of society. The pandemic is not merely a health issue - it is also a social and economic disease that continues to plague society. The pandemic led to the closure of businesses and schools, worker layoffs, worsening the poverty situation of the majority of the populace, and deaths of more than six million people globally. E xactly one year ago today, we held our last traditional face-to-face class. What we thought would just be a 2 to 3-day disruption turned into two years of online classes. Nobody was completely prepared for what was ahead and coping with the new normal was difficult – especially during the first few weeks. While there were quarantine protocols strictly implemented to ensure the safety of the people, it’s still a two-sided coin, especially when the government has no concrete and tireless implementation of containing and effectively managing the ...

Du ring the past few decades, the world has witnessed rapid technological advancements such as the development of the internet, the rise of social media, and the manufacturing of super-powerful computers that fit the grasp of one’s hand. The information revolution, as propelled by ICT, enables people to communicate massive amounts of data from one part of the world to another in just a split-second of time. Today, the technological experience has become more personal towards the individual level. Although access to such technologies remains a question of privilege, especially in third-world countries, its influence is felt by different sectors of the community whether directly or indirectly. However, while technology has afforded us an opportunity for a more convenient and open-access life, it has posed its equal share of detrimental effects on the environment and human life. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 50 million tons of e-waste are produced annually,...