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8 books about flawed, relatable women under the chronic millennial condition

Whether you’re a fan of flawed heroines trying to navigate life or not, you need not to miss out on the realness and resonance these stories evoke.

Published

4 months ago

January 4, 2022

Mikaela Gabrielle de Castro

Artwork by Mikaela Gabrielle de Castro/TomasinoWeb

Usually, we give and receive the popular genre of self-help books every Christmas or new year. Inspiring memoirs of self-made billionaires, celebrity autobiographies, and the like are subsumed to optimize us into becoming better people every other year.

Although it is true that to each their own, help could also be found in surprisingly unlikable characters and the ordinary stories of everyday life. Whether you’re a fan of flawed heroines trying to navigate life or not, you need not to miss out on the realness and resonance these relevant stories evoke.

‘Severance’ by Ling Ma (2018)

Photo courtesy of Goodreads

Train stations turn into a wilderness and mall boutiques are converted into makeshift bedrooms and cellars. Despite the lethal Shen Fever sweeping New York and is headed for global civilization, routinist Candace Chen continues to go to work and blog the ghost town as if it’s a normal day.

She is promised bonuses amid clinging to an empty job so as long as she stays in the skeletal workforce while everyone slowly disappears. Her office mates make inside jokes about N95 respirator masks, social distancing, and sanitization procedures upon going to work. But the thing is, the novel was written in 2018.

Ling Ma’s apocalyptic debut novel depicts Candace’s survivalist journey in prescient ways that resemble our current events. Rather than dying or eating brains per se, the “fevered” ones lose significant consciousness and so they carry on miserably by functioning in mundane routines lifelessly.

Severance intertwines genius satirical critique, thrill, and deadpan humor with how we come to terms with productivity and capitalism amidst the pandemic.

‘Breasts and Eggs’ by Mieko Kawakami (2008)

Photo courtesy of Waterstones

Mother and daughter Makiko and Midoriko travel from Osaka to Tokyo to meet Makiko’s sister, Natsuko. The intersecting lives of the three working-class women are narrated by Natsuko, a writer in the making. As her niece refuses to speak to her mother, she learns that this unheard voice stems from unbred feelings on adolescence, menstruation, insecurities, and body politics. Makiko desires to have breast implantations that will change her life.

Breasts and Eggs chronicles the norms and laws amplified unto women by society. In Natsuko’s journey eight years later, she is blighted with questions of identity and desires in becoming a writer and wanting a child.

Kawakami will make you pause and think as she speaks through her characters with corporeal dialogues and emotions. What choices do we have? Is our womanhood inalienable? Will certain choices make us less worthy of a woman?

‘Everything I Know About Love’ by Dolly Alderton (2018)

Photo courtesy of Amazon

First kisses, ugly exes, and getting drunk. Dolly Alderton turns into a stumbled-upon author to an older sister in painting portraits of shared experiences in our messy twenties. In this vivid memoir, she recalls experiences of jealousy, grief, life, and loss at the same time.

If you think non-fiction is boring, this won’t be a burden to pick up. As Alderton emits both honesty and intimacy, you’ll find yourself resonating with her spiteful and messy encounters from teenagehood to adulthood.

Everything I Know About Love tells us that cringing at past selves may be a sign of character development or just opening a new chapter—but the cringe doesn’t always stop there. Although its prose is readable and straightforward, it’s snappy in a good way. A whole coming-of-age film will materialize in your head as you’ll forget you’re reading ink on paper.

‘Convenience Store Woman’ by Sayaka Murata (2016)

Photo courtesy of Groom Atlantic

Some of us probably had that phase of taking photos at vending machines and convenience stores for the Pinterest or Tumblr aesthetic. But imagine what goes through the convenience store clerks’ and cashiers’ minds every time they encounter weird and ordinary customers that come and go. For Keiko Furukura, she’s been thriving off this reality for eighteen years. To her, the sounds of the door chimes, celebrities advertising products on TV, and the beep of the barcode scanner all keep her sane.

Sayaka Murata laces the effect of microaggressions and the expectations placed on ordinary women with dry humor in this quick and catchy read. Like Keiko, we’ve all felt the odd one out in certain environments and times of our life.

Convenience Store Woman echoes the absurdity of why we do things and our inhibited interactions with people. For people-pleasers who spiral into cyclical routines, this novel will hit you hard.

‘Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion’ by Jia Tolentino (2019)

Photo courtesy of The Virginia Magazine

Fair warning: if you’re a diehard self-help buff, you might want to prepare for the deft culture shocks this mind-blowing essay collection is about to send to you. By sharply dissecting different sham cultures, internet cults, and contemporary feminism, Jia Tolentino’s artful lyricism compiles things we’ve always wanted to say but couldn’t or things that were just at the tip of our tongues.

Not too preachy but not too absent either, Trick Mirror has its way of revealing the conditions of millennials and Gen Z. In one of her essays, she meditates upon the harmful implications furthered by #Girlboss feminism per se, liberal feminism, and why we should place our focus on forming a type of feminism that isn’t manufactured.

Drawn to Tolentino’s perfect balance in captivating social criticism and self-reflection, she is one of the reasons why I rekindled my love for sociological writing too. Read the essayist’s other articles online, and you’ll know what I mean.

‘If I Had Your Face’ by Frances Cha (2020)

Photo courtesy of Goodreads

Behind closed doors, I often imagine what conversations among K-pop girl groups would be like. The women of Frances Cha’s If I Had Your Face helped me draw the similarities of South Korea’s social norms with the universal feelings for every other woman in the world.

Kyuri is a gorgeous woman who works at a room salon in Seoul and her artistic roommate, Miho, returns to Korea after finishing her college scholarship. Their neighbor next door is Ara, a mute hairstylist who’s obsessed with boybands. She’s accompanied by her best friend Sujin who desires to have plastic surgery. A floor below them is Wonna, a newlywed mother struggling to navigate motherhood.

As their seemingly shallow and individual lives intersect, the girls realize that the turbulent roads in adhering to brutal beauty constructs in a patriarchal society are never easy. The core of Cha’s writing is the impeccable force of female friendships, evocative of our day-to-day conversations and hushes kept with our mothers, sisters, and friends when men leave the room.

‘Exciting Times’ by Naoise Dolan (2020)

Photo courtesy of Goodreads

Since Ava left Dublin to move to Hong Kong, things haven’t really been working out. Her only qualification to teach dull grammar classes is being white. This privilege elevates as she encounters someone who buys her clothes and affords things her scant allowance can never. Poof, her feminist compass goes as she engages in a sexual relationship with a charming banker, Julian. But when Julian goes on a work trip to London, she gets caught in the semblance of their blurry relationship.

However, those blotches are forgotten when determined Hong-Kong-born lawyer Edith enters Ava’s life. When Julian arrives back in Hong Kong, Ava is torn between choosing a stable life with a banker and traversing into uncertain shots with Edith.

An ode to modern complexities that ring extremely relatable to millennial tropes, Exciting Times poses interesting and relevant stories about relationships and banters on all sorts of isms. For fans of Normal People, this novel will be your next favorite read.

‘Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power’ by Lola Olufemi (2020)

Photo courtesy of Pluto Books

For years, intersectional feminism has been watered down to the margins. Since women empowerment has become such a vulnerable avenue to be capitalized on, actual groups affected no longer oscillate with a feminism that will truly uplift them in not just tongue-in-cheek feminist slogans and merchandise.

In Feminism, Interrupted, Lola Olufemi goes in-depth about the complex offshoots of third-wave feminism such as reproductive rights, sex work, consent, transmisogyny, Islamophobia, and neoliberalism.

The extensive topics include what feminism means for non-white people and why we should always keep our feminism collective, inclusionary, and intersectional. If you’re getting into feminist non-fiction, this will do the right job at encouraging mutual discourse and opening your mind.

Some of these titles are listed in the oddly specific trope, ‘if she owns this, run’ on #Bookstagram and #BookTok. Although not a delightful taste to all, you’ll understand how these unusual characters or confound narratives can be much more substantial than Mary Sues.

These won’t heal you in a day nor transform you with flowers and hearts, but they’ll surely impact your perspective on certain things like validating ugly feelings, deconstructing our structural problems, and complex relationships.

Mikaela Gabrielle de Castro

Blogs Editor, Blogs Writer | + posts

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Blogs

2022 Elections Playlist: Tayo ang Kasaysayan

Sa darating na halalan, iboto ang alam mong titindig para sa karapatan nating lahat.

Published

1 week ago

May 8, 2022

TomasinoWeb

Artwork by Mikaela Gabrielle de Castro/TomasinoWeb

Sa dinami-rami ng mga pangyayaring nagdaan sa loob ng anim na taon sa ilalim ng administrasyong Duterte, hindi na lamang ito isang karapatan. Responsibilidad na natin ang pagboto. Kahit sino ka man, kahit anuman ang estado mo sa buhay, kailangan mong bumoto. Hindi lamang para sa kinabukasan mo, ngunit pati na rin sa kinabukasan ng mga taong nasa paligid mo.

Para sa darating na halalan, gumawa ang TomasinoWeb ng 2022 elections playlist kung saan mapapakinggan ang mga kanta ng Eraserheads kasama sila Francis Magalona, Gloc 9, Ebe Dancel, at iba pang mga pangalan sa larangan ng OPM. Hanapin ang liwanag sa dilim sa mga tanyag na kanta ngayong darating na eleksyon.

Iboto ang alam mong titindig para sa karapatan nating lahat. Nagkamali man noon sa pagpili ng mga pinuno, ito ang pagkakataon upang ihalal ang tunay na nararapat. Tandaan na nasa atin ang panahon.

TomasinoWeb

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Blogs

It’s time we talk about fetishization in BLs

There and then, when the object of production becomes subsumed into the gaze of only those who do not own the narrative and, by extension, to sell under the status quo, these stories translate to sheer fetishism. Same-sex relationships are only seen under stereotypes and cookie-cutter characteristics.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 3, 2022

Paolo Alejandrino

Artwork by Mikaela Gabrielle de Castro/TomasinoWeb

In the early days of lockdown, everyone was strapped in their homes for what would become a global health crisis.

With time ticking ever so slowly while the world seems to collapse, people turned to entertainment to catch slivers of hope and in a time when our feelings swing unabated from anxious to sad, to fearful, to bored.

As I was scrolling through my Twitter feed one afternoon, I chanced upon this post about two young, good-looking Thai best friends (later, I learned that they are apparently love interests). People in the replies were gushing over them, of course, I had to poke around. I let it rest in my mind, at first, going on with my usual routinary, monotonous day in quarantine.

A week passed by and Bright and Win, “two best friends”, or, lovers’ names, kept horning in my feed, even on Facebook. Friends, through direct messages, kept telling me about it as well; how it was so refreshing to see a queer love story on a mainstream platform with so many fans talking about it. To put an end to all these virtual pressures, I had to check it out myself. In short, I fell into the Boys’ Love series wave.

I finished binge-watching one BL series after another. Sometimes, I’d sandwich one show with another to speed up my viewing time. Often, I’d pair it with films and other forms of content.

For me, after watching BLs, apart from the usual kilig and jitters, I feel a sense of novelty. Yet somehow I still feel discontented with what I saw. In other words, unrepresented. But before I take a deeper dive into the world of BL, I think it’s good to have a quick history lesson about it.

From yaoi to BL

Screengrab from MyAnimeList

The origins of the BL phenomenon as well as its roots as a literary genre come from Japan — primarily in its anime and manga literature — that thematizes young male homoeroticism between two men.

Commonly referred to as “yaoi,” the genre began as fan works written by female fans from a personal interest to push the boundaries of comics at the time.

In fact, the literary genre has been so that the term fujoshi, which translates literally to “rotten girls,” or female anime fans who enjoy and often obsess with male-to-male romantic relationships in the works came to light. This already gives us an idea how this grew as a spillover effect to the current forms of BL not only in Japan but also Thailand, China, and the Philippines.

In its early days, it presented only fan works showcasing platonic relationships between male characters in the form of parodies. The magazine June is attributed by literary and media scholars to be the earliest iteration of the theme since it was one of the first magazines that published male-on-male tanbi literature in 1978.

As time progressed, the proliferation of Japanese yaoi manga that was intended for women audiences and consumption converged with queer desires and transnational fandoms, generating a diverse, new set of platforms (music, films, and series) catering to broader audiences and creating more sundry narratives.

With this, I think it already gives us an overview of the problem with BLs in general, and, perhaps, it also handed me the answer to my iffy-ness with it afterward. While many developments have been made in the genre, I still do believe that BL has carried over remnants of its prime form: the intention to “sell” queer narratives to non-queer individuals who consume this content.

Just to add a caveat as well, while this is already the case for male homosexual narratives, much more whittling in terms of representation and focus is experienced by Girls’s Love or sapphic stories. Usual storylines would not even delve on their quotidian queer realities but instead highlight sex not to empower but to fetishize and become objects of sexual pleasure.

Towards a progressive gender politics

Screengrab from Hello Stranger/Black Sheep

How do we then draw the line between genuine representation and plain fetishism?

I believe that the answer to this lies in the intent and the effect on its audience. With BLs’ audience getting broader, the responsibility to shift to more inclusive, gender-sensitive, and socially aware is all the more apparent.

Of course, we can’t deny the roots of yaoi and BL. And progressive gender politics cannot be realized in a snap of a finger. What I’m saying is that perhaps it’s time to push the envelope away from stereotypes that fetishize queerness.

For BLs form and content not to develop and be swayed to the progressive causes, such as representation in media, are refusals to recognize issues that the subjects face in the context of their true environment outside of fiction. To refuse fetishism is to promote criticality and elevation of queer societal discourse.

I still do enjoy BLs, especially new releases. I just wish that moving forward, we can challenge dominant narratives, and realize our imagined aspirations. Else, we’re stuck and the genre’s progressive potential to forward causes and cultural development won’t come up to scratch.

Paolo Alejandrino

Blogs Writer | + posts

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April 2022: A new chapter approaches

Even amidst all this chaos, as what Jodi Sta. Maria said, ”papunta pa lang tayo sa exciting part.” While waiting for the new chapter to arrive, let’s look back at the events of April 2022.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 30, 2022

Ian Gabriel Trinidad

(Artwork by Mikaela Gabrielle de Castro/TomasinoWeb)

As days get dangerously hotter, the unpredictability of March bleeds into this month as the election season nears its climax. Thomasians also choose their next leader, both for their student councils and their country. Even amidst all this chaos, as Jodi Sta. Maria said, ”papunta pa lang tayo sa exciting part.”

While waiting for the new chapter to arrive, let’s look back at the events of April 2022:

1. Thomasians elect new CSC, local student council officers

(Photo by Aliah Danseco/TomasinoWeb)

UST students elected a new set of Central Student Council (CSC) and local student council officers last April 4.

Garnering 27,809 votes, former Civil Law Student Council president Nathan Raphael Agustin became the new CSC president.

Agustin faced possible disqualification due to the non-issuance of his temporary transcript of records, which is a requirement for candidacy.

Meanwhile, College of Education’s Francisco Mayuyu, UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy’s Benjamin Amper IV, Faculty of Arts and Letters’ Dale Dale Ignatius Marollano, and Conservatory of Music’s Rhojen Sianda are the new secretary, treasurer, auditor, and public relations officers, respectively. The position of the vice president remains vacant.

The elections were also held online through an electronic polling system like last year. This year, there was also a higher voter turnout, with 30,924 votes cast compared to last year’s 28,848.

The UST Central Commission of Elections proclaimed the officers for AY 2022-2023 on April 26, where it also affirmed Agustin’s win after facing a disqualification case.

2. Provincial bus operators, commuters bemoan new window hours scheme

(Photo courtesy of Russell Palma/The Philippine Star)

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) implemented a “window hour” scheme to facilitate the return of provincial buses on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA).

Based on the agreement of MMDA and provincial bus operators, buses with private terminals in Metro Manila can traverse EDSA from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m.

The buses should also terminate their routes at the North Luzon Express Terminal and the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange outside the window hours instead of their terminals.

The announcement confused bus operators, announcing that they would only operate during the window hours set by the MMDA. Commuters were also left stranded at terminals in Metro Manila as the buses cannot go directly to its private terminals.

People also lamented online over the window hour scheme, expressing how commuting to Manila became more difficult. Some lawmakers also want a House probe on the said scheme for the “significant delay and convenience” it caused.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) distanced itself from MMDA’s scheme, saying that the agency is not “privy” to the agreement’s details.

3. Holy Week activities resume after two years

(Photo courtesy of Kenneth Cedric Landazabal/TomasinoWeb)

After the coronavirus pandemic halted Holy Week activities for two years, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) allowed the resumption of Visita Iglesia, Salubong, and processions this year.

Visita Iglesia is a tradition of visiting at least seven churches during Maundy Thursday or Good Friday in remembrance of the Stations of the Cross. Salubong, on the other hand, is a reenactment of the meeting of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ after the resurrection.

The CBCP advised devotees to place religious images in motorized vehicles instead of carozas pushed by people and shorten the procession routes.

Although, the Department of Health reminded the people that kissing and touching religious images are still prohibited. Minimum health standards are also still in place even as more areas shift to COVID-19 Alert Level 1, the lowest quarantine classification in the country.

4. UST becomes fifth top-performing law school in “historic” 2020-2021 exams

(Photo by Vince Imperio/TomasinoWeb)

The University became the fifth top performing school in the cluster of schools, with more than a hundred first-time takers in the 2020-2021 bar exam.

The Supreme Court (SC) announced on April 12 that UST has a passing rate of 93.05, or 201 passers out of 216 takers.

This year’s Bar Exams gathered a “historic” 11,402 examinees, as the SC suspended it for two years due to the pandemic.

The Bar Exams were also held digitally and locally for the first time. Coverage was also shortened, with only two testing days instead of the four-Sunday Bar Exam.

5. ‘Agaton’ onslaught leaves 224 dead, P3 billion agricultural damage

Photo courtesy of Philippine Coast Guard

Tropical Storm Agaton flooded several parts of the country, leaving 224 dead and P3 billion in agricultural damage.

“Agaton” formed inside the Philippine area of responsibility and intensified into a tropical depression on April 9. It made landfall on Basey, Samar, in Eastern Visayas on April 11.

The intense rainfall flooded parts of Visayas and Mindanao, displacing over two million people.The Department of Agriculture also reported that “Agaton” left around P3 billion in agricultural damage, affecting the livelihood of 67,586 farmers and fisherfolk.

6. UAAP opens its doors to live audience after two-year hiatus

(Photo by Corinne Vizconde/TomasinoWeb)

For the first time in two years, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) opened its doors to a live audience last April 5.

After initially starting Season 82 of Men’s Basketball through a “bubble” setup, the UAAP announced on April 1 that it would accept limited spectators, provided that they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and follow minimum health protocols in place.

As of the writing, the UST Growling Tigers had three wins and 10 losses and was also out of the Final Four race after losing to the NU Bulldogs on April 26.

The Women’s Indoor Volleyball Tournament will start on May 5, with the Growling Tigresses opening the season against the FEU Lady Tamaraws.

7. EJ Obiena to carry PH flag at 31st SEA Games

Photo courtesy of Jerome Ascaño

After missing the World Athletics Indoor Championships due to the Philippine Athletics and Track and Field Association’s (PATAFA) non-endorsement, Thomasian pole vaulter EJ Obiena is set to be the country’s flag bearer at the 31st South East Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

This announcement came after Obiena and the PATAFA found closure after the Commission of Audit cleared the former of his liquidation issues.

PATAFA also endorsed the pole vaulter for the SEA Games and the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA.

The Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino revealed they nominated Obiena and Olympic gold medalist, Hidilyn Diaz, to carry the Filipino flag at SEA Games. Although, only one flag bearer is allowed per country.

The weightlifting star gave the other thumbs-up, emphasizing that Obiena is the “story of every Filipino athlete who fights to bring home pride and glory to the country.”

Obiena is one of the 656 Filipino athletes competing in 39 sports in the SEA Games, which will run from May 12 to 23.

8. Thomasian groups endorse Robredo-Pangilinan tandem

HEAR US ROAR!!!

3,581 alumni of the University of Santo
Tomas – Manila show their support for Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan.

Join the statement of support by accessing this link: https://t.co/btwb2UMPax
#ThomasiansForLeni #IpanaloNa10ParaSaLahat pic.twitter.com/qt1uoVAxYS

— Thomasians For Leni & Kiko (@Thomasians4Leni) April 17, 2022

A month before the May 2022 elections, more Thomasians supported Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan’s bid for the two highest seats in the Malacañang.

Last April 2, six out of eight UAAP student councils, including the UST CSC, endorsed the Leni-Kiko tandem after the respective council’s mock polls.

Over 7,200 UST alumni also endorsed the tandem as both have “demonstrated integrity throughout their entire political careers.”

UST faculty members also backed Robredo, who said their students “can look up to and emulate.”

Last December 2021, several alumni, faculty, and students launched Thomasians for Leni Facebook page.

9. Several presidential bets hold joint Easter press con

(Photo by Lisa Marie David/Reuters)

Presidential aspirants Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and former defense chief Norberto Gonzales held a press conference on Easter Sunday to “call for unity.”

In the presscon, both Domagoso and Lacson hit Vice President and fellow presidential candidate Leni Robredo for “fooling” them at the unity talks before filing their certificate of candidacies.

Domagoso urged Robredo to “make the supreme sacrifice” of withdrawing from the 2022 polls as he claimed that her rivals had a better shot of winning the presidency against Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., who was the top candidate in surveys.

Lacson also said Robredo rejected his unification “framework” as it required the latter to drop out of the presidential race if she lagged behind the polls.

Meanwhile, presidential candidate Ka Leody De Guzman chided his rivals’ Manila Peninsula presscon. He also rejected their call for Robredo to withdraw.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao was also invited but did not show up at the presscon, much to the relief of his campaign team.

On the other hand, Robredo asked her supporters to intensify their campaign for her candidacy and for them to be unswayed by emotions after the tirades against her.

Several netizens urged others to ignore the presscon as it coincided with the surprise reunion of K-pop girl group 2NE1.

10. Scientists stage worldwide protest against climate crisis

(Photo courtesy of Brian Emerson)

Over a thousand scientists from 25 different countries staged the “Scientist Rebellion,” a worldwide protest against climate change and the inaction of governments to address it.

The protest followed the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report stating that the world needs to deeply cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 to avoid “irreversible” environmental damage before 2100.

The protest went viral after National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientist Peter Kalmus and other experts were arrested after chaining themselves to JPMorgan Chase & Co in Los Angeles, California, a top financier of fossil fuel projects.

“We’ve been trying to warn you guys for so many decades that we’re heading towards a fucking catastrophe, and we’ve been being ignored,” Kalmus lamented.

Many pointed out his call to the events of the movie “Don’t Look Up,” a satire about climate change and how the world ignores scientists and their findings.

The protests made the #LetTheEarthBreathe campaign went viral, prompting many to do little acts to help reduce their carbon footprint, from deleting unwanted emails to using search engines like Ecosia, which promises to plant a tree every day 45 searches.

Although some climate activists pointed out that systemic change can better save the environment, the top 10 percent wealthiest people in the world are responsible for 34 percent of the global carbon emissions, more than double what the 50% of the worldwide population in the low-income bracket produce.

11. 2ne1 rocks Coachella with reunion performance

Screengrab from Coachella’s YouTube page

K-pop legends 2NE1 surprised Blackjacks worldwide after their surprise return performance after seven years at the Coachella Music Festival last April 17.

After 2ne1 leader CL’s performance in the 88rising’s Head In The Clouds Forever, she went off stage, coming back with fellow members Bom, Dara, and Minzy.

In a Billboard interview, CL revealed that the intention behind their performance was “simply” for the group, serving as a “celebration.”

K-pop fans also felt a wave of nostalgia, pointing out how 2ne1 remains iconic even after all these years. Fans also rejoiced after witnessing the return of Bom’s red hair, Dara’s wild hairstyles and Minzy’s dance moves.

The group debuted under YG Entertainment in 2009. The group disbanded in 2016, after their last performance as a group at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

12. ‘Your daughter’ remix goes viral

Screengrab from AC Soriano’s official Twitter account

“Papunta pa lang tayo sa exciting part.”

A new earworm arrived in town as netizens were left repeating the “your daughter, is sleeping with my husband” remixed monologue in the show “Broken Marriage Vow.”

The remix came from social media content creator AC Soriano’s (@ItsAC’sLife) one-man show featuring the roles of actress Jodi Sta. Maria called “Jodi Sta Maria: The Unauthorized Rusical.”

AC, who was also known for impersonating actress Toni Gonzaga’s political performances (as “Otin G”), lipsynched to Doc Jill’s dinner revelation scene mixed with Benny Benassi’s “Satisfaction.”

The “Unauthorized Rusical” entertained more than 12,000 live viewers, including Jodi Sta. Maria herself. The actress even performed the acapella version at the show’s virtual media press conference.