Bernice Rahman (Puzon)

I’m tired of hustling for extra cash and going nowhere in this economy. Why is it so expensive to be alive nowadays? From paying the bills to trying to have any fun, I feel like I’m trying to keep my head above water. Inflation keeps prices high, and…

Time reveals that lost friendships can be blessings in disguise. It’s 2015, and the buzz of ten thousand people in a crowded stadium surrounds me. The noise is deafening, and the concert hasn’t even started yet. Eventually, I spot the iconic blonde…

Life’s transitions have given me whiplash and I am longing for a moment of stillness. If life could stop throwing curveballs at me, that would be great. I put a down payment on an apartment. I moved into said apartment, became engaged, got married.…

Kids are cruel, and I learned that the hard way. · My parents gave me my first cell phone when I was ten. They said it was only for emergencies, but to a preteen in the early 2000s, it might as well have been gold. It was a shiny brick of a flip…

Letting go was hard until the day water forced me to do it. Almost drowning was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. The water gushed around me, creating a cacophony of waves that circled me like vultures. I never learned to swim, so my…

I don’t remember you well, but I want to see you again. Bernice P. · Follow Published in Age of Empathy 4 min read · 5 hours ago I’m planning my wedding, and I’ve been thinking of her lately. She’s my dad’s sister, so her name should be on the guest…

If you’re struggling, it can be tough to open up. Here’s how you can help your parents see your perspective. · Follow Published in Black Bear · 4 min read · 2 days ago We’ve all heard of mystical creatures like dragons and unicorns, but the pervasive…

Hope in humanity was lost when I was taken advantage of at work Have you ever felt a giant hole of despair open up in the caverns of your stomach? It eats away at every crevice of your gut, churning out worry and anxiety that escapes from you in…

Media representation is tied to cultural pride. “Did you know he’s Filipino?”, my mom says, turning up the volume on our TV. We’re watching the movie Crazy Rich Asians and she’s talking about actor Nico Santos’ character Oliver T’sien. He plays a…

The Narrative Arc Writing Competition Reactive rescue dogs offer a whole different kind of love When I enter my apartment complex, I dread walking up to the elevator. The elevator is a trigger for my dog, Joey. Anybody that enters or exits is a…

It’s possible to feel stuck even when your ideas are bursting at the seams of your brain. I have struggled to write these past few months. It’s as if my brain and the words that want to come out are no longer in sync, stifled by exhaustion. As long…

An idiotic tale of me braving sub-zero temperatures to watch a mediocre movie. I needed to go outside. I was a twenty-two year old working my first big girl job in Toronto. For the first time in my life, I was living away from home and had money to…

It was a safe haven in the country that I’m from but could never call home Last month, I experienced a peace unlike any I had ever known. I had been to the Philippines several times before, but this was my first visit to Danjugan Island, a sanctuary…

Being a receptive bilingual is a struggle. Have you ever felt like someone was talking about you, then caught them in the act? I’m able to do that in another language, the Filipino national language Tagalog, but my comebacks will sadly be in English.…

Society prioritizes an unattainable vision of how women’s bodies should look. When the world shut down, I mastered the art of the home workout. I had started going to the gym on a semi-regular basis before the pandemic, but only fully committed to a…

Adulting is hard and we’re trying our best. After exchanging over 100 text messages in a conversation with my friends, I was dubbed the “only real adult” of this group. I was given this title because I’m the only person in this group of friends…

Going viral isn’t a bed of roses. A couple months ago, I accomplished something that many people here on Medium aspire to do — I had one of my articles go viral. I never thought a story about my opinions on American Idol would go viral. It was just a…

Making your career your identity is a recipe for heartache. I never felt more at peace than the day I was let go from my job. I know it sounds absurd, but hear me out. I was working as a volunteer coordinator for a non-profit at the time. I would…

How my relationship with space has evolved over the years. I spent the first fifteen years of my life living in one of the most crowded cities on the planet. Over seven million people live in Hong Kong, which is a tiny dot of a city on a world map.…

I’ll just have to deal with people getting us confused for the rest of my life. “Can I call you Bernie?” No, you absolutely may not. My mom’s name is Bernie. Out of all of the names in the world she could’ve chosen when she had me, she calls me…