Once again, Filipinos have something to be proud of. Vigan made it to the New7Wonders Cities. New7Wonders Founder-President Bernard Weber officially announced the provisional voting results of the campaign on December 7 at Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In alphabetical order, the other cities that represent the global diversity of urban society are: Beirut, Lebanon; Doha,…
The Christmas season has always been the perfect opportunity for gatherings among families and friends since every Filipino celebration is never without food nor reunion. However, not all those who live away from their loved ones can always come home for the holidays. Christmas time can also be bittersweet, especially for the OFWs. A single…
They say, “traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” Cliché and overused —yes, that statement is. However, you cannot deny the things that traveling do which make you a person better than who you were before you left. For one, you make memories that you would have never experienced had you…
WHAT do you expect of the country’s leading commercial city? In Makati, everything is in motion—so fast and busy that one forgets to slow down and take in the beauty of the surroundings. Since 2011, this has been changing annually every Christmas Season. The Ayala Triangle, the heart of Makati’s Central Business District located between…
The fruit of our labor is finally sprouting; but they still need to be cultivated. The Philippines’ very own Vigan made it to the final phase of the New 7 Wonders Cities. However, the “battle of clicks” is not yet over. To take home the title, Vigan must garner higher votes compared to at least…
Who travels without getting acquainted with the place’s specialty? In Bohol, the best restaurant to introduce you to the Boholano cuisine is quietly hidden atop a limestone cliff on one end of the Alona Beach – Amorita Resort’s The Saffron. The person behind your soon-to-be-lovely dining experience? The charismatic executive chef of the restaurant, Raphael…
Have you ever felt so lifeless, as if each waking day is a struggle to put on different kinds of emotions? Your muscles, nerves, and sinew are so unmotivated and uninspired—the best they can produce for you is a poker face. Maybe, it is because things have become routinary that you have long forgotten where…
Bohol is a piece of art. Take its roads. To the left, you will see the blue skies and the green trees wonderfully blended; to the right, the heavens and the seas magically meeting in the horizon. All these elements are beautiful fragments of nature. They marry each other – and they make up Bohol….
Zombies, draculas, witches. It’s that time of the year again! Halloween, that is. In the Philippines, however, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are spelled differently, i.e. U-N-D-A-S! U-nite All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are two of the special non-working holidays in the Philippines. Although technically, November 2 is the day for…
Our fellow Filipinos may be enjoying their stay outside the Philippines; but perhaps they get homesick once in a while. If you manage to visit our country, then you might want to do our kababayans a favor of personally bringing the Philippines to them. How? Through pasalubongs, of course! Here are some presents that will…
Traveling is a pleasurable thing to do; but planning a travel? That’s a different story. Browsing the World Wide Web to find the best yet cheapest flight and accommodation fares will yield to cluttered tabs and five long hours; and still, this does not guarantee a wonderful travel. Gruesome, indeed. Good thing, there are travel…
“Bataan has fallen,” said Carlos P. Romulo. When these words resounded from the radios in 1942, the Filipinos knew that the last standing peninsula fighting against the Japanese colonizers was defeated—along with it were hopes of freedom. Flash forward to almost 72 years, the country has long risen; but, in the middle of Bataan is…
Whenever we travel, we grow. The places we visit offer opportunities and lessons that make us better persons. Their delicacies and cultures allow us to broaden our perspective; and eventually see the world in a whole new light. The locals and their stories—we learn so much from. Indeed, the places we travel to give us…
Each season, the fashion collections released by certain brand apparels greatly help people decide on what goes comfortably with the weather. Not in a tropical country like the Philippines, though. The Philippines has two sets of climate: rainy and dry; and “rainy” does not totally mean “cold.” Therefore, Vogue’s Winter Collection cannot completely set a…
22,000 people rocked the SMART-Araneta Coliseum as they wildly supported their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Cheer Dance Competition teams, last September 14. In order, the National University (NU) Pep Squad, the University of the Philippines (UP) Pep Squad, and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Salinggawi Dance Troupe took home the first…
Often times, we are too lazy to start with the first step; so we tend to give up on something we have been planning, dreaming even, to accomplish. However, as technology becomes more advanced, this laziness becomes, well, totally unjustified.Technology puts power on our fingertips. With just one click, we can begin to enjoy almost…
For Filipinos, Christmas is just around the corner. Yes, you heard it right; and yes, they know that there are still numerous special occasions that come ahead of Christmas. However, when “ber” months, i.e., those that end with “ber,” come, there’s no stopping them—it’s the start of their Christmas season! What happens in the Philippines…
Filipinos have a way to, intentionally or not, give things a “Pinoy” touch. The O! My Gulay Recipe Book, distributed by the Department of Agriculture—Bureau of Agricultural Research, features winning culinary art discoveries from the O! My Gulay Cooking Contest held in 2007. Most of which are dishes originally from other countries but were given…
What makes you proud to say, “I am a Filipino”? Perhaps, every time Manny Pacquiao delivers his killer punch that KOs his opponent, you quickly raise your arms with matching jumps and shouts; sometimes you may even shed tears. Maybe, during the hard-fought battles of Smart Gilas, you post a status or tweet with a…
Some people’s school grades are critically low; others have the “F” kind of low. Their room walls showcase posters of their favorite player or cartoon instead of accomplishments. These, however, do not define what they ought to become. Raphael Ongchiong surprised himself, perhaps a bunch of others too, when he turned out to be the…
You are resting in your living room, and you hear the most distinct sound you are very well acquainted with – your “suki” shouts “buko.” Automatically, you get up and run to your front door. Your regular coconut cart vendor, all-smiles, is on a halt outside your house. He sees you and you signal with…
THE rap artist Andrew E. gave people, at an early age, a picture of what Malate is in his song Banyo Queen—a place where one can have fun with an unacquaintance, then lose his or her money. All they needed was a little more awareness to learn that the song even suggests that Malate is…
THIS article, a continuation of last week’s, was originally intended for outdoor activities during the rainy season in the Philippines. However, with the present condition, it would be nonsensical and insensitive to suggest items on how people can try to enjoy the heavy downpour outside their houses—when, really, people should take necessary precautions. Therefore, let…
The noontime sunlight no longer keeps their brows frowned and the stars at night are already absent from their view. More importantly, beds become a favorite and cuddling becomes a hobby. All these are because the rainy season, although almost two months late, is finally in the Philippines. The heavy downpour and the flooded roads…
Where fishermen tossed their rods, where women laundered cloths and washed dishes, where children jumped off a bridge—that was Pasig River. Pasig River was a major source of food and water. It was a center for livelihood which made its banks a favorite site for residences of the rich. In fact, even the government elevated…
If there is a topic both sophisticated enough to be the talk over a hotel table or common enough to be heard along the hallways of a wet market, it would be: “Philippine’s Superstar, to be or not to be a National Artist?” If ever the circumstances permit, Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, popularly known as Nora…
Life’s greatest competition, and perhaps the hardest, happens within one’s self. Imagine the struggle of overcoming your ego in admitting your fault; or pride in begging for a loved one not to walk out of your life; or laziness in finishing a chore. How much more when you try to challenge your own physical, mental,…
Traveling has crossed the line of being a luxury to being a necessity. To some, it is in their bucket list; but, to many, it is part of their budget list. People often work hard to save money enough for them to go on a travel. Why? 1. Because YOLO is so overrated. YOLO, they…
Sometimes, going against the grain makes us look rational, cool, superior even. However, when we veer away from the mainstream, is it because we sincerely cannot appreciate the “usual”? Or are we just afraid to jump on the bandwagon and therefore appear inferior? They say that Boracay is too mainstream. True, perhaps. Evidenced by the…
RIDING the airplane for the first time is perhaps the greatest luxury to enjoy. It is the time when one is not yet well-acquainted with the moment; therefore, giving a sharp and fixed focus to everything. The beauty that the outside view has to offer, the unfamiliar advanced equipment in the plane, and all other…
