Once upon a press club
Once upon a time, there was a press club in the heart of a city where everyone lived in harmony. Photographers and writers were affable and comrades among themselves. They…
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God, I am old!
In silent hot rebellion, we cry silently, “I have lived my life – haven’t I? What more is expected of me?” With a certain haughtiness, one realizes that we have…
The poetry of Dr. Jose Rizal
His country absorbed him as affectionately. His poems are easy to read — perhaps to sing — to take to heart and put to meaning on its ability to bring…
Every day is New Year’s Eve
A NEW Year’s Day is that from which all dated their time and count upon what is left. Enjoying New Year’s Day is the knack of knowing how to live….
The best Christmas gift
In both fiction and reportage, I’ve always made known that the winding down of autumn and ushering of winter puts me in a heavy and philosophical mood. I’m thinking about…
The legacy: A house full of daughters
Thirty-two years ago, my husband left me. He died, leaving a house full of daughters, young and adorable, innocent, with the world on their side. In the face of adversity,…
The gaiety, frolic and freedom in the Castro
SAN FRANCISCO – You think they’ll go away. They didn’t, they haven’t and they won’t. They are not just a passing phase with cultural mileposts. They are here to stay…
Frailties and strength
It is not Christmas fever or holiday blues, but a full spectrum of a human condition of what is to be sick, to be cured, to lose and to triumph….
A celebration of Christmas and Filipino culture
It was an unbridled celebration of sound and scenes last Saturday at the International Celebrity Center for the Philippine Institute of Language, arts and culture (PILAC) in partnership with the…
The interview: A delightful minuet
INTERVIEWS come in many ways. Some regard them as battles, others call them theater pieces — even as delightful minuets. But for showbiz interviewing, which tends to elicit mere entertainment,…
December 7, 1941: The Pearl Harbor moment
HOW could it have happened? Pearl Harbor — and its awful treachery and death — is one of the worst battles and defeat ever suffered by the United States. It…
November to remember
IT was a month of passion, erudition and of past times, but mostly politics and government at every turn both here and across the country. In a trove of bemused…
Laughing matters
“Neither of us would ever die of love, we will grieve, part and separate. For we were not meant to be tragedians. We were meant to be comedians.” – Graham Greene,…
Thanksgiving: Gratitude and appreciate of life
THIS great holiday of thanks and giving is not a date on a calendar, but a state of mind. It is about our capacity to realize things that we can,…
War is a filthy tragedy
WAR is a filthy tragedy — but it has always been like that. The violent age that was the Renaissance, then the Roman Empire, while the golden age was in…
Beyond age lies a gentler joy
Getting old is a natural thing and no one must not be afraid of the natural. Trees age, as well as animals and everything that is alive. I am not…
Once more, the evening belonged to Pacquiao
LAS VEGAS – A boxer’s skills erodes a lot quicker in this crazy roulette called boxing, like no other sport offers. Here today, gone tomorrow (but millions richer); the peacock…
Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump: the fight for the White House
Washington may be one of the world’s most powerful cities, but no one is immune to its beauty, the magnificence of its most stunning monuments ever created, world-class museums, ornate…
Traveling is like feasting at the banquet of life
NEW YORK — Whenever I see gleaming posters of people waving and smiling happily as they hop into a plane, I realize what a lying society we inhabit. Inside the…
Time out for the grandchildren
“If you want to civilize a man, begin with his grandmother.” – Victor Hugo So, one moment you’re just a mother, and luckily, you’re done being tied down with your children’s…
Charles Simbulan: living a life of inspiration
With a firm hand he shakes my hand, his face seasoned by storm and values. Charles Simbulan smiles kindly, almost trying to disguise shyness. His voice is light hearted, his…
New York, my favorite city
New York is full of fragmented people — from those who talk to themselves and move jerkily, to those whose faces are set in hostility or negation. But others live…
The most famous speech in literature
“Be Cheerful sir, “ cried Prospero, “our revels are now ended…” – Parable of the Tempest (Shakespeare) It is said that the wind that scattered the Spanish Armada blew English literature….
Once upon a Secret Service
Once upon a time, the Secret Service had to be an all-embracing elite force — self-respecting, fearless and valiant. They were the ones who took charge of the security and…
Sanctuaries at twilight
Adult care centers are important fixtures in the Filipino-American community. This little piece takes us not just to a place, but into the minds and hearts, the courage, the wisdom…
The message of ‘Passport to Heavenly Life’ by Camilo C. Graza
In the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament, it is said that it can be read in many ways. For some, it is the purest literature we have…
A night of the scribes and lensmen with Consul General Adelio Cruz
IT is said that when God wanted to separate light from darkness, day and night were created. When media men had a similar itch, they bonded together. One can count…
An evening at the opera
I can never quell a stir of fascination, dread and longing when the house lights dim and the curtain parts, but the enjoyment of an opera can begin, not with…
Inside the death chamber
It was my first police beat assignment and we felt that we had no right to do what we were doing. The killing of a fellow human being was repulsive…
Bicolandia celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Penafrancia
It was a day on the brink of autumn that came with ribbons of mist under an impossibly blue sky. Clear and temperate burnished it as a perfect day to…