Beyond just black and white
by Tammy Rassamekiarttisak [Editor’s note: Once a year, an essay competition is held at California State University, Northridge, amongst Asian American Studies and Education majors, as part of an endowment…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
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COVID-19: Myth buster
COVID-19: China’s bio-weapon While there is ample evidence, even in the Chinese medical literature that the nCorona virus outbreak originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, most likely starting from a bat…
US President Donald Trump turns 74 on June 14
DONALD John Trump is the 45th and current president of the United States. Prior to entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality. He will be celebrating his 74th…
Where one’s Christian faith rests on
THEY were five strong Catholic women who shared with me their faith via conference. They prayed the Rosary fervently and revealed the boldness, tenacity, and joy of their faith. One…
Glorious moments of grandmothering
“If you want to civilize a man, begin with his grandmother.” -Victor Hugo SO, one moment you’re just a mother, and before you can blink and think you can relax…
Scary MIS-C in kids
IN our column last week, we briefly mentioned a new hyperinflammatory toxic shock syndrome discovered among children after getting COVID-19 infection, first reported in the United Kingdom on April 26,…
Prayer and spirituality as ‘essential’
ONE of the American spiritual writers in the 20th century who contributed to the depth of spirituality of many Christians was a monk named Thomas Merton. In his book, “A…
In loving memory of my beloved brother, Ruttie Lu
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that counts, it is the life in your years.” RUTTIE was the youngest among our family of 10 siblings. He…
The sterling world of nurses
YOU see them with a grateful heart as they walk on hands, and do somersaults with a patient’s extreme despair, suffering life-altering trauma, joys, rage and despair. Ordinary people have…
Where are we now?
After 60 days of lockdown, where are we now? For sure, we are nowhere near being set free. And it seems we have wasted two months because we had a…
COVID-19 update
MORE than 90,000 The total global cases of COVID-19 in 212 countries (Antarctica zero case) is about 4,300,000, and almost 300,000 deaths. The healthcare front liners infected with COVID-19 worldwide…
Showbiz circles mourn passing of Gallaga, Parsons
THE movie and music industries in the Philippines are saddened deeply with the loss of scriptwriter/director Peque Gallaga and singer/actor/councilor Sonny Parsons as both passed away within days of each…
Dr. Carmencita Abarquez Agcaoili’s fundamental laws of her giving, compassion and generosity for others
“My wife is a woman of grace, a woman of character, a woman of strength. She is very generous in spirit and her capacity to tolerate, to accommodate, to forgive…
Testing leadership
MY friends, this coronavirus pandemic has challenged and tested not only our faith, health, and our nation’s strength but one’s leadership. When I talk about leadership, I don’t just mean…
I remember mama
ON this big production called Mother’s Day, a whole nation of sons and daughters paused to remember their mothers. My first knowledge of the world about life came to me…
Kapamilya, Kapuso stars express support for ABS-CBN after shutdown
CELEBRITIES from ABS-CBN Channel 2 (known as Kapamilya network) and its rival, GMA-7 (known as Kapuso network), expressed their support for the former as it shut down its broadcast after…
Marijuana and COVID-19
THE target organs of the SARS-CoV2 virus (COVID-19), which eventually kills patients, are the lungs. While this deadly viral infection also affects other organs in the body like the heart,…
Post COVID travel
WITH our children based abroad, we always look forward to the annual trip to the U.S. for the Christmas holidays. But this year, we plan to stay home. For one…
On God’s silence
I’M praying that you continue to be strong in faith amid this pandemic. Like you, I often ask God to make his will and presence known, to put an end…
My life, writing in pandemic times
As one famous author said: “The ability to spin cocoons of language out of nothing.” It redefines news, the way it is reported, published and read. I MEASURE my life…
Debunking COVID-19 myths
WITH novelty comes misinterpretation, misinformation, and myths rapidly disseminated via social media around the globe. This is what is happening with the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV2 virus, the cause of the…
One and only Philippine cinema Superstar Nora Aunor turns 67 on May 21
SUPERSTAR Nora Aunor, who now resides in the Philippines, will celebrate her 67th birthday on Thursday, May 21. La Aunor, internationally known as the one and only Superstar of the…
The power of kindness
“Kind people are the best kind of people.” WHAT does it cost to be kind to others? We often think that being kind costs us something — whether it is…
Our need for peace
PEACE! It’s one of the essential commodities that we need now. Unfortunately, it’s something that we cannot buy from the grocery stores or online. If we could buy it, it…
The flowers of spring
SPRING has sprung. It is upon us in a scent that grows deeper, dizzying, and improbable. It is too heady and too provocative to be diminished. Seeping through open windows,…
More on COVID-19
THE international medical community is still examining, observing, and learning about this novelCorona virus, SARS-Cov-2 virus, the cause of COVID-19. Since it is new, the virus, which belongs to the…
Mindfulness as a survival skill in today’s tech crazy world
“Be present. It is the only thing that matters.” — Ways of the Peaceful Warrior I NEARLY had a vehicular accident three years ago. Operative word: Nearly. I was minding…
P-A-S-C-U-A
THIS Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. Let’s keep imploring God’s Mercy to end this coronavirus pandemic so that businesses, governments, schools, and churches can open. We’re all eagerly waiting to…
On the throes of fear
IN some ways, getting older is an odd blessing because we have already faced some of our biggest fears and discovered that we’re actually bigger than our fears. Looking back,…
Fighting COVID-19 with C-O-V-I-D
THE curve is starting to flatten. A major factor that has reduced the viral spread, the infections, and hospitalizations is people’s final compliance with the behavioral modification recommended by the…