Dangers lurking in our home
Our own poison collection We may not realize it, but in various places in our home, we have toxic chemicals which are hazardous to our health, especially for children. They…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
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Beatrice’s fight for survival
Once upon a time series BEATRICE was good with numbers and Jim was more of an artist. He played in a band and made a good living with short-term gigs. …
The God who creates, redeems, and sustains
AS David looked up into the skies and contemplated the vast and endless heavens, the beauty of the night captured his heart in worship and adoration to God, and so…
Thank you Catriona, Next: Gazini Ganados
“TO conquer our dreams. Philippines, I will forever our raise our flag. Thank you for choosing me as your queen. Forever a Miss Philippines, forever a Binibini…” Those were the…
The state of California’s judiciary according to Filipina Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye
“Every generation is responsible for creating democracy anew, a democracy that is relevant and responsive to the needs of that generation. One that expands upon and completes the previous work…
Honor thy father
MY father is the kind of man I’ve always dreamed of: kind to the weak, fierce to the arrogant, generous to those who loved him, ruthless to those who will…
Flexitarian diet
Coined by dietician Dawn Jackson Blatner in her 2009 book, Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease and Add Years to Your Life, the…
NDE: Near death experience
Back from the brink EMMA looked down at the busy huddle in the operating room. She was floating, hovering above the doctors and nurses in their blood spattered scrub suits…
Keeping the spirit of God alive in our hearts and the world
OFTEN I would remind people that we, Christians, worship a triune God. In essence, this means God is one, but eternally exists as three distinct persons: the Father, Son, and…
The president and the Malacanang press Ccorps
WHENEVER I suffer lesions of depression that I allow others to mercilessly inflict on me, nothing beats my reflections of the Malacanang Press Lounge where some of my fondest thoughts…
Once upon a time series: Abigail’s story
“Will you marry me? She asked him” (Let me introduce to my readers a bit of a background on the ‘Once Upon A Time’ Series that I am launching in…
The depth of Mon David’s love of family as reflected in his superior jazz musicality
“I’ve been working in this field (communities in schools) for 50 years and I’ve never seen a program turn around a life. Only relationships turn around lives. We adults in…
Jimmy Bondoc: How not to be you
A WISE man once said, “Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual.” But it does come with some pretty basic rules on how NOT to be viral and hated in…
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…
Entering priesthood
FOURTEEN new priests graduated from St. John’s Seminary this past school year: six for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; three for the Diocese of Monterey; three for the Diocese of…
Cologuard: A lifesaver
IN the United States, colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and the rectum) is the second leading causes of cancer deaths. This year, 2019, the projected number of new cases: …
Whatever happened to ‘happily ever after’? (Part 3 of 3)
“…You have changed my mourning into dancing, O Lord, and have girded me with joy, alleluia…” —Psalm 30 (Conclusion of 3 parts) (Continued from last week’s issue …) There is…
No one is above the law
“It is more proper that law should govern than any one of its citizens.” – Aristotle On Feb. 21, 2019, “The Rachel Maddow Show” team uncovered a telegram sent by…
On death and dying: How can I comfort you? (Part II of II)
AS a recap, a medical doctor named Mario was diagnosed with Hepatitis B and with liver cirrhosis in the late ’90s. He got over the disease and lived comfortably for…
The gift of the Holy Spirit
“He’s Jesus, our Lord, who promised his disciples and all of us who would believe in him his abiding presence. And so, he gave us the most precious gift: his…
Aboard a floating carnival with my first born
THE most notable about time in an ocean voyage is that it is so purely relative. While fragment is in space, a moment is in time. We sailed in the…
Queries from readers
Eggs have been around for eons, even before man discovered they were edible. In many households around the world, eggs have been a routine part of breakfast. One of the…
Whatever happened to ‘happily ever after’? (Part 2 of 3)
“Suicide, contrary to the lyrics of a popular song, is never painless.” (Continued from last week’s issue …) There is an onslaught of overwhelming assaults that come in all forms…
A foretaste of heaven: Witnessing the Episcopal ordination of LA Auxilary Bishop Alex Aclan
“We know that our liturgies—especially the Eucharist—are a foretaste of heaven on earth, I cannot think of a better foretaste of heaven than this.” – Bishop Alex D. Aclan, Auxiliary…
Welcoming the spring season — the Filipino way
HAVING four seasons in a year is an idea that is quite foreign to Filipinos who grew up in the Philippines. Back there, we only have dry (summer) and wet…
The birdman of Woodland Street
THIS might as well be a story for the birds — light, gay and cheery. I can’t recall any other welcome in my whole life as I had in Alan…
Miracle of life
Wednesday last week, while waiting at O’Hare Airport in Chicago for our flight to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to attend the graduation of our granddaughter, Sydney, my wife, Farida, and I…
Whatever happened to ‘happily ever after’?
(Part 1 of 3) “…All the lonely people Where do they all come from? All the lonely people Where do they all belong?…” —Eleanor Rigby, Lennon-McCartney STORIES make up the…
Brother Richard Fernando, a young Filipino Jesuit on the road to sainthood
ANOTHER Filipino might become a canonized saint! His name is Richard “Richie” Fernando, a 26-year-old Jesuit brother who died saving the lives of his Cambodian students in 1996. According to…