Truth in an ecosystem of free will and moral responsibility
“A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
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Artemio “Temi” Tecson: Living life enjoyably in pursuit of his passion for singing
IN this world of absolute chaos and topsy-turvy daily grind, an existence inevitably confronted by uncertainties, unmeasured probabilities, and startling destinies is deemed fine for there are still millions of…
Love chemistry 101
There is nothing more universal, more powerful, more wholesome, and more sublime than love. Its intensity and gravity could transcend all forces of nature, even disasters and calamities, natural or…
The bucket list: Write your story (2nd of a series)
”…Healing begins with forgiveness. It can make us whole again. And when we are whole and bathed in God’s light, darkness no longer holds power over us.” [Select a handful of those…
God’s manifestation of love and fidelity
IT was the second time this first week of the year that I joined my friend in his visit to his 86-year-old mother. Sick with bad flu, his mother could…
The 2019 wishlist
IN every wish there will be glimpses of kind virtues, to encourage and console. It could be something modest or even mundane, something fantastic or utterly practical. It can take…
Fashion forward: The trends of 2019
THE time has come when stripes and sheer fabrics were “a thing of the past” — or the past year (2018), so to speak. As we welcome the year 2019,…
Top Rhizomes stories in 2018
I submitted 52 pieces for my weekly Rhizomes column in the Asian Journal. These pieces, excerpted below, resonated with AJ’s readers and also on social media. It is interesting to…
Tension and diseases
One of the major factors or enhancing conditions in disease formation is tension/stress. This could be emotional or psychologic stress, or stress from an unhealthy lifestyle, exposure to chemicals, radiation,…
Reprising the Series: The Bucket List
“What goes on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon and three in the evening?” asked the Sphinx. ‘Man,’ Oedipus answered after some thought.” – Riddle of the…
Fixing the energies in your home (Part 2 of 2)
IN my last column, I shared with you simple tips on clearing energies in your homes. Here are more tips to keep energies of your house positive. I always practice…
On keeping peace and faith in family
AS Christmas season passed by, we looked at the photos of families and friends we shared on Facebook and Instagram and expressed a profound sense of gratitude to God. Thank…
Cheers to a New Year
NEW Year’s Day – that arbitrary date in the calendar that compels us to take stock of ourselves and evaluate whether our loves, lives and careers are progressing in the…
Luchie San Luis Quemuel: Her reflections of God’s gilded miracles in her life
“MAY you have all that you need, because the sharing of gifts is our exercise of security in the abundance the Almighty gives us constantly. May you constantly find reasons…
Appetite regulators
What triggers hunger and satiety? The urge to eat (hungry or not) is, to a large extent, controlled and regulated by hormones in our body. And these hormones fluctuate depending…
Thank God for the chance to rewrite our own story
“A useless life is an early death.” —Goethe There are countless things to be grateful for this year. If we are blessed with a grateful heart, we will see beauty…
Sitting in the chair of privilege
“Life is a battle – you must enter into it fully, and do what needs to be done. You cannot shrink from your duty. Life presents difficult, sometimes horrendous situations,…
Gifts this Christmas
THE holiday spirit comes to us wrapped, not in tissues and ribbons, but in cherished events of ceremony, celebration and connections, and parties that constellate about the holiday seasons. Guests…
“Mary Christmas”
THERE wouldn’t Christmas without Mary. There wouldn’t be Christmas without her fiat—her absolute “yes” to be the Mother of God so that Jesus, the Son of God, would be…
Food contamination
Holidays are upon us once again and food abound everywhere we go. This is also the season where gastroenteritis from food contamination is more common, especially from unprotected, unrefrigerated food…
Christ is the reason for every season
“No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, may 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of…
Fixing the energies in your home (Part I of II)
AFTER talking about negative energies/entities and how to protect against them, let us now move towards clearing our own homes. The home is where we stay, eat, sleep and spend…
Dr. Erlinda Grey on the human splendor of medicine
THIS piece began as an act of friendship. It was conversation-interview supposed to draw a portrait of Dr. Linda Grey without physical features. Everyone knows this already: to describe…
Jose Antonio Vargas: From Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist to an American author and immigration reform advocate
“My mother wanted to give me a better life, so she sent me thousands of miles away to live with her parents in America — my grandfather (Lolo in Tagalog)…
Travelogue: (FIRST of 4 parts) Discovering the less known gems of Croatia, Slovenia, and Montenegro
STEPPING outside of our shell to be free from the monotonous grind allows us to enhance our lives, stimulate our dormant mind, and enables us to welcome unfamiliar faces and…
Aging: An equalizer
Last February 28, 2018, my wife, Farida, and I arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport from Manila, following our two medical missions in the Philippines. While waiting at the…
Taking the time to just be this Christmas
“…Lose the remote control. Break free of your electronic leashes for a little while. Take the time to just be yourself…” IT’S that time of year again. And every year, whether we like…
10 tips to celebrate Advent and Christmas
ADVENT is a time of waiting for the celebration of Christmas to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. And as I wrote last week, it’s also a time of waiting…
Pete and Baby Cruz: Together in ‘business and pleasure’
IF I could name a few people who I look up to in terms of how they live their lives, I’d probably include this couple I have known for 10…
The melancholia of a 107-year-old lady
I sympathize with her lonely soul. She ruminates. She dreams. She remembers. The true essential self is ageless, even if the body and its surroundings wail that you’re old. She…