Maxine Medina and the ‘most beautiful day’ in the Philippines
After everything has been said—or was not said—and done, we choose to look at the bright side. We choose to see beneath the surface, avoid the negativity and focus on…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
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On bringing the light of Jesus to all people
“ Share your bread with the hungry; shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light…
Farewell mass for Bishop Solis
A FAREWELL mass was held on Wednesday, February 1 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, in honor of Bishop Oscar Solis, who was recently…
Gentle angels called caregivers
In private homes, we learn yet of another world—of quiet angels with gentle hearts. Back home, they used to be teachers, bank tellers, office workers, engineers, or registered nurses who…
Shane Ericks clinches her singing passion with paramount perseverance
Just like keys and padlocks which are manufactured with precise duplicates, some singers, no matter how distinct their voices are, could limitlessly have exacting vocal replicas…even with almost similar physical…
Tanning and skin cancer
The US-FDA has issued warning on the use of tanning beds at home and at tanning salons: tanning increases the risk for melanoma, a deadly skin cancer, up to 59…
Songs my mother taught me
My first knowledge of the world and about life came to me through my senses. They were directed by my mother. She was the first one I saw, felt and…
Valentine date ideas on a weekday
February is approaching once again and you know what they say about it being the love month. I am aware that not everyone is in a relationship – or that…
When poor people become our strength
I SPENT three weeks after Christmas traveling to the Philippines and China. In the Philippines, I joined my high school seminary classmates in the celebration of our 40th year anniversary…
Vaseline: Is it safe?
ALMOST every home has Vaseline jelly or some other items with petroleum in it, like lip stick, lip moisturizer, other cosmetics, paint, shoe/leather polish, nylons, ink, roof shingles, etc. One…
Inside Dante’s ‘Inferno’
The memory of what is irrevocably lost is the true meaning of Hell in The Divine Comedy. Dante Alighieri is considered as the Father of Italian Poetry. The poetry of…
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…
An open letter of gratefulness to the Obama Family
Nov. 4, 2008 was the day President Obama was elected president of the United States. He entered humbly into the ‘land of milk and honey’ where he would later bring…
Paula Morandarte captures the world’s true color through her lens
Gender equality or gender egalitarianism has long been resolved following a series of international decrees stipulating non-discrimination among sexes…thus, the plodding emergence of the outright recognition of women to stand…
Superbug kills lady
Alarming news, warning to all “PUBLIC health officials from Nevada are reporting on a case of a woman who died in Reno in September from an incurable infection. Testing showed…
The ‘immortality’ of Filipino matinee idol Ian Veneracion
Guys, seriously. Is Ian Veneracion a vampire? I was looking at his pictures from the time he started showbiz and pictures from his newest teleserye, “A Love to Last,” and…
Mithi Aquino Thomas: her vicarious roles as mother, wife and ‘trailing spouse’
Modernity has significantly brought about an immense amount of change that affected not only the social and cultural aspects of life but, most of all, the basic unit of society…
Do you have a stomach ulcer?
WHAT is a stomach ulcer? A stomach ulcer, also known as a gastric ulcer or peptic ulcer, as the second part of the name suggests, is a “wound, an open…
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…
2017: What’s IN and what’s NOT
The year 2016 has been an interesting year in terms of fashion and lifestyle, which also means the fashion icons and newsmakers of 2016 had their moment. 2016 was a…
Devon Spence: Life within and out of camera range… a private assertion
While the fashion industry has impressively produced branded products and familiar household commercial faces, it has simultaneously opened doors to the mushrooming integer of aspiring live mannequins. The glamorous and…
Enlighten skin whitening on sale!
WE all wonder why many stars and celebrities seem to have flawless, white skin. For sure, not all of them were born with perfect skin. Many rely on beauty products…
Post-holiday ‘damage control’
The holidays may be behind us but their physical effects, among others, will linger for a while. Medically speaking, it is actually a time for “damage control” for those of…
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…
A New Year’s Day message
Another year has gone by and another year is before us. As we get older we feel the rapidness of life and its brevity. We become more contemplative about life’s…
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….
A personal perspective and retrospection of the year that was
In life, the greatest well-taught experiences come packaged in seemingly very ordinary encounters but surreptitiously tagged with lessons learned the hard way…through mistakes, failures, oversights, and disappointments. As the year…
Medical myths and facts
MEN’S sweat is good for women Don’t laugh. This is true. Biologists at the University of Pennsylvania found that men’s perspiration has beneficial effects on women’s mood, reduces stress and…
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…
When malls start playing Christmas songs all day long, you know Christmas is knocking at your door
ONE of the holiday anthems often played is the song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland. But not everyone knows the story behind this song. TIME magazine…