24 hours of confession and mercy buses during lent
SACRED Heart Church in Covina, California held a “24 Hours for the Lord” celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. From 12 pm on Friday, March 4, to 12 pm on…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
Read More
Direk Wenn Deramas cried with finality: “Cut…! Pack-up!” then, rested
LIFE is a reverie for the judicious but simply a game for hoodwinks… an entertaining tryout for the affluent but a catastrophe for the underprivileged…and a never-ending encounter with uncertainty…
The thrill of crime reporting
“No one is spared from crime, however, at the center of the hurricane of crime, is a brotherhood of hard men, who fight for whatever justice is possible in this…
The agonizing malady of a writer’s block!
How strange is this demented feeling when I realize that I have spent agonizing days before a pen and a notebook, with nothing better to do but jot down notes…
A Lenten examination of conscience
JESUS, can we drink the cup that you drink or be baptized with the baptism with which you are baptized? Can we really do this? Can we accept failures? Can…
Rose P. Javier looks back sans regret as she turns 70
AFTER having immeasurably lived life, deservingly attained what she desired, and contentedly enjoyed the vast reward of what she has painstakingly toiled for, it is only but fitting and appropriate…
The ‘dietary aid’ scam
WE wrote about the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issuing a public alert on June 1, 2009 for consumers to “stop using Hydroxycut Products, dietary supplements used for…
Beyond age lies a gentler joy
Getting old is a natural thing and no one should not be afraid of the natural— trees, animals age, and everything that is alive. I am not afraid to look…
Lent and the call to change
I STILL remember an incident when a parishioner confronted me after Mass to tell me how delighted she was to see me change. “Father, you’ve grown so much, you’ve changed,”…
Michelle Michelle: ‘Music feeds my soul, performing sustains my existence’
THE dimly lit posh entertainment venue was almost full to the rafters when I inched my way after a burly, stern doorman stamped my right wrist with an indelible admission…
Here’s to your health!
IS wine really good for our health? Yes, most particularly red wine, because it contains very potent antioxidants. But the benefits will, of course, depend on other considerations and factors….
The heart has its reasons
Perhaps the heart is not just a sort of Valentine, or only the beating thing in a chest that sustains life. It is also the well, spring of all faith,…
The many faces of love
Love’s vistas are inexhaustible. But for all the ardency of love’s idealism and romance, it can only be taken as an act of faith. To be ruled under the spell…
Of ‘scraping’ and ‘sculpturing’ during this season of Lent
RA Paulette has spent his life for the past twenty-five years pursuing his passion, which is transforming caves into breathtaking, poetic and massive pieces of art out of sandstones. Every…
David DiMuzio: A Pinoy-at-heart American
It’s always fascinating to listen to or watch a foreigner faultlessly singing Tagalog songs. Aside from the uplifting feeling of unexplainable pride inevitably induced by the situation, it indubitably gives…
Can we delay aging?
Why do we age? Just like machines and engines, our bodies age because of the cumulative damages to our cells, tissues and organs (resulting from daily “wear and tear” and…
The day a man retires
Work is a mysterious thing. Many of us claim to dislike it at times, but it takes a grip on us that it captures our emotions and loyalties we never…
Songs that 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 person I saw, felt and…
To serve the People of God with heroic love
“ People love us — priests — despite our imperfections. They see us as representatives of Jesus Christ on earth; they esteem us for our noble works and our sacrifices….
Pauleen Luna and Vic Sotto seal May-December affair with a lifetime commitment
After having defied all odds, they finally tied the knot! Destiny concluded Pauleen Luna and Vic Sotto’s 5-year relationship and certainty capped their poignant reverie with a “forever” that commenced…
Light therapy for treating depression
IT is the season to be jolly, but about 18.5 percent (1 in 5) or 43.8 million adults in the United States experience some type of mental illness during this…
What is sleep apnea?
SLEEP apnea (AP-ne-ah) is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few…
The agony and ecstasy of divorce
LAS VEGAS— Come hell or high water, people flock here to untie the knot. Divorce is simply about the villain and the victim. It is who got cheated and who got…
Meeting God as a child: Filipinos’ simple spirituality
“ Our understanding of God speaks of a low Christology: the God of the Scriptures, the God who became human like us, and the God who entered our broken human…
The wonders of Pegan diet
WE are what we eat and drink, philosophically and medically. Diet plays the most significant role in our health and longevity — more than genetics and exercise in most instances….
The Presidential guards and the press
“Once upon a time, the US Secret Service had to be an all-embracing elite force—self-respecting, fearless and valiant. They took charge of the security and decorum of every event that the president…
Santo Niño and our childlike faith
A MAN was inside a church kneeling in front of a big statue of Santo Niño. In his prayer, he said: “Santo Niño, please help me win the lottery. I…
The woman in black
IT happened faster than it took her to draw a breath. Anybody can become a widow—there are no special qualifications. It did not require planning to become a wife, mother, or…
Beauty is simply skin-deep that could either be enhanced or altered
THE most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion, which is hard to find and never sold. Makeup simply defies the degradations of time and not the marks of life’s…
A review of popular health news
LOOKING back in review, there was some fascinating news in medicine in 2015 — a few of them controversial, especially infectious diseases and cancer screening and prevention. E-cigarettes more dangerous…