Breathing the scent of May at Glendale Grand Santacruzan
The Flores de Mayo (also known as Flores de Maria), a month-long custom and celebration, which is steeped in history and religious beliefs culminates with the Santacruzan—the grandest and the…
Category: Lifestyle Columnists
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One Sunday night at the emergency room
All of LA County’s sufferings come through the doors of the emergency room. Accidents, shootings, heart attacks, beatings, rapes, suicides—just as gory and heart stopping when I was covering the…
Walking on a sacred ground
HE was a shy, timid, introverted young man who wanted to be a missionary. But his superiors did not believe that he could make it. “Out in the missions you…
The Grand Induction Ball of the Los Angeles-Makati Sister City, Inc.
THERE is little to compare with the excitement over the Los Angeles-Makati Sister City, Inc. Induction Ball on Sunday, May 3. What are we looking at beyond the choreography of…
Rolando & Diwata Macuja: A connubial relationship bonded by faith and mutual trust
“Mature love is composed and sustaining…a celebration of commitment, companionship and mutual trust.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr. During last Sunday’s Catholic Action of Mary’s (CAM) 37th Santacruzan Presentation Ball…
Hazards in sunlight
What in sunlight is beneficial and harmful to us? The sun and its light are not only beautiful but vital to our life and survival on this planet. Without the…
To be a mother
IN the legends I have read that males invented to explain life, it was said that the first human creature was a man called Adam. Eve arrived later, to give…
The legacy fight
LAS VEGAS – Inside the MGM Arena, before a sellout crowd and millions of eyes watching in their homes, nothing prepares you for that “Fight of the Century.” Everything collided…
Building and nurturing relationships
I HAD a wonderful time last weekend. My family gathered together to celebrate my nephew’s First Communion at St. Raymond Church in Danville, California. We also celebrated my oldest sister’s…
Diverse thoughts on Mother’s Day: The consummate quintessence of motherhood
“Motherhood is the biggest gamble in this world. It is the glorious life force…huge and scary. It’s an act of infinite optimism.” – Gilda Radner THEY say motherhood could be…
A paradise for the misbegotten
LAS VEGAS—Shakespeare did not live in the age of malls, but The Bard would have recognized this city in any age, for what it is. Nick Tosches described Las Vegas…
Amazing heart pacemakers
What is a heart pacemaker? Pacemaker for the heart is a self-contained battery-operated computer unit that sends electrical stimulation to the inner wall of the right atrium and ventricle of…
A magnificent conductor takes FASO to Broadway
IT was as big, as rich, as romantic as any Broadway extravaganza—full of dazzling orchestral verve. A superior conductor nicknamed, Bob, shook Alex Theater and made it tremble as hundreds…
The family: a vineyard of love, faith, joy and hope
MY siblings, nieces, nephews and I are all excited to gather together this weekend in Danville, California—not for Pacquio vs Mayweather boxing fight, but for something much more special and…
Laura Garcia: Professionally committed in the pursuit of nursing excellence
“Nursing as an art: and if it is to be made an art it requires an exclusive devotion as hard as the preparation of any painter’s or sculptor’s work…for what…
Sex among seniors
Sex is usually associated with individuals who are younger than age 50 and the convention says sex belongs to the younger persons. At least that’s what many people think. But…
The Fist and the Heart of the Prizefighter
Manny Pacquiao is not just a prized fighter, he is the Pambansang Kamao (the nation’s fist). His heart is open for all of us. The boxing arena has all the…
The anfractuous identity plight of Chelle Lhuillier
“All through life there were gender distinctions: toilets for men, toilets for women; clothes for men, clothes for women; but then at the end, all graves are identical…!” – Leile…
The heart and life of a good shepherd
A GROUP of parishioners, several parish staff members and I were sitting at one table with an intern-seminarian to affirm his gifts and qualities and to recommend to him further…
Facts on cancer
What is a malignant tumor? Cancer or malignant tumor is a disease entity where the cells in the tissues of an organ (like the breast, lung, prostate, liver, brain, etc.)…
The friendship of Alma Alvarez: San Diego’s pearl
San Diego: The alpha lunch. The stage setting for our first lunch at the Coronado Hotel was planned as no big deal. It lasted two hours. “This is good,” she…
Trini P. Foliente: Intrepid but gracious trailblazer
The story of this interview is special. I’ve spent high interesting hours, abandoning political questions as Trini Paredes Foliente, vice president of the LA-Makati Sister, Inc. talked exclusively about casual…
Peace! Do not let yourselves be troubled
THE acolyte summoned the priests to say a prayer before Mass. He implored, “Oh, Lord, our God, thank you for the beauty of this brand new day. Thank you for…
John Derick P. Co holds on to his conquered terpsichorean prominence
WHERE words fail, music speaks…and where communications fall short, body language conveys emotion. There is always a strange fascination in the interpretation of one’s emotional expression through dance. There is…
Can too much sleep cause a stroke?
The benefits of adequate sleep are well established. Insufficient sleep can adversely affect the mental processes, including concentration, and over all bodily functions. It also increases the risk for cardiovascular…
Maestro Dexter Grey: One day in the Great Wall of China
This is a little back story. It is about that day Piano Virtuoso Dexter Grey, dubbed The Maestro in the literary world of music and its horizon, created a splash…
Sally Jamorabon: The human heart of a teacher
The prestige is always there. Teaching is a very serious pursuit where one starts with a calling and lives it as a purpose. “Those who can, do; those who can’t…
Feasting on God’s Mercy!
THE Easter Season is not over yet! We just started it last Sunday. We’re celebrating this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter or, as Pope John Paul II promulgated in…
PACCAL: Reaching further heights, accomplishing valuable services
“The best way to find your self is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi AFTER having meticulously assessed all possible resources, conscientiously brainstormed the brightest…
Health and air travel
How safe is air travel? There are more than 4000 accidents, mostly non-fatal, that occur around the world each year in general aviation, varying in degree of gravity, mostly involving…