Florida Panthers hockey players with U.S. President Donald Trump and Vincent J. Viola (left, beside President Trump) in the White House. Photos collated by Rogelio C. Medina
HOCKEY is a popular sport that can be a favorite for many reasons, including its physical benefits (for it can help improve cardiovascular fitness, lower body strength, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination), cultural significance, and the opportunity to develop teamwork.
One of my favorite hockey teams is the Florida Panthers, a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference.
The 2024 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers was recently honored by President Trump at the White House.
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Solano County-based Brothers David and Vincent Isip are supporters of the train therapy (the former started it even before the COVID-19 pandemic, while the latter during the post-pandemic), an emerging intervention for coping with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia that relies on a railway travel simulator.
Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.
David Isip, founder of Budget Window Coverings, a low-volume provider of window treatments, in 1980 (now being continued by his son Miguel), has railways train simulator that features minimalist and artistic elements merged in an immersive experience where the perks of a train trip are emphasized.
In the case of Vincent Isip, a Contra Costa County employee in California, his loco simulator can pull 20 train cars and has a caboose, a boxy railroad car attached to the end of freight trains (cabooses are used to house the train crew and monitor the train for safety). The number of train cars a locomotive can pull depends on the locomotive’s horsepower and the weight of the cars. He has also a vintage or classic train simulator where patience is a virtue.
To succeed, you need to wait for the right moment and use your train management skills to drag the trains from one railway to another. Imagine your thoughts and feelings as a train, and notice them without judgment. This can help you get some distance from your thoughts and feelings.
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February is the month of love. I will feature different stories of love. I asked male respondents: (1) How do you define love? (2) Are you in love now with your spouse and why?
Their replies (fourth batch) are as follows:
LA-based Roderick Gutierrez of City of Hope Medical Center, who has been married to Jane Taguding-Gutierrez of Davao del Sur for 37 years and has sired four children: (1) “Love is such an ambiguous word that could be defined depending on the context on where to use it.”; (2) “As for my wife, I could say that cherishing her for the rest of my life would be the only definition I had and still have.”
Vallejo-based Alan and Jelynne Valentin are happily married and the couple has 5 kids: (1) “Love covers a lot of sacrifices. In the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NIV, ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres’.” (2) “Love looks to build each other’s up, even at the expense of self.”
Oregon-based Dale Villar Acelar, a former actor who works at Mercedes Benz of Wilsonville, is married to Megan Powers-Acelar for 7 years and they have five kids: (1) “Love is something you feel — it’s not just in your mind, but in your body and soul. It’s a force that moves through you, beyond logic or explanation. It’s that unshakable connection, the kind that doesn’t need words to be understood. When it’s real, you don’t just experience it — you live it, you become it. And I am blessed to share it with my wife.” (2) “Yes, I’m in love with my wife, Megan. She’s not just my partner—she’s my best friend, my biggest supporter, and the person who truly understands me. Love isn’t just about the good moments; it’s about choosing each other every day, through every challenge and every joy. And with her, that choice is easy. We understand each other and I am so happy God brought me to her.”
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I am glad that the second child of Danilo Jubay Marella, Mariano III Seldura Marella of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, who graduated from University of Saint La Salle with Bachelor of Physical Education, is now a Licensed Professional Teacher. Another teacher in our family!
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The Ferdinand E. Marcos (FEM) Memorial Stadium has been nominated for the ArchDaily 2025 Building of the Year Awards.
This recognition highlights the stadium’s world-class design, innovation, and significance as a premier sports venue in Ilocos Norte.
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I was part of EDSA Revolt 1986 as a journalist for a foreign media outfit and I was on the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue, waiting for the next news to happen.
The rest is history.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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