MEDIUM RARE When you enter the home of the ambassador of Singapore to the Philippines, expect to be greeted by a mini version of the Garden City, by which name her country is also known. Ambassador Constance See has plucked more than a handful of giant paper flowers to welcome visitors as soon as...
MEDIUM RARE My memories of Don Emilio T. Yap, whose 10 th death anniversary was marked last Thursday, precede my employment in this newspaper. No wonder, when I looked at the crowd gathered for the unveiling of his bronze bust, I felt ancient. The sculpture by Abdulmari (Toym) Imao Jr. shows...
MEDIUM RARE Once upon a time, the great sex symbol of the Western World was a certain Brigitte Bardot. Men desired her, women hated her even when they admired the audacity of her. She turned into a controversy when an advertisement showing her underarms was pulled out. The fault was not in...
MEDIUM RARE After the standstill of Holy Week, it took a while for the secular world to get back on its feet and revive the noise, the sounds of the city. On Saturday, aka Black Saturday, ChowKing could not serve halo-halo for lack of ice. Cinnabon ran out of coffee but not of...
MEDIUM RARE Holy Mother Church calls it Black Saturday. On my wall calendar, courtesy of a bank, the designation of Black Saturday is augmented with the declaration of “special holiday” (whereas Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are regular holidays). A “black” day, going by liturgical...
Many countries have similar dishes. We have pochero, France and the Middle East have pot au feu, and the Spanish have cocido. To the Spanish, pochero is the container where the cocido is boiled for hours with tough beef, chicken, chorizo, noodles, etc. Another dish found in other countries is roast...
MEDIUM RARE In December we celebrate the birth of the Baby with all the joy and hoopla of parenthood. Dec. 25 is not one day but the highlight of a season of joy. We exchange gifts, put on our best clothes, share a part of ourselves with overflowing charity and compassion. Then we welcome the...
MEDIUM RARE Friends of Zenaida Seva, the only astrologer they know in the world and the Philippines, held a little memorial lunch in her honor last Saturday, now that she “continues onward on her soul’s journey” (in her own words). She has left us and must now be traveling toward Cassiopeia,...
Some 21 countries have backed the Philippines following the recent incident between Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and Philippine vessels at the Ayungin Shoal. A rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) reaches the starboard side of BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal to deliver fresh supplies for Filipino...
MEDIUM RARE Fast and furious. That’s how she was. Cecile Licad on piano, playing Tchaikovsky in a slightly faster tempo than I’ve ever heard before, her fingers racing up and down the keyboard to empower her glittering glissandos and thunderous chords. Her audience was struck by lightning as it...
MEDIUM RARE As the man said, music shakes off the dust of everyday living. What is music? The most elusive of the arts, hard to define or even describe, yet nothing like music to touch the heart, refresh the mind, enliven the spirit. The one thing to add to the joy of performing or listening...
MEDIUM RARE If life is a dream, and because most trees live longer than human beings, there must be a message there somewhere from the Creator. As a friend used to say, “Trees are more useful than some people.” And now another friend is saying, “Donate to Gift of a Tree App” and help the...
