MEDIUM RARE There is a God. A God who overrules forecasts of very hot weather by the simple expediency of sending us a constellation of clouds to partly cover the face of the sun for part of the time. Clouds are my thing. I love them, don’t you? And that’s why I wish meteorologist and...
MEDIUM RARE In the good old days Manila’s fourth district, Malate, was where to find the friendliest coffeeshops and restaurants, just as there was a Remedios Circle that was home to the most famous fashion designers – they were called couturiers, and among them was Pitoy Moreno. Pitoy...
MEDIUM RARE It’s a new year 11 days from now – going by the Chinese lunar calendar. Following the Gregorian calendar, the date would be Jan. 29, start of the Year of the Serpent, a sign of luxury more than of betrayal that Westerners fear. As Serpent is a wood sign, green is the color of...
MEDIUM RARE For something like the past 45 years, Vic Sotto has been cracking jokes and handing out cash and other pleasant surprises on the noontime TV show Eat Bulaga with Tito Sotto and Joey de Leon. Suddenly he’s now on the wide screen, acting regal and serious in “The Kingdom,” and...
MEDIUM RARE Like most people, my mother was my first teacher. She was a real teacher, with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Yaya Andrea was a real public school teacher who helped me with my Tagalog and handicraft projects, plus her uncanny knowledge of the names of flowers, plants,...
MEDIUM RARE How long does it take for heaven to answer our prayers for rain? On Sunday May 12, the priest delivered his Oratio Imperata, prayer for rain, five minutes into the 10 a.m. mass at 10:05 a.m. in Greenhills, city of San Juan. I did not notice or hear any pitter-patter of...
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 Last December, the Christmas gift I got for a friend – he is patient, born with a sunny disposition, cheerful in every weather – was a T-shirt with a drawing of drivers smiling in close-up with the legend “Heavy Traffic. Happy People.” I thought the slogan was worthy of an...
MEDIUM RARE If Quezon City experienced some Baguio weather for a few days and Baguio residents had Christmas weather all over again, would those feelings amount to climate change? In olden times, i.e., when we were young, Baguio was the No. 1 dream city for its pine trees and springtime weather,...
MEDIUM RARE My introduction to the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival came by way of the waiter who seemed to know I was in his restaurant to feed my tummy before watching a movie. Without any preamble, he offered, “You here for ‘Rewind’? It’s good.” When I told him the movie was a...
MEDIUM RARE Come up, come up! That’s what I feel like yelling at lowlanders while Baguio seems to be at its best behavior – fine, fair, beautiful weather, voila!, at temperatures ranging between 18C at bedtime and 23C at naptime, flirting with a sprinkling of spring-like rain while clouds play...
MEDIUM RARE Robina Gokongwei Pe was right all along, 15 or more years ago, when she predicted that pets would be the next great thing to happen to business. Look at them now. Dressed to the nines, in fancy garments with appropriately fancy accessories, participating in weekend promenades at the...
