Some book lovers would say you had me at the first line. That moment of first meeting, that first glance to me, however, is—don’t judge me—often the book cover, or the book title. From there, I am led to the back cover, where the synopsis is, that whiff of scent, that bounce of hair, maybe...
Photo by Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov from Unsplash I get it. I get it that you want more knowledge, of which you dream in terms of lectures, classroom debates and discussion, learning activities, required reading, homework, and thesis-making and defense. Some of us only thrive in structure, like I...
SEASON OF BLOOMS Flowers give the browns and beiges, the tans and taupes, the off-whites and ochres of Cappadocia's volcanic landscape in central Turkey in May (Photos by author) I will take inspiration from a flower, in eternal bloom, for if it has wilted, is it still a flower? The remains of a...
THE PIANIST'S PIANIST Cecile Licad Performance photos by Jojo Mamangun At some point during the one-night-only American Ballet Theater (ABT) Studio Company “Rising Stars” performance in Manila, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater at Circuit Makati, I was unsure whether to focus on Cecile...
But as a writer you cannot help it. You have to do it. It is in daydreams that your stories originate and then percolate and that’s also where you initially string the words needed to express them. In fact, you can write an entire article or flash fiction in your head. Meanwhile, even your own...
POETIC GENIUS Cecile Licad, 'the best Chopin interpreter,' at her Nelly's Garden concert (Jon Unson) Does sunshine make a sound? Do the clouds in the sky make the softest whisper? At world-acclaimed Filipino artist Cecile Licad ’s piano concert at Nelly’s Garden, the Lopez Heritage House in...
Lan Fong Yuen has day in and day out led a flock of foodies to its lair of old-world charms, replete with the odds and ends of traditional Chinese furnishings SIMPLICITY IS KEY Lan Fong Yuen may not look like much, but it' a landmark for foodies in Hong Kong (Photo from Hong Kong Tourism Board)...
At the birthday dinner she threw for her closest friends at Blackbird, Heart Evangelista looked dazzling in the arm of lost-and-found escort—Senator Chiz Escudero Images Justin Louise Soriano REUNITED Senator Chiz Escudero joins Heart Evangelista for a birthday dinner she threw for her closest...
Falling in love suggests a loss of control, just as a fall, synonymous with tumbling, toppling, collapsing, is often a form of giving in to greater forces, such as gravity WRAPPED IN LOVE A playful update on the iconic symbol of affection, the Fall in Love bracelet by Louis Vuitton is a charming...
And I’m hungering for the sautéed onion in my breakfast omelette or the rings of medium red onion in my pork chop steak a la bistek “…Eat no onions nor garlic, for we are to utter sweet breath; and I do not doubt but to hear them say it is a sweet comedy,” says the weaver Bottom to the...
The Very Extra Book Club starts the year with generous helpings of the scandals that broke this author and his New York swans apart THE VERY EXTRA BOOK CLUB From left: Rajo Laurel, Pauline Suaco Juan, Marielle Santos Po, Alicia Colby Sy, Stephanie Zubiri, Rocio Olbes Ressano, Jae de Veyra Pickrell,...
The plastic problem What we use for just minutes Will last a long, long time Something glints at sea I squint to see what it is It’s only plastic All the fish gagging Panic at the sea bottom Mass death soon follows Plastic everywhere Microplastics in our drink In what we eat, breathe How is the...
