MEDIUM RARE Alice Leal Guo makes you wonder. Her story a fairy tale? Is she a spy, a la James Bond on the fast lane? Too much (wealth) too soon? Too little (verification) too late? She’s up against the Ombudsman, possibly DILG, DOJ, OSG, and Senators Gatchalian and Hontiveros. The story of...
MEDIUM RARE Back in the day, in a nice building with a nice name, Gold, Charley Barretto held her listeners spellbound with tips on how to become prosperous. For more than two hours each day for three days she talked extemporaneously, without notes nor a pause. In those days,...
MEDIUM RARE On second thought, would that title sound better if it was written as “Ode to Olde”? Old shoes are more comfortable. Old bedsheets are softer come bedtime. Old trees are stronger than saplings. Old friends know you through and true, so you may count on them to be there when...
MEDIUM RARE Quoting the first lines of a poem by the French Impressionist poet Paul Verlaine: “It rains on the town as it weeps in my heart.” Imagine how much more beautiful it is in French! But then, wishing for the rain as a romantic element is just that, pure imagination. Rain could be...
MEDIUM RARE When you’ve hit the golden 50 in your life as a happily wedded couple, your friends are dearer to you now that they’re old enough to value your wisdom. Niwa Ang, a retired banker, went up the stage and took the mic to address his and his Olive’s guests last Saturday to...
MEDIUM RARE Before the lights go out, said the president of the company that manages and operates the five-star hotel, “Let’s do lunch.” I still find it hard counting the decades when we spent Tuesdays, me and my colleagues, at Sofitel hotel (aka Philippine Plaza) for our Bulong Pulungan...
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 Q is for queue, but there’s no need to line up for cucumber juice, cucumber salad, or cucumber desserts at City of Dreams’ Nobu Japanese restaurant, a partnership between Robert De Niro and Chef Nobu, who own and manage restaurants all over the world. The celebrity tandem...
MEDIUM RARE Looking back at the damage left by Covid-19, most of the friends that you and I lost did not die of the virus but other diseases. The pandemic claimed many lives around the world, but there were other losses, other disruptions, not all due to Covid. Mini, small, and medium businesses...
MEDIUM RARE For the longest time and many times evermore I was sure that sooner or later Nedy Tantoco would be named Philippine ambassador to Italy. When that did not happen, I imagined that the post might have been offered to her, but she declined the nomination for love of Rustan Commercial...
MEDIUM RARE On a good day Wilson Tieng can tell you when the next sale will be scheduled at his Gourdo’s store – where you find nice stuff for the house, from pillows to pint-size porcelain vases – but that’s as far as it goes. Like his brother William says, “I work so Wilson can...
MEDIUM RARE So PBBM likes “balut” – and so do lots of brave folks with strong stomachs. You know what they say about balut, how it fortifies a man’s image as manly. Years ago when a group of US Marines visiting Manila accepted the challenge to be tested for their vaunted...
