HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL Philip Cu Unjieng (Part 2) First used this title for my December 26 column, and it looks like the situation has cleared up only to a small degree, while simultaneously also getting murkier. So are we in terrible shape in contrast with other...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL Philip Cu Unjieng In less than 30 days, we’ll be celebrating Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day. In 2021, they’re just a few days apart; and we can only hope that for most of us, there’ll actually be something to celebrate and be festive...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL Philip Cu Unjieng Over the course of 2020, the term “redundancy” was often been used to refer to one’s dismissal from one’s job; but I’d like to go back to it’s original definition of exceeding what is normal, of being superfluous,...
Heard It Through the Gripe-Vine: Our New Abnormal Philip Cu Unjieng If ever we wondered how those lines in the Christmas carol ‘O Holy Night’ could be relevant in our times, I would think the year that has passed has given us enough food for thought to now take these lyrics to heart: “A...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL Philip Cu Unjieng If you’ve been following the COVID news lately, then you’ll be aware of the surge in cases that disturbingly accompanied our entry into the month of December. Was this quarantine fatigue, complacency over the worth-celebrating...
Adventures with a capital A, and fantasies with a capital F If you’re looking for reading material come Christmas holidays and are in the mood for riveting literary fiction, here are four weighty recommendations. From adventure on the high seas, to a zany comic-book world, to a current...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE Philip Cu Unjieng (Part 1) When the dictionaries of the world began announcing their 2020 Word of the Year; Collins Dictionary chose “lockdown,” while the Oxford English Dictionary gamely admitted that this was such an unusual year that rather than limit it to...
Here are some suggestions to help you beat insomnia COVIDsomnia is a medical fact. Neurologists and sleep specialists all over the world have reported an upsurge in their patients’ sleeping disorders that have been attributed to the anxiety and stress caused by the virus, and the prolonged...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL (XXVI) Philip Cu Unjieng If one follows and subscribes to the Chinese Zodiac signs, then without a doubt, one is anticipating (in relief) the months to come. For on February 12th, 2021, we’ll be welcoming The Year of the Metal Ox; and I’m...
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL XXV Philip Cu Unjieng A) Like some petulant child who refuses to give up the melted candy stick grasped in his pudgy hand, or a ginger-haired Humpty Dumpty perched on the wall and overstaying his welcome, President MAGA is still playing hard ball....
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL (XXIV) Philip Cu Unjieng (Part 2) It’s COVID vaccine fever time! Pfizer & Moderna euphorically announced the over 90% success ratios of their Phase 3 trials and their plans to secure US FDA approval, and we had AstraZeneca & Oxford...
When picking out Christmas gifts in the Fragrances section of department stores, it would do well to keep in mind that if the recipient is someone in her or his 20’s or early 30’s, we should choose a fragrance that’s airy & lighter, one with a fresh outlook & disposition. Here’s a...
