First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 25, no. 3 (July 10-23, 2012): 16, 15. “U y, galing Baguio yan” or “Galing Zambales yan.” Vendors at the wet market will gladly impart such information, believing it means something to customers seeking quality. Yet, these phrases may mean nothing to many shoppers. Even as produce moves […]
Interest in genealogy or ancestral roots is growing worldwide. This is so true among the Chinese who continue to observe the tradition of honoring ancestors from the distant past. Ancestral shrines that proudly display the family lineage, listing forefathers and descendants of the same surname, are commonplace even in modern China. In response to the […]
Editors Note: This is the seventh of a series about the 36 (not 26 as earlier published) Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines. Much of the information is from a thesis of Venerable Chuanmiao (Hsuan Chuang University, 2008), a Buddhist monk affiliated with the Thousand Buddha Temple in Quezon City. 7. Hwat Kong Temple (法空寺)19 […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 25, no. 3 (July 10-23, 2012): 5. Was Rizal anti-Chinese? There is no simple answer. It has been raised several times in the entire year (June 2011 to June 2012) of celebrating the 150th birthday of Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero. History neither happens in a vacuum, […]
Editors Note: This is the sixth of a series about the 36 (not 26 as earlier published) Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines. Much of the information is from a thesis of Venerable Chuanmiao (Hsuan Chuang University, 2008), a Buddhist monk affiliated with the Thousand Buddha Temple in Quezon City. 6. Hwa Chong Temple (華藏寺)Northern […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 25, no. 3 (July 10-23, 2012): 8-10. Quintin Paredes is more than a street name in Binondo. This name, which replaced that of Rosario, belonged to a lawyer, statesman and senator who had a prominent hand shaping Philippine history. Quintin Paredes was born on Sept. 8, 1884 in […]
A trip to a neighborhood lumber store in Pasig City reveals a growing array of wood available for new structures. Amidst the display of native narra, ipil, imported maple and oak, sit the delicate, light-colored bamboo floor planks. The bamboo looks so different from those commonly seen in traditional native huts, furniture, scaffoldings, and lechon […]
Bamboo has been hailed as the new super material, with over 1,500 uses identified so far. The global bamboo industry is estimated to be worth about US10 billion a year. “With Mount Makiling standing guard with its majestic hue and Laguna’s placid waters lending splendor to the view . . .” That is from a […]
Editors Note: This is the fifth of a series about the 36 Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines. Much of the information is from a thesis of Venerable Chuanmiao (Hsuan Chuang University, 2008), a Buddhist monk affiliated with the Thousand Buddha Temple in Quezon City. 5. Holy Buddhist Temple (觀音寺)150 N. Domingo St., Cubao, Quezon […]
Toward the end of 2011, the hubby said that he was going to buy an iPad, but I kept vetoing it. But at the close of 2011, someone gave my mom one. And it all went downhill from there. Early 2012, the husband started a comic strip line – iDad comics – just for our […]