There is a green jewel deep in the heart of Bulacan province, in Angat town. An arch stretches above a country road. Beside it a large sign announces the traveler is approaching GK Enchanted Farm. On May 17, 2015, I joined members of Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran to visit this community. It is unlike anything […]
Say these in Hokkien: Di-si-di khong pue khong pue and di-si-di sam it di sam. Our long time staff, Tulay artist Liza Lopez, still has these numbers memorized. So does one former staff, Gemma Ubay, who now lives in Cavite but still visits Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran in Intramuros, Manila. I tried those Hokkien syllables […]
Ed’s Note: This is the third installment of Relative Finder’s “Saga after the storm,” July 5-18, 2016 issue. After my failed guidance of Aunty Marites (Reales) on her travel arrangements, I needed to find a way to help her meet her long lost uncle in China. In December 2014, I got engaged to my girlfriend […]
In West Virginia, July 1908, Grace Golden Clayton created the concept of honoring everything a father has done for his family. This tradition was a tribute to all the fathers who died in the Monongah Mining Disaster, which happened in West Virginia on Dec 6, 1907. An explosion killed hundreds of workers, making it, at […]
Hokkien, on the tongues of Tsinoys, has grown and evolved, taking on a life of its own. Sometimes words simply fail us. With some creativity, Tsinoys have strung together words to form colorful phrases that simply hit the bull’s eye. Here are some expressions unique to Hokkien as favored by Tsinoys. Idioms, expressions Hokkien pronunciation […]
Ignorance and lack of communication can lead to misunderstanding. This in turn leads to stereotyping and discrimination. In extreme situations, such discrimination becomes the basis for ethnic aggression and cleansing. Horrible memories of Nazi abuses against the Jews, ethnic cleansing in Europe, Asia, and Africa, remain in the world’s social consciousness. The first steps toward […]
The seesaw is a favorite in the playground. On a seesaw, a child can use his own body weight to lift someone else heavier. Simply, the seesaw is a lever that gives its user the ability to use his own force to magnify the output. The idea of leverage in personal finance is a double-edged […]
Ever since I heard of whale shark sightings (Rhincodon typus) in Donsol, Sorsogon, I have been planning to see these giant creatures myself. Whale sharks, also known as butanding, is considered the biggest fish in the world. It is also included in the World Wildlife Fund’s list of endangered species. It can measure up to […]
In this issue, we have two stories of honesty and cleanliness in two high-ranking officials during the Han Dynasty (221 BC-220 AD). Both of them are surnamed Wang (王). The first is Wang Jie (王吉) of first century BC. When he was still young, he lived in Chang’an (長安), the capital then, to study. The […]
“Achi, put down the squash and eat the morcon.” My two girl friends and I were at a restaurant with all our children. They heard me say the words; I heard myself saying those words. We looked at each other and laughed. One commented, “Mali yata sinabi mo.” The incident sums up my family’s restaurant […]