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 […]
Ateneo de Manila University Press recently came out with A Visit to Manila and Its Environs, an English translation of a Dutch book by Jacob Adolf Bruno Wiselius published in 1876. Wiselius, a controller with the Dutch colonial administration in Java, visited Manila and neighboring Laguna province in 1875. He had prepared well for his […]
Ever since I became a mother, I have received warnings from friends and family about the dangers of the world. There was that story about shoes or flip flops getting sucked into the steps of an escalator (this really happened to my cousin’s son in California). There’s also that true story about a stranger who […]
The iconic food pyramid – that well-known triangle that guides millions of people in healthy eating – has been replaced by MyPlate. Unveiled recently by American first lady Michelle Obama, the new guide shows a round plate sliced into four colorful parts. At a glance, it shows that half the food on your plate should […]
On June 12, the nation celebrated our 113th year of independence. Between 1946 and 1962, our country celebrated Independence Day on July 4, the day we attained self-governance from American colonial rule. Our nation declared independence twice. The first time was when our country became the first Asian republic, throwing off the yoke of Spanish […]