Have you ever wondered how some people who are in their 50s look like they’re just 40? And how some who are only 35 look like they’re 50 already?Of course, genetics plays a big role in how we age – whether our parents lived to a ripe old age of 80 or more (that’s a […]
Situated at the instep of the Italian boot, Matera lies on one side of a valley’s slope, descending to a deep rocky river ravine known locally as La Gravina. This southern Italian city was founded by the Romans in the third century B.C., and its prehistoric cave dwellings are believed to be one of the […]
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 […]
Sister Becky Ortega, a trainer at the Brahma Kumaris, ran an excellent workshop on “Building Inner Resilience and Inner Peace” for members of the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order on July 2. Most MRPO members are kidnap victims or their relatives who experienced trauma from the ordeal. The grief and pain are life-changing, […]
Saving an old house or a building is not easy. Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile endeavor as many of them are reminders of our country’s history and culture. Many are in dire need of repairs or face demolition if this is not done. The sad reality is that the individuals or families who own these […]
Imagine, even during the time of Dr. Jose Rizal, Chinatown in Binondo had been the underground base of Filipino revolutionaries. This and other fascinating stories about the Philippine Revolution and the Filipino-American War are compiled in The I-Stories: The Philippine Revolution and the Filipino-American War as told by Its Eyewitnesses and Participants by Augusto V. […]
My little shobe, who is daring and gungho about pretty much everything, had a major drama breakdown late last school year. I had to put her head on my chest so she would not see me smiling at her hacking sobs and giant tears. The problem – typical 6-year-old issues of her BFF (best friend […]
On Nov. 8, 2013, less than two months after becoming acquainted with Ed Lim on Facebook, our country was struck by one of the worst natural disasters in history. Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), the strongest typhoon on record to ever make landfall, hit the Visayas. Approximately 6,300 people were killed, infrastructure and livelihood […]
Filial piety is a time-honored tradition in Chinese culture. Chinese history abounds with stories of selfless sacrifice by offspring for their parents. In 399 to 402 A.D., during the Eastern Jin (東晉) Dynasty, Sun En (孫恩) led a rebellion. Pan Zong (韓綜) and his father Pan Piao (潘驃) left their county Wu Xing (吳興) to […]
Dec. 15, 2015 marked the start of my six-month teaching/research grant in the Philippines. It is also my longest continuous stay since I left home in 1996 to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. In the 20 years since I graduated, I had taught at the University of […]