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The art of preserving precious Chinese treasures

Numerous top-tier artworks from China, ranging from Dunhuang frescoes to painting masterpieces from ancient Chinese history, have passed through Qiu Jinxian’s hands in her past 29 years at the British Museum. “I am supposed to carefully and meticulously treat precious cultural relics, and strive to possess the magic hands to rejuvenate the paintings, just like […]

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History

Marilaque Highway: The long and winding road

Tagaytay is a popular weekend getaway for many metro people. They drive down south to enjoy the cooler climate, good food and breathtaking scenery. Lately though, Tagaytay is becoming more crowded and more expensive. An alternative: a road trip on the Marilaque Highway up north. Once named after former president Ferdinand Marcos who commissioned it, […]

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Culture Idioms...Hokkien style

When words fail, use idioms… Hokkien style (38)

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. 圓頭短嘴 en t’ao te […]

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History

In Iloilo, history can be seen and eaten

Folks looking to get to know the country more should explore Iloilo City. The charming city has a rich history: it has many old houses, some of which have been turned into museums and beautiful churches, and delicious food – all of which tell the story of a city, a province, and a people. Stop […]

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Health

Tips for stomach upset, dyspepsia and ulcer

Some time ago, I was fortunate to interview two outstanding doctors in our program, Dr. Venancio Gloria, past president of the Philippine College of Physicians, and Dr. Ramon Estrada, past president of the Philippine Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery. We discussed stomach problems and answered dozens of phone-in questions. Here are some of the […]

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Life

Brittany: The open French ‘Far-West’

  Brittany’s strong identity with its regional language, Breton, along with its traditions have made the region a top tourist destination for Europeans and, increasingly, for Asians. Besides recreational boating and swimming at sea, one of the tourist attractions is the many summer pilgrimages. More significantly, economic opportunities have been increasingly aimed at Asia, and […]

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Life Review

Review of SUGID’s ‘Buwan at Baril sa E Major:’ Activism and anguish

“Buwan at Baril sa Eb Major” by Chris Millado was bravely staged in 1985 (the year before the EDSA People Power Revolution) by the Philippine Educational Theater Association at the Rajah Sulayman Theater, Fort Santiago in Intramuros, then under the direction of Apo Chua. This year, SUGID Productions Inc. chose this play as its maiden […]

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History

VIAJE: How tourism developed in the Philippines

Tourism is a trillion-dollar – and still growing – global industry. United Nations World Tourism Organization records show that in 2015 alone, there was a 4.4 percent increase in international tourist arrivals, reaching 1.18 billion travelers. Because of this global boom in travel, tourism has emerged as the fifth most important industry in the Philippines. […]

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History

Tourism by the numbers

From research culled from various websites and other sources, we find that Philippine tourism has, indeed, been on an uptrend over the past years. The Philippines climbed 20 notches to 74th place in the 2015 World Economic Forum Tourism Competitiveness report. This rise in ranking reflects the country’s growing ability to attract and look after […]

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Idioms...Hokkien style

When words fail, use idioms… Hokkien style (37)

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. 查某仔 tsa bo ah […]