It is December again. For many of us, it is one of the busiest times of the year. Family and perhaps corporate obligations involve a lot of get-togethers, gift-giving, and perhaps even travel. Daily routines are disrupted as additional responsibilities and activities kick in. So, with all the merrymaking, it is often a stressful time […]
Ed’s Note: The booklet is too lengthy to reproduce in full. We deleted some parts that overlapped with the main story. One old photograph, two persons’ names. In the photograph are a boy and four girls. The boy’s name is Eng Kim San (黃金山); the four girls are his younger sisters whose names we did […]
Don’t believe everything you read. Legitimate media have long made it a point to check and double check facts before publication or broadcast. This assures readers that the news they get is credible. On the other hand, it seems anyone who has anything to say can post it on the internet, and voila! Servings of […]
The UBER driver was about to arrive when, suddenly, signs of rain hovered as fierce winds whipped tan ancient acacia tree under which I took shelter. The wind scattered hundreds of leaves – a wonderful sight as the confetti flew towards the deserted street that stretched in front of me towards the paifang (牌坊 memorial […]
W hen I was growing up, I never slept over at any of my friends’ houses, not that there were any invitations. It was not a thing to do back in the 1980s. Even asking permission from my parents for a weekend stay over with my cousins at Ahma’s house was like pulling teeth. I […]
People are always left dumbfounded when told I had stayed for almost a year in a Tibetan Buddhist nunnery. It was a semi-retreat setting, and although I am not disclosing my routine, one question asked by most people deserves an answer – why? If a business partner perceives Buddhism as praying monks, and he measures […]
The political, economic and socio-cultural history of the Tsinoys is closely intertwined with that of the Filipino nation. In fact, in events that shaped the Philippines as a nation and in all aspects of Philippine life, there throbs an active ethnic Chinese presence. Thus, the study of Philippine history and society inevitably leads to further […]
In 1128 AD, the Jin (晉 1115-1234) army surrounded the city of Jin Ning (晋寧) of Southern Song (1127-1279) ruled by the Han Chinese. It sent Zhe Ke Qin (折可求), one of the generals who had surrendered, to convince Xu Hui Yan (徐徽言), the leader of the city’s defenders, to also surrender. Xu was Zhe’s […]
Imagine raucous, ear piercing chatter and laughter in popular restaurants and festive parties. Imagine the sounds being captured and converted into electricity. High school student James Louis de Luna has managed to do just that, harnessing enough sound to power a machine called “Sumobot.” His ingenuity won for the Philippines a silver medal in the […]
The Sys and the Zobels are among this year’s Top 50 Asia’s Richest Families, according to American business magazine Forbes. Placing ninth on the list is the family of Henry Sy, with a net worth of US$20.1 billion (P1 trillion). In 43rd place is the Zobel family with a net worth of US$6.13 billion (P311.5 […]