Festival Season is Here 

Summer is here and Pinoys have never been so busy, a cheerful note!  I’d like to think that the people who always seem to be occupied are the peeps who are highly skilled and talented, and want to take every task which they know they can accomplish.    Just attended the Extravaganza at Vaughan and got overwhelmed at… Read More »

VIVA Las Vegas!

Thanks ELVIS, you’ve made SIN CITY more hip, fabulous and popular after you made that film with Ann Margaret with that title – the phrase added glitter and pomp.  Actually, Las Vegas was given its name in the early 1800s by a Spanish explorer named Rafael Rivera.  Explorers would often stop in the area to get water when… Read More »

Rizal’s Greatest Love

As soon as I entered the Kalayaan Centre on the evening of June 10, I was ready for CARTAS DE AMOR together with the full-packed audience! Background:  The play Cartas de Amor meaning Love Letters, created by Josephine Roces Chavez, presents the tragic tale of romance between our national hero, Jose Rizal, and his greatest love – Leonor… Read More »

HELEN AND TITO

 I’m back in Toronto where the sun rises as the moon shines in Manila.  I still miss the luxury of watching a sunset through a partly opened window by the bay and it almost became a habit to just sit at the nearby Penn most early or late evenings. Yes, back to reality, mired once more into the… Read More »

IS 2023 A BETTER YEAR FOR US?

 Lunar New Year begins on the date (in East Asia) of the second new Moon after the winter solstice, which always takes place in late December. This means that the first day of the Lunar New Year can occur anytime between January 21 and February 20.   In 2023, this new Moon occurs in China on Sunday, January 22, marking the… Read More »

The Secret of Christmas

Christmas requires a certain stillness to perceive its meaning.  If we  isolate  ourselves from the fanfare for a few moments, Christmas begins to give up its mysteries…the hidden presents!  There have been good days, bad days, so-so days.  But hey, we need to be thankful.  We have the gift of life.  What a beautiful present.   I remember… Read More »

Christmas is Love

I will be very personal this time. Almost two weeks ago, I tested positive.  I got rattled, a bit jittery, and didn’t know what to do – I was going to have my fifth vaccination when it happened.  I called friends to inform them of my status as they were with me on the last 3 big events… Read More »

Darna, Dyesebel and Maruja

 We soared to the highest skies with Darna, swam into the deep blue seas with Dyesebel and lived again reincarnated as Maruja (“tunay kang pinagpala, sa yaman , sa ganda ay sagana”)  They’re the top creations of the greatest Filipino comic writer/artist MARS RAVELO.  I remember them days when we bought all the comics in a nearby store… Read More »

The Sound of Two Js

 2 hours before Jaya and Jay-R’s concert last Saturday (Oct 22) at TD Pavilion, I did not have a ticket yet.  But radio personality Ryan Orlanda who’s identified with singing celebs called me, “You have 2 tickets from me!  Ikaw pa!” So I went!  The last time I watched Jaya was 2017 here in Toronto, when she came… Read More »

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARO!

On October 27 Dear CHARO turns 67. Countless memories, maybe more than a million thoughts rush into my mind.  All about this one super woman.  Our DEAR CHARO. In 1976, the day after Charo won Baron Travel Girl, she got a surprise call.  Charo didn’t recognize his voice but she knew his name.  Instantly.  “Congratulations, Charo,” the voice… Read More »