Talking about the weather as a conversation breaker is undoubtedly sinking into the psyche of the newly-arrived immigrants coming to Canada.  Here in Toronto, the haven of multiculturalism, conversing about the weather is slowly becoming part of these immigrants’ daily routine since they are now experiencing the country’s different seasons.  Although some immigrants find it weird to initiate… Read More »

Have you experienced visiting group homes that take in some mentally ill people who need not simply a roof over their heads but also someone to feed and assist them with their daily needs? Try visiting these groups’ homes and seeing those people there, day in and day out, whiling away their time by intermittently smoking cigarettes and… Read More »

I’m this wooden bench amidst the snows of winter, If I could only talk, let me tell you a great love story. I had been a silent witness to countless hours of two lovers’undying love and vows for each other. While sitting on my bench, they wouldn’t mind peoplepassing by; always oblivious of life’s going-on,only caring, dreaming, wholeheartedly… Read More »

In my childhood, I learned the hardship of making a living early in life, seeing people working all their lives to bring food to their table. While watching the popular TV series—Ang Batang Quiapo—by the ABS-CBN one afternoon in Toronto, many things flashed back in my memories, remembering how I spent my youthful days selling newspapers and cigarettes… Read More »

Being the first Batch of students of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila when it opened in 1967 as the first tuition-free university in the Phillippines—they are your Kuya and Ate, the eldest in the Pamantasan family.  Being a scholar does not mean all work and no play; it’s not all study, study and study. Remember this song,… Read More »

How could we ever forget Dr. Rolando Carbonell’s Beyond Forgetting? The poem’s lyrics will constantly reverberate in our hearts and mind, especially when we remember the special people who have shown us the power of true love. This poem, penned by Carbonell in the early 60s, is a famous love poem that most of us—the baby boomers—will never… Read More »

Canadians love dogs and treat them as part of their family. Imagine all the time and effort going well into caring for these dogs. Never mind the expense of providing them with pet food, drugs and medical treatment when sick. Of course, they, too, need vaccinations to be healthy. All time of the day, in all kinds of… Read More »

Plastic street barriers Doubtless, these knockdown stick curb bumpouts set up by the city government in some corner streets in Toronto effectively protect pedestrians. These devices are traffic-calming measures to slow down vehicles making a left or right turn onto a road. These knockdown stick barriers are supposed to protect the city’s pedestrians, but if you look around… Read More »

In some nook and cranny of our home, we find those few prized possessions we’ve been keeping through the years. These are the little things we have that we could not quickly get rid of, but at times, they have become our comfort zones. Every time we see and touch these possessions—old books, photos, letters, cards, children’s and… Read More »

The elderly in our society should take to heart that their vulnerability in falling or accidentally slipping on the ground is lurking just around the corner. Falls are the number one reason for hospital admissions among seniors these days; it’s also why older people lose their independence. Well, the increased number of the elderly admitted to hospitals is… Read More »