Category Archives: General

On Immigration Blues and Shocks

Most people would much rather stay home to everything familiar to them. This is understandable. To be surrounded by family and friends, home is where one is comfortable, wanted, accepted, and loved. Many who do not have the need to transplant themselves elsewhere are fortunate. They continue to enjoy the benefits of being with kith and kin, the… Read More »

Why “kubetero” is a dead Filipino word?

When I was a boy, my Nanay would always impress upon my young mind that I had to study hard to escape poverty, or I might become a kubetero. One recent morning, when I was having a coffee chat with Reggie in his home in Chicago, he’s the husband of my sister-in-law, I told him about that kubetero story… Read More »

Sleuthing, Filipino Style

“You could leave with dreams and expectations that by their nature were counter to your own best interest. Better to go with an open mind and take what comes and see what you can make of it.” – David Guterson, The Final Case.  I love the detective/mystery (D/M) genre. My first introduction was Perry Mason, the crime and… Read More »

Carpe Diem

Carpe diem (Latin), literally, “Pluck the Day” or “Seize the Day” (English). It is interestingly, the motto of U.S. Army leaders. It means there is an opportunity to seize the day, to alter the future, to improve readiness, to make formations and weapons more lethal, and to regain battlefield superiority over any foe in any domain. However, since… Read More »

Media Reporting during Martial Law Years

Working in a newspaper during those early years of martial law in the 70s was not so complicated and fearsome; all the papers had to do was publish “positive stories” about the workings of government and country– and follow Malacañang’s directives. Those martial law years were the heyday for press releases, but some people called them “praise releases.”… Read More »

IS THERE PASSION WITHIN? 

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.“ – Albert Einstein  My my, if I take Einstein’s words seriously, I would have been a ” World’s Most” of a lot! That’s because I could be passionate about many things but have absolutely no special talents to pursue them. But of course, Einstein is being humble; besides… Read More »

 A Letter to My Father

“There are moments in life when the clouds lift and the curtain of rain blows back and suddenly the world stands before you, stark and vast, and you teeter on the edge of an enormous precipice of knowing, of understanding with every fibre in your soul, every hair on your head; and this was one such moment.” –… Read More »

 People at SSS office in Toronto deserve praise

The people manning the “little office” of the Social Security System (SSS) in Toronto deserve to be commended for their dedication and hard work in serving the growing number of Pinoy seniors and the caregivers in the community. When I was there two months ago, I saw a long line of seniors and caregivers, standing for hours, waiting… Read More »

On Airline Travel

In the not-so-distant past, airline passengers will recall looking forward to the pleasure of airline travel. When flight stewardesses or flight attendants were looked up to in awe, their jobs considered glamorous and ideal. That was when air travel was still a novelty. People travelling dressed up. Women had their hair done even, men wore suits, and decent… Read More »

A Story of True Grit

by Sue Bautista August 2. Like many August 2 in past years, August 2 in 1968 was significantfor our family. For those of us who remember this date and year, life literally changedovernight. At around the 0400 hour, an earthquake measuring over 7.0 in the Rossi-Forel Intensity Scale rocked the town of Casiguran, Aurora[1], while most people were… Read More »