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 »
DURING my tenure with a First Nations School in Northern Ontario, the Governor General of the day would send a regular infusion of books for use by the elementary students of that school. The books were quite apart from the regular ones prescribed and supplied by the Ministry. However, they provide further reading and library materials to school… Read More »
“I was required to read books that opened up the world for me and made me see how much roomier it was than I imagined. I read books which gave me courage and helped me to see, and I imagined that I bore my chalice safely through a throng of foes.” – Abdulrazak Gurnah, Gravel Heart (2017). “I… Read More »
PAALAALA ni Edwin Esteba Sila iyong ating mga magulang Sa lahat ng bagay tayo ay sinusuportahan Nakaalalay noong ating kabataan Hangad magkaroon tayo magandang kinabukasan Ngayon kalinga natin sila ay nangangailangan Oras na paghihirap nila ay ating masuklian Maaaring sabihin wala na sila pakinabang Pero sila pa rin ang ating mga magulang Dapat pansin sila ngayon ay pagtuunan… 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 »
By Wilma Gonzales Buenaobra For someone born with a highly developed olfactory nerve, it is quite natural to develop a curiosity bordering on a mild fascination about scents and smell. Have you often wondered why for instance, the perfume you put on in the morning has become imperceptible after a few hours, while others still detect the scent?… Read More »
“I’m never gonna dance again/Guilty feet have got no rhythm/…I should’ve known better than to cheat a friend/And waste the chance that I’d been given/…Time can never mend/The careless whispers of a good friend/…There’s no comfort in the truth, pain is all that you find.” – Lyrics from Careless Whisper by George Michael. Political sex scandals titillate our… Read More »
We normally get fixated in acquiring more and more tangible wealth. Working very hard to accumulate them as part of our desire not only to look good but also to establish that indeed we have arrived. It was a cultural thing such as Europeans are known for being classily well-dressed, put together, or chic, as Parisians call it.… Read More »
Dateline: Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila, Philippines When I used to be driven around by my wife’s family driver, before leaving the driveway, I would see him make a sign of the cross and then rub the head of some saint on the car dash while mumbling a prayer. I nearly surrendered my atheism while going through my first… 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 »