IN THE AFTERMATH of the “People Power” that deposed President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, the word “balimbing” became popular. The “balimbing,” or star fruit, became the mark of a turncoat. The star fruit’s cross-section is shaped like a five-sided star; thus, a person who changes political loyalty is called a “balimbing.” After Marcos was ousted from the presidency,… Read More »
A Christmas melody was playing over the radio in a Toronto home in 2019. Suddenly, my 87-year old mom hummed and then sang along: “Hmmmm. City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style. In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile. And on every street corner you’ll hear: Silver bells,… Read More »
The operative word for my mode and/or mood these days is nostalgia. Or perhaps retro. It started with my “stumbling” on some videos of the globally famous music artist Bruno Mars online several days ago. I say “stumble” because I never (shame on me!) really stopped to find out more about this half-Filipino performer, songwriter, producer, musician Bruno… Read More »
As I tinker with my mac buttons a few minutes before I go to press, I hear this: Lloydie and Bea have finally reunited but not on the boob tube, and not on the wide screen either, but mainly to share Chicken Joy and Spaghetti! Ah, so this is where their love for each other means – munching… Read More »
AT THE VIRTUAL SUMMIT between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last November 15, the two world leaders got themselves embroiled in some delicate matters. Xi told Biden that U.S. support for Taiwanese independence would be dangerous. “Taiwanese authorities have repeatedly tried to ‘rely on the U.S. for independence’,” Xi was quoted as saying by… Read More »
Each year hundreds of women in Toronto will make a difficult decision about an unplanned pregnancy. They will either choose to have a baby, place their child for adoption, or have an abortion. Some will be well supported by family and friends, but many, feeling alone, and overwhelmed will believe they have no other choice but to terminate… Read More »
VIRGINIA DEMOCRATIC gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe and his Republican rival Glenn Youngkin were neck-and-neck in a dead heat with five days left of the gubernatorial election last November 3. On Election Day, Youngkin won 50.9 to McAuliffe’s 48.4. What the heck happened? It all began on September 29 when McAuliffe said during a debate, “I don’t think parents… Read More »
Bitcoin is the first and widely recognized cryptocurrency. A type of digital money that is not dependent on any government or financial institution. It can be transferred globally without a need for a centralized intermediary such as banks, and has verifiable transactions recorded in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain, that arguably cannot be altered or hacked. … Read More »
It started with my fascination with Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings which led me to being curious about other films of the same or related genre, which, in turn, led me to the online video posts of the premiere of Dune at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, which then led me to this intriguing… Read More »
Bad weather, nasty waves recently knocked off container vans from a Vancouver-bound cargo ship from South Korea. Many of the vans were said to have floated, or swam, ashore. Worse, a fire broke out at the ship. Whew! They’re safe and on the way to the Philippines, those Balikbayan boxes. ***** There is that hopeful chance that the… Read More »