Guess what? It took me over 24 hours to sit down and really think of what Canada Day meant to me, a Filipino-Canadian born and raised in the Philippines. And I have been residing here since 2017—almost 10 years ago. Goes to show how slow my assimilation is into the Canadian experience, or, more aptly said, within the… Read More »
In the July 16 issue, I had mentioned with delight my “discovery” of environment- friendly laundry detergent sheets. I really hope that more and more people will resort to using these instead of the detergents in plastic bottles. Think of how each of us can help in reducing plastic waste in our landfills and in our precious oceans… Read More »
I don’t know about you but, for some time now, I have been mildly stressing about how much plastic waste we generate. I understand that globally, we are producing around 380 million tons of plastic every year, and it looks like up to50% of that are for single-use purposes — for just a few moments (or a week… Read More »
Colors are finally bursting out. Hurrah. We are done with the somber hues of winter. Our cherry tree is finally blooming and budding. Looking forward to harvesting cherries in our backyard soon. Mother’s Day was especially exhilarating, albeit, I was still nursing a bit of a cold. It did not stop me though from joining the rest of… Read More »
With the advent of spring, “hope springs eternal in the human breast” again as English poet Alexander Pope wisely expressed in his 1732 poem An Essay on Man. I say rightly so. It feels like a primordial urge within every man which keeps us going on no matter the challenges. With this in mind and heart, I proceed… Read More »
I thought that maybe, just maybe, things would calm down a bit as 2025 dawned. Oh, no! It seems to be getting worse. In western astrology though, I understand that this was to be expected. There was a late 1960s medley of two songs — Aquarius /Let the Sunshine In made popular and released as a single by… Read More »
I don’t know about you, but I sense that the Christmas spirit has not really kicked in this year with most people. Then again maybe it is just me. How could it? With all the craziness going on around the world. And yet, I still believe that there are redeeming qualities that life, through history, offers for us… Read More »
After living in Canada for quite a number of years now, it was refreshing and welcome to be reminded of our rich and diverse roots when I finally came to experience over a week ago, the art works of the prolific Filipino artist — the late great Pacita Abad at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) on Dundas… Read More »
It seems to have been a dream. Summer in Canada this year feels like a microcosm of the volatile weather (literally and figuratively, I must say) around the globe. A friend of mine who is quite adept at astrology, says that these turbulent times are a sort of “spring cleaning” as we usher in the Age of Aquarius.… Read More »
I bring news of good tidings in the aftermath of the wrath of Typhoon Gaemi (known as Typhoon Carina in the Philippines). After visiting the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila last year, and after such a devastating natural disaster in Manila, I was elated to hear that a good friend of ours (and our balae), Rosalie… Read More »