MONTEREY, California — Before coming to the US to participate in the International Journalism Exchange (IJE), my notion of American newspapers was they were powerful, rich, and very influential entities that more or less got their way with anything. In many ways that is still true, especially when one compares the situation with the Philippines, [...]
MONTEREY, California – Before coming to the US, I had in my mind a picture of Americans being brash, rude, loud, impolite, and abrasive — the stereotypical “ugly American” that is almost universally perceived to be the norm these days. Don’t get me wrong: I have a lot of American friends in Davao City, and [...]
Kitchie (born Anna Katrina) Nadal doesn’t grab you as your usual alt-rock or pop princess. On the night I and a few other Davao City reporters interviewed her (that would be May 2), she was garbed in a plaid long-sleeved shirt (the blue-collar kind, something Bruce Springsteen would be comfortable in), jeans, wearing minimal bling [...]
“C is for cookie That’s good enough for me…” – Cookie Monster I don’t hide my love for Japanese food, particularly sushi and sashimi. In fact I call myself “Sushi Monster,” and my version of Cookie Monster’s song is, “S is for sushi, that’s good enough for me.” In a recent trip to Manila I [...]
I never met her, and the only time I heard about her was when she was declared missing last April 8, but there is a deep and profound sadness inside me at the passing of Julia Campbell, a Peace Corps volunteer who was found dead in Banaue on April 18, apparently the victim of yet [...]
My oldest brother Arnel celebrated his 44th birthday last April 3 at his home in LA. Let me share with you something he wrote to us, his brothers and sisters, regarding this milestone and how important it is to not get caught in the trap of failing to enjoy the moment: Dear all, I’m 44. [...]
My mother celebrated her 71st birthday on March 20 in my brother’s home in LA. Here’s a video of the Joaquin brood greeting her as she and her sister, Tiyang Amor, are cooking pansit palabok, kare-kare, and hipon (shrimp). If you’re wondering about the title to this post, it was how our youngest brother Allan [...]
The first baby I babied was Julianne, eldest child of my discipler Philip Tarroja who was the campus director of Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) in UP Diliman. She was about two or three years old when I first saw her around 1984, and I, along with other CCC movers, were immediately smitten by her [...]
Ladies and gents, I present the 2017 American Idol, my wife’s sister’s son, Miguel Lanzanas! (Take it away Migs…)
This afternoon I received a pickup I had ordered from a guitar player in Cebu (central Philippines). It’s a used neck pickup from a Washburn N2, and I am told it sounds great. Francis, the original owner, sold it for only 400 pesos, which is a steal especially if you live in Davao City like [...]
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