It was a weekend of everything that flies—colorful hot air balloons with different shapes and sizes, kites, transport and trainer planes, ultra-light aircraft and helicopters, skydivers and paragliders—filled the skies of Air Force City, Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark Field, Pampanga during the 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta last Feb. 9-12.
Living in this city gets more exciting every day! The business, political, social and entertainment sectors are bursting with life, and it’s getting difficult to keep up with the excitement. Since this is the Lifestyle section, I will not dwell on the action-packed political and business arenas but instead focus on the wonderful shows, places and adventures happening in our metropolis. Indeed, life is more thrilling than fiction!
It was begging to happen. In the long, often excruciating hours the nation spent glued to the boob tube, watching the Corona impeachment trial drama unfold, it was only a matter of time before people’s interest got swayed from the more pressing issues to focus on the physical peculiarities of the trial’s protagonists.
I’m a 25-year-old-Filipino woman, now an Australian citizen, working as physical therapist in one of the hospitals here. I’m presently seeing a quiet, attractive, single guy who is 41. I find him a lot older than me, though he could pass for 35 because of his quiet lifestyle.
This past week I found myself weepier than usual. I found my patience wearing thin and I felt more tired. Things I would normally let go of, seemed to be magnified. There was something amiss, and for a few days I couldn’t figure out what it was.
A story making the rounds of seniors has reached me through an uncle, Marquitos Roces, a regular conveyor of such things, and I am thankful for both the laughter and the warning it has brought, and wish now to share it more widely here.—Chit Roces
Not since the Jai Alai Building was bulldozed in 2000 has a demolition in Manila gotten as much attention. Just like the Jai Alai Building, the Meralco Head Office along San Marcelino is one of the finest Art Deco buildings ever built in the country.
I once joined a concelebrated Mass for a building’s groundbreaking. As the main celebrant and I prepared to distribute Communion, he announced in English and Filipino, “Because we are all sinners, we must all go to Communion.” I walked to the back of the tent, where most of the construction workers and drivers were.
Along with the traditional Lenten activities, like Visita Iglesia, Seven Last Words and Recollections, devotees also seek inspiration and guidance in their favorite pilgrimage sites. For those looking for a special and intimate religious experience, a sanctuary exists right at the heart of the booming Newport Area in Pasay City—the Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.
“Man and woman are so involved with each other that one is the work of the other. Without woman, man could not be called man; without man, woman could not be named woman. Thus woman is the work of man, while man is a sight full of consolation for woman.” —Hildegard von Bingen
I was once a political animal. In the 1950s, my uncle, Tio Felix Gozo, was recruited to run for mayor by the Liberal Party leaders in Majayjay, Laguna. I became Tio Felix’s instant and rabid supporter. As a young man, Tio Felix displayed excellent leadership qualities. He headed many youth and civic activities. I idolized him.
