WITH her hot pink nails, engaging grin and chatty nature, bar exam blast survivor Raissa Laurel is the very picture of life. “Kuya, napagod ka ’ata paakyat [You look like you’re exhausted from that climb],” she teases our photographer, as we sit down for an interview in her room – after climbing three flights of [...]
HE knew the wilderness and its many secrets. Each leaf, each stem, each trunk spoke to him in ways ordinary humans might not hear. He hearkened to them and gave them names. From under the huge canopy of green that was his second home, he would emerge, carrying with him evidence of rare and amazing [...]
IN 2007, Criselda Yabes found herself visiting a workshop for high school teachers in Sulu at the southern tip of the country. Yabes looked into the eyes of the participants and was startled by what she saw. “That’s where I learned that for them, the sight of a man in military uniform always reminds them [...]
IF progress is measured by the number of large malls and fast-food joints, then the island of Catanduanes is charmingly behind the times. Sitting at the easternmost fringe of Luzon on the Pacific coast, detached from the Bicol peninsula, the island remains off the tourist radar, making it a mecca for those looking for something [...]
How to Get There Catanduanes can be reached by direct flight from Manila to Virac, via Cebu Pacific and Zest Air, with travel time of about 55 minutes. By land, air-conditioned buses leave Manila for Virac and San Andres daily via the port of Tabaco City, Albay, where the buses are then loaded on a [...]
SINCE the iPad was released last year, tablets have become all the rage. A tablet is a flat screen whose surface is touch-enabled, eliminating the need for a physical keyboard. It’s lighter and more portable, thus making it handier to lug around. For most people whose online activities involve only surfing and checking e-mail, a [...]
TEXAS, USA – “I will drive you to wherever you’re meeting. And remember, I want to know where you will be. And call me when you’re ready to come home, and I will pick you up.” That was my daughter talking while she drove me to my first Internet date. Talk about role reversal! Then [...]
ELEANOR Trinidad was a strict and demanding professor, but was all heart when it came to dealing with people. I met her in 1981 when, tail between my legs, I crawled back to college to attempt to finish a degree. I had fooled around in Vet school and was left with two options: drop out [...]
40: Number of days of Lent, the period leading to Easter, and a season of self-examination, fasting and penance in preparation for Easter Day observance. 2006: Year that Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his first Papal Easter Day Mass as Pontiff at St. Peter’s Square in Rome. 1400s: Era when the first Easter bunny legends were [...]
Six retreat places where one can clear the mind, open the heart and revitalize the spirit within the confines of the body THE ONSLAUGHT of unbridled information from constant TV and Internet exposure has caused minds to run wild, often creating a spiritual vacuum that, come Holy Week, seeks to be filled. Fortunately for the [...]
