Kruhay! So beautiful is Culasi!

CULASI, Antique is a laid back town about 190 kilometers from Iloilo City but it has all the necessities which ‘big city’ rats can’t do without – cable TV, strong signals from all telecom networks and, yes, fast internet connection.

The travel from Iloilo (six hours by bus and less than four hours by van) might be grueling, but once you get there, you will immediately realize that the place is worth your hot, flattened butt and stiff limbs.

Terrorism in the new media age

LAST Thursday, in London, England, a pair of self-proclaimed terrorists hit an off-duty soldier with their car and started to stab him until he was nearly dead in broad daylight. The assailants, two Muslim Britons of African descent, then urged curious and fearful onlookers to take videos and pictures of them as they stood over the lifeless body of their victim. One of the two approached a bystander who was taking a video recording of the incident with his Smartphone and delivered this message:

OURFood is good

WHEN the topic is food, everyone gets interested. But there are always different reasons for such interest. One motivation to discuss food is that it is not only essential to sustaining life and health but it is germane to ethical living. And this is the aspect that I so love to support.

Imagine a world where food is easily accessible and plentiful (as it used to be). Imagine said food to be safe, of good quality, is economically viable for the producers, is environmentally sustainable, and socially acceptable.

A valiant lady turns 84

MY TITA Tersing Valderrama Lizares turned 84 a few days ago. She is a composite of many virtues. Going over so many quotes to condense my deepest impressions of her, I finally found one written by Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel which best says it all: “A family can develop only with a loving woman as its center.”

Tita Teresing (Teresita) is the eldest daughter of the 15 children of Tranquilino and Consuelo Muyco Valderrama. As they say, the apple does not fall far from the tree, and Tita Teresing likewise sopped up all the good qualities of her virtuous and kind mother, Tiay Conching.

Best of both worlds

TWO hundred ninety-eight, two hundred ninety- nine, three hundred. Three hundred steps. And four hundred and more to go. Whew! We were sweating profusely, our throats dry, and our calves taut.

Whew. Haaah, haah, haah came our three loud sighs to stretch our lung muscles and calm our palpitating hearts. Inhale we did for clean, crispy air, as we also filled our eyes with the panoramic beauty of green stretches of Calamianes Islands and the glistening waters in every shade of blue.

At a Kabilin Fest

KABILIN is Cebuano for heritage. West Gorordo Hotel celebrated it with a cultural festival it called Kabilin Fest on International Museum Day with the aim of “connecting crafts people, conserving our heritage, (and) creating vibrant and sustainable communities.”

Singlestalk: Dating after 48 years

Michelle: We have a reader named Ricky who is asking for dating tips. He has not dated for a long time. So have I!

Seriously, the first dating tip that I can give Ricky is this: You don’t have to date. Society abides by a timeline that expects that singles be married at a certain age, and when you’ve gotten married, expect you to have a child and when you have one, ask when you’ll have another.

Luab: Our needs over our wants

ELECTIONS are finally over and now we can concentrate on what has to be done. I am happy that many of us went to the polls in spite of the long hours many had to suffer in order to stand in line. Being a senior citizen has its advantages. My actual voting time only took five minutes but climbing up three flights of steps at Philippine Normal College (now Cebu Normal University) was horrible for one who suffers from osteoarthritis. It took me several stops before I reached precinct No. 0223A.

Women's world: Quarreling parents dismay daughter

Dr. Dana Ruiz-Sesante Cindy Ruiz Garaña, R.N.

Dear Cindy,

The culprit sugar of obesity

OBESITY was an unheard-of clinical entity eons or many years ago when food was scarce, so that people had to literally claw each other to obtain life-sustaining food. Obviously, things have changed although admittedly, there are still parts of the world where starvation and famine exist. However for most parts, including the so-called developing Third World countries, we see more and more folks with excess avoirdupois and only God knows, how many weighing scales these people have wrecked and destroyed after putting both feet on the platform.

Weekend escape to Apo View Hotel

ESCAPE to one of Davao's most well-known hotels this weekend. Avail of Apo View Hotel's special Weekend Room Promo which includes breakfast buffet at Entree, drinks at Blue Room, pool access and special discounts for only P2,500 net. Unwind and let Apo View Hotel take care of you, your friends and family this weekend.

Pet Project Runway at SM Lanang today

WANT to shop but don't want to leave your pets behind? No worry because you can now bring them with you to SM Lanang Premier, the newest pet-friendly place in Davao City.

This weekend, SM Lanang Premier will officially launch the "Pets Are Welcome Here" campaign, which allows your pooches or kitties to enter the mall premises.

A 'balancing' food tale

FOODIE Francis Onglatco is savvy in the yin and yang of dining, balancing combination of ingredients like spices and herbs to nourish the diner’s body and health.

Easy food tips for camping trips

DON'T expect to whip up a six-course gourmet meal from the confines of a tent in the middle of nowhere. When a group goes camping, it’s usually best to stick to the basics—including food. Check this article out from thekitchn.com on some suggestions on how to prepare good, affordable camping food.

Simple meals with a few ingredients are going to be a person’s most convenient option and will, conveniently, be easiest on his wallet.

Sira-sira store: Boy, interrupted

I BECAME the male version of Girl, Interrupted, a movie in the ‘90s, but only as far the title is concerned (mine has a small “i”). A little boy kept interrupting me this week. Here’s my story.

“Uncle, no one won the election,” Pannon, my nephew, interrupted me in the middle of my afternnon snack of chicken sandwich.

Dos and don'ts of Candy Crush

OKAY, okay, the last time I wrote about Candy Crush I was at level 55. With much pride I can say that as of this writing I am in level 102. AHEM! I know, I know that may not be something to brag about but hey, considering my impatience with online games it is short of a miracle that I have reached this far in the game.

So far I have survived jellies, those irritating chocolate bars, those black thingies some people call licorice and as of the moment I am getting mad about those pesky bombs. I also hate those gaps between the play areas, you know those spaces that can only be traversed by striped candies.

Chameleon charm

IN ORDER to conquer life and its challenges, a person has to become a chameleon at least once in a while.

As its qualities suggest, the lizard hints at its capability of changing to a color to suit its purpose; and in a person, it means getting the most out of his or her essence. And with life sometimes leaning towards monotony, who can deny beauty in versatility?

Santacruzan style

THE annual Santacruzan celebration ushers in some of the best and most elegant in Philippine fashion. Clothes for Life, Inc. has partnered with SM City Cebu for the fifth year to showcase the couture creations of some of Cebu’s top designers in Santacruzan sa Sugbo.

Save Yourself from Makeup Meltdown

ALTHOUGH we’ve been having quite a few rainy nights in the last couple of weeks, daytime temperature has still been 30 degrees or more. Hot days and rainy nights only mean that there’s a blanket of humidity enveloping us, posing a challenge for getting makeup to stay put. Here are some tips to get your makeup to stay on the entire day.

With this routine, my makeup is still mostly intact even after a whole day of field and office work, dinner and two hours of sweaty badminton.

Serna: Martin Nievera, a generous guy

DESPITE the intermittent rains, the air is still generally humid and hot. In other words, the Bodies of Summer competition is still very much in.

This will finally be held on Sunday, May 26, at the Montebello Villa Hotel. As announced by its organizer, Jake Rhodel de Silva, it’s not the usual competition in which sexy contestants go on a parade.

Unleash the heroes of change

EVERY child has an inner bida—a hero-in-the-making waiting to be unleashed. The real change we’ve been waiting for could be locked inside young minds and hearts. All they need is the right reinforcement to bring out their potential even at a tender age.

CBN Asia and its flagship TV program The 700 Club Asia believe in investing in the country’s future by inspiring Filipino children and giving them a strong faith foundation.

SM brings back your favorite movies for P25

WATCH your favorite movies once again for only P25 in SM Cinemas Film Fiesta. SM Cinema lets you experience the thrill of these movies all over again.

Ongoing until May 28, watch the 2012 American psychological thriller film House at the End of the Street.

Suzuki @ Work to roll out in Pangasinan

SUZUKI the only integrated automobile and motorcycle company in the country, will be offering a free 23-point check up dubbed as "Suzuki @ Work" on May 24-25 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at their Suzuki Auto Pangasinan dealership in San Miguel, Calasiao.

God bless our firefighters!

LIVING at a major intersection, the sounds from ambulances and fire trucks, especially during the summer season, are quite familiar and more regular than the ordinary. You hear them pass and you gauge whether they are headed for the north, south, east or west.

However, last Monday, the resounding sirens seemed to be lingering. I was in church for the early morning mass when I heard them midway of the celebration. Dogs within the perimeter were howling ceaselessly. I always wondered why they do that. Since we have a dozen at home, I would always scream at them to stop.

Skylights and bougainvilleas that lead to Panglao

THIS place is not for everyone.

Crowd-jostling, skin to skin contact? Not here.

Utzurrum: Special occasion

WHO says Ernesto “Erny” Elizondo looks like a doddering 80-year-old? No one who saw Erny on the night of his 80th birthday would ever say so! Not with the celebrator, garbed in a flaming red shirt, greeting his many friends, colleagues, taking time to engage in lively banter, raising the hand of a candidate and just having fun, we had never seen Erny as fit as a fiddle and in fine spirits!

Fetalvero: The aftermath of a decision

MORGAN FREEMAN, actor and narrator of documentaries, once said: “Questions could spark a conversation or a revolution.”

In the recently concluded electoral exercise voters made an agonizing decision—meaning, they must have deliberated hard and I can only surmise that they simply wanted to get rid of traditional politicians and elected mostly young candidates.

Hope for the youths

DESPITE life's difficulties, some of the youths are still lucky to have received the kindness extended by few good samaritans who made their way from a foreign land to here just to extend help.

Two academicians from Australia came to visit Davao City recently to provide educational assistance to schools and students.

Selling healthier food options

IT ALL started as a small family enterprise with a goal of helping local food developers earn a living out of the innovative products that are made from fresh and local ingredients.

Only that what this company wanted to do is to highlight not only the high quality products of Davao Region but also those which can be a healthier options to the ones sold at the grocery stores.

A new beginning

WHEN news of its closure broke out last year, many Cebuanos were disheartened.

Since 2006, The Outpost has somewhat lived up to its name of being a refuge spot.