Sea breeze and rose tea

NO, this is not where you revel in the arias from Aida or Don Quixote or Otello, but a place where you can have good Italian cuisine with the sea breeze whetting your appetite. Set on a rock promontory inside Hadsan Beach Cove in Agus, Lapu-Lapu City, the restaurant has a glorious sea view with Olango Island in the background and frolicking beach goers in the foreground.

Sira-sira store: Rain or shine lemon juice

RAIN or shine, you can always spot a compatriot either mercilessly finishing off a stick of squid roll or ruthlessly draining a plastic cup containing something that can pass off as lemon juice.

Your own private, exclusive cocoon

WHERE would you wish you'd rather be at the end of the stressful working day? Your home.

Dress to thrill

THAT approval of keeping hemlines short—well, for the longest time—is already too predictable, so the fashion designers thought of mincing the trends into something your eyes won’t believe. If not details, at least colors-combinations you less expect to splash, spat, and spin before your eyes.

Serna: Beauty queens as entrepreneurs

IT'S that time of the year again when flowers with different shapes, sizes and colors are in full bloom, the heat (with an unexpected downpour every now and then) notwithstanding.

Trust only God

ONLY God can we fully trust. When we say “Jesus I Trust In You,” it should not be an empty claim, it must come from the heart.

In the Octave of Easter… thoughts of Good Friday

WE ARE still in the season of Easter and we basked in the Triumph of the Cross. Daily readings and prayers affirm that our Savior Jesus Christ came to conquer sin in the world to free us from eternal damnation. Jesus through His humanity showed us the Way, the Truth and the Life-the guidelines and the sure path to heaven.

Barcelona, a part of Spain that’s not Madrid

(Conclusion- Spanish cities that are not Madrid)

THE first thing you need to know about Barcelona is that many of its inhabitants would dispute the title of this article. As far as they’re concerned, they are in Cataluña rather than in Spain. And the truth is, Barcelona wound up to be part of Spain (if we may call it “part”) somewhat by accident.

Utzurrum: Of park picnics and garden tours

IT'S not everyday that a glamour gal like Elena Sy-Chua celebrates something grand. So when she turned a golden 50, she took off for a month from her extensive duties as Inflight Service manager of Cathay Pacific Airways. Our celebrant jetted to sunny California, USA, for a treat of a lifetime. Her sisters, Delsa Sy-Langford, Susie Sy-Corro, and Gemma Boiser-Sy, rolled out the picnic mantle at Bonelli Park, in San Dimas, a favorite spot for events such as this!

Fetalvero: Three baskets

THE domino effect of the price hike in crude oil has indeed hurt Juan de la Cruz. Aside from scrimping and saving, to think like a farmer is the best way to go. Grumping and complaining will bring us nowhere.

First of all a farmer saves for a rainy day. A farmer never throws away a seed in the trash as most of us do after we consume our favorite fruit for dessert or snack. The cost of vegetables in the market has prompted my Aunt Fe to start her own veggie garden to fill her daily kitchen needs.

Victorian with a Texan accent

DRIVING along the streets, I would have thought that I was in an English County. Not until I heard the locals speak. Texan accent.

Visiting the historic Tacloban

"I SHALL return!"

That was what General Douglas MacArthur promised when he left the country. The American military general fought against the Imperial Japanese Army led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita. The battle launched the country's campaign of 1944-45 for the recapture and liberation of the entire archipelago and to end of almost three years of Japanese occupation.

Start them young

NOW that everybody seems to be interested in the culinary world, more and more people are now engaging in cooking and baking businesses. And I salute these individuals who learn through their own efforts, mostly through self-learning. I, for one, learned it "my" way.

Celebrating our heritage

“GABII SA KABILIN,” roughly translated to “night of heritage,” on May 26 is the culminating activity in Cebu of both National Heritage Month, May, and World Museum Day, May 18. This is the fourth year Cebu celebrates “Gabii sa Kabilin” where participating museums are open until midnight.

Literatus: Too much or too little

LAWRENCE Welk said: “For a while we had trouble trying to get the sound of a champagne cork exploding out of the bottle. I solved the problem by sticking my finger in my mouth and popping it out.”

Style Origin: The fusion of fashion and music

ANGELES CITY -- MarQuee Mall of Ayala Malls in this city couldn't have done it better when it presented the novel concept of putting together fashion and music in two great catwalk shows: Style Origin.

Being in love with judo again

AFTER seven years of being away from my greatest love, there is no single day that I longed to go back to where I learned the gentle way of life - Judo.

Festive May

EXTRAVAGANT preparations, enchanting display of colorful costumes dancing in the streets, adorable unique products made by locals, dancing beat of drums and different tune of sounds, delicious food along with the display of local delicacies. Tourists jam-packed taking photographs and buying souvenirs. Who wouldn't like to be in such place?

Judge defers clearing of Apas lot for 1 month

THE Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Cebu has granted residents of a lot in Barangay Apas another month-long reprieve, deferring for the “final and last” time the enforcement of an order to tear down their homes.

In a single-page order, Judge Olegario Sarmiento Jr. moved the date of the order’s execution to the 15th of next month, the third postponement since denying the affected residents’ second plea to nullify the demolition order.

When brain attacks: Preventing strokes before it strikes

STROKE, also called cerebrovascular accident or "brain attack" in medical slang, has killed 137, 119 people in the USA in 2006 alone, according to the statistical records of the American Stroke Association.

UPMin Architecture students win transport vision contest

A TEAM of Bachelor of Science Architecture (BSA) students emerged as winner in the Visioning Contest for Sustainable Urban Transport for Davao City.

Naturalizer opens second store

NATURALIZER, the leading women's shoes and sandals store, opened its second store at the Abreeza Mall on May 12.

Understanding phobia

"JOANNE," a pseudonym, is a thin, anxious, good-looking woman who moves her hands nervously as she speaks. She rarely goes out of the house and then only as far as the garden gate. When she does so, she finds that it helps to wear dark glasses and, if possible, she takes the dog along with her.

But Joanne isn't sick, at least not physically. No, she suffers from agoraphobia, a dread of public places, and for almost ten years now, it has kept her indoors as surely as if she had been an invalid throughout these years.

Installation galore

THE latest exhibit to be featured at the Casa Gorordo is just about that—a pair of installation artworks that provoke some sense of patriotism. Yes, the angles taken may differ for both artists that are participating, but the direction to which their outputs point to, definitely does not stray. In both their works, one hints their being a Pinoy.

‘Right brain exercises’ for artists

LEARN to capture the essence of a subject with this right brain exercise from about.com.

The theory behind right brain exercises for artists is that the left brain easily gets bored and switches off, leaving the right brain ‘in charge’. This is not to imply that the right brain exercises are boring or dull, rather they may be something that feels ‘unnatural’ or that you can’t see the logic in doing. But try a right-brain exercise at least once, ideally twice; you may well be very surprised by the results.

Neri: Happy Ocassions

Paul, Joy and Lexa Jace

It was like a reunion for former Cathay Pacific (CX) GM Paul Loo and wife Joy, former Cebu City tourism commissioners Renato and wife Marivic, Julius and Nelia Neri and this writer during the baptismal rites and luncheon of Paul and Joy’s third child.

Celebrate fiestas in the City at SM

SM CITY Cagayan de Oro in partnership with the Department of Tourism Region X will showcase the colorful festivals of Northern Mindanao in a celebration dubbed as “Fiestas in the City” on May 17 to 22.

World Fair Trade kicks off

THE Advocate of Philippine Fair Trade Inc. (APFTI) Northern Mindanao kicked off its World Fair Trade Day celebration on Saturday bearing the theme “Trade for people. Fair trade your world.”

Tamano is new dean of Liceo Law

ATTY. Adel Fadel Abbas Tamano has been appointed the new dean of Liceo Law.

Falling teeth

‘Thoughts from an Insomniac: A juxtaposition of words from someone who often finds himself awake in the ungodly hours of the night, troubled by thoughts he finds hard to resolve, finding out that by the time he is able to compose them, the sun has risen’