Love is where to find it
AGNES Taborada was based in the United States when she came to Cebu on a holiday in 1998. In one of the parties she attended, she met Gregg Huettel, an American furniture designer working for a furniture exporting company based in Cebu. Little did she know he would be her future husband.
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A new mall, a new meeting place
J CENTRE is the newest mall to open in Metro Cebu. Located on A.S. Fortuna St., Mandaue City, it has, like other malls, a variety of shops, kiosks, carts that makes “malling” such a pleasure. J Centre has banks and coffee shops, a “tsokolate” shop in Tablea, a grocery (SM Hypermart), a hardware...
Artists respond to Sendong
ARTISTS also have a responsibility to the community.
This is the belief of Romulo Galicano who urged the members of the Portrait Artists Society of the Philippines (PASP) to donate a painting for an art exhibit with proceeds going entirely to the victims of Typhoon Sendong. So there it is...
An exhibit of Buddhist culture
FOR the first time, Chu Un Temple along V. Rama St., Cebu City has opened its doors for a “Chinese and Buddhist Culture Exhibit” at its Ti Tsang Hall. The main attraction is Buddha and the several statue renditions of him otherwise known as Siddhartha and The Enlightened One.
Also on...
Oasis of green downtown
PLAZA Independencia, at 2,500 square meters, is the largest park in Cebu City, an oasis of green that has been there since the Spanish times. In the 1600s, it was called Plaza de Armas, which the Spanish military, based in Fort San Pedro, used as its training and parade ground. A brief history...
Enter the year of the Water Dragon
IN CHINESE culture, the lunar year that begins today is the Year of the Water Dragon. Of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is the only animal that is mythical.
Those born under this sign are said to be, like the dragon, wise and powerful. But according to feng shui expert...
Child at the fort
THERE have been exhibits of Sto. Niño statues in various malls and museums, but this year, for the first time, such an exhibit is being held at Fort San Pedro. It is also the fort’s first Sto. Niño exhibit held in a room that was once used, in Spanish times, as the lieutenant’s quarters (the...
Coming home: A father's love, a son's gratitude
FOR MOST balikbayans, coming back to the Philippines, to Cebu, is to be home again, to relive the joys, the struggles, the triumphs in the places they left behind and savor the warmth of being with family and friends.
Healing, 'chance' encounters gifts from the Sto. Niño
IT’S something like a minor miracle, the gifts we get from the Sto. Niño in these modern times when we tend to forget, in the breakthroughs of science and communication, and in the dizzying array of goods in malls, that we do have a reason for our existence other than being consumed by...
At the old Cul-de-sac
OLD Cul-de-Sac is a widely known “secret” place for lovers of good food at very affordable prices. It started as a whim of owner Helen Uytengsu who, when she thinks of doing something, will usually accomplish it.
A quartet of yesteryear's Miss Cebu
THERE have been many Miss Cebu lovelies and this year, the 28th beauty queen of the city will be chosen not just for her good looks, but also for her winning personality; in a sea of lovely faces, it’s the personality that stands out that will give the Miss Cebu hopeful the judges’ nod.
Belens: then and now
THE Nativity Scene, or what we call the “Belen,” is as much a symbol of Christianity as the Crucified Christ. And for Filipinos, steeped in Christianity for over four centuries, Christmas is not just about lighted lanterns, twinkling lights and Christmas carols and trees, it is about the Babe in...
Moving up fast in the airline industry
MAGGIE Wong may look like a typical teenager, but she’s no teen and is, in fact, the manager of Cathay Pacific Cebu. Her stint with Cathay started four years ago, shortly after she finished her masters in communication studies in the United States.
She applied for a job with John Swire,...
Grand ambition
THE manager of Cebu Grand Hotel is the energetic 25-year-old Carlo Suarez, who is so young one would think he’d be more at home in rugged jeans and t-shirts than in corporate attire. But the attire does suit him, as well as his rather long name: Carlo Anton Apolinar Borromeo Suarez.
An afternoon at the Cebu cathedral museum
IT PROVED to be an uplifting afternoon for a visit at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu on the occasion of its fifth anniversary celebration. Aside from a lecture by Regalado Trota Jose, there were an exciting exhibit of artifacts (titled “The Stone Age in San Remigio”) and a blessing of...
Eating binisaya in style
IN SEARCH of Cebuano food like linarang, bakasi, balbakuwa, mandunggada or plain utan Bisaya (also known as nilaw-uy) but hesitant to go to carinderias or market food stalls where these are the specialties? Search no more, for you can find all these and more in Kan-anan, Cebu Parklane...
‘Legends’ grace night of fashion and rhythm
IT WAS a night of fun for the guests and, more especially, for the participants of Fashion 'N Rhythm, as they sashayed on stage, taking on the personalities their very able directress Dr. Mila Espina had asked them to portray.
A weekend retreat
CITY living can be frenetic, and getting away on weekends from all the hustle and bustle is a calming, revitalizing experience. It is for this reason that a power couple decided to build a seaside retreat, not a beach house but a lovely weekend home away from the city.
Indie eye of a teenage filmmaker
AT AGE 17, Keit Nicko Pastorite already has an indie film, Bisikleta, to his name.
A high school graduate of the University of Cebu now taking film studies at the University of San Carlos, Keit reveals his love affair with videography started when he was 10 years old and in Grade 5.
A floral ode to the Sto. Niño
RED and yellow are the colors of the Santo Niño: He was clothed in those colors when Magellan brought Him to Cebu in 1521, who also brought with him the banner of the House of the Hapsburgs, also colored red and yellow with a two- headed eagle as its symbol, adopted by then Mayor Florentino...
Theresians on the Go
“ON THE GO for Sustainable Environment” was the central theme of this year’s St. Theresa’s College alumnae homecoming. And the jubilarian classes, some 11 of them, came home in full force, to attend the reunion Mass, to be once more with friends of those bygone school days and , come performance...
Fortune in a delicacy
THE secret to success in business is filling a need. Cebu La Fortuna Bakery has found that need in their much-in-demand delicacies that satisfy the need not just for plain nourishment but also for eating pleasure.
Top in that list is its hopia (a pastry, flaky on the outside, creamy on...
Playing dress-up
IT IS somehow a joy to see mother and child dress alike perhaps because it speaks of love and affection. So it was a delight to watch Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Eco-Walk for Gawad Kalinga featuring mother and child fashion.
The show, part of MCCI’s culminating activity for...
A good diplomat forever
AMBASSADOR Francisco Benedicto is now back home, after serving the country as ambassador for 25 years, from 1986 to March 2011. He served under five presidents: Corazon C. Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph E. Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Benigno C. Aquino III. In those years, he served as...
Jazz relaxing
RELAXATION is not limited to watching a movie or having a nice day at the spa or baking under the sun at the beach. There is another way to this urban creature comfort.
One of the nicest places to meet up with friends, or simply to relax after a shopping spree, is Radisson Blu’s Lobby...
