This was one grand summer recital I wasn’t about to pass up. I knew no one from the children and teens who were having their culminating activity with The Aller School of Music at the Forest Wing, part of the John Hay Hotels in Baguio City. Yet I wanted to see them bare their souls....
Author: Elizabeth Lolarga (Elizabeth Lolarga)
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A ‘bangus’ lover to the end of time
“I’ve brought you there before,” my protesting husband declared after I told him I’d honor an invitation to witness and take part in the Bangus Festival in Pangasinan early this month. For some reason I couldn’t recall that experience. Instead, I have memories of a lechon festival in the same province, when I was mindful...
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As near as I could get to St. Peter’s Basilica
By that I meant the Basilica of St. Martin of Tours in Taal, Batangas. I recall a senator once telling me to not miss a chance to visit this church, especially after its lighting, frescoes and tromp l’oeils were improved and restored. A visit here, she said, felt like being transported somewhere in Europe when...
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Baguio artists’ battle cry: Give us our due, treat us with respect
BAGUIO CITY—This is no tempest in a teapot, this hue and cry over the destruction of the Ibagiw mural of visual and performance artist Angelo Aurelio without notice to him and upon the instructions of a tourism official in charge of the yearly arts and culture festival. (“Ibagiw” is an Ibaloi term to mean “someone...
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Oodles of noodles, and more to love
I’m a noodle and siopao person. Ask my husband who has to put up with my delivery orders whenever I fail at my kitchen duties. A good thing Rolly Fernandez is a beef and mami person, too. Otherwise, he’d starve, or fast, for a day. Pianist Najib Ismail, a certified foodie (just take a look...
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Where I ate all my veggies
Barangay Poblacion in Makati City has acquired a reputation as great for exploring a variety of food and drinks. I wasn’t about to be left behind when members of one of my Viber groups decided to try out Corner Tree Café at 5782 Felipe Street in Poblacion for its vegetarian fare. My Grab sedan dropped...
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When one tries going wholesome, diet-wise
One has this stereotype of healthy food lacking in savory taste, bordering on blah. Sometimes, one thinks of it as close to pagkaing darak (or rice bran fed to poultry, cows and pigs)—no offense meant to one’s friends who have chosen to eat strictly plant- or fruit-based food. One’s palate was honed by a mother...
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Manila Symphony Orchestra soloist EJ Villarin in the eyes of his mother and teacher
The violinist Emanuel John “EJ” Villarin would have just turned 21 when he is featured in the Manila Symphony Orchestra’s first concert for the season, “Music for Peace,” on May 24. He is the soloist in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 61. Nevertheless, EJ is still that child, that boy, to his mother,...
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Gaita Forés’ first birthday in eternity gives us a Cibo kind of love
My good friend and fellow freelance writer Alma Cruz Miclat knew I was in Manila (down from my base in Baguio City) for just a week and insisted on a long ladies’ dinner on a Sunday at Cibo (second level of the original Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City). The name “Cibo,” meaning “food” in Italian,...
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Once upon a Christmas potluck
BAGUIO CITY—My husband Rolly Fernandez and I have been extremely choosy about which gatherings to attend during this holiday season. Our antisocial streak has been heightened ever since we retired. We just like to hang out at home with our furry golden Satchi. This last Sunday was the exemption because the invitation to lunch felt...