SYDNEY—“This is your captain speaking. We shall soon commence our descent into Melbourne …” I felt a lump in my throat. Every year when I visit my daughter here, I make a side trip to Victoria’s capital to see a dear friend from college. The pandemic paused the practice, and now, after three years, I...
Category: Lifestyle
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Dengue epidemic: how to protect your family
The number of dengue cases is soaring all over the Philippines. An epidemic is now reported in 15 out of 17 regions nationwide. With the certificate of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia permanently revoked in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) is urgently campaigning for every citizen to take a proactive role in their home...
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The work that isn’t work
The first time I went back to the PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society) shelter in 2020 was to bury a kitten. Catboy lost his appetite and began looking lethargic late in April of 2020. When he died, the “reopening” of the world as we knew it already seemed distant and vague, with Metro Manila still...
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How To Survive…(III) Recipes to fortify us for the coming days
CAGAYAN DE ORO—Aside from tending your own kitchen garden, another surefire way to eat well and healthy while keeping within the budget despite rising prices and the world falling apart around us, is to eat according to the seasons. (Related: How to survive till the rest of the world sorts itself out (I) , How...
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How to survive… (II): Setting up an urban kitchen garden
CAGAYAN DE ORO—After doing what we could to adapt to the higher temperatures of our new environment in an Earth-friendly way by widening our windows for ventilation and by creating a micro climate zone with plants and a clay wall, we put food security next on the agenda. (Related: How to survive till the rest...
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How to survive till the rest of the world sorts itself out (I)
CAGAYAN DE ORO—As a kid growing up in the Philippines in the 1980s, I was vaguely conscious of government exhortations on belt tightening due to an ongoing economic crisis. Then I learned about inflation and constantly worried over the cost of goods rising in perpetuity. Would my generation be able to afford anything in the...
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When Barks and Meows are Terms of Endearment in Living with Pets
Photos by Charles Buban Who needs an alarm clock when you are awakened on cue by the barking and meowing, the rattling of chow bowls, and the occasional growling and hissing? No, you don’t need one when you live with six dogs and four cats. I had my first pet dog when I was 10...
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Poll campaign volunteer work, self-care and mental health
There is an almost child-like ebullience in artist Robert Alejandro’s works promoting Vice President Leni Robredo’s presidential candidacy. Done in various shades of pink, Robredo’s official campaign color, the artworks are full of hope, joy, and whimsy. It is easy to imagine that such positive vibes are coming from someone living a life of ease...