Last August, CoverStory ran a piece I wrote on three simple ways to lessen screen time. That was six months ago and, like a dutiful patient out of rehab, I am reporting on how it has been, some losses and some gains, since I weaned myself off my phone. Suffice it to say that it...
Category: Lifestyle
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Harking back to Pope Francis’ Ash Wednesday call to return to God
Ash Wednesday, marked by the administration of ashes on the forehead or head of the faithful, begins the solemn season of Lent. (In the Catholic liturgical calendar, Lent refers to the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday. Lent 2026 starts on Feb. 18, Ash Wednesday, and ends on April 2, Holy Thursday, before...
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Homegrown brews in what feels like a European setting
BAGUIO CITY—I don’t want to be that girl. That one who, after a trip to Europe, starts comparing, and very loudly, things Philippine to European, taking every opportunity to brag about the places she saw and the stuff she tried there. But I did spend time there pursuing a master’s degree under the Erasmus+ program....
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Me and my 21-year-old car
When I turned 50, my wife gifted me with a compact SUV. More than two decades and close to 380,000 kilometers in the odometer later, it is still with me. And my wife seems to be truly, finally resigned to my not parting with it anytime soon. More than my oft-stated reasons for keeping it—like...
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Life in the slow lane
“Welcome to the slow lane.” This was a message I received from a friend, an ex-colleague who had left before me, on the day I left the only company I had ever worked for. Fourteen years may not seem like a long time, but the bank was where I started my career just two months...
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Chasing Mount Mayon
After catching a glimpse of the elusive Mount Fuji in Japan last year, my husband and I had no idea that within months we would be setting our sights on another peak: Mayon Volcano. I remembered our brief encounter with Mayon when, early in the new year, I read reports of heightened unrest including rockfalls...
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In Sagada, there’s still a chance to avoid the madding crowd
SAGADA—Not only tourist testimonials but also stories in various media (like the films “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising” and “That Thing Called Tadhana”) and even that eponymous song have drawn folks to this misty town in the mountains. Many have returned several times; others are so enamored by the place and its people that they now...
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When our all-Filipino choir sang Christmas carols at Martin Place
SYDNEY, Australia—Our all-Filipino choir, Himig Sandiwa, was invited by the City of Sydney Council to perform at Martin Place for its annual Christmas event, “Choirs in the City.” This is the first year the choir has sung at the event, and, according to the organizer, we are the first Filipino choir to be part of...
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From Michelin to Terra Madre: On (slow) food, identity, and connection
BACOLOD CITY—At the Terra Madre Asia & Pacific, surrounded and overwhelmed by dishes, beverages, and flavors, I thought a lot about food. Food, to borrow the words of anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, is “good to think with,” and surely I’m not alone in doing so, especially in the wake of the Michelin Guide’s arrival in the...
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Making memories in the heart of Shibuya
TOKYO—The Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu right above the Shibuya Mark City Mall that is connected to the Shibuya Station is near two of the district’s most iconic landmarks—the Hachiko Statue and the Shibuya Crossing. It was perfect for our three-day vacation in central Shibuya. My younger sister Kristine, who loves traveling to Japan which she calls...