Christmas trees tell stories. And the seven Christmas trees in the residence of the US ambassador in Makati have tales waiting to be told. US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson’s eyes twinkle with excitement when she talks about them. “You will find seven trees that are six...
Filipina busker Clarissa Camata, also known as Clarissa Tomato, stood on the Haneul Madang stage of the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, South Korea. “Hello, I am Clarissa, your friend from the Philippines,” she said in Korean before she started strumming her guitar. Her voice filled...
This is the story of a song that was not supposed to be a hit, a surprise life in a different country and a death no one expected.In 2004, American singer-songwriter-producer Keith Martin’s song “Because of You” was everywhere. You heard it on the radio....
Manix Abrera really is out of this world. The cartoonist (who just turned 40, thus is an Aquarius) behind the Inquirer’s “Kikomachine Komix” strip boasts a style that can only be described as cute on acid, stories which depict the daily tribulations of students at...
Dance is something that has long been identified with Filipino women. The only dance exclusively identified with men, for good or ill, was something we had to learn for cultural or field demonstrations. Yes, this is the bane of grade school or high school experience...
Shefra Zamora can’t pinpoint a specific moment when they came out to their family. They never had “the talk” or made an announcement about them being nonbinary. “I just gradually changed and had a girlfriend. Acceptance was gradual as well. With my family, I didn’t...
If you’ve ever hung out at Route 196, Madz Ofalsa would be a familiar face. As the bar’s supervisor and head staff, Madz went above and beyond his duties in making sure that everyone who walked into those doors (or chose to chill outside) was...
Millie Bobby Brown's "Enola Holmes" co-star Louis Partridge hasn't seen "Stranger Things." And the young actor, who plays Lord Tewksbury, thinks that actually helped him during filming. "I didn't go, (gasp) 'It’s Eleven. It’s you.' It was nice. I just got to see her as like,...
Jose Mari Chan has become an ubiquitous symbol of the Filipino yuletide season, thanks to his holiday hit “Christmas in Our Hearts” and the countless memes counting down to September, the very early start of Pinoy Christmas. The singer-songwriter spent Sept. 1 with us on Zoom,...
Bong Esguerra with dad Fernando When I was learning how to drive, I’d volunteer to park our cars in the garage so I can practice. One time I was parking my dad’s pick-up and when I thought I had done a good job considering the tight...
