If It’s Too Loud, You’re Too Old

[caption id="attachment_6835" width="300" caption="Photo by Salvatore Vuono"][/caption]

I don’t know when it started to happen, but people call me “ate” now. I don’t really feel old so sometimes when people call me ate I get a little defensive inside. I end up thinking, “I don’t even look old. Wait, do I look old? I wonder how old this person thinks I am.”... Read more

Overseas Pinoy Cravings

Recently, my American boss was so happy he found “Little Manila” in San Francisco because it means he can now buy Chippy whenever he craves for the salty snack. He was introduced to the snack when he visited Manila last April, and it’s the single Filipino food that has had a strong impact on him. Chippy is, to my boss, what Market Manila’s lechon is to Anthony Bourdain.... Read more

I’m Lucky

Eight years ago I won a digital camera from a pack of cigarettes. That’s the first time I was told I’m lucky.... Read more

The scarlet fever scare

Besides SARS, bird flu and A(H1N1), add another to the growing list of diseases Filipino overseas workers and travelers have to be wary of these days—scarlet fever.... Read more

Airport safety tips for OFWs

Predators lurk everywhere, circling in on those who look vulnerable, trusting and easy to mislead down a dark alley. A busy airport with heaps of airport personnel, security checkpoints and scanners may give the first-time OFW a sense of safeness that can be his undoing. Shady characters like con men, pickpockets and, worse, illegal drug dealers mingle with legitimate airline passengers, and they are hard to spot because they wear nice clothes and even nicer smiles.... Read more

OFW guide to Ninoy Aquino airport boarding process

So you’re off for your first overseas job posting. Congratulations! It’s not hard to imagine the look on your face: It’s a map of excitement, nervousness, hope and doubt. And before you even leave the country, you already confront a daunting task: boarding the international flight bringing you to your new destination. It’s your first time at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and you feel small in its huge halls and alone in the teeming crowd. Don’t fret: We’ll be your virtual chaperone and walk you through from the entrance gate to the departure gate of the NAIA.... Read more

The perks of self-employment

You get discouraging news daily about dwindling jobs in the Philippines and abroad. Finding them is about as frequent as sighting an endangered species like the agila in the Mindanao mountains or the alamid in Batangas forests. Have you considered alternatives to full-time work?... Read more

The doctor will see you now

I brought my son to a walk-in medical clinic recently for treatment of his fever. He had been feverish on and off for three days, and I worried about the possibility of dengue. Normally I bring him to his longtime pediatrician, who is the kindest, most caring doctor you’ll ever meet. But this time we went to a nearby clinic because our pediatrician’s hospital is 45 minutes away and we were running late.... Read more

Got your typhoon survival kit?

We can now all open our eyes and release our bated breath because Typhoon Chedeng has changed her mind and decided to snub our country. It’s a lucky break, since weather forecasters said Chedeng was the identical twin of Typhoon Ondoy in destructive power.... Read more

Adventures in the rain

Lucky you if you are vacationing in Baguio right now or are somewhere abroad basking in enviably cool weather. But here in Manila, the summer heat over the past weeks has been torture, sticking to your skin like arnibal. Last Sunday afternoon, May 22, was another microwave oven day and we were all baking. Everyone sought to escape the sun’s rays by hiding indoors, but even the electric fan positioned steadily toward me was belching warm air that made working at my computer uncomfortable.... Read more

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