Quick stops By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo YESTERDAY, I boarded a bus for Urdaneta to attend the last rites for Auntie Charing Salcedo, whose name is really Emerenciana, not Charito, as I always thought. Auntie Charing passed away at 97. As a child, I remember her sitting in front of her…

Tao po! By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo THIS morning, after I finished my routine exercise and looking at the stars, someone knocked on my door. “Tao po!” “Sino po kayo?” (Who are you?) “Kasambahay po ni Ma’am Loida.” (The housekeeper of Ma’am Loida.) In Philippine culture, “Tao po!” is an announcement…

We’re on(line)! By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo IN a conversation on FB Messenger, a crying emoticon popped up on my screen: “Akin, man-akis ka?” (Why are you crying?) “Akisian la may boyfriend ko, Ma’am.” (My boyfriend broke off with me, Ma’am.) Siopa? (Who?) “Amay Friend ko ed Facebook.” (My Friend at…

Heroes By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo FOR a month now, Fe Mangahas and I have been mulling over what really makes a hero. She is doing a book on heroes, which for now constitutes of Philippine heroes such as Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Gregoria de Jesus, etc. For now, we agree…

Karma and Korma By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo IN Sanskrit, karma, a core concept in Hinduism and Buddhism, and some Eastern religions is roughly translated as “action”, that each action generates further actions and consequences that affects the person in the future, good or bad. Under this concept, a good deed…

The harmonica and the songs we sing By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo WE left the National Museum of Fine Art after listening to the keynote speeches of Eka Kurniawan and Resil Mojares. We had three hours till the next event, but my friends, Fe Mangahas and Lualhati Abreu, decided to proceed…

Juvy By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo IT escapes me now when I met Juvy Muncada, then Executive Assistant of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). I vaguely remember interviewing her for the post, which she held for a long time, until she found more exciting things to do. But I remember…

Skills and the Meaning of Life By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo COMPETITIVE edge in the 21st century requires that educational institutions have to evolve a framework that would enhance the capacity of students to succeed in their lives and chosen careers during the Information Age. The book 21st Century Skills: Learning…

Spinning wheel “SPINNING Wheel” is the title of a song from 1968 by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. The song was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 1970 ceremony, winning in the category Best Instrumental Arrangement. Clayton-Thomas, writer and lead vocalist of the band described the song as his way of saying, “Don’t…

At the touch of a button By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo IN the movie, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, the main character, Benjamin Button, is born as an elderly man, ages in reverse and dies an infant. He lives through this “aging” process, with the hope that during the course of his life,…