As a young reader, I hated authors writing about their books' back story. I wanted to keep books pure in my mind. But in later years...

My dad was not a letter writer. He delegated the task to my mom who loved writing  anything, everything, and anytime to anyone in her circ...

Can I do this? I repeatedly asked myself midway through the first draft of the first chapter. My writing voice, according to my editors a...

The 2013 MIBF is in full swing. And all my days are packed with punishing schedules and energizing joy. I haven't had time to shop, bu...

Whoever created this movie title, “The Good Die Young,” in 1954 would have to be thinking of someone like Kae, our dearest Kae. Everything a...

It was going to be my checking day. Meaning, I reserved the day to check my students' papers—not at home, but in the posh ambiance of th...

It's that time of the year again!

Every act displayed in public has a back story; we can't take what we see at its face value. Often, if not always, we react to what our ...

Four days after the event : Everything that has to be said has already been posted online. A blog seems superfluous now, especially because ...

The massive and shameless corruption involving a number of people in government, in partnership with swindlers, has hogged the headlines fo...

A gust of refreshing grace came to us through a preacher from the US one Sunday. He was not only a riveting speaker, he was also funny, and ...

Each time I watch my students march onstage to receive their university diploma, this thought visits me, “Welcome to the Millionaires' c...

For years I was deluded by the thought that I had 20/20 vision. Except for reading glasses , which everyone needs upon stepping beyond the a...

The origin or parents of the interrobang, a.k.a. Interabang, are my favorite punctuation marks. Why? Well, first, what is interrobang? It ...

What is courage?

This tragic play by William Shakespeare is the most famous love story in the English literary tradition. It focuses on the intense passion t...

It took a few days before the royals (William and Kate) of England could name their newborn. I think they might have consulted so many peo...

James Agee, author of A Death in the Family said this in the book:

My latest book, which will be in bookstores soon, was inspired by a little girl (daughter of two dear friends, at whose wedding I stood as...

All through the day today, I am not being presumptuous when I say that people will be singing me the most famous English song in the whole...

“I am claiming it!” my friend Margie, who has been praying for a child for years, exclaimed with bravado. “The Lord will give me a baby soon...

Death is a universal fear. That statement isn't mine; it is a research datum, the exact percentage of which escapes me now. This docum...

"Our family never shared the same last name,  but our family was a family the same. And they say blood is thicker than water,  but lo...

Today, July 4, is a red-letter day in the calendar of the USA and the Philippines (Fil-Am Friendship Day). And so it is in mine. This is m...

Any time of day either shines in the glow of sunlight or dims with the blessing of rain. Whichever way, we bask or soak in the glory of God...

Even the most placid existence can sometimes be wracked by a turbulence so fierce it gives one a thousand sleepless nights. If you're ...

The twins , Maika and Nikka, now 9, are growing up really fast. Pretty soon, they will be taller than I am—as all the people in my circle ar...

(Conclusion, continued from yesterday's post; you may scroll down for Parts 1 and 2 ) As I write this chapter about my father, everyt...

(Continued from yesterday's post — you may scroll down for Part 1 ;  lifted from a chapter of my book "Gifts of Grace" Vol. 1)...

(There was that one and only time when I wrote and finally talked about my father. It became one chapter of my book "Gifts of Grace” Vo...

The world will celebrate “Father's Day” tomorrow. But JC is treating his dad for lunch today and he has invited JR and me to be equal be...

To my shame, embarrassment, and frustration, I sometimes morph into Eutychus. Eutychus was the young man in the Bible who fell asleep and ...

Who's afraid of whom? Are dogs afraid of cats ? Or is it the other way around? I've read of both, but in our household, our Atto...

Tim Tebow, 24, an American football player in the National Football League (NHL), is a Christian, and very vocal about it with fans, in clin...

Have you heard of Rizpah? She's one of the least known women in the Bible, not in the same league with the popular Ruth, Esther, Mary,...

Whatever Ate Vi serves on the breakfast table, I eat. But my boys are different. They are all good cooks, so they relish cooking their own...

As a card-bearing, 60-something senior, I often ponder my mortality. The thought that the Lord may soon take me home visits me now and then,...

See this punctuation mark? #.  For the longest time, I called it "Number."         Then came touch phones and cellphones and pe...

Conceit has reigned within mortals, past or present. We have developed excessive belief in ourselves because of our abilities or riches or a...

Spelling is kind of complicated. Especially now that we have developed new, appalling habits of misspelling everything in text messages (whi...

The intense, oppressive afternoon heat made me closet myself in our bedroom with the air-conditioner full blast.  I visited a cabinet unop...

The fiesta was probably the most exciting time in our town. The rides, game booths, and circus came—so did the fortune tellers. I was ten ...

Today, we thank the Lord for the grace of an active little boy who has just turned six.   We haven't seen him for 771 days, but he is in...

Some people don't like going to church. “I can pray or worship God anywhere,” they would argue. In fact, some of them just turn on the...

Frequently asked questions on tithing and rarely given answers:  Q: Do you tithe? A: Yes. Q: Where does it say in the New Testament th...

What are you doing this afternoon? Here's an invitation for all kids to come and listen to the story of a great flood in Mateo's t...

It must have been something I ate which rendered my total being totally useless in the last two days. I was a Person With Disability (PWD). ...

I just had a junior moment. Huh? How can that be possible when you're a senior, Mom! My sons are most likely saying in their minds. ...