Once a year, on a Friday night, CSM (Church Strengthening Ministry) holds a grand book launching of their new releases at the Manila Intern...

The formal book launching of my book “ The Other Cheek ” wasn’t till 6 PM that Wednesday. But son #1 and his friend, both book worms, wanted...

What makes writing books for children difficult is that kids are still not equipped to digest an abstract concept. A writer must break this ...

On opening day, September 11, the crowd was sparse, unlike last year’s and the years’ before that.  I worried, Are printed books on the way ...

Rudeness seems to be the new normal, especially because it is modeled from behind the presidential seal. Many people have merrily followed s...

Singing is not one of my strong suits. More so, singing before a big audience. But I dared to do both in church the day after the 40th MIB...

The 40th Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) is winding down. Gotta' work some more. And experience grace again and again--meeting fel...

The word unli, slang for unlimited, is a Filipino-invented word and is now a part of our country's everyday vocabulary.  Anyone who ha...

(This will be launched at the Manila International Book Fair [MIBF], Sept. 11-15, SMX MOA. Come and meet the writers at the CSM booth on Sep...

Simon of Cyrene, the man who helped carry Jesus’ cross on the way to Golgotha, is nondescript. I, for one, took him for granted. Then a fr...

In many advertising agencies years ago, each of those in the creative department would be assigned a partner. A writer would be paired with ...

(An excerpt from my latest book, "The Other Cheek")     Back cover                                                   Front cove...

Over fern-and-tomato salad, my friends Yna, publications director of OMF Lit; Yay, a fellow author; and I talked about our favorite topic: b...

Son #1 pointed out to me the shop of the pest control company in our village. Its name? MALACHI 10:11. Strange. “Why would a pest control ...

A few years back, after I started this blog on grace, I also created its polar opposite, a blog where I would rant and rave—you know the kin...

Seasons change with time; so do our swimming seasons. There is this one resort club of which we have been members since over two decades a...

Marikina used to be famous for bespoke shoes. But the flooding of China-made shoes caused Philippine shoemakers to fade into irrelevance. ...

What are the odds that this could happen? Our wedding anniversary (Tony’s and mine) falls on the same day as that of the anniversary of th...

We had five and a half fruitful years, Pinky and I.  Together we travelled, rushed to beat deadlines, received both good news and bad news f...

"This is my last card," I told my friend Ggie, who accompanied me to have special shoes made in Marikina (the city famous for sh...

Barrettes are hair accessories that were in vogue when I was a little girl. My mom would always clip onto my hair a barrette that matched my...

(Scene: at the drinking fountain, where a student waits for her turn.)  Student: “Hmmm, hot water, Ms. Grace! For your coffee fix?”  M...

Student: “Good morning, Ms. Grace! Do you have a minute?” Me: For you, I have two! Student: I am almost finished with my first novel. I...

“Ms. Grace, Ms. Grace!” one student called out from behind me. He was brandishing sheets of paper. Student: May I ask you a big, big favor...

Our school corridors, all four of them, are where I say “hi” and “goodbye” to students. Once in a while, someone starts a conversation and I...

My foray into blogging began in November 2006 , six years after my first books were published. I therefore had not been able to blog about ...