Out of my mind

A friend sent me this email, swearing that this works because he tried it. I am tempted to try it, because I figured what the heck, eating apples can't be all that bad. Except of course the epsom salt thing - is that safe? Anyone out there who has tried this regimen? GALL BLADDER STONE REMOVAL - The Natural Way by Dr Lai Chiu-Nan It has worked for many. If it works for you please pass on the good news. Chiu Nan is not charging for it, so we should make it free for everyone. Your reward is when someone, through your word of mouth, benefits from the regime. Gallstones may not be everyone's concern. But they should be because we all have them. Moreover, gallstones may lead to cancer. "Cancer is never the first illness," Chiu Nan points out. "Usually, there are a lot of other problems leading to cancer. In my research in China, I came across some materials, which say that people with cancer usually have stones. We all have gallstones. It's a matter of big ...

I have wanted to write about blogging in my column but didn't have the time until now. So the following is my column for today, August 30, 2006, at the op-ed section of the Manila Standard Today . I have been asked many times how I got invited to write for this paper. My standard answer is that I was plucked out from the blogosphere (i.e., the world of bloggers in cyberspace). I am the second blogger to have been invited by this paper (the first is my spacemate in this section, Sassy Lawyer Connie Veneracion). As far as I know, we are the only two columnists who started out as bloggers and this paper is the only one to have recognized the talents and potentials of bloggers. The editors of this paper sure know their way around the blogosphere (some have their own blogs), which tells you about how progressive people in this paper are (ahem). Although the two worlds—traditional media and the blogosphere (also referred to as “the new media”) complement each other, the relationship is...

The following is my column for today, August 28, 2006, at the op-ed section of the Manila Standard Today . I had the great privilege of being raised by a grandmother who should have enjoyed her twilight years in more relaxing pursuits than taking up the difficult responsibility of bringing up someone who was a total nerd until high school. I know many others who were in the same situation, although when I was growing up, I believed most of us “lola’s boys” were “adopted” by choice by what I thought were women with an abundance of maternal instincts that needed recipients. With the growing number of overseas Filipino workers and working parents today, I suspect that there are more and more grandparents out there who are assuming parenting duties in their old age. Being reared by a grandmother can be a blessing—my own grandmother taught me the wondrous gift of reading among many other things. But my grandmother had the means to do it. I don’t think this can be said of many other grandpar...

Someone e-mailed me to inquire if I will support the brewing move to boycott the Philippine Daily Inquirer over Isagani Cruz' hateful remarks directed at the gay community. My quick answer was no. First,Isagani Cruz is actually a minority in that paper as far as attitude towards gay people is concerned. There is a Manuel L. Quezon, Rina Jimenez-David and Michael Tan in the same paper who are also standing up for the gay community. Second, although I believe that the Inquirer should come out more strongly about where it stands on Cruz' bigotry (its editorial on the subject was neither here nor there and was a lame attempt at placating the community), boycotting the paper is not a proactive solution. It shuts down communication processes and no one benefits from such a situation. Third, I said it would be unethical for me to advocate for a boycott because I happent to write for another paper. However, I do not think we have seen the end of it yet. Who knows what Isagani Cruz ...

The following is my column for today, August 23, 2006 at the op-ed section of the Manila Standard Today . WHEN I was offered to write this column, I asked for only two guarantees. First, that I can write about anything I wanted to write about provided I did not libel anyone or used my writing for personal business gain. And second, that I can disagree with anyone, including other columnists. I know that as a matter of professional courtesy, one should try not to pick fights with the people who share the same newsprint commune. I had no intentions of picking fights with fellow columnists, but I wanted to be sure that when push comes to shove, I could. Fortunately, that has not happened yet. But over at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, two eminent columnists, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Isagani Cruz and Manuel L. Quezon III are engaged in an acrimonious exchange. The whole furor began when Cruz penned a column entitled “Don we now our gay apparel,” which was a screed against ga...

The following is my column for today, August 21, 2006, at the op-ed section of the Manila Standard Today . BARRING super typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and similar acts of God, the second impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be dead by tomorrow. It’s an outcome that doesn’t surprise anyone because as everyone knows, this was already a foregone conclusion right from the very start. But because no one in this country likes to lose an argument, there is always something to be agitated about, and this time, it is the cause of death. The killing of the impeachment complaint is either a case of premeditated murder or a judicious death sentence, depending of course on one’s political affiliations. The macabre metaphors being used to describe the whole political process is telling. A killing. Rigor mortis. Dead on arrival. A cadaver of a complaint. The last nail on the coffin. A funeral. A corpse that was buried by Congress. The fact that these morbid terms are...

The following is my column for today, August 16, 2006, at the op-ed section of the Manila Standard Today : I LIKE driving. It is an activity that clears my mind and relaxes me. Unfortunately for people like me, driving around the streets of Metro Manila has ceased to offer these pleasures. This column narrates why. Although it is wrong to embrace it as a given, I have come to accept that a little rain, some accident, and in most cases, simple carelessness and inconsiderateness on the part of one or two kababayans will create a monstrous traffic jam, which does not mean of course that I will stop ranting about it. But another day, perhaps. Hulidap and kotong cops, I think, are a little more manageable although not necessarily any less annoying and exasperating. In my experience, the best way to deal with them is to flatly refuse to give in, get their names, and tell them that you will report them. I am told that speaking in English and being firm and assertive without directly challeng...