http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:16:58 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en By Ruel S. De Vera Associate Editor I was always in awe of encyclopedias. As a child, having a set of reference books at home was an advantage for school work and fun whenever we got bored. My parents were helping out an uncle so we had several different kinds of encyclopedias ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/11/12/nothing-but-net/ By Pennie Azarcon-dela Cruz Exec. Editor, Sunday Inquirer Magazine FINALLY, after three weeks of hemming, hawing and chest heaving, I summoned enough resolve to dive into this literal cesspool of memories otherwise known as my baul of soaked baby pictures. Not an easy task, this plunge into the sticky ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/11/01/my-so-called-life-in-pictures/ By Ruel S. De Vera Associate Editor Heroes are a personal constellation. Every person chooses his or her own celestial bodies to revolve around. There are more public personages and more public allegiances—but even those are marked by personal commitment. Our heroes reflect what we aspire for, what we seek perhaps in ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/10/21/you-can-be-heroes/ By Pennie Azarcon Dela Cruz Executive Editor, Sunday Inquirer Magazine MY first inkling that things could really turn out bad was when the hubby brought out the saw, “for the window grills in case we have to jump into the waters or climb up the roof.” Turning to the two ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/10/02/come-hell-or-high-water-my-version-of-survivor-malabon/ By Ruel S. De Vera Associate Editor MOVIES are a devotion for some people, and going to the movies is a pilgrimage. Yes, the latest movies can usually be found on DVD and there’s a lot being shown on TV, but going to the movies is an event. The best example I ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/09/30/movie-madness/ By Ruel S. De Vera Associate Editor DEFINED by the spaces we gain consciousness in, we expand horizons but only to the limits of what surrounds us. Filipinos are born into socio-economic classes which are driven home by where we reside. Be it hovels, one-room apartments, old apartments, high-rise studio condos, townhouses ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/09/21/house-of-ideas/ By Ruel S. De Vera Associate Editor I NEVER quite understood the saying “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” For one thing, I consider teaching on any level to be one of the most difficult disciplines to learn. Those who aren’t up to snuff simply will not last more than ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/09/15/reel-teaching/ By Ruel S. De Vera  Associate Editor  THEY’RE good for you and can hold surprises. Since childhood, we’ve been counseled to eat fruits, as many as we can. Filipinos are, without a doubt, a fruit-eating population. I think a lot of it has to do with the mangoes. Yes, the Filipino mango, the ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/08/31/fruitful/ By Ruel S. De Vera Associate Editor WITH my addiction to the glorious liquid perfection that is Mountain Dew, I basically have caffeine running in my veins, to the point where it really doesn’t have any discernable effect on me—except when I wake up early in the morning. Like many others, I wake ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/08/13/caffiend/ By Pennie Azarcon-dela Cruz Executive Editor, Sunday Inquirer Magazine “WALANG alam.” The derisive words were part of the voice-over for the political ad that run again and again on television at the height of the 1985 snap elections, with shots of Cory Aquino caught unawares to match.  Former strongman Ferdinand Marcos had seen ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2009/08/09/yellow-but-not-mellow/