http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:34:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en By Ruel S. De Vera, Associate Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine THERE'S an interesting buzz surrounding Lav Diaz's eight-hour film "Melancholia," which, it must be noted, is NOT being shown in Metro Manila. The MTRCB has, apparently, not been able to watch it and thus give it a required rating, even while the ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/10/10/the-loooong-and-short-of-it/ By Ruel S. De Vera, Associate Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine I HATED school. From the very first day of Kindergarten when my mom had to drag me from the chair in front of the TV (“Sesame Street” was on) to the waiting school bus to the day I graduated from college, I ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/10/02/school-schmool/ By Pennie Azarcon dela Cruz, Executive Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine BACK when I was in Grade 2, our family had the distinction of being one of the few households in that rat hole of Tondo to first own a TV set. Not just any ordinary television, mind, but a real "Made in ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/09/26/tv-or-not-tv/ By Ruel S. De Vera, Associate Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine EVERYONE says reading is dead or dying, the victim of shortened attention spans, TV or the Internet. Others says that reading is merely changing, migrating from the page to the screen. I've been asked why I haven't moved to Amazon's impressive little ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/09/22/books-of-faith/ By Ruel S. De Vera, Associate Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine GETTING stuck in a vehicle in immobile traffic while the rain keeps on pouring and the water keeps on rising is truly horrific, especially if you are alone. It can trigger the most helpless feeling, being stuck in a car by yourself ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/09/11/flood-buds/ By Pennie Azarcon dela Cruz, Executive Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine LIKE death and taxes, aging is inevitable -- and terrifying. Think mortality, weakened knees, dementia, disease, being ignored and suddenly invisible. In these isles where respect for elders is the norm and you’re not there yet, things can get really annoying. (Photo: Author [right] ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/09/10/the-secret-of-eternal-youth/ By Ruel S. De Vera, Associate Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine EVERYONE is an expert; it’s just a matter of finding what that area of expertise is. Sometimes, that area is a crossroads, an overlapping of two specialties, creating a unique one. Sometimes, it comes by accident. Since I review mostly books -- ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/09/04/adapt-or-die/ By Ruel S. De Vera, Associate Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine NEVER did I consider myself an animal lover. I had a couple of strange pets growing up, including a rooster named Randy and a fortune lobster. In fact, if you did that Internet quiz on your porn name (name of first pet ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/08/29/mito-and-me/ By Pennie Azarcon-dela Cruz, Executive Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine THE man at the Immigration counter stared at his computer, scanned my passport and gave me the eye. Oh no, I thought, it’s happening again. I felt like this guy in the movie “Groundhog Day” who wakes up every day to repeat exactly ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/08/23/family-name/ By Pennie Azarcon dela Cruz, Executive Editor Sunday Inquirer Magazine IF you welcome the rains, you’re either a farmer in a parched field, a student reprieved from classes, or a resident of anywhere but the cursed coastal cities of Navotas and Malabon. Believe me, the tiniest gray cloud, a spit of rain or ... http://blogs.inquirer.net/sim/2008/08/15/channeling-noah/