There is a government institution that seems to be invisible but whose footprint is almost everywhere. It celebrated it golden anniversary this month, and this is the trailblazing Development Academy of the Philippines or DAP. It was formed, first of all, to train managers and officers of government, following the concept of career executives in civil service. It expanded into designing programs and projects that touched the mindsets, if not the lives, of rural bankers, farmers, fishermen, diplomats, teachers, small and medium entrepreneurs, informal settlers, and so many more.

The Academy Part 1

When you have whisked past the age of 60, some retirees say there is no better way to relish your remaining days but to look back. Are they serious? I jump to the music of Lady Gaga and chuckle while navigating with my iPad, so certainly I am not ready to gaze languidly at the sunset as yet.

The Days of Kites and Komiks

MeAnn, former commercial model and mother of three, has been a KDrama follower since 2004. She has gone to Korea six times to marvel at the shooting locations. She has caught herself mimicking scenes from the movies while there.

HALLYU THERE

Lately, I’ve been experiencing ecstasy in driving. It is a good thing our driver of more than 15 years had to resign, and the occasional drivers we hire on a daily basis are not always available. This forces me to take the wheel. Believe it or not, it makes me giddy and young again. It affords me freedom to dictate the pace, to choose the lane, to plan a route not dictated upon by Waze or Google Map, to fend off the bullies on the road without being obvious, and to enjoy the sights from a commanding seat.

DRIVING THRILLS

The multi-talented and multi-awarded painter Hugo Yonzon, Jr. would have been 99 years old this May 24. Except that he left the world still brimming with potentials at a relatively young age of 70 due to emphysema - probably because of his heavy smoking or having inhaled too much turpentine or linseed oil, or both.

A TRIBUTE TO A HUMBLE MAN

There are three words more powerful than I Love You, and these are I Am Pregnant. Sweetheart. Followed by an eerie silence. As in “A Beautiful Life” on Netflix, the guy saw his life (past and future, I suppose) flash before his eyes; his dreams (if there are any clear ones) crumbling. That is, more or less, how 2/3 of my life started – 50 years ago.

A Beautiful Life?

The Korean Hallyu or Korean Wave is upon us. Making our women weeping or swooning and our kids dancing. I cannot find anywhere what hallyu really means. A short essay by Clara Haugland from the Korean consulate in Norway said that a Korean radio DJ in the early 1990s started labeling Korean pop culture products, meaning televisions shows, films, and later, music as that.

HALLYU THERE, One

Taylor Swift is one of the biggest hitmakers in the world, having sold over 200 million records in the planet. She started at age 14 as a country singer and jumped into other genres, thereby expanding her fanbase. She composed most of her songs but found out later, in the complicated sphere of intellectual property, that she couldn’t use her recordings for her own use such as, say, product endorsements. What does she do?

SINGERS WHO OWN THEIR SONGS

It is peak season for travel in Bali, where Europeans come in swarms. The wife and I have been coming here intermittently for the past 26 years, at different months of the year. The locals may complain about traffic, but certainly the tourists and travelers are much welcome in boosting their livelihood, and the economy not just of the island but of Indonesia.

BREAK IN BALI

How can somebody who says she has never been in any relationship compose poignant, heart-wrenching love songs? That is Laufey, only 24, so talented and beautiful. If she was my age and we were classmates in college, I would have run after her, only to plumb her inner thoughts and feelings. She can pen lyrics that evoke longings like the legendary Johnny Mercer did, but Laufey goes a step further by lacing in the notes, sing and play them so gorgeously with a guitar, piano, or the cello. 


Loving Laufey

The Third Zone column by OpinYon columnist, Boboy Yonzon.

Third Zone

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