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Stale Bread for Dessert?!

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Today we celebrate the 75th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan), the end of the Second World War. My uncle served in Japan and never recovered from what he experienced, some of my relatives lost their lives. Yet not all wartime memories were bad, and today I would like to share a wartime recipe that has lived on as a family favourite. Imagine your bread has gone stale – solid - what to do? In wartime England, my grandma knew exactly what to do, she turned it into a dessert, or pudding as we call it. When most of the men were away fighting, women took over the jobs, but despite the added income, food was scarce, and every person was issued a ration book. Our family still have one, and despite it bringing back memories of war and death, it holds deep sentimental value and is kept in the family photo album. The only photo of my father with my grandfather who died in the war months later. The rations allowed per adult a week, unless stated otherwise:         Bacon/Ham: 4oz (100g
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No Man’s an Island; Zack Tabudlo

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Copyright: Island Records Zack Tabudlo has signed to Island records ; a label that should feel at home in a land of 7,107 of them (at least at high tide). Island are celebrating 60 years of nurturing talent, from Bob Marley to U2, and are, “a byword for artistic integrity and innovation… signing mavericks and game-changers who have altered the course of music.” Copyright: Island Records You may be familiar with Zack from Voice Kids back in 2014 when he was 12. Six years later and his maturity makes him that “maverick game-changer” Island pride themselves in nurturing. He spans so many genres and talks of mixing, “old school vibe with today’s music.” At eighteen he is already a veteran performer, frequently collaborating with, and producing, other artists. Nangangamba Listening to his recently released, “Nangangamba” it hits you; this is no normal ballad. Hearing the lyrics, “Ito na ang pagkakataon, Wala nang pipigil sa’yo, ‘Wag ka nang mahihiya, Sabihin na ang totoo.” ("This is
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The Frontline Superheroes

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Today, in Rick Olivares ’ Intro to Journalism class , we met a superhero. He was not wearing a cape, but he was still wearing his superhero mask, except it was a surgical mask and his cape, standard Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) . This real-life Superman was obviously exhausted from a day working hard saving lives and yet he found the time to recount his story to a class of novice journalism students. Like most champions of the Marvel or DC universes, he dons his uniform before turning into a hero, and takes it off when protecting us is done; unlike them, he then thoroughly disinfects himself before seeing his family. What is even more amazing is he is married to another superhero. Yet this is no comic, this is real life. Today we interviewed Jojo Katalbas, a 40-year old comorbidity nurse who works at Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, a Covid-19 hospital at the heart of a nation suffering from the pandemic. We shed tears listening to his acts of bravery, and
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Covid-19’s Deadly Twin

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Covid-19 has an ugly and dangerous twin, misinformation. While the world has been fighting the pandemic, the amount of information it has generated is causing serious problems of its own. The abundance of academic articles, press, commentary, social media postings, all about the same topic - many inaccurate, others not - make some Doctors feel as if they are fighting two enemies, Covid-19 and misinformation. The World Health Organisation (WHO) have labelled the twin an “infodemic”, and it is making it hard to know what is trustworthy and what is not. Once-upon-a-time, before the pandemic, Snopes was the gold standard for fighting misinformation. If something did not sound quite right, if you needed the truth, a quote from Snopes could end the argument. That is no longer the case when it comes to Covid-19, the sheer volume of misinformation has overwhelmed the Snopes fact checkers and they have admitted they can no longer keep up with the avalanche of misinformation.   Some misinfor
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My Covid-19 test

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Ten minutes to eternity, that is how it felt. Having been chosen at random for an antibody test felt like a win, I would know if my earlier illness was Covid-19. We had all been ill and my father had almost needed help to breath. An antibody test would give us certainty. Then the test arrived, and with it the, what if? Did I really want to know? Fear paralysed me; denial gripped me. Eight hours later I requested help. We read the instructions; my brain was a fog. Everything was prepared; the testing fluid, the lance, the test, the clock. I was not concerned about the lance or the blood, I was not even fearful of the test. It was the time that got to me. Ten minutes wait, each second seemed to take forever. Tick, tick, was this a timebomb? I was praying for that second line, for certainty, but certainty never came. Ten minutes were up, no line, no certainty, just more time with Covid-19 lurking in eternity. We are all in this pandemic together, one thing we all have time.
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Ano ba ang panaginip mo?

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Childhood dreams, we all have them, rock star, actor, sportsman. What was, or is, your dream? Interviewing Coach Jimmy Alapag, in the Introduction to Journalism class of Ricky Olivares, you could sense his passion for basketball, and the obvious dream from his childhood to play professionally. He has exceeded that, served his country, and is now head coach for San Miguel Alab Pilipinas of the ASEAN Basketball League. “The Mighty Mouse”, a nickname for the speedy 5’9” player, did not dream in any fantasy way, he set out to achieve, and through hard work and dedication, he did not just make his dreams come true. But seeing the Philippines win its first World Cup game in over 40 Years, as a team member, he made many Filipinos dream come true. Yet he is still dreaming of what the Philippines may yet achieve. The Filipino diaspora has seen Filipinos transplanted to live in many nations and cultures. When you meet the young people of this diaspora, many have learnt the culture of their
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Enter the exciting supernatural world of Filipino folklore comics with Trese

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As an Englishman, who has lived most of my life in Asia, please allow me to share with you the riches of Filipino comics. And please take note, because numerous Filipino creators have made names for themselves in the international comic book scene. In fact, a comic by two of them Budjette Tan author and Kajo Baldisimo artist, will soon debut on Netflix. Credit:  Budjette Tan from Rick Olivares Introduction to Journalism course. When we talk about comic books, we normally think of the American, DC or Marvel universes, or the darker European works by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman etc. even the Japanese anime scene. However, the comic universe gains from every worldview it engulfs, so get ready; the Filipinos have arrived. The comic TRESE Vol. 1 : Murder on Balete Drive , delves into local Filipino folklore. Growing up with English folklore hearing of the ‘troll’ under the bridge, the ‘will-o'-the-wisp in the marshes’ etc. these visions were exciting and real. Arriving in the Philippine
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