Pia becomes a writer

TEN YEARS ago, my niece Pia Marie Ancheta Andrade sat on an easy chair, observing things around her as a one-year-old child. Today, she sits on a writer's chair, discussing things around her as a junior columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer!

Pia has been chosen amongst many candidates after a rigorous wave of interviews and examinations.  As a writer for Junior Inquirer, she is expected to attend events organized by the Inquirer, as well as share her thoughts on issues that may interest the tween and teen segment of Inquirer’s readership.  Her first article was published today—and it’s on the cover page of the Junior Inquirer!

Congratulations once again, Pia! You make your parents, siblings, and the rest of us very proud.

Turning 50

JUST WHEN I finally learned how to act like a 40-year-old man, I turned 50. It actually doesn't feel any different! I'll probably have more people around me listening to stories of the endless, amazing things that I've seen and done (and will probably never see and do again), take longer naps on Sundays, dance like a fool, and really feel like an elder‒a creaking, laughable, opinionated, and boundlessly gorgeous elder on his way to being 60!

SIGHTED SITE : CSIA Terminal 2, Mumbai

THE NEW Terminal 2 (T2) of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai changes the way flyers experience airports. 

The terminal, which opened in January 2014, was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and features over 7,000 pieces of antiquities and contemporary Indian art displayed on the airport’s corridors and hallways.  This is the largest public art in any airport in the world, and is a veritable showcase of Mumbai's proudly organic culture amidst a spectacular use of natural light, which the city has so much of.

T2 has got to be the best-designed airport of our generation. 

EPITAPH : Sir Christopher Lee (1922-2015)

WHEN I was growing up, the mere name of Christopher Lee evoked visions of black-and-white horror scenes. He was one of the Terror Triumvirate—Vincent Price and Peter Cushing being the other two—that spooked me as a child watching television. Mr. Price had the terrifying tenor, Mr. Cushing the deathly demeanor, and Mr. Lee—well, he was Dracula, for lord's sake.

But it wasn’t just the creepy cape that he donned. In the span of a very long career, Sir Christopher wore an astonishing diversity of hats, as listed on the infographic below. He was a true Renaissance man, portraying roles of the past in reel life and playing roles ahead of his time in real life.

Mr. Lee has joined the company of Mr. Price and Mr. Cushing in the next world. The heavens must be having a blast with the three unforgettable icons of fright coming together again.