DON’T BE SCARED. “Skull 3”, pencil on smooth Bristol paper. Illustration by Sara Blake

(First published on Rappler.com on February 12, 2014) MANILA, Philippines – What does it take to live a life less ordinary? At the recently held Graphika Manila 2014, luminaries from the creative world shared the stage to talk about their creative process, their best work, the mistakes they’ve made, and lessons they’ve learned along the way. We saw from their individual journeys that whatever the speakers’ backgrounds—whether they hailed from Barcelona or Bacolod, were a newbie or a veteran, worked freelance or in a studio—they…Continue Reading “Feeling uninspired? Wise words from top creatives (Rappler.com)”

"Surviving the 10-Day Lemon Juice Cleanse": A must-read on Rappler.com! :)

NOTE: My first major piece for the year was the product of sacrifice, self-awareness, honesty, and a whole lot of lemon juice. THANK YOU to my editors at Rappler for allowing me to share this–and thanks to the many readers who made this one of the “most read” pieces for that cycle! Sharing an excerpt here 🙂 MANILA, Philippines – The Lemon Juice Cleanse, a.k.a. Master Cleanse or the Lemonade Diet, is a 10-day cleanse that involves fasting on all solid foods and drinking only…Continue Reading “Surviving the 10-Day Lemon Juice Cleanse (Rappler.com)”

2nd WAVE. HEIGHTS WANTS YOUR WORK. Click on the image to visit the Heights website for details

Calling all Ateneo alumni! Do you have creative pieces that have been locked up in your drawers and hidden hard drive folders, waiting to be dusted off and shared with the world? Heights has an open call for submissions until January 4, 2014–and we can still be part of it! Here are the mechanics, taken from the Heights website: FOR CONTRIBUTIONS YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT You need not be a Heights member to contribute. Heights accepts contributions year-round; however, there are deadlines for special issues (e.g….Continue Reading “Calling all Ateneo alumni! You can still submit creative work to Heights!”

"Mighty Aphrodite" in Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, November 2013 issue

NOTE: This is a late post, and I apologize to my editors for not promoting the November 2013 issue of T+L Southeast Asia early enough. But between dealing with the aftermath of supertyphoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) plus all the traveling we did in November, there hasn’t been much time to catch our breath! Mighty Aphrodite A young woman in the Philippines has made it her personal mission to save the seas. By Niña Terol-Zialcita (Published in the November 2013 issue of Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia) Many little…Continue Reading “Mighty Aphrodite (Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia)”

AMANPULO. Paradise in the Sulu Sea. Screen shot from http://www.amanresorts.com/

(First published on November 4, 2013) in Rappler.com) [See the original image here] MANILA, Philippines – Amanpulo, the ultra-exclusive resort located in Pamalican Island in the Sulu Sea, has once again made it to Condé Nast Traveller’s list of Top 100 resorts, hotels and spas in the Readers’ Travel Awards 2013. The resort was cited among the Top 20 in the Asia & India category, with a numeric rating of 77.88 over 100. Amanpulo is the only Philippine resort to make it to this year’s Top 100. According…Continue Reading “Amanpulo, Visayas Islands among the best of Conde Nast (Rappler.com)”

DINIWID PARADISE. Heaven's painting. All photos by Niña Terol-Zialcita

(First published on November 3, 2013 in Rappler.com) I kicked off my flip-flops and dug my feet into the cool, soft sand. It was the first sunny morning in a week of stormy skies and sudden rainshowers, and I wanted to make the most of it. I sipped the warm, sweet taho that I bought from a roving vendor, then I settled my glass snugly into the sand before finding my own sweet spot. In front of me, the high tide was carrying strong waves in a…Continue Reading “Diniwid beach: The quiet side of Boracay (Rappler.com)”

The Paris must-sees | Photos by Niña Terol-Zialcita | View more travel photos at @ninaterol on Instagram

(First published in asianTraveler Magazine in October 2010) Note: A colleague of mine is traveling to Paris in a couple of weeks, which made me fish out my old Paris booklets and re-open this old published piece. I share it here in case anyone needs tips for getting to know Paris in just 24 short but sweet hours. I have to admit: it was a rather foolish decision to make Paris only a short pit stop between my trip to Prague, Czech Republic, where I had spent…Continue Reading “#ThrowbackThursday: Paris in a Hurry (asianTraveler Magazine)”

10 Ways to Enjoy Russia by Niña Terol-Zialcita, in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Photo of the Moscow Kremlin courtesy of the Russian Embassy

(Published on October 19, 2013 in the Philippine Daily Inquirer) To the intrepid traveler in search of exotic sites and adventures, Russia is the perfect starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Aside from being the largest country in the world, spanning two continents and covering 1/7 of the earth’s total land area, Russia is also home to some of the most awe-inspiring natural and manmade wonders on the planet. (Some of the most widely televised events in the world will be held there, such…Continue Reading “10 Ways to Enjoy Russia (Philippine Daily Inquirer)”

A portion of the Baclayon Church which, according to locals, shows a miraculous image of Padre Pio... Do you see it? (Bohol, Philippines) | Photo by Niña Terol-Zialcita

The beautiful Philippine province of Bohol was struck this morning, 15 October 2013, by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that left scores dead and badly damaged a number of government, historical, and tourism structures. One of the most badly hit was Baclayon Church, completed in 1727 and considered one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Another popular landmark that was destroyed is the viewing deck of the world-famous Chocolate Hills in Carmen, the epicenter of the Bohol quake. It was heartbreaking to see the state of…Continue Reading “In remembrance: 10 Ways Bohol Feeds Your Heart and Soul (Click the City)”