Words by Niña Terol-Zialcita Images by Niña Terol-Zialcita 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 a week on a scholarship program, and the French seaside town of La Rochelle, where I was set to make a long-awaited visit to friends. Divided into 20 arrondisements (administrative districts), Paris is certainly a city that takes days—even weeks—to fully explore and enjoy. Even with enough time…Continue Reading “Paris in a Hurry (asianTraveler)”

By Niña Terol; published in Good News Pilipinas.com (originally posted in the blog Out of the Universe) Whether you’re an office worker glued to your desk for most of the week, a Net junkie who loves blogs and social networking sites, an overseas Filipino looking to connect back to home, or simply someone with something to say, the power to set this country right is within your reach. In these times of social unrest, when media focus hops from one controversy and “crisis” to another, Filipinos everywhere are…Continue Reading “7 Resolutions You Can Do for RP While Sitting Down”

By Niña Terol (originally posted in the blog Out of the Universe)   And now we face yet another hundred-million-peso scandal, unfolding in real-time in the august chambers of the Philippine Senate, involving yet another fall guy who is now the country’s hottest topic (and butt of jokes) but who will later on be forgotten. The moment I heard his name—a few years ago, when my mom casually mentioned the name of the Rotary’s then-District Governor—I immediately felt that there was something fishy about a man named…Continue Reading “Within the Joker’s Grasp (Out of the Universe)”

(Originally posted in the blog, Out of the Universe) I consider myself fortunate to be one of the radio anchors of Lider Totoo, the Saturday-morning program on Radyo Veritas that tackles servant leadership through the experience of real leaders working in different fields and different parts of the country. There are few things I enjoy better than listening to great minds sharing their experiences, challenges, and aspirations, and working on this program makes it worthwhile for me to wake up early on a Saturday morning and trek all…Continue Reading “Profiles in “Out of the Universe Leadership” (part 1)”

(Originally posted in the blog, Out of the Universe) I know we’ve all encountered this at one time or another: being made to wait so g**dam* long for a meeting that turns out to last for only a very short while, with people whom you realize you don’t want to deal with at all–even if they paid you a million bucks to show up next time. This is actually my first work-rant post in any blog, but I’m doing it here and now because an…Continue Reading “Stop Wasting My Time (Out of the Universe)”

(Originally posted in the blog, Out of the Universe) I committed one HUGE mistake that proved almost-fatal to my political career when I was in college: I wanted to emulate someone whose position I was aspiring for, and when I finally reached that position my intentions failed to translate into effective actions. It wasn’t because I didn’t care about the responsibilities that were entrusted to me or about the constituency that voted for me—in fact, my involvement in the student council meant pretty much everything…Continue Reading “Lessons in Failed Leadership (Out of the Universe)”

(Originally published in the blog Out of the Universe, and in Inquirer Blogs)   In his piece on Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight for Time, Richard Corliss writes, “Nolan has a… subversive agenda. He wants viewers to stick their hands down the rat hole of evil and see if they get bitten. With little humor to break the tension, The Dark Knight is beyond dark. It’s as black—and teeming and toxic—as the mind of The Joker.” Having watched the film twice—first on Imax and next on a regular theater—I can’t help but agree that…Continue Reading “Why We Need The Joker… and 4 Other Political Lessons I Learned from The Dark Knight (Inquirer Blogs)”

(Originally published in Inquirer Blogs)   It was an ordinary Thursday night, and yet Warehouse 135, the hip warehouse-turned-club on Yakal Street in Makati, was filled to capacity. Only it wasn’t filled with clubgoers and party scenesters—it was filled with young professionals, creative minds, thinkers, and dreamers who all dared to ask a question that would set the tone for the entire evening’s talks: Why not? The WhyNot? Forum, according to founders Mark Ruiz and Bam Aquino, is a “smorgasbord of great, brave ideas—an open-source innovation soup that will…Continue Reading “Filipinos dared to ask: Why not?”