THRIVE MANILA | October 17 to 25, 2015 | Click on the image to visit the THRIVE Facebook page and learn more about this inspiring event

(Originally published in Inquirer.net on October 16, 2015) It’s a curious kind of convergence, happening in one of the world’s most complicated cities to navigate and live in. Artists and designers will get to hang around startups, who’ll also get to meet social media mavens and social enterprises, who’ll most likely be enjoined by bike advocates and environmentalists to support their causes. There will be art, music, green and healthy food, bikes, left and right brains, and more conscientious shopping. Welcome to THRIVE, a first-of-its…Continue Reading “THRIVE: Where Manila’s cool changemakers converge (Inquirer.net)”

BEFORE AND AFTER. Happier in the process. Photos provided by Nina Terol

(First published on August 16, 2014 on Rappler.com) Here are some of the things that the writer did to make that change happen for the long haul. Three months ago, I was 40 lbs. overweight, addicted to chocolates and sweets, and hardly able to walk up 4 short flights of steps without running out of breath. I had just moved into a new job, and my medical test results showed that my cholesterol and triglycerides were high, and my blood sugar levels were above normal….Continue Reading “My weight loss journey: 12 weeks, 20 lbs, no fad diet (Rappler.com)”

The author with former Walt Disney Imagineer McNair Wilson

(First published on June 8, 2014 in Rappler.com) Dreading your next big meeting? Empowering advice from former Disney Imagineer McNair Wilson Whether you’re working by yourself or in a team, there will be times when you’ll need a breakthrough idea to save the day. Oftentimes, however, typical “brainstorming” sessions end with nothing much because, according to former Walt Disney Imagineer McNair Wilson, “Nobody knows how to brainstorm anymore… Usually what’s going on is playful arguing with snacks on the table.” Wilson, now an author and…Continue Reading “10 tips for your next brainstorming session at work (Rappler.com)”

FAMILY LOVE. The author (leftmost) says unconditional love defines a truly "modern family."

(First published on March 12, 2014 in Rappler.com) My sister came out to the family when she was in her teens – although she says she knew as early as 5 or 7 years old that she did not have a girl’s heart. It took a while for our family to accept and adjust to this reality even if the signs were there very early on: Kens over Barbies, cars over dolls, crying whenever she would be asked to wear a dress, challenging guys to “one-on-one”…Continue Reading “10 lessons I learned from having a lesbian sister (Rappler.com)”

Mitch Albom and Me ;)

I was such a huge fan of Tuesdays with Morrie, the New York Times bestseller about professor Morrie Schwartz’s lessons on dying and death, as experienced and written by his student, Mitch Albom. Like many of Albom’s readers, I had always regarded him as an inspirational writer whose works are “must-reads” and “must-shares.” So imagine my surprise (and elation!) when I got a call from my Rappler editor, asking if I would take on an assignment interviewing Albom during his trip to the Philippines. My answer was inelegant,…Continue Reading “A Tuesday with Mitch Albom”

BAGS FOR REBUILDING LIVES. [Clockwise from upper left] Taclob meets with master bagmaker, Mr. Yadu Saulo and Khumbmela/Yadu Bag’s managing partner Dhanvan Saulo; 5th grader Angelo is one of the first owners of the upcycled, storm-proof, hand-made Taclob Bags; behind-the-scenes at the Ambassadors of Compassion photo shoot; Jourdan Sebastian in Tacloban, with the first recipients of Taclob bags. All images from the Instagram account of Jourdan Sebastian, used with permission.

(First published on Homegrown.ph on February 21, 2014) How does a country recover from the unprecedented disaster unleashed by a supertyphoon? By creating new opportunities and creating a thriving center for enterprise. by Niña Terol-Zialcita Can the Philippines be the social enterprise capital of the world? This was the bold question raised by Jourdan Sebastian, a filmmaker, producer, actor, and spoken word artist who recently co-organized “Operation Airdrop” to airlift much-needed relief goods to remote areas that were hardest hit by Yolanda. A self-proclaimed “Dreamer Warrior,” Sebastian…Continue Reading “Building The Social Enterprise Capital Of The World (Homegrown.ph)”

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)”

"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)”