Unplugged

BY FATIMA GIMENEZ

OCTOBER 19, 2026

It has been quite some time since I made a detour to my next-door neighbor, who is an expert in the field of adolescent medicine. Our discussions have always turned out to be quite colorful, and this was no exception. While we swung from one topic to another, both personal and work-related, the conversation eventually landed on concerns regarding the vulnerability of our youth and their mental health.

I have always turned to her for needed guidance, particularly on how to improve conversations with my adolescent and young adult patients. Admittedly, even if there is a template with which we can assess their psychosocial well-being and identify risk factors that may influence their behavior—better known to pediatricians as HEADSSS—which stands for H-home, E-education, E-eating, A-activities, D-drugs, S-sexuality, S-suicide, S-safety—I need to work at making those interactions more comfortable and fluid rather than sounding rigid and rehearsed. It is a learned skill and requires constant practice and extreme patience. From experience, I have found that the mention of food never fails to be a good jump-off point aside from touching on the latest trend, or knowing what the current and so-called “happening places” are. The challenge is to get them interested enough to pursue the conversation with you and progress to that level wherein they voluntarily provide the needed information, which, as a physician, enables you to manage their concerns. And while I may be touching on a doctor-patient relationship, the ingredients to having that needed connection may also apply to parenting techniques.

 

Beyond four walls, a balcony worth loving

BY IDR. CHAT FORES

OCTOBER 17, 2026

If you live in a small space, you might be blessed with a balcony that’s big enough to accommodate a few things that can turn your home into an oasis.

I always look at the balcony as a backyard of sorts. You can get quite creative by adding design pieces that make this outdoor space a cozy retreat, distinct from your interiors.

Having a small garden on your balcony can bring in a lot of good vibes.

Pinoy dance crew among winners at K-Pop dance cover fest in Seoul

By Jonathan Hicap

Published Oct 18, 2026 12:51 pm | 

Now in its 16th year, the 2026 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival featured over 100 participants from 13 countries.

During the final round, Meraki performed K-pop group TWICE’s “Ooh-Ahh” and “Heart Shaker.” 

They were named winners alongside male cover dance group EXNITE from Indonesia, and K*Dear from Japan. 

The judges were Choi Young Jun from Team Same, Nohwon from 1Million Amazon, Paperman from Lock’N’Lol Crew and Ryuo from Auspicious Crew. 

Meraki earned the right to represent the Philippines in the KCDF World Final when they won the local round in June during the “Everyone’s KPop: KPop in Colors."

The world final in Seoul was hosted by The Seoul Shinmun Daily and sponsored by the Korean Cultural Center, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korea Entertainment Producers Association, Federation of Korean Music Performers, Seoul Tourism Organization and Black Clover.   The K-Pop Cover Dance Festival (KCDF) World Final in Seoul on Oct. 17 (Screenshot from K-pop TV video on YouTube)

Winner Meraki from the Philippines (Photo from K-Pop Cover Dance Festival Instagram account)

Winner Meraki from the Philippines at the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival (KCDF) World Final in Seoul on Oct. 17 (Screenshot from K-pop TV video on YouTube)

Winner Meraki from the Philippines at the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival (KCDF) World Final in Seoul on Oct. 17 (Screenshot from K-pop TV video on YouTube)

Meraki from the Philippines performing at the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival (KCDF) World Final in Seoul on Oct. 17 (Screenshot from K-pop TV video on YouTube)

Winner Meraki from the Philippines at the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival (KCDF) World Final in Seoul on Oct. 17 (Screenshot from K-pop TV video on YouTube)

EXNITE from Indonesia (Screenshot from K-pop TV video on YouTube)

K*Dear from Japan (Screenshot from K-pop TV video on YouTube)

The judges (Photo from K-Pop Cover Dance Festival Instagram account)

Finding sanctuary in fragility

In 'Glass Houses,' Chels Munger journeys through grief and heritage

By S.C. Fojas

Published Oct 19, 2026 09:08 am

MEET THE ARTIST Chels Munger

Sometimes the path we think we’re supposed to take stops making sense. For Filipino-American artist Chels Munger, working in digital design felt increasingly distant from the real feelings she wanted to share. So she stepped away from the screen and picked up a paintbrush instead. That leap of faith culminates in “Glass Houses,” her first solo exhibit, where she uses bold abstract art to process the loss of her mother and reconnect with her Filipino roots.

Running at Gallery BiG, located on the 4th floor of Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City, the exhibit marks both an essential homecoming and an intimate evolution for the 22-year-old artist.

From pixels to pigment

Chels’ journey to canvas was not a straightforward trajectory. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and currently studying Studio Art at Pasadena City College, she initially pursued a career in entertainment design. She spent years immersed in digital media. Screen-bound pixels, however, eventually felt inadequate for the weight of the stories she needed to tell.

“I was doing a lot of digital work, but it slowly began to lack a certain feeling I was trying to convey,” Chels reflects. “Eventually my digital work was doing everything to look painterly, so I figured, why not just paint? I found that painting was the only place I could access the emotion I was trying to convey.”

Describing her signature style as “a mix of abstraction and expressionism,” Chels channels visceral emotion into raw visual statement. Working primarily in oil paint while frequently incorporating acrylics and mixed media to build layered, tactile surfaces, her canvases weave recurring themes—childhood memories, grief, family relations, upbringing, growth, and guidance—seamlessly across every piece.

A defining characteristic of Chels’ work is her distinct integration of text as a visual and narrative element. By incorporating paper cutouts, repeated phrases, song lyrics, and fragments of old letters or personal documents directly into her compositions, these textual components act as emotional markers, deepening her visual storytelling and guiding viewers through subtle layers of each painting.

A tribute to heritage and heartbreak

At its core, “Glass Houses” serves as both a tribute to Chels’ late Filipina mother and a journey through her personal heritage in the Philippines. The collection traces a year-long trajectory through loss, transforming personal heartache into shared human connection.

“‘Glass Houses’ is somewhat a homecoming for me,” Chels explains. “It is also a tribute to my late mother. After her passing, I was struggling with handling the grief, so everything in this exhibit is really a display of that grief throughout this past year, as well as a way for me to reconnect with my heritage here in the Philippines.”

The title itself highlights her commitment to emotional openness with the viewer.

“I chose my title because of the transparency I was trying to have with my audience about who I am and what I feel. To me, art is all about connection, to empathize with one another, human to human, even just for a few moments. ‘Glass Houses’ is a safe space for that,” she says.

Every collection has a turning point. For Chels, two key pieces anchored the trajectory of “Glass Houses.”

“Counting Sheep” served as the foundational spark. “I had been painting for months, but it wasn’t until ‘Counting Sheep’ that I felt ready to work on a possible exhibit,” Chels notes.

“You Won’t See Me on Monday,” by contrast, provided the central motifs and atmospheric imagery that defined the rest of the collection.

The spontaneous spark

Chels’ creative process thrives on sensory triggers: a fleeting sound, an evocative phrase, or a sudden visual image that demands realization.

“Sensory things are what give me the best leads to a new painting,” she says. “Some paintings are done in an hour; others take me months of scraping and refining before I’m satisfied.

Her studio setup mirrors this organic, unpretentious ethos. Rather than a formal, pristine workspace, her studio lives in everyday domestic corners.

“My studio is basically either my desk next to my dining room or the floor of my garage. So it’s hardly a studio, but I think that’s okay,” she says. “My grandparents’ house is the same way; the whole house is the studio. Wherever you find space to paint, that’s where you will do it.”

This physical constraint adds an authentic dynamic to her canvases.

“I think this helps apply a bit of tension to my work because I am forced to work with the elements around me while also conveying the message I want. It’s somewhat of a balance,” she says.

Knowing when a piece is finished requires delicate intuition. Chels describes an internal gut feeling that signals completion, often accompanied by a wave of anxiety that warns against further interference.

When viewers step into Gallery BiG to view “Glass Houses,” Chels hopes they approach the collection with an open interpretation and personal resonance.

“Take with you what sticks, and toss the rest,” she ends.

Can a buffet be considered sustainable?

Novotel Manila's fresh approach to buffet dining

By Poch Eulalia

Published Oct 19, 2026 09:18 am

At A Glance

• Each station offers familiar favorites for Filipino diners, with cuisines coming from Japan, Italy, and India.

SUSTAINABLE BUFFET Food Exchange Manila's Freshfinity experience promises a new approach to buffet dining. (Photos: Novotel Manila)

Buffet dining, more often than not, focuses on the abundance of options.

Though for some, it leaves a lingering question regarding the sustainability of it all. Sure, most venues have a no-leftover policy to keep diners in check, but there’s still a curiosity regarding what happens to any food that goes untouched at a buffet. Enter Food Exchange Manila and its Freshfinity buffet experience, which is set to change the all-you-can-eat experience.

From left: Chef Angelique Llatanda, Chef Athena Tuble, and Chef Michael Ramos

Under the helm of Chef Athena Tuble, the Freshfinity experience opens up six culinary stations that follow a more focused culinary identity. Each station offers familiar favorites for Filipino diners, with cuisines coming from Japan, Italy, and India. Every serving is proportioned in a manner that ensures no food goes to waste. Ingredients are also certified fresh and sourced locally to ensure Filipino farmers and fishermen gain the proper support they need to maintain their livelihoods.

With all this in mind, indulging in the buffet’s offerings feels better knowing it’s all in good hands. Should you find yourself unsure of where to start, we recommend stopping by the fresh sushi station to request slices of your desired fish. Whether it’s tuna or salmon, the umami brought in each bite is sure to kickstart your meal with excitement. Afterwards, take it easy by picking out several different cheeses and cold cuts on display in the middle aisle, all arranged in a wonderful charcuterie-style arrangement. It’s best paired with the cocktail drinks on offer as well.

For the heavier side of things, you can never go wrong with the Butcher’s Block carving station. Opt for a generous serving of the premium roasted meats on offer and the chef-selected cuts. Then, there’s the Brasserie Maison station where you can request your grilled meat of choice or from the fresh catch of seafood on offer. Our personal favorites, however, are the freshly baked pizza offerings. Go for either the four-cheese pizza or the sisg pizza for a savory treat. We also recommend having a generous serving of Chicken Biryani from the Indian section of the buffet.

Once you’ve had your fill, there’s always room for a sweet treat to wrap it all up. Try the gelato if you’re looking to cool down from the heat. Or, if you’re looking for the opposite feeling, go for the Chili Cacao Truffle to get a literal bite of sweet and spicy. Of course, you can also never go wrong with a slice of cake, of which there are many different types to choose from.

Food Exchange Manila’s Freshfinity buffet can be experienced within Novotel Manila at Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City.

Pneumonic plague: Should we be worried?

 

By Dr. Edsel Salvana

Published Oct 19, 2026 12:05 am | Updated Oct 18, 2026 03:35 pm

CLINICAL MATTERS

The Russian government earlier this month reported the death of a 28-year-old laboratory researcher in Serbia from pneumonia. The researcher worked in the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute, and so naturally people were alarmed that she may have been infected by the plague bacteria that she was working on. Several co-workers have been quarantined even as Russian authorities sought to downplay any link between plague and the researcher’s pneumonia diagnosis.

Pneumonia can be caused by many kinds of bacteria and viruses. Some of these can be deadly even for a young 28-year-old, and we do not know if she had any underlying illnesses that would increase the risk of contracting pneumonia. At this time, there is no evidence that what the researcher had is pneumonic plague. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are understandably trying to obtain more information, and it remains to be seen if Russia will release the full results of its investigation.

What is plague, and can it cause pneumonia? What is the likelihood that this is what the researcher contracted? How probable is it that this will make it to the Philippines? Should we be worried or is this a false alarm?

Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It is usually transmitted to humans from the bite of the rat flea. It can also be transmitted from close contact with infected animals. There are several forms of plague: bubonic plague, septicemic plague, and pneumonic plague. The most common form is bubonic plague which predominantly affects the lymphatic system. Bubonic plague can be deadly, especially if it progresses to septicemic or pneumonic plague. Pneumonic plague is specific to the lungs and can be acquired by the inhalation of respiratory droplets from infected animals or humans. Septicemic and pneumonic plague is deadlier bubonic plague and can reach 100 percent fatality without treatment.

Yersinia pestis is found throughout the world, including the Philippines. Historical archives reveal bubonic plague outbreaks in the Philippines. A paper from the Journal of the American Medical Association from 1913 reported 55 cases of bubonic plague in Manila. 46 Filipinos, eight Chinese, and one Caucasian were infected. All cases were handled in San Lazaro Hospital.

While the infamous “Black Death” killed up to 200 million people in the Middle Ages, plague is no longer as deadly. The availability of effective antibiotics, improved diagnostics and modern hygienic practices make plague outbreaks more manageable. Sporadic cases from natural infection involving wild or feral animals do still occur, including a recent pneumonic plague case in the United States in 2025.

Antibiotics used for the treatment of plague include fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin), aminoglycosides and tetracyclines. Prompt diagnosis is essential and if treatment is started within 24 hours of symptom onset, there is a good chance of survival. While bubonic plague is not transmitted from person to person, pneumonic plague can be contagious. Contact tracing and quarantine should be initiated if this is suspected and close contacts offered antibiotic prophylaxis. A vaccine against plague exists but is not available locally.

Because of its inherent deadliness, plague is historically one of the diseases that have been weaponized. The Soviet Union and the United States had active programs to weaponize plague from the 1960s, until production was banned in the 1970s. Used as an aerosol, it can infect a significant number of people with pneumonic plague. Russia may possibly still have some leftover plague stocks from the Soviet Union, and this is why the US CDC and WHO are concerned about the recent pneumonia case and have called for greater transparency.

At the time of this writing, Russia has denied that plague is involved and has already evaluated most of the case’s close contacts. Even if this is found to be pneumonic plague, WHO has assessed the overall public health risk as low. It is working with Russian authorities to prevent any future potential exposures. In the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to be vigilant especially for those people in the vulnerable population. Consult only high-quality information sources for the latest updates. Don’t fall for fake news which, in a way, is a plague of its own.

ANOTHER FILIPINA ON THE VS RUNWAY

 Philippine Star

 

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ANOTHER FILIPINA ON THE VS RUNWAY

Christina Nadin has just made her Victoria's Secret Fashion Show debut, making her the second Filipina to walk the VS runway.