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EDITORIAL

 

By Klaus Döring

Our globe and its population bear innumerable strange facts. In many people’s opinion, this world shows mostly worrying characteristics and symptoms nowadays. No wonder. Just try to consume and digest today’s headlines and news from all around the globe.

It is a world with quickly bridged distances — our Mother Earth is becoming smaller and smaller. Any tourist, even with little time and only a small budget, can travel to other faraway cultures. But joining them, as well as different races and religious communities, requires, first of all, great care, tact, instinctive feelings, empathy, and logical ideas.

The stranger whom we meet for the first time during a business meeting, for example, may be an uncommon, odd, and extraordinary guy. He may be someone from a foreign country who speaks another language and whose skin is of another color. He may be a migrant, a restless hiker, or an expatriate in our neighbourhood.

The foreigner beside you and me can become a provocation or a challenge. Strangeness can become exoticism. Maybe that’s why my family and I decided to move to the Philippines. On the other hand — going abroad can open other and even better horizons. We must not feel like “a stranger in paradise.” By the way, I never did, since I have toured around the globe many times.

However, a migrant bears a juxtaposition of optimism (even calculated optimism!), confused feelings, nostalgia, and homesickness. Yes, guys, during the first two years of my expat life in the Philippines, the round-trip ticket was always on my mind because no one among us can escape his native roots.

But I am really a lucky guy. I experienced amazing tolerance in the Philippines. A real, practiced tolerance. Already during my first business meetings, I met supportive, forbearing, and broad-minded people. A wonderful mix of different cultures without giving up their own identity. …

Every new challenge in a strange country means a change. Changes in life are necessary and important. Let’s alter or make a difference; let’s put one thing in place of another; let’s shift; let’s quit one state for another; let’s put on fresh clothing. Let’s burn the “lock fat” away. And remember: nothing comes from nothing.

+++

Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, or X (formerly Twitter), or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com.

THE POWER OF WORDS

 

By

 Panay News

 -

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

BY KLAUS DÖRING

JOSEPH Telushkin (born 1948) is an American rabbi, lecturer, and bestselling author of more than 15 books, including volumes about Jewish ethics, Jewish literacy, as well as the book Rebbe, a New York Times bestseller released in June 2014.

Long time ago, Telushkin stressed, “If you can’t go for 24 hours without saying unkind things about others, you have lost control of your tongue”. He lectured on the awesome power of words.

He suggested taking a revealing “tongue test” to see where you stand. “Monitor your conversations for two days,” he said. Note every time you say something negative about someone, who is not present. Also record, when others do so, as well as your reactions, when it happens. Do you try to silence the speaker, or do you ask for more details?” Telushkin concluded, “Most of us who take this test are unpleasantly surprised.” 

I found a wonderful description in Proverbs 6:16-19, relating to the causes and effects of damaging words: “Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

The power of words, written as well as spoken out, is a weapon, which can hurt – or kill! Writing with a wicked pen and having a sharp tongue doesn’t mean that all of us should walk disrespectfully through others life, Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom – even without a wicked pen and a sharp tongue!

Matthew 12:34 says, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Another religious writer, Dave McCasland said, “The place to begin dealing with our words is inside our thoughts about others and us. If we accompany that with the a commitment to stop speaking hurtful words, we have begun a dramatic mid-course correction in life.”

Yes, careless words can really inflict wounds that last a lifetime. Kind words can bring healing and encouragement. Let’s accept this great challenge and think first before we open our mouth or before we start writing.

***

Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter or visit my www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com./PN

Mariah Deborah takes over no. 1 spot

Mariah Deborah takes over no. 1 spot

 

SOUNDS FAMILIAR - Baby A. Gil - The Philippine Star 

October 4, 2026 | 12:00am

After the descent of Cup of Joe’s Multo from the top of the charts, it became an exciting guessing game wondering who would take over the slot. fitterkarma, with its emotional alt-pop tunes Kalapastangan and Ang Pag-ibig ay Kanibalismo, won the race for a few months. And then the guessing game started again.

For a while there, it looked like we were headed towards a hip-hop holiday season. The likes of HELLMERRY and Skusta Clee were coming on strong, and Hev Abi’s street poetry was making itself felt again. Even Arthur Nery dabbled in it with Palaisipan, a collab with rapper Loonie.

But it looks like the lovelorn Pinoy was not going to let that happen. Just as RAPROJECT was getting ready for total takeover, the love songs zoomed to the top. I checked out the hit lists last week and found new titles in the top slots. These are all soft pop tunes with heart-tearing themes. And take note, they are all first hits by previously unknown acts.

The current number one is Na Para Bang, which is about developing romantic feelings for a friend. It is by singer and songwriter Mariah Deborah. That is her real name. She was born Mariah Deborah Cabatbat in Calasiao, Pangasinan. I have never been to Calasiao, but I am familiar with the name because the town produces delicious puto and kutsinta.

The pretty Mariah Deborah is 24 years old and is a Communications graduate of the University of the Philippines Baguio. She comes from a family of musicians and has been singing since she was a kid. She is now an independent singer, songwriter and producer. She was inspired by Taylor Swift to go into songwriting and develop her music career. It has now turned out that she is good at it.

Na Para Bang is Mariah Deborah’s first hit. Let us wait and see if her other works like Bahagya and Hibang will follow suit.

Also a love song is the cute and honest alt-pop declaration by the ukulele-rocking folk group Esemborak. The title is Mahal Magmahal. Take note that mahal here does not mean loved. It is the homonym that means expensive. “Mahal magmahal” means it is expensive to fall in love because “mahal na ang bigas pati lata ng sardinas.” So true, but that never stopped the ever-in-love Pinoy.

For more romantic tracks by what I believe are the sweetest male voices around, do check out the nostalgic Totoong Tayo by Jin DC, Libo-libong Buwan (Uuwian) by Kyle Raphael and Panaginip by Awit Awards’ Best New Artist nicole.

By the way, hip-hop may have lost out to the love ballads as chart-toppers, but it is still doing well and actually dominates the hit lists. Here now is the latest from Spotify:

Na Para Bang by Mariah Deborah; Mahal Magmahal by Esemborak; Totoong Tayo by Jin DC; Panaginip by nicole; Ain’t in LA by ADELA; TMA by Ground ZERO Records; Summer Crush by HELLMERRY; Kalapastangan by fitterkarma; Libo-libong Buwan (Uuwian) by Kyle Raphael; Ang Pag-ibig ay Kanibalismo also by fitterkarma; Uncle Dags by Weng Weng with Gaspar; Baby 123 by RAPROJECT SIX; Eyes Can’t Lie also by RAPROJECT SIX; Shulocks again by RAPROJECT SIX; Paraluman by Adie; Stop the Wedding by Ashe; Alabang and Again by RAPROJECT SIX; The Cure by Olivia Rodrigo; Multo by Cup of Joe; Siempre by Willie Revillame; Pahintulot by shirebound; Nicole Kidman by ADELA; Alam Ko Na by DENY; About You by The 1975; and Since Day One by Skusta Clee with Flow G.