Multimedia

What’s in a name? It’s amazing how, sometimes, one’s given name is truly a reflection of one’s personality. Cynthia (woman from Cynthus) is apparently one of the nicknames of the Greek goddess Artemis, who together with her twin brother Apollo was born on Mount Cynthus.

I grew up during the time when Holy Week or Mahal na Araw was solemnly observed. There were no distractions that time. There were virtually no programs on TV except Holy Week related programs and movies like The Ten Commandments and Spartacus. Even radio stations fell silent during Holy Week. Establishments like restaurants, shopping centers were all closed and the streets of Metro Manila were virtually abandoned. You had no choice but to stay home and think and reflect.

The World Happiness Report for 2025 was released by the United Nations last March 20, 2025, which was also International Day of Happiness. The report does not only rank countries by their average levels of life satisfaction but also explored “the impact of caring and sharing on people’s happiness.”