The STAR’s Lifestyle section encompassed what people perceived as "lifestyle" and then some. It pioneered themes that became the templates for other newspapers. It became, even in its early days, the most copied section in publishing.
From the beginning, the section was never just about social events and the latest lifestyle trends. It pushed into the spotlight the passing fads and the resilience of fashion, the permanence of family issues, the concerns of the young, the importance of sharing life experiences, and the value of writing about people – artists, writers, designers, achievers, architects, ordinary people, and yes, even politicians – who have made a difference in our lives.
Monday’s Arts and Culture provides a venue not only for established artists and writers but for up-and-coming ones and their works. Business Life also on Mondays turns the subject into a topic for everyday people and how it relates to our lives.
Tuesday’s Health and Family answers the questions every parent wants to know about raising children and the latest in medical matters and fitness trends.
Wednesday’s Fashion and Beauty gives tips on how to look good, features the latest in world fashion and at the same time encouraging promising local designers.
Thursday’s Leisure gives readers a respite from the stresses of everyday life and points where to go for good food and fun.
Friday’s YoungStar is the bullhorn of the young who want to share their experiences and how they cope with their problems, while YStyle highlights cutting-edge fashion and the lifestyle of young adults living lives less ordinary.
Saturday’s Modern Living was the first to bring built-heritage issues into the mainstream media and give homeowners tips on how to turn their houses into homes, while PetLife articulates what our animal friends can’t and teaches us how to be responsible pet owners.
And the Sunday Lifestyle is all about life in these times – at turns absurd and serious, humorous and inspiring – speaking in many voices to and for the different generations about wide-ranging topics. On the same day, Travel Now features the places we dream of visiting, at the same time promoting local tourism and little hideaways awaiting discovery.
The strength of the section, of course, has always been its people. Through the years, it has had many staffers, all of whom dedicated themselves to becoming the best writers no matter what they were writing about. Today, the section is staffed by people who never take themselves too seriously, putting their biases and cynism aside, and celebrating in the learning and little discoveries they make about the people they’re covering and about themselves.
Lifestyle editor Millet Mananquil, mother to three children and seven staffers, is a boss who has a knack for discovering talent and developing stories. Behind Millet’s steely facade is a compassionate heart. She de-stresses between sleepless press nights through books (from Peter Mayle to Adeline Yen Mah), music (Astrud Gilberto, Beatles and Dave Clark 5 forever), and TV and movies ( preferably with Dermot Mulroney). Millet tells the staff not to belittle seemingly shallow events and people (including those who try to put you down), for there is always something new to learn everyday. Millet is at home in both the designer shops of Paris and the flea markets of Bangkok.
The assistant editors: Ching Alano is a committed journalist who still hates deadlines (after all these years!) but loves her job, her family, tempura ("I can eat it every day"), Chad Michael Murray, Jude Law, Tyler Florence of "Food 911,"Michael V., Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, collecting angel stuff and anything pink – not necessarily in that order; Tanya T. Lara, who collects stand-up comedy recordings and is a mystery fan who likes to peek at the last pages of a book while she’s beginning one, is a homemaker who loves her two dogs and loves her husband STAR Metro editor Romel Lara even more; Therese Jamora-Garceau is also a makeup artist for film and music videos, she’s a book, music and cinema buff who likes groups you’ve never heard of before like David Sylvian and Japan, and her husband STAR deskman Scott Garceau is her partner in obscure interests while her daughter Isobel in beauty junkiehood.
The sub-editors: Joseph Cortes, a food enthusiast who will travel for good food and will not flinch at anything exotic, is a classical and opera buff who is now listening to the keyboard music of Rameau and Couperin and the music of Mali and Cape Verde Islands; Kathy Moran is a champion power lifter and a pet lover who lives with her four furry dogs and her mom.
The staff writers: Igan D’Bayan, who’s also an artist, is a fan of purveyors of weirdness such as Francis Bacon, Frank Zappa and Franz Kafka; Lynette Lee Corporal, who is interested in eastern philosophies and dreams of meeting the Dalai Lama, is a wandering soul who must have been a gypsy in her past life. The layout artists: Rey Rivera, Efren Torres and Felix "Boy" Suerte have patiently learned to live with each staffer’s quirks and endure all-nighters with them.
These are the people who put the Lifestyle section to bed every day – they write, laugh and eat fattening food between deadlines.
And so, to the Philippine STAR readers, the Lifestyle section staff says:: Thank you. It’s a blast creating this section for you.