The Wonders of Nature

A dear friend, Marigs, was recently featured in Panorama magazine back home in an article entitled “Working with Nature.” She lives and works (with a most picturesque commute by boat) in a slice of paradise, working diligently to keep it so. The sights and experience of El Nido, Palawan are nothing less than spectacular – one cannot help but feel awe – and I am grateful for (and proud of!) the work Marigs and her staff are doing to sustain and preserve it for our and future generations.

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The Joy of Friendship

It was almost two years ago when I stood at a nearby train station, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a high school friend of mine from back home. It had been years since we last saw each other. True, I never failed to send her a Christmas card every year, but other than that, we rarely kept in touch except for an occasional email or two. And yet she still considered me a very close friend – and I her.

We somehow ended up on opposite sides of the train tracks but eventually found each other and hugged amidst the inevitable laughter and squeals of delight, before walking back to my car holding hands – just as we used to, decades ago.

A touch of home – Pinoy 3D art

What a gorgeous past couple of days! Yesterday, the kids spent most of the time playing outside, save for meals, Mass and a trip to the nearby monastery for the Divine Mercy chaplet. The beautiful weather made concentrating on indoor activities quite a challenge – made more so by all the would-be home projects awaiting our attention. Spring is definitely here!

To commemorate the arrival of spring, I thought I would share some Pinoy decorating ideas with you – ways of incorporating the Filipino touch to your home, including some that are not seemingly Pinoy at first glance.

The best medicine

Time heals all wounds… or so they say. But since none of us have control over time – or over much else, really, though we think we do – Pinoys have resorted instead to mastering the art of laughter.

Real Neat Blog Award

Thank you so much, Yulee, for nominating me for the Real Neat Blog Award! At first glance, this Award seems completely unrelated to all things Pinoy, but in reality, it very much is – Yulee Foster was crowned Miss Philippines UK 2014.

Of Salubongs and gardens

There is a beautiful tradition in the Philippines, usually held at 3 or 4 o’clock on Easter morning, called the “Salubong” – literally, the act of meeting someone who is arriving. I’ve only attended one of these, as far as I can recall, but one is all you really need in order to appreciate this very poignant experience of Easter morn, where deep sorrow turns into indescribable joy.

It’s not about you

In a nutshell, that’s Fr. Barron’s reflection for today – a simple truth that seems so alien to the Western world nowadays.