Tag Archives: manila

RIP Carlos Celdran

It was with real sadness that I read the news of the death of Carlos Celdran in Madrid this week. As the story broke, there was recognition and regret on the Facebook page of every friend I had in Manila, … Continue reading

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“Really Traffic” or “Jurassic Prawns”

i could not find the ballads or read the books dedicated to writing the grief we fall into when friends leave it is the type of heartache that does not hit you like a tsunami it is a slow cancer … Continue reading

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Compare & Contrast

Nine months ago, we packed our bags and too many boxes, and headed out to Ninoy Aquino International Airport for the last time. It was six years and a matter of days since I had first arrived in the Philippines. … Continue reading

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Consider the Teapot

  “Yes, that’s it! Said the Hatter with a sigh, “it’s always tea time.” ` Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Consider the teapot: a vessel with spout and handle for making and serving tea. It may be tall and silver-stately … Continue reading

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Stream of Consciousness

Earlier this year, back home in Manila, the Metropolitan Museum held a fascinating and unusual exhibition. “Tapas: Spanish Design for Food,” presented by Accion Cultural Espanola, the Instituto Cervantes Manila and the Spanish Embassy, was a display of food, kitchen … Continue reading

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Singing Carols at Christmas

I love singing, particularly at Christmas. It lightens the heart and puts a smile on my face. So when I arrived in the Philippines and discovered there was a choir I could join, I jumped at the chance. Asia Minors … Continue reading

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Café Culture

So here I sit in my favourite coffee spot in Manila, contemplating my coffee cup as palm trees flutter and spotless azure skies belie the approaching winter. I am intensely grateful for the air-conditioning that is dispersing the cloying humidity … Continue reading

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Coming Home

October. Manila. Home at last to my own bed, my own bathroom, my own aromas. My bruised and battered suitcase unpacked after weeks on the road, my portable wardrobe tossed onto the laundry floor. A glass of wine waiting. From … Continue reading

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Prego!

The City of Dreams, the latest casino in Manila’s growing Armada, had a soft opening in Paranaque last December, amongst all the usual pre-Christmas chaos, and is now up, up and away. Spend money to make money seems to be … Continue reading

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Thunder Storms

Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drench’d our steeples, drown’d the cocks! ~ William Shakespeare, King Lear The rainy season is almost upon us. Tonight the thunder and lightning pre-empted … Continue reading

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