Category Archives: Local Culture

The Pinkification of the Rainbow

  Have you been into a toy shop lately? You should. Walk into any toy shop and check it out. One end will be full of Lego and action figures and guns and games. The other end will be pink. … Continue reading

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Life’s A Beach

‘The eye can observe nature and the mind describe it, but it is truly experienced in the soul.’ ~ Jill Murch (words and photo)   Earlier this year, I escaped to the beach for a few days R&R with my … Continue reading

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It’s only semantics!

I am a trailing spouse. I don’t find it the most flattering of titles, it makes me feel like Virginia Creeper, ivy or a loose thread on his coat tails, with a definite inference that I am dragging on his … Continue reading

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A Japanese Tea Ceremony

This week I witnessed a Japanese Tea Ceremony hosted by the Urasenke Manila Association at the Filipino Heritage Library. It was a fascinating, absorbing occasion, and one I felt honoured to attend. Tea first arrived in Japan from China in … Continue reading

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Imelda: Rumour Has It…

Much enamoured of Carlos Celdran’s Intramuros tour last year, I finally got my act together and booked a place on his long-running tour of the Cultural Centre of the Philippine complex: ‘Livin’ La Vida Imelda’. Unfortunately it turned out to … Continue reading

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5 Things I Love about the Philippines

A moment of reflection on a quiet Sunday afternoon led to five things I love about the Philippines… 1. Security In the malls, hotels, schools and apartment buildings of Manila, I love being met by security guards who scan under … Continue reading

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A Treasure Trove of Dickens’ Women

The Adelaide Festival Centre (a ‘mini-me Sydney Opera House) was completed in 1973, three months before the iconic Opera House opened in New South Wales. Lying on the banks of the River Torrens, the Festival Centre consists of three main … Continue reading

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Delving into Manila’s Markets

The first time I visited the Farmer’s Market in Cubao, Quezon City, I went too late in the morning and I thought I would keel over and die from heat exhaustion. Since then I have learned to drop in early … Continue reading

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“The wonders of technology!”

Once upon a time, when I first went overseas, I relied on snail mail to transport my weekly aerogrammes home to my parents. These inevitably crossed  over in the middle of the Indian Ocean with the most recent one from … Continue reading

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Living in a Bubble

We were asked to write a piece for the ANZA News on where we lived in Manila and why. It was a good excuse to consider and re-assess… When  we first flew into Manila, a realtor took us around Makati … Continue reading

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