Category Archives: Local Culture

Down on the Farm

Posted on 14 March 2016 by sheg4184

The sky was clear, with no hint of rain, and a beautiful breeze across the paddocks all day – perfect weather for a picnic… Last weekend, a small group from the Social Welfare Committee of the Asian Development Bank Spouses Association … Continue reading →

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A Secret Garden

Posted on 23 November 2015 by sheg4184

Last weekend we had a long, fume-laden trek through the traffic to the Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo. Fortunately, and to our very great joy, it turned out to be well worth the effort. Winding up through the hills above … Continue reading →

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Marble Splendour in Abu Dhabi

Posted on 24 June 2015 by sheg4184

“Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun…” ~ Noel Coward As I sit in London, in Holland Park under scattered clouds and mere wisps of blue sky, amidst all the lush flamboyance of summer foliage, it seems … Continue reading →

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Kitchen Table

Posted on 16 June 2015 by sheg4184

Twenty years ago we bought a kitchen table. We bought it in Kuala Lumpur, as our family expanded to five, and it is made from the local rubberwood. Rubberwood is, according to Wikipedia, high quality, hardwood timber with a tight … Continue reading →

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The Whirling Dervishes

Posted on 7 April 2015 by sheg4184

A different city. A different dance. Not London but Istanbul. Not Sadler’s Wells but the Galata Mevlevihanesi. Not a ballet, but a timeless, hypnotic ritual dance created by Persian poet, prophet, philosopher and mystic, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi. The Mevlevi … Continue reading →

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Exploring Corregidor

Posted on 7 March 2015 by sheg4184

Corregidor Island is one of those Must-Do trips on the tourist trail around Manila. But it requires a ridiculously early start, at which I have baulked for years. Recently, however, I jumped at the opportunity to join a small group … Continue reading →

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A Manila Christmas Carol

Posted on 31 December 2014 by sheg4184

                Lechon roasting on an open fire, Parum-papum-pum, spinning slowly over glowing coals until glossy copper skin snaps and cracks like toffee, promising juicy, fragrant flesh beneath. The traffic churns, thick and smoky … Continue reading →

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Talking to the Birds

Posted on 3 August 2014 by sheg4184

After almost two months in Adelaide, one of the things I realized I really miss about Australia is the wildlife. From our living room window in Manila I occasionally see a  team of four racing pigeons, looping round and round the apartment … Continue reading →

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Manila Interational Schools: part I

Posted on 17 May 2014 by sheg4184

As the expatriate community in Metro Manila continues to expand, many of the better known International Schools are bursting at the seams, waiting lists are growing longer and parents are struggling to find places for their children. So I have … Continue reading →

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Easter: More Fun in the Philippines

Posted on 24 April 2014 by sheg4184

As a Protestant child growing up in Australia, I remember Easter as a fairly dull affair. The shops were shut for days, friends went away, and my mother always insisted we went to Church on Easter Day, so she had … Continue reading →

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