Tag Archives: Philippines

RIP Carlos Celdran

Posted on 12 October 2019 by sheg4184

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”

Posted on 18 October 2018 by sheg4184

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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A World of Fruit

Posted on 8 March 2016 by sheg4184

‘It is not only the taste, or the freshness, but especially the memories, the beliefs, the associations – the whole cultural package – that makes the fruit more than food.”   So says the late, great Doreen Fernandez,  food writer and … Continue reading →

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“Such stuff as dreams are made on…”

Posted on 14 March 2015 by sheg4184

Twenty five feet from the sea squats a small, thatched hut with a veranda from which we step straight onto the sand. A traveller’s dream destination, fittingly labelled ‘Play House,’ we happily make a temporary home in this cosy little … Continue reading →

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Blackbird: a transformation

Posted on 4 October 2014 by sheg4184

One of the first snippets of local history I was handed when I arrived in the Philippines: Ayala Triangle, now the focal point of the Makati business district,  was once an airport among rice fields, its original runway the stretch of … 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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Ethical Entrepreneurs

Posted on 10 April 2013 by sheg4184

 ‘Eating is, or should be, one of life’s great pleasures,’ says food writer Angela Crocombe.  Filipinos agree. In the Philippines, eating is a communal, convivial pastime. In the provinces, regional cuisines have been influenced by hundreds of years of Chinese, … Continue reading →

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Hibiscus and a Piece of Heaven…

Posted on 14 December 2012 by sheg4184

Have you ever had a massage on a raft, two hundred metres off shore, while gentle waves lapped and slapped against the bamboo and a light breeze skipped through the calico curtains, fluttering and flirting against your bare skin, while … Continue reading →

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Felice Navidad

Posted on 4 December 2012 by sheg4184

…And then, that hidden tendency in all of us to behave like peevish expat princesses over  small molehills that are part of expat life anywhere is swept away by the joy and childlike enthusiasm of the Christmas season. News of … Continue reading →

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When the Elephants Dance

Posted on 17 November 2012 by sheg4184

It is the last weeks of World War II in the Pacific. Food is scarce, ordinary Filipinos are forced to scavenge or starve, and many have gone into hiding: in caves in the mountains; deep in the jungles, or simply … Continue reading →

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