musings

a collection of photographs I took in Siquijor

Brgy. Cantabon, Siquijor, Siquijor I played this song in my uncle’s hut, the last private residence before Mt. Bandilaan National Park. You can hear the forest insects join me. Far from the touristy spots, life here is slow. There’s space to simply be. No rush to serve foreigners. Maybe it’s the forest’s splendor, when observed, you can’t help but respect. Mt. Bandilaan is a national reserve where traditional healers once gathered medicinal plants. What complements the mounta

Every day, I buy a kilo of fish for the dogs. My mom does too, for the family and her staff. Usually, the kinds of fish that are normal size, nothing like what I saw this morning. Kuya Roman facing chopping block, his hands in steady rhythmic motion. From behind, what he was cutting looked like a mermaid with long silver tail. It was huge. Oh, for the 50 guests they have in their bed and breakfast. In El Nido now, the sea must feed not just the locals, but the influx of touri

Manila Cathedral December 29, 2024 | Even for prayers, time must be the ultimate gatekeeper. I wonder, if you could have only one prayer in your lifetime, what would it be? In my teens I used to think that the more I spoke to the heavens, the closer I would be to it. Looking back, I recall