Go, Tell!

John George “Jack” Phillips sat in the “wireless” room of the Titanic, busily sending telegraphic messages from the ship’s passengers. Trying to claw back what might have seemed a mountain of backlog after the “wireless” equipment broke down the day before. Then at 9.30pm came an iceberg warning from the steamship Mesaba. He quickly scribbled […]

When My Knees Hit The Ground

“What fortune lies beyond the stars Those dazzling heights too vast to climb I got so high to fall so far But I found heaven as love swept low” * I watched the throng of conference participants pour out of the main hall to the lobby. Like water going in different directions, creating eddies as […]

Beautiful, Beautiful Philippines (May Peace Be Yours in Abundance)

The slaughter of the Philippines National Police – Special Action Force personnel #fallen44 in #Mamasapano have troubled me deeply. Where is peace? What is the price of freedom from the clutches of terror, greed and corruption, ineptitude and disunity? Where is justice and righteousness? Where is the dream that my country of birth will soar again? Though […]

Making New Memories

“All these pieces Broken and scattered In mercy gathered Mended and whole … Amazing grace!” It was the end of winter, but the house and yard still looked bleak from the street.It was empty, of course. Which made it look more lonely, dejected.The shrubs were overgrown. The garden looked tired. I turned off the key in […]

Her Father’s Eyes

“Look at those big eyes!” I exclaimed as I gazed into the beautiful orbs of my new-born daughter. No, she does not have my eyes. Mine are like my father’s eyes, with hallmarks of his Filipino Malay-Chinese heritage. My daughter’s eyes are huge for her face. They are like her father’s big, blue ones. […]

Crucible Moment

“Tell me of the time you experienced a crisis and how did you handle it?” Phil, the interviewer, asked me. “Do I tell you of the worst personal crisis I ever faced or do I just mention one of many I have handled well at work?” I thought. “The worst crisis I ever faced was not at work, Phil. Would you like […]

Papa, Can You Hear Me? (Loss and Hope)

It was a dreary day. And the sun disappeared too quickly. I was running late. So I half-ran to the small auditorium. “I hope I’m not too late to hear her sing.” I reached the door. Stop. Pause. “I hope the door will not creak when I open it. I don’t want to disturb the audience.” Applause. […]

Don’t Forget To Breathe

When I was in high school, I travelled by jeepney to my school. There were no jeepney stops then, so one waits by the roadside and hail the jeepney as it approaches. If it’s full, then it speeds by. So you wait for the next one. During the wait, I would entertain myself by guessing the […]

Two Months, Thirty-Four Countries. Thank You!

I am blessed to have a small and growing number of readers across thirty-four countries after only two months since starting this blog. Thank you to those who visit this site regularly. Jeannette says she reads my posts with a mug of coffee on hand! Why not try that with a friend? Thank you for getting […]

In Grief And Sorrow — Where Are The Great Leaders?

We now live in a highly connected world. Bad news, of wars, catastrophes, loss, come in mighty torrents, alongside remarkable achievements, breakthroughs, even trivia, the mundane and the plain trash. But the usual torrent became a tsunami for me in the past few weeks. It was too much, one after another. And when they were juxtaposed […]

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I Looked for the Meaning and Purpose of Life and This is What I Found

Is life just a cycle of eating, sleeping, studying, working, playing, fun interspersed with sorrows, some wins, a few losses, gathering trophies and accolades, medals, fame, fortune, then passing them on to others. Is that it? Is that all there is to life? When I was in university studying for a degree in Chemical Engineering, […]