Strange — Why do I wake up so early in the morning
just when I'm on holiday? And this is the sight that
greeted me in the post-dawn hours of that December
morn. Like a fairy tale.

This is the shower area in my cabaña. On one side of it
is a glass wall that lets one see through to the bedroom
... and vice versa ... "discreetly" protected only by a curtain!
My, my...

No malls. No crowds. No traffic. Nothing but ...
the soothing sound of the sea rushing to shore ...
the calming view of infinity where sea & sky meet ...
the gentle rustle of palm fronds in a dreamy distance...

Seems like the price has gone up since I last bought
fresh buko, eduardo. Supermarket price is about
.63 Brazil Reais per coconut (about PhP12-14 each
on roadside fresh-produce stalls). Trimming the thick
tough covering so that you can just stick a straw in it
to drink the juice and scoop up the meat is free. Still,
not to bad, no?

Why is the ice cream peddled by ambulant vendors called
"dirty ice cream"? Maybe big dairy corporations, who shall
remain unnamed as I am merely theorizing, dubbed it so.
But I love our local sorbetes, which are still made the
traditional hand-churned way — especially the queso, mais
(corn), ube (purple sweet yam), macapuno (young coconut),
and langka(jackfruit) flavors! Then piled up in one sweet
and crisp hand-rolled cone!
Mamang sorbetero anong ngalan mo?
Tinda mong ice cream gustong-gusto ko
Init ng buhay, pinapawi mo
Sama ng loob, nalilimutan ko
(the one and only Jose Mari Chan composition I like)

The moment one gives close attention to anything,
even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious,
awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.
Henry Miller

(on Bautista St. in Malate, Manila)

Just paying tribute and somehow virtually preserving this
reproduction of Domingo Celis y Pasion's oil-on-canvas
painting of a "Woman Fishing" that was featured on the
October/November page of my wall calendar, before I
throw it away. Celis was not a very well-known artist but
he was a contemporary (and an emulator) of the great
Fernando Amorsolo and achieved his own level of distinction.

Just 49 days before Christmas!!! Gotta start making a list
and checking it twice for my gift-shopping!!! We explored
Tiendesitas — the newest bazaar compound in Pasig!
Fun festive place where one could find practically everything
one would want!!!

Yum, pomelo from Davao and lanzones from Camiguin!