One of the things I am looking forward to upon returning to the Philippines is the summer season! As a tropical country with 7,107 islands (yep, you read it right!), Philippines proudly boasts of white sand beaches, turquoise blue waters, and palm frond shorelines!
Continue reading Tikling Island, Matnog, Sorsogon (Philippine Summers on my Mind)
“The sun goes down, the stars come out. And all that counts, is here and now. The universe will never be the same, I’m glad you came.” – The Wanted, I’m Glad You Came
Actually, this photo of the setting sun in the island of Guimaras in western Visayas was taken way before this song was released and I just thought it’s a nice intro. 
I am a big fan of sunsets (coz I can’t wake up early for sunrise) especially when the sea is close by. So when, in one of our official trips, me and my colleague had a chance to go for a four-hour side trip from Iloilo to Guimaras, we did not waste any time and boarded the passenger boat to the island.
Known mainly for the Guimaras mangoes (claimed to be the sweetest in the world), this small island province (actually several islands in the general bay area) also holds its own when it comes to its swimming beaches, caves and rock formations, and turtle conservation!
We barely noticed the time while sailing through its waters as Guimaras, for me, held such beauty, pure and untouched, radiating as the golden orange hues of the setting sun graces the sand, sea and sky. If ever you are in Iloilo or Guimaras or Western Visayas, a spectacular view of the setting sun is really an experience you must not dare to miss!
One of the first things that greeted me upon arriving in India (via Thai Airways Flight from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi) is the brass plate (?) wall with these massive hands showing different poses. These, apparently and as I suspected, are Mudras for meditation.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say: A mudrā (English: /muːˈdrɑː/ (
listen); Sanskrit: मुद्रा “seal”, “mark”, or “gesture”; Tibetan. ཕྱག་རྒྱ་, chakgya) is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism andBuddhism.[1] While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers.[2] A mudrā is a spiritual gesture and an energetic seal of authenticity employed in the iconography and spiritual practice of Indian religions and traditions of Dharma and Taoism.
I think using these must be effective as I watched a friend of mine once, in the Bodhi Meditation Garden in Bodh Gaya (the land of Buddha’s enlightenment”), using one of these poses while meditating. Her body was kind of gyrating/revolving, without her knowing it. She explained it must be the energy flow from meditation. And she said she felt great afterwards!
After visiting the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien (SOAS) Mosque and before heading to the Kampong Ayer (water villages), I first went around to check out the streets of Bandar.
From the massive open field to government offices, from clean streets golden posts and chic-looking shopping places, Bandar Seri Begawan, to me, screams of opulence. Continue reading Backpacking South East Asia: Brunei – Walking around the streets of Bandar
My Boracay family vacation video post on Facebook back in 2010 has been “resurrected”, thanks to my relatives who liked and commented in the past days. With it is a possibility of another family vacay, God-willing, maybe in Boracay again but also, maybe in El Nido!
The Diarist Wanders 