Sunday, June 9, 2024
Let me just say I'm a Gen-X getting in touch with my inner Gen-Z! Ang Panindahan, a weekend pop-up market with a very Gen-Z stylized flair was just the perfect distraction on a boring Saturday afternoon. Saturday mornings are reserved for serious garden and yard work so afternoons are free for fancy strolls and carefree me-time activities. With a dearth of weekend markets this time of the year, the youthful bazaar was a lovely event to visit. I am a fan of some of the merchants so I dragged my perimenopausal bones to check-out the goodies, fancy drinks and grub. 
I have always been intrigued with the interiors of the event venue Balay Sueno so the weekend market was the perfect opportunity to legally peek inside the house and see the splendid restoration work done on the property. Decades ago, the house was the local version of the Tower of Pisa, the structure perilously held together by poles and pillars. Today, it a stunning landmark near the Tabuc Suba Bridge.It is beautifully lit up at night during privately catered parties and celebrations.
The bazaar had candle and ceramic workshop stations, curated thrifted vintage apparel, flower shop, pet gifts and treats, local artisan artworks, snacks, pastry and coffee. It's a pet-friendly event as well. There is a garden enclosure on the east side of the property for guests to drink and dine. A very lovely set-up for Ilonggo youngsters to enjoy themselves. I look forward to more of this kind of weekend markets in the future as this is a great way to showcase the city's heritage buildings and homegrown brands.
I hope they come up with a Gen-X (30s-40s age group) version of Panindahan next time as I realized the marketing come-on attracts a very young niche market. Kidding aside, you know it's awkward mingling with very young shoppers because you feel so old if not archaic. What do you say Titos and Titas of Iloilo?
Friday, June 7, 2024
My first camera was a Fujifilm Finepix point and shoot type that my uncle from the States gave me. The nifty little thing started my love of taking photos of everything and anything, saving the decent ones for my scrapbook (printing photos into 4R was a thing back then) and for my fledgling first blog on on Pyra Labs (now Blogger). My Finepix camera had a good run and one day it just decided to conk out due to overuse. Nowadays I own a Fujifilm X-T100, a mirrorless model that takes the best features of a DSLR and a point and shoot camera. It's not as complicated as a DSLR but allows you to get as creative as you want.
I love images and I love thought provoking quotes. I hate the idea of flooding Instagram and Facebook with photos and cheesy quotations so I started this photoblog eons ago to indulge my predilection for introspection and reflection. I could get seriously spaced out on a beautiful scenery.
It's only recently that I revived this photoblog as I have too many photos to filter and throw away. The better ones will make it here.
Sunday, June 2, 2024
Perfume is magic. It's mystery. We recreate the smell of a flower. Of wood. Of grass. We capture the essence of life. Liquefy it. We store memories. We make dreams.
-M.J. Rose
Fragrance is evocative and powerful in distilling old, buried memories, feelings and sensations. It could remind you of a favorite person, place or moment you hold close to your heart.
I spent a friend's (a kindred soul) belated birthday celebration with a perfume making session at La Luz Essence, a homegrown artisan business specializing in hand poured scented soy candles and small batch customized fragrances.
I already had a fragrance concept in mind before walking into the cute and cozy craft studio of Miss Eva. I recently returned from a trip to Kyoto/Osaka and I was inspired by the fresh, invigorating atmosphere of Kyoto's zen gardens. Think yuzu citrus, green tea, hinoki, azalea and cedarwood. I gravitate towards woodsy, citrusy scents so voila, Kyoto in Late Spring is born! Kyoto has bergamot as top note, Japanese honeysuckle as mid note and cedarwood blanc as base note. The sillage (or drydown) evokes a walk through a cedarwood forest on the cusp of late spring and early summer.
Miss Eva introduced us to the fragrance pyramid as well as the fragrance profile associated with top, mid and base notes. I love singular scents like pine, vanilla and rose but it is the alchemy of notes that makes a scent complex, memorable, and unique. We loved how our perfume creations turned out! After mixing our concoction with a glass stirrer, we distilled the perfume into a Chanel No. 5 inspired perfume bottle. We also designed our own label sticker to make our creation truly ours! We enjoyed our perfume making class and we hope to come back again soon to concoct a new personal scent and try La Luz Essence's candle making workshop!
The inspiration: Kennin-ji Temple's zen garden in Higashiyama, Kyoto
Our perfume creations: My friend's Covent Garden (originally titled Chelsea Flower Market) and my Kyoto in Late Spring
We were served by Miss Eva petite bowls of berry fruit tea while we were concocting our fragrances
La Luz Essence
MacArthur Drive, Tabuc Suba,
Jaro, Iloilo City
Friday, May 24, 2024
Some places feel like an invitation to slow down.
Kennin-ji Zen Temple, tucked quietly in Higashiyama Ward, beckons the tired and travel-worn soul into a space of calm, silence, and gentle reflection. Founded in 1202 by Eisai—the father of Japanese tea culture and founder of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism—Kennin-ji is believed to be the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto.
The walk to the temple is part of the experience. From Gion Tatsumi Bridge, it takes only eight quiet minutes on foot. The bridge sits at the meeting point of Shinbashi-dori and Gion Shirakawa, in the heart of Gion—a neighborhood defined by lantern-lit streets, wooden machiya houses, ryokans, and the soft feeling that time moves differently here.
Before stepping into stillness, we made a brief and cheerful stop at Miffy Kitchen Bakery Gion for usagi—rabbit-shaped bread, cookies, and small trinkets. A light, playful pause before the quiet that awaited us.
Away from the steady flow of tourists in Higashiyama, Kennin-ji offers something rare: space to pause. A modest entrance fee is collected at the reception counter, after which shoes are left neatly on old wooden racks. Photography of people inside the temple is respectfully prohibited, allowing visitors to move freely without self-consciousness or interruption.
As I walked along the antique wooden corridors—my rented geta left behind—I felt the warmth of the aged floors beneath my feet. The temple opens itself slowly through framed views of its Zen gardens. Shoji screens reveal red pine, Japanese maple, moss, and carefully placed stone, each angle offering a different composition. Every window feels intentional, like a painting that changes with the seasons.
It was late spring during our visit. The trees were dressed in fresh greens—youthful, hopeful, and quietly alive.
Inside the tatami-matted meditation rooms, visitors may sit on floor cushions facing rock or moss gardens. Some rooms feature round windows, often referred to as Windows of Enlightenment, inviting reflection on wholeness, continuity, and the cyclical nature of life.
Square windows—known as Windows of Delusion—offer a different meditation altogether. Through them, one is gently reminded of impermanence: life, aging, illness, and death. Nothing feels heavy here. Just honest.
Outside, meandering stone paths encourage unhurried wandering. Sunlight filters through maple leaves. Water glistens on bamboo basins and stone. In the stillness, even the subtle flutter of bird wings becomes audible. Slippers wait near the steps leading down to the rock garden for those who wish to walk deeper into the greenery.
A refuge from movement and noise
Away from the steady flow of tourists in Higashiyama, Kennin-ji offers something rare: space to pause. A modest entrance fee is collected at the reception counter, after which shoes are left neatly on old wooden racks. Photography of people inside the temple is respectfully prohibited, allowing visitors to move freely without self-consciousness or interruption.
As I walked along the antique wooden corridors—my rented geta left behind—I felt the warmth of the aged floors beneath my feet. The temple opens itself slowly through framed views of its Zen gardens. Shoji screens reveal red pine, Japanese maple, moss, and carefully placed stone, each angle offering a different composition. Every window feels intentional, like a painting that changes with the seasons.
It was late spring during our visit. The trees were dressed in fresh greens—youthful, hopeful, and quietly alive.
Windows that ask you to look inward
Inside the tatami-matted meditation rooms, visitors may sit on floor cushions facing rock or moss gardens. Some rooms feature round windows, often referred to as Windows of Enlightenment, inviting reflection on wholeness, continuity, and the cyclical nature of life.
Square windows—known as Windows of Delusion—offer a different meditation altogether. Through them, one is gently reminded of impermanence: life, aging, illness, and death. Nothing feels heavy here. Just honest.
Outside, meandering stone paths encourage unhurried wandering. Sunlight filters through maple leaves. Water glistens on bamboo basins and stone. In the stillness, even the subtle flutter of bird wings becomes audible. Slippers wait near the steps leading down to the rock garden for those who wish to walk deeper into the greenery.
Furu ike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto
古池や 蛙飛び込む 水の音
The Old Pond
Old pond…
a frog jumps in
water’s sound
-Matsuo Basho
 |
Tea, memory, and lingering calm
A small temple café and gift shop offers carefully prepared Uji green tea and traditional biscuits—simple, grounding comforts. Souvenirs are understated, chosen not to impress but to remember.There is a particular kind of peace found in Zen temples—one that doesn’t demand effort. Faced with harmony, the chaotic mind seems to fall naturally into alignment. Kennin-ji is not just a place to see; it is a place to feel.
A garden not only of moss and stone, but of quiet clarity—for the mind and the soul.
 |
| Green light on tatami, even the heart slows its pace— nothing left to chase. |
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Just like that, I’m back at Casitas de Palma for the weekend!
A quick escape to the mango tree island is just the best thing to do if you're tired of being slow cooked by the sweltering heat. On days when the heat threatens to fry your insides, being surrounded by trees, vegetation and staycationing in an air-conditioned hobbit house is just a literal breath of fresh air. In between hours when the heat index is at its peak, enjoy the art of being lazy. Have coffee. Read a book. Listen to your favorite music. Sleep. Do nothing. Enjoy the sound of the crickets in the evening.
I enjoy the oasis that is Casitas de Palma. In this semi wilderness of inexhaustible heatwave and urban weariness, I find my happy place.
Till then, we dream of rainy days.
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