Crackers by Raydon L. Reyes WHENEVER I repeated a word my master said, I got a cracker. This was how things worked for me ever since I started living in my master’s house. I never liked the taste of crackers. Dried-up bark would probably taste better. But ever since I was placed in a cage,…
Mt. Pinatubo is half-dead, half-alive. My first look at the grey terrain revealed the chasm between life and death—shrubs, grass, and scattered miniature rivers thriving on the remnants of lahar (infamously known for killing thousands of people almost 20 years ago). The indigenous Aetas, occasionally getting distracted as our 4×4 cars passed by their homes,…
A woman in an evacuation center after Typhoon Yolanda swept through the Philippines puzzled a priest when she passed him by. Her bright red lipstick stood out among the scene of typhoon survivors lining up for relief goods and claiming their own spot in the center, where they would most likely be spending the next…
The Kuala Lumpur City Gallery in Malaysia houses some of the country’s best wood carving artists. During workdays in the museum, they create miniature wooden figures of KL buildings like the Petronas Tower and KL Tower. But for anyone who wants to fill that blank space on his wall with something besides a painting, they…
What do you imagine when you hear someone say “ride the rapids”? If you’re a fan of National Geographic and Discovery Channel, you might flash back to some episodes where a couple of adrenaline-junkies are holding on to a rubber raft for dear life while maneuvering past giant rocks in the raging river. The ride…
Two weeks ago, I wrapped a friend in newspaper and put him in a rice sack to be buried forever. It was my final goodbye to my dog Achilles. Born an Aspin (short for “Asong Pinoy” or Filipino dog), the barely four-year-old Achilles contracted an acute intestinal infection that eventually took his life in a…
108 bronze bowls surround the giant Reclining Buddha statue in Wat Pho temple in Bangkok. These bowls represent the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha. The visitors drop coins into these bowls one by one, praying for good fortune and helping the monks maintain the temple in the process.
