Year: 2025

It was a lovely weekend in New York City.

It was a wonderful birthday celebration for my wife Lolit (now 84, the Year of the Snake)) and me (85, the year of the Dragon). We spent the weekend in NYC. Ace, the hotel on 29th Street where we stayed, is a historic landmark. Albert made a great choice of hotel and restaurants (one traditional Sichuan for lunch, another a fusion cuisine (both oh Saturday), and the last  Middle Eastern (on Sunday afternoon).  He also volunteered to sell my books at the door of the chapel at Marble Collegiate Church: we made a good income, but I won’t abandon everything to become a full-time writer yet. Lovely company: Laura, Ava, Charl, Isabel, Jay and on Sunday Carlos Esguerra, the famous photographer, and Romy Dorotan, the famous chef, both brothers from the Alpha Phi Fraternity of the University of the Philippines. Lola Lolit told me that she had the most wonderful time of her life! Which is definitely the truest compliment she could say for all the loving fellowship we had over the weekend. Not to mention the food, the steamed fish with fermented beans, the Su Dong Po Pork, Peking Duck and for Lola, the pineapple beer. As she would often say, PRICELESS!!! I share her sentiments. It was a great time. I thought the Book Launch organized by Mario Sprouse and Karla Hendrick at the Mable Collegiate Church chapel was incomparable.

Continue reading “Book Launch at Marble in NYC” →

CAVEAT: Sadly, the video starts when my hands are already up to the level of my shoulders. In the process of transferring the film to VHS and later to DVD, a short strip got deleted.  The actual opening movement starts with the hands down beside my thighs facing the back; then they turn slowly until the palms are facing the front before they are raised with the palms up.  When the hands reach shoulder level, they stop and turn over, palms down. 

Continue reading “Diary 9/13/25: Classical Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Solo Fist 108” →

When 9/11 happened, I was in Brooklyn. I had an appointment for lunch with a Healing Tao colleague in mid-Manhattan. I took the subway and as it emerged onto the bridge over the East River, the odor of smoke and burning debris and bodies overwhelmed the air. Smoke was still rising from downtown. It was a weird hour in a Japanese restaurant. I received an e-mail from one of my students, a Jungian psychotherapist and author. Here below is our exchange.

Continue reading “9/11: E-Mail In Memoriam” →

It is rather hard to explain the process of learning Taoism and Tai chi chuan. A few important conceptual elements are involved in it:

Continue reading “Daoism and Tai chi chuan” →

July of 2026 would be the 40^th anniversary of my certification as a Healing Tao (now Universal Healing Tao) instructor. I was authorized to teach the 4 basic courses: Microcosmic Orbit (with Inner Smile and 6 Healing Sounds), Iron Shirt Chikung 1 (Zhan Zhuang), Healing Love and Tai Chi Chi Kung 1. The training was held at Rudi’s in Big Indian, Catskills, New York. There were, if I remember, about 10 of us who took the Instructor Training but I remember only a few: aside from me, there were Marie Favorito, John Loupos, Mackenzie Stewart.  There were at the time 5 Senior instructors: Juan Li, Ron Diana, Rylin Malone, Michael Winn and Gunther Weill. I do not know how they were trained and selected as senior instructors. Juan Li, Gunther Weil and Rylin Malone were there to assist in the seminar and testing  but the trainees were taught directly by Mantak Chia. If anyone remembers more details, please tell me.

Continue reading “Diary 6/11/25: Instructor’s  Training in the Healing Tao (now Universal Healing Tao)” →

Here is a link to an article about the devastation of Jolo, written decades after the war. I heard in 1974 that napalm was used. Where the napalm came from was obvious: it had only one source, the US. We did not really know what happened. There was apparently a news black out by the Marcos government.

Continue reading ““Sulu”” →

Believe it or not, for Easter, I have been reading the gospel of John. Only chapters 11and 12 on the family of Lazarus, Martha and Mary whom Jesus loved and the strange anointment of Jesus. Did you know that Mary used spikenard, a very rare and expensive oil to wash (perhaps massage) the feet of Jesus?

Continue reading “Diary 4/21/25: Herbals in the Gospels” →

SIFU RENE NAVARRO

In deep recognition of his contributions to the capacity development of the staff and students of INAM Philippines on classical Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, thus enhancing the quality of healthcare to the Filipino people served by INAM;

Continue reading “Hiyas na Tanglaw award” →

When I began studying Shaolin Kungfu with Johnny F. Chiuten, I was told by him that the style was Hung Ga or Angka or Hong Cha, depending on the dialect. This was in the mid-1960s when we did not have the internet and there was really a paucity of information about martial arts. Then when I settled in the US I learned in the 1970s that there were several styles of Hung Gar, each claiming authenticity and bragging rights, with different forms and techniques that “evolved” from the original ancestor in the Southern Shaolin in Fujian back during the Qing Dynasty.

Continue reading “Diary 3/2/25: Dragon Tiger Video Ching See San” →

Diary 1/18/25: Daoism Study

I often receive questions from students.  A student told me that, in response to my advice, she is taking lessons in Daoism with scholar Livia Kohn twice a month.  I gave a few suggestions for her and those who are interested in studying Daoism. Studying Daoism is a long, difficult and possibly costly education.

Continue reading “Diary 1/18/25: Daoism Study” →