This is one of the best renditions of the piece on the guzheng/zither. I’ve heard many different versions of it through the years (since the 1970s). The first time I heard it I instinctively asked myself, Is my Tai chi chuan form as good? I’ve also heard it on the pipa/lute. One time on the cruise to the 3 Gorges and the Great Dam on the Yangzi River, it was played by a young Chinese woman on the boat.
Continue reading “The bonsai at Arnold Arboretum”Blog
Fiesta
There was a mini-fiesta in my honor in the middle of my seminar at Titus Brandsma Center. There was singing (a couple sang “The Prayer”) and dancing (several women danced with me: it’s on video).
Continue reading “Fiesta”Family
It was not all work. We had sidetrips and dinners and reunions. Even if the vacation lasted a month and 3 days, it was still too short to cover the important bases in our visit. The Philippines is of course a mecca for foodies and bloggers. The cuisine is diverse and delicious. With the different influences flowing into the country, the food is one of the best — and cheapest — in the world. There’s different Chinese regional dishes, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, Malaysian, Spanish and of course local provincial cooking. There are also places to see: the ylang-ylang farm in Estipona, Pura, Tarlac*; Las Casas Filipinos in Bataan; Tarlac City, our hometown; and Baguio, the Summer Capital. We were able to see all of them through the generosity of relatives.
Continue reading “Family”Manila’s Chinatown
February 27, 2023: It’s the oldest Chinatown in the world, possibly founded in 1700. There’s no place to walk except the street. The sidewalks are all taken by vendors. You can almost hear them barking the names of their goods. There are feng-shui shops, in keeping with the trend of geomancy, and bakeries to supply the masses with hopia and siopao.
Continue reading “Manila’s Chinatown”Buddha Pal Qigong and CNT seminars
Photos at the seminar on Buddha Palm Qigong and Chi Nei Tsang internal organs massage at the Titus Brandsma Center in Quezon City on March 19 and 20 sponsored by INAM Philippines. BPQ and CNT are both transmissions from Grandmaster Mantak Chia of the Universal Healing Tao.
Continue reading “Buddha Pal Qigong and CNT seminars”Alay: the Philippine native trees in the Victor O. Ramos Arboretum
I have been reading “Alay: the Philippine native trees in the Victor O. Ramos Arboretum,” the book of Vic Ramos’ farm in Natividad, Pangasinan, 4 hours north of Manila. It is a great source of information about these trees. For those of us who are interested in restoring our aboriginal and indigenous environment, the Arboretum is a magical place from our ancient past.
Continue reading “Alay: the Philippine native trees in the Victor O. Ramos Arboretum”Speech at the Isabelo de los Reyes Auditorium, UP
Here is a copy of the the speech I prepared on the subject of eastern healing and martial arts on March 15, 2023 sponsored by the Office of the President of the University of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity and the Center for People Empowerment in Governance. I decided to extemporise instead when Annie Sollestre showed my work with INAM, the sponsor of my seminars since 1997, in a rather long Powerpoint Presentation. I told her not to do it but she did it anyway. I could not stop her because she had the remote and the mike. There was a Q&A segment that turned out to be a lively discussion. I demonstrated a couple of massage techniques and the INAM staff showed ear acupuncture on volunteers.
Continue reading “Speech at the Isabelo de los Reyes Auditorium, UP”April 2023
Still jet-lagged after almost 2 weeks back from my month-long sojourn in the Philippines. When I was younger, I would go to work the next day after returning from a long trip. But I should not complain because it was really a “fun” visit to my country, a combination of vacation, work and just simple indulgence, I do not know which.
Continue reading “April 2023”Excerpt from “Of Fire and Water”
Excerpt from the Introduction to my book “Of Fire and Water” (forthcoming from Tambuli Media):
In recent years the Philippines, like the US, has been undergoing a transformation of sorts as eastern culture is becoming a part of the mainstream. Martial art of different styles, yoga, massage, acupuncture, meditation, even fengshui and astrology and a few others, are becoming more prominent. There are now healing centers operating under the law regulating them. Likewise there has been a conscious effort by some groups to revive and promote old indigenous traditions and arts and to adopt Asian culture. At some events you’ll see young men and women wearing indigenous clothes and playing indigenous music on indigenous instruments or doing Tai chi chuan and other Asian martial arts.
Continue reading “Excerpt from “Of Fire and Water””Philippines Seminars—March 2023
Below are the flyers for my seminars scheduled for March 2023 in the Philippines. The subjects include: Tao Basics, Zhan Zhuang, Buddha Palm Qigong (which I haven’t taught in the Philippines for possibly 20 years) and Chi Nei Tsang internal organs massage.
Continue reading “Philippines Seminars—March 2023”