Two weeks ago, I exhibited the first symptoms of Covid-19–fever and chills. I did not know then that I caught the virus. In fact, since it would be the first workday of the year the next day, I brushed my health concern off thinking that a good night’s sleep would cure me. However, I was…
Author: Emi_F
A diplomat, former educator, student of life, lover of nature, literature, art and music, believer of shared humanity
Emi in Paris
Recently, I started watching Season 2 of Emily in Paris after a long break from watching Season 1. The vibe is the same–cool, fun, trendy. What I like most about each episode is that there’s always a misadventure that Emily runs into but she almost always pulls it off. I could relate to her efforts…
A Thousand Words
A few weeks before I departed from Paris to go back to the Philippines in September 2021, I had a sudden idea. One weekend, I made it happen through the help of two people, one, a dear friend, and the other a Paris-based Filipino artist who encouraged me and thought that the idea was a…
1, 2, 3
December 29, 30, 31. Are these days any different from the rest? I believe so. For many people, it is a time for many things: self-reflection (without consciously doing so), recreation, preparing a list of New Year’s resolutions or the more practical tasks such as cleaning up your bodega and disposing of unnecessary stuff in…
The Grinch
There are days when you have to try harder — to smile, to meet others, or even simply to get up from bed. There are days when the temptation is strong to simply lie under the covers, shun conversations, be in the company of books all day, surf the net mindlessly, or do a solitary…
Body Beautiful
In a recent virtual Christmas party with my Toastmasters International Club, we had fun answering impromptu questions asked during the Ms. Universe 2021 competition but with a twist, assigning each participant a country, such as Ms. Russia to a member who’s based in Moscow and Ms. France to me for having been posted in Paris…
Pan de Salawal, joie de vivre, and the Filipinos
A mysterious child with healing powers. A septuagenarian ravaged by a kidney disease contemplating ending his life. A community of people with various maladies and unfulfilled dreams, living in a poverty-stricken section of the city. These were my observations in the first few minutes of the movie Pan de Salawal, an official entry to Cinemalaya…
See the Light
I watched the film “Joker” recently. I can say that the acting is superb and the plot is engaging. I wasn’t surprised about its dark and depressing mood because these reviews were common when the movie just came out, although I didn’t have the time then to watch the movie. I felt, however, that some…
#AfterSix
I came across this #AfterSix series of interviews this year and I must say I was impressed. Hosted by Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Chairman Jaime A. Zobel de Ayala, the series features “key changemakers who share their journey towards building a better Philippines.” The interviews are 15-minute long, fast-paced, straightforward and informative. They…
To you, little one
Welcome to the world. ❤ You, a wonderful creation from the love of your parents, a miracle of life, a child of both the earth and of the universe, mortality running in your veins, yet with a bit of the cosmos’ timelessness. I cannot say how the world will be by the time you gain…
Beyond Routes 