if these stone walls could talk... (pt. 2)

Part 2 of a photographic collection of quiet, time-tested structures. See the first part here.

The interior of Our Lady of Assumption Church in Dauis, Bohol, with frescoes dating as far back as 1916. This is one of the churches currently undergoing restoration after suffering from the 2013 Bohol earthquake.

if these stone walls could talk...

Churches, dungeons, cafes -- there are few things more humbly steeped in history than these structures, unexpectedly standing on some bustling street corner. These places of magic, if they don't captivate you with their time-tested beauty, will make you wonder about the stories of old witnessed by their quiet, enduring walls.

The facade of the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral bears the inscription "Tibi cordi tuo immaculato concredimus nos ac consecramus (We consecrate to your immaculate heart and entrust to you (Mary) for safekeeping)."

the life-changing poetry of William Stafford

I once chanced upon a Tumblr blog called "You Reading This... Be Ready" and was so taken by its blog name that I googled it to see if it was a reference to something. And what a something the reference turned out to be. It was a poem by William Stafford, an American poet whose works are described as pacifist.

Like many poets, Stafford wrote about a spectrum of themes, including the western US and the environment. But the poems that captured me most are his grand explorations of personal concepts such identity, human potential, and the future. Using everyday words, these poems have built for me wide-open windows into my self, with visions so magnificent, I can't help but be inspired.

Here, my five favorites from William Stafford:

a letter to my pre-graduation self

Dear self who’s about to graduate,

Not to be vain or anything, but congratulations! You experienced the bone-crushing pressure, the sleep-deprived nights, and the psychosis-inducing anxieties of tertiary education, but you survived. You struggled, you cried, you commando-crawled through it all, and now, you’re here! You’re victorious! You’re free!

Right?

carousel of sacred places

Free-versing to start the year with. >>>

i hope you don't mind my holiday recycling (wrappers, that is)

I forgot to buy giftwrappers this year.

Fortunately, I tend to keep the ones I get. And not just giftwrappers, but paper packaging, plastic bags, brown envelopes, even tags from various stores.

So here, a Starbucks brown bag meets a wrapper of a gift I received in... oh, I don't know, maybe 2011. :D

No re-gifting, just re-wrapping.

Oh, and happy holidays, everyone! :)

escape: Samal Island

Let's make this clear right off the bat: I'm a cheapo traveler. That means you can tuck me in the corner of a jampacked jeepney and I won't complain, as long as it's much cheaper than an air-conditioned van.

But that also means I will rummage through 50 pages of Google search results just to find that perfectly priced getaway when I need it. And that, friends, is how I got to stay in the famous Samal Island for less than Php4,000.