New book “Of Fire and Water: Alchemy and Transformation”

I’ve heard from friends and students from different countries — England, Philippines, Scotland, Thailand, USA, Canada, Russia, Taiwan. Seems like the book is selling in other countries.Three of my students in the Philippines have already ordered their copies of my book “Of Fire and Water: Alchemy and Transformation” (Tambuli Media: 2023).

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JOSE DAVID LAPUZ: April 19, 1938 – March 8, 2023

Hi Rene,  I just learned Jose David Lapuz, the grand Upo of the ’60s in Diliman passed on, after 3.5 months in the hospital. He was a bachelor, lived alone, had no visitors and died. A caretaker was the sole companion. A nephew took over his house, books, memorabilia (recto, rizal, etc). I remember he taught at UST. The news reminded me of our Diliman days. Just sharing. Vic R

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Nostalgia

Diary 5/30/23:

Just saw the movie “Paris Can Wait” with Diane Lane in the lead role of a married woman who decides to travel to Paris with her husband’s business partner. I won’t go into the details of the movie. It was written, produced and directed by Eleanor Coppola. I remember Diane from when I got involved in work teaching martial arts fist and staff forms and movement in a 2-week theatre workshop in 1974 or 75 to the Great Jones Repertory Company under director Andre Serban.

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The bonsai at Arnold Arboretum

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.

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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.

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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.

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