Flowers in The Ruins

These are some shots i took when we had a very quick touristy stop straight from the airport at the oft visited The Ruins in Talisay, Bacolod. I thought that the brave water lily blossoms made this a poignant scene. Where life, love and passion once stood, only a skeleton of what once was remains.

Just yesterday huge tremors shook the south and left centuries old churches in ruins... beautiful frescoes and murals now only a memory.

Yet the spirit, the indomitable spirit will blossom like stubborn flowers in the ruins.

Your Timely Detox

In the photos are the flowers of the Laurel Clock Vine. In the morning they open up to the world and when evening comes they tuck in their petals and bid everyone goodnight, following nature's rhythm and cycles. Such wisdom from the Creator of the whole universe.

There are set rhythms we should avoid tampering with...or turning upside down such as work and rest, being awake and sleeping, night and day.

Listen to your body. Rest if you must. Have some rang jeud tea.

In Malaysia, juice from crushed leaves of T. laurifolia are taken for menorrhagia, placed into the ear for deafness, and applied for poulticing cuts and boils (Burkill, 1966). In Thailand, leaves are used as an antipyretic, as well as an antidote for detoxifying poisons (Kanchanapoom et al., 2002). Several Thai herbal companies have started producing and exporting rang jeud tea (Chan & Lim, 2006). The tea has been claimed to be able to detoxify the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. (Wikipedia)

I used to think Ruffa was a weird name. Pronouncing it seemed like i was disappointed in something or someone was toxic to be around. Would you name your newborn daughter Thunbergia laurifolia? Laurie for short.

Sorry for the disjunction. A detox nap is in order.

Patchwork

 

I found this quilt displayed in a hall in one of the girls' schools in the city. It is big, no one can miss it. Retazos or left over discards swatches of various prints stitched together ---  a hodge-podge of colors and designs which seemingly do not fit at first. When sewn to each other, you begin to see there is nothing random about the pieces.

Like friendship. Without getting to the heart, we feel disjointed and find no bond. But when lives are shared, even the most unseemly types become friends. Each piece has a story: sad, happy, funny... and those tales by which we unravel: animosity, tragedy, hurt... yet mending is always a choice. Can't throw away those bits and pieces of our days which have made the fabric of our lives richer.

Like family.

Like our selves.

Like a garden.

Simply Divine

There is just something about being outdoors early morning right after the rain. The torrid sun is nowhere to assault you, the rest of humanity is just about to get up, and here you are -- the world, this little space in time, is all yours.

Before a barrage of the day's troubles begin, relish the sweet kisses of pink buds and little star-shaped pods that were whispered your way by the Divine before they find their final resting places. The nurturing of one's well-being in this manner is simply divine.