Fruits in Tupi

I had nothing planned on Holy Thursday. The plan was to do nothing, except meditate, pray, and soak in the solitude and peace that holidays impose on willing, world-weary creatures. 

But I remembered that the five-year old washing machine at home recently broke down. Neneng who visits a couple of times a week to do the laundry and general cleaning said, "Daw guba na gid. Pero napuslan gid siya. Nagdugay, hindi parehas sang iban. Nami ni nga brand." Everyone at home realized we had to buy a new one. But the mall was closed; the website confirmed it. Another mall was open, though. Nanay asked if she could come with me. She'd like to buy something, nothing in particular—the hobby of the retired. I had to see patients to see in Gensan anyway.  

So we bonded in the mall. We expected a bigger crowd, but it was the regular people we saw. There were noisy, happy children with their doting mothers; miserable children with their phones (the dangers of the smartphone! Their parents should read Jonathan Haidt!); harried customers paying for their last-minute groceries (the mall would close on Good Friday); families eating in restaurants. We did not buy a washing machine. The selection was limited. 

Nanay slept through the whole ride but was awakened when I slowed down and parked along the highway, where the fruit stands were. She had been asking me to buy fruit but I always forgot. While she surveyed the fruit stalls, I took pictures. 

This old house looked charming. I love the windows. 

Papaya. The family's favorite is the red solo variety, best served when it's chilled. Manong eats it to cure his hyperacidity, Nanay her constipation.

Singkamas. 

Durian: heavenly. 

Still more papaya and avocado. 

And that was it for our Holy Thursday. 

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Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Laurie Wilson, meditating on Jesus' last words: 

Christ came to do the Father’s will. The cross was our Lord’s focus from the beginning of His earthly sojourn. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Christ was the only sin offering that could and did satisfy God the Father’s righteous demands. All of humanity’s sins, past, present, and future, were transferred to Christ, who graciously bore the ugliness and degradation of it all for us. On the cross unimaginable horror was turned into glorious hope. The “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” had incredible mercy upon us. “It is finished” but it is not yet over. Richard John Neuhaus explains, “It will not be over until every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. That triumphant note does not mean the simple displacement of suffering with victory…The only way to the light is the way he took, the way through the heart of darkness, the way of the cross. That is where he is to be found, that is where he finds those he takes to the Father.” Hallelujah, what a Savior!

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Cherry blossoms at the Koronadal City Integrated Terminal

I'd been waiting for the perfect chance to take pictures of the pink flowers at the Koronadal City Integrated Terminal. I spotted the trees in bloom a month ago, but didn't have the time or proper camera to capture a shot.

It was wise of me to bring my camera on this sleepy Palm Sunday morning. I've rediscovered photography recently, a love that has ebbed and flowed, depending on the season—a fact that remains true for most of my hobbies. I recall a conversation with a young patient, who owns a photography business, who said I shouldn't worry which camera to purchase—that the best camera is that which I'd actually use. 

The trees looked lovely this morning. On weekdays, I imagine that they'd refresh tired eyes, an alternative to the busy to-and-fro of tricycles, buses, and private vehicles that ply Robredo Street. 

I love seeing trees lining the streets; it's a shame that we unnecessarily destroy and kill so many of them.

The security personnel, huddled beneath the shade, drinking coffee, allowed me to take pictures. 

"Ano ni nga puno, Te?" I asked. 

One lady said, "Cherry blossoms na, sir."

I didn't pry further and thanked the staff. Behind this brilliant idea were the city planners and gardeners who thought adding color to the terminal's front perimeter was a good thing. I should thank these people, too.

"Piktyuri lang, sir, ah," the lady said.

They looked like cherry blossoms up close.

Can someone identify the plant? Is this perhaps the salinggogon (Cratoxylum formosum)? (I learn so much from Celine Murillo's Instagram that people are impressed I know so much.)

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