Las Flores de Bohol

A flower for good work, good deeds and good thoughts...

Vacuum

Can I tempt you with my childhood game?

That of gleaning shells from the shorelines

When the shells I gather will serve as bribe at dusk?

And then those shells will land on our table with an extra sermon from mom,

Never to go to the sea without a ‘proper’ chaperone…

But I know, I know.  I can’t just tempt you this time.

The tempest is here

Here we are again at the peak of the horizons

Debating where to go

Where the tides led us and our bloods brought us

Here, at a vantage point we were excited and calm

We tried hard to listen and listened very hard.

I heard generations of sadness, struggles, those of hopes.

At least, those were the sighs I heard…

A tempest may be coming soon.

Interestingly, no one was there to pacify the brewing wind.

It was all but questions and unseen questions.

Avocado Faces

Fr. Chalerm, Thailand -- he is the oldest.  He didn't stay at Avocado.  He was in Singapore House.

This rosary-wielding guy helped us a lot.  He made sure we got into the proper buses and places...

Ching at the blue mansion

Bee and Hawnan, Thailand.  They stayed at Avocado in different generations...

inter-generational catching up

with Aloy, the man of the week

Jim, Aki-Japan, Teresa

Bee

Vangie (avocado friend) Ching - HK

chaplains

Ann and Ching

I was an Avocado baby.  I was the third occupant of #20 Avocado Road.  It was Sanjay who showed me the ropes and tips in surviving such a 'far-flung' place.

Three years from now, Avocado  will celebrate 20 years of  student movement vibrancy.  It witnessed interlocking smiles, sighs, cries and shouts.  But for me, it witnessed decades-old growing and learning...

In fact, in June 23rd, the grandest Avocado reunion was held in Penang, Malaysia to coincide with the presbyteral ordination of Fr. Tan Yih Soo.

Ruki - IYCS, Teresa -IMCS with Rory, local IMCS of Penang

with Msgr. Stephen Liew, VG of Penang Diocese, a long-time friend of Avocado

Myra, IMCS staff admin - a room mate

Helena, Avocado friend

For if we live in the past

The ripple continues.
Others may call it shedding tears.  Well, lamentations of old.
We hold on tightly or hole up.

We get closer to all the shoulda and coulda
We became an expert of the mistaken shrouds of reality built and strengthened.

Still, it is a fallacy...