Paul looks forward to the weekend

Cassia fistula (golden shower)

Beautiful yellow flowers of the golden shower trees greeted me today in the hospital parking lot. From Wikipedia: 

Cassia fistula is widely grown as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas. It blooms in late spring/early summer in hot, dry weather. Flowering is profuse, with trees being covered with yellow flowers, many times with almost no visible leaves. It grows well in dry climates. Growth for this tree is best in full sun on well-drained soil; it is relatively drought-tolerant and slightly salt-tolerant. It will tolerate light brief frost, but can get damaged if the cold persists. It can be subject to mildew or leaf spot, especially during the second half of the growing season. The tree blooms better with pronounced differences between summer and winter temperatures. 

I tried the Olympus M. Zuiko Digital 40-150 mm F4-5.6 mm lens, a Christmas gift from Manong Ralph. Thanks, Manong! I'm grateful for generous brothers. Sean just got me a muscle mat. 

It's a quiet Sunday morning

Manong Ralph's Reading Year 2024

Manong Ralph arguably reads more books than me. I invited him to write something for here. Here's his list. What books did you particularly enjoy this year? Let me know in the comments!

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2024 Best Reads

I’m on my way to finishing the incomparable Barbara Kingslover’s opus Demon Copperhead, which would be my 40th book this year. 

This has been a good year for reading. Here are some memorable books I’ve read in 2024, in no particular order: 

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover. She’s a brilliant author. Her characters are deeply flawed, human, and full. Poisonwood Bible threads the themes of religion, patriarchy, race, trauma and how one experience can affect each member of a family differently. I am including Copperhead in this list, although I’m still making my way through it, because it’s also very good. The narrator, the titular Damon Copperhead is authentic, funny, and resilient, and this book is a testament to the beauty of the human spirit in a dark, cruel world.



This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. The story is set across multiple timelines written from the POV of two (mortal?) A.I. enemies, Blue and Red. This is a love story that involves time travel, but written in such a refreshingly new way: one author wrote the Blue character and the other one, Red; yet, the narrative as a whole doesn’t feel disjointed. It also reads like poetry. The letters between these two characters have a lyrical quality to them. 



Hounded by Kevin Hearne. I bought my copy in a New York City bookstore last year based on a recommendation from one of the staff, Tom DeWitt: “A fun start to an awesome urban fantasy series filled with magic, suspense, witches, vampires, and a druid with his dog.” This book is all of those and more. 

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. What I love about this book is that it is about friendship, and how it can be as powerful, meaningful, and important as romantic and familial relationships. Friends and collaborators Sam and Sadie navigate their relationship amidst the haze of professional jealousy, competitiveness, and the complicated world of video game development and marketing. My favorite character though is Marx, Sadie’s romantic interest and Sam’s roommate and best friend. He is the steady, dependable friend who loves Sam and Sadie very well, until the end. 



Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. I bought this book on my way back from a work conference in Bali. The story is set in Ireland in the hands of a tyrannical government. The story feels eerily familiar, because of the Philippine’s history under martial law during the Marcos dictatorship. This book is a powerful reminder that democracy is such a fragile thing. 




Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. I am familiar with Sally Rooney from the screen adaptations of her books, Normal People and Conversation with Friends. But Intermezzo is the first book of hers that I’ve read. Her prose is so simple and yet approachable. She writes in an everyday-conversation kind of way. I’m impressed with the way she constructs her characters’ internal, almost post-mortem monologues and reflections. She deals with complex and chaotic emotions, yet there’s some order to them too. My favorite thing about this book is that she treats her characters like they’re real, complex people, as if they’re her actual friends. There’s a particular conversation between the two main characters, brothers Peter and Ivan, towards the end that’s full of tenderness, understanding, and forgiveness. It’s quite beautiful. 





The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon. This is another fantasy novel that I enjoyed this year. It plays on the familiar enemies-to-lovers trope, but what I love about this book is its world-building: the story is set in a distinctly Filipino and Southeast Asian inspired world. Oh, the author is also Filipino, an Ilongga from Negros Occidental. 

Every Good Boy Does Fine by Jeremy Denk. This is a biography of MacArthur Genius awardee Jeremy Denk structured around his piano teachers. It is as much about honoring the people who have shaped him to become that prodigious pianist and teacher that he is as it is about his life. Jeremy Denk is a prolific and hilarious writer, and one does not need to play piano to appreciate this book. 

With Auntie Nancy

Last-minute shopping with Auntie Nanic, seen here with Manong.

My Reading Year 2024

Year 2024 has been a great year for reading. I have no reading list to plow through. I read whatever I like, usually two to five books at any given time. There's no virtue in it for me; it's the way I live. 2024 is the year when I discovered and quite enjoyed audiobooks. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride is one of my favorite reads. To prove my point, let me tell you that I'm listening to Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, written by JK Rowling, and read by the brilliant Stephen Fry.