From Pension to Palms
Pensionado turns Filipino
By Max Sr. · August 9, 2026
Three years retired, and somehow busier than ever. I daydream about my day on a warm island in the Philippines: waking up to birdsong, fresh fish at the market, and an afternoon nap that can run as long as it likes. Because there's no rush anymore.
Reading my way through Luzon
By Max Sr. · August 9, 2026
On my way to the library, I think back on Dusk by F. Sionil José, about ancestors fleeing the Spanish. Filipino books keep bringing me closer to my daughter-in-law's country, its history, islands, and language. And now and then an old-fashioned Tagalog word, much to my daughter-in-law's amusement.