A sad end to March 2026 - the passing of two great men

Last week, two great men passed away. Their accomplishments speak for themselves and they left their legacies for people to use and learn from even after they have passed. I just wanted to mark their passing as an important note here on my blog. 

Paalam Dr. Cornie Banaag, the Father of Child Psychiatry in the Philippines. I got to know of Doc Cornie as a neighbor whom I enjoyed a few walks with around our village. He loved to talk about life and shared his thoughts about the state of mental health especially among children or youth in general. We occasionally met in other cities where he happened to be a resource person in seminars and I happened to be working on projects.

Paalam Mr. Roger Murga, accomplished engineer whose accomplishments in the construction industry led to the realization of major infrastructure projects including the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX). I came to know him as he was a childhood friend of my father. They grew up in Cabatuan, Iloilo and went to the same High School.

Our deepest sympathies go with their families.

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Sanggumay blooming at our home

I got a few sanggumay a couple of years ago and these were planted on several trees around our home. The ones easily visible and checked are the sanggumay growing around our mango tree, the central and perhaps focal tree at our home. There are also sanggumay on our narra, guyabano and palm trees.

The flower buds along one of the strands indicate blooms soon. Other strands have buds already growing out. These are from the same plant on our mango tree. 

Close-up of one of the strands and the buds

I will share some photos here again when the sanggumay are in full bloom.  

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Crazy about baklava

I first tasted baklava when I was student in Japan in the 1990s. I recall one or two occasions when students from the Arab countries or Turkey would have brought these as their contribution to pot luck events. Later, we enjoyed baklava from a Greek neighbor in a village we resided at for almost a decade. And so we were delighted to have been gifted with a box of baklava from the Ambassador of the State of Palestine! The ambassador visited UP and distributed these to his hosts. We opened the box on the eve of Eid L Fitre (end of Ramadan) and enjoyed it as dessert after meals.

The packaging gave a preview of what's to be expected inside the box.

Details on the baklava at the back of the package.

Ingredients include only two nuts - pistachios and cashews.

Nutrition facts

We were very pleasantly surprised by the variety of baklava upon opening the box. It certainly did not disappoint as the contents are consistent with the images on the box.

These were a delightful dessert but I wouldn't be surprised if people instead snacked on these. One can easily indulge or over-indulge over these baklava.

I kept the box as a souvenir and will use it for other keepsakes. It can also be a reference if we happen to see this or something similar during our travels. I assume you can get these are duty free shops in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha or Istanbul - some of the usual airport stops en route to Europe, for example.

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