Martilo.

Dusk. (Photo from 2007.)

My mind is sailing away. Back to the Cabog (grandmother mother's side) family beach house in La Libertad, Negros Oriental. It is back to the way it was, before the earthquake of Feb 6, 2012 deemed it a tragic ruin.

I sit on the dike, the evening sea breeze grazing through my hair. My ears plugged in to Sky Sailing at a volume low enough for me to keep hearing the lilting sounds of the waves crashing against the sea wall, and the soft rustle of the coconut tree leaves.

My eyes drift from the sea to the stars, and to the yellow-orange moon slowly fading into white with its reflection dancing in the waters. Tiny lights from Cebu island twinkle from a distance and the gas lamps on several fishermen's boats cut through the silkiness of the dark waters.

At that moment as it always does for as long as I can remember...

Time stands still.

This place was way better than any Boracay or Lake Calhoun beach scene. This place was home.