Yes. My family of four are now here down under where kangaroos are the kings of the outback roads and the fact that koalas are not real bears is no longer unheard of.

Yet the Philippines is an inherent part of my being, too, in more ways than one. One would and should never forget one’s roots. In life, we take with us what’s good (as well as leave behind and learn from what’s not so).

For the first time in years, I’ve been able to search for and find the time to finally carry out my long-delayed plan to read noteworthy pieces written by Filipino authors. These works are not my childhood’s Florante at Laura or El Filibusterismo, but they are culturally valuable pieces nonetheless albeit on another plane.

The following is the first in my top-pick list:

Great Sense and Sensibility

Life’s Work by Francis J. Kong

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I am a Fil-Aussie. With the multitude of books that I’ve been reading since last year, I made it a point that 2019 will be a bit different from more recent years. I’ve come up with a non-negotiable goal of reading at least three books from Australian authors and another three from Filipino writers. Well, I am proud to say that I’ve already finished the first half of that goal. This piece is my second item on my plan’s other half.

Whereas Kong’s work may seem to be the antithesis of another beloved author’s take, I’d rather focus on the consistencies.

In life and even at work, it’s easier for us to feel flat out, frustrated or flabbergasted whenever things don’t go according to what we expect them to be. It’s more convenient to put blame on other people or situations instead of looking at what we have personally contributed to what went wrong.

With this piece, Francis allows us to look at a proverbial mirror and cajoles us to reflect on another side of life’s realities. We have a role to play in our own lives, and there are things that we could do to make things better.

Kong makes real sense.

Note: This non-commercial micro-review also appears on other sites.