IS THERE MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS? Once in a while we ask ourselves this question – if you’re lucky, in awe, but often times in exasperation. Quarter-life crisis, Saturn return, whatever name you call it, for some more than others young adulthood will require a shift as we find ourselves uttering this question more…
WHO YOU ARE, AS YOU ARE
I’VE BEEN THINKING MORE AND MORE ABOUT MORTALITY. What for? You’re only thirty one. That’s precisely it. I’m thirty one and I don’t think I’ve thought about it enough. I don’t mean planning my funeral and what the afterlife holds. There’s not much detail to this “me thinking about mortality” actually, more of just a…
UNDER PRESSURE
HOW MUCH OF THE PRESSURE WE’RE FEELING IS ACTUALLY REAL? I ask because upon discussing why I don’t write as much as I would like to, it surfaced that the pressure of living up to “expectations” gets the better of me. Like what if what I write sucks? What if it doesn’t resonate with anybody…
I SAW FIREWORKS FROM BEHIND CLOSED EYES
IT’S THE FOURTH OF JULY, and I am feeling hopeful. Not that I’m an American celebrating Independence Day, but because looking back, I’ve had a couple of milestones that took place on July 4. There’s a quote in The Alchemist, “Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely…
Love Wins (And I Will Too One Day) – A Short Story
SINCE IT’S PRIDE MONTH, I am re-sharing a short story I wrote 5 years ago today. This was originally published in Thought Catalog and I have corrected some typos and made minor revisions here and there. As much as I read a lot, story telling is HARD. It’s something I definitely hope to work on…
QUARANTINE CHECK-IN
IT’S BEEN ALMOST A MONTH OF QUARANTINE. Almost a month of not being able to go out, meet up with friends and family. A month of anxiety and fear and worry. A month of always telling my mom I love her. Like everyone, I have a hundred and one things to do once quarantine is…
AND ALL THESE LITTLE THINGS
A LIST OF RANDOM THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN MAKING ME HAPPY BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH TO SMILE ABOUT. 🙂 Yes, I know there are still a lot of not so nice things happening around, but you can either focus on the cons or find the upside. Tonight, I choose to write about the good. So,…
WHAT I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT LATELY
– How everyone is carrying their OWN LOAD and just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. – How TALKING is crucial and how LISTENING is just as important. But ultimately, it boils to UNDERSTANDING each other. – How someone giving up TRYING TO EXPLAIN or to understand pretty much signals the…
ON WHY’S AND LIVING
SOMETIMES WE GET SO USED TO HOW THINGS ARE THAT WE NO LONGER ASK WHY. I mean of course there are scientific truths that are just so universal that it’s better swallowed than asking why and getting a really long dissertation as a response, but living life is more art than science and it, to…
2 YEARS AGO: RAMBLING ABOUT THE ONE
A COUPLE GLASSES OF WINE, your best friend since forever, a girl friend who’s seen you during a very important life phase, and an ENFP kindred spirit who knows shit about you – all potent reminders of how life could’ve easily played out differently. The truth is, it could’ve easily, EASILY, played out differently. Sleight…
CHINESE NEW YEAR 2019
XIN NIAN KUAI LE! Ever since celebrating my first legit Chinese New Year in Singapore, I’ve come to appreciate Chinese New Year as more than a day off work and have actually looked forward to CNY season. However, being back in Manila and not being Chinese (although my 6.4% Mainland China Chinese and 7.1% Broadly…