It took approximately five years before I came up with a tagline for this blog and the other social media platforms. Looking back at how I desperately wanted to make it big in the blogging field, influencing the world as a whole, by going after mainstream destinations, I couldn’t help but smile at this point….
Lessons of an Unassuming Year
fI 2025 taught me anything, again, it’s that the magic endures when we look beyond the ordinary… 2025 taught me to listen more closely to the pauses between days, to the soft persistence of ordinary moments. Somewhere between completion dates, long conversations, and familiar routines, I found myself drawn back to what is simple and…
Stillness in Plain Sight
I broke my usual weekend routine today. Instead of defaulting to screens and background noise, I walked back to the small park behind The Cultural House / Al Taawun Public Library—no agenda, just the urge to interrupt the monotony. I brought my camera along and wandered the streets nearby, hoping to catch one frame that…
Flexing My Tool for the First Time
A badminton racket is not just a tool—it is an extensions of a shuttler’s playing style, technique, and strategy. Over the years, I have had the privilege of using some iconic models, each with unique characteristics that shaped my game. Like any player trained on street courts, I started with brands for less, pun intended….
Amid Competing Priorities and Mental Clutter
It has been seven months since the return from a battery recharging mode. At that point, the transition felt like a sudden shift: from gentle waves to the roaring coldness of the season. The warmth of family moments, the easy laughter of home, and the unhurried pace of rural days were quickly replaced by the…
A Return to Stillness
On this day a week ago, I found my way back to a quiet space I used to frequent—Cafe Tale, formerly known as Coffee Tale. A simple name change, yes. But walking in today felt like I was crossing paths with an older version of myself—the one who used to know how to slow down….
Trading Rainy Blues for Golden Hues in Caliliog Beach Resort
If there is another place in Bicol where nature proudly shows off its “still-Instagrammable-but-not-ruined-by-tourists” side, it is Cagliliog Labog Beach (CLB)—a.k.a. Cagliliog Beach Resort—in Tinambac, Camarines Sur. With its powdery golden sands stretching longer than your group chat arguments, this unassuming peace of nature delivered the tropical glow-up we did not get during that gloomy,…
Unlearning the Noise that Others Normalize
Caveat: There are moments in our professional journeys that quietly shape us—with noise we learn to tolerate until we no longer can. This piece is not for validation; it is about boundaries, language, and the courage it took to reclaim my peace. Let me start by saying that some stories and memories really linger. And…
Beating Plastic Pollution Starts with Our Choices Every Day
It has been five days since we celebrated the World Environment Day 2025 under the powerful theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution.” It is a global campaign and, trutfully, a personal mission for everyone at this point. The latter is in the making, of course, and I am well aware that we can only do so much….
You Should Try It Too
I’ve just written this piece from a cozy corner of a coffee shop after a well-earned three-hour window-shopping stroll through a nearby mall—partly to soak in the early Eid al-Adha vibes, and mostly to recharge my own batteries. This quiet time with myself has been nothing short of therapeutic. A long time coming, TBH. You…
Why I Let Go of My reMarkable Tablet and Embraced the iPad—For Good
It’s been nearly two years since I transitioned to the 2021 iPad as my major tool for a paperless working ecosystem. To this day, I take pride in championing the switch—not just for myself, but for my team as well. Going paperless wasn’t exactly a walk in the park—literally and figuratively. I’ve been swamped and…
Another Secluded Paradise in Siruma: Takal Beach Resort
Tucked away in the Partido area of Camarines Sur, Siruma is a rising star in the Bicol Region’s tourism scene. Though it remains a 4th-class municipality with limited resources, it’s rich in untouched beauty—pristine beaches, lush landscapes, and awe-inspiring seascapes that reward those adventurous enough to journey through its rugged roads. This trip marks not…
What My Parents’ House Taught Me After Another Several Years of Being Away
After another long years since 2018 (“What My Hometown Taught Me After A Decade Of Distance From It“), I returned to my hometown, Casibarag Sur in Cabagan, Isabela, for a five-day vacation that spanned from December 29, 2024, to January 2, 2025. This time, it was different—I wasn’t alone, nor was I with Ms. Wonderwall….
STORIES OF THE WANDERING FEET & MIND 