If I had to sum up this year in one word, it would be movement . I moved across cities, across physical limits, across my budget. 😅 This year, I boarded the plane 16 times. Yes, I’ve traveled more in other years, crossed more borders, collected more stamps. But this year is, without a do…

I have been a quiet follower of Kulas/BecomingFilipino. Over the years, I've watched his vlogs and read his long posts. The way he told his stories, his curiosity and perspective, and how he seems more Filipino than I ever could be have kept me following him for more than a decade. I …

Back in 2023, I was one of the speakers at a blogging and grammar workshop, and one of my topics was the use of dashes in the English language. The dash, en dash, and em dash each have specific functions. And I remember sharing that the em dash is my favorite. Not just among the dashes, b…

I've been buying Christmas presents.  I know, it's only the middle of November. But hear me out. For the first time, we finally have a 7-foot Christmas tree! I’ve always wanted a big tree, but buying one from the malls was never an option. A tree that size costs around Php 10k. Th…

I’ve been digging through my old drafts in a desperate attempt to find something to post that isn’t about running (again). 😅  This was written back in 2013. I decided against publishing it at that time because the story was still raw. But it has been 12 years and I thought I'd share …

When I was still a student nurse, about twenty years ago, we were taught that a very low heart rate could be a cause for concern because it might mean the heart isn’t pumping enough oxygen-rich blood to the body. A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60-100 beats per minute (…

When I was young (and by young, I mean in my 30s), I used to join fun runs just for... fun.  Even without proper training, I’d just show up whenever there's a race, run the distance, get the free banana, and go home. I wasn't running regularly.  But in 2019,  I was sponsored a 50k…

I remember back when I was at a fastfood resto with friends when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone asking another person for a photo outside. I recognized the content creator right away. He doesn't come across my feed (thank heavens!) but the media pages I follow feature…

Boracay has always held a special place in our hearts. For Jan and me, it’s already our third time visiting this little slice of paradise. But this time it's different. We brought the family along.  We flew in early July, right as the habagat season was starting. True enough, it start…