Sitting in the car with the windows half-open, the muggy Manila air half-choking us with the heavy weight of smog, I turned to you, stared at your face half-asleep, and asked, "Are you happy?" In the only way you know how, you pressed the palms of your hand on your eyes, and you replied,… Continue reading A little less happy, a little more joyful: Christmas 2017
Tag: reflection
Kota: Tips and Tricks (and Stuff I Wish I’d Known)
To the Filipino hiker, Mt. Kinabalu isn't as hard the way conventional Filipino mountains are hard. Where Filipino mountains rely on natural trails (a root becomes a step, a branch, your foothold), Mt. Kinabalu is 80% stairs. This means the best way to train for Kota is not exactly to run hills, or to climb… Continue reading Kota: Tips and Tricks (and Stuff I Wish I’d Known)
Great Balancing Act
The end of every year shows Twitter in a flurry of activities: people tweeting about the things they're grateful for; about things they wish they had done, or done better; about lessons they learned or lessons they wish they were taught. On my part, I decided to go on a sharing spree about the good… Continue reading Great Balancing Act
A Christmas letter
Dear Jesus, Two thousand years ago, in a tiny town called Bethlehem, you graced the world with your presence. Born in the humblest of ways, with only stacked hay for a bed and a stable for a roof, the world told you, "You are here. This is home for now." I wonder what Mary… Continue reading A Christmas letter
For the days when it seems darkest
When I woke up today, I fumbled blindly for my phone, guided only by the alarm emanating from it. 6:32 AM, it probably read, a result of my inability to set alarms where the minutes are multiples of 5. I finally found it, hidden under a pile of pillows; before I pulled it out, I… Continue reading For the days when it seems darkest
Of wishes
We were sitting on the sidewalks last night, just talking. Cigarette sticks turned cigarette butts left unnoticed, practically touching — burning — skin; frozen bottles of beer turned lukewarm; clock hands turning, now it is 11:14 PM, now it is 11:53 PM, now it is 12:32 AM, now it is 12:41. We leaned back and… Continue reading Of wishes
Of perpetual finds 