I caught my first glimpse of the renowned Jewel at the Changi Airport early in the morning. Despite being visibly tired and coming from a 3.5-hour flight from Cebu, my whole demeanor flight changed upon catching sight of this ‘jewel’.
Blog Posts
Jiufen and Shifen: Taiwan’s charming old towns
Did you know that Taiwan was actually Japan's first colony? You can still feel it, once you step on the shores of Taiwan--you can feel a little bit of China, and a little bit of Japan... but don't tell the Taiwanese that. Japan wanted to show off to the world that they can also do the imperial colonizing… Continue reading Jiufen and Shifen: Taiwan’s charming old towns
Entrepreneurs pivot… and so does the world
Cocky is good social capital. Extroverts win. Optimism is an asset. But can optimism become too much that it becomes unhealthy? One word, four letters: FYRE.
Travel with Kids to Tokyo Japan: 4 Days Travel Itinerary
Here's a 4-day Tokyo Japan Itinerary if you intend to travel with kids.
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'Sprezzatura' is a beautiful Italian term which means 'looking effortless'; or as the 16th century Italian author Baldassare Castiliogne describes it, a certain 'nonchalance' so as to conceal and make whatever one does appear without effort or almost any thought about it. 'Sprezzatura' is a beautiful Italian term which means 'looking effortless'; or as the… Continue reading Blank Canvas
Movies and Shows to Binge During No Travel Period
Streaming services have a wealth of international movies in their library, and give you a very clear glimpse of culture of the country, and maybe you can even learn a few words too--I've learned 'tranquilo!' from Money Heist and 'itadakimasu' from Terrace House. Here are some of the movies, shows and books you can consume if you feel like traveling rn.
Filipino’s Obsession with Bathing
Filipinos are known to love bathing. We do it as frequently as possible, normally twice a day. Some people I know even go as far as bathing thrice daily during the summer! We have more shampoo and soap products and commercials than any other culture (that I know).
This Pandemic has Unleashed my Inner Grouch
I could not stand quarantine overachievers. I couldn't stand people who are being productive during this time: doing daily pushups, enrolling online classes, doing meditation or taking up calligraphy. The nerve, people are bettering themselves while here I am, just doing my bare minimum to get through the day!
Writing about the mundane (and coronavirus)
A piece about the mundane and my own boredom--but I'm insecure so I will put the c-word in the title to make it more clickbait.
WHAT TO EXPECT: MACAU
Macau (or sometimes Macao) is a city and special administrative region of China and a former colony of the Portuguese Empire. It is best known, however, for its glitz and glamour: known as the Las Vegas of Asia, in fact bigger and with more money. Do you know that there is a direct Cebu to… Continue reading WHAT TO EXPECT: MACAU
5 Things that Surprised Me About Living in the USA
Many, many things surprised me about USA when I lived there for a few months on exchange. I could start with guns and politics but let's deviate to more politically correct things, so here are some of the five: Doing chores is super easy! Doing chores is a lot easier in a developed country where… Continue reading 5 Things that Surprised Me About Living in the USA
Language Classes in the Groceries, Culture Lessons on the Dinner Tables
I HAVE a weird kink that I want to confess: I get super excited with every opportunity to go grocery shopping abroad. It seems like a very mundane thing, but the grocery store is always a potential cultural lesson.
That Time I was Robbed in Europe
I didn’t have a very good experience on my arrival in my first time in Paris. Quite literally I was robbed on my first day . . . of a box of pizza.
The Filipino Identity Crisis
Spotify Anchor Support During my travels, I’ve been constantly approached and asked where I come from. For fun, I make a game out of it to let them guess. Most commonly, I’ve been perceived to be Thai. I’ve also been thought to be: Singaporean, Nepali, Kazakhstani, oddly Russian, and on rare occasions, Chinese or Japanese.… Continue reading The Filipino Identity Crisis
Why Westerners are more ‘Independent’ than Asians
One night, I found myself in a hostel bar with other backpackers along the Banana Pancake Trail13 in Southeast Asia. I couldn’t remember exactly where, but I did remember drinking a beer alone in a bar called “Happy Monkey” or “Smelly Pig” or some cheesy name with an animal. Backpacker's Haven I was drinking alone,… Continue reading Why Westerners are more ‘Independent’ than Asians
