09 Feb. 2026 Thoughts

This morning, after I cracked a native chicken’s egg on a mug of newly-boiled water, then added milk and sugar, I suddenly thought of my lolo. My lolo was a regular milk drinker, and his favorite brand was Nido. He also sometimes added a fresh egg to the milk, which gave the drink a creamier,…

Inertia

One of the things that I’m afraid might happen one day is that I will lose interest in things that give me meaning or at least evoke some sense of happiness in me. That wouldn’t feel good, right? My society-perceived success (good education, stable job), my altruistic vision, my plans for the future (other than…

Wandering in the Dreamworld

I am curious to know why we dream what we dream. Sometimes, dreams are pleasant; at times, they are scary, or tiring, or lonely. I’ve had so many dreams but I will share a few, starting with one that I wrote on my FB in 2022: ________________________________ Dream 1 (Jan. 8, 2022) I woke up…

All in a Week

These are some of the highlights as September ended and a new month began. I started the week with two (2) lectures on cultural diplomacy on a Monday morning, which were rescheduled twice because of Sept. rains and storm. This was followed by a despedida lunch for a dear former boss and mentor who is…

Post-birthday Musing

I recently had my birthday and I wanted to post something on the day itself to mark it. But I was busy–I went to work, had lunch and snacks celebration with officemates, etc. and got home around 9p.m., fell asleep due to tiredness, and woke up before 11pm to eat the sotanghon that my mom…

The Workers in our Midst/ Ang Mga Manggagawa sa ating Paligid

Isang inhinyerong sibil ang yumaong tatay ko. Matagal syang nagtrabaho sa Saudi, pero nagkaroon rin sya ng proyekto sa Ho Chi Minh sa Vietnam. Ang ilang proyekto naman nya ay dito sa Maynila. Naalala ko nga, nakapunta pa ako dati sa isang construction site dyan sa may Vito Cruz noong itinatayo pa lang ang pundasyon…

Leap!

It’s Feb. 29, 2024; the date made me think of leap and its many definitions: Leap means to jump to a great height or to move quickly. As a noun, it can also mean a huge change or increase. Leap of faith means to do something even if you’re unsure whether it will succeed. It’s…

Of Sunlight, Casual Walks and Novels

January is an exciting time for new plans and resolutions. A lot of people would usually spend the first week of the new year in the best way possible. I wanted to — meet a good friend, try a new resto, read the first book of the year, watch the first movie of the year,…

When Breath Becomes Air (Paul Kalanithi, 2016)

When I saw the pale blue book with the image of a surgeon’s back as the cover, on one of the shelves in Morawa Bookstore in Vienna, during my visit last weekend, I didn’t pay it special attention. Even after I briefly read the title and the synopsis at the back cover, it didn’t impress…