Tag: Love

Ordinary Things, Extraordinary Stories (1)

When I went to Hyderabad, India for an official trip in 2017, I had the chance to join some members off the Philippine delegation to visit some places in Hyderabad after a full day of meeting. One of the places we went to is Charminar. It has this unfinished but charming castle, and vendors all…

Read More

What if?

What if? I’m certain that you have asked this question at some points in your life. What if I did that? What if I left? What if I stayed? What if I made a different decision? What if I chose a different life? What if I start anew? So many what ifs. I’ve had so…

Read More

09 Feb. 2026 Thoughts

This morning, after I cracked a native chicken’s egg in 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,…

Read More

Courage to Love

Our pet kitten, Pepper, died recently. My siblings and my daughter were heartbroken as I was. Pepper was rescued in early 2022 from our backyard in my hometown, then a teeny-weeny, thin being with scant fur, and with a meow scarcely above a whisper. I usually described those trips as somersaults of the emotions–the thrill…

Read More

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…

Read More