Christianity
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When prayer stopped being about getting what I want
My 2025 planner’s year-in-review reminded me that I had a full year despite how mundane most days felt. And as I read or watched end-of-year summaries on social media, I kept thinking about what made 2025 truly different for me. I thought about how it wasn’t really about what I accomplished that year, but what Read more
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Reading the Bible in one year again
It’s that time of the year again to commit to reading the Bible in one year. 🎉 I used to read the Bible in one year every year (which I wrote about here) until a significant life transition reorganized how I spent my days, which in turn encouraged me to focus on reading and rereading Read more
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Letter no. 49
Dear reader from the future, Whenever provinces and cities get flooded in the Philippines, I always think about anthropogenic climate change. But there’s another problem that originates from human activity: greed. As the government poured out billions for adaptation efforts, bad actors found ways to steal what should have protected us from rising waters. But Read more
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Beyond quiet quitting and bai lan: finding a third way to work
I’ve been unsettled these past few months about my changing attitude towards work. I can’t help but see myself resonating with my generation’s disillusionment, and it’s escalating my anxiety about the future. I feel like I’ve been cheated right after university—”too educated” for humble jobs, yet somehow I’ve forgotten that our kind of work today Read more
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Letting go of control
Hopelessness dims the future, making it difficult to imagine what good might come out if you even try to press on through the dark to see if there is an end to it. One can also remain hopeful even when in the dark. While I was going through moments of uncertainty, it certainly felt like Read more
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Life’s uncertainties
I think about the many ways my life would turn out, like in a role-play game where each choice leads to another set of probabilities, possibilities, and alternatives. However, unlike a game where I can always return to the next save point if I don’t like how things are going, there’s no do-over in real Read more
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A place is only as good as our company
When my friend and I were walking along a street with fine restaurants all lined up and filled with people in conversation and laughter, I told her how nice it is to be in one and experience what it’s like to enjoy the ambiance and their menu. But the experience won’t be as fulfilling as Read more
jessa 