Relationships
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Early risers
When you know why you have to wake up early and where you are going, it’s easier to convince yourself to get out of bed and be in motion. And once you are set in motion, you find it easier to continue moving. Because when you get up early in the morning, you experience the… Read more
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Timelines
I was sure that with careful planning and preparing for contingencies, my life would unfold the way I wanted them to. But here I am, almost three decades in, feeling everything I wanted to happen for this timeline seemed out of my control. Yes. It seems to me that I am missing some of the… Read more
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“Pasalubong”
Pasalubong is a Filipino tradition where we bring gifts from where we’ve been back home so families and friends can enjoy them too. These gifts are often locally produced so getting them back home feels like bringing home the experience to family and friends. It’s like a wish you were here, kind. And seeing your… Read more
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Getting to know each other at the dining table
Many things could happen when you are sharing a meal with a person, much more with a group of people you only met that day. Can you please pass the soy sauce? And a witty remark from the song playing in the background could make the entire group laugh. As the mood lightens up when… Read more
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What hard times make people do
“Perhaps the most lasting damage (referring to the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1942) was to the social fabric: years of scarcity had led many Filipinos to pilfer food and cut ethical corners in order to eat. Corruption had become a way of life for many. A new eyesore afflicted Manila, as squatter shanties… Read more
jessa 