Relationships
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Kindness as a tool
As a child looking up to adults, I recall how kindness was consistently taught within the family, at church, and even in school. Always be kind. It sounds simple, almost banal. But somewhere in my early thirties, I encountered people who shattered this simple worldview. They were charming, generous with compliments, always ready to listen. 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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“Malicious lies can wound”
Who then is telling the truth? This question haunts me still, even after learning how “malicious lies can wound” in my free speech class. But the real education came from living it. I remember the pathological liar who taught me my first brutal lesson years ago. They would always say the right words to your Read more
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To give and not take
It’s easy to wake up every day thinking only about ourselves as the center of our universe. It’s easy to constantly put ourselves as the main character even when it is not our story and not even about us. As set by default, we think only about our welfare and benefits. What takes effort is Read more
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New day
Sun’s out, new day, fresh start. I appreciate how our cat Novo hardly breaks his routine, and so I tag along with it, starting my days early (unless deep sleep has its hands around me) and being in that slim pocket of solemn peace and unhurried time of the day. New days let us forget Read more
jessa 