Holidays 2025: Practicing the Art of Slowing Down

"Sa travels natin, let's be intentional in having a slow pace. Enjoy the present and savor the moment. Time has this ability to sneak up on us, at magmamalay na lang tayo na matatapos na naman pala ang taon."

Nov 4 (Mon): This year, I slowed down at work. I realized that how I'm valued as an employee is not equal to how I do my tasks compared to my teammates. I still hit targets and deadlines, but that's it. I'm only doing what's expected of me. I'm not quite quitting, as a matter of fact, I love my job. I just don't want to rush things anymore.

At home, I appreciate slow mornings more than taking only a minute or two to finish my cup of coffee. I now take my time when taking a bath, enjoying more the smell of my body wash than rubbing my skin with my body scrub in a rush. I feel so refreshed when the cold water from the shower slowly and steadily washes away the shampoo in my hair.

On the left is a snap from one of our slow dinner cravings, shy lang ako d'yan. I can still vividly remember that dinner; there was no rush to finish our food, just my partner and I savoring the Vietnamese flavors in our order. I'm enjoying this Thai Tangerine Tea, not so Vietnamese, huh?

Nov 6 (Thu): Here I am in my favorite neighborhood coffee shop, enjoying my hot Spanish latte and chocolate chip cookie while trying to figure out how I will move forward with my three process documentation projects and two course creation projects. Also, nakakatuwa kapag ganitong month na. Super light sa pakiramdam at nae-excite ako sa isiping I'll be able to meet my friends again over coffee and some pastries, catch-up malala sa mga ganap namin sa buhay bago matapos ang taon.

Nov 09 (Sun): Just finished working. I was still able to do some household chores. Well, may parating na super-typhoon named Uwang, and Metro Manila is already on Typhoon Signal #3 while my hometown is already in #4. God help us! Despite the weather forecast, it's still very calm outside, so hopefully ay hindi na matuloy si Uwang at malusaw na lang sa karagatan.

Anyway, last Friday night (Saturday, really, at 12 AM), my work friends and I went to Tagaytay to catch up, have dinner, and enjoy some coffee. Then, uwi na rin. Hahaha. Very quick indeed pero enough na for us to decompress from the stress we're getting from work, chill lang pero puro tawanan sa kung anu-anong bagay na napag-usapan.

Here we are posing for a photo while waiting for our orders: inihaw platter, seafood soup, and mango shake pitcher. Sulit din ang experience namin sa 24-7 restaurant na 'to. Hindi masyadong malamig pero grabe ang fog papunta at pauwi. There were spots where the road was no longer visible. After this, we had coffee at Hiraya, a Starbucks Reserve. Sa dami ng tao, we just opted for a to-go order and just enjoyed our lattes in the car.

On the way home, we bought fruits sa hilera ng tindahan sa kalsada. It's been a long time since nakakain ako ng guyabano. I also bought saba for my rice substitutes.

Anyway, I gotta prepare now. I have a badminton game from 8AM to 1PM. Sana, hindi na talaga matuloy si Uwang dito sa Pilipinas and just totally dissolve in the ocean.

Nov 24 (Mon): Another manic Monday! My partner and I watched the second part of the Wicked movie last Saturday. For someone na hindi fan ng play and source literature itself, sakto lang yung movie. Maybe it's the action-movie-lover in me, nakulangan ako sa main conflict scene ng movie. Anyway, I really booked the movie kasi gustong-gusto nang mapanuod ng partner ko, and that's good enough for me to actually watch it.

Dec 11 (Thu): Long day at work, but managed to squeeze in a 3.50-kilometer walk. Not much, but a perfect start after being idle on this morning routine for almost a month. I tried a new route today, the one that crossed borders between two cities. I also found a specialty coffee space named Satori.

Dec 16 (Tue): Yesterday was something that I hope not to experience again. But who knows? Anyway, this week is kinda very uneventful for me since ang huling badminton game ng club namin ay last Sunday na, and we'll resume with regular games on the 4th day of next year na. I plan to walk-run daily, starting tomorrow morning, to shake off the holiday laziness I've been feeling since last week. I also want to get a haircut, maybe tomorrow afternoon. But today, I wanna get done with the second module of the course that I've been targeting to finish by the end of this year. Wish me luck!

Jan 09 (Fri): The holiday dust has finally settled in our household: ang mga pagkaing nasa ref namin ay finally paubos na, clothes worn during our vacation and Christmas events sa wakas ay malapit nang malabhan lahat, and my pre-work routine is almost back to normal. Ang post-work routine ko na lang ang kailangang kong maibalik sa dati.

This first week at work is so chaotic and disorganized. Ang kaunti lang ng mga nagawa ko per shift pero parang pagod na pagod ang katawan at isip ko. Hopefully, it's gonna be different starting next week.

Jan 26 (Mon): So far, my January has been both boring and exciting. Boring because I feel like I’m stuck in one place, yet my mind and body can’t seem to find a way to move forward. I’ve been feeling demotivated, made worse by the cold weather, which has been giving me a hard time. I’ve had a common cold since Wednesday last week and have been having difficulty breathing—a clogged nose is one of the things I dislike the most.

On the bright side, my partner and I were finally able to experience Sinulog. Although it wasn’t all sunshine and roses, our overall experience was pleasant. Lastly, I’m already seeing improvement in my badminton games. During my game last Saturday, I won all six of my matches. As for my game yesterday, I won six out of seven.

Jan 30 (Fri): Today is the last day of my manager in my full-time job. I'm sad. I don't want to say goodbye; I'm never good at saying goodbye kaya parang ayoko ring um-attend sa farewell call for her later today. Although sabi naman niya eh we can reach her any time on WhatsApp. She's been one of the best managers that I ever had since I started working in 2013. I pray that she'll have the wisdom and strength to go through this phase in her life. And I just hope na maging friends kami outside of our work set-up. Alam kong mabait at mabuti naman siyang tao.

Feb 03 (Tue): Closing this 2025 Christmas tradition today. I'm not satisfied with the number of entries I have for this year, but life happens, and that's totally fine.

Cheers to a more productive 2026!

The Business Of Unfinished Business

“Unfinished business lingers like a shadow — it follows you until you finally face it.”

Very random ang post na ito. Essentially, lahat ng draft posts ko that I wanted to delete to declutter, but the content, minsan title lang, was too good to be deleted. So here they are, I'm sharing them with you in random order, and there are no timestamps; the earliest entry was from 2019. Hulaan ninyo na lang kung alin.

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Mga Bunga ng Kahapon

"Gaano kahirap ang umusad at iwan ang nakaraan kung ang buhay mo ngayon ay puno ng ala-ala ng kahapon?"

Sabado ng umaga, kakatapos lang ni Andrea sa kanyang trabaho.

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Our Team Was Crucified For Logging Too Many OTs

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Why I Cut Off People So Easy

"I never want to give people an impression that disrespecting me will be so easy because I forgive so easily."

Many people took advantage of me in the past because I let them. That time, I looked as if I was too afraid of confrontation, that instead of fighting for what I knew was right, I'd rather say yes and get on with my life as if nothing happened. But that's all in the past, do some crazy shit on me now and you'll be history tomorrow. You see, it took me years to get to this point. It took a lot of practice. It took a lot of yeses that should have been nos. It took a lot of happiness outside, but deep inside I screamed in anger.

Let me tell you three stories of how I got to this point...

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I Hate People Who Don't Know How to Respect Others' Rest: Anecdotes from Sleeping and Everything in Between

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I Left My Job For Petty Reasons

"You know what, these reasons you have are all petty. If you've only raised these things to the right people, these could have been addressed immediately."

These are the exact lines that I heard from one of the people who received my first resignation letter. Yes, first, because I have to revise my resignation letter for them to accept it. But what exactly are my reasons this person has the audacity to call them petty?

I really thought that this company was the one for me to grow my roots. Aside from the fact that it's very near to my residence, the people whom I was able to speak with during my interview were really proud of what the company has done for them.

Now let me tell you my story from the day I started my training until the last day of my 30-day notice.

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I Don't Give A F*ck: What It's Like to Only Listen To People Who Matter

"When people hear good things about you, they stay silent. When they hear bad things about you, they spread it like wildfire. But when they hear nothing about you, they make things up."

This is from a video that I watched on Facebook. Something random, yes. But very true. Life hasn't always been good to me. Things that made me come up with decisions when viewed by an outsider would be perceived that part of me as the entirety of my whole being. I committed mistakes that I already regretted for even thinking about them. I burned bridges with some people because I knew then that they would never be good for me as an individual. For all of these, I learned how to forgive myself, made peace with all my shortcomings, and moved forward so I could experience things that were only dreams in my past.

When people hear good things about you, they stay silent. People who matter celebrate your achievements and success.

When they hear bad things about you, they spread it like wildfire.

But when they hear nothing about you, they make things up.

However, it's important to remember you cannot control what others say about you or how they perceive you. Instead, focus on being the best version of yourself. And let your actions speak for themselves. Over time, your character and integrity will shine through. And the people who matter most will recognize and appreciate you for who you are.

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Will Miss My Comfort Show: The Heartbreak of Saying Goodbye to The Big Bang Theory on Netflix

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Today, I Was Called Gay At Work

"This was my first time getting called gay in a derogatory way since graduating high school."

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Para Saan Ang Bukas

"Do what is right, not what is easy."

Ito ang line na pinaka-natatandaan ko nang manuod ako ng Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore.

Eleksyon time na naman. Oras na naman para muli tayong mamili ng mga taong gagawa ng kapalaran ng ating bansa sa mga susunod na taon. Bakit nga ba natin kailangan ng mga taong mamumuno sa ating bansa? Ano nga ba ang responsibilidad natin bilang isang botante? Bilang isang Pilipino?

May mga pagkakataon na mas mahirap lunukin ang pride natin kaysa sa paglunok ng sobrang init na kanin. Pero bakit nga ba natin kailangang lunukin ang ating mga pride?

Ako, bilang isang ordinaryong mamamayan, naranasan ko na ang hindi kumain sa isang buong araw at naranasan ko na rin ang kumain ng limang beses sa isang araw. Pero ano bang kinalaman ng mga taong mauupo sa katungkulan sa kung ilang beses ako kumain at kakain sa loob ng isang araw?

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It's You, Only You

"Reasons for loving someone don't have to be complicated."

Nabasa ko 'yan sa isang public Facebook post. Totoo naman. Dati akala ko saying I love you because I love you was enough. But as I grew older, I realized that there must be something in that person that made me love him. I acknowledge the scientific explanation of falling in love, but from a hopeless romantic point-of-view, I want to share why I can say I love you.

Ngayong ikaw na ang nasa harapan ko, hindi na ako magsasayang ng oras at sasabihin ko na sa'yo kung bakit kita minamahal.

Sa ngiti mo pa lang nahuli mo na ang puso ko. My world suddenly stops whenever I see your sweet smile, ang tamis na parang gusto kong tikman by kissing you until the day when I can no longer kiss you.

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Sana Bukas Sa Paggising Mo

"Sana bukas sa paggising mo ang bigat na iyong nadarama ay maglaho na nang tuluyan."

Alam ko, nahihirapan ka na. Namnamin mo ang hirap sa ngayon dahil sigurado ako, bukas o makalawa, mawawala din 'yan. Ito ang paulit-ulit kong sinasabi sa aking sarili. But how true can this be? Most of the time, I feel like I'm just kidding myself.

Heartbreaks always give me the worst pain. Ang hirap kumilos, halos ayaw kong bumangon sa tuwing ang alarm ng phone ko eh tutunog. I've been through this before and yes, I was able...