I HAVE BEEN LIVING in the City of Manila for a month exactly today. I have avoided this part of the metro for so long but now call it home. While I am suddenly immersed in its history, I am actually more interested to know if I have a future here. L’s work in the hospital means being on-call and proximity can save lives. Me, I am more flexible, and this is actually my 12th address to date. But there’s something… Read More »Manila’s bright spots, dark corners
IT’S BEEN A CRAZY last few months, and we never had the chance to truly process our gains, feel the depths of our losses, and embrace the changes that happened in between. We tell ourselves there was no time to let things sink in. There were just so many things to do and very little emotional bandwidth to spare. But we try. Distance can do that for us. So is the change of pace. So we found ourselves in Sagada, our fire escape… Read More »Life pause in Sagada
HUGS ARE THE FIRST ones to go. Kisses will be reserved for the ones you’ll die for. Flying smooches, as airborne as they could possibly take off, must land 3 meters away. Handshakes will smell like 70% isopropyl alcohol and 30% trust. The list goes on, you know. Fist bumps will lose their, errrmm, bumps. High fives will now leave you high and dry. Saying “I love yous” will be muffled, coming from behind masks. Asking someone sick to “go… Read More »Rx: Social Distancing
A WEEK since its first signs of unrest, Taal Volcano remains in Alert Level 4 indicating possible explosive eruption “within hours to days.” While its symptoms take a backseat now that allow people to take a breather, the science beyond the surface—measured in number of plumes, quakes, ash, levels of SO2 emissions, or even where the wind blows—tells a different story. How something so critical to remain largely unpredictable escapes me. How something beautiful turn so deadly—that one, we’re not so… Read More »Of ashfall, gabok and the taal eruption
THE MYSTERY behind Hinatuan Enchanted River’s source is left to the brave or superstitious. The rest of us will be left distracted with its bluest color. Most of us will be lured to at least take a dip. Maybe part of the rivulet’s charm is attributed to it being a delta, whose push and pull of tides changes its colors down the line and makes for a unique bathing experience. On one end, the Pacific Ocean traces its saltwaters into the stream.… Read More »Hinatuan river: Enchanted ever after
FOR THE LONGEST time, I have this love-hate relationship with any body of water. While without a doubt would I openly profess my love for the sea, I often admire it from the shore. That while I am first in line to ride a boat, I am often last to jump from it for a dip. And while I wish to learn more of the underwater marine life, I wish to see them in their natural habitat instead of… Read More »Test dive!