• Lady Luck Ignored Me, So I Wrote My Way to the 2026 BCBA
    Lifestyle

    Lady Luck Ignored Me, So I Wrote My Way To The 2026 BCBA

    There are three types of lucky people in this world. First, we have the nepo babies. Born into wealthy and often famous families, they can do and buy almost anything their heart desires in a heartbeat. Second, we have the genetically gifted. These are the people blessed with good looks, natural intelligence, or athletic ability. Then there are people like me. We were not born particularly fortunate, so we have to manufacture our own luck. I wasn’t born lucky. Growing up, I always felt like the ugly duckling stuck in the wrong pond. I wasn’t an honors student, a varsity player, or even a musical prodigy. I was, at best,…

  • Mt Tapulao Traverse: An Unexpected 3-Day Journey to Heaven
    Travel

    Mt Tapulao Traverse: An Unexpected 3-Day Journey to Heaven

    Most people believe in life after death. I, on the other hand, believe in life after birth. If heaven exists, it’s right here on earth. It isn’t hidden in some faraway galaxy, confined to our imagination, or waiting beyond the grave. And on my grueling Mt Tapulao traverse, I found it in the most unlikely places. At first, the journey felt nothing like heaven. With its raging rivers, scorching sun, slippery hills, and seemingly endless forests, our Mt Tapulao traverse felt closer to hell, with a long detour through purgatory.  My legs ached, my shoulders burned, and sweat soaked through my clothes. More than once, I wondered why I had…

  • Mt Tenglawan And The The People Who Have To Die On The Climb
    Travel

    Mt Tenglawan And The People Who Have To Die On The Climb

    Someone dies every time I climb a mountain. I’m responsible for every one of them. And I’m also one of them. I have climbed so many mountains across the Philippines, and I have never come down as the same person who went up. On my climb to Mt Tenglawan, I saw all those ghosts. They were the versions of me who no longer exist.  And here’s what nobody tells you about hiking.  You don’t just climb a mountain. You also leave someone at the bottom, or somewhere along the trail, or at the summit, staring at a view he thought would fix something.  Have you ever come back from a…

  • Batad Rice Terraces: A Dream 10 Years In The Making
    Travel

    Batad Rice Terraces: A Dream 10 Years In The Making

    You probably think you know how this ends, but I promise you haven’t guessed the half of it. Yes, the Batad Rice Terraces photos you’re seeing are stunning and dreamy. But this wasn’t exactly a picture-perfect trip as you may have imagined. On the contrary, it almost didn’t happen. To make matters more interesting, the rain poured relentlessly the weekend I explored Batad and the rest of Ifugao with a group of complete strangers. So, was Batad worth the long wait and the heavy journey from Cebu? Was it as beautiful as the postcards and textbooks promised? And did I find myself on this solo journey in the Cordilleras? My…