• Travel

    Dinadiawan Beach: Why Laziness Is The Ultimate Form of Self-Respect

    When was the last time you did nothing and didn’t feel guilty about it? Can’t remember? Honestly, neither could I. Most of us can’t remember the last time we took a break without guilt creeping in. We were all raised to believe that doing nothing is a sin. Recently, I spent a couple of hours in Dinadiawan Beach, Aurora.  And you know what happened there? Nothing. I mean that in a literal sense. I stood around, walked along the shore, and took a few photos. That’s it. And strangely, that nothing became the most important part of the trip. Dinadiawan Beach wasn’t the type of beach you see on typical…

  • Quirino Province: What Happens When You Stop Fighting Time
    Travel

    Quirino Province: What Happens When You Stop Fighting Time

    What would you do differently if you knew you had ten years left? What would you do if you knew tomorrow was your last day? These questions have been lingering inside my head for the past few years. And every time I asked myself these questions, I end up in a place that I’ve never been to. This time, it was Quirino Province. An overlooked province with no claims to fame and Instagram-worthy hotspots. And like always, the place I’d never been to taught me something I wasn’t looking for. It even gave me answers to questions I’ve never asked.  So, what can an underrated province teach you about life…

  • Bauko 7 Peaks: The Truth About Illusions And Limits
    Travel

    Bauko 7 Peaks: The Truth About Illusions And Limits

    How many times can you question your life choices in a single morning? I counted seven in the first hour of my Bauko 7 Peaks hike. Question one came when I realized I hadn’t slept well in two weeks and my body was demanding payment. Question seven came when my left calf suddenly tightened and screamed hijo de puta in Tagalog. Yet even with the hiccups and the voices screaming to turn back, quitting wasn’t an option. Throughout my life, I’ve learned how to bend reality and shift stubbornness into fuel. Seven peaks meant seven chances to be wrong about my limits. The mountain was real. The pain was real.…

  • Paoay Sand Dunes
    Travel

    Paoay Sand Dunes And The Forgotten Empires That Time Erases

    One day, I will die, and strangely that thought has made life feel lighter. Since graduating college, I had been stuck in the rat race, chasing milestones and moments I thought would define me. But when I realized none of it would matter in a hundred years, something changed. Suddenly, the pressure to constantly achieve loosened its grip. And that shift is what drives me to explore places like the Paoay Sand Dunes. At the Paoay Sand Dunes, that realization takes shape in front of you. The wind pushes back. The sand gives way. You climb, slide, laugh, and try again. Nothing cooperates. Your tracks vanish almost as soon as…