The road felt endless that day. Dust clung to the windows of the van while the afternoon heat pressed against us like a heavy blanket. Every bump in the road kept shaking my body awake just enough to make rest impossible. For two days, I had barely slept more than six hours. Everything started to feel blurry. Conversations sounded distant and the sunlight felt too bright. Exhaustion sat deep behin... » Continue Reading
Ten years ago today, March 16, 2016, started like any other ordinary morning. It was around six in the morning, and I was on my way to work, riding a motorcycle that I had only owned for five months. I was still new to riding, so I kept my speed modest, around 50 kilometers per hour. I wore what I thought was proper protection: a helmet, a rider’s jacket, jeans, and shoes. It felt like a normal da... » Continue Reading
It started as just another workday. There was this makeshift room in the workplace, it was cluttered, dark, and disorganized. Too many things were piled up inside, like a forgotten storage yard that had slowly turned into a junk heap. The moment I stepped inside, I did not like the feeling. There was something off. The air was heavy in a way I could not explain. One day, some » Continue Reading
I dreamed I was in an unfamiliar room. The walls were pale, and soft light streamed through the window, casting quiet shadows across the floor. The room felt still, almost forgotten, yet I moved through it as if I had been there before. I sat at the dining table. Stared at the sink. Beneath the sink, tucked behind some old cleaning bottles, was a familiar cookie tin, the blue one that once held Da... » Continue Reading
I was in a small room somewhere in Baguio City, trying to get some rest. Something about the place made me uncomfortable, as if an unsettling energy was lingering. But I brushed off that feeling and went on a stroll. Having lived here for quite some time, I knew the city well enough to find comfort in its familiar streets and alleys. That night, though, I didn’t care much about the place itself, j... » Continue Reading
When we were kids, my sibling and I raised guinea pigs - soft, round little creatures that squeaked like broken whistles whenever we brought them greens. Cabbage, grasses, anything leafy. They never stopped munching, like happiness lived in every bite. They were tame, trusting. We cradled them like babies, their warmth pressed against our chests. We thought they were happy. Maybe they were, until ... » Continue Reading
I was a boy in the dream, maybe eight or nine. That age when the world still feels enormous, but your senses are sharp and honest. I was walking alone through a forest. It wasn’t dark, and it wasn’t scary. Just quiet. Trees all around. The kind of quiet that makes you feel like something is waiting to be found. The air was cool. I wasn’t afraid of what I saw. I was only afraid because I didn’t und... » Continue Reading
Everything has changed. It's clear that we're missing the days we were able to go outside without the fear of encountering the coronavirus. The lockdowns imposed in 2020 made us feel incredibly isolated, stressed and worried. Though they say it is natural to feel anxiety, we must find ways to at least minimize the stress. » Continue Reading