We are in Sagada. I am sitting at a desk in a room at my friend Villia’s house, staring out the window at Echo Valley shimmering in the morning light. I had woken up much earlier, and saw that the house was enveloped by fog. It...

“Think of a place or a situation where you feel calm, relaxed and happy. Is it in color? Are you near or far? What do you see, hear, and feel?” The voice belonged to my classmate Renzo. We were in the middle of the 10-day...

Recently, I ran into a friend at a wake, also a fellow writer. We talked briefly about the world’s fascination with “super heroes”, epitomized by the recent showing of the final installment in the Avengers’ series, Endgame...

It is Valentine’s Day, and I am sitting in a restaurant with two girlfriends, eating samosas drizzled with mint yoghurt dressing. One of them has called for this Valentine’s “summit” because she is at a cross roads in her life...

In a vacation city with over 3,000 listings for hotels, bed and breakfasts and homestays, my husband and I decided to set up our own. Whether you think us crazy or overly hopeful, it is an endeavor that has given me such unexpected fun...

On the first of January, 2020, I found myself behind the wheel of my dad’s car, driving my parents and myself to Manila from Baguio. The reason for this spur of the moment trip sounds like a hackneyed movie title—two wakes and a...

Three years ago, I had the extreme good luck of meeting an amazing, unique man called Dennis Banks at the Kapwa 3 Conference in Baguio. The 75-year-old Native American leader, teacher and activist from the Anishinaabe tribe of...