Blank is #BetterByBicycle

Not that I used my bike to repair my jacket, but rather, going to a tailor service shop by bicycle, except that it's not really a tailor but an embroidery service shop. 😅 Because I delayed my  trip for a month out of my desire to participate in the Philippine midterm elections , a huge part of my vacation in Australia fell on winter season and  my sister advised me to bring a winter jacket as it would be very cold by the time I arrived. I only have  one winter jacket, but the left sleeve was ripped when it was brought to a dry cleaning service by a friend who borrowed it.  It wasn't really a problem, stuffs are meant to get broken or decay at some point. But I am not about to buy a new one, I have been trying my best to live a minimalist lifestyle, I've always looked for alternatives to buying new stuff, and that includes clothes. I decided that I will just patch the ripped part to fix it but the truth is I don't know how to do it so I knew I would have to take...

Ah it's that time in Filipino's lives again when a promise of new beginnings in Philippine governance rests upon the hands of "we the people". Today the Filipinos headed to precinct polls to cast hopefully  new leaders who will shape the country's political landscape for years to come. I went to my assigned precinct as early as 6:30 AM, by bicycle of course, to avoid the kilometric queue in this very hot weather. The bicycle is always the best choice to get to there because I get to be spared from getting stuck when traffic builds up as I approach the precinct. But I ended up queueing for my turn to vote anyway (as anticipated). That's why I always have my bag, so I can bring a book, a notebook and a water tumbler. I should've been enjoying the cool weather and pristine environs of Melbourne by now, I was supposed to join my parents on their vacation but I decided to delay my flight schedule for over a month so I can participate in the elections. I take m...

One of the things I love about being a teacher is that I am exposed to so many learning opportunities. I just have to pick the ones that are aligned with my interests and values. So last week I got fortunate to get a slot to the International Conference on Environmental Humanities in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.  Jointly organized by the Department of History at UP Diliman (UPD), the Department of History at Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), and the Department of History at the National University of Singapore (NUS), the conference served as a platform to bridge the humanities and sciences in exploring pressing issues related to the evolving natural environment in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It showcased 24 paper presentations designed to encourage dialogue on various environmental concerns. I managed to secure a slot for the 2nd day, which was held in Escaler Hall of ADMU. It's about 39 km from my house, so naturally, I did a bimodal  commute. I took a jeepne...

If you know me, then you'd know that I love cafes. I'm not exactly a coffee connoisseur or coffee lover for that matter. At most, on busy days, I'd have two cups a day. That's about it. And I have to take it with sugar and creamer, I can't really take the bitterness of a pure espresso shot. It's just that cafes have a certain alluring and comforting vibe for me. Given that a café is treated as a social lubricant in most cultures, I think my fondness of cafes was influenced by some of the pop culture media that I consumed during my younger years- Friends, Sex And The City, You've Got Mail (my favorite American romcom) among others. When I graduated college, I started to hang out in a lot of café in Metro Manila, sometimes with friends, sometimes alone. In many times, coffee shops served as a refuge to my tired soul. Much like how some of Haruki Murakami 's characters used cafes as a quiet space to introspect. There I drowned my sorrows with coffee, tea ...

The Lenten season is a significant time for many Catholics, especially here in the Philippines. It is the time of the year we commemorate the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, reminding us to repent our sins, abstain from worldly pleasures, and reflect how we can  cleanse ourselves to follow Christ's way and deepen our connection to God.  I have seen many changes over the years at the way Filipinos observed the Holy Week. Nowadays it's very different from what I used to experience when I was a child. For example all the economic activity would be on downtime, with stores and businesses shutting operations from Maundy Thursday to Black Saturday, including TV programs. In the past, I used to think of it as the most boring time of the year, with literally nothing to do, not even play. Whenever my siblings would get too loud with our chatter, my mom and grandmother would give that scary  do-you-want-to-go-to-hell look. When I got a little older, I began to understand why ...

My favorite children's book is J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan.  As a child, I've always loved stories that expand my world and  Barrie's concept of Neverland was a perfect escape for a child longing for adventures and limitless possibilities. I thought of it back then as the ultimate playground for exploration. I also loved that the protagonist  explores this wonderful world through flying. I have been exposed to other fictional characters who fly, like Superman or Atom, early on, but Peter's ability resonated more with my young self because of its special condition - the fairy dust and happy thoughts. I thought those ingredients made the idea of flying more fun. It made me long to fly too. My favorite night dreams are always when I'm flying. For a while, it kinda made me believed that a time will come when humans will learn how to fly. Maybe in another million years of evolution, who knows, anything's possible. But for the meantime, we can only rely on the availab...