April came too swiftly but it never failed to leave me breathless, both literally and figuratively. I had a few string of firsts in the past month but mostly were just the tedium of my work-to-home (and vice versa) routine. I was getting busier than before that I didn't notice those thirty days just passed by like a moving bullet train in a span of minutes or hours. Yes, my life is kind of bland sometimes, just like everybody else. Nothing really special happened except that I made a handful of unforgettable memories with my chums. Anyway, here are some of the highlights why April was a month worth remembering!

Organized an event with Instagram friends

My April experience kicked off with an epic Instameet that my online buddies and I organized. A few months ago, we formed a group of creative Instagrammers here in Cebu and named it Grammer Sessions Cebu. We aim not only to share our knowledge on curating an awesome Instagram feed but also to build a connection with other Instagrammers in the metro. We would love to make the Instagram community here in Cebu be active again just like its glorious days.

During the first installment of our mini Instameet, which happened last February, each participant shared their stories—from how they came up with their witty usernames to curating and maintaining their Instagram feed to connecting people online to real life. And who would've thought a simple gathering like this would've resulted into another Instameet but a bigger one?


On the first week of April, we had the second edition of our mini Instameet and called it Grammer Session Cebu 2.0: Summer in the City. Some of the attendees were the ones we've met on the previous Instameets, but most of them were new faces. It was exciting and scary at the same time because the new ones were Instameet virgins, meaning it was their first time to attend such an event. Luckily, we were able to keep up with their expectations. Haha!




The participants were divided into group wherein they've brainstormed on how to get picture-perfect moments in different places in the hostel—from the arcade to the swimming pool to the bar to the rooms. We had lived up to our theme as we held it at Mad Monkey Hostel Cebu City, a new and one-of-a-kind hostel in The Queen City of the South. The hostel just got what we needed to have that perfect summer in the city experience.

[Read: Experiencing that thing called 'Monkey Madness' at Mad Monkey Hostel Cebu]

It's always nice seeing how these online friends turned real-life friends getting together and brainstorming ideas on the things that they love. Also, organizing events may be tedious and draining, but it will always be a fun and rewarding experience at the end! Can't wait for the next Instameet. (Special thanks to Aldrin for the event snaps, btw.)

"Science motif for a cafe? Ground-breaking!"

Please don't tell me you didn't read these lines in Miranda Priestly's voice from The Devil Wears Prada movie adaptation. Lol. My good friend Marco and I just found a new cafe to hang out to called Microscoffee. As a logophile (lover of words), I must say, I like the wordplay of their name and how their quirky interiors related to its unique name and motif. Cafe owners in the city are really stepping up their games as they make their cafes surely millennial-friendly and Instagram-worthy. I kind of know geeks would love this place. Plus, we got to peek a special room on a corner in which, in my opinion, might serve as a study area for students or anyone who wants a lesser noisy or more peaceful ambiance.



Microscoffee offers a variety of delicious food and thirst quenching drinks. My favourites are their waffle and Thai milk tea. And when I say quirky, they even served our drinks in Erlenmeyer flasks and Marco's ketchup with an unused syringe. Not to mention these foods and drinks are quite affordable. I don't know if this is necessary but they have cute and friendly baristas, too. (Wow! I can't believe I actually have to write that down here. Hahaha!)


To experience all these great things, all you got to do is to visit their place on the second floor of Dr. Bb Tiu Medical Clinic, at J. Alcantara Street in Barangay Sambag 1 in Cebu City. Enjoy!

Saturdates and art tambay with the bestie

I must admit, it's really hard to keep up with a low-maintenance friendship with my bestie Sarah since we both have different work schedules and priorities. I kind of know that a lot of struggling (young) adults out there can totally relate on this. Haha! So I was so happy the Saturdays of April were filled random art dates. Imagine catching up with each other while making art, from late afternoon until it's almost ten in the evening. Time flies really that quick when we're together, sans the dull moments.

When Lana del Rey said, "I got that summertime sadness," I really felt that

You know it's really the peak of the summer season in the country when it barely rains as the humid weather was killing me. In this kind of weather, I usually imagine myself heading to the nearest resort, chilling with my pals and listening to summer tracks by the beach with a bottle of cerveza in my hand. Too bad, I was so caught with tons of workloads that this just remains a daydream and wishful thinking at the office. But at least I had an awesome summer in the city experience early this April. Anyway, I'm looking forward to May since I might be hitting the salt waters! Fingers crossed.

On writing more but also learning to take a break

In the beginning of this year, I swore to myself that I should keep this blog alive again. That I should write more often no matter what. I never consider myself a writer but whenever I try to write a blog post, I usually get writer's block. There was a long weekend in which I decided to stop doing my usual weekend hand lettering drills, sat down in front of my laptop, and really tried my best to write something but believe it or not, it took me couple of hours just to compose the introduction. Haha! I know it normally happens to me but sometimes it can be frustrating. Until I came across this article, and found out that I was not alone after all! This is really helpful and I've also learned that I should take a break or lose myself sometimes, like as singing or dancing like nobody's watching. I might be making a special playlist for this!

Another hindrance I've been facing while creating blog posts is the lack of free time. It's really difficult juggling between having a daytime job and doing the things you love. I can't help but feel amaze to those people you can do both and at the same envy them. I really do. Lol! I hope someday I can master the art of multi-tasking.



One thing I like about writing this monthly recap is that it always keeps me on track if I was productive or not on the past month. With all these happenings, I guess last month was kind of a balance, even if I was on a constant battle with procrastination and creative block. Haha! But I'm glad that I'm slowly learning how to fight them. And I think it is a good sign. I may be taking baby steps now but I'm pretty sure I'm getting there. ☺

To be honest, this blog post has been on my drafts for more than a year already but it was still half-written. I could still recall the constant rollercoaster (and even Ferris wheel) ride of emotions I felt when I started writing this. Imagine writing this just a few days after that most despairing trip you've ever had! And even until now, I'm still ambivalent towards posting this or I'll just keep this on my drafts once again and pretend I didn't write this because I don't want to share something way too personal on this virtual diary. But I realized that this was also part of the unforgettable moments I had while I was busy chasing flights and blurring with the moments of music and meeting people. 

Now that I've already emancipated from that summer heartbreak, I'm ready to share this not-so-interesting-nor-romantic story. I think it's about time to finish and publish this. And so here it goes...


It was already late afternoon when the plane I was boarding had finally touched down Cebu but I could still feel the sun softly kissing through my skin as I got off from the plane. As I headed to the exit gate of the arrival area, I kind of witnessed a dramatic exhibition of strangers just like the ones we see in movies—from being lost to having unnecessary arguments to airports reunions—which never failed to put a smile on my weary face. I didn't even notice that it had been half an hour since I've been observing them.

   Thrift store fashion, imperfect tattoos 
   Taking showers, minus shampoo

It took me quite some time to get a cab. While waiting, I decided to put on my earphones and scanned through the playlists I made on Spotify. (I really have this huge thing for carefully curating playlists, depending on my mood in every moment.) This time, I tried to take a spin on my so-called travel playlist, put it on shuffle, and out of the blue, pink skies started to play. It was absolutely the first LANY song I've ever heard and loved. But I started to panic and asked myself like a perfect fool, "of all the tracks, why this one?" Waves of emotions came rolling in.

     You are my favorite everything
     Been telling girls that since I was 16
     Shut up, I love you
     You're my bestfriend

The driver finally arrived. Paul Jason effortlessly finished singing the first few lines and here came the pre-chorus part as I was slowly getting blurry flashbacks of a certain person. Actually, someone who used to be the center of my (parallel) universe. Someone I met virtually but it felt like we've already met in real life for some unexplainable connection. Someone I used to talk to even until the wee hours of the morning. Someone I really thought that could be the Nick O'Leary to my Norah Silverberg and sorta felt like we were musical soulmates because we shared almost the same favourite kind of music genre and bands. But in this digital age, is it really possible to fall in love with a person whom you've never met yet? I don't know. Probably?



We passed by the iconic bridge and I gazed at the left window of the cab as I witnessed a spectacular view of the sky in pink and orange hues. Coincidentally, the chorus part was playing as another set of flashbacks of the same person came in. This time, it was getting clearer. I could still remember how he really loved the beach over the summits while I was the total opposite. The salt water and waves excite him more while ascending in the muddy trails gives me adrenaline rush and solace. So I kind of think that we were not on the same geographical map, but whenever I see that the sky is in beautiful colours on that horizon, I can't help but think of it as our tryst. It was like our secret rendezvous in my playful mind, at least. I guess that's how I fell in love with this song even more. And so were you. This could have been our unofficial soundtrack, perhaps? Lol. But honestly, this song always reminds me of no one but you.


     Talking under pink skies,
     I think our hearts are starting to show.
    That it's better, you and I, under pink skies.

Funny when I could also remember how we used to exchange messages. We had different work schedules: when my shift was about to end but you were still on your way to work. Our chat messages seemed like email messages since we both always got delayed replies. It also kinda felt like we were battling with the time zones though we were both just within the Philippines. Talking 'bout struggling young adults, eh? I must admit, I got annoyed with myself when I used to overthink your punctuation marks and how you used to make fun of how I frequently misspelled my words but we were definitely not Grammar Nazis. We were probably just two different people, trying too hard to translate their feelings in layman's terms. We agreed to meet (outside the cyberspace). And I felt like I was in nirvana when I realized that we'll be meeting at one of the world's best islands with the best sunset. Isn't it romantic?

     We can work it out
     You and I are meant to be together
     This is how it's supposed to feel
     I'm in love with how this feels

LANY was still playing but this time, it's getting louder in my head. "Ugh! There. These lines," I blurted out. These lines somehow reminded me of this tweet, which made me think of a kinda cheesy scenario. What if we'll going to attend their upcoming concert in Manila and candidly do what's written on this tweet: we'll make eye contact as we hold hands then start singing our heart out to the last two lines? Who knows? It could be the best concert experience we'd ever had. Oh, wishful thinking!

Here came its last chorus until the song slowly bid goodbye. Awkward silence. Fake smile. I glanced at the window once again and saw those cotton candy-colored skies were taken over by a starless dark evening sky little by little. "Okay. What a good metaphor on what happened to us." I sighed.


     "This is another story of a lonely boy and how he tried crossing oceans and ditched one of his favourite bands' concert just to see him. He couldn't contain his excitement at that time, to be honest. But due to unforeseen circumstances, they weren't able to meet. He's not even mad at him. He just wished they had the time..."  

— This could be a perfect synopsis for a novel that I'll never publish.

For the record, he's never an ex nor we were in a relationship. He was more like the one I never got that got away, in just a blink of an eye. An almost. I know it's been a year already but sometimes I still get bombarded with a few questions in my mind--- the infamous series of what-ifs that comes with a tiny bit of hope. What if we tried harder? What if I was patient enough to wait? What if you made time? or What if we decided and agreed not to meet in person and just remain online buddies for the rest of our lives instead?... But I kind of know I always get a "will everything stays the same?" at the end. In other words, I will never get the exact answers. Ever. 

Now you probably know why I overreacted when I heard this song again (after skipping it for quite some time already) or literally whenever I see those pink skies. It simply came with memories I wanted to forget, attached to that someone. 



After almost an hour on the road, I finally reached my destination. Home sweet home. It had been longest and most exhausting trip I had but surely it was worthwhile. Gosh! How I miss my comfy bed.
"And who would have thought that a simple 'hello' could just end with a painful 'thank you and goodbye'? I guess neither of us would." I shut my eyes, called it a day, and hoping that he won't appear in my dreams tonight.

About two years ago, I decided to pack my bags and went to a faraway place I only saw on the Internet, a place I never thought I would visit all by myself. During that time, I spent a few nights in a room of shared bed bunks with complete strangers as we exchanged different life stories. I must admit, it was scary at first but later on, it became emancipating—that great feeling when you finally stepped out of your comfort zone. And that's how I slowly learned to love staying in a hostel whenever I wander around the country. Who wouldn't love staying in a place where you get to meet new people plus you save money for your accommodation, right?

Uhm. Should I rename the title with "The Return of the Comeback" because it's been ages since I've updated this little blog? Ha ha ha. Gosh. How can it be March already? Where did January and February go?

Hello there, awesome reader! How have you been? Well, for me, I've always been a busy bee and I sometimes can't decide which one to do first. So here I am, sitting and staring blankly at my laptop, and trying to squeeze some ideas in my head on what to post for my comeback in the blogosphere until I remember this particular monthly post on my old Tumblr blog. (By the way, I used to write low-key serious but mostly personal kind of blog entries on Tumblr until it converted into a ranting toilet of my frustrations and anxieties. Lol.) This monthly post was basically a list of things about taking stock created by Pip Lincolne of Meet Me at Mike's and I think it would be a great comeback post, as well as a short update with my life these days.

Pardon me for the long-ass prologue so without further ado, here's the list that would sum up my life lately.

MAKING : A summer playlist on Spotify. I came up with the idea of curating this playlist while I was chilling at a beach in San Juan, La Union early this month with the thought of playing it the next time I'll hit the beach. I can't wait to get sun-kissed skin again, with a cerveza in my hand while dancing to these tracks. Spell G-O-O-D-L-I-F-E!


SIPPING : This matcha from UCC Clockwork. I had a few cups from different cafes here in Cebu but probably this is my favourite. Plus, I like how quirky the design of their teacup.

READING : Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noal Harari. I've been eyeing this book for quite some time so when Fully Booked had all their books on discounted prices, I didn't think twice to buy it! Currently, I'm still on the first few chapters and I'm loving every bit of new information I read.

LOOKING : For some places to explore, that I've never been to before, for my next solo backpacking adventures. I've seen some pictures on Instagram of that unique waterfalls in Abra and other beautiful places of the town but I got sad that when I found out that traveling solo can be really expensive. Anyway, your suggestions are very much welcome!

LISTENING : to Arriane Serafico's podcasts while doing hand lettering drills. I think it kind of makes me more productive to listen to her podcasts while making art.

WISHING : That I had more free time! I think every employee does, right? It's quite sad to think that my nightly hand lettering drills have been on a decline for almost a year now but I usually come home exhausted and wanted to hold a pillow instead of pens. My plans for learning to do brush lettering and practice blackletter calligraphy was put on hold due to my tight schedule. Or maybe I just suck at time management?

ENJOYING : Filling out this list and realizing how tedious this can be!  

WAITING : For another summer getaway and road trips! I may be far away from the salty waters and waves of the ocean but I can totally hear that it's calling and I must go. Haha. Seriously, the monotony of living in a concrete jungle is killing me and going on road trips is always a golden idea. The unplanned road trips are the best and the most epic, by the way.

LIKING : This nice denim jacket from ukay-ukay in the Night Market in Baguio City. I only bought it for only PHP 180. And that's a great deal, folks!


LOVING : The music video of "Now That I Found You" by Carly Rae Jepsen. When she released the song last month, I instantly fell in love with it during the first play of the song. And I love it even more when she released a cat-filled music video this month. As a cat person, my heart really flutters as I can found myself smiling and giggling while watching it. I can sometimes imagine myself if it'll be also going to happen on me when she found "The One" while she was looking for her kitty who ran away for home, under the pouring rain. Yes, what a hopeless romantic creature. Haha!

BUYING : And hoarding notebooks with cute covers but will never use them anyway. Oh my goodness! When will I ever stop doing this bad habit? I don't know either. Let's find out in the next few months.

WATCHING : The first season of American Gods before watching the second and latest season. It's like a refresher before diving into their magical world. I am still rooting for the Old Gods! 

HOPING : That life would give me a break from getting heartbreaks and frustrations in love. I mean, it's pretty tiring to be sad and upset when you want to do is to love and be loved back in return! Like, when you're already in the age when wanted to have that special someone whom you can call and gives you a warm hug when you had a rough day. But those creature are really hard to come by.

NEEDING : to have more black clothing! I believe that you can never go wrong with wearing a plain black T-shirt and jeans, plus a classic Chucks, especially if you always have a hard time deciding on what to wear. 


WEARING : oversized shirt these days. I think one of the perks of being skinny is that you can actually wear almost any kinds of clothing. But I am more like into oversized shirts that the fit ones.

FOLLOWING : Trisha V. of  P.S. I'm On My Way. Actually, I've been following her on Instagram and reading her blog for more than a year now. After I read one blog post, it always leaves me in awe and feeling inspired in writing my own travel stories as well. 

NOTICING : That after all, I've been having this special skill called so "good at stalking on their social media accounts yet always had a hard time getting over from them." I probably learned this from reading tons of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys books since I was in grade school. Kidding!

SORTING : My life and this blog for the nth time! Balancing life between being a corporate slave and doing the things you love is really tedious and to be honest, there were times that I couldn't help but break down. I didn't get the memo that being an adult has been this hard. Lol. 
I've been missing-in-action for a very long time and thank God for my Instagram friends for convincing me to get back to blogging. I can't wait to share a lot of crazy (and a bit of heart-wrenching) stories while I was away from the blogosphere. 

GETTING : ready for a busier year ahead! Less time to relax but a lot of opportunities are coming. More lessons to learn, a lot of new faces to meet, and a whole new chapter to write. I am claiming that 2019 will be a year of glowing and growing privately.    

SAVING : Moolah, of course! I need more travel and concert funds especially my social media accounts were stormed with the news that some of my favourite bands like LANY and The 1975 are going to have their concerts in Manila. Who knows, I might attend to that music festival in Indonesia with a great line-up of artists and most of them are my favourite artists of different genres! Ugh! Definitely one big goal. Well, a wise man once said, "If there's a will, there's always a way!"

BOOKMARKING : Noisli. You should visit this website! It really improved my productivity as it helped me relax.

COVETING : To really have a good point-and-shoot camera. I've always like mobile photography but I also want to practice and improve my photography skills especially taking travel shots and portraits. Unfortunately, my wallet says 'no' as of the moment because you know, adulting. Sad.

OPENING : My email every now and then. Honestly, I'm the kind of person who rarely opens or reads his email until I subscribed to Apa Agbayani on TinyLetter. What I like about his writings are quite personal and I can even relate to some of the experiences he shared. It's like he's writing the words I failed to express in words. And the next thing I know is, it slowly became a habit of checking my email.

GIGGLING : over the idea of sending DIY postcards to my online friends (including my crush? lol.)

FEELING : Emotional when Park Bom finally returned to the music scene with a brand new album entitled Spring after four long years! Her powerful voice? Gosh! I miss that! The inner Blackjack in me was legitly having tears of joy when I read an article that song lead single "Spring" was actually written for 2NE1, a couple of years ago by the Brave Brothers and the great thing about it is that they didn't give it to other artists. At least we're hearing it with the Park sisters of 2NE1. We Blackjacks are positive and patiently waiting but mostly dying for their possible reunion!

HEARING : the sound of the flowing water never fails to put my mind at ease! Whether it's from the sound of the fountain or from the waterfalls, it can wash the stress away. Okay this makes me miss chasing waterfalls.

OBSESSING : over (and missing) the spectacular sunset of Elyu. I could stare on it forever , to be honest. It is also one of the main reasons why I love coming back to La Union no matter how far it is. I wish I could stay a bit longer, like 2 weeks or more.

And if you made it until here, thank you very much! Pretty sure you think I'm already one of those uber-stressed millennials. Hahaha! Anyway, I encourage you to make your own list as well. I'll be putting the blank template below that you can copy on your blog. Have fun!

Making:
Cooking:
Sipping:
Reading:
Looking:
Listening:
Wishing:
Enjoying:
Waiting:
Liking:
Loving:
Buying:
Watching:
Hoping:
Needing:
Wearing:
Following:
Noticing:
Sorting:
Getting:
Saving:
Bookmarking:
Coveting:
Opening:
Giggling:
Feeling:
Hearing:
Obsessing:

This tagline (which was coined after a Whitney Houston hit song) from an infamous hugot movie, that I have watched a hundred times already, kept playing in my mind while I was making the itinerary for my first solo backpacking adventure. And to answer that question, I really don't know.

Free-spirited as I am, I've always wanted to travel solo. So when a local airline went on a seat sale, I couldn't miss the opportunity to scratch it out of in my bucket list. However, I didn't expect that my excitement would turn into sort of grieving. I know this would sound insane and funny but imagine getting your heart broken by someone you considered your happy pill, just a few days before your flight. Low-key hurts, right? So, I initially planned of not pursuing this trip because I kind of know that I would really be a total mess traveling alone with a heavy heart, but then I realized that I needed a break from everything, plus my instincts told me that I have to and I need to. Now, I can answer the question above: how about going to a place where nobody knows you?


And so the day came. It was my last day of being a twenty-four-year old troubled lad when I decided to pack my bag and boarded a plane going to a city I've never been before, all by myself and without someone to talk to. I usually don't initiate having small talks first. The inner introvert in me struck again. I left Cebu with a heavy heart, to be honest.

I took a few snaps of the wonderful view below us while listening to the travel playlist I have curated weeks before. It was still wee hours in the morning but I could see how beautiful and serene the scenery was. You know, the kind of calmness my heart wants.


After forty minutes of floating above the clouds, we finally touched down in Davao City. It is my first time to go the island of Mindanao, by the way. Surreal and laid-back. These were the first two adjectives that popped out of my mind when I reached the exit gate. Without wasting so much time, I hailed a cab that would take me to the bus station, rode a bus going to the place I believed that would help me heal the wounds. I was quite unsure if I could find solace there but I was hoping that I would.





From almost an hour floating where the sky hangs to an exhausting five-hour bus ride to a ten-minute habal-habal ride, I arrived at Mati, Davao Oriental. the place I believe I would find remedy from a bittersweet experience. I was greeted by the warm sea breeze, pristine salt waters, and less crowded shores. I think it could be a perfect definition of "love at first sight".

German (n.) an ache for distant places; the crave for travel.

I was just listening to this Moira Dela Torre track then minutes after I found myself writing its title.

As I watched the beautiful saturated sunrise during my first day as a 25-year old young adult, this kid was standing a few inches away from me while looking from afar, without saying any word. I could only hear the sea breeze and ocean waves crashing on the seashore between us. I took the opportunity to take a candid photo of him. It's great to know that he's enjoying his childhood appreciating the beauty of Mother Nature instead of playing with some gadgets. I wasn't sure if he caught me but he smiled at me and I smile back, not that kind of smile you fake when someone asks if you're doing okay but the kind of smile you make when you're happy as you appreciate the simple things in life.



This Mati trip was more like a soul searching slash creative retreat, and definitely one of the best and most unforgettable trips I ever had. For two days and one night, I found the inner peace I was looking for months. And I guess I've already found the answer to the question above. When we're heartbroken, it would be better to go to a place you've never been before, where nobody knows your name or story as you learn to follow our instincts, take risks, and be brave to find your inner bliss.

I left this wonderful place with a real separation anxiety. Mati (especially Dahican) will always have special place in my heart and I'm hoping to get back sooner with joy and not being brokenhearted. I hope so.