From December, 2016

Top 16 Songs I Listened to During Travel in 2016

This year has been the strangest, to say the least. When I was in Chiang Mai in 2012, the monks told me to be mindful of whatever it is I’m doing. When you walk, don’t listen to music; just walk and appreciate the walk. When you’re traveling by train, stop the music and appreciate the…

Sawdust

I’ve been staying at my mom’s house in Batangas for the holidays. The other night, I was having a drink with neighbors on their porch when they commented how things had changed around here. The main road in our village is now flanked with 2-story concrete houses. We spent most of our childhood within flimsy…

My Top 20 Travel Moments of 2016

I welcomed 2016 with a lot of hope and a pint of Guinness at a random British pub in Tokyo. Although I was alone in a foreign land, I could sense an air of positivity in the air. It was my first trip since I left my full-time job (again), and I was looking forward…