The Traveling Kit

Recently I've learned a few things. loml. Social media fatigue led users to JOMO: the joy of missing out. Jacob Collier's Little Blue and Yuuri's Dried Flowers. The merger treatment septic tank is environmentally friendly. Mom's guilt is a basic universal feeling. You can soak banana peels in a bottle of water and use that to fertilize your basil plants with potassium.   Sometimes, I feel sorry for the brain. It has this neverending function to learn, relearn, and unlearn. Even if you don't go to school, open a book, or download a reading app, the street university will always throw you a lesson or two. It's always there: remembering, interpreting senses, connecting the dots, maritessing , comparing, analyzing, creating. Perhaps daydreaming and talking to itself too. It's like a hamster on a neverending wheel run or a ball rolling down an endless slope. It can't afford to fall or stop; it knows what a misstep means.  You see, I have my own share of faint

We had no idea when this fly got into our house. We tried to catch it with our mosquito-killing racket, but our swinging skills couldn't keep up with its speed. We tried opening the windows, hoping it just felt trapped and wanted a natural way out, but it chose to stay.  We assumed it was insisting on being our pet. Or perhaps it was a reincarnated ancestor trying to give us winning lotto numbers. Or perhaps it was simply looking for a shelter from Japan's scorching summer heat. And so we gave it a name. Lanelle. Hmm, Langdo sounds more Filipino. Finally, we settled with Danilo Langaw Guillano.  This evening, out of nowhere, this tiny creature appeared on a puddle of water in the kitchen sink as I was doing the dishes. I figured he might want to swim, so I added more water. Then, I poured in a bit more, imagining he'd enjoy the sight of stunning seabed corals. Finally, I added even more water, hoping he might encounter Ursula and hear Ariel’s voice. Unfortunately, it drowne

Nanan-aw mi ni Dan sa "So Happy It Hurts" concert ni Bryan Adams gabii sa Nagoya. Naa mi sa standing group, ug sa kalayo namo sa stage, nakabati ko og "so far it hurts." Naay nitapad namo nga taas nga laki. Sa wa pa nisugod ang concert, amo siyang gitan-aw ug walay timailhan sa kaguol ang iyang nawong. Pagkarealize nako nga makakita gihapon siya sa stage maskig pareho ra mig lugar, nausab akong gibati. Nahimo ng "so short it hurts." Samtang naminaw mi sa walay paglubad nga tingog ni Bryan Adams, mura kog nagdula og hide and seek. Si Bryan makita ra nako taliwala sa mga lihukan nga ulo. Kon si Ate sa akong atubangan itaas na niya iyang kamot sa kalingaw, kangitngit na lang akong makita bisan pag mokinto ko. Mohangad na lang ko sa mga spotlight sa atop ug akong hinumduman ang ingon ni Bryan:  Search your heart, search your soul When you find me there, you'll search no more  Aduha koy mga nahuna-hunaan nga pwede magpadaog nako nga congressman sa mga putot

Khao Sok Thailand Hey Foe, I feel you when it's raining.  The downpour has two emotional effects on me - it leads me to thoughts of either inspiration or melancholy. Of course, you always know the perfect time to come into the scene. You're too smart to figure it out. I wish you were more observant, though. You don't notice the way I frown every time you knock on the door. I wouldn't say I like the way you look in my imagination. I feel downtrodden by your enormous build. Your unkempt, curly hair distracts me, your big, expressive eyes make me think I'm boring, and the black mole above your right eyebrow reminds me of Janet Napoles. You certainly have an annoying way of pointing your index finger to me to assert your dominance.  I try to remember our conversations at midnight. Plenty of differing opinions. One time, I reckoned the woman with an orange bag may have a vibrant personality; you thought she just wanted to grab attention. I praised Filipino resiliency whe

  One time a salesman visited our place. We let him in because he was referred by a family friend. I was asked to listen to the demo. The first thing he did was show his cheque.  I knew right there and then that I wouldn't buy his product. I knew that he would capitalize on people's struggle to earn money. That he was going to trick his listeners into believing that he was offering a good business opportunity. I knew that there was nothing new with his product.  After more than a decade of using social media, I see this salesman's trick in different forms online.  "Just spend two hours of clicking, and you'll earn this much!"  "I earned XXX in just a month. So awesome!"  "Ask me about my online business; it's giving me financial freedom!"  "Making passive income is not as complicated as it sounds!"  If you're trying a "legit" business with these kinds of ads, it's okay. I won't oppose it. But here's