Wednesday, July 23, 2025

AFTER THE PAUSE

 It’s been a while since I last wrote here.

I’ve been meaning to come back—with something meaningful, something intentional—but life had other plans. A few weeks ago, everything just… stopped.

It started on the day of an event.
A big one. I was managing, running around, smiling, cueing people, making things happen like I always do. But somewhere in the middle of it all, my stomach started hurting. Not just discomfort—real pain. Still, I pushed through. I thought, “It can wait. The show must go on.”
So I finished the event. Every last detail. Smiled through the pain. And then?
I went straight to the hospital.

A few hours later, I was being prepped for emergency surgery. Appendectomy.
I didn’t even have time to process it. Just like that—I was out of the loop, grounded, vulnerable, and hooked up to machines in a cold hospital room.

And here’s the twist: my health insurance had just expired.
I had no coverage during the surgery.
But… the next day—the very next day—my policy got renewed and reactivated. I didn’t even ask. It just happened.
Call it luck. Timing. Grace. I honestly don’t know. But it reminded me: I’m not always in control—and maybe I don’t need to be.

Lying there post-op, I felt everything catch up to me. Not just the pain—but the exhaustion, the pressure, the expectations I had buried under the title of “strong” and “resilient.” I realized how much of myself I had been pushing aside. For work. For people. For perfection.

That pause—unwanted as it was—saved me.

And so, here I am, writing this.
Not to share a highlight reel.
But to mark a moment.
Of being human. Of breaking. Of healing.

If you’ve ever had to be strong when you didn’t want to be, or had everything crash when you least expected it—know that you’re not alone. Sometimes, life pulls you out of the chaos, not to punish you—but to bring you back to yourself.

I’m learning to move slower.
To rest without guilt.
To honor the quiet.
And most importantly—to be kinder to myself.

Thanks for being here, still. 

Let’s keep going. 

Gently, this time.

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Behind the silence

There's an intimacy in writing that sometimes is lost in the hustle of life. But here I am, diving deep into that vulnerability once more. It's been a long while, hasn't it?

You know, they say it may not always rain, but when it does, it pours. And hasn't that been the tale of my recent journey? Moments of stillness, juxtaposed with torrential downpours of emotion, doubt, and introspection. Life here in Dubai, with its shimmering façade, has witnessed my battles, my retreats, and now my resurgence.

But amidst this tempest of feelings, there's been a silver lining. My foothold in the world of events. Yes, for those not in the know, I've been navigating the vibrant, challenging realm of events with our own company. It's not been a walk in the park, but here's the surprise: I'm not just surviving; I'm thriving. Client after client, event after event, I've been blessed to find my groove, to find recognition.

However, as I stand amidst the skyscrapers of Dubai, orchestrating events and gathering clients, there's a part of me that longs for this - the raw connection, the unfiltered conversation with all of you. The highs of my career can't replace the depth and solace I find here, on this platform.

So here I am, reaching out, stripped of pretense, seeking that old camaraderie. With Dubai's skyline as my backdrop and the stories of my journey as my guide, I promise to keep our dialogues genuine, intimate, and as they always were—raw.

Until we talk again,

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Forty


Today I'm celebrating my 40th trip around the sun. As I reflect on my journey so far, I realize it's the little things that have meant the most. Here are 40 simple joys that have brightened my days, making me eager to embrace the next 40 years. 

  1. A cup of tea on a cold day.
  2. Feeling the warmth of the sun and recalling similar sunny days in the homeland.
  3. Dancing like nobody's watching.
  4. Finding a fellow Filipino in a crowd and sharing a knowing smile.
  5. The taste of chocolate melting in your mouth.
  6. Lighting a scented candle.
  7. Watching my favorite movie, its scenes and lines etched in my heart.
  8. A spontaneous road trip.
  9. The aroma of fresh coffee in the morning.
  10. Looking at old photographs and reminiscing.
  11. Catching up with an old friend.
  12. The joy of a pet greeting you after a long day.
  13. A walk in the park on a sunny day.
  14. Singing along to a favorite OPM tune and feeling connected to home.
  15. Watching the sunrise or sunset.
  16. The joy of learning something new every day.
  17. The comforting and familiar taste of my favorite noodles.
  18. The sound of waves crashing on the shore.
  19. Sharing a simple Filipino recipe with a friend from another culture.
  20. The simple joy of a nap.
  21. A good book and a cozy corner.
  22. Star-gazing on a clear night.
  23. A heartfelt message from a special someone.
  24. A bubble bath with soft music.
  25. A smile from a stranger.
  26. The comforting voice of my mother.
  27. Listening to your favorite song on the radio.
  28. Feeling the warmth of the sun on your face.
  29. Tasting homemade Filipino dishes, bringing a touch of home to Dubai.
  30. A hug from a loved one.
  31. Enjoying a peaceful moment of reflection during a beach sunset.
  32. Receiving a handwritten letter.
  33. Reuniting with old friends or making new ones in the Filipino community in Dubai.
  34. The special bond and shared memories with my sister.
  35. The taste of a perfectly ripe fruit.
  36. Receiving a call or message from family in the Philippines.
  37. A surprise compliment.
  38. Finding money in your old jacket.
  39. Feeling gratitude for the opportunities and experiences Dubai offers while cherishing one's Filipino roots.
  40. The joy of a pet greeting you after a long day.


Saturday, June 18, 2022

Friday, February 25, 2022

Bib

Everything is a mess.

I understand it really is not possible right now.

I just love the thought of being loved and cared of, just that and nothing else more.

one must learn to love oneself before one can learn to love others.


I realize that letting you go is proper. 


Not because I am giving up on how I feel about you.


For now I’m choosing to love you from afar to save myself from further pain.


I like to think that our story isn't over just yet, that someday we’ll meet again and finally get it right.


When the right time comes… Maybe.


I know and hoping our paths will cross again somewhere, someday, later. 


You know I love you no matter what.


Goodbye for now.

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Bib

i miss you

there’s nothing else

i could say

i just miss you

Thursday, November 5, 2020

RIP

I want to write something about you but I don't know where or how to start. 

Maybe I just want to say Thank You for everything...

That's it.

Friday, January 3, 2020

DEKADA

Looking back, this decade has been the most challenging one, yet. I was forced so many times to step out of the zone that offered me the comfort that I've relied on heavily for so many years. 

Throughout this 10-year period, I have learned innumerable "valuable lessons" professionally and otherwise. The most important one, and this I will carry until my last breath: protect yourself at all times - from the people around you and most of all, from yourself remembering that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. 

I've made new friends or so I thought but to be fair some became real friends, some turned adversaries while others taught me how to play "poker" game cuz one fact of life is that: not every person who throws a smile at you is a friend. 

However, against the negativity that these undesirable people emit is a world of light that can overwhelm the weight within. Surrounding yourself with the "right people" is one of the various steps in having or maintaining a positive mental attitude. It's like this: no matter how darkness has totally engulfed a room you're in, it only takes one lighted candle to defeat it. Hope springs eternal.

If I can rewind this decade, I won't change a thing. Not one bit. So many blessings came along the way and I won't trade off all the things I knew and the lessons I learned.

Pieces of advice to myself in the next 10 years: stay the same, remain authentic, remain happy, be grateful, enjoy the ride, never ever skip gym and....

watch your back! 

Let's rock the new decade y'all! 

Saturday, December 21, 2019

relationship

…is growing when every time you were hurt the more you become determined to love, 
despite imperfections, 
you accepted it with your whole heart – in trials, 
together you survive, 
in sufferings, 
defeated or not,
both of you will fight back and at the end of the day when you almost want to give up, 
you cannot, 
because you know it will torn you apart.

Friday, February 15, 2019

I MISS YOU

At the moment I have little thing to say, but this little means a lot.

Everything I feel now means nothing else that I am missing you.

I wish I could be with you,

Feel your breath close to mine,

See the sunshine through your eyes,

Feel the heat of your hand in my hand,

Hold your hands with the intertwined fingers,

I am longing for your skin and your sweet way of looking at me.

Kiss you passionately.

I miss kissing your hand.

I miss kissing your forehead.

I miss you face.

I miss your voice.

I hope my anguish won’t last too long and we can meet each other. 

Yes, very soon in our world.

Where just you and I live

I can’t wait anymore.


I miss you terribly.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

US

This is a post that my brain tickling to write for months.

Just to break the confusions of what I am writing here in my blog.

No Kiss and Tell. I don't do that even if you are my best friend.
It's a private thingy.  Red flag when you are in a relationship... for me.

Sharing it briefly.

Spontaneously.

No erasures.

No proofread.

Just Stray thoughts.

Genuinely.

...That I've finally moved on with MAD.

That's why I keep posting here about it... to let him go completely.

I had enough.

Now I am free.

Exclusively attached with Yo.

Well for me, it's a hook line and sinker.  I don't  know about Yo.

We really never talk about US so much.

I know Yo is Preoccupied at work. Busy bee.

A lot of mundane things. So many lags... but I don't have issue with it.

Hmm. We had a little serious talks... I felt like he was testing me the way he asked about our future plans. I was not born yesterday.

He is not completely honest with me. I can sense that.

My intuition never fails me. Never.

Maybe I was wrong.

It's been more than a year. It's been 5 months ( yesterday to be exact ) that we became US.

And we never celebrate it. I was waiting for Yo to remember.

A little issue. It's a red flag for me.

One's best foot forward?

Yo, Are you really the one?

I really hope so.

I've been through a lot of heartaches, deception, unrequited love...

Oh blogosphere, I've never been vocal about my feelings like this.

I might end this post here.

Labuyo.



Sunday, September 23, 2018

FROM MY JOURNAL, ALL ABOUT YOU.

Haven’t met you yet and knowing you by social media for several months is not easy.

It just likes a full moon drawing near the ocean to its highest tide level.

I wholeheartedly admit that I affectionately and passionately attracted to you.

So please listen, I sincerely, really, really, really mean this.

It gives me joy every time I'm thinking of our phone conversations and expressing my special and affectionate feelings through letters.

I deeply thank Him for the wonderful sight of our first conversations — your grace and beauty.

Your sincere smile during that time brightened my world. It offers me new meaning to live my life.

My evening dullness fades away each moment I was reading your thoughtful messages which always greet me good night.

From you I heard the sweetest voice like a morning bird's song praising and thanking Him for another day of our life's journey.

Your willingness to feel my love for you makes me hopeful, fulfilled and complete.

I will be the happiest one to live if I'll always be with you who teach me such love like this.

Finally I fervently pray Him for assistance to help me devote myself in selflessly loving you forvever.

You are the special solitary in my heart.


Even I have entered the friend zone.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

M.A.D.

Hey You,

You will always be in my heart.

Love.
AMR

Monday, September 3, 2018

ILY

Why is it so hard to say I love you?

for the first time.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

IT FEELS LIKE ANY OTHER TIME TRAVEL

It feels like any other time travel.

You get back on your feet. Feel your limbs get back to work, your body warming up and wonder where you are. And where your clothes are.

And then, you feel the rush of cold wind greet your face. You clasp both your arms because the cold is too much. A tear traces it's way to your cheek down to the side of your lips. Your eyesight clouded. The more fear you feel.

`Where am I?` is the least you could spare your intellect. A question would be the most logical and only thing you could think of right now. You just have to accept it. You're lost. Somehow.

`How did I get here?` more questions.

The saddest part of traveling through time is that you never know where you might end up, or how did you end up being there. It's a fascination with people like me how you cope up with being random. Then it hits me.

I examine my nakedness and try to give a guesstimate of where in time I've been hurled to. Scars, facial hair, eye bags, penis size. I'm somewhere in my mid-thirties. I haven't had the knee scar yet.

I spread my arms, lifting my face up in the cloudless afternoon sky and feel the energy of youth. I am young again.

And I am restless again.

The thoughts came rushing in as the continual cold scamper through my skin getting in, longing for my insides, longing to infect it with the cold.
I am young.
I am restless.
I am energetic.
I am cold.
I am lost.

Then as if time strips me of wisdom, that I acquired through those excruciating hurdles of life, I don't know what I want. I am still standing here in the middle of nowhere, mosquitoes feasting on my blood. I am still standing here but I cannot find myself anymore.

Again.

I thought it was just my stomach complaining. A grumble in the middle of this juvenile flexible body. Starvation. But no. As I instinctively clutched my center, the hole pulled me in, turning me inside out. Then I feel for the floor.

It feels like any other time travel.

You get back on your feet.

Feel your limbs get back to work, your body warming up and wonder where you are.

And where your clothes are.

You decided long ago not to keep track of time.

There is no right time anyway.

Sunday, June 10, 2018

TRAPPED

Like a leaf floating on the waters,
I found myself in the middle of nowhere
Lost, rattled, fearful
Even though the waters cradled me in its calmness,
Still, I'm searching for the place
where I once belonged...
where I should really be till eternity..

Saturday, May 26, 2018

M.A.D.

Hey You,

I still can't stop thinking about you.

Love,
AMR

Monday, March 19, 2018

LOVE, SIMON

Simon and The Homo Sapiens Agenda
by Becky Albertalli

I was planning to post this right after I watch the movie adaptation #LoveSimon but I can’t wait and help myself sharing it…

This book was amazing!
It is quirky, endearing, funny, and better yet, honest and real to how it feels to be gay.

All I can say is that this is not a book to miss, and I honestly loved it. No matter your sexual identity, this is an awesomely cute story that should be shared and loved.

I can’t wait to see the movie!

Plus I want that #ElliotSmith T-Shirt!


Monday, March 12, 2018

ARE YOU THE ONE?

my blinded eyes failed to see

the essence of your love for me

my closed heart didn't bother to feel

the sweetness of your touch so real

my ears didn't find time to hear

your melody so lovely and sincere

for my eyes were fixed on the false beauty I adored

my heart was beating for the mask of silver and gold

my ears only listened to deceitful words that settled my mood

and left your truthful words misunderstood

I seriously pondered on a hopeless love

and later on landed like a wounded dove

I don’t want to be killed in regrets

for me to realize that maybe

you're the real treasure in disguise.