Hi there, I’m Jona!
Ha Noi, Viet Nam
This blog is problematically named. What you see and read is not a lifestyle. It is a life well-lived and well-loved
BWAB is my attempt to document and write down my ways of living this one precious life.
For real-time stories, puns, self-deprecating awkwardness, find me somewhere else.
May 18, 2021
“It’s hard to find someone here that stays long enough that you can really fall in love,” I said to Simone, with a lit Kent in my right hand. The smoke circled, hovered a bit before it disappeared in Ha Noi’s surprisingly blue summer sky. The day started gloomy, the […]
February 28, 2020
It was a pure coincidence––me finding out about this thread on a Facebook group of women here in Hanoi. It cracked the hell out of me. I asked permission to collate some of them here for a wider audience. Feel free to add some in the comment box! The United […]
February 22, 2020
Last Updated Jan 2020: This Siargao Travel Guide 2020 covers all the things to do in Siargao. It covers all the essentials you need to know to fully enjoy your trip! Siargao Island at a Glance Often, Siargao Island is described as a tear drop-shaped island. But, meh, I don’t […]
February 19, 2020
This Quy Nhon Travel Guide covers all the essentials you need to make your trip to Quy Nhon memorable and smooth. FEB 2020––Our taxi driver from the airport has a customized playlist for his foreign passengers. “Let it Go” made it to the cut. Me singing along would make him […]
Some years ago, I had an altar of “when you’re broken” reading list. They comprise of Michael Ondaatje’s "The English Patient," Alice Munro’s "The Progress of Love," and Andre Aciman’s "Call Me By Your Name." And the staple Mary Oliver’s “In Blackwater Woods,” Jack Gilbert’s “Failing and Flying,” Derek Walcott’s “Love After Love,” and the pseudo-poem of Jorge Luis Borges’ “After A While You Learn.” I read them. Again. And again. Cried. And cried. Soothed myself. Healed myself through their words again. Cried again. Read them again. This predictable yet painful cycle of breaking and mending. Each pain is different. Each healing is different.
