October 25, 2015
This post by KIM E is a comment on my Rappler article: On Being a Dark-Skinned Filipina Traveling Around the Philippines You don’t have to look like couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to be called a lovely couple. I’m a young Filipina and I’m proud to tell that I […]
October 22, 2015
It happened many times. The moment you and your partner checked in a hotel, and the attending receptionist only looked at the white man beside you, as if he was alone, as if you did not exist. I thought I was just overreading and overanalyzing the situation, knowing my mind goes crazy […]
July 9, 2015
I was on the passenger seat while my guests were at the back. (Context: A learned I travel a lot, messaged me, asked if I could tour him and his friend to Oslob. I told him, I would go down south [normally skip Oslob, I do not support the inhumane […]
June 8, 2015
About what you wrote, it was something I’ve been looking for for the past months. I’ve read tons of similar write-ups but none have captured the shame and belittling that I have felt whenever a snide remark is whirled at me for having dark skin and being with a […]
June 4, 2015
Hello, I just read your article about your responses to being dark-skinned etc. My wife was born with dark skin as she is a Filipina Jamaican, born and educated in manila. Forty years ago, she migrated to Australia and worked there till we retired two years ago. Iam an Australian. We live in Manila permanently. […]
May 18, 2015
Blog Post Type: Summary of a City Guide Seoul is a soulful city. Like most megacities in the world, Seoul is homogeneous, peopled, and future-oriented. For a discerning traveler, you can see the many contrasts around. What makes Seoul soulful then? It is this very reality: posh cars and motorcycles […]
May 15, 2015
Hipmunk City Love/Top Cities Project Best Of Hotels Arched bridges, passageways, and quintessential houses along canals and rivers are the instant images Amsterdam conjure. For locals living in this city, it feels like being a detail in a painting. For the visiting nonlocals, it feels like looking at a living […]
April 21, 2015
Cruising magazine published my photo essay on my encounter with the phenomenal Whang Od. The essay, just about 700 words, was hard to write especially I already wrote an exhaustive essay on Whang Od and Her Village. To read the whole essay, you can buy Cruising #GoingPlaces at any bookstores […]
April 18, 2015
Anaheim – Hipmunk City Love/Top Cities Summary of a City Guide Blog Post #3 Anaheim’s image has long been judged as the home of Mickey Mouse and his cohorts, where everyone wears the brightest smile and the most colorful costumes. But Orange County is more than Disneyland. The real OC […]
March 17, 2015
At this very moment, I am on a slow ship to Iloilo. It is quarter to eleven in the evening, and surprisingly the Internet connection still looks good. The last real entry on this blog was my narrative on “Whang Od and Her Village” that saw print on Sunstar last month. […]
February 23, 2015
Blog Post Type: Planning a Trip to a CityIf Paris is a movie, undoubtedly it is a love story. You may deny it, but it sometimes crosses your mind that you play the leading role, and Paris is your beautiful partner in everything you long to do.Such romance can be […]
February 12, 2015
A small city like Singapore risks being judged as dull and predictable. Sure, its sleek high rises like Marina Bay Sands can awe people for its architectural delight, especially at night. But what else can a tiny, highly urbanized city offer visitors? Contrary to popular opinion, small cities have charms that big […]