May 18, 2021

Hanoi is Wabi-Sabi

Hanoi for expats is definitely different from Hanoi for the locals. “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 […]
January 19, 2021

MOALBOAL CEBU | Amazing Things to Do in Moalboal, Cebu

LAST UPDATE: MARCH 2022 This Moalboal Cebu Travel Guide curates all the Moalboal tourist spots that hit the spot. Get it? 😛 IMPORTANT NOTE: There are news circulating that the strip where Chilli Bar, Cafe Cebuano, Marina, and the entire Panagsama beachfront establishments will be demolished within this year for […]
February 28, 2020

Describe Your Home Country Like Your Ex-boyfriend

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 […]
January 29, 2020

It Is Okay to Be Comfortable

On restlessness, stillness, and on the search of happiness and home We were in Co To Island when I saw her post on Hanoi Buy Swap, and Sell—a Facebook group popular among expats in Hanoi. She was downsizing her wardrobe. I fancied the red dress and messaged her about it, […]
January 28, 2020

BRUNEI TRAVEL GUIDE 2020 | Travel Thoughts, Travel Tips, Where to Stay, What to Eat

Brunei Travel Guide: My Own Travel Thoughts on Brunei Brunei Travel Guide JAN 2020­­­­–I knew nothing about Brunei. I became that traveler you don’t want to travel with: willfully ignorant of the place she was about to travel to. I have to admit it is founded on the condescending “surprise […]
October 6, 2019

Pamper Yourself with Cancun Luxury Retreats

It’s easy to see why Cancun is one of the most popular vacation spots in the world. While it used to be known mainly as an area where the younger crowd went to have fun during spring break, the area has transformed into a top luxury travel destination. It has […]
July 23, 2019

What Is Success for You? A Happy Pussy, Mind, and Heart

Earlier this year, Adah of pinaywanderess.com asked me what is success for me. Instantly I answered, “a happy pussy, heart, and mind.” She followed her question with “are you successful?” of which I answered, “Pussy is not, the past two months” and tailed it with a bucktoothed glass-wearing emoji.  I cut […]
July 21, 2019

CAMERON HIGHLANDS TRAVEL GUIDE | Things to Do, Where to Stay, What to Eat

Cameron Highlands Travel Guide covers all the essential information you need to make your stay memorable.  I was the only Asian in the 4×4 jeepney. An Israeli couple traveling with their little girl Luna was an endearing sight. The morning air was cool. Everyone donned their cardigan or jacket. I […]
June 21, 2019

CALIFORNIA TRAVEL GUIDE | Where to Stay in California

California Travel Guide covers one of the most important part of your trip: where to stay in California? We narrow down your options to the best CA hoods! NO TIME TO READ IT? PIN IT! A prison to visit? A gate to admire? Trails to choose from? Swells to ride […]
June 10, 2019

New HANOI TRAVEL GUIDE 2022 | 51 Things to Do in Hanoi, the Touristy, Local, and Expatish

UPDATED HANOI TRAVEL GUIDE 2019 | In a tail-end of a long-term trip and long relationship, I arrived in Hanoi in cool October 2017 with a heavy heart and wheeled backpack, ballooning body and credit card bill, and a very light savings barely enough to cover rent and essentials for […]
May 4, 2019

DOWN SOUTH | I’d Rather Eat and Try to Understand

This was written five years ago. There was Agness. Now there is Erik Matti. There were angry Filipinos. Now there are angry Cebuanos. Last week, I was on a boat of mixed races: Filipino, Chinese, Korean, French, Belgian, and perhaps other races that I overlooked or forgot to ask. It […]
April 29, 2019

I Dress Best When I’m with You

You know me, I can get up from bed with my bird’s nest of a hair, prepare coffee in my underwear, don’t even bother to brush my teeth, and slump myself in front of the computer and check on the day’s tasks.   But I always look forward to seeing you.  […]