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In a world of hustling and productivity, we often

In a world of hustling and productivity, we often overlook the truth that everything is a process. Celebrate your small victories.
Today's small victories: drank my 2.5 liters of water, added 300-words to a seemingly never-ending essay, read 40 pages, worked out for 45 minutes.

It is March! Here is a challenge I set up for myse

It is March! Here is a challenge I set up for myself that might interest you as well.
#selflove #selfcare #love

Hanoi’s food landscape is so diverse. There are

Hanoi’s food landscape is so diverse. There are so many dishes that I have yet to explore. This is Bun bu hue. It has pork knuckles. blood, pork shoulder slices, Vietnamese ham. I don’t really like noodle dishes, let alone finish a bowl of it. But this is one of the exceptions. Give it a try if you find yourself in Hanoi! @vietnamtravelers #travelvietnam #vietnamfood

It is not selfish. You can't sail from an empty bo

It is not selfish. You can't sail from an empty boat. Focus on yourself. The rest follows. #selflove #lovingtheself #selfcare

Will be sending some postcard poetry: film photos

Will be sending some postcard poetry: film photos edition to select individuals. Soon. Soon

This is a story I told to a friend over dinner at

This is a story I told to a friend over dinner at Hoi An's old town. He is grieving for a lost love. To the many versions of my friend out there. This is for you. #lovequotes #selflove #love #loveyourself

I started the year with #AndreAciman’s second wo

I started the year with #AndreAciman’s second work of fiction: #FindMe and somehow complained how similar it was with his #CallMeByYourName. Followed it with #MohsinHamid’s second novel #HowtoGetFilthyRichinAsia. It was an enjoyable read and broke away from the conventional structure of novels. Some even asked if it was a self-help book. Since I started my reading life (age 11), I always thought that all books are self-help, of which Mohsin validated. When I was in Brunei and Kota Kinabalu, I picked two local writers. Forgot the Bruneian one. I did not finish the book either. It was mostly a redundant take on toponyms in Brunei, past and present. Enjoyed most stories in #Sreedheviiyer’s #JunglewithoutWater and other Stories. The tour driver though asked if I was reading horror stories. The black-and-white cover, must admit, was terribly done. The writer’s photo did not help either. February is quite a relaxed month work-wise, but love makes it busy. But I managed to finish the thick #Lowland, the fourth work-of-fiction by one of my fave short story writers #JhumpaLahiri. Gotta admit it was not as compelling as her previous works and for some reason, the novel made me feel it was an extension of #KiranDesai’s #Theinheritanceofloss.
I’m now on my fifth book of the year: a collection of essays from some of the brightest minds. This is the Andre Aciman that I fell in love with some years ago. I felt so happy and kilig with the foreword alone.
So this is the book report that will be blogged soon. It is my goal to read at least two books a month. Again, all books are self-help. I have so many fictional characters, and of course, the creators of such characters, to thank for for making me who I am.
Pick a book and read. And let’s have a book club!

I like routines even when I’m traveling. Routine

I like routines even when I’m traveling. Routines are a kind of security for me: everything is in order; thus nothing could possibly go wrong. I tend to romanticize my days, especially the mornings and afternoons. Of course, this kind of thinking might do some harm to others if taken out of context. Here in Hoi An for the third time, I singularly decided A and I should stay outside the touristy area; somewhere near the beach but far enough to avoid crowds. We are staying in a very affordable homestay. Our bedroom is double the size of what we had in #QuyNhon, with a much nicer bathroom, and a really nice balcony overlooking the ricefields.
Every day I wake at 7 in the morning, check work emails, check on my students. Then blog or read before A wakes up. In the morning, the sounds remind me of my childhood: roosters crowing, different birds chirping. Then we head out for food and chill the entire day on the beach. Before heading out for dinner, we relax in the balcony, oftentimes reading while I drink coffee, he beer. And then we listen to the quiet chirps of the crickets, the languorous grunts of the frogs, and the melody of the birds bidding the day goodbye.
#hoian #banhmi #hoiantravel #vietnamfood #asianfood #natgeo #vietnamtravel #danang #travelblogger

Windows as a wall. Why not. Traveling always feeds

Windows as a wall. Why not. Traveling always feeds me with inspiration on how my tiny house in the future should look. Inspired by the major cities in Vietnam, I already long decided the main door will bear the shade of an eggyolk, an ode to the city whose washed eggyolky walls never fail to lighten up gloomy days. #hoian #danang #vietnam #wallsofinstagram #travelvietnam #travelhoian #asianstraveltoo

I woke up early today with the full intention of w

I woke up early today with the full intention of writing (a Cebuano essay on the difficult women in our lives including ourself) and blogging our trip to Quy Nhon.
Our school thankfully allowed us to work from home this week. So here we are at Hoi An, enjoying another vacation, while working and checking on my students on Google Classroom.
Here is a hot and chilli tilapia dish I had at @thedeckhousevietnam. I’m not a huge fan of freshwater fish like carps. Mostly from dirty lakes, the ones in Hanoi taste like mud. But here in #HoiAn where the sea and the rivers are intimate, freshwater tilapia are tender, juicy, and flavorful. Credit to the chef and the rich environment who made this possible. One happy diner here. #vietnam #foodie #travelvietnam #danang #travelhoian #traveldanang

NEW ON THE BLOG: Our taxi driver from the airport

NEW ON THE BLOG: 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 think he was doing the right thing, A joked. It is okay, I want to give a bit of validation. The view from the taxi window was of pastoral beauty at first: a swath of young rice fields, earnestly green and thriving, their leaves facing the sky. These were punctuated with fields of young eucalyptus trees, its bluish elongated leaves already distinguishable from the plane window.
Read more https://backpackingwithabook.com/quy-nhon-travel-guide-2020-travel-thoughts-things-to-do-and-where-to-eat/ #vietnam #travelvietnam #kyco #sheisnotlost #dametraveler #quynhon

Some tita notes on the capitalistic Valentine’s

Some tita notes on the capitalistic Valentine’s Day

1. Never measure love on the gradeur your partner can pull off.

2. Rather, be attuned of the small things: a kiss on the hand or forehead when no one is looking, a thank you when you’re the one cooking, another thank you for deciding to have contraceptive injection.

3. A well-written love note slipped somewhere is always better than a bouquet of flowers that die three days after.

4. Celebrate love every day.

5. Early on, ask his views on politics, on certain films, books, on feminism.

6. Treat book recommendations and recipe trading a special bond between the two of you.

7. If he can cook well and excel at all domestic tasks, consider yourself one lucky human.
8. It’s a bonus he is a goof and breaks into a dance when no one is looking.
9. Take care of each other when the other is sick.
10. Communicating openly and respecting each other’s views are gifts. Consider them valuable.

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