Every person I’ve talked to in the past five year who have visited any part of Japan tells me it’s fantastic. They say it’s ruined other Asian countries for them. So when I went to Japan this February, I had high hopes. I was going for the first time and to Osaka. Osaka they say is an easier transition to Japan than going straight to the capital Tokyo, where there’s much more to see, more people and more expensive. It was still winter when we went and there was a definite chill in the air. Most of my photos are gray, as the sun didn’t come out much as well.…

Dear Nanay, I was thinking of you last night. I was watching this show that I was watching right around your passing, of a grandma that had a stroke but survived. This season had a lot of content around her bucket list and they got to cross off a lot for her this season. I cried because there was so much more I wanted to experience with you. I asked you last year how to cook your famous lengua, and you told me you pre-fried each piece so it wouldn’t get soggy. I wanted to cook it with you supervising so you could correct me on how it HAD to…

Breakups are most often messy. Traumatic. We can’t help but wish that some people who broke us or we broke could cease existing in the same space we move through. There are some separations that are cleaner and easier and I think that this song appeals to those who want to still be friends with their exes in the future. And in an ideal world, we all want to be the mature person who’s like that. I have to admit I am not that person yet. I do hope to be that way someday. So I hope you find the openness to be like this with the people that have…

This wasn’t this week, or even the last one, but I still remember the feeling of taking this photo, just breathing in the fresh air, the wind in my hair. I even tripped on the way down so that almost took my breath away as well. This view in Batanes, this beautiful shore, on a grassy knoll, was incredible and I am very lucky to have been able to experience. So you don’t need to travel to the northernmost part of the country, or even leave your house, but I hope this weekend, you set your eyes on something that takes your breath away. Even if it’s just an amazing…