From Afar

Getting your well-deserved promotion
Exploring the mysterious yet exciting world
I wish I could say I’m happy for you
But I can only be joyful for you from afar

The loss of someone important to you
A rejection that breaks your heart
I wish I could be there for you
But I can only be sad for you from afar

An intimate party with the ones you love
A massive show with you as the main star
I hope I can be glorious with you
But I can only say cheers to you from afar

All of these scenarios running in my mind
I’m uncertain if they happened or not
I only have these alternate trajectories
While I’m sure you’re enjoying life from afar

Then one day, the universe gave an answer
One alternate trajectory turned reality
One day, I walked and enjoyed the quiet
Then I saw you from afar

Your smile was beaming, beautiful as ever
Enjoying a meal with the ones you love
Our bond’s end shattered my world
But now I’m happy for you from afar

I have to live with the bittersweet truth:
My absence led to your happiness
So, even if it breaks my heart
I have to grow old with you from afar

Ω


Header image: Nazila Azimzada of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

30-Minute Warning XXIX

How was my day yesterday? It was long but nice!

The day started with my cousin Risa graduating from college. We celebrated the occasion with a tasty Filipino lunch at Abé. She deserves her degree because I have seen her study for many hours over the past few years. Congratulations, my cousin!

After the celebratory lunch, I had another weekly affogato fix at my favorite spot Satchmi. I enjoyed my favorite coffee/ice cream combo at my favorite seat and then updated my journal. Now my week is complete.

After my journal writing, my other cousin Jake and I went to Greenbelt 3 in Makati to watch the main stage of Fête de la Musique Philippines. Fête PH is celebrating its 30th year, which is awesome! And the musical acts we saw: Jason Dhakal and Lustbass, Jose Miguel, Sinosikat?, Dwta, and Jewelmer Jazz Band. (I hope I typed their names right.) It has been a while since my last gig, and I spent my time listening and swaying more and taking fewer photos. That’s how I know I enjoyed the show that much.

My Younger Brother followed and watched Fête for a while, and then we looked for a ramen restaurant for dinner. We checked out Ramen Kuroda first, but they are about to close. We checked out Kenji Tei, but they were about to close also. And then we checked Ippudo, and they let us in. Yes! The third time’s the charm indeed.

And how was the dinner? After enjoying our mildly spicy ramen and Coke Zeros, our stomachs and hearts are full. We gained the energy to go back to Fête’s main stage and watch a few more acts: Morobeats (I hope I wrote that right) and Dilaw. In my opinion, the latter gave the best performance of the night. I should listen to their songs more.

After watching Dilaw, my Younger Brother and cousin Jake went home… but first, we had to stop by the nearest 7-Eleven and buy some Jack and Coke Zero and sweet corn chips. After coming home, I started writing this post and gulping the Jack and Coke Zero I just bought.

Happy weekend to all!

Ω


Header image: Gül Işık of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2024.

10-Minute Warning CIX

I’m still not feeling well physically, but I will try to write something here.

So, what happened today? I lacked sleep, but I still joined my Mother and Father on their morning errands and inspections – something I hadn’t done in quite a while. After that, we had lunch at Mann Hann with my Youngest Brother. After that lunch, I bought some French Vanilla Mille-Feuille Oatmilk Latte from Starbucks for my younger bro, and my favorite Cold Brew Malt for myself. But… after coming home, the cold caffeinated drink I bought did not stop me from my afternoon nap.

What else? Oh! Speaking of my Youngest Brother, he’s graduating from college this March, and everyone in the family is excited. Soon we can proudly say that we are all college graduates, and that is so awesome!

And time’s up.

Ω


Header image: Lisa Fotios of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2024.