Mabuhay!
I am Gel, a Filipina writer and wanderer. I started this blog in 2010 as a requirement for our online journalism class. Since then, it has evolved into a platform for me to share my thoughts on love and life and aspirations that have kept me going amidst some setbacks that I have gone through.
Writing has always been something I love since high school. I pursued a degree in Journalism in the University of the East-Manila, became editor of our student publication and co-founded an organization for journalism majors. I remember vividly how aggressive I am as a student journalist back then. I’d join some rallies. I’d critic school officials through my column and even braved a libel case because of a lampoon issue.
But it was a different scenario after graduation.
I must admit I slowed down. From being a neophyte fearless journalist, I dedicated my time being a lifestyle writer and got my name published in various mediums both local and international. And never did I regret any decision I made. From being a news writer, I preferred feature writing, specifically lifestyle stories because it is where I can express my writing style more. It is where I found my niche. To go to places, meet new people and learn from their own tales, and write about them.
It was also during this time I realized how okay it is to not conform and never confine ourselves to our box. To never let go of our dreams even if it means going through pain and rejections. As cliche as it may seem, yes, but all these are part of the process. Trust it and believe in it.
My mother once said that we all have a place in this world. That while we are at the crossroads, fate will find a way to arrive in that place we can call as ours.
My father, who recently passed away due to kidney disease, meanwhile instilled to me that it is alright to dream big and aim high. And to never let go of the things that make us alive. He taught me how to dream and never give up. To stand up each time you fall. And to be brave and courageous. I miss him so much and I know that in the coming months and years, this blog’s content will be partly about him. This blog is my catalyst for my grief and pain I know will never go away in this lifetime.
Now more than ever, I have learned to live life and move on from toxicity. I quit my full time job and is now a full time freelancer-digital nomad. I am happily living with my fiance in a small abode near my parents’ home. At certain times of the year I travel with him in different places, either with our well-loved Kymco scooter in countrysides, or through bus, planes, and boat rides, constantly on the lookout for new destinations, and coming back to old and memorable ones.
Definitely, I am living the life I have always wanted for years and we are slowly moving on to another chapter. I am excited for the things that are yet to unfold.
I hope you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy pouring my heart into every word.
Cheers,
Gel