My dearest M, I’d been looking forward to our trip to Singapore for about a year. I’d pictured nineteen-month-old you seeing up close all those animals you’d only seen in your picture books — the elephants, giraffes, lions. I’d wanted to see you gleefully running around in open spaces, which is quite rare in our… Continue reading An open letter to my one-year-old, on the occasion of his first trip abroad
Right now, I feel as though I’m in one of the scariest places I’ve ever been in. I’ve been working since graduating from college, and I’ve been so used to counting my 20s based on school years. I’ve been so used to getting my salary twice a month. And now I’ve just resigned from the… Continue reading Dear fellow travelers, it’s probably your fault that I’ve just quit my job
A lot of bloggers talk about the virtues of solo travel. I did not have such a concept before I got into backpacking; then and until now, I usually travel with friends and family, whether in big groups or small ones. I’ve experienced traveling with one friend in Cambodia and 14 in Palawan! Traveling with… Continue reading What it’s Like to Travel with Friends
If 2012 was the year when I rediscovered this repressed wanderlust, then 2013 was when I pursued it. I went to more places in a year than I did for a whole decade prior. I went on a road trip with my family and passed through Maguindanao, Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat, eventually ending up in… Continue reading 2013: A Year in Travel
What did he do during this journey? Of what was he thinking? As in the morning, he watched the trees, the thatched roofs, the tilled fields pass by, and the way in which the landscape, broken at every turn of the road, vanished; this is a sort of contemplation which sometimes suffices to the soul,… Continue reading What happens when the middle-class traveler goes back to work
In spite of my fast-ballooning credit card bill, I finally swallowed, shut my eyes, and registered a domain that I’ve always wanted. Welcome to Lakwatserang-Guro.com! I suppose this means that my posts will be more travel-themed especially in the point of view of a teacher with a permanent day job. Think of weekend getaways, vacations… Continue reading A new URL: Lakwatserang-Guro.com
Clearly, this year has been the BEST. EVER. when it comes to many things, especially travel. I’ve always wanted to travel and I’m happy that my go-getter friends, pure chance, and sheer courage have finally conspired to turn me into the traveler I’ve always wanted to be. So, here’s a summary of where I’ve been… Continue reading 2012: A Year in Travel
Here’s a list of things I aim to accomplish before I turn 30 — and yes, it’s a bit too late because I have just a little over two years to accomplish all these! Some are even too embarrassing to reveal — while I’ve been to many town fiestas, I haven’t been to any of… Continue reading My 30 before 30
Mr. Z woke up to find that he was supposed to be dead. He had come from a long hike the day before. When he got to his apartment, where he lived alone, the first thing on his mind was to upload the photos in his camera to Facebook. But he was tired. Sleep took… Continue reading Back from the Dead*
The floods that have swamped most of Manila, with at least 11 people dead and a quarter-million having fled their homes, seem to have caused little public anger over further municipal dysfunction in the densely populated capital of more than 10 million. […] A “mood meter” on the Rappler news portal let people register their feelings. By… Continue reading Of Resignation and Frustration
Ang Lakwatserang Guro 