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24 in 2024
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in PonderThere’s a prompt on Instagram called “24 in 2024” where people post a photo from when they were twenty-four, which prompted me to go through photos from a decade ago. Much of it had been lost in old phones never backed up but I managed to find a few. Prescriptions 24: taking meds to manage…
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Ode to past endings
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in PonderIn the past I’ve sometimes done a summary of the year that was: 2023: this is my chance to revive this old tradition of reflecting about the past year. This has been at the back of my mind since our holiday trip a few weeks ago, but I’ve been enjoying doing nothing. Technically, too busy…
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Spring came
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in LiveWhen we had just bought the house, the tree in the courtyard barely had any leaves. Little green sprouts peaked along the branches but they were mostly still bare, as it was still winter. The sliding door looking out the courtyard had the biggest windows and I could always see this tree every time I…
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Spanish bread
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in EatMy parents used to buy spanish bread regularly for us when we were kids. It really is just called “Spanish bread” at home, and everyone knows what it is. We were a colony of Spain for hundreds of years so it made sense in my head. 🥹 In my 5 years in Melbourne, I’ve found…
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Five years of firsts
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in LiveThe roller blinds were pulled down but sunlight was spilling through the edges of the window. It was warm under the duvet and when I pulled my hand out to check the surface of our quilt, it wasn’t damp. It was a huge upgrade from the humid mornings at our old rental and a deep,…
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How to buy a house in Melbourne
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in LiveTuesday was settlement day and I can now say that Dylan and I are officially homeowners! Woohoo! It probably felt so fast to our friends but the past two days were actually quite nerve-wrecking. The day before settlement, we received the summary of expected fees from our conveyancer and the bank had told them this:…
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Home is where the house is
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in PonderEvery dream has an inspiration, and mine was simply ambition and anger: a fiery desire to stay anywhere but the Philippines and an overwhelming sense of loss and frustration over what the Philippines had become. This was fueled by an inter-generational thread of betrayal by the home country. One of things my mum had said…
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Between signing and settling
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in LiveThis morning I woke up to an email from our broker, saying the bank lender had a question about our loan application: “He has asked to get more clarity around one of your accounts showing Nami and Kino University Funds, can you please provide clarity what is this for and if this is going to…
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Older and under
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in LiveI thought the pivotal moment that would make me feel “old” was when my back started hurting doing normal everyday things like moving houses and carrying boxes. I realise now that I was wrong. There’s this rite of passage called “buying a house” which currently feels like the defining moment of adulthood. There are many…