Blog by Jedde

It's always making plans happen one after the other for me. The cycle doesn't end because I'm so used to rushing life. It's as though I can't bear it when I stay still; and while it can be productive, it also made me forget that slowing down doesn't necessarily equate to having a worthless life. On the contrary, living without rushing provides a certain kind of bliss that soothes the soul - if only you allow it. On a cold Saturday evening, I met with a friend of mine, Jana, over a sumptuous dinner at Tavoloata. With its sheer elegance calling out from outside, Tavolata surely caught our attention when we were deciding where to spend time catching up.  Inside, we were greeted with warm and bronze tones and a sophisticated ambiance, perfectly achieving a delicate balance between industrial and fine-dining. The lights suspended from the ceiling add a romantic touch to the place, perfect for an intimate gathering of friends and family, or with one's significant ...

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."   - Robert Frost   Photo was taken in January 2018. More often than not, we find ourselves in between two roads. The road we choose often depends on how ready we are to face the unknown, how brave we are to unleash our courage in taking that step, and how prepared we are to fail. Either way, making this choice is never easy.  I faced this moment many times in my life and particularly, in the year 2017 when I decided to pack my bags and move to Singapore. I barely had any savings after working for my first job in Cebu. My family isn't wealthy. We can afford to eat three times a day but we've always been mindful of where we spend our money to ensure we can sustain our basic needs, and infrequently, our wants - usually in a form of our family day eating halo-halo in a mall. That's why taking this big leap was a question for many people. How am I going to su...

"When it rains and it pours, the thunder and the lights shatter in the sky, and your heart wonders  in solitude, if you're  truly ever worth loving. They told you that you  get the love you deserve, but as soon as the lightning strikes, you are illuminated with the truth - that you are too broken to be put together and nobody keeps a broken glass, not even the king's men who  put Humpty Dumpty  together again. In a stormy night when the clouds are burdened  with tears gushing through  their  tender skins; you gather your broken pieces and lay there in silence. The door opens and  the one  who brings the lamp appears. With his sleeping soul, he sees you in the ebony of darkness and takes a step - and each step of his  is coated with  deafening  silence. The lamp bringer  casts  a  light on your broken pieces; A timid flicker at first,  and  then a loud burst altogether - of  a million stars shi...

There are sides of us that we do not show in public. It's either we do it on purpose for a deep reason, or, maybe we're just not aware they exist. You know, like a blind spot. While there's a huge chance for our blind spots to turn out wonderfully inspiring, we also know deep down that sometimes, they are quite the contrary.  One big realization that dawned on me these past few months is that I freak out when I couldn't plan my life out. This is my blind spot that I don't particularly present generously to the public eye, plainly because I didn't realize it then, and I've still yet to understand my experience in a private space. I believe you understand, right? You see, generally, I'm a spontaneous person. I've come to terms with being agreeable to changes. In fact, I've even created a photo album on my Facebook called 'Spontaneity', where I save all photographs of my spontaneous adventures with family and friends.  So, what made these pa...

One does not need to travel far to feel at home. Sometimes, being surrounded with the right people in the right place can most certainly make one feel at home. We made plans for an intimate dinner with my Graduate Studies circle in this place called Al Borgo. I didn't know what to expect about the place except for the fact that they serve Italian food.  To my pleasant surprise, Al Borgo was more than just the typical Italian restaurants buzzing with people animatedly talking with one another, Italian music playing in the background, and the sound of plates clanking from the kitchen. That August evening, Al Borgo became a home of laughters, dreams, and life plans.  The first thing I noticed about the place was that it has a cozy, warm atmosphere that creates this intimate feeling of comfort. Adorned with various bottles of wines, Al Borgo made me want to stay there longer and chat with my friends about their most inspiring moments in life or when they were at their best. It has...