House of Memory

I never expected that 'Upcoming Summer' would leave such a lasting impression to me. It has been nearly a week since the credits rolled, yet there are moments when my mind replays Coldplay and The Chainsmokers’ “Something Just Like This,” instantly transporting me back to that scene. They stood side by side amidst the pulsating crowd—people hopping to the beats, neon spotlights painting the air, and breaths echoing with so much euphoria. And there they were, leaning into each other, exchanging hushed whispers, and sharing their deepest secrets. After that, the credits were rolling. My eyes remained fixated on the fading black screen until they filled with words: We hope we can face ourselves with more honesty. We hope we can be braver.   I was almost convinced that ‘Upcoming Summer’ would be easily forgettable. After all, I only gave this film a chance because I wanted to see Leo Wu once again after ‘Amidst a Snowstorm of Love.’ However, I remained confident that anything with

Having recently completed a 30-episode drama series, I thought it would be some time before I could immerse myself in yet another Chinese drama. Spanning 36 episodes, more than two regular K-drama series combined, Lighter & Princess literally had me skeptical. There was no way for me to finish a series that feels like a lifetime to watch UNLESS it would be something truly spectacular, even greater than my then current C-drama favorite, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love.  First Impression Debating whether to invest 65 pesos for a month’s worthy subscription on Youku, I clung to the uncertainty.  Would this series captivate me as much as AASOL, or would it fall short of my expectations?  Initially, I jumped into this drama with only a vague notion of its premise.  The title itself led me to believe it was a fantasy romance drama. The opening credits reinforced this impression, playfully hinting at magic and fairytales. From the title, I envisioned “Lighter” was a prince of lightning, while 

Last year was a real struggle for me. I couldn’t manage to put together my year-end countdown of favorite songs. Workload consumed my days, leaving no room for my beloved music. It felt like a crime to indulge in leisure during office hours. I constantly reminded myself to stay focused and finish on time, fearing another late night at the desk. So, that’s the backstory of my 2022 song list failure. But here we are now, a tad early for this entry. Still, I’ve adopted a rebranded motto: “better late than never.” After all, it’s better to be ahead of schedule than perpetually behind, right? Enough blubbering—let’s dive into my Top 5 Songs of 2023: 1. I GUESS THIS IS JUST ANOTHER SONG 'BOUT TOKYO? TOKYO LOVE HOTEL - RINA SAWAYAMA The first time I heard about Rina Sawayama was during a random YouTube interview with New Jeans. I didn’t know much about her at that point, but perhaps I had caught a passing glimpse of her during a Head in the Clouds concert clip in my feed. And that was the

It has been almost about three weeks now since I made a promise to visit you. I was able to, but after just my second try, I vanished again.  I have been really busy, you know. Busy in a sense that I have also been occupied with a lot of personal things. I was almost close to breaking down as I felt that darkness again hovering nearby. I don't know but I had a couple of episodes where I was drowning in my own emotions. Things have been pretty rough lately and although the feeling was once familiar to me, it is still scary. I guess, loneliness will never be a stranger to us. It will come and pass by, but it will crash the composure in you— the composure you are still building up.  Despite the waves of loneliness, I still took a courage to swim in the uncertainty. It was overwhelming, oxygen-depriving, but I had to force myself to go along the current and play with the flow.  September 14. My sister woke me up in the middle of the night. It was past 12 am and there were specks of blo

This week has marked my 25th year.  Weirdly enough, I was happy celebrating my birthday. In fact, this has been the "happiest" birthday I've had so far or at least in my recent memory. The past years had been so blue and forgettable that I didn't feel that my day was still worthy to be celebrated. I was surely demotivated and it was truly getting harder for me to see the beauty of getting a year older each passing year. I was depressed and very far from what I am now. And seeing myself being this way— merrier, extrovert, and carefree— is very very strange. I don't think I have been this liberated my whole life. I don't think I have smiled or laugh this much before. I don't think I have been this excited to wake up every day. Everything feels anew and I feel like I have been experiencing "life" lately or should I say eversince I had my career shift. Not only I was redirected to another profession, but my life has literally turned over a new leaf..

I told you, I'll be back.  I may be late, but this is much better than never. Isn't it? This week has just been like the usual week I've also had previously. Nothing prominently grand, but I had some bits of glittery moments that are still worthy to share.  Despite the mental strain I had after our brief discussion with our COO, I was still able to compose myself and push through the rest of this week with grace. It wasn't a major process update but for some reason I had a hard time trying to take everything in. My mind felt like it had taken a sudden halt and all the stuffs I've learned so far flattered upwards in the air and I was left brainless. I was overwhelmed and I knew it. Admittedly, I also had a fault on my end and that's for being too distracted with my surroundings which consequently impeded my productivity. Acknowledging this, I knew I had to give myself a break and so I rested my thoughts. Thankfully, I had a debriefing call with our client, cleare

This feels weird.  It's been a long while, no? I have been typing for minutes now and I am slightly uncomfortable with the look of Courier font on my eyes. It has really been a while indeed that even the default font I have here is no longer emotionally familiar.  The Sunday morning has been on its full blaze since I woke up past 7. It is hot and humid and almost airless-- a contrary of what's life like three weeks ago: tucked up in the wet weather. Now, my skin feels being scorched by the heat from the summer-like blast and my mini-fan on the side is blowing hot airs, melting the sun cream on my face. I keep throwing glances at Pino from the stand mirror to see how he's coping up. I like to bring him downstairs but I am too afraid that I might lose my train of thoughts when I dare to even lift myself a bit here on my chair. Damn shit.  I have to repeat this again: it is fucking hot!  Somehow the mellow music close-by soothes all these cruelties. It's on the right volum