Manila to Cebu: Leaving in 48 Hours

It’s wild how life tiptoes by so quietly that suddenly, I’m packing my bags again. After two months in Manila - thanks to Typhoon Odette - I’m finally flying back home to Cebu this weekend.

It’s a little bittersweet. I’ve always loved my independence and the freedom that comes with living on my own in a city where I barely know anyone. These past two months reminded me just how liberating that felt, especially after spending more than a year cooped up at home because of the pandemic.

But here I am, about to give all that up again by heading back. Still, I’m choosing to see the silver lining: I work fully remote now. That means I can travel anytime I want, as long as COVID restrictions don’t get in the way. Honestly, I’m craving that.

After nearly two years of being stuck, I think I’ve earned it. I don’t have much tying me down anyway, so why not take advantage of it?

Right now, I’ve got my eye on spending three weeks in Bangkok around April. If that pushes through, it’ll be my longest stay in another country yet, and I’m ridiculously excited.

First order of business when I land in Cebu, though, is to self-isolate for two weeks. Not that I mind - I’ll just stay in our apartment. It feels like the safest move since both my parents are seniors, and my brother’s health is a bit fragile.

Once that’s out of the way, I’m hoping to sneak in a quick trip to Hale Manna. It’s almost summer, which means Cebu’s about to flaunt some heartbreakingly beautiful sunny weather again. I can’t wait.

I’m also dying to see my dogs and get my hands on a new MacBook. Fingers crossed it’s available right away because I loathe waiting. If I had it my way, I’d keep my current 2017 MacBook forever - it still runs, plus my mom gave it to me. But Figma is a ruthless beast that’s slowly killing my old hardware.

Funny how just before Christmas last year, my biggest worry was getting a Nintendo Switch. Then Typhoon Odette barged in, forcing me to fly out of Cebu unplanned, scramble for a place to stay, and basically flip my life upside down.

Now, between my day job and my freelance work, there’s a lot happening. I’m also itching to start a new personal project - still in crypto and writing, but hopefully it’ll push me to make more decisions on my own. God knows I need to learn that. LOL.

On a brighter note, I got my first article published on HackerNoon this month. Wild, because I didn’t even think it was that technical. I’m super stoked it made it through, and I’m already lining up a couple more pieces to submit. Fingers crossed they get approved too.

Also, I’ve been glued to updates on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It’s heartbreaking. I can’t wrap my head around any reason that could justify war. It’s all just devastating. On top of that, my freelance team is based in Cyprus, and many of my colleagues are in Kyiv. I hope they’re staying safe. 💔😔

So yeah, that’s a quick peek into my life right now. I still have to pack and tick off a bunch of last-minute errands before my flight. Oh, and I had my hair chopped short, and I’m getting my lashes lifted for the first time ever this weekend. Wish me luck. 😅