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Growing up, I am always exposed to family-business meetings. As a kid, I would always be here in our conference room every Wednesday to attend our family's whole-day meetings with my late great grandfather.

This place struck me, because I was hit by the fact that so much has changed ever since – I am not as young, a few of us are not here in the Philippines anymore, a lot of relationships has changed, a lot of new business emerged, and now, one has passed away. At the same time, knowing that I had been given this life, knowing that I was exposed to this type of environment as a kid, gives me some sense of what responsibilities await me in the future – especially as the eldest of the great grand kids. Of course, it makes me afraid, but for some weird reason, it gives me more reason to be strong, to make my own way in life, and to apply all the wisdom that I have learned from all the people that has sat on each chair in this very room. A sense of responsibility, but also clarity.

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I know that this isn't a place in my house, but I was able to see the instructions for this activity yesterday while on the way home from the airport after a tiring trip back. I haven't been in our car for about 20 days already, so I'm hoping this counts! My brother who got left behind at home is a 1st yr resident ENT doctor at a government hospital. He wanted to come with us to celebrate my brother's wedding, but couldn't do so because of his schedule.

He just got home from being assigned to be part of the triage earlier that day and had not gotten much rest yet as he had to pick us up from the airport. My mom made him sit in the front passenger seat on the way home and told him to recline the chair. As he dozed off, mom cradled his head until we got home using her hand even though she, herself, was tired from our 4+ hr drive and ~90min plane ride. I was so touched upon seeing this and there wasn't an ounce of jealousy, because I know that my mom would do the same for me, too <3

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As I was wandering around the house, I saw my badminton racket that has been there for how many years now - dusty and just in the corner of a room. It made me reminisce on the times when I was still training and thinking that this was the only problem I have in the world or so I say cause I don't like the sweat and everything. But every after training, I feel so refreshed - that it seems like all my worries went away.

Looking back, I really do love the sound of the racket hitting the shuttle cock and how it just flies from one corner to the next. And, you know we can say that life is similar to the sport of Badminton. You hit the shuttle cock with all you've got while preventing it from touching the ground, but when it reaches the ground, you come to pick it up and start the rally again. That is, you try your very best to soar high, but life is not always up - it could also bring you down. And when this happens, you pick yourself up, and start again - one step at a time.

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I have chosen this specific area as I consider it a forgotten safe space that I used to enjoy being at. I guess it made me realize how much my interests have changed and how little time I have to pick these up. The pandemic, in a way, became an opportunity for me to revisit this. It made me realize that it's also a specific shelf where I've placed books that I have not yet finished reading or have not read yet, take it to the differing genres ranging from sappy young adult romance novels, paperback thrillers and to some same old Alcott-like classics. I think what struck me the most about this part of our home is that it represents how much I've changed not only in interests but also in personality. I like how this specific area is an area I can safely call mine but at the same time , it has slowly become unrecognizable through time. It's also a perfect example of something that does not change everyday but if you ponder on it, everything is different. There's a lot of cleaning to do, too!

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 Over the pandemic, I developed a great interest and passion in manual coffee brewing. This is a photo of my coffee nook/slowbar. This can also be referred to as a slow bar because in contrast to the coffee bars that produce a quick pump of espresso, this kind processes things a little differently. My slow bar is where I collect a bunch of coffee brewing equipment and a stash of coffee beans coming from different coffee roasters and places. To some people, they might think that I am crazy to go all out over a cup of coffee. But, I have developed a deeper sense of attachment and ultimately an advocacy for this hobby.

More than just brewing coffee, this little place in our kitchen reminds me of sanity. The time that I take in preparing my own cup of coffee also means a time for me to take things a little bit slow. As I heat my water, grind my coffee, and pre-wet my coffee filter, I take the unnecessary things off my mind. I just want to focus and be in the moment. It takes 2-3 minutes for me to brew the coffee and that’s enough time for me to destress and cool my mind in preparation for a hectic day. The view of my stash of beans is also a reminder that I have chosen this to become a responsible consumer. I wanted to support local, sustainable, and traceable beans that are produced by coffee farmers. It is common nowadays that coffee is mislabeled, and the farmers are not given the credit they truly deserve. 

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I seldom go outside our backyard. One reason was because Princess, one of our dogs, does not particularly like me. I have become a stranger to her ever since I went to Manila for college. At the middle of our backyard, you can find a poso or a manual pump connected to a deep well. Most of the houses in our province had this installed way back in order to avoid spending too much money on automatic pumps. My mom told me that it was already there when we moved into our house so it's definitely older than me. I have vivid memories of fighting with my sister regarding who gets to have dibs on using the poso whenever someone needs to water the plants when we were younger. I chose this object because it struck me how much the times have changed. Automatic pumps are now readily available at lesser cost and they are surely more efficient, but I find it funny (and at the same time sad) that our other younger siblings did not experience the joy of having to use the manual pump. There are so many experiences that the new generation of children missed out on. With endless hours of their eyes glued on to their gadgets, they haven't had the chance to know what it feels like to play patintero outside, to fly a kite, to scrape their knees trying to bike for the first time, to get scolded for staying out late to play, or yes, to even use a poso. If or when I have kids, I'll try to let them experience the play I had when I was young and lessen their screen time. Fun shouldn't only be limited to the newest games on a gadget. Fun is everywhere. In general, no matter how old or rusty this poso gets, my memory of the fun I had will always be in my mind and in my heart. Oh, and by the way, Princess was somewhere around the vicinity when I took the photo. She didn't bite me. Yay.

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This is the biggest cactus that I own, and it is situated at the top most shelf in the backyard, so that it will get the most direct sunlight possible. Because it is so high up, I do not usually mind it like I do my other plants. This is because I don't think that this cactus will die easily, because it is so huge. However, I looked up and noticed it today, and it is doing very well. I water it only sometimes, but now I think that I should water it more often. Just because it is very strong, big, and independent, does not mean that I should forget to water it.
Aside from that, this cactus is very memorable for me because it was a gift given to the outreach organizer that we contacted for my last birthday. After we did our small outreach, he asked my mom if I liked cactuses, and she said yes. He gave me this very huge cactus, and now this plant is connected to the outreach, which is something that I am proud of.

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I chose this oven because it has been a while since I last baked. I haven't thought much about it until I saw it. When I saw this, I realized how much I missed it. I enjoy baking since it allowed me to do something worthwhile during the break instead of just watching dramas while in bed for the entire day. I have grown to love and enjoy it. I plan on baking sometime soon.

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For the activity, I decided to roam around our ‘study’ room/ stock room because I remembered that they're a lot of stuff in the area which I have not seen before. The room is filled with bookshelves and in one of the compartments,  I saw our old digital camera. I actually thought that my mom threw it away but to my surprise, it was still there. I chose this as my subject because when I was a kid, I used to love taking videos of myself, vlogging around the house and taking different pictures of my toys and playmates. I suddenly became nostalgic about my childhood wherein life was still easy and carefree back then.  Hence, it was definitely a good break to commemorate the past and relive the happy moments. Sadly, the camera does not work anymore  but I can still remember some of my childhood events such as playing around with my friends.

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For today’s activity, I have decided to go outside our garage since I don’t think that there’s any place inside our home that I haven’t been to for a long while. The moment I stepped outside, the subject that really struck me the most is the random plant that have grown since the last time I saw it. I am not really sure what it is called; but based on my research it can be a type of a fig or ficus tree. (not really sure) But the main reason as to why it got my attention is that I was able to relate it to our lecture regarding self-awareness, change, and growth.  During the lecture, I was able to realize that the main factor that would allow us to become a better person is by being aware of our own strengths, weaknesses, realities, failures, etc. Through our own “conscious knowledge” of our character and feelings, it would allow us to realize that we could learn so much from these things and we have the power to change ourselves to grow and become the person that we aspire to be. Just like the random plant outside our house, I think that in a way, the plant knows the things that would help it grow. The sunlight and the water can be the source of its “reality” or self-awareness, which allowed the plant to have the power to change in order to become a beautiful plant.

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Nothing special here but a collection of tiny, random things that happened to make a beautiful picture.

Don't these pieces just remind you of every struggle you had to go through? Because it did for me.

These collection of tiny, random things are actually significant reminders that I made it through a lot of difficult times. That somehow, I've managed to surpass each one of them, and now they’re little life lessons that help me to keep going every single day. More importantly, they remind me of the bigger picture -- that without all of the smallest things, I wouldn't have become the person that I am today.

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When I was in high school, I usually go to this spot every night just so I could pray. I remember believing this grotto brought miracles in my family as a child, so my Mom decided to keep it during our house renovation in 2017. At some point, I stopped going to this spot; I stopped praying. If it weren't for this activity, I wouldn't even remember that this grotto existed, that going here every night somehow helped me get through one of my lowest points in life. This grotto witnessed my tears and heard all my worries when I had no one to talk to and shoulder to cry on. It feels comforting to know I wasn't alone that time.

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I decided to go into the storage area of my house and dug through my old stuff. I saw tons of things there, old trading cards, board games, and even some pictures. The one thing that caught my eye though was a copy of "The Lost Hero" by Rick Riordan. It just struck me that all of his books were the reason why I got into reading in the first place. Although now I tend to just read manga, the books of Rick Riordan still made a huge impact in my life. I'm actually tempted to just find the rest of my Riordan books and read them all, but I suppose that can wait till internship is over.

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This place, especially at night, is memorable for me. Highschool years were one of the hardest and most painful phases of my life, and when I needed a place to breathe, it's this place that kept me safe. I remember sneaking out at night and taking my dog "Cindy" with me, and we'd just sit there, play music,  heal in silence and just disconnect. There's always something about the wind, the night, the music and a furball (cat/dog) that altogether calm my being. Sometimes I'd stay out here until midnight, that's how much it makes me feel at peace. It's in this place I often wondered and hoped that things go better, and now looking back, I can say that it did, it will be, and that I'll never stop until I heal completely. This is something I want my future self to be thankful for. I chose this because I believe that it's in these little things, places, and beings that keep us sane even when we don't notice them at all. There would always be something around us that would make us feel better little by little, we just have to be mindful enough to see them.

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This is a framed picture of me and my brother’s very first selfies. I still recall on how we were amazed of the phone’s front camera. Every time I see this, it reminds me on how innocent and carefree we were to the point that we do not even mind how we will look like on the pictures (as clearly seen from our derpy and double chinned faces). Things were just very simple before and we were very appreciative even the littlest of things but as we grow, things get too complicated. This really reminds me that I had the fondest memories as a child.

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During this pandemic, I haven’t really been going outside of our house unless it’s necessary. Also, in our place, we really have lots of plants everywhere because it’s been a hobby of my family. Today, I decided to wander just to visit the plants and I noticed that there were lots of greens. I wondered, “huh wala bang bulaklak dito?” then suddenly I saw this little pot with just a single flower. I was happy to see it because it is the only flowering plant we have. It also reminded me that being unique is beautiful.

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When I was in high school, I usually go to this spot every night just so I could pray. I remember believing this grotto brought miracles in my family as a child, so my Mom decided to keep it during our house renovation in 2017. At some point, I stopped going to this spot; I stopped praying. If it weren't for this activity, I wouldn't even remember that this grotto existed, that going here every night somehow helped me get through one of my lowest points in life. This grotto witnessed my tears and heard all my worries when I had no one to talk to and shoulder to cry on. It feels comforting to know I wasn't alone that time.

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I'm not currently at home so I am not able to find a spot that I haven't been to in a while. However, the way I understood this activity was to find something that you didn't really look much into before but actually is something that brings you comfort or something that strikes you, hence my chosen item.

Breathing is such a natural part of life, we've literally been inhaling oxygen since we were born and we'll continue to do so until we die. We do it 24/7 in order to survive. It's not something that we necessarily think about. Well, that is until breathing gets difficult. For whatever reason, there are times where I find it difficult to breathe and other times it feels almost too tiring to breathe. Times of distress, of panic, and of pain. I chose the oxygen concentrator because I would like to think of it as something that can help someone during these suffocating times, giving them a sense of relief, a breath of air. Having someone or something serve as your oxygen concentrator can help make breathing a bit more bearable. When your lungs are tired or wounded, it allows for you to keep going. One inhale, one exhale at a time until you get better and pick yourself up again.

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In the room that I study in, there is a drawer with pictures on top, which I never really paid attention to. While I was doing the activity, I saw a picture that struck my heart. In the picture I was celebrating my birthday with my friend, sisters, mother, and some maids. I chose this picture not because it was my birthday, but because Neneng (the one encircled in the picture) was in it. She was our household worker for about 23 years. She decided to retire when I was in first year in college. I remembered crying everywhere even in Ippudo, where we held our last dinner together. It was a very bittersweet moment for us. She has really become a part of our family. I remember her saying “hello” whenever I come back from school. I would always update her and tell her some juice gossips (hehe). My friends are even close with her. Unfortunately, I am unable to contact her because I heard that she gave her phone to her niece (that’s how selfless she is). But from time to time, she would call our mom to ask her about us. She even called to say happy birthday. I chose this picture because she has been a great part of my life. I’m so happy for her as she is now able to spend time with her family and take a break, but I’m also sad that I do not get to talk to her everyday. The photo reminded me of how one can be a part of your family even if they are unrelated to you. It reminded me of the good old days and how thankful I am for having her as my yaya.

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As I went through my things, I saw my ballerina music box which was gifted to me by my dad when I was 7 years old. To my surprise it was still working. As the ballerina dances I remember how beautiful my childhood was, I was loved deeply. I also remembered that I always believed in magic since it was one of things my family taught me, to believe in the magic of love, prayers  and fate. It may affect how I see things right now, maybe it was one of the reasons why I have a positive outlook in life.

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As I was looking through some stuff in our attic, i saw this lighthouse that was once in my older brother’s room. l remember asking him when I was young why his room was sea-themed and why he had that lighthouse on his bedside table, he told me that the sea symbolizes his emotions. Letting them go in the water makes him understand himself more, but there were days that he drowns in his own emotions. He told me that having the lighthouse beside him makes him feel safe. It guides him when he feels lost and helpless, and it gives him hope that things will be okay as long as he trusts the light. It was too deep for me to understand what he meant back then but years later after looking at this lighthouse, I realized that I needed to find my own lighthouse as well; in fact, we all do.

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For this activity, I took the opportunity to go to my parents’ bedroom since I mostly spend time inside my room. While looking around their room, I saw these baby pictures of me and my sibling on their vanity. These photos struck me the most since it made me realize just how fast time flies. I cannot believe that the cute infant in the picture is now an adult woman about to finish college. Since I just turned twenty-one last month, it made me realize that I am soon to be an adult with responsibilities and these include taking care of my parents since they have taken care of me for the past twenty-one years. It made me anxious but at the same time excited about the future since I am about to embark into a new stage of my life where I would get to have new experiences.

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Every time I go outside of my room, I always sit on my swing without looking at my surroundings. I always assume that I'll see the same green leaves, swinging trees, and hanging vines. But, when I did this activity, I went up the stairs just to take a look at my home. Suddenly, I saw these flowers among the big green leaves. Look how they made those plain green leaves more beautiful. It is more lively than before. This is when I realized that being unique among the rest is not a bad thing. It actually brings the best out of you as well as the things/people around you. This reminded me not to change anything about myself just to fit in the environment that I currently have. This shows that you can be anything that you want as long as you accept your uniqueness and own beauty.

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I haven’t been in our attic for a long while since there’s nothing to see there just old stuffs we had, but because of this activity I chose that place to visit. I saw my memory box in the corner and when I opened it I saw this stuff toy from a friend of mine who passed away. Suddenly, all the memories came back. This item really struck me the most because he gave this to me during my birthday. He did his best to get this from the claw machine as he wanted to give me something with effort. I really felt emotional because I still remember the time I had to remove this from my room because it makes me feel blue and I know I needed to let go of him. He was someone who always believes in me despite my weaknesses and struggles in life. It’s crazy how time flies so fast, I think the last time I saw this item was two years ago. However, even if he’s not here anymore, I know that he is genuinely happy up there seeing my growth and achieving all my dreams in life.

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Growing up, this swing was my safe place, my escape; this is the one spot in the house I always felt comfortable in. Regardless of the situation I was facing, or whomever I was with, I knew that I could come here to feel the calm of the outdoors (without actually leaving my house). Once the pandemic began, as did online classes, along with the stress that came with it. My room no longer felt like a place of rest for me, and so I found myself taking sanctuary on the swing once again whenever I needed some peace. Now, I come here to think, to take everything in, to feel that sense of relief when I am overwhelmed, or even just to sit in silence—not thinking of anything.

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My dog, Covie, will always be the one who gets my attention in every situation. Given different circumstances, he was always the one who brightens up my day and seeing him always gives me comfort in such a way that everything will be bearable as long as I am with him. He will always be the one to take away all of my negative emotions. He’s a gift to our family, a puff of sunshine and our happy pill. Also, he came into our life during the ECQ days and our dog was the one who’s keeping us sane from all the chaos that has been happening; Covie is our escape from the complicated world.

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People say that one never forgets how to ride a bike. It is true for most of us, riding a bike becomes automatic and unconscious. We do it without thinking just like how we used to act as children. I remember how dedicated I was to learn it that I had to use training wheels and after a few weeks, I rode my bike even without the training wheels and pedal as fast as I can without being afraid of falling off my bike. Those were the days when everything seemed so easy. I used to do things out of whim and spontaneity which is far from how I act now where I am more careful and methodical. As an adult, I always consider all possible consequences of my decisions. I tend to focus on doing what is needed and what is expected from me hence, as I grow older I missed opportunities to discover myself such as exploring new hobbies, trying a new sport, or learning a foreign language. Hence, seeing my bike again made me reminisce my childhood memories and reminded me of the thrill and enjoyment of doing something I haven’t done before.

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This sign has been hanging on the door for even longer than my lifespan. I didn’t realize the beautiful quote that was written on it. “The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention.” It made me reflect and pause for a moment. Not particularly about good deeds but I realized that I could spend a year conceptualizing a big goal with all the nitty gritty steps for myself and I’d still be right where I am: at the starting point. Whereas if I took a risk and just made that first step, whether it is the right or wrong one, I would still be one step closer to that goal of mine. This quote also reminded me to stop overthinking about things in the future which I cannot control and start channeling energy into things I can control which is the present.

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This is taken from an opening at the back of our house. I chose this subject because the last time I remember looking here, I was still able to see the roof of our neighbor as the trees were not that tall at the time. However, now, I was surprised to see that I almost couldn’t see anything because the trees were blocking the view. This really struck me because I once again realized how even in the midst of quarantine, when things felt stagnant and that nothing was changing, time still went on and we can realize that only we look closely around us. This made me realize that maybe even I, whom I thought remained the same, was able to undergo different changes that contribute to my growth as an individual.