The Weekend Pages

I always have this feeling of melancholy and magic whenever I watch movies from the 80s, 90s, and the early 2000s. I love how the people at the time were not hung up and addicted to their mobile phones like I am. I love how they don't have social media and mobile phones.  I think this roots in my childhood in Iligan. I grew up with my grandmothers. We lived a frugal life. We were happy and content. I remember reading books all day, and my Nanay would reprimand me all the time. She said I'll ruin my vision because of non-stop reading. And she's right, I did ruin my eyesight. I have astigmatism now, and I also ruined my reproductive health. After dinner, I would listen to the radio, waiting for the lottery results. My Mommy would wash us up and change our clothes for bed. I remember sleeping in our living room because it was comfortable than sleeping in our room. Life was forgiving at the time. It was simple and quiet.  I figured that old movies make the memory of my childhoo...

In 2019, I read internet articles about life's meaning, growth, healing, and other topics. I came across an essay whose title and author I couldn't remember. Credits to the writer of this article            The writer was giving advice for anybody who's lost in their 20s. I jot down the places I've travelled at the time, my accomplishments, and random adventures that I could think of. I made this my life's motto/mantra afterwards. I chased the thrill, savored the moments outdoors, and for every experience life has offered me  I made sure I was present in everything.  Then the pandemic happened. I formed an unhealthy habit of mindlessly scrolling on TikTok. I was constantly upset and tired at work, I was overstimulated, and frustrated because my life's plan got delayed for another 2-3 years.  It wasn't a great year, really. It felt like the world was spinning so fast that everyone who dared to pause gets left behind, and it does spin faster (...