#how to get to baguio

[jmlistings]

Foreclosed House in Lexberville Subdivision, Baguio City

📍 Lots 4, 5, & 6 Block 7 Carnation Street, Lexberville Subdivision, Brgy. Sto. Tomas Proper, Baguio City Property Features TYPE: 3-story House📐 Lot: 159.00 square meters | Floor: 373.00 square meters✅ AS-IS-WHERE-IS Basis✅ Complete property documents Terms: ✅ Option 1 CASH10% initial upon submission of offer90% payable within 30 days of approval ✅ Option 2 INSTALLMENT10% initial upon…

[shellwanders]

Foggy Mountain Cookhouse: A Culinary Gem in Baguio City

Foggy Mountain Cookhouse is a charming restaurant in Baguio City, Philippines, known for its delicious and creative dishes. The restaurant is located in a quiet residential area, away from the hustle and bustle of the city center. This makes it a perfect place to relax and enjoy a delicious meal with friends or family. Traveling to Habibis grill Baguio for the first time? This detailed and…

[anexperimentallife]

If you need to get out of the US, READ THIS:

Again, if you need to get out of the states and have a location-independent source of income (because on the easiest-to-get visa you won't be able to work here--SSDI or regular social security works, but not SSI), we can help with the logistics of getting settled in the Philippines and make local introductions in Baguio. English is one of the two official languages of the Philippines, too, so although you're encouraged to learn Filipino, Tagalog, and/or Illocano, you can get by with English.

(And I hate that this needs to be said because of today's mercenary culture, but OF COURSE WE'RE NOT CHARGING ANYTHING. I'm just sorry we're not in a position to offer financial help to others.)

It's not perfect here (especially with all China's sabre-rattling), but at least for now, it's safer and freer than the US, especially if you're queer or an ethnic minority. We've been here going on seven years, and I've helped one person get out already, so I know what to do and how to do it. Also, although marriage laws have not caught up yet, queer folks are generally more accepted here than in the states.

As far as mechanics go--As a US citizen you get an automatic 29-day tourist visa on arrival, and can keep getting extensions for up to three years, at which point you board a cheap (often less than 100 dollars) round-trip flight to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, and start your three years over again. (You cannot work on a tourist visa, though, hence the need for location-independent income.) There may be other options depending on your specific situation, but ANYONE from the US can do the tourist visa thing.

The local immigration office here in Baguio is incredibly helpful and sympathetic, and went above and beyond the call of duty for us during our daughter's citizenship fiasco. Everyone there is friendly and helpful, but we'll be happy to introduce you to our contact there just for extra comfort.

I'll post some relocation tips in a day or so, but in general, a single person, or even a couple, can get by on 600 USD a month here with some budgeting and giving up some Western luxuries. 1K USD puts you (as a single person) firmly in lower middle class. You can have fresh produce from the wet market delivered to your door for about a third of what it would cost at the local supermarket, and as for eating out, you can find budget meals for around 2 dollars--some with unlimited rice--if you shop around a bit. Public transit is ubiquitous, and costs literally pennies to use, and taxis start at about 75 cents. (This is all for Baguio, a popular tourist destination city--things are even less expensive if you live out in a small town or in the country--and I've converted to US currency for better clarity.)

Birth control and plan B are available over the counter (birth control pills start at about a dollar for a month's supply), and if you need to terminate a pregnancy, Thailand is close--with no one threatening you upon your return.

Now, on this next part I can't make promises, but we'll also be looking into what it would take to open an English school here to sponsor work visas for folks who want to get out, but who don't have a portable income. (Although as indicated above, English is widely spoken here, it's not the same dialect as anywhere else in the anglosphere, so some schools hire a single qualified American, Brit, or Aussie, as a bragging point, and they focus on people here on spouse visas that allow them to work, so they won't generally sponsor work visas--so I imagine a school with ONLY US-raised instructors would do well.) The English schools here mostly serve foreigners (especially Koreans) attracted to the Philippines' lower cost of living, and there are enough who want to study here that another school would only be adding to the local economy, and not putting any locals out of work.

As for your own education, tuition for a semester at University of the Philippines Baguio campus was about 900 dollars last time I checked.

More later.

[o-sachi]

Blue Lock Filo! AU Headcanons

𖤓 feat. isagi, bachira, chigiri, kunigami, barou, nagi, reo, sae, rin, karasu, otoya, hiori, shidou, oliver, yukimiya 𖤓 tags: college au, filo au, crack (kinda), sfw, written in Taglish because ???, not proofread lel

note: I'm sorry if your uni isn't here. My knowledge of universities in the country is limited to the big 4 and some others that participate in uaap sobbb

note 2: Send me your own hcs too plspls

note 3: filo moots sana magkaron haha what if

Isagi

He goes to UST and will correct you (nicely) about how to pronounce "Thomasian"

Goes to church with his family every Sunday without failure

He's close with his extended family too, especially the grandparents.

Golden child. Siya yung bata na example ng nanay mo na dapat gayahin mo raw.

A fan of indie Pinoy bands and watches indie Pinoy films.

Cup of Joe fan lol

Too shy to ask anyone out for the Christmas event sa UST (sorry limot ko na ano tawag).

Is in UST, but probably not taking up medicine. Parents were supportive of it though.

Mabilis mag-reply. He uses the 👍 and 😊 unironically

Friends with a lot of questionable/cancelable guys, but he's still genuinely the nice one among them

When he visits a friend's house, he's always chatting up their parents and helping around the house without being asked

Generic sinigang enjoyer :shrug:

Pretty much an average guy. Though he is definitely nicer than most. It shocks you.

(Sorry wala na ko maisip pero basta green flag siya).

Bachira

Goes to UP Diliman for fine arts

A manic pixie dream boy that girls gush about when they see him hanging out at the sunken gardens

Knows all the brainrot and even the Pinoy brainrot

Does the "Ha? Halaman" and says "Sinong nagtanong?"

Loves Jollibee because it's cheap and it tastes good

Spaghetti and Jollihotdog enjoyer

Social anxiety fears him. He'll do mostly everything you ask him for 20 pesos (sometimes for free)

Celebrated his 4th birthday at Jollibee and has a picture with the mascot lol

Bardagulan enjoyer

Has been casted in plays before and is genuinely good at acting

See him running in campus because he's always late to class

Puts too many songs in the karaoke but never finishes the songs because he gets bored halfway through

Runs a FB meme page...

Actually dresses nicely. Hindi mukhang pakboi

Not afraid sumabit sa jeep. Either sa tabi siya ni manong or sabit

Chigiri

Went to some fancy all boys like Brent, then is now in Ateneo

Could be studying business ??

Not conyo. Just straight up English with a really good accent

imessage lang daw mode of communication niya

Always wearing a button up, khaki pants, and loafers na Sperry or sandals from Birkenstock

Was featured in a commercial when he was younger

His mom was very active in the PTA. Their family was often the topic of chismis because yk maraming inggit sa paligid.

Does not listen to OPM or watch Filipino movies because 'corny' daw 'yun

Mabagal mag-reply since he's always busy doing something

Calls people 'baduy' or 'jologs' or 'jejemon' because he can

MATARAY SI ATE KO

Will never catch him on a dating app because, again, it's so baduy daw

Kunigami

I dunno but... UP Baguio vibes siya lol

Will always always always post on his story of him running along the campus

May post palagi ng gym progress at Strava stats niya

People think he's thirst trapping, but really, he's not

Also very close with family and they celebrate all holidays together no matter what

Karinderya food enjoyer (same)

Loves anything na lutong bahay tbh. He's not picky with food.

Mabagal din mag-reply pero that's because he's not chronically online

Does not get internet memes or references. Lolo po siya.

A really good kuya! The type to intimidate his sisters' boyfriends if they ever come to visit their house.

Probably also plays basketball too. They used to live near a gym/ring. He played a lot with the neighborhood kids.

Watches NBA and Manny's boxing matches

Shot puno. Red Horse. San Mig.

Pag nalasing nag-dadrama tapos kakanta ng malungkot na song sa karaoke

Laging naka sando LOL

Barou

UP DILIMAN TOO AND STUDYING ARCHITECTURE

Makes insanely good plates

Laging napapagalitan ni lola kasi nakasimangot palagi

Lola's boy by the way

Gets insane road rage because of the god awful traffic

"Putangina traffic na naman." / "Parang gago 'to mag-drive." / "Sige. Singit pa, hayop ka." (sa naka-motor)

Fan siya ng F1

Malutong magmura lmfaooo

Also a gym bro but doesn't care about sharing it on social media

Barely any social media presence

Tutors his younger siblings

Isn't ashamed of taking food from parties, stuffing it in a tupperware, and heading his merry way home

Argues with people on FB because he can

"Anong sinasabi mo. Bobo ka ba?"

Term of endearment niya ay "Tanga"

Nagi

Parents always get mad at him kasi nga tamad.

Also because he was a picky eater as a child. Would rather starve than eat that one ampalaya dish (was always served at his household which pissed him off)

Wanted to go to the same university as Reo but Ateneo is too serious for him. So he went with sports science in NU

They make sure to meet up still

Always misses his stops because he falls asleep or zones out

He's the guy in class who always has his airpods on no matter what

Hoodie, baggy pants, dunks

Mahilig umutang, pa-unti unti, pero madalas nalilimutan

"Ah. May utang ako? Sorry, nalimutan ko siguro."

COD player na palaging may battle pass no matter what. Nainis siya isang beses kasi sinabihan siya ng PC MASTER RACE. Eh cellphone gamer lang siya

Obviously, he had his ML phase

Trashtalker siguro. "Tulog ka na. Bata," type shi

Teachers always forced him to join the events in the sports fest

Reo

Siyempre, Ateneo 'yan. Management Engineering pa. 'Di niyo kinayaaaa

CONYO 'YAN FOR SURE

He's in a bunch of orgs and stuff because he's a social butterfly like that

May nanay na judgmental sa ibang pamilya lmfao

Was in one of those interviews on campus asking students about their daily baon

"Ah. Isn't 1k a day normal? It's kulang pa nga eh since I live sa condo."

Ayun. Nakatira sa condo pala.

Goes golfing with his dad and posts his swing on IG stories

Crypto bro. Shares his crypto stats(?) sa IG stories

Humble bragger kahit saan. Personal or on social media

Same porma with Chigiri pero mas madalas naka-polo shirt siya

Ralph Lauren and Lacoste boy

Laging VIP seats sa concerts. May napila sa SM tickets para sa kanya

Lowkey a D-list or C-list celebrity

Friends with Filo actors and actresses

Sae

Also Ateneo (Sorry ang daming Ateneo. Alam ko. Pero those are the vibes eh.)

Definitely went for medicine and is planning to study even more sa foreign country

The golden boy of their clan. Always receives the most praise and pasalubong from relatives

He hates hearing the "Ang laki mo na!" greeting

Never engaged in the pagmamano and saying of "po" and "opo"

SURPRISINGLY, he enjoys the dirty ice cream they sell on a cone (it's not actually dirty btw, it's what we call ice cream sold by carts on the street. it's edible dw)

Possibly a frat boy

Gets so many message requests on messenger and insta but he ignores them all

Strava enthusiast din

You'll see him running in all of the best gear

Not conyo. He actually speaks mostly Tagalog but there's that slight 'maarte' accent there

Hates being called 'rich kid' kesyo baduy din daw LMAO

They have a driver, so many yayas, a gardener... ay basta kumpleto staff nila

Ayaw nung staff sa kanya kasi suplado

Drives a BMW

Rin

Went to La Salle and got into LeapMed just to spite his older brother and prove to them that he is better

Relatives always compare them

Even though they're rich, he probably got a lot of hand-me-downs from kuya, which pissed him off SO MUCH

Not a fan of Filipino movies, but he likes the horror movies. He says some of them are really well-crafted and gives a good scare sometimes

Unlike Sae, Rin likes homemade food. I see him liking Menudo lol (I mean, who doesn't?)

Refuses to commute. He's driving or he's being driven. No buts.

Mas gusto siya ng staff sa bahay nila lol

He grew up with a specific yaya. They're actually still close now. He's closer to her than his parents.

The conyo one. Mahilig mag-mura pero exclusively English 'yan.

Takes the longest to reply kaya 'yan walang ka-talking stage lol

100% has beef with the younger members of his extended family. He has that annoying cousin that he tripped once because why not

He hates family reunions, of course

Karasu

UPLB. Fo sho.

Chemical engineering definitely.

Halimaw yarnnn (heart eyes heart eyes)

Bro pulls up to class in a shirt, basketball shorts, and flip flops

Not a fan of the nightlife there, but is a certified manginginom LMAO

Can outdrink his dad and titos. Kahit lambanog pa 'yan

Extra respectful to the ladies in his family. Gets ultra pissed off when someone jokes about getting with his mom or older sister

Malutong din magmura

His personal favorite is "gago" HAHAHA

Medyo dry mag-chat, walang emojis (pero 'yun ang gusto ng mga babae apparently)

Not a fan of Manila (smells weird daw there)

Secretly makes fun of conyo people lol

Street food enjoyer. His favorite is probably isaw or squid balls. Matamis and maasim sauce please !

He can cook, but his mom cooks better, so taga-saing na lang siya ng bigas lol

Mahilig siya sa tapsilog siguro.

Lives off of energy drinks to survive the semester

Crush ko siya. Hala headcanon ba yan HAHAHAHA

Otoya (Oh boy oh boy)

Engineering as well, but at Mapua. Probably electrical engineering or industrial

Gwapo na mabango HAHAHA

VAPES. Onti na lang naka-lanyard na vape niya

Listens to Zild and Hev abi...

Araw-araw may IG story ng car niya, ng music na pinapakinggan niya, or panibagong soft launch

Fan siya ng American Psycho at Blade Runner kasi he is him daw (akala niya siya si Ryan Gosling na may pinagdadaanan...)

Nasa Tinder at Bumble. Bio reads: "Let's see where it takes us."

Na-cancel na sa Twitter before pero wala siyang pakialam (unbothered king?!)

Favorite song ang FE!N

Rap fan 'yan eh

Nako... may Telegram 'yan

Valorant e-boy. Kailangan may duo palagi.

Says he's into cute chinitas probably

Laging may note sa IG or sa messenger lol

"Kumain ka na ba?" texts (hala siya)

Of course, good morning at good night texts din

Frat boy siguro (may frat ba sa Mapua? sorry hindi ko knows)

Drinks a lot, but he can't handle his liquor. Gigising na lang siya the next day may video siya sa boy's GC na kung anu-ano ginagawa.

Hiori

Computer Science probably. Also in UPLB. (Ang probinsyano?? HAHAHAHA)

Studying? Why study when he can be at the computer shop? He lives there, pretty much

Dorms because he wants to get away from his family

Can't be bothered with org/frat culture

Tambay sa forums like freedom walls/reddit/etc

Sumasali siya sa e-sports tournaments

LoL and DOTA player, of course

Also plays a bunch of stuff on Steam as well though. Pero babalik at babalik pa rin sa LoL

Also plays Valorant. Smurfs for fun because he likes crushing the hopes and dreams of people. "Sala ka pa. Haha, tanga," type shi.

Always down for the early morning runs to 7-11 or whatever's open at that hour

Puro pancit canton kinakain. Puro Mountain Dew iniinom.

He and his friends always talk about PC specs...

"Hindi, pre. Mas maayos pa rin 'yung ano..."

Shidou

Also from La Salle maybe? Not the Taft branch though. Hindi kasing yaman nung iba siguro.

Fine arts student! May art account siya sa IG

Napalabas siya sa McDo dati kasi masyadong maingay

Would probably vlog a day of his life at La Salle

Posts all the unhinged shit on their freedom wall and fucks with the people from the Taft branch lol

The reason why their group chat cannot be leaked under any circumstance AT ALL

Always has the weirdest nickname in their messenger group chat

Somehow I get the vibe that he enjoys inihaw lol (same)

Napunta rin minsan sa computer shop. But very rarely because he gets too heated and starts making a ruckus there (mapapalabas na naman)

Expert commuter. Baha has nothing on him. Waterproof siya.

Would probably engage in frat culture, but only for fun

A party animal. 10 seconds niya yung Cuervo ez

Oliver

Umm UP Manila Political Science? Maybe?

Always nominated for council positions or other important roles in university organizations lol

Major kuya vibes kasi

ANONG VAPE VAPE? DIRETSO MARLBORO RED NA

Which is giving out first? His liver or his lungs? Abangan.

Unlike Otoya, he doesn't really date girls at the same time, but more so, he moves faster than what you'd expect (may rebound palagi kumbaga)

Posts on his IG story always with the intention of capturing the attention of someone lol (lagi siya humahakot haha)

"It's not you. It's me."

Bro thinks he's the male lead of a Filipino indie romance film

Cannot shut up about I'm Drunk I Love You

Frequents BGC clubs as well. Aspired to be a DJ once

Lahat ng messaging apps meron 'yan. Replies very fast too.

Search up BGC Boy playlists on Spotify. That's what he does, at least.

Yukimiya

Maybe goes to Normal U. because he wants to be a teacher/professor

The typical softboi you see at a cafe reading a book or typing away on his MacBook

So many girls like him, but he's the type to be in a long-term relationship with a high school sweetheart or something

Most of his stories are of him studying (his notes, his coffee with his notes, his laptop screen)

Ben&Ben listener LMAOOO

Possibly also a lifestyle vlogger or podcaster

Keeps getting offers to model for local brands

Possibly religious (his whole family is)

He looks like he would like adobo. 'Yung may toyo, hindi ung tuyo (ANG RANDOM BAHAHAH)

Munimuni listener (he was sad when the vocalist left)

Wants to win a Carlos Palanca award eventually

Looks like the type to advocate for the local culture and is against colonial mentality

My brain ran out of ideas that's why some are shorter than the others lol

[yuuuraaa]

𝒮𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓁𝓎, 𝓂𝑒

Letter9! ~ {a field trip..?}

𝔟𝔢𝔠𝔞𝔲𝔰𝔢… y/n receives a letter in her locker one day, under the initials 𝓝. she becomes overjoyed and decides to write a letter back, but she didn't know where to leave it. so she left it at the back of the classroom, with a note saying, for 𝓝.

[🎤]artist ~ niki x reader! [💿]album type ~ strangers to lovers! [🎧]genre ~ fluff with angst!! featured artist! @orimuraa @rikimuraaaa @14raeriluv @lonelylandofan @deezbutz28 @monniemons @anormieee @rikihyph @s1rawb3rry @strawberrymura @highway-143 divs by @bronzewasp and @uzmacchiato!! <3

produer's note! [- alr so this is gonna be my longest chapter, and I was writing in a car ride, so sorry if it takes a while to get out -]

all letters!

it wasn't a memorable moment, but it's a moment.

when heeseung and y/n broke up.

nobody knows how it actually went, since it happened privately, but all people know is that now they sports teams are at each other's necks again.

heeseung and y/n were the campus it couple, were. now they were a past thing. so instead of acting all lovey dovey in the hallways, it was back to arguing. but it now has a reason. a not so good one.

and riki just watched from the sidelines.

he watched how y/n would give menacing glares to the volleyball team as they pass them after using the gym.

he watched how he wouldn't even look at him during lunch. to any of the boys. she wouldn't even let riki eat at her table anymore.

but then the field trip was announced.

it was a few days after the incident with heeseung happened.

and the school announced a field trip. it was supposed to 'boost morale' of the students right before exams week and the sports festival.

oh, but it wasn't close by either. it was all the way in the tropical islands of the Philippines. in the northern region, and coldest city in all of the country, Baguio.

"it's the perfect place for a vacation! it's cold, it's hidden deep in the mountains, and it's school paid!" hyein said to y/n during lunch as she ate her food.

"yeah, and it has beautiful scenery! a perfect wind down from our stressing classes this past month." danielle chimed in, sounding excited.

"yes, but it's six hours from the airport. and it's cold there! an average weekly temperature there is bellow 16 celsius!" hanni replied, taking a sip of her drink and sighing.

"well, you deserve a break, too, y/n. it could be a nice change of scenery. a place to not think about him." minji spoke up, looking at y/n, making everyone else look at her.

"you're right, I should– we should take a break. especially after everything I put you guys through in preparation of the sports festival." y/n answered, not having touch her food the whole time, 'not having the appetite' she says.

riki watched from the boys' table, watching y/n from afar. not touching his food as well, as he was too busy watching y/n to remember to eat, if nobody reminded him.

'maybe y/n should have some time to cool off, so I can—' riki's thoughts are interrupted by heeseung's angry rambling.

riki didn't remember what heeseung said, but he knew it was about y/n. heeseung was probably rambling about missing her, or maybe about all the things heeseung didn't like about y/n. nevertheless, it wasn't his problem.

FEW DAYS LATER...

thursday, the day of the trip. everyone was in the airport, either sleeping on the chairs, ordering drinks, or talking to their friends.

the last group tot arrive was the volleyball team. to be fair, some of the teammates lived quite far from the airport.

soon, y/n got a text from riki and heeseung.

જ⁀➴⊹ ࣪ ˖📨⭑.ᐟ

RIKI NISHIMURA(volleyball team)

RIKI

hey might be a little late please tell the teachers

Y/N

sure no problem!

DUMB HAMSTER(lovingly)❤️

HEESEUNG

I miss you Read 7:26 a.m.

જ⁀➴⊹ ࣪ ˖📨⭑.ᐟ

y/n left heeseung on read, she didn't want to reply, she didn't know how to reply to him. so she just opened her group chat with her friends since it was blaring her phone.

જ⁀➴⊹ ࣪ ˖📨⭑.ᐟ

GENSHIN IMPACT LOSERS

JAKEY JAKEY

alr alr who used jay's card to buy a welkin💀 he's fuming💀💀

MAUVIKA MAIN

mauvika rerun..

META CHASER

in 20 days 💀😭

LORE KEEPER

bro can you ask him to buy genesis crystals for me too

JAKEY JAKEY

maybe btw can I add riki to the gc?? he plays too

RIKI NISHIMURA WAS ADDED

RIKI NISHIMURA CHANGED HIS NAME TO "Arlecchino main"

ARLECCHINO MAIN

wait you guys play too?? oh hi y/n

JAKEY JAKEY

💀💀💀

જ⁀➴⊹ ࣪ ˖📨⭑.ᐟ

y/n chuckled, turning off her phone and closing her eyes.

soon, everyone arrived at the airport and they boarded the plane. jay sponsored first class seats for everyone, so everyone got to sit comfortably for the four hour flight.

it was supposed to be comfortable.

heeseung got the seat right next to y/n, so she felt uncomfortable. and riki noticed. so he offered to switch seats with her, he sits next to heeseung and y/n can sit next to hyein. she agreed hastily and sat next to hyein for the next of the flight.

when they arrived in the manila airport, everyone got into separate vans. the girls in two vans, and the boys in two vans.

they actually had to go eat lunch first, since they arrived around 11 a.m. and spent almost half an hour in traffic (real).

"so hungry..." hanni groaned, resting her head on y/n's shoulder since they were seated next to each other.

"still looking at the text message?" danielle said from behind them.

"well, yeah. i do miss him though." y/n muttered under her breath.

"what was that?" danielle asked, leaning her head closer to y/n.

y/n didn't reply, she just turned on her cellular data and played genshin impact.

"wow, let me guess, jay paid for your data?" hanni asked, getting off of y/n's shoulder.

"no, it was riki. while waiting to get on the vans, he asked if he could buy me data to play genshin impact with him." y/n replied, joining riki's world and fighting bosses with him.

જ⁀➴⊹ ࣪ ˖📨⭑.ᐟ

GENSHIN IMPACT LOSERS

JAKEY JAKEY

guys please tell y/n to stop playing genshin with riki he's all giggly I'm trying to sleep

LORE KEEPER

oh fr? sorry bro

ARLECCHINO MAIN

NO NO NO NO NO NO PLEASE NO

META CHASER

yo respectfully, stfu hanni is already loud. enough.

જ⁀➴⊹ ࣪ ˖📨⭑.ᐟ

⊹ ࣪ ˖⏱ ୭˚. ᵎFAST FOWARDING...⊹ ࣪ ˖⏱ ୭˚. ᵎ

by the time everyone arrived at the hotel in Baguio. it was foggy from the raining that happened a few hours before, and it was so cold that some people's teeth were chattering.

"oh, you can borrow my hoodie, haerin." jungwon said to his girlfriend, taking off his hoodie and handing it to her.

y/n watched them, missing how heeseung would do that for her when they went on movie theater dates together.

y/n didn't realize it, but she was slightly shivering. so riki offered her his jacket.

"oh, n-no! I'm fine!" y/n told riki.

"you're shaking." riki replied.

heeseung walked over to y/n as riki left her alone. he looked tired, he formed bags under his eyes and his voice was husky. then, a sniffle. was he crying?

"I'm sorry." his voice broke, it was nothing above a whisper. it broke y/n's heart more than it should have.

"i-i don't think you can forgive me, but can we at least go back to friends?" heeseung continued quietly.

"I do forgive you heeseung, and yes, I do want to be friends again. but maybe not partners." y/n replied, wiping heeseung's tears with a handkerchief.

"y-yeah, I'm fine with that." heeseung says as he pushes y/n away after she wipes his tears.

then, he hugged her.

not of love, not of longing, not of obsession. he hugged her because he felt relief. relief from being forgiven. relief of finally being able to talk to y/n. relief of not having to act like they hate each other.

as y/n and heeseung sat in the waiting room with the others, riki stared at them.

"yo, ki, come on, we got our room keys" jake said as he got up, lifting his carry-on as well.

"i'm so tired... who are we sharing a room— are we sharing a room?" hanni asked tiredly, her suitcase dragging along the halls. the soft rolling of the wheels echoing along the halls along with the quiet whispers of the students.

CHAPTER END!!

producer's note! [- hope yall enjoyed this chapter!! i spent really long on it hehe -]

previous!/all letters!/next!

[pandoraroid]

redacted filipino hcs & thoughts! lol

mostly about shaw pack + vamps + guy&honey

inpsired by @erial-c nahiya akong itag ka pero hiiii po

the trivia and translations are probably not accurate 🧍‍♀️please forgive my very scattered brain thoughts

darlin probably does arnis. it's why they fight like a menace 😈 sam has never known peace since he's seen em wield an ital

arnis - a ph martial art

itak - a bolo sword(?)

asher doesn't call milo "tol" bc he's not tall /j

"tol" is like the equivalent of "dude" as in a way of calling your friend

lovely & darlin would probably call vincent & sam their asawang (gets niyo ba asawa + aswang)

asawa means spouse or wife or husband

aswang is a ph mythological creature. different sources tell different things but what is mostly agreed upon is that (1) they're nocturnal (2) they usually pretend to be humans in the day time if not (3) they hide in the woods (4) they prey on children, pregnant women (specifically for their unborn child), and maybe new borns. they often get lumped with vampires though i'm not too sure how accurate that is.

aspins have a very special place in darlin's heart. sam's cabin in the woods usually have attract lots of them and they never had the heart to turn them away. in a way too, they know what it's like to being wild, dirty, street dog.

aspin - a dog breed in the ph that is sort of a mix of other breeds. they often get a bad rep for being street dogs and not having a particular breed.

vincent n his cars get featured a lot in those carspotting around manila tiktoks. whenever lovely finds em they make sure to send those to vincent lol

(this is me also hoping that vincent gets to keep at least few of them when they leave the house of solaire)

not entirely sure how the entire mate thing would translate into ph culture but even with all that david & asher would insist on doing things properly before marriage - they would mamanhikan to their partner's parents respectively hehehe

mamanhikan or pamamanhikan is a like a traditional practice of going to the fiancee's family's house and asking for their hand in marriage lol.

whenever they drive down shaw boulevard, the pack would turn to david and go "taga dito ka di ba?" or something to that effect HAHAHAHHA

"taga-dito ka 'di ba?" = "you're from (around) here, right?"

angel know it's general cleaning morning whenever david is blasting opm songs or old timey songs around their house.

asher would take panliligaw very seriously!!!!! magpapaalam sa magulang lagi ni baabe paglalabas sila!!! aabangan niya after work si baabe tapos "sabay na raw sila umuwi" galawan mo asher talbot !!!! dyan ka magaling !!!! and ofc it never stopped kahit naging sila na ni baabe :))) 

panliligaw or ligaw is a more traditional pre-dating courting stage in a relationship. lol

marie has definitely said to david & asher & milo & darlin at some point na "kakaselpon niyo yan". it doesn't matter that they're adults.

"kakaselpon niyo yan" = "it's because of that (damn) phone"

this one is a bit more in general: vampire houses have THE filipino family drama. territory/progeny disputes? grudges? backstabbing? been there done that.

speaking of vamps: pre-turning, sam was once an altar boy (darlin: hahaha samkristan)

speaking of sam (again): pre-turning, he has a picture in baguio, riding a horse & wearing a cowboy hat. when darlin found it they couldn't stop staring at it for a loong while. 

sweetheart LOVES singing. marie loves having them over for karaoke.

marie would drag milo's ahh every night for simbang gabi.

simbang gabi - mass service for the nine nights leading up to christmas eve.

guy's filipino nickname would be "totoy"

"totoy" is another way of refering to a younger male. addtionally, it's also often used as a euphism for a dick HAHAJAHA

guy definitely has a tiktok acct tapos don siya nagpaparinig kay honey HAHAHAHA lagi niyang kinakanta "crush" by tweens of pop

guy always does those cheesy, poetry pick up line jokes to honey like:

"cheese, cheese, cheese. gusto kita i-keese (read: kiss)"

"mga 6 out of 10. medyo pilit yung rhyme"

"honey naman 😭😓"

translation:

"cheese, cheese, cheese. i want to give you a k-eese."

"a 6 out of 10. the rhyming was a bit forced."

"honey, c'mon 😭😓."

guy and honey are definitely oa x nonchalant pairings but may i also suggest na they are jeje x pogi typings. they both definitely have kanal humor though HAHAHA

- after returning to the pack, darlin couldnt help but cry tear up after marie called them "anak" again

anak = child

[simplyjake]

Enha hyungs with filo!reader

summary: meeting the fam and visiting the philippines with your lovely boyfriend!

a/n: this is VERY self indulgent yall. im filo-american

i think its fully gn!reader.. let me know of any mistakes!

Heeseung

All da titas LUV hee

Girl atp during your family parties

You enter and ur man isnt with you

“Anako where is your boyfriend”

Like damn my bad tita i thought you wanted to see me more

Yk… your niece/nephew

The younger kids love him

Hes the life of the party

This goes without saying but you teach him a lot of tagalog

Or whatever dialect you speak!

You taught him putangina mo and he hasnt stopped saying it since omg

“Yo jake”

“Hmm?”

“Putang ina mo”

LOLLLLL

You teach him how to make your favorite meals

I think heeseung would really enjoy bibingka 

Though let me just say

Good luck getting your man back during a party fr like

If hes not doing karaoke w the titas, hes playing mahjong with the uncles, if not them your older cousins steal him to game and the young kids love playing house with him

And once you found him with one of your cousins babies in the room as he sings them to sleep 

like which one gave him that baby please..

Jay

Okay so jay

When you brought him to the philippines for the first time

Pookie LIVED at the mall of asia let me tell you

Like honey we still gotta do everything else

Jay would love baguio too

Doesnt even care if they are over paying him for the taho he LOVES IT

“Jay pls stop talking to them in english theyre overcharging u”

“Womp womp i dont care this street food is fire” 

Did he fr just womp womp you…

He said this after getting said taho

You made sure he knew how to bless the elderly before you meet everyone

And he makes sure he does it to all the lolas and lolos in your family!

Hes just in awe with the country and how pretty it is

He asks your parent how to cook some of your fav dishes

Just so he can make it at home whenever you feel homesick

He actually had to buy a THIRD luggage for yall cus he would not stop buying souvenirs and clothes when you went.

I think jays fav filo dish would be balatong idk

I dont make the rules

Tbh i kinda do

Anywho

After the trip jay has a talk with you

He really wants to have a house there for whenever you visit and have it be next to your family home :( so cute

Makes plans to propose at your favorite place in the ph!!

Jake

Ok jake

The titos LOVE jake

Honorary filipino of the family fs

Your younger girl cousins are all over him HELP

“Can i have my man back”

“No.”

“You heard them y/n, i guess i have to stay with her”

Oh hes sick

Constantly offered your lola to help cook 

She said no plenty of times but he wouldnt take no for an answer!

You took him to visit paoay 

LOVED IT THERE

Jollibees number one fan

LIVES for the pineapple quencher got it anytime he ordered

Hesitant on the cheese and ube pie

Ended up buying like two during the visits

Jake love love loves igado

Its now one of his favorite dishes

His fav dish tho was the empanadas by the small shop near your house

After the trip he is now officially in the gc u nd ur cousins have

He was already planning your next trip back

Even though youre halfway through this one

Like babe let's maybe finish this before anything else ok?

Sunghoon

Since hes a bit on the quieter side

Hed be a bit awkward meeting everyone first 

If you're in a filo family yk how they are when you bring a man home oml..

But in the end

He fits in well with your family fr

Also hot take

I think sunghoon loves balut 

I cant remember if any of the enha members have tried it before so forgive me

But i just feel he woul enjoy it the most

Loved the beach trips you and him would take 

He buys the silly “I love the Philippines” shirts

Gets a few little trinkets to display around the house

Became friends with your tourist guide

Now they follow each other on facebook

Based off true events

Talkative s/o and bf who listens

You tell him all about the history of the places you visit

And he looks at you absorbing all the info you tell him

[katelcorn]

there was a time when super body conscious ako—i shared about my restrictive habits before but idk if i said anything about purging

one time kasi, i think March 2024, my friend's girlfriend was telling her about how she wants to vomit so bad, like super disgusted daw sya sa food na kinain nya. my friend immediately came to me to ask what to tell her girl. . . kasi we're from cavite, her girlfriend's living in baguio pa. so unless school break, or if my friend would file leave, hindi talaga sila nagkikita that much. . . so yea, magkatext sila non and i felt so bad after knowing that her situation's that worse na pala. purging is bad. super harmful. and so here goes my kwento na.

i detest my senior high school years cuz i was in a really bad place. like sobrang lala ng mental health ko and i didn't even do anything about it. i don't even remember one good memory during those years lol so anyway, people used to call me fat in senior high. i'll just post some pics for reference lol

lol the nerve of some people to say na i was fat tapos when i look back i think, hala hindi naman ha. i was so smol. pero in my head super pangit na pangit ako ng time na yan because people used to body shame me a lot. LOL fuck them

so ayun nga, i remember nung nagppurge pa ko after every meal. it was so bad. . . tapos buti nalang di pa ko super mentally unstable nagsearch ako ng harmful effects ng purging. i found out you could lose your teeth. also makes your skin dry. tapos kaya siguro ako may GERD ngayon sinisingil na ko ng katawan ko. eme

like the moment talaga i found out you could get uglier, i stopped. sabi ko ano naman kung payat ako if i look like shit. sobrang vain ko lang yata talaga. lol but i'm glad i was able to stop before it got worse. minsan may guilt feelings pa rin when i eat food pero ang iniisip ko nalang mamamatay ren naman tayong lahat. anong point

[kittyplushy]

☕️ nd 🪐! For the ask game!

☕️: What are the most common plots of shipping fics between you and your f/o?

THIS IS A REALLY GOOD QUESTION..I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS BEFORE!!!

What if Julianne was present during the first saga?: although popular derails the whole point of the saga by having Julianne be more like an obstacle or another risk for both Sam and Nigel when Lola is already there. I feel like they'd miss the fact Nigel would immediately eliminate Julianne bc it's obvious she likes Sam. Plus it'd be ooc bc Sam doesn't want a girlfriend at that point in time. She sees no use for Julianne anyway.

How will Julianne find out about Sam's double life?: Extremely popular before the canon drop. These bridge to fics where Julianne also becomes a serial killer with Sam, and some of them would understand that it would not be better than what Nigel demanded. Other variations bridge to them breaking up or Julianne dying. Very rarely will you see one where Julianne fully convinces Sam to stop her habit.

Fics in Sam's perspective where it details her falling harder for Julianne but it's tragically so distant. And it is angst riddem bc Sam has never had the space to learn to love...more like a connecting thread but these climaxes all share being camping fics that heavily reference Praludium.

Also, as a small bonus, Young Sam meeting Julianne and probably, probably turning out differently.

🪐: What would be your most popular AU and why?

Probably very domestic AUs like an AU where Julianne and Sam DO move to the Philippines, get new identities, and start from zero there. Where Julianne finally gets the mountain village secret love story life she's dreamt of for years. Probably because nothing ends well between the both of them and maybe just moving means taking all your baggage with you to Baguio but those two deserve to be happy.

Am. Am i allowed to answer Dexter and Rita AU.

[seannesruins]

08.12.24 | Baguio City

After breakfast, we went to Burnham Park for a little morning stroll, then rented a sidecar for an hour. We took turns driving around and what I really like about Baguio is that there's still a cold breeze even under the scorching sun.

Went to Ili Likha Artist Village and I bought a shirt and souvenir. The place looks really nice and I love how the interiors made my head hurt kasi how were they able to make it look like that haha. We also had snacks since we were still full from brunch but won't be going out til late.

Checked in at our hotel at 2PM. Dahil nga biglaan, we booked a room at Newtown Plaza Hotel in the morning while having breakfast. The hotel was nice enough for its price even though we had issues with the keycard pero fine I won't hold it against them na lmao. Also fan room lang nakuha namin haha. Anyways nasulit naman namin yung breakfast buffet namin before we checked out the next day so okay na din siguro.

After settling in, my girlfriend needed her nap so we didn't leave until after 8PM. Checked out the Christmas Village and tbh a little disappointed. It's not as festive as it used to be. Took us about 5 minutes to get bored with it all but we bought these cute little antler headbands with the lights and they were very cutesy haha I loved the attention kasi people were asking where we got it kaso sa Burnham pa namin yun nabili earlier. Yes, I'm petty like that haha.

Final stop is at The Other Office for dinner. Tbf, we wanted to try other well-known restaurants in the area but this was the only one that operates past 10PM. Food was okay, although medj mabagal yung service, I think, considering there were only 2 sets of customers other than us. Still a good experience though, inantok lang bebe ko haha.

Got back at the hotel around midnight and snuggled with the girlfriend, perfect for Baguio's cuddle weather.

[anyalovesu]

tolerate it.

xii. where's that man who threw blankets over my barbed wire?

—“being tolerated by leon during the first days of our engagement wasn’t the one that hurt me the most. really, it was learning that my saving grace, the one whom i thought was throwing blankets over barbed wire for me…it was realizing that isaac has been the one tolerating me for the longest time. it even reached the point that he couldn’t tolerate me any longer that he had to search for what i was lacking in someone else.”

necessary reminders:

content warning: contains light smut (lol) 🔞🔞🔞; not piv ; fingering (f rec) ; overstimulation (medj?) basta bas2s

mdni mdni mdni mdni mdni mdni 🔞🔞🔞

super light nsfw only if that's not your kind of shit or if your the kind of person who publicly shits on people who don't write up to your standards, dni too

DO NOT INTERACT IF YOU ARE A MINOR FOR GODS SAKE 🔞🔞🔞🔞

Although 4 days felt like forever for them to find themselves in a plane back to Manila, they were able to get home safely without the worries of Leon and Santi being put in jeopardy. The both of them were cleared to continue their recovery at home. Which is why Santi is back in their parents mansion because he lived alone and Leon is stuck at home. All four of them were relieved of their current projects, which included Ynes and Eli being excused from work as well, fledging to take care of their injured brothers for the meantime. Besides, after all the psychological warfare that the both of them went through from literally being the first ones to know about the accident has been too much as well that Elizalde Yang thought it was best that they let them off work as well.  Most of the heavy tasks were transferred to different teams in the company, while the rest were being done at home. 

“May crush ka kaklase mo sa conservatory ‘di ba?” Leon teased as he sat next to Eli who played a very peaceful piano rendition of Midnight Covey’s hit song, Tulog Na. 

Eli hummed, glancing at him, which admittedly made Leon’s knees feel weak, with the way the soft light from the stained windows reflected on her face, making her face look more ethereal than it already was.

“Si Geon Isidro?” she asked. “Joke lang ‘yon. Sinabi ko lang para tantanan ako noong isa pa naming kasama.”

“Kilala ‘yon nila Tito ‘di ba?”

Eli looked at him, confused why all of a sudden he was so invested in Geon when he was in fact no more than a figment from her past. It was something he knew back then. 

“Yeah, they met sa country club sa Baguio, taga roon sila originally eh.”

“You think magkakagusto ka uli sa kanya if nakita mo s’ya uli?”

“Sobra ka na yata sa gamot, Leon,” she chuckled, playfully flicking his forehead. Leon feigned offense, dramatically holding onto his forehead as if he was hurt badly.

“Bakit ba? Genuine na question ‘yon! Tanong ng best friend!”

“Hindi nga kasi ako nagkagusto kay Geon,” she shrugged, fiddling on the piano keys as if visualizing what would sound good. “Sinasabi ko naman sa’yo kapag may crush ako noon.”

“Sa tingin mo maniniwala ako d’yan? Sabi mo nga dati crush mo ako!”

“Oh bakit hindi ba?” 

Leon’s normally pale face began to heat up, turning his face crimson in almost only a glimpse which made Eli laugh at how adorable he was. Usually it was the other way around, flustering Eli was his job! Bakit sya ang kinikilig ngayon?

Elijah chuckled, moving one leg towards the other side of the piano stool so that she would see his face clearer from where he was sitting on the other half of the two-person stool.

“Pag tinigasan nanaman ako sa kakaganyan mo—”

“Oh my god! Ang bunganga mo talaga!”

“Baby, you’ve gotten off on me once na,” he chuckled, pinching her cheeks, finding it cute that she still gets shy at the idea of it. “It’s not like secret pa ‘yon sa atin.”

“Kahit na,” she laughed. “Ang awkward pakinggan na magse-sex tayo, e for the longest time kinonvince ko ang sarili ko na hindi tayo talo.”

“Cute mo,” he laughed. “You say that like you weren’t the one on top of me last time, baby.”

Leon could not help but adore how her face turned crimson when she bursted out in laughter, hitting his arm like she usually does. “Bakit ba tawa ka ng tawa?” he chuckled at her, “It’s human to have needs bakit ka nahihiya?”

“Because it’s not like me to just ask for things I need, Leon,” she shrugged. Though she meant it as a joke, they both know there’s more truth to it than it was a joke. Eli has always been one to work for what she needs, even if it was something basic. Everything she gets, she feels the need to work for it. 

“It’s just funny na hanggang sex you feel ne need to work for shit, ginaganyan ka ba ni Issac Sim, ha?”

Somehow that hit Eli. If Isaac really has been cheating on her and he’s already fallen out of love with her long before they were forced to break up… then the truth must really hurt. Chances are Isaac has only been using her to get his dick wet for the past years.

“Kahit hindi naman doon…”

She took the time to look after his health when they were still in college. All the times she was the one who woke up early to make sure his shit was ready. All the things Eli did for him, just for her to feel like she deserved to be loved, all of it she considered to be priceless only to find out that it was all in vain because the love she thought was getting wasn’t even real in the first place.

Leon hummed at the reaction he got from Eli. Though much like her advances, it was meant to be a joke, he did not want to hear all the hell Eli has been going through that she did not notice at all. He just wanted to replace it. Make her feel like the woman she was meant to be—adored and served.

“Actually, I don’t want to hear it,” he scoffed. Well, even out of the sexual context, it pissed him off that Elijah was treated like that. When they were friends, if it was possible for him to do it instead of Eli, he did it. It pissed him off that during the time he could not be the person who does it, she was allowing herself to be used by some bastard who isn’t even worth half the person Elijah is. “Kapag magaling na ako, you don’t have to work for anything else, okay?”

“Bro, I want to work,” she rolled her eyes at him, making him laugh while leaning towards her, inching her face closer to her.

“It’s okay if you want to do that, pero ako na ang bahala sa’yo sa ibang bagay, okay?”

Eli could feel her heart race at his sincerity, or maybe not, maybe it was his hand on her exposed thigh, showing through the slit of her sundress because it was scorching hot in the country. She doesn’t know anymore, it doesn’t help that his warm lips are on hers again, moving in sync to hers. 

Shit. Kakasabi ko lang kanina na awkward, but why does it feel so right? Eli thought to herself.

Leon then takes the opportunity to squeeze the supple skin of her thigh before inching it higher and higher, making her gasp for air but he only takes this as an opportunity to slot his tongue in between her parted lips. At that point, he really was determined to make Eli feel nice without her working for anything, fuck the stitches on his side. He had to make his baby feel good.

His hand kept inching up her body till it  reached her boy shorts.

“Do you want to?” Leon asked, making sure that she still had a choice, and he will never do anything she doesn’t want to do. 

Eli looked up at him and nodded before leaning over to capture his lips once again. And while he just wanted to just grab her and fuck her right then and there with how pretty she looked nodding at him like that, he needed to hear her say it.

“Say it, baby,” he hummed against her lips, before his other hand reached for her face, holding her back from kissing him again until she gave an answer.

“Fuck, Leon. Yes.”

He wanted to go feral at that very moment but he knew his limitations with that stupid fucking wound on his side, he’s not gonna be able to feel her up that way. But it wasn’t going to stop him from making her feel good.

“Kandong ka, baby,” and before Eli could think of it, there she was again, on top of him, with both legs on either side of him.

“Wait paano yung tahi mo,” she gasped, hitting his shoulder upon realizing. 

“Hindi yan magagalaw kung hindi ka maglilikot,” he chuckled before pulling her face closer to get a taste of her saccharine lips once again. 

Mint. Mint lipbalm. That’s what her lips taste like. Something Issac will never taste again. Fucking asshole. Leon thinks to himself.

He likes to think that it’s just love instead of lust that drives him to do this, because it is. While there is that primal need to be as close to her as he could, all he wanted was to make her feel loved and taken care of—that finally she can rest her armors down and let him do all the work.

Eli’s arms find home around Leon’s neck as she leans closer to him, unintentionally putting on pressure on Leon’s hard-on. 

“Lean back, baby,” Leon hums against her lips before adjusting her back to her old position, hands delicately guiding her hips back before it travels down to where she most needed it to be.

“Fuck,” she breathes out as Leon continues to rub his thumb on the wet patch on her cotton underwear. “What the actual fuck, Leon.”

“That feels nice, baby?” he smirks as he leans over to kiss her neck, leaving soft butterfly kisses first before sucking on the sweet spot behind her ear. 

“Yes, oh my god—” Leon seemed dissatisfied when she began to move on her own again, trying to grind against his already moving hand. 

“Wag kang malikot,” he says sternly, his free hand holding her hips down to keep it steady. “I’ll stop if you move. Okay?”

Eli, already drunk in love, couldn’t help but just helplessly nod at Leon’s ministrations.

“Answer me, baby.”

“I won’t move, Leon. Please, just—” Eli’s pleads were cut off by her own quiet gasp when Leon’s fingers began moving again in a steady pace that quite literally made Eli want to go insane, trying the best that she could to not squirm at the pleasure that was running through her entire body.

“Stay still, Ellie. Alright?”

“Yes, please—fuck—can you remove na please.”

“You want me to touch you raw, baby?” he asked, fingers slowing down before hastening again to tease her. 

“Please, baby.” Baby. Leon’s head goes haywire. Before he could even let his mind think about it for a second time, he helps her up and takes off the piece of cloth separating his hand from the soft nub in between her legs. 

Leon takes his time with her, making sure every move was only meant to please her, always asking before he does something foreign. 

Thus, there Eli was, being fucked witless with two of Leon’s fingers, knuckles deep, swiftly moving inside her, curling every now and then, making her release a string of soft hums and whimpers in his ear as she bites on to the crook of his neck to keep herself quiet while her fiance’s fingers do its wonders.

“That feels nice, baby?”

“Nice… yes… oh my god, Leon,” she replies in soft gasps as she clings to him for support. “Faster, please.”

Leon does as he is told, even going as far as using his thumb to rub the bundle of nerves while he’s at it, making her stomach tighten at the sensation. 

It’s not long after she reaches her high, leaning back pressing on random piano keys that fills the living room with other sounds than the sound of her heavy breaths and the wet sound of Leon’s fingers ramming inside of her. But the older does not stop his hands from moving.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Baby, done na please—”

“One more baby,” he hums before kissing her again, enjoying the remains of her mint lip balm that has now faded, probably smudged on either of their faces and on the hickeys on his neck. “You can give me one more.”

Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes as her dilated pupil gaze on the features of his face, reflecting pleasure at the sight of her getting flooded with dopamine at her climax. “So pretty for me, Ellie.” 

“Leon, oh my god,” Eli was sure that very moment that Leon had already fucked her stupid, and that was with his hands only. Only his name was coherent from all the babbles that came out of her mouth that Leon could not help but feel smitten with how willing Eli is to be vulnerable with him. 

It wasn’t too long until Eli is sobbing at the wave of pleasure consuming her entire body while she wraps her arms around his neck once again for comfort. Leon's thumb still consistently moving, guiding her through her high.

"Baby, enough na please," Elijah whimpered against his neck, reaching in between her thighs to make him stop. Leon then takes it as his stop sign, slowly removing his hand from inside of her before lifting it up to his mouth to taste. Eli, still too fucked out to think of anything else but the aftershocks of her climax, wasn't strong enough to stop him from doing so.

Fuck. She wasn’t even sure how the fuck was it possible that he made her climax twice that quick, but one thing was for sure. Nothing can compare to the feeling of his hold after it’s all done. Soothing circles were drawn on her lower back as he waited for her body to stop spasming.

“Okay na? Kailangan pa maglinis, baby.”

“Sleepy,” she responds, burying her face on the crook of his neck.

“Linis muna, then matutulog tayo, okay?”

“Okay,” she hums dejectedly before pulling away from him.

continue here (kulto ni tobias gc convo)

continue here (housemates' gc convo)

continue here (eli's tweets)

“Saan tayo after sa Valiente?” Gwen asked from the shotgun seat, craning his neck back to look at Eli who sat in the back seat with Leon and Jacynthe. It was obvious that he was in severe  discomfort with the atmosphere in the car with both Jas and Alistair being in the same space when fully, everyone knew how shit went down for the both of them.

Jacynthe and Alistair were a thing about a couple of years ago, when Alistair had just finished his Information Technology Degree. Philomena Yoon and Daphne Huh, have been bestfriends since highschool and have been each other’s support system since then especially when things got messy between their relationships and well, they both had children none of their partners wanted to keep. Basically, Jacynthe and Alistair knew each other for a long time already, with both their mothers being attached to the hip practically. But what seemed to be an ideal relationship between the two immediately went awry when Alistair migrated to LA to supposedly pursue a career in the Silicon Valley. The two broke up upon Alistair’s wish because apparently he could not handle a long distance relationship. Nonetheless, they kept contact after promising that he will be back once he’s established his career. Well, that was until Alistair enlisted into the military as a Military IT, and did not tell Jacynthe. Back then, Jas held on to every detail to his promise. She lived for the hope of it all, depending on empty promises as something to hold on to. You could only imagine how devastated Jas was when Alistair just decided to go into boot camp and go MIA from the internet scene for a good while. Thing about Jacynthe is that she doesn’t just love. When she loves, she loves deeply and truly and madly. She makes it a point that everything she can give, she will give if that’s what it took for her to be loved. Maybe you can daddy issues for it, but that’s how it is. Jas went around serial dating guys who weren't even worth half a minute of her time. They were all sorts of guys—jobless, narcissistic, manipulative, you name it— all of roommates can agree that they were only there for the money and the fame because Jacynthe was steadily rising to the limelight with songs she produced for multiple A-list singers and songs she wrote with Kyle Crisostomo. It was safe to say that even if it was worrisome that Jas is getting involved with someone like Tobias, who always claimed that he didn’t do relationships, he was nicer than anyone else. Tobi, if not for his compulsive need to stay out of relationships, would be one ideal guy. He’s talented and passionate and dedicated to the things that he loved to do, which was music. Something Jas has always been interested in as well. So, as uncertain as it may be, they had more hope that Jas would not get broken hearted by Tobi, more than anyone else she went on date with. 

“Bahay na uli,” Eli replied to him. “The band will come daw pa magpractice kami para sa set sa Aurora bukas.”

“Oh you will perform?” Gwen’s eyes lit up in excitement as he fully turned to look at her.

“Jas rin! She has a few songs to play with MC!” Jacynthe looked uneasy with it being brought up, especially with her ex sitting just in close proximity along with the fact that in both of her features, she will be singing with Tobias and Amir.

“Galingan n’yo bukas!”

There they were, in the VIP parking lot of Valiente Med, where most of the physicians and surgeons park their cars. It was safe to say that Eli was left speechless the moment her car entered the parking lot and several men dressed in suits were already waiting for them. Philomena Yoon, you are as OA as you can always be.

“Napaka-oa mo ninang,” Eli shrugged at her godmother as soon as she met them in her office.

“Jas!” Philomena smiles as soon as she moves to hug Jacynthe. “Oh how are you? May masakit ba sa’yo? Nasa OR si Mama mo ngayon!”

“Oh, may scheduled check up lang po, Tita. I’m okay naman.”

“Good ‘yan. You’re not pregnant naman, 'di ba? Kaya nagpapacheck up?”

“You put my IUD in, Tita!”

“Ay oo nga pala! Anyway, mabuti yan! Itong bata na ‘to, kelan ka huling nagpacheck up? Kailangan mo na magcheck up ng madalas! You’re gonna get married na next month you have to make sure na you’re completely healthy!”

“Isang beses sa isang taon lang ako nilalagnat, ninang. Para saan ba ‘yon?”

“What if you’re pregnant na pala?”

“Ninang! How?”

“Babe, you’re young! And engaged! And pretty! I was younger than you when I had Ali! I used to have pregnancy scares more than twice a month!” She laughed. “Either way, tama yan. Huwag kayong gagaya sa akin, I understand naman. And your ex boyfriend was an ass. If I was in your place I would’ve been extra careful din. Wouldn’t want a guy like him to knock me up like the genes that kid has! They’re gonna taint our pedigree! Ugh! And at least Ali’s dad was a lawyer and left me to pursue law kahit papaano, I know Ali is going to turn out smart and well kahit namana n’ya yata ng slight ang katarantaduhan ng tatay n’ya. Right, Jas?”

Gwen audibly snorted at his mom’s remark. It really isn’t a secret how furious Philomena was when Alistair did what he did, she made sure he knew that as soon as he graduated from bootcamp.

Jas could only hold her laughter by pursing her lips and nodding.

Philomena continued on yapping until everyone was in their respective places. Gwen ended up being the one to wait for Jas in the waiting room, while Ali came with both Eli and Leon in the doctor’s office.

“Okay, so—” 

The both of them seemed to stop in their tracks as soon as their eyes met. 

“I was given the impression that Doctor Valle would be here instead of an intern, can I have Doctor Valle instead?” Leon’s tone was cold and stoic, which really seemed to petrify Louisse in her place.

“Um… Pi-pinapunta po ako dito ni Doctor Valle dito para magcheck ng vitals-”

“Go back to Doctor Valle, tell her I’m paging her,” Philomena wasn’t much help with her authoritarian tone before reaching for her phone in her white coat to dial someone.

“Binilinan po kasi ako na wag magpakita sa kanya—”

“It doesn’t seem like my problem, Miss Laxa, go get Doctor Valle,” she told her, bluntly.

“She doesn’t look like she’s having the best day, Ninang,” Eli mumbled, eyes wide as soon as she realized that tears were already forming in Louisse’s eyes when she left. 

“This is the second week both her and your filthy ex boyfriend have been receiving pansit since you asked me to send them,” she grinned, complacent at her pettiness as she pushed the door close. Even Ali face-palmed at his own mother’s actions. “If I can’t kick them out, the best I can do is to wish that their shift is worse than the last one.”

“Akala ko once n’yo lang yon gagawin!”

“Oh it’s no problem! I’m paying the nanay na naging patient ko a hefty to cook the pansit I send them everyday! So like isipin mo nalang na we’re supporting Nanay’s cooking business! It’s okay!”

Even Ali could not hold it any more, snorting at his mother’s level of petty. He could not believe how much immaturity his mother still got even after all those years of hardships and life lessons she learned. 

“Even Daph is on this! The Clark boy hasn’t got one scrub duty after one fuck up since we found out about what he has been doing! You have been saved by grace Alistair! If you were in the medical field din, Daphne and I would’ve gave you toxic shifts after toxic shifts too! Naiinis pa rin ako sa ginawa mo!”

“Hay nako, Yoon,” Doctor Valle appeared from the door, giving Philomena a high five as they both grinned. It seemed like they were all in to really making Isaac and Louisse’s shifts worse than it should be, which in Eli’s mind…deserve.

-

“Why are you here?” Isaac bursts out as soon as Eli was out of the comfort room.

“My grandparents built this hospital, Isaac. What do you mean?” Eli spat out, glancing around to look for anyone who might see them both so that she may be able to call for help if she needed to.

“I know what you and Doctor Yoon are doing, Eli. Please, if going back to you would fix this—

“I don’t want you back, Isaac. Sana nahihiya ka sa mga sinasabi mo,” she gritted her teeth, appalled at the audacity that Isaac had to confront her like this.

“So what, mahal mo na? Kaya ayaw mo na agad sa akin?” He quipped, almost like he was offended. “Ganon kabilis?”

“Did you think I would really stay in love with you, Isaac? After you cheated on me with Louisse? Na on multiple occasions you assured me that was just your med school classmate?” Elijah was bursting in anger. She was fuming at the fact that she was being painted as the bad person when he had been cheating on her long before. “You are delusional, Isaac Sim.”

“Eli… You don’t love him—”

“That’s not for you to decide, Isaac.”

Isaac scoffed at her response, jaw visible tightening which scared her greatly. She never saw Isaac as someone who would harm her in any way, but that was before. He was a completely different person than she knew him as. She couldn’t be sure of how he’ll move next.

“Paano? Ganoon kabilis?” His voice was rising quickly which made Eli’s heart pound even harder but she kept her composure, not backing down even when tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes.

It was fast. Everything was fast with Leon but it felt natural. It felt light and normal, like it was meant to be there in the first place and really that feeling was so much different that when she was with Isaac.

“That’s disgusting, Eli,” he sniggered. “Just so you know, no one is going to love you better than I ever did. Ikaw? Who’s gonna love you at your state—”

“What the fuck are you telling my fiance?” Leon barked from the end of the hallway, which despite the volume of his voice, sent relief to Eli that she was no longer in danger, most especially when Alistair, Philomena and Belinda Valiente followed suit.

“We’re just talking, Doc—”

“You’re off Philomena's program, Sim. Pack your things.”

“Doc—”

“You are cornering my grandaughter, Sim. Hindi ka na nga maayos kumilos noong mga nakaraang araw, ko-kornerin mo pa ang apo ko?”

“I am not cornering her, Doctor Valiente, naguusap lang po talaga kami.”

“Hindi kami bulag, Mr. Sim. Lalong lalong hindi kami bingi, we heard what you said! Wag mo kaming ginagawang tanga. Alam naming matagal mo nang niloloko si Eli bago pa kayo maghiwalay kaya wala kang karapatan na sabihin ‘yan sa inaanak ko. Now, pack you things and find another institution that will tolerate your behavior because you are off my program.”

Eli just stood there in shock while Leon held her tight for deep compressions. 

Isaac dejectedly walks out from the hallway, making Philomena and Belinda turn to Elijah who is now in a full blown meltdown from what had just happened.

“You’re okay, baby,” Leon assures kissing the top of her head as she tried to hold back sobs.

–

“Ellie,” Leon called from his seat on the couch inside the studio. He was sitting next to Gwen and Amir, who were visibly flirting with each other while her. Tobi and Jas were MIA doing god knows what, while Karlo, Elijah and Kyle were trying to figure out how to keep Karlo from being flustered whenever Ellie does one of Leon’s funky rhythm patterns that no one in the band who has the ability to play bass can do. Everyone had been trying to distract Eli from what happened that morning, avoiding at all costs to bring up what happened earlier for her sake.

“Why po?” Elijah asked, walking over to him, abandoning the two who were currently arguing about Karlo being distractible. “May masakit ba? Do you want to go rest na sa taas?”

“No,” he replied, grinning like a child when Ellie walked over to him. He was just glad that Ellie paid attention to him and not two of his bandmates anymore. He gets it though, neither Kyle or Karlo would even have the stomach to go for their bro’s girl, but it made him uneasy how easily they could if they wanted to, especially with Ellie not even being his girlfriend in the first place. “Just wanted your attention.”

“You are so annoying, Leon,” she laughed, playfully flicking his forehead as he reached for her torso pulling her close to hug her middle, resting his head against her stomach. “Nagpa-practice kami.”

“Magaling ka naman na, ako kaya ang nagturo sa’yo!” he whined, burying his face on her belly even more, attempting to blow raspberries on the exposed part of her stomach.

“Ay parang bata naman oh,” she laughed, trying to pull him away, holding both sides of his face to make him look at her. “Sure kang wala kang nararamdaman?”

“Nararamdaman kong gusto ko ng kiss–”

“Pasintabi naman!” Amir laughed. “Hindi nga kayo magjowa tas mas malala pa kayo sa amin maglandian!”

“What for? Ikakasal na rin naman kami?” Eli laughed at him, placing both of her arms around Leon, embracing him closer to her. 

“Do you want me to court you?”

“Bitch, I don’t do ligaw.”

“She doesn’t do ligaw!” Jas laughed, entering the room, lipstick slightly smudged, with a smile on her face nonetheless.

“You should know this! Hindi ako nagpaligaw kahit kanino!”

“Hindi ka niligawan ni Isaac?” He exclaimed, appalled that Isaac did not do such when Eli nodded. “Bakit hindi?”

“Kasi I asked him not to,” she replied nonchalantly. “I find the concept of ligaw stupid. Like why would you put your best foot forward to impress a woman? Show me na agad how much do I have to endure then I’ll judge kung I want to be your girlfriend.”

“It seemed like Isaac put his very best foot forward pa rin naman the entire time,” Gwen argued. 

“Oh edi tanga na ako, yun ga ang gusto mong sabihin?” Eli sassed at him. 

“True naman! Tanga ka nga!”

“Do you love me enough to want me to be your boyfriend?”

Eli knew the answer to that

It was yes. Always yes and million times more.

But somehow a lump on her throat formed and she couldn’t form the words to say that yes, she was in fact, in love with everything Leon is and whatever it is that scares her so much from telling him that she loves him was an ass for getting in the way of things. Because she wants to tell him, but her heart is beating faster every second passing and because it still scares her that she wouldn’t know how to explain if he asked why.

“I’ll answer that later,” she smiled at him, pressing a soft kiss on top of his. “Will take that as an answer for now?”

“I can take it as an answer as a whole, baby,” Leon hummed, grabbing her by the neck to pull her into a kiss once again.

“Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kasama n’yo!” Tobi shouted from the door, entering with his crumpled shirt that’s not suspicious at all if you had an IQ of a rock. 

“Kunwari nalang hindi halata na nagsession kayo ni Jas sa banyo, dugyot,” Amir shrugged at his friends, pulling Gwen loser to him. “Buti pa kami behave dito.”

“Eh subukan mong hindi magbehave pag hindi ka natupi sa walo ng Kuya n’ya na nasa taas,” Leon remarked, making the room burst into laughter, somehow making Eli forget about what happened earlier and the fact that she didn't know what to expect tomorrow.

continue here (pre-d-day tweets <3)

–

“As you all know, Leon got involved in an accident a few weeks ago…” Amir stood in front of the microphone while Eli held Jacynthe’s hand on one hand and Leon on the other, while she waited for her cue. “We regret to inform you na hindi natin makakasama si Leon ngayong gabi dahil doon, we have a surprise guest tonight!”

“You may already know her by now dahil inispoil naman ni Leon kagabi,” the crowd roared upon realizing who was coming up the stage right now. “The woman behind most of the songs of Midnight Covey’s debut album and the Loophole's only full album, the woman behind Mahika, and the woman behind the humble beginnings of the Midnight Covey, I present to you, our bassist for tonight, Ruby Elijah Yang!” 

“Hi!” Eli called, the crowd getting louder every passing second, until she could barely hear herself through her in-ears. “I’m Eli. I was a member of the Loophole and I am Leon’s girlfriend.”

Even the band seemed surprised by the sudden announcement, all of them jumping with happiness as they looked back at Leon from backstage. “Also we’re getting married, so I guess fiancée na pala ako.”

“Leon is off the market, unfortunately. Yun lang talaga ‘yung gusto n’yang sabihin, Covens,” Amir laughed.

“Hala ikaw rin naman,” Kyle rolled his eyes at him.

“Aba syempre, andyan ang baby ko sa audience! Nasan ang mahal ko?” Everyone roared, assuming it was then but the camera drone immediately spotted Gwenael, who was standing in the VIP section with the rest of their friends. “Ayan! Oh jowa reveal bigla.”

The first song in the set was ‘You’, which was the first song she helped Kyle produce during the early days of the band. While Leon has never been more proud that Eli was finally singing the song she’s always loved, Kyle could not feel anymore happier that after multiple demo recordings of You, she was finally at the point where she’s singing as a feature in the song.

“You really love our Eli, no?” Jas chuckled beside Leon, who sat comfortably in a monoblock chair, grinning like a chesire cat while he enjoys Eli’s live vocals through his in-ear.

“Always have,” he shrugged.

“Bakit mo iniwan noon?”

Leon glanced at back and forth from Jas and Eli before responding, “I didn’t want the pain of losing her as someone more important to me than she was, Jas.”

“Anong difference noon ngayon?”

“Better to love than not love at all,” he replied. “Noong nasaksak ako, I only had one thing in mind, I didn’t want to go home dead to Eli. So even if I was practically dying noon, I knew I needed to find a way to cheat death.”

After the set was wrapped up and everyone was good to go, everyone huddled in the bus that they had rented, laughing and enjoying the vibe that the stage had left them all.

“Did you enjoy it?” Leon asked, sitting sideways on the bus seat so that he would be able to look at Eli properly while she ate her fast food. 

Elijah nodded enthusiastically. Leon couldn’t agree more. The stage lit up when she came like she was always meant to be there. She was a natural on stage, she didn’t need to be prepared to be there. She knew what she had to do and devoured Leon’s difficult bass lines like it was her forte all along.

“Inom kang gamot pagtapos kumain, okay?” He smiled, leaning over to kiss the side of her head, inhaling the scent of her coconut scented shampoo from her quick shower a while ago, that to everyone’s knowledge, Leon had the privilege of watching a while ago.

Eli hummed in response, nodding her head. “Thank you for letting me cover for you,” she smiled at him, after chugging down from her pink water bottle. “I appreciate it very much.”

“Masaya akong naenjoy mo ‘yon,” Leon hummed, looking at her before pressing a firm kiss on her lips.

“I love you, Leon,” she hummed as soon as Leon pulled away. He could physically feel explosions inside of him as soon as he heard it. 

Elijah Yang loves him.

At that point, Eli could firmly distinguish the difference between the feeling of butterflies and fireworks inside of you. While the fireworks were loud, there was some comfort in the light it gave. Some kind of warmth that she feels whenever she watches it burn in the sky, leaving bright colors and painting picturesque memories in her mind. The butterflies were quiet and they were quick and fleeting to the memory. It made her nervous about happiness because of how quick it could die.

And for once, love did not make her feel nervous. Scared, for sure, of all the uncertainty that there is but nervous was never in the picture. Leon exudes comfort for her everywhere she goes. Someway, wherever Leon was, there was a sense of safety. 

They have loved and lost and loved again. They were right after all. All roads lead back to where home is. And Leon is home.

And if the question goes around as to why she loved him so much, she still doesn’t know but she does love him. She just does. Regardless of if one day she’ll ever find that deeper meaning, she will love Leon until she can't anymore.

Leon threw blankets over her barbed wires before. His flee had sent her into a frenzy of desperation to find that comfort again that she allowed herself to be tricked. 

Eli guesses that love really does make you stupid.

But all’s well that ends well, right?

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ characters ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ previous ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ next ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

[doktoralucy]

i knew it would come to this.

March 9, 2025 13:12 [Sunday] last week pa, I knew na that this would be a great outlet for me to document my med school application journey but also to relieve myself of stress (i love babbling endlessly) w/o stressing out my boyfriend and friends too abt med school apps. so yay, my first blog!! I'm currently in Baguio for the weekend and just the commute going to the market to buy my Mom flowers and THE PRICE OF FLOWERS, the COMMUTE, the WEATHER... made me rethink my decision of living here again (she’s so OA). The convenience, the environment, and the cost of living here. I felt certain this morning that my initial doubts were to be alleviated/eased along the way & maybe i didn’t have to think much abt them for now, just like how I don't want my relationship to be at risk. It is a big gamble, but I think SLU-SOM is a great back-up school in case UERM does me dirty again. The life and peace I could have living here as an adult and as a student might just be the best reason I should consider staying here. I wanna hope that my relationship with Jew, with my family and friends who live in Manila, will stay the same (if not strengthened) due to the distance.

Last week, I was set on applying to PLM, but after talking to Jew about the environment and culture there, I don't feel too sure na about it. In the end, my goal is really to gain experience abroad as early as possible and I'm not sure PLM can give me that. I have school documents that was supposed to be for my PLM application but I'm gonna use it instead to apply to SLU.

and with SLU, I feel at ease because somehow money wouldn't have to be so tight and I can live somewhat comfortably, as compared to UERM with 200k per sem 🥶 how will my living expenses & financial sitch be like then? I feel the uncertainty now palang.

seems like the REAL conflict will arise if ever SLU sends me an acceptance letter first, before UERM, and I'm being asked to pay the reservation fee/downpayment to reserve my slot. :") I wouldn’t know what to do by then bc usually reservations fees cost 40k already. This will be a problem bc UERM is still my priority, even if lagi niya pinapafeel sakin na di niya ako prio :)))) Swerte na lang siguro ako if matanggap ako agad sa UERM bago SLU.

anyway, getting ahead of myself again (my middle name). I'll just see how everything goes and how life surprises me.

[shellwanders]

Habibis Grill Baguio: A Taste of the Middle East

Habibis Grill is a popular restaurant in Baguio City, Philippines that serves authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. Traveling to Habibis grill Baguio for the first time? This detailed and curated travel guide will make it easy for you to navigate your way inside, save money, and maximize your time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 🌈 Shell (@shellwanders) HOW TO GET TO BAGUIO Direct…

[bbarican]

ヽ(★ω★)ノ ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ ——— may the 4th be with you!

hi tumblr! may the 4th be with all of you! especially to my fellow star wars fans

kamusta kayo? how’s everyone so far? i cant believe its may - we’re really well into the summer na and i guess we’re all just trying our best not to let the heat get the best of us

some updates for yall but mostly myself kasi alam naman na natin, if i dont gather my thoughts, theyre all just gonna pile up and i might burst so here’s a run down of how life is so far:

family:

visiting japan with our lola was really lovely but it proved to be a bit more difficult than we anticipated

im glad we’re all back in manila, fully rested by now, going about our normal routines ulit

we’re seeing my lola and the rest of my mom’s side tomorrow and im really excited for the roadtrip going to batangas! for the reunion part, meh, lets see how it goes

i miss my kuya more than anything; so many new memories without him present cause he’s in the states but i know for a fact naman na he’s also having fun there and working hard

how is thirdy turning 20 in a couple of days?!

friends:

i saw chevy last night! we went out for drinks and food somewhere in bf and i really enjoyed just talking to her and catching up and laughing and even having our hearts broken over boys

i hope she finds the right kind of love that will surpass what she and her ex had

im forever grateful for my office besties, i will never stop saying that (kahit na may time na nakakainis din sila, love ko parin sila)

work:

i mean, work is work

im just glad to be having productive days here and there

im also really glad na hindi nagiging problem yung pag alis ng boss ko for 11 days since he’s on a vacation with his family which he deserves naman

summer s typically the slow season for us so i guess ill take this time to prep for when the busy season rolls in ulit

personal:

i noticed ive been eating more and i am not okay with it; im going to do something about it starting on monday and i really need to discipline myself better cause if not, im gonna spiral into a really bad place for sure

my dog literally just farted and amoy skunk putangina ang baho

i really want to save up even more money kasi nga jp and i plan on going to baguio in august

and kinakaya naman! i got this in the bag for sure

i have enough right now to buy a laufey ticket too for september so please please pray for me na makakakuha ako ng ticket sa monday

love:

beyond grateful for him, always always always

im 3000% sure im going to choose him everyday, over fights, over drama, over overthinking

he bought me donuts and i love him

so yeah! i hope may is lovely for all of us; its really really hot so i hope everyone stays hydrated and wag tayong magpapakagalit dahil mainit

also stan bini!

[jezawitha-z]

Every time I get a chance to travel, I hold on to the saying that sometimes it's not about the destination, but the journey itself.

This is our first Baguio trip together na muntik na naman ma-cancel due to the weather. It was raining in Baguio and as per the news, within 2 weeks possible ganun ang weather. Of course the questions were "tuloy pa ba tayo? baka di tayo mag enjoy", "sa ibang lugar nalang tayo?", "paano na nyan?", etc.

We both agreed to— "rain or shine, tara".

While on the bus, we both pray na sana maging okay ang weather at sana makahanap ng transient kasi halos fully booked na lahat na malapit sa city proper.

We arrived in Baguio na may konting ulan, and still no place to stay. May nakausap kami online for our accommodation and we decided na mag walk in since we're in a rush, no time to legit check and iwas scam for down-payment.

While on our way sa place na nakausap namin, nadaanan namin yung Megatower 3. We asked sa lobby kung may available pa, at binigyan lang kami ng calling card to contact. Matagal nag reply and we decided to still check online until I saw one na minutes ago lang yung post. Megatower 4 naman yung sa kanila and pinush na namin. The transaction was fast. Usually 2pm pa ang check in but we were there at 11am at pinag check in na rin kami.

After a while, the rain stopped and we were overwhelmed that God really answered our prayers.

Maraming tourist destination yung Baguio pero hindi namin napuntahan halos mga yun. The difference? Wala. Kasi kahit walking lang kami around the city, sobrang ini-enjoy namin every moment. Tawanan, kwentuhan, food trip, and embracing the freezing cold weather ng Baguio.

Highlights:

Sea of clouds 🌫️☁️

Agara Ramen 🍜

Ube & strawberry taho

The best karekare na natikman ko so far pero bakit ang mahal ng kanin

Mas naappreciate ko yung Jollibee yum burger nila

SM Sky garden, Skyranch

Photo booth

Rooftop

Nagsimba

My birthday celeb

Mas marami talaga ang tawanan at kwentuhan in this journey. At the same time, our patience, faith, positivity, and resilience were really tested.

I'm glad that we shared the same values and I really appreciate how he cares. Mapapa-"what did I do to deserve this kind of love? " ka nalang talaga.

[lunaxstella]

College???

I've been asked multiple times why I decided to leave Bachelor in Multimedia Arts despite being in it for almost three years. And every time it's brought up, I smile and say random things to hopefully end the conversation. Why? Because I don't really know how to explain it. I'm not sure how I can tell someone that I was suffering from things that no one can see and only I can feel. And there's actually more to it than just being tired of fighting my own mind.

Everything started on the day I was on my way to enroll in senior high school. My parents decided to drop me off at a jeepney stop since it was on their way to work anyway. I remember clearly that my mom asked me what strand I decided to sign up for. At that time, I was planning on taking a psychology program after high school, so I told her I'd be taking HUMSS. Then, she proceeded to ask me if I was sure of it and if I didn't consider choosing STEM instead. But I told her that HUMSS is a much better fit for my preferred program in college. She did not push me to choose STEM, but what bugged me was the tinge of sadness in her voice as she said her words of support. One of my weaknesses is my mom's sadness and I can't bear hearing it. So, when I got to the university to sign the papers needed, I put my name under the STEM strand. I remember standing there for a hot minute and weighed the pros and cons of my sudden decision. I justified it by telling myself that my favorite subjects are science and mathematics anyway and that I'm afraid of public speaking so choosing HUMSS would be a difficult road to take. I also tried to assure myself that psychology is a branch of science, so taking STEM is not that bad—it was.

I almost did not make it out alive, literally. Along with the problems with my peers, I constantly questioned the subjects within the strand and how they relate to the program I want to take in college. It's not helping that the curriculum was too focused on engineering. A lot of my classmates who wanted to take medical programs were also having the same questions as I did. But I did it. I graduated regardless of having to transfer schools and constantly falling into relapse. I even made it to the honors list. I had my research awarded as the best research among our batch despite having to present my defense twice since my first attempt ended in me having a full-blown panic attack.

And then came the college enrollment. Due to the circumstances beforehand, I did not go through my original plan of applying to my dream university—the University of the Philippines Baguio. In fact, I was hesitant to even continue my studies. Don't get me wrong, I love studying. But I was too exhausted from battling my mental dilemma. Back then, my parents were still glued to the idea of how time is of the essence. They were asking me about my college plans which at the time, my plans were nonexistent. They asked me what programs I was considering. I told them I still wanted to take psychology. But my mom was overly against it, and we would constantly have arguments. It was a back and forth of what jobs would it get me and how I could take it as a second degree instead, etc. I'm not sure if I explained to her then that I didn't want to take Psychology for the fun of it and that I wanted to be a doctor. I think I did. Nevertheless, she wouldn't hear me out. So then, I told her about the other programs I thought of which was Multimedia Arts and Information Technology. She printed out a list of schools that offered the former but all of them were either finished with their enrollment period or the tuition fee was too expensive. I also looked for those that were offering IT, but some were not really that good in terms of their curriculum and the others were of the same reason with MMA.

That's where Architecture came in. In 12th grade, I briefly worked in a construction company for my Immersion subject. The owners are a family friend of ours and they taught us the ins and outs of the industry. Not going to lie, it was a delight. I loved the technicalities within the job and for some time, I saw myself actually pursuing the field. But I did not really fall in love with it, I just love the idea. I still prefer helping people overcome unseen illnesses and understanding more about the human mind. However, it was the only program I at least found tolerable that was mostly available in state universities.

I took an exam with one university; I did not try to apply for more. I just wanted it to be over. I want them to get off my back. Fortunately, I got in. During the interview process, the dean told me that the program was nearly full and filled with applicants and the chances of me getting accepted was low. She asked me what I had that will make me stand out among the others. I don't recall my answer to that, I just remember trying my best to stay alive for that time being. I think I answered along the lines of having a background within the field and all that. Then she started browsing my credentials and exam results, and she asked more questions like am I capable of handling pressure, etc. I half-heartedly answered all of that. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that I wouldn't get accepted so I could be sent to the psychology program since it was my second choice in the form. At the same time, I was trying hard to answer well to be accepted and please my mom. Can you imagine how much I wanted to die in that moment?

After the interview process, a drawing assessment was also required. While doing so, I did not know what to pray for. I want my mom to be happy, but I also want the program I want. God must've been confused about how to answer her feeble daughter. Hence, I took my sweet time to finish that drawing. My perfectionist ass won't let me get up anyway. I was also thinking of just ditching the whole interview, but then where would I live if my mom throws me out? The stress was too much. Even as I'm writing this and trying to remember the events of that day, it is stressing me out. Like how did I not jump off a bridge or something?

Anyway, long story short, I got accepted anyway. My hopes and dreams of pursuing psychology were crushed that day. I'm still curious as to how I made it home alive.

You know the sad part? I did not even last for a semester. I was gone after the midterms. I was too depressed to go back. I locked myself in my room. I had a hard time speaking with anyone. When my mom asked me why I stopped going to school, I simply told her that I didn't like the course. That short sentence even took me a great deal of strength to say. It wasn't even true. I do like the course. Like I said earlier, I like the technicalities. Even if it wasn't as fascinating as psychology, I still find it interesting. My classmates were fun to be with. I had no problem with the facility. My problem was more of a personal one which included the stressors in my life, imposter syndrome, and apparently, I have ADHD and OCD—that I would not be aware of until two years later.

At that time, I didn't know that I was suffering from those. I was only sure of having depression and anxiety as the physical symptoms were obvious. It was a constant battle in my brain. Every day was a bloodbath in my whole system. I wake up, I dress up, I walk to the jeepney stop, I watch people struggle to get on jeeps while I just stand there watching them because I fear that I might get a full-blown panic attack with that much crowd. I remember one of my friends being in awe while she watched me nonchalantly watching commuters fight for their lives to get on. Look, I was mentally exhausted. I was not risking being an anxious mess and bothering all these people trying to make a living. Plus, I had a long-ass T-square with me that I was afraid of getting broken in half from all the pushing. I usually ride habals or book Angkas when I feel like it's taking too long for the crowd to lessen.

Every drafting work was taking a life off me. Every mistake was killing me. I can still see the look my professor gave me while we were doing an activity in freehand drawing. I felt the judgment and amusement as he silently watched the way I drew. It made me feel small and insecure. My mind started planting doubts in my stupid brain. I started comparing myself with my peers. Suddenly, I didn't want to be there. I wanted to hide. Do I really have what it takes to be one of the best architects out there? What if I design a building poorly and people would be in danger because of me? Was I doing too much? Was I not doing enough? I didn't think I should be there at all even if my friends from that program told me otherwise.

Fortunately, like a blessing in disguise, the pandemic started when I left. Nothing changed; I still refused to leave my room, and I had a hard time speaking. The only time my family would see me is when I had to pee or poo. And yes, I did not eat. It helped that I wasn’t expected to run errands since we weren’t allowed to go out anyway. However, my parents didn’t think that what I was experiencing was serious. I remember being pulled from my bed; mind you it was a bunk bed, and I was at the top bunk. I resisted; I didn’t care if I got bruises. I didn’t want to see anyone; I didn’t want to speak. All that came out of my mouth was, “Ayaw ko. Ayaw ko,” while crying from frustration and despair. I think that’s when it hit them. After that, they didn’t force me to go out anymore. I also broke up with my ex of two years since he’s one of the stressors that made me hurt myself from time to time. That’s when I gradually started getting better. Saying that I was relieved is an understatement. It felt like I was exorcised.

Fast forward to about a year and a half later, I got a bit better. I gradually began to speak and be my old self. However, it never felt right. It always felt like I was floating. It was like I wasn’t there. But I wanted to get better. I wanted to continue my studies. I didn't want to be stuck crying and praying I was dead every single day. So, despite what I felt, I tried my best to look into programs and colleges that I could enroll in. My mom became more lenient with my choices this time around, but she was still skeptical about the whole psychology thing. I got in on the same train eventually. That’s why I decided to take Multimedia Arts instead.

I wanted to be able to do everything—design, illustrate, animate, photograph, produce music and films, direct movies, write screenplays, and publish my own books. I forgot to consider my initial dilemma with my first take on arts. Back then, I wasn’t that much aware of how intense imposter syndrome has on me. I only assumed that I have a very low self-esteem. I was doing well at first, but eventually, it took a toll on me. Hence, my parents decided to let me see a psychiatrist. I have multiple diagnoses, but I was mostly treated for my depression and anxiety. I was also monitored by the school’s guidance counselors.

I tried.

I really tried.

I’m still trying.

I decided to transfer school, again. This time, I hope to finally take my dream program. Rather than staying in my hometown, I decided to go back to my original plan—to study in Baguio City. But God has other plans. While I did get to study here in Baguio, I wasn’t accepted in psychology. I was devastated, but also, I was too numb to feel anything. I wanted to defend myself while the dean told me I couldn’t be accepted due to my poor standing with my previous program. I wanted to tell her that my illnesses are not limitations, rather it gives me the capability to understand and empathize with people more. But I didn’t. She had a point—it was a board program, and my recent standing reflects my wobbly mental state. I was stunned.

Nevertheless, it didn’t stop me from wanting to continue my studies. She told me I should find a plan B. So, now, I’m studying Music. I really keep coming back to arts no matter what, do I? Anyway, while I was there, I heard their choir singing. It reminded me of the joy I had back in my high school years. And upon looking at the courses they offered, I noticed nothing really grabbed my attention. Thus, I am here.

I won’t be telling you my plans for the future. I just wanted to relay how I got here. And if a first-year student would be reading this, I just want to tell you:

Your journey is your journey. Not one is the same. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Never compare yourself. It’ll be hard, but it’s going to be alright. Just do your best. If you think your best is not enough, then think again. Most importantly, don’t forget to ask for help. You’ll need it here.