balanced & sustainable

It seems like I have been spending the majority of 2025 and 2026 ranting against the transactionality and commodification, decolonization and better care of human beings - whether we are on home ground or abroad. 

Touristification is a phenomenon that is happening worldwide - in both in the north and the south hemispheres or in both high traffic or far flung areas. 

a working balance between local & tourist needs

Born and raised in the Philippines, I moved to the US right after 9/11, and have returned for almost two years now - after being abroad for 20 years. 

This is a reflection on how touristification can transform a place you love and where once possessed a strong sense of belonging - when you are priced out of it. 

mestizo - a hybrid culture

I was born in Negros Island in the Philippine Ocean and migrated to the U.S. Spending time back and forth - half in and out of each country provides more insight and perspective into my family's hybrid culture. 

One day in an art history class, I read an article about migration and identity that discussed the amalgamation of culture. What is created when someone physically crosses a border and occupies new space? 

Sitio Tabucol in Barangay Bacong, Bago City, Negros Occidental

I thought of our parents and the ways my family participates in local and mestizo traditions. It made me dissect what our family’s hybrid culture presents as. Join me in an exploration of these sentiments. 

October 2021

October starts the last quarter and brings the year to a close as the holiday season kicks in. Here are a few significant days we celebrate around the world. 

October is also National Learning and Development Month, ​National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, National Book Month, and many other important occasions to celebrate and honor. 

bamboo dreams

We grew up where giant bamboo groves lined lazy meandering rivers. We listened to the gentle swishing and creaking in the breeze as we picnicked and snoozed in their shade. 

In much dwindled numbers, our country still uses bamboo for indigenous houses in many of our provinces. The bahay kubo is still a much loved symbol of bucolic bliss.

Read the full article at http://wonderwanderwomen.blogspot.com/2015/02/bamboo-dreams.html.