A few days after the Bondi Beach shooting on December 14, 2025, I found myself in a quiet conversation with a Filipino friend here in Sydney. He was recounting how his Australian friends reacted to the news. How unsettled they were. How they kept refreshing the headlines, checking in with each other, holding their breaths […]
Last weekend, we attended the graduation of a young nephew here in Australia. A quiet milestone marked by ramen bowls and talk about life after school. No elaborate photo shoots, no loud celebrations, just a table, warm food, and a boy with no fear in his eyes. He knew, deep down, that whatever he chose […]
Surprise. We opened Taguan Sydney last year, 2024, in a small 12-seater on a quiet corner of Redfern. There was no grand opening. No streamers. No influencers or media lists. We barely announced it, really. Just quiet posts here, a soft launch there. No drama. Just coffee and food. That’s always been our way really. […]
I wasn’t alive when the 1986 People Power Revolution happened. Everything I know about those four days in February comes from history books, stories, documentaries, and the recollections of others. Yet, one undeniable fact shines through all those accounts: millions of ordinary Filipinos came together to end a tyranny. They flooded EDSA with prayers and […]
I woke up at 5 a.m. like I always do. I guess my body’s still tuned to cafe hours in Sydney. That kind of rhythm stays with you, even when you’re on vacation. Or in my case, back in Cavite for a quick trip home. I didn’t have beans in the house. I forgot to […]
There’s a strange weight when someone owes you something. It’s not just the financial loss, but the emotional toll of being taken for granted. Over time, I’ve dealt with people owing me money—some sums large, some small—but what’s always bothered me most is the lack of acknowledgment. The silence, the absence of apology, it all […]
There wasn’t even a handshake. Just a room in a library, where Vinny and I sat in front of an authorized officer and confirmed what we already knew: that we were each other’s person. That we’d built a life together, and wanted the law to see it too. It didn’t feel like a milestone at […]