The Bubble of Motherhood

Some weeks ago, I met up with a friend who I haven't seen for a while. There's a reason for this: she is a parent. She has two children, and for the past couple of years, has spent the majority of her time taking care of her son and daughter. Now that they are slowly getting older, or at least old enough to have someone else take care of them temporarily, she is slowly finding time for herself. And boy that can be an experience!

Getting to Know New People as an Adult

As a child, it's easy to make friends, or at least meet new people. There are natural venues for that. Children meet others in school, in the playground, and in many other venues where children are expected to be in. But as adults, this exercise is harder. Once you're done with school, e.g., university, then there's no more group where its members have a shared set of experiences. Not to mention that there are other distractions, like for example, one's work, or one's children. And so it's harder to meet new people, and make new friends.

When Friends Leave Berlin

This winter, three of my friends are leaving Berlin for good. That sucks. Berlin is typically just a phase for most people, and I suppose for these three friends of mine, this phase has ended.

When I Bought a Suit

A few weeks ago, I needed to buy a suit, as I needed to attend an event where a suit was required. I used to have a couple of suits, but they were at least a decade old, and was definitely not nice to look at and wear anymore. So I enlisted the help of one of my friends, and together we went to go shopping. It took a whole day, and I realized that when it comes to clothes, I have been buying the wrong things my whole life.

A Cultural Out-of-Body Experience (or a Case of Reverse Culture Shock)

A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend an event hosted by the Filipino community here in Berlin, together with the Philippine Embassy and a Catholic Church (who hosts services in Filipino). It was an event which was a joint art exhibit and concert: the point was to showcase talent within the Filipino community here in Berlin, so there was time allotted to view some artwork, and there was also a concert where local members of the community sang and performed. I wasn't really interested in the talent, but since several of my friends were there, and since I haven't seen them in a while, I thought this would be a good venue to see them collectively. I typically don't like group meetings, and would prefer seeing friends in smaller groups, but since I haven't seen them for a long time, I figured it was not a bad idea to see them this time. Little did I know that I would have an out of body experience.

On Being a Third Culture Kid: Part II

Three years ago, I wrote an article here about being a third culture kid. At that time, I remarked how we third culture kids have no sense of belonging, and I wrote about the fact that I have been a foreigner more than a local for the majority of my adult life. I guess three years later, I have come to terms with that, but I suppose I am writing about it again because some of my close acquaintances still struggle with it.

Looking Back: Year 2015

The Year 2015 just ended. And I am still here. So let me review what happened here during the past year, by giving an overview post. This is the sixth time I am doing this: I have been doing this since 2010, and I think it's a good way to wrap up the year.

The Buffalo Surprise

Last May, I was in Buffalo for a weekend. It was a surprise; not a lot of people knew I was there. And based on what happened, it seems that the trip was overall a success.

Looking Back: Year 2014

The Year 2014 is ending. And I am still here. So let me review what happened here during the past year, by giving an overview post. This is the fifth time I am doing this: I have been doing this since 2010, and I think it's a good way to wrap up the year.

Meeting Old Friends

One day in August, two of my old friends were in town. And since it was summer, and since I pretty much had full flexibility with respect to my schedule, I opted to just spend the day with them and hangout, thinking that I typically do work in the weekends anyway outside of my 9-to-5 schedule. These two friends of mine were in Leipzig, and they took the train to head to Berlin for the day. The last time I saw them was back in Buffalo, so two years ago.

Closing my Facebook Account

A month ago, I mentioned that I minimized my Facebook use. Well, I was still thinking about that topic, and after some considerable deliberation, I have decided to close my Facebook account completely.

Werewolves

A couple of months ago, I was on a business trip to Amsterdam, and was there for a week. During the days, I was attending a conference, but during the evening, I was more or less free to do whatever I wanted. So, for a change, I contacted the local Yelp group, and learned that they were holding a game of Werewolves (also known as Mafia) during one of the nights I was there. So I said I would be coming, and joined in the fun.

Minimizing my Facebook Use

About more than a month ago, a rather controversial study appeared, in which Facebook users were apparently subjected to massive emotional contagion thru their News Feed. The main finding of this study was that people who saw more positive emotions on their News Feed felt more positive, while people who saw more negative emotions on their News Feed felt more negative. And the reason why this was controversial was because Informed Consent was never asked, at least in the traditional sense. That made me think and re-evaluate how I use Facebook myself.

The Grand Lufthansa Strike

Early last month, a good friend from the US was visiting us. She stayed with us for 4 nights, and had a good time. This post isn't about her stay, but rather, about the great pilot's strike that had affected her travel itinerary.

Looking Back: Year 2013

The Year 2013 just ended. And I am still here. So let me review what happened here during the past year, by giving an overview post. This is the fourth time I am doing this: I did it first in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

On Being a Third Culture Kid

I've thought about this for the longest time. The fact that I have lived in so many places as I was growing up; the fact that I have spent more years outside my passport country than inside; the fact that I get reverse culture shock whenever I am back in Manila; these are all signs that I am a third-culture kid. Third culture kids are basically individuals who have spent a considerable amount of their developmental years outside their parents' culture. They build relationships to all of the cultures they encounter, while not having full ownership of any. Hence, the main issue here is the sense of belonging, or the lack of it.

Lost Friends

One morning, I woke up, booted my computer, and checked my email. I saw that there was an email from a name who I recognized. Oh, I remember, this guy, we went to school together when we were 4th grade until 6th grade. This was still back in the Philippines, when I was attending elementary school at the school that was just one block away from our house. Wow, that was a long time ago. I was 4th grade in 1991 and 6th grade in 1993.

Looking Back: Year 2012

The Year 2012 is about to end. So even though the galaxies aligned, and plenty of people thought we're going to die, I am still here. This is my last post for the year. Let me review what has happened for the past year, as I have done so in 2010 and 2011.

Viva Java

Somehow it seems that I am on a coffee-kick lately. First, I attend a coffee tasting session, and now I play a coffee board game.

Coffee Tasting in Cafe CK

A couple of weeks ago, I joined a couple of friends in a coffee tasting session. It was a chance to meet the owner of Cafe CK in Prenzlauer Berg, and since this cafe was one where I haven't checked out yet, I was more than willing to join and see what this is about.