march 2026
media: listening, watching, & reading
Cater 2 U by Destiny’s Child: Listened to this a lot since Coach Anya plays the song often during warmups for dance class. Such a good and vibe-y song!
On My Soul by Bruno Mars: His album was good and cohesive but this is the only song I’ve been going back to. So funny because when I told Lance I only liked one song from the album and that I liked it from the first few seconds, and he immediately clocked that it was this song that I loved lol.
I got to watch two movies in the cinema this month: Hoppers (2026) by Daniel Chong with Carlos (recommended to me by both Carlos and Gerard, my cinephile officemate), and Project Hail Mary (2026) by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller with Rezen and Charles, my workmates who encouraged me to read the book. Both movies were worth watching in the cinema. I loved the story of Hoppers, how it brought me to emotional highs and lows, and overall just how absurd the film was! As for Project Hail Mary, it was such a good adaptation of the book (though book > movie ofc) despite a few things I wasn’t that happy about (see: the unnecessary romantic undertones and cutting out parts that I think exhibited just how logical/smart Ryland is).
Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary: This was so healing for my inner child, though I was admittedly sad that prominent characters from the show (Jackson, Lily, Rico) weren’t featured. They’re a big part of the show so I assumed they’d be there too, but overall I was happy to watch this.
Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto: I had high hopes for the book considering that I enjoyed Kitchen, but it was so-so for me and I wasn’t particularly excited to continue reading. Still managed to finish it though and I didn’t plan to DNF it at any point so I guess overall it’s mid for me.
Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World by Zahra Hankir: Read this upon Dan’s recommendation! I enjoyed reading this though I think it would’ve been better to read using a physical copy so I could take down notes. I enjoyed reaching each women’s story and would recommend it so people get a better idea of what’s happening across different countries in the Middle East.
eats
La Toca Tacqueria: This was so-so for me though my family liked it. Dining in the D. Tuazon branch was difficult though given the limited seats and the subpar air conditioning/ventilation, so I don’t think I’d eat here again huhu
Shakey’s: Our first meal after coming back from Taiwan
King Chef: Had a very filling meal here with Dad and Lance after tagging along the test drive
Potato Corner: The best Potato Corner I’ve ever eaten….the Estancia’s cinemas branch…..look at the amount of powder included….
Gotbaked: Earl Grey Matcha (this was so good! Would definitely order again) and Pbomb cookie didn’t disappoint; the mochi brownie was so-so haha I don’t think I’ll order again…
Lagrima: Dyosa, Rochelle, and I treated Coach Izzy to dinner! This was spontaneous and I wasn’t supposed to go but they invited me. Very memorable since I don’t do spontaneous dinners often and it was nice getting to know my dance classmates a bit more despite that being the last session of the Freestyle intensives….
Warung: Ate here with Carlos after a very busy Saturday doing moving things. I chugged the Milo Dinosaur because of how tired I was haha
Paradise Dynasty: First time trying this and I was SO IMPRESSED with the xiao long bao. The broth was so hearty, the dumpling skin so thin but never breaking, the pork meat flavorful….would go back just for the xiao long bao!
creations
Did a quick sketch of my favorite eats from our Taiwan trip!
Really big salmon sashimi from Sunway. This place got packed real quick lol so good thing we were there early!
Macopa we ate at our Dad’s mentor’s house! I ate so much of this….so crunchy and refreshing and just the faintest hint of sweet.
Grilled diced beef from Ningxia Night Market.
Stinky tofu from Ximending Night Market! Prefer it without the spice as someone with low spice tolerance lol
Taiwanese sausage: This tastes so good and really hits different haha
Hotpot from Power of Meat Ximen branch in Taiwan: We were so full after this. Definitely the best way to have our last meal in Taiwan!
You tiao from a restaurant near my Dad’s mentor’s house! Forgot the resto name but the you tiao was good - tasty and just the right amount of oil.
Ay-Chung Rice Flour Noodles - one of the best eats of the trip! The broth was so tasty (thanks to the inclusion of innards/laman loob. We ate here twice hehe
Xiao Long Bao near our hotel: Dad got this for takeout right before we had to wake up for our flight (around 4 AM) and it was so good even if it was takeout!
Decided to make some art to honor the women in my life and the different lessons they’ve taught me :”) did this in a short time so was pretty happy with the output.
highlights
Here’s my March in photos! Some highlights of the month include:
Taiwan Trip: Had a quick family trip to Taiwan where we ate, tried a glassblowing workshop at Redliuli, ate, visited the Taiwan Miniatures Museum, ate, visited my Dad’s mentor at his house, and ate some more. The days leading up to the trip were stressful but we had fun overall!
Dancing 2-3x weekly, and Freestyle Intensives in particular: I joined 2 dance intensives at Ace Dance Studio: the freestyle and the groove & vibe intensives every Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. It was a bit chaotic and busy especially since March was a busy work season but I managed to make it (and enjoy) all the classes :”) the freestyle intensives in particular helped get me out of my head when dancing!
Went to the cinema twice, one for Hoppers, the other for Project Hail Mary! I enjoy going to the cinema since it makes watching movies feel like such a big occasion, and I hope to do this more in the future, and maybe with friends!
This month was a very social month: I went out a lot and even went on the very rare spontaneous dinner which, though it did cause a shift in my schedule, wasn’t something I regretted going to. I felt a bit of dread at how much socializing/going out the month would involve but I always ended the day happy after going out and connecting with others. Maybe I shouldn’t stay in so much…..
I crammed this all in one afternoon since May 1 na ngayon and may April roundup pa ako…HAHA