Looking back at the milestones, the late nights, and the continuous process of creating, I realize how much of my foundation was built on the wisdom, discipline, and generosity of these legendary mentors. It was an absolute honor to be trained by the very best:

Michael Williams (One of the original casts of Miss Saigon) for teaching me the fundamentals during the “Basic Theater Workshop” under Little Boy Productions. He taught me the discipline it takes to command a space.

Gabe Mercado (of SPIT) for opening my mind to Improv Theater at PETA. He showed me how to think on my feet, trust my instincts, and find magic in the unexpected.

Pinky Amador, whose Acting Masterclass pushed my boundaries and taught me what it truly means to dig deep and commit to a character and a vision.

Tatang Ricky Lee, for the masterclasses in storytelling during his Creative Writing Workshop. He didn’t just teach me how to write; he taught me how to see the human condition and give it a voice.

Julie Ann Fran from Star Magic Philippines, for the brief voice lessons, even for a very short stint! I miss you, teacher!

Every “Action!”, every script written and every creative risk taken carries a piece of their mentorship. To be shaped by their brilliance is a gift that keeps on giving.

To my mentors: Thank you for passing on the torch.

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I poured my days like water into stone,
To find a well where they could freely drink,
I carried weights they could not lift alone,
And pulled them back when standing on the brink.

I watched them rise, I watched their world expand,
They wore the armor that my patience made,
But once they stood securely on the land,
The memory of who helped began to fade.

They treat your kindness as a debt they won,
A casual right they somehow were decreed,
And rewrite history when the work is done,
To prove they never really were in need.

It hurts to watch the feathers that you gave
Be used to fly away and block the sun,
To know you broke yourself so they could save
The very lives that now leave you undone.

But let them go, with all they took away,
The bitter truth is theirs alone to keep:
A house built on the things they can’t repay
Is just a shallow place where shadows sleep.

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Stepping back onto a bustling set holding an actual script was an incredible rush. Knowing my voice would be live changed everything.

The absolute highlight was trading dialogue directly with the main cast. I shared the frame with the phenomenal Kim Chiu, whose on-set energy is infectious. I also got to deliver lines alongside Elle Villanueva—who plays the fierce Atty. Vanessa in GMA’s intense drama Apoy sa Dugo.

Watching them switch instantly from casual banter to raw dramatic focus when the director shouted “Action!” was a masterclass. Delivering my lines smoothly alongside them and hearing “Cut, good take!” was incredibly validating.

This experience reminded me that passions never really leave you. It was a fun, exhilarating return that reaffirmed my love for the screen. I am officially back, and I can’t wait for the next role!

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Think of it in terms of the human body. An ordinary person looks at the body and understands its basic functions: it breathes, it moves, it digests, and it performs its daily duties. That knowledge is perfectly sufficient for survival. But a doctor sees the body entirely differently. Where the ordinary eye sees smooth skin, a doctor visualizes the complex network of nerves, the cellular regeneration, the microscopic electrical impulses, and the intricate anatomical systems keeping the person alive. The doctor knows there is infinitely more to the body than what meets the eye.

That is how I have come to view Christianity. There is a deeper spiritual anatomy to this faith that the ordinary mind rarely encounters. Beneath the structured dogmas and Sunday obligations lies an expansive, esoteric side to spiritual practice—a landscape of mysticism that only a few truly explore. This isn’t a rejection of my Catholic identity; rather, it is an evolution of it. It is the belief that our faith holds keys to unseen dimensions that go far beyond basic catechism.

This realization has completely reshaped my personal practice. I don’t just pray for the sake of repetition; I engage with the living, breathing spiritual ecosystem that surrounds us. My daily walk with faith involves actively working with spirits and communicating with angels—the celestial messengers and guardians that scripture mentions, but whom we rarely teach people to truly interact with. I have developed a personal language of prayer, utilizing intentions and spiritual alignments that feel authentic to the deeper truths I have come to understand.

Living and practicing faith on this level can feel solitary, as it moves away from the conventional path trodden by the crowd. But just like the doctor who finds wonder in the hidden complexities of the human form, I find an overwhelming sense of peace and purpose in exploring the deeper layers of the divine.

Christianity is not a flat, two-dimensional set of rules. It is a multi-dimensional spiritual reality, filled with mysteries waiting for those who are willing to look past the surface and seek the deeper architecture of the soul.

The post Looking beyond the surface of my faith – Folk Catholicism. appeared first on kimocea.

You give, but receive less. You give, but you are appreciated just for that moment. You give, but you’re still the last on the list. Don’t worry because I feel you. When your love is not reciprocated, you feel empty. You start to question your worth. Is it still not enough? Am I not enough? So, you continue to give your love, until one day you suddenly realize, there’s nothing left for you anymore. When all you ever wanted was only to be loved in return.

Love passionately, but leave some for yourself. Don’t allow yourself to be drained with doubts of your worth just because you loved too much, you gave too much, and you allowed yourself to be treated as an option for too long. If you have been treated this way, leave without the need to explain. Regain yourself and give that unrequited love you have given away just for yourself. For now, you are your own priority.

But just because you gave in and experience a rather bitter situation like this, please don’t forget to remind yourself that you are worthy to be loved as much as you love, and never regret the love you once give, because in life, what matters most is your generosity, and not what you receive.

My love, I pray that you will meet someone out there who will love you as much as you love them. To make you as part of their life, and their priorities. What is it in loving a person if you just put them on your bottom list? I hope someday someone will find you who will be happy to have you, who will be excited to see you, and who will put you in their plans and their future and make every effort to stick around.

You are worthy of a reciprocated love. Remember that.

If there’s one person who you will give your purest love first, this person should be you – the person who loves unconditionally and true. Invest in yourself first, not with the wrong people.

I hope you find a person that will treat you good and will understand and accept you for who you are, who will not take advantage of you and not question you for being you, and will accept you as you are without standardizing and judging you; and will love you without reservations.

But my dear, when you love, leave some for yourself because sooner or later it is when the well runs dry that you realize that there’s nothing left for you anymore, because you have given too much – of your time, of your effort, of your love – to people who you dearly love but take you for granted.

My love, I say this again, Love, but don’t love too much, and I hope that if you love again, love and leave some for yourself.

You are too full of love to be only half loved by someone.

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I was born, baptized, and raised Roman Catholic. My mama was religious, but my papa was not; My mama brings us all to Sunday mass but my papa was left at home. My mama prays with us every single day but without papa.

I never questioned why my papa was not religious and did not seem to bother. All I know was that even though he was not religious, he was a good father to us, and somehow professed that there is a God — he was agnostic, perhaps.

When I was in Grade 2, I had time with my guidance counselor, Ms. Elena Yee (God bless her soul). She asked me the usual question asked to young kids “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I replied “Ms Yee, I wanted to be a priest.” God bless my good soul for having this innocent decision when I was just 8 years old.

But when I was in Grade Six, I began to get interested in the metaphysical, the paranormal, the religions outside Christianity, the Occult, and the other worlds outside our world. This vastness made me rethink of my reality and made me question my existence, our existence. That in reality, we are just a spec of dust in this universe that bible stories or creation stories can’t justify.

Don’t get me wrong but I was told before by a religious friend that we should not be taking the Creation Story literally. The Holy Bible is full of stories with symbols, and it’s our responsibility with the intellect given to us on how to decipher the messages behind these stories.

Faith and Whys

“Who is the real religion? Aren’t religions just a result of cultural differences that lead to the same awareness? which leads to the same God?”

“Is there really life outside Earth? Are aliens real?”

“If Egyptian Magic was mentioned in the bible several times, Magic must indeed be real. Are there spiritual planes we are not aware of?”

“Who takes care of this planet? Why is the cycle of nature so precise? Do elementals really exist?”

“Is anyone really listening to my prayers?”

“Are prayers just the result of the Law of Universe?”

“When is the End of the World? Many people have already died before me. Is it really near?”

“How can we work with Angels to aid us with our lives? How can we meet our Spirit Guides?”

My questions about life’s mysteries are endless, and being a religious Catholic won’t help me in discovering the answers of my whys and how comes.

Being religious means being limited to a set of restrictions on religion. That if you are not with us, you are against us. That if you don’t believe like me, you are not with me.

I was part of a charismatic group when I was a teenager, and it was a part of my life story that I will forever cherish. I was full of the spirit, from the time I wake up to the time I sleep. I do nothing except praise. I stopped watching TV, stopped listening to secular music, stopped wearing black (because they said it was a color of darkness, and that God was light.) I was living a restricted and disciplined lifestyle, but I liked it anyway. I was contented and happy even when society thinks otherwise.

But I stopped and went separate ways with the group. Though Jesus is in my heart, I know that there is more to what I am believing and their set of rules. I was wrong when I said I was contented because I was not.

Journey to Discovery

In my journey of discovering the answers to my questions, I studied World Religion and immersed myself with their beliefs. And to be honest, as I search for answers, I got lost and confused. I wanted to just go back to my religious life but my mind has already been tainted with more whys. It’s like I have eaten the apple that Adam and Eve ate.

For how many years now, I have had encountered many faiths. I immersed myself by becoming a Born-again, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Pagan, a Hindu, even becoming a believer of the other worlds. But through all these, I grounded myself to the promise that even if I go far, my faith is still with Christianity. My faith is still with Jesus Christ (Mighty is his name.) I will never compromise my Christianity in any way. It was not easy, but it was life-changing and interesting.

One thing that these religions have in common – all religions lead to the teaching of Love, and that most religions somehow originated from a single source that sprouted to become religions on their own. And that through these differences, we are bound to live a life co-existing with other creations of this universe.

My encounters with different faiths made me appreciate the uniqueness of their beliefs. Each of these religions taught me a thing or two on how to live my life pleasing to the creator.

There won’t be divisions of religion in heaven, anyway. And you won’t go to hell for living a good life but believing a different faith. It doesn’t make sense at all. In the end, when we die, it’s how we lived a fulfilling life and helping our fellows that matters, and not much on personal beliefs.

The Complexity of God

I may not completely comprehend God, but I know the higher energy or whatever you call him is here to guide us with our lives. I believe that God is out there, but his or her complexity is far from our human understanding. Even the gender of God I cannot understand. How does God really look like? Is he the usual White-bearded guy in a white wardrobe? or just a ball of bright light? Ah, I don’t know. All I know is God is there above and we owe our lives to him.

That’s is why I prefer being Spiritual than being religious. To cultivate my spiritual life than continue my whys without clear answers to my questions, because it will be an endless search and I had enough.

To Each His Own

For now, my belief system is a collection of beliefs from all that I find beneficial in my life. I still pray my morning prayers, but I also set my intentions to the Universe. I follow the holy commandments, but I also follow the wise sayings of the enlightened buddhists. I believe in God, but I also believe that there is more to human life and this Earth.

A lot of people, maybe including you, may say I am wrong with my beliefs, but this is mine, and whatever gives me contentment, even if it doesn’t make sense to others, won’t matter anymore.

I now understand my father even better. May his soul now in peace. I believe what I want to believe in, and you believe in yours, let’s just live ethical and meaningful lives, and respect each other and continue each of our own unique faiths.

May God gives us all our hearts desires.

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After his call, my 20-year-old self innocently asked him “Sir, why don’t you accept the order? More orders, more money!”

He looked at me and replied, “Young boy, this is not about money. This is about protecting your brand. The reality is we can’t serve everybody. We just can’t accept projects just for the money. It’s not like that.” And that hit me hard.

He taught me this value that I still carry on until now.

In the corporate world, there will always be competition and politics. Competing with each other, and proving to the clients/ bosses who’s the best to make them look worthy than the other.

My point here is there will always be competition, and that is normal. But pulling someone down for your gain is not normal. Even so, as much as we fight for fair competition, there will always be these people, so all we have to do is to be vigilant and be on guard.

My wish to my fellow professionals: Stop unhealthy competition. There is enough for everyone. May we all make our hearts desire. 

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I was a school athlete as a Sprinter during Grade School and early High School, and have always been proud of that. Humility aside, my fastest record was 16 seconds for a 100 meter dash at 12 years old.

My childhood dream has always been an athlete for track and field, specifically competing for Running, and represent the country just like the athletes for SEA Games and the Olympics; until our family doctor advised me to quit due to medical reasons.

I miss the open lot at the back of Collegio de Immaculada de Concepcion where we used to practice every end of class. As the clock striked 4pm, it’s time to change and head to practice.

We, together with my fellow school varsity, felt entitled (in a good way) for being way too spoiled by Fr. Julian Hernando, SJ (then SHS-J – Ateneo de Cebu Sports Head) for giving us all we needed – from branded uniforms to branded running shoes, and overflowing supply of sports drink just for us to win and give glory to the school and St. Ignatius.

I visited once the new campus of SHS-J Ateneo where my 2 younger sisters also graduated, and I was happy to see a track and field oval named after him – The “Fr. Hernando Athletic Field”

I may not have continued what I always wanted when I was younger, but I will always love the field. I will always love running, the sweat, the discipline and the adrenaline to get the gold.

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Joanna Wang is Taiwanese-American Singer-Songwriter and a left-handed guitarist; and of all the other singers that I admire, she is my favorite. She has influenced my life for 9 years now. Her music and personality best describe me and my mood.

All of her songs are well-loved, but the song that I love most is her singing a 1952 hit “That’s All” by Nat King Cole. Her husky and calm voice give life to every melody and words from the song.

Bringing much emotions to me is this verse where the singer assures that there is not much that he is asking in a relationship, but honest love. It goes –

If you’re wondering what I’m asking in return, dear
You’ll be glad to know that my demands are small
Say it’s me that you’ll adore
For now and ever more
That’s all, that’s all

I listen to her song most often, especially when I feel the need to have some dopamine hit and creative inspiration. Her music has always been my comfort. A very classic artist I must say.

Though she widely received positive feedbacks from her album “Let’s Start From Here”, she may not like the whole concept and being called a Jazz Singer was not a thing for her.

“I just want to say that singing less ‘high’ (upbeat) songs doesn’t necessarily equate to being jazzy. That’s a misunderstanding I seem to hear a lot in Asia.”; “I don’t think I am a jazz singer; but unfortunately, I’ve been stuck with this label for some odd reason.” she explained with a little frown in one interview.

Later on in 2019, Joanna found her calling and came back to the limelight with her retro romance album. I still love her nonetheless.

Here is the music video of my most loved song from Joanna. Enjoy the song.

I love you, Joanna. From your number #1 fan from the Philippines.

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My desire for minimalism was triggered when I got worn out with pressuring myself to wear new clothes everyday, even to the point of purchasing substandard outfits just to fill the void.

When I decided to unclutter my closet followed the uncluttering of my things – owning a lot of things that I actually didn’t find practical at all, bought things in the moment and piling it up unused. I then decided to give it all away, leaving me with owning just the basic things that I need. I felt relieved.

For how many years now, I lived in monochrome fashion, and it didn’t matter now when people question why I have always worn black, sometimes gray, brown, and basic earth toned colors in regular days. There is no more pressure. All I have to do is pick any of my shirts and I’m good for the day. Though, I do dress up for special occasion.

I also live a very basic lifestyle with doing and having things that satisfy me – basically surviving while enjoying the beauty of simplicity, and letting things be. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a boring life, in fact, my physical fashion may look plain, but my inner world is way colorful and exciting as it can be. As they say – Wear Black, Think Multicolor. I won’t be thriving in the Creative Industry if I was.

There is a proverb by an Indian Spiritual leader named Osho, he said:

“If you love a flower, don’t pick it up.
Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love.
So if you love a flower, let it be.
Love is not about possession.
Love is about appreciation.”

– Osho

Since then, I have just been appreciating things I love without the need of owning it. So, if I decide to have something, that thing is already valuable to me. Much so for love.

Living the minimalist lifestyle has always been a therapy for me, it gave me clearer visions, less noise and more savings. It also made my life more meaningful as I testify to the truth in the saying that Less is definitely more.

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