Yes, a book for kids. Reading a controversial book “for kids” with an open mind in this conservative Catholic society.

To quote “Many people don’t follow a religion or believe in a god, but still lead ethical and meaningful lives. These people use reason, science and compassion to live fulfilling, moral lives…you can be a good person with morals and values without a religion.”

My thoughts: Religions say they preach LOVE, but it’s ironic how they argue that one or the other is the True Religion.

Say for example Christianity alone, we believe in Jesus, but Religion creates division.

Catholic VS Born-agains VS Iglesia Ni Cristo VS Dating Daan VS Pastor Quiboloy’s. All pray to Jesus with love, but argue and divide each other with hate. Sad reality religion creates.

Continue to believe what you believe. As they say, to each his own, respect each other and continue that faith.

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Looking back, I can confidently say it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. From the moment we stepped into the professional kitchen, the experience was an absolute whirlwind of excitement.

I had so much fun learning the mechanics behind the culinary arts—from mastering precision knife cuts to understanding the delicate science of balancing flavors under pressure. The energy in the kitchen was infectious, turning tough, fast-paced challenges into moments of pure joy.

The hard work paid off in a big way. After months of intense training, sweat, and dedication, I was proud to share that I passed the TESDA Cookery NC2 assessment somehow. Holding that certification feels amazing, but as validating as it is, the greatest lessons I took home weren’t printed on paper.

While ISCAHM taught me world-class techniques and technical standards, the real education began when I looked beyond the classroom discussions.

I’ve come to realize that being a truly effective cook isn’t just about memorizing a recipe. It demands active, continuous practice. It’s about getting your hands dirty, refining your instinctual muscle memory, and building the confidence that only comes from spending time at the stove.

Most importantly, this journey taught me the ultimate truth about food: cooking is only ever truly tasteful if it is cooked from the heart and from experience. You can follow a recipe to the exact gram, but without genuine passion, intention, and love poured into the pan, a dish is just food. The most unforgettable meals are seasoned with our own stories, our memories, and our mistakes. ISCAHM gave me the tools and the foundation, but life and love will always be the ultimate ingredients.

Here’s to the next dish, practicing every day, and always cooking with heart!

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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.

It was during the pandemic in 2020 when I decided to buy a lot at Foressa Mountain Town, a development of Aboitizland, at the mountains of Balamban. As we all know, almost everything went low, including this, so I took the opportunity to inquire and buy one.

One of the reasons why I pushed myself to invest on land is because my late father used to invest on land and properties as well. This is my first time to buy a piece of land, and I believe it’s worth the investment.

I’m curious as to how much it costs now that it’s 2023, so I chanced upon a property specialist just a few days ago, and to my surprise a sqm of land went up to 30% up from the rate I got it for. As they say, you’ll never go wrong with real estate. 

Looking at the development of Foressa, there is something to look forward as it said to be the future getaway at the Midwest of Cebu since aside from having houses, there will be commercial spaces and adventure activities to be offered.

I have also heared that sometime in the future, there are plans that the Cebu Provincial Capitol will be transferred to Balamban, and having a place in Foressa Mountain Town is an advantage for me if I, God willing, will go do business with the Cebu Provincial Capitol in the future.

Also, I chose this development is that I want to be closer to nature, and having a place near the mountains in a secured community such as Foressa Mountain Town is a good choice.

I was excited when my property specialist informed me that my lot is ready for turnover. So, here’s me together with my mama and my 2 younger sisters for the turn over. It was around 2 hour drive from the Cebu City proper, and it was all worth it.

I still have no plans yet if I will build a rest house here, or sell it in the future… For now, all I know is that I have a piece of land as an investment, and something I can call mine. 

Here’s to more small wins with you. 

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I drove from Manila City to Subic just to try the Discovery flight that was offered by Capt. Mich & Capt. Daryl.

It was 2pm when my younger sister, Kristiana, and I arrived at the Subic International Airport Gate 5. We first had a pre-flight briefing and then we started to do the basics of taxiing – and then we flew.

With us on the flight was Capt. Daryll, giving me the 1st officer seat for me to have a worthwhile pilot experience as I maneuver from taxi, take off, flight and landing – of course with his guidance and care.

Giggles – the perfect word that described what I felt during that flight, and still the feeling I have now while writing this story.

This experience was a perfect decision-maker for me – if I really wanted to do flight school or was it just a random interest. So, for those who want to try out flying school, you may experience this first, and decide after.

When we took off, it literally scared me to the bones, but after some time absorbing all the mechanics of the aircraft how many feet above and observing the outside environment, especially understanding the wind, my fear turned to cheers – I had an unforgettable experience.

Here’s a raw clip. Enjoy.

Fly with you soon!

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My morning ritual always include a cup of black coffee over morning contemplation, and for a lack of a better term, it helps me poop well (I definitely have to say that too, haha); and when I reach my office, another cup of black coffee is on my desk. Like any other psychoactive stimulant, black coffee gives me a hint of focus and boost my mood, it even calms and relaxes me down.

I may want to fancy freshly brew coffee beans, but instant coffee is already okay for me. I have tried several instant coffee but Nescafe has always been my staple go-to everyday coffee. Aside from its coffee, one of the reasons as to why Nescafe is my primary choice is because of their relatable ad that questions us “Para kanino ka bumabangon?” (Who do you wake up for?) The Nescafe ad warms my heart that makes this question my everyday motivation to wake up with a purpose. I just love Nescafe coffee.

My daily coffee consumption is moderately 3 coffee cups a day, more than that, I get to palpitate. and when this happens, I counteract by drinking a lot of water. My palpitation is so bad that I tell myself I won’t be drinking coffee anymore, but then again, when it subsides, I drink coffee again. I can never say no to my coffee. I love my coffee.

If I have a long day of desk work or study time, I drink black coffee, but when I have a long day of physical work, I take coffee with sugar and cream. Plain black coffee again gives me the focus that I need, and on the other hand, coffee with sugar and cream give me the rush that I need for the long day of work.

I hope you love coffee as much as I do. Conversations with coffee with you may be a good choice for me. Tara, kape tayo?

The post The darker, the better appeared first on kimocea.

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.

The post My Spirituality appeared first on kimocea.

Since we are still in quarantine, there is not much to do in our fiesta – no grand procession, no sports liga, no flores de mayo activities.

I and Chef Rizzi, my childhood friend and now Head Chef of Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa made ourselves busy even at the early weeks of ECQ cooking and selling food to neighbors and neighboring villages; and just when the novena started, I opened to her the idea of sponsoring food, and she nodded yes; she planned to do live cooking Filipino street food but ended up serving pastries instead.

Earlier this week, I and Rizzi went to SnR and I bought 3 mason jars and presentation plates for discounted prices, and I think this is the best time to make use of it – serving people food for the good señor’s novena.

For my menu, I have this good for 50 pax –

1. Cheese Chicken Sticks with sweet and sour sauce
2. Chicken Skin with tuba vinegar
3. Chicken Sandwich
4. Buttered Baguette with MexicanSalsa
5. Pinoy Skinless Longganisa
6. Bacon flavored Potato Chips
7. Hibiscus infused Chocolate drink; and
8. Melon Juice

My mama told me “Serve mo lang sa plato. Mga kapit-bahay lang naman kakain.” I listened but did not completely followed. I always am extra, so I made a setup that is worth an experience. Everyone deserves a better treatment even on a budget.

Everyone’s favorite was the chicken skin. It took a while to prepare and cook, so it deserves the much compliment, though everything on the table where savored as I would love it to be savored.

To my community, Happy fiesta to us!

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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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