Life lately has been a whirlwind of change, growth, challenges, and grateful chaos. 

Key Takeaways: Update on My Life Lately

• I moved to America after years of pandemic separation from my husband, navigating the exhausting immigration process and emotional goodbyes.
• The transition brought healthier habits, daily park walks, and a happiness my husband notices radiating from me.
• I expanded my career into SEO work that challenges and excites me while learning to navigate the evolution of AI-driven search.
• Typhoon Tino devastated the Philippines, affecting my family and exposing government corruption that diverts flood-control funds.
• Despite the chaos of major life changes, I'm reading more non-fiction and planning to launch digital products before year's end.

Life lately has been equal parts bliss and anxiety: new adventure, new experiences, new place, new people, new challenges.

I haven't shared anything personal here in a while. It's been intentional because I don't want to overshare. 

But I'm returning to why I started this blog: to make people feel less alone by sharing my own journey.

So here we go.

Life Lately: Crossing Oceans for Love

I've moved to a new continent. I finally joined my husband in America after years of separation due to the pandemic.

The process was torturous. Mountains of paperwork to comply with US law. Endless waiting. Eye-watering expenses. Detours at every turn. 

Then came the move itself: selling and donating belongings, cleaning, packing. If you've moved cross-country or internationally, you know the insane time and energy it demands.

I went through all of it.

Love That Survived the Distance

Long distance wasn't a walk in the park. Being apart from your spouse is hard, especially when communication becomes a daily challenge. Our marriage was tested repeatedly.

But I'm grateful for my husband, for who he is and how he loves. I never once doubted his loyalty during those years apart. Having God at the center of our relationship made all the difference.

Grieving What I Left Behind

I had to let go of so many things I loved because I couldn't bring them with me.

Confession: I cried when it hit me that I had to sell my work desk and office chair; my home, more than my bed, ever was. It felt like a small thing, but I realized I needed to grieve that loss. 

That desk witnessed everything: work wins and breakdowns, video calls, late-night series binges during my depression. That desk and chair saw me through it all.

Saying goodbye felt like losing an old, trusted friend. I just hope the new buyer appreciates them as much as I did.

I grieved for the life I learned to love. My routines, my independence, my solitude. 

Living alone in that house is one of the most peaceful and best times of my life.

Life Lately: Everything Feels Brand New

Life here is completely different from my home country. I'm now thousands of feet above sea level, where it's colder (for a tropical girl), but I love it. 

We've built a routine I genuinely enjoy. The quiet mornings are so peaceful. The view from our window takes my breath away. Our life is simple but deeply satisfying.

I appreciate how much cleaner it is here, how we see wildlife on our morning walks. It makes me treasure what I have now, knowing what I lacked before. And hey, my new desk and chair aren't half bad! 

Life Lately: Healthier and Happier Than Ever

I may be in my 40s, but I feel healthier than ever. I'm in my hiking era (that's me in the heading image!).

I'm more conscious about food choices, I work out regularly, and my husband and I enjoy daily park walks. He's even commented that I seem happier now than before.

Expanding My Career

At the start of this year, I chose "expand" as my word of the year. I've expanded into a new role that I genuinely enjoy. I'm diving deep into SEO (search engine optimization), continuously learning because Google keeps evolving. Especially with AI reshaping everything.

But I love what I do. Challenges excite me.

Typhoons Hit Home

This month, Typhoon Tino (international name Kalmaegi) slammed the Philippines. My family was affected. Some had to be rescued and evacuated as floodwaters kept rising. 

Only a couple of days after, Typhoon Uwan (Fung-wong) struck, this time mostly affecting the northern part.

Thankfully, they're safe along with our dogs. No serious damage. No major injuries or illnesses. But for those terrifying hours when the power went out and signals became unstable, I could barely breathe from worry.

And this happened only four weeks after they were hit by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake.

The Philippines: A Country Robbed

Corruption has been normalized in the Philippines for as long as I can remember. But recent events exposed the ugly truth: 

The Philippines isn't a poor country. It's been robbed.

Congressmen, senators, and officials pocket trillions meant for flood control projects while living lavish lifestyles they flaunt online. 

People die every year from flooding because of substandard or completely ghost projects. Then, when calamities hit, these politicians parade around distributing relief goods with their faces plastered on every package. As if they spent their own money instead of taxpayer funds.

I don't get it. How do you stomach watching the news—your fellow citizens sitting on rooftops, fearing for their lives as water keeps rising, waiting for rescue, starving and freezing, some desperately trying to revive their loved one—while you sit comfortably in your mansion? How do you sleep at night knowing you could've saved them if only you'd put the money where it was supposed to go? The disaster could've been avoided if only you had built proper drainage instead of buying your wives' and children's Hermes bags and diamonds.

Yes, Filipinos are resilient. Something I'm actually proud of. But it's time to stop romanticizing resilience. It's time to demand accountability from people who left us no choice but to survive when we should've been thriving.

I hope those responsible face justice. But since the majority are complicit, I doubt it'll happen soon.

Typhoon Donations Accepted

If you see our government asking for donations, don't send them!

They'll likely pocket the money for another Rolls-Royce, foreign property, or private jet while their people sit in hours of traffic on broken roads with no proper transportation system.

Instead, I highly recommend the trusted NGO Angat Buhay Foundation. Every penny you send reaches typhoon victims. 

Or send it to me. I'll forward it directly to our church that accepts evacuees, or to my sister, who can buy the goods and deliver them personally.

Here's where you can send help:

Reading Recap

I've been slow with reading this year because of the big move and all the changes. But I'm proud I finished a non-fiction book, and I'm currently reading another (with more on my TBR).

That's huge for someone who can devour fiction in a day but struggles to focus on non-fiction for an hour.

What does enjoying life lately mean?

Life Lately: Chaotic but Blessed

Despite the challenges — my family's situation, my country's corruption, all the upheaval — I still feel blessed and grateful for everything I have.

How about you? How's your life been lately? I hope you're always well, my friend.