I’d like to preface this entry by saying that this was the craziest year, so far. Back in December 2024, I made an oath to live quietly in 2025 for a change…

The reset happened, sure. But not in the way I planned.

A quiet beginning.

I started this year in a mundane routine— teaching, motherhood, graduate school, with bits of side trips in between. I still had about four months left in my teaching contract and all I could think about at the time was the requirements I need to accomplish by then. I was literally at the first square since my long-term relationship ended in 2024, and I had to figure things out independently. To say that I was lost was an understatement, really.

Financially, I can say that I wasn’t totally down, since my ESL career has always been constant and my parents never abandoned me (to which I am truly grateful for) even when I am already an adult. I also managed to start investing— got the first insurance for me, Caleb, and my family with the help of my best friend who is also now my agent, Gem.

Few months forward, I took a break from classroom teaching to focus on re-calibration. I started preparing for my comprehensive exams in graduate school, re-centered my career on teaching ESL, and upskilling. Managed to get certifications and I even thought of transitioning into a different career path but so far, I haven’t really made a huge switch and my luck hasn’t played out well in this domain. It’s okay though— at least my schedule is still filled with my students across the world who are eager to be good at English. It has always been like this for the past six years anyway, even when I ventured into classroom teaching and being a government employee in the past.

On learning to fly again…

I’d say this was one of the craziest highlights. Yeah, I did plan to travel, but I didn’t expect I’d be doing my first flight after eight long years— on my first international flight.

August 13, 2025.

I got a mix of jitters and excitement as I boarded the plane. I’ve always felt wanderlust of sorts, but this one? Overwhelming. It was my first time flying alone from one point to another, my first time being away from my family for a long time, and my first international trip— Hanoi, Vietnam; Singapore; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The next nine days were strong surges of dopamine rush I’ve never experienced before. I learned and experienced about new cultures, met new people, and amplified my desire to explore career paths abroad. Words aren’t enough to encapsulate my thoughts, and I never really thought I’d make it outside the Philippines. Such experiences are privileges not all can get, and I am truly blessed to try this at a young age.

More of them in pictures below.

Then came September. Another flight to Manila, this time for my first concert— Mayday Parade’s Three Cheers for 25 Years tour. I just got into their music this year and some of their songs resonated with my life’s bittersweet parts. I eventually learned to love their music, especially when I saw them perform live.

Managing my emotions was a huge challenge throughout because I’ve always been a scaredy-cat when trying new things. I really hated how anxiety got the best of me during some parts of the trips aforementioned and I’d want to recreate these times again to do better.

This basically concluded with a renewed fire for life, and a painful realization of how much time I wasted in the past when all these can be doable even back then, it’s just that I wasn’t as courageous to break cycles back then. I could’ve visited more places back then. It is what it is, though.

Fast forward to November 2025— the first time I did a solo trip in Manila! I just really couldn’t help it; I gotta learn how to plan trips on my own before I reach my 30s. So I took the jump, booked tickets and a hotel for my first night, and plotted the places.

This trip also kickstarted my content creation journey on YouTube and my only gear at the time was my iPhone 14 and my five year-old laptop. Backpacking from Makati to Caloocan was a bit scary, I couldn’t deny, but I felt what it’s like to be independent at the same time, and for a first-timer like me, I took that as a huge win.

I tried the famous rage room in Makati to get relieved from stress and heartbreak, and it was cathartic. I then proceeded to our home in Caloocan to spend time with my dad and some of my childhood friends. Manila was my first home and a strong surge of nostalgia came in as I roamed around the spots where I spent my childhood in.

Overall, this year’s trips also caused me to fall in love in aviation. I logged all of my flights and travels and I am now learning the ropes of the industry— the planes, the airports, the activities done by an aviation geek, and more. Caleb, my son, is also starting to get pulled by my new interest… that he even thought of wanting to be a pilot when he grows up!

New and rekindled hobbies!

This part will really amplify the jack-of-all-trades in me. Not that I am actually aiming to be the best at all these, but they do make me feel alive— something I’ve been wanting to consistently feel.

My long-time friends have always known me as someone inclined towards literature and arts, hence they wouldn’t be surprised about this. But, I’ve always been into writing, sketching, and painting since high school. Having attained a high school diploma under the arts curriculum, I’ve briefly developed these skills until they came to a halt when motherhood happened.

I rekindled my love for writing by reactivating my first WordPress blog (If you’ve read coffeepotato, yes. That’s me.) after my teaching contract ended, and I’ve had entries there until October 2025, when I had to shut the site down for unfortunate reasons. Well, I’m here now, anyway. This website is like my rebirth and I made an oath to maintain this like one of the sanctuaries I run to— even more so, a memoir I should take good care of.

Back when I was in Hanoi, while on the way to Văn Miêu (Temple of Literature), I found myself staring at the shop owners painting beautiful pieces in front of their stores.

“I used to paint a lot back in high school,” I muttered.

This made me miss holding brushes and getting colorful stains, so I made sure to really get back to painting before the year ends. Once my schedule became breathable, I bought poster paints and brushes for a start and painted a simple sunset for a warm up. I felt relieved that I can still blend and have a good brush grip after a long time and I’ll be painting more often, for sure.

It’s also been a year since I started running! For 2025, I clutched two fun runs and my running pace has improved a lot. Running was a huge contributor in the improvement of my mental health and the dopamine surge it gives is surely worth every muscle pain I got throughout. I also got reconnected with some of my friends because running has become a popular sport in my city for the past years.

This is also the very first hobby I became consistent with, and that is something I am very proud of, as part of my overall character development. I am honestly looking forward to longer distances and to more fun runs to accomplish in the years to come.

I’ve also been honing my public speaking stints for quite some time. From teaching and hosting local events to actually becoming a resource speaker, I have been conquering anxieties of sorts— improving my confidence and self-esteem overtime. For this part, I am so grateful to my former workplaces, my students in the classrooms I held and in the ESL industry, and to the WordPress community for giving me platforms to let my voice be heard and trusting me with what I can contribute.

I also finished a lot of books this year! I wrote some reviews on my former blog but since they’re gone, I have to re-read them again to get a better grasp of each and write a review with a better understanding of the lessons we can get. In the meantime, here are the books I finished:

• Through It All – Joena San Diego
• Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life – Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia
• The Strong Gets Tired Too – Joena San Diego
• The Daily Stoic – Ryan Holiday
• The Diamond Girls – Jacqueline Wilson
• Designing Your Life – Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Reading has always been a helpful way for me to improve my way with words when I speak and write, and I still have a lot of books to read in my room, so I am definitely dedicating more time to read in 2026.

Lastly, my content creation journey has started! I became active on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok using the very same brand I have here— YourMangoLatte. I only have a few tools at the moment; my laptop, my iPhone 14, and a vlogging microphone from Amgras. My editing skills are still at the amateur level, but I can proudly say that having published some content online is one of my wins this year as this signifies me coming out of my shell and being confident in sharing my adventure. I am so excited to film and write more often, and to upgrade my kit with better devices!

Cheers to friendships, too!

Aside from maintaining the ones who have been constant with me since the time immemorial to meeting new people— from the colleagues I met in my previous workplaces, the WordPress community, and the ones I met abroad, to rekindling friendships with the people I met in the past,… I gotta say that this has been the year I have become the most sociable, too.

As someone who suffers from anxiety attacks in unfamiliar places, this year’s a major breakthrough. Since I became pretty indoors most of the time when motherhood dawned on me, I’ve always been the type of person who only becomes loud towards the people I’ve been close with. I gradually transitioned into becoming an introvert and that drastically affected the way I deal with people.

I learned to be habitual with making time for my friends, especially when heartbreaks happened. My friends made me realize the standard I should adhere to when it comes to connections, and they’re basically the epitome of loyalty, trust, and shared growth. It really hits when you found the tribe you belong to, and I am so proud and blessed to be friends with them.

Moving forward…

2025, you’re one hell of a roller coaster.

This year is pivotal. I gained experiences that changed my life’s trajectory, and just like how diamonds undergo pressure before shining, I can confidently say I learned a lot of lessons that is now shaping me into a better person.

Sure, everything is non-linear. But I am blessed to have come to this point of realization and mindset, and that I am continuously discovering new ways on how to cherish this one shot I have in life.

“Life is too short, do it for the plot worth-sharing to others.” — as what I have said during the WordPress Cagayan de Oro meetup back in November 2025. Certainly doing my best to live up to this line for myself and for Caleb.

Looking forward to more flights, more places, more adventures, more people to meet, and to life in 2026! CHEERS!

PS. If you’re curious about the dating side of my 2025, I have written a separate entry to that a few weeks ago. It is what it is, and I am looking forward to singlehood this time.