All my life, I experienced flooding annually. I would blame my parents for choosing a bad place for a house. I got traumatized by the rain, flood, and wind brought by typhoons in the Philippines. Then, all this corruption in flood control in the news showed up. And, I realized, my parents were not the problem. They did what they thought was best.

It’s enraging, nakakagalit. It has shown me how brutally those people are using taxpayers’ money for their own benefit. You see, flooding not only kills people through flash floods or erosion, but also indirectly kills people through hunger or sickness.

For years, I was always worried our house would be destroyed by the flood on top of my sick father. I grew up anxious about the rain, and so did those who had the same experience. I remember lining up in a queue to get relief goods with the politician’s name or face, or getting to a crowded area only to beg for that little money that could barely afford a week’s worth of dialysis. I swear, getting some money for a dialysis session was like begging. And, we couldn’t even afford to protest for begging the taxpayers’ money.

But, the billions of pesos going to the pockets of these corrupt individuals are the cause of the death of many. I saw my father telling us not to bother spending money on him, and I know that when he got bedridden, he was considerate enough to think about our welfare that he thought he’d be a hassle to us when the flood entered the house again. This is just a lone example. How much more those families who are poorer than us? They think that these politicians giving us little from the taxpayers’ money are their heroes, not knowing that they’re the very cause of why we got into that situation. Those individuals who are fighting fair would endure the bare minimum in an evacuation center when the flood destroyed their homes and would rather choose to die instead of going to the hospitals. If this money were only used to brace the Philippines in every typhoon, my family and other average and poor families wouldn’t be so stressed out about where to get money if their basic needs are destroyed by a flood.

It’s a sad reality that takes time to understand. But, I hope this issue does not die down and the beginning of a better flood control project or a health care system.

If you have very limited time to visit the National Parks, let me tell you, you can do see 3 National Parks including the 28-hr travel time.

We drove from East to West, from Omaha, NE, which was 14hrs from these National Parks. It will be good if you’ll start driving in the morning of your first day out of your 3 days and sleep close to one of the National Parks. On our way to Zion National Park, we stopped by Arches National Park. Slept overnight close to Zion National Park. The parking was terrible at 10am at Zion National Park and we ended up driving around and went to Bryce National Park.

Arches National Park

The hike to the famous arch was so long. In the summer, it was scorching hot. Be prepared. Bring at least a liter of water per person, sunscreen, and wear the most comfortable shoes.

Zion National Park

Make sure to be here early so you can get a good parking spot. At around 10am, we couldn’t find a parking spot so we just drove around and the scenery was still worth our time.

Bryce National Park

This place was majestic. The trek was easy. It could get hot in here, so remember to bring water, sunscreen, and a granola bar with you before trekking. Also, each spot was worth a photo.

On our 3rd and last day, we drove back home. It was a sweet and short trip but our eyes are filled with good views and memories.

Or starting strong but not finishing.

Ningas Cogon has a literal meaning of quick flame in the grass, but a Filipino idiom which means that you only show an initial burst of interest or effort for a new project or task but fails to sustain it over time. It highlights a lack of perseverance and consistency, where something is started with fervor but abandoned once the initial excitement fades.

The past few weeks, the headlines in the Philippines news were about the Nepo babies and their lavish lifestyle. But, they are unacceptable nepo babies because the wealth that they flaunt comes from corruption. Corruption causing the decade flood control problem and other flaws in the societal system where poor and average taxpayers suffer the most.

The sad thing is, we are ningas cogon. We only focus on the initial trending news. We forgot to fight until the end. Let’s take, for example, the case of Alice Guo. Where is she now? Is she getting punished the same way as those poor people convicted for stealing a tray of eggs because they are hungry?

After a while, once this news on nepo babies and billions getting to the pockets of greedy officials and contractors, are we just gonna end up forgiving and forgetting these cold-hearted people? Are we not tired of suffering from floods? While these cold-hearted people enjoy our taxes?

I wanted to remind myself that, as part of the community, it is my responsibility to not forget easily these people who do not play fair in the game of life. May we all learn to persevere and fight for the better life of our next generation.

My younger sister died before she was even born.

I was 5 at the time, and now I am 80.

As a big sister, I could be grieving for such huge loss.

We found a purple tulip the next day that my sister died.

It was a kind of purple that up until this time I haven’t seen another one.

I was distracted by its beauty but didn’t see any deeper meaning.

I didn’t even understand my feelings as a kid, as I do now.

I didn’t cry when she died, and neither did I mourn at any time in my life.

I saw my father cried but, my mother mourned her the most.

I learned that grief feels different at each stage of your life and who are you grieving for.

Your emotions grow older as you mature.

Love builds and sticks through time.

My love for my sister was a love I never understood.

Now that I am older, I would love to believe that the purple tulip was my little sister.

They said tulip bulbs multiply,

But, the purple tulip stayed there by itself.

They also said that tulips bloom for seven years at the most.

The purple tulip is now 75 years old, and so was my little sister.

(Disclaimer: purple tulip was real. It is 75 years old, and was found the next day after the death of a sister. Other details are from the writer.)

I miss having this kind of life where every weekend I can write my thoughts here.

But, life has been eating me whole the past weeks and months.

Despite promising to myself that I will write here once a week, I found myself feeling tired and choosing to lay in bed doomscrolling.

I have been balancing two jobs. For the first time in my life.

One requires my whole physical strength, the other needs my mental health.

While adjusting in my new house and environment.

I lost a couple of good habits I already built (like running every afternoon).

Am I really not having time? Or my mind is tricking me?

I miss this page as I miss my life.

Sometimes we need to sacrifice small things for a greater goal.

A greater goal full of uncertainties.

We can only hope that it would really result to a greater goal.

*sigh*

where to go:

what to bring:

what to expect:

GOOD FOR: those seeking a quick adventure close to Fillmore County in Minnesota. It will only take you an hour going in and out of the cave.

BECAUSE: it is a cave in the middle of farm fields. Like hectares/acres of corn and soybean fields.

I MEAN: I was working in a small town in Iowa that was an hour away, and there wasn’t much to do for the weekend in that place. So, I was like, why not search for a mini adventure?

AND I FOUND: Niagara Cave in Minnesota.

IT’S COOL: Literally, because it was a constant 48F all throughout the year inside the cave (make sure to wear a hoodie before entering the cave), and the entrance was like the door of the fridge, and figuratively, because it was underground and was discovered through the three little pigs (I will not spoil and let you know the story when you visit the place).

ENTRANCE FEE: was 28.77 (year 2025). And only guided tour is allowed. You need to book an appointment, but if it is not a busy season I guess you can just do walk-in. We did book our tour on the day itself but there’s still a couple of slots available when we reached the place.

MY FAVORITE PARTS: are relearning stalactites and stalagmites and when they meet they form the column. Our guide was a senior high school student, but he was really good at explaining the stuff. It was my first time seeing fluorescent stalactites, and they are fascinating when you point your UV light on them, and it’s like you are a wizard from Harry Potter. Lastly, you will experience a complete darkness at the end of the tour where your eyes really won’t adjust and see anything.

BUT PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE CAVE FORMATION: this lady kept touching the formation despite the tour guide telling our group not to, because it disrupts the formation of stalactites and stalagmites. Please respect any place you are visiting and follow the rules.

NOT IDEAL IF: you are coming all the way from the other side of the world and have a week or two in the US. Do not get me wrong. It was a unique and mesmerizing underground cave, but one day is enough to get around here, and then you will need to travel a distance to get to another touristy spot.