Do not escape ranks. Escape the illusions. — I come from an Asian country obsessed with rankings and hierarchies. I remember the days when my mother would happily tell neighbors and anyone she met that her daughter was always in the top three. She didn’t praise me to my face, but boasting to other mothers was how she…

What’s all this fuss about dream jobs? Looking for one right now? Green, jobless, and no titles yet. In 2014, I toured the streets of Bonifacio Global City for the first time. I was on the hunt for my first job back when job hunting involved submitting resumes to receptionists…

When I ended up in that line of work, I knew that I had to get over my fear. “Go out and talk to people,” my mother used to tell me. She was my first teacher on the art of striking conversations with strangers on the streets. From time to…

Care only about being understood, not being perfect. — “You speak carabao English.” I’ve heard this spoken more often than not, in classrooms and even at work. The phrase “carabao” English is a reference to one of my country’s national symbols — the carabao. The carabao is a domestic water buffalo and it is a common sight to see…

You can turn off panic mode if you find yourself in a similar situation. — The plane dipped for landing. Minutes later, the three passengers in the plane’s business class gathered their belongings. I was one of them. One of the stewardesses approached and welcomed me to Brussels. She wished me luck. I smiled halfheartedly. …

I mourn the loss of a tomorrow where I can bring my future children to the river below me. I wish I could tell you all about the lands of my childhood, how I carved my first name on a mango trunk, how I swam in the river, often scared…

Self-defense lessons for women expats and women in the workplace Back in my home country, I’ve always felt unsafe when returning home from work. The affordable apartments are usually in gritty areas populated by people of all sorts of backgrounds. In the morning, the bustle gives me energy. …

Aren’t we all just numbers in Someone’s general ledger? If you suffer from melancholia and if you ever find yourself wandering the border of Luxembourg and Belgium, look for the city of Bastogne. At the outskirt of the centrum, you will find an unremarkable building and a five-point-star-shaped memorial just…

Become the crow that filled a pitcher with pebbles. Since I started practicing my profession as an accountant, I’ve always been careful not to tell people about my love for writing. I don’t want them to associate my creative inclination with my knack for crunching numbers. After all, nobody ever…