The Blog
I’m overwhelmed by the response to the blog this year. I didn’t know that people actually read what I post here, and so I was really surprised one time when a DENTIST who was just an acquaintance actually shared her travel experiences while waiting for a response from my being cleaned mouth. Random people just message me here and there saying thank you for writing this, and I’m just really so, so GRATEFUL that I have this platform not to be someone else but to be me – ugly parts and all. So thank you for allowing me to be that!
Special thanks to Arielle Guevara for my new logo!
The blog is continuing to grow and next year, I’ll be adding some features!
Photos
Oh gosh, how could I even start?! I’m so indescribably thankful to my #LifeInsideTheCity girls this year. Thank you for saying yes, for taking the time to get lost with me, and for being your own selves. Learned so much from you guys this year! THANK YOU for giving me a chance to be featured in publications and I just really don’t have enough to thank you for that!
Thank you too, Straightforward Clothing for working with me this year! Thanks for recognizing the photos and for entrusting me to make something for you!
Travel
I knew I wasn’t going to be able to travel as much this year, but I’m grateful that I traveled to the pace I want. Sometimes, it’s not about the numbers you know, it’s the quality of every trip and the stories you make out of it. True enough, I’m beyond grateful for Asian Traveler Magazine for letting me share a bit of one of my travel highlights this year!
Writing
It’s a privilege to write in every point possible, and with every word ever written this year, I want to say thank you. Thank you for reading. :)
Life
I’m beyond grateful to God for allowing me to even breathe this year. Thank you for not giving up on me, and for always, always celebrating this life with me. I still don’t have the words to thank You!
I have learned so much this year, and I’m okay to say that I’ve fulfilled my promise to love myself this year. It was a slow process, with lots of letting go, and challenges to improve, but I’m so grateful to be grateful this year.
Grateful for my family for always taking care of me, and to my real friends, no matter how few you are. Love you!
Love you 2015!
"How do you feel when I smile at you," he asked -- and then he did smile at her, just a little.
"Like an idiot," she said softly. "And like I never want it to stop."
– Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl
“All I knew was that when he said that to me, I knew that he meant it. And when I heard it come out of his mouth, it felt like I’d been waiting to hear it my entire life.”
Taylor Jenkins Reid, Forever, Interrupted.
October 2015
I walk and walk. And walk. It soothes me. One foot after the other against concrete, warmth covering the soles of my shoes. Buildings, tall, small, old and new, they squeeze me into something familiar, something safe. It's beautiful in some way, yet there's this unease deep within that wants to escape.
I’m pretty much a planner. When I travel, I want almost everything booked in advance so that I don’t have to worry about being spontaneous while on the trip. I even love planning for people and doing the research for them! (Okay, okay, I’ll calm down...)
“Shoot.” I winced, pain evident in my left wrist. I forgot not to use it as it’s still strained from the needle trauma and disuse. I lifted my bag with the other one and proceeded the airline counter. I still walked slowly and wished that there was still spare time to buy coffee. Five minutes into contemplating, a woman in uniform approached the small mic and announced our boarding.
Hello, I'm Ira.
There are three things that have become constant in my life so far: my love for taking photos, my penchant for traveling, and my utter need for writing. Welcome to my little notebook of dreams and daydreams.






