The short version

I'm a Manileña who grew up in the sweltering heat of the tropics, between the bustle of Manila and the slower rhythm of life at my father's orchard in Mindoro, where I rode atop carabaos, had the rowdiest mud fights with my brothers, and learned how to make toys out of coconut leaves from the Mangyan women who lived nearby. I later spent 20-odd years in Singapore, where I clawed through its unforgiving schooling system, began a career in market risk in the oil trading industry, and from which I explored different parts of Asia, often with a scuba tank on my back. A lifelong affliction of road cycling meant I covered every corner of the island, more or less. Antiseptic, air-conditioned, and marked by unparalleled efficiency, Singapore made a much bigger world feel ordinary, notwithstanding the suffocating pressure of its kiasu culture. I moved to California in 2019 to have a crack at domesticity, then rejoined the workforce in 2023 and pivoted into risk analytics. All things considered, California has been tremendous to my soul. 

Non-American horror movies tend to have a hold on me, and I'll consider almost anything above 95% on Rotten Tomatoes a work of art. I never tire of Tchaikovsky or Satie. Kiri Te Kanawa's arias are like catnip to me. I also tend to rabbit-hole with anything on personal finance, the English language, and, with equal seriousness, feng shui and Bazi charts ✨ 

I have yet to populate this site with the ideas I've been thinking about for years. And there's no rush! Hopefully, when you come by next time, there'll be something. 

Regina G.