drbrevity

[drbrevity]

Why?

[drbrevity]

library @ The Orchard, SG

[drbrevity]

"If you fail to live your dream, it doesn't mean you're a failure. And I don't think living your dream means you've succeeded either. All I want is to do the best I can at the job I have right now."

Baek Yi-jin, Twenty Five Twenty One

[drbrevity]

Japan is a nation where centuries-old traditions blend seamlessly with cutting-edge innovation, yet it remains grounded in humility and respect. From the quiet bow of a stranger to the meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of life, Japan's progress is matched only by its profound sense of cultural integrity. It’s not just a destination; it’s an experience that embodies balance, harmony, and purpose. It’s Japan for a reason.

[drbrevity]

A Dream, Half-Awake

I must’ve dozed off while reading Sputnik Sweetheart, somewhere in that passage where the protagonist walks a mountain path toward the beach—quiet, familiar, the one his friend visited every day before she vanished.

In my dream, I was conducting a medical consult inside a nipa hut by the sea. The air felt thick—dense with sun, salt, and the soft crackle of something unspoken. Outside, a group of friends had gathered, their music blaring from a Bluetooth speaker. The song wasn’t anything I recognized, but it seemed to vibrate through the bamboo walls, through the quiet pulse of the clinic.

I stepped out, frustrated, and shouted, “Paano ko matatapos ang clinic kung ganito? Di kami magkarinigan!”

My voice came out louder than I expected, yet it felt like no one really heard it. The sea just kept breathing in and out, indifferent.

Then I woke up.

Or maybe I didn’t.

Funny how the mind works. I hadn’t read fiction in seven months—seven months of charts, diagnoses, and routines—and then, after just a few pages of Murakami, my subconscious builds a dream clinic on a beach.

[drbrevity]

Instax SG 2023

[drbrevity]

worked ourselves to the bone in our 20s, thinking we were laying the foundation for something stable. some kind of adulthood that looked like our parents’: house, family, maybe a garden and a dog.

but now we’re in our 30s, and instead of stability, we’ve got anxiety about buying a house, fear about starting a family, and a savings account that’s quietly preparing for something—but we don’t even know what’s coming. just… saving. because something always is.

so we buy the things we wanted as kids. a gameboy we never owned. a CD of that one band that got us through middle school. we’re not trying to be childish—we’re trying to heal. trying to give our younger selves the joy we put off for later. but later turned out to be full of bills and burnout.

we used to chase degrees like they were keys to freedom. but now? we just want our time back. we just want rest. we want slow mornings and soft evenings and to not feel guilty for existing without producing.

it’s not that we gave up.

we just got tired of running toward a dream that kept moving the finish line.

[drbrevity]

“I thought about the books that I had looked through in the bookstore. It occurred to me that they were full of things that people wanted to say to other people, or things people wanted somebody to say to them.”

— Mieko Kawakami, All the Lovers in the Night

[drbrevity]

I grew up believing in rules—following them, respecting them, living by them. I thought they were the foundation of fairness, the path to success, the structure that held the world together.

But as I got older, I saw the cracks. I realized that many of those rules weren’t universal. They didn’t apply to everyone—only to those who weren’t in power. The ones who made the rules often broke them with no consequence. The ones who benefitted from them enforced them selectively.

It’s disheartening to discover that doing the “right thing” doesn’t always lead to fairness, that integrity can be overshadowed by influence, and that systems can be rigged from the inside.

Still, I haven’t stopped believing in principles. But now, I choose to live by values, not just rules—because integrity should be internal, not imposed.

[drbrevity]

My takeaways during my first Japan trip (went on the start of Winter Jan 2025)

1. Bring only a pair of heattechs and buy the rest in Japan

2. There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Invest on a good outer jacket.

3. Skin and lip moisturizers is a must.

4. Once you're in Shinsaibashi, expect to shop till you drop.

5. Tokyo Subway Pass is very cost efficient if you're staying for more than a day.

6. Japan hotels are universally small, so pick one with luggage space below the bed. Of course, pricier hotels = larger rooms.

7. FamilyMart > 7 Eleven, Lawson

8. Only ramen that I could finish: Ichiran ramen (the long wait is worth it)

9. Tax free stores does not have a uniform price for their products.

10. When you pick a good fortune in temple and shrines, BRING IT HOME!

11. New Year Countdown in USJ is not worth it. Spend it somewhere else.

12. Book in advance: Shibuya Sky, you can walk in: Umeda Sky

13. When navigating train stations, always make sure you know the correct train line for your destination and time that the train leaves, the correct platform and exits that you are going to take. In short, trust Google Maps. Wag ma pressure and magmadali, dyan nagkakamali.

14. Japan trains and toilets are the best!

15. Most hotel tap water are drinkable.

16. Best areas to stay: look for a hotel just beside a train station

17. Japan is a very organized country. They have foreseen if not all but most possible problems that you may encounter like: infant holders in toilet cubicles, powerbanks and umbrellas that you can rent, part of the bathroom mirror above the sink has a warmer on it hence it will not moist during hot showers, coin changing machines in laundromats, some hotels even have massage chairs that you can use after a long tiring day of walking, luggage delivery services, train seat warmers etc.

18. If you have a lot of luggage and you're transferring from one prefecture to another, avail of Yamato transport. Your hotel can arrange it for you.

19. Average steps/day is 20,000.

20. If you want to fully explore = DIY. If you want hassle free and visit many sites in a day but with limited time = arranged tours.

21. When paying in restos and stores, place the money in the little money plate that they provide. Dont hand the money to the cashier.

22. Flying from Osaka to Tokyo is also a good idea instead of bringing your luggages when you ride the Shinkansen.

[drbrevity]

She left me speechless

[drbrevity]

"No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength."

Jack Kerouac, Lonesome Traveler

[drbrevity]

If your crush is a building

[drbrevity]

"Adversity always lies in the path of advancement. Most would run from it. I would walk through it."

Valya Harkonnen, Dune Prophecy

[drbrevity]

I'd surely dock in this paradise. 7 Commando's Beach is such a tease from afar!

[drbrevity]

"But, I don't know, maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you're truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it."

Satoshi Yagisawa, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

[drbrevity]

Birthday month turning out to be a busy month. It's so easy to just succumb to anxiety and let it paralyze me but I was not raised a quitter. Damn, the next 5 months will be a fork in the road. So many things to sort out: career plans, travel plans, family and above all self.