Today is the day before my birthday.
For the past 3–4 years, I’ve had a small ritual:
I would drive to Tagaytay, grab a slice of blueberry cheesecake—my favorite cake, by the way—and pair it with freshly brewed kapeng barako while enjoying the view.
It became my way of rewarding myself.
A quiet pat on the back for another year lived, fought, and survived.
In many ways, it also became a personal reset.
But this year feels different.
Now that I’ve learned how to bake, I decided that I’ll celebrate my birthday by making my own blueberry cheesecake and brewing my own coffee.
For the first time, I’ll be celebrating through something created by my own hands.
And honestly, it feels liberating.
It feels like a sign that I’m finally living the kind of renaissance life I’ve always wanted for myself.
A life where I do not just consume beauty, craft, and experience —
but participate in creating them too.
Lately, it feels like life has been giving me so many internal downloads.
So many realizations.
So many shifts in identity, philosophy, and direction.
And strangely, I feel like this is only the beginning.
I thank God for another year of life.