Let’s Get Personal

This is Diwa Daily, the second and last blog I’ll ever make in my lifetime.

This is a soundboard for everything and anything to do with my passions and personal stories: games, stationery, being a shitty parent but still trying to get good at it, failure, literature, and more.

It’s a comeback of what blogging was before—personal, intimate, unique, and shameless of the writer’s voice.

The Who

I’m Stephanie, and it’s my birthday today. 🎉

I’m the eldest of four sisters and two half-brothers. It’s funny how my parents finally had sons after their split twelve years ago.

I was born and raised in Bacolod city in the sugary region of the Visayas. I eventually grew tired of the toxicity of that particular society, so I moved out and studied literature at De La Salle University – Manila. Since then, I made sure to pretend 97% of my high school classmates didn’t exist.

I made friends, mistakes, lovers. After screwing up a couple of times, I met the man who’d become my husband. This was right after going on holiday with my grandmother. We dated, fought, and loved for five months. This was eight years ago.

The Where

When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, the wind blew open the next chapter in my life.

I’m now living in Cagayan de Oro city, Misamis Oriental, Mindanao. I’m a mother to three (two are feisty little boys), a beautiful but bitchy Cocker Spaniel and the sweetest Doberman in the world. 🐶

As of this writing, I speak and write fluent English, conversational Hiligaynon and Tagalog, and 0.5% Bisaya.

My husband and I work remotely—he a C# .NET programmer, I a creative writer and customer support advocate. I’ve gone remote much longer than him, so I’ve never had an office job in my entire life.

During my spare time, I contribute to the local literary community as a senior fellow for poetry.

We’ve seen a good number of places together: Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. We’ve also visited other Philippine cities like Baguio, Boracay, Tagaytay, and Batangas. Once the kids are old enough to care for themselves, we’re aiming a return trip to SG/MY for the theme parks because theme parks are AWESOME.

The What

“Diwa” is my favorite Filipino word. It means “soul,” “spirit,” or “meaning.”

But the definition is just one aspect of its beauty. It has a lovely sound when pronounced, yet possesses a decisive last syllable that gives it power.

I want to live a life being able to celebrate what inspires and fuels my spirit. I want to experience the joys and sorrows of this life, yet understand and appreciate its significance in the grand scheme of things.

This is what Diwa Daily is grounded on. It’s a place for passion, engaging and intelligent conversation, and goodness. It’s a platform that highlights people and brands making a difference in the world. It’s a safe space where I can share my stories without any censorship or fear.

I hope to equally inspire, poke, or call out any wandering soul that happens to bump into this place. If you’re that soul, well… have fun. 😈

The When

If there’s one hard lesson I’ve come to heed, it’s that LIFE doesn’t care for plans or schedules. It’s up to you to adjust to its small and huge ass curve balls.

With this in mind, I’m treating Diwa Daily as a flexible space in that it won’t be tied to any form of publishing schedule. My single commitment is at least one story each week, but this can change depending on circumstances.

Let’s get this show on the road then.

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