PERIPHERAL
As I’m writing this, I’m currently working on a calendar for 2026—three months before 2025 even leaves us. I know it seems quite early, but the dream of becoming one of the greatest anime of all time won’t happen by itself, and I have to develop certain habits.
I know, it’s kind of weird to even say that, especially since I’ve been in and out of sickness the whole month of September. In fact, right now my sides hurt so much from coughing. My doctor said I ruptured the lining of my lungs, and I was like, “Woah… that’s possible?” Honestly, I’m just all over the place. Most of the time I’m thinking about Eyes See You, and the rest of the time it’s about family affairs I can’t just shake off. Because yes, I’m a mom and a wife. Those things are a part of me, so besides the fictional world I’m curating in my mind, this takes up a lot of space in my noggin too.
So back to the 2026 plan. I’ve decided to make something HUGE happen. And when I say huge, I mean HUGE. Sometimes I even imagine Rizal when he was writing Noli Me Tangere, if he thought of it as something that would have him killed… But really, I think about that. Because what I envision for my novel feels kind of the same thing, but not really? Same as in, I want it to make a difference, but not really as in—I don’t want to get killed for it, if you know what I’m saying?
But deep in my heart, I know I don’t dream of becoming the greatest writer of all time. I dream of becoming one of the most meaningful author lives lived. I’ve always prayed to God that if He makes me great, I will never take it for granted, and I will help as many souls as I can. I want to build schools that could help people like me—people who didn’t finish their studies but could just focus on dreaming, without the financial burden being the wall that blocks them. I want to put our country on the map. Because if Japan could do it, so can we. All these thoughts linger in my mind, and right now, all I can do is hope. But I swear, little by little, day by day, it feels like it’s becoming more and more of a reality.
This August and September, I wasn’t able to edit or publish the videos I took from my past events—Patrons of the Arts, Collabs & Aesthetics. They got caught in between my sick weeks, and I just couldn’t bring myself up to do anything. But I’ll tell you this: those shows have been the most successful shows I’ve ever done, both financially and mentally. I was able to have so many wins because of the amazing people I met there, and it brought me one step closer to where I want to be. These people—both artists and con-goers—probably don’t realize how much it means to someone like me, that they’d lend me their ears to hear my pitch and actually support my love by buying my art. I can never thank them enough. I wish I could give everyone a tight hug so they’d know how big of a deal this is for me. I wish I could condense my whole experience and origin so they could really understand why this matters so much.
Speaking of origin, that’s when it hit me. Back to the 2026 calendar I was talking about—I’m planning to hard launch my brand on my birthday, January 5, 2026. I’ll be turning 32, and me officially leaving the calendar numbers should have something special going on. I’ve always been lowkey about birthdays (except my wedding day, when I invited my guests and gave them a heart attack because they thought they were going to a birthday party but it was actually my wedding). But I thought, hey—you know what? A year in someone’s life is a huge deal. And I shouldn’t hide in the shadows for something as big as I ought it to be.
So yes, this is all about that event. I’ll be real with you—I don’t have the whole thing planned yet. But since I managed to plan my wedding in a month, I know a lot can happen in three months. And I’m here for it. This is actually also an invitation to you. I’ll be leaving a form here where you can sign up, since I’m planning this event as invite-only for Eyes See You. I’m so excited to tell it all here, but until I know exactly what’s going to unfold, let this invite be it for now. I promise, when you sign up, you’ll know what’s coming. If I do end up charging for this event, it will only be to cover food and nothing else. I’ll also be posting a poll on how this should go, because if you know me, I’m all in for collaboration. This event wouldn’t even be possible without you. In fact, everything I do wouldn’t be possible without you. So hang tight—I’ll do this for real.
Thank you so much for reading this diary entry. I know it stretched long and I yap a lot. But I’m so grateful for your never-ending support.
INTEREST CHECK FORM FOR THIS BIG EVENT:
Tentative: January 5, 2026 | 4:30 – 8:00 PM | Venue: TBA but somewhere in Manila