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I had a major breakthrough yesterday: I was again able to reach the office within an hour, in 45 minutes to be exact. Over the past month, I have been spending two to three hours on the road every morning. That is essentially cruising the streets of Metro Manila at a speed of six to nine kilometers an hour! At least, it is still faster than the average walking speed of 5 kph. What did I do differently to achieve my “under an hour” travel time? Nothing special, really. I just left our house 30 minutes earlier than the usual 5:30 a.m. cutoff.

“Dad, I’m sad,” said a melancholic voice from the other end of the line. The everyday heavy traffic made it now almost impossible for me to see my little girls during weekdays. Our daily interactions are now heavily dependent on mobile phones. Such a circumstance is oftentimes exacerbated when words such as “Dad, I’m sad” are being substituted for “Hi, Dad” as you start a conversation over the phone.

The moment we had our third daughter, I was very conscious of the fact that we now have a middle child in the family. At the onset, I really wanted to pay very particular attention to our second one, because I did not want her to ever feel that she is being left out. Over the past few weeks, however, I have been noticing that the situation I have tried to avoid is happening.

Contestants for Little Miss Philippines on a noontime variety show were often asked the question: “Ano gusto mong maging paglaki mo? (What do you want to be when you grow up?)” The question brims with hope for the future. Today, however, kids have access to much more information; and so, the same question brings with it more than just hope. In a way, it also makes kids worried.

The movie trailer for Top Gun: Maverick has just been released. It is a surprising, yet very much welcome sequel to the 1986 classic Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise as Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Although the sequel will not be released until 2020, I got so excited about the sequel that I rewatched the 1986 film over the long weekend.

My preteen daughter was singing the other day, when my wife called her attention. My wife pointed out that the lyrics of the song seemingly don’t align with our family values and principles. The song was about pretending to be good to get what she wants, to get what she thinks she deserves. Our immediate reaction as parents was to tell her not to sing such a song.

Today, we consume a great amount of social media, and we do not expect it to lessen anytime soon, maybe never. As we survey through the different social media platforms, we can see what others have been doing, where they are now, and what kind of life they have been living. With so much information, it is becoming more and more difficult for us to avoid comparing what we are seeing with what we have been doing. Not only do we compare ourselves with our friends and colleagues, we are also exposed to a new breed of individuals whom we feel are having such a great gig: the travel vloggers, the e-sports professionals, and the social media influencers. Heck, we even dream of our kids having their own YouTube channels with millions of subscribers. All these information we are seeing every day are affecting how we are scrutinizing our own lives.

I was hanging out at an ice skating rink over the weekend, when I noticed this little girl, not older than six, walking back to whom I presumed to be her dad. There was no smile on her face. Her heavy feet, still with her ice skates on, were clunking as they alternately hit the floor. I remembered seeing this girl a while ago. Every time she was on the rink, she would be at the edge, holding on to the railings unless she was holding on to someone else. In one instance, I saw her crying, with fear in her round, misty eyes.