Living

Lifestyle pieces about daily life, wellness, home, fashion, food culture, and personal experiences.

Booya Bagels Manila: Where New York Flavor Meets Pinoy Soul

By Spanky Hizon Enriquez

July 17, 2025

Five years ago, I got a phone call from someone named Aaron. He sounded Filipino—warm, relaxed, familiar—but I couldn’t place him right away. Then he…

How to Declutter Your Home: A Filipino Guide to Calm, Clarity, and Letting Go

By Hanz Daniel Cortez

July 11, 2025

We all have that one corner—the slightly jammed drawer, the pile on the chair, the shelf where expired receipts and random chargers go to die.…

At Affinity Dental’s BGC Branch, care begins the moment you walk in—where calm spaces, soft lighting, and thoughtful design help patients feel at ease.

Affinity Dental: Creating Smiles, Changing Lives

By Simpol

July 11, 2025

For many of us, just hearing the word “dentist” brings back memories of cold chairs, whirring drills, and white coats that made us want to…

Chef Miko Calo’s Taqueria Franco: Where French Precision Meets Taco Rebellion

By Spanky Hizon Enriquez

July 10, 2025

I first met Chef Miko Calo back in 2018. At the time, quiet murmurs circled Manila’s food scene—rumors of a Filipina chef who had trained…

Quiet Confessions and Queer Longing Over Tapsilog: A Boys’ Love Novel Excerpt by Danton Remoto

By Simpol

July 10, 2025

What does queer friendship look like when it isn’t loud or tragic, but quiet, ordinary, and true? This story begins with a casual night out…

Cebu Landmasters’ Newest Casa Mira Community Sells Out 85% in Just 3 Days—But It’s About More A Home That Works as Hard as You Do

The Future, Powered by the Sun: Solar Homes in General Santos Redefine Filipino Progress

By Simpol

July 10, 2025

For decades, owning a home has been a symbol of security and pride for Filipino families. But that dream is changing. With rising bills, unstable…

Hearty beef stew, no stress required. This slow-simmered favorite gets a flavor boost from a gourmet bottled sauce—making it easier to cook well, even on a weekday.

Bottled Goodness Makes Cooking Simple at Home

By Simpol

July 7, 2025

Many Filipinos still find joy in cooking at home. But in the middle of long workdays, commutes, and rising food prices, even that joy can…

The Jelly Trick That’s Saving School-Day Mornings

By Simpol

July 7, 2025

When the school year begins, the pressure builds quickly. Mornings get hectic, traffic slows down everything, and suddenly, mealtimes feel like another race against the…

Set meal at Shaburo21 with hotpot ingredients beautifully arranged on a wooden table, surrounded by minimalist Korean café-style interiors.

More Than a Hotpot: Why Shaburo21 in Manila Feels Like a Hidden Korean Café

By Simpol

July 7, 2025

We didn’t set out to find anything special that day. The weather had turned gray, the mall was crowded, and we just wanted a decent…

On Simpol this Week: Hope, In All Its Forms– A City, A Win, A Moment

By Tatung Sarthou

July 4, 2025

Sometimes, all it takes is one good sign. A city earns its place on the world stage—not for skyscrapers or shopping malls, but for its…

Chef Don Angelo Colmenares plating one of his signature dishes in the open kitchen at Sauma Farm, Bar & Kitchen in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental.

Chef Don Angelo Colmenares’ Sauma Redefines Negrense Farm-to-Table Cuisine in Hinigaran, From the Soil to the Soul

By Tatung Sarthou

June 28, 2025

In the quiet town of Hinigaran, as guava wood smoke rises from a clay pot where pork simmers slowly, Chef Don Angelo Colmenares prepares dinner.…

Farmers harvesting crops as part of the SM Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan program, showing successful backyard farming efforts.

The Farming Crisis No One Wants to Talk About

By Simpol

June 28, 2025

In early 2025, the Philippine government declared a national food security emergency. Rice prices were soaring. Farmers were struggling. And the cracks in our agricultural…