30 January 2026
It's been a while since I last posted here due to busyness in everyday life, both online and offline. The first month of the year has been really productive and blessed with different job offers. And last week, we had heavy days, but somehow ended on a lighter note.
My little niece has been sick, so we've been going back and forth to the hospital for checkups and laboratory tests. I believe you have a kid at home and experience this kind of routine. You know how tiring it is, not just for us, but especially for the kid. After her lab exam that day, I thought of bringing her somewhere because she needed a change of scenery after staying indoors for days.
Instead of going straight home, my sister and I decided to take her out for a short walk.
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We went to the boardwalk in town by the coastal area. We've been there a few times, and my niece loves this spot in town. She loves the seaside view, the open space, and walking there without being stuck indoors. It was still early afternoon, so the place was empty. As if we owned the place. Most people go there early in the morning or in the late afternoon when the sun is lower, and people are out for a sunset stroll or a jog.
My niece had been indoors for weeks, so she deserved that breath of fresh air. That seaside walk somehow made her feel better.
After our walk, I remembered my brother mentioned my cousin's small pizzeria in the town proper, which was opened in the last quarter of last year. Based on his description of the shop, I saw that multiple times, but never thought that it was owned by my cousin. I even planned to visit it someday, even before I learned about the owner, so I thought it was the right time.
I got excited because I wanted to support his small business by dining in the place and promoting his pizzeria. It was also a great time to treat my little niece to some pizza. So we rode a pedal cab and headed there. On the way, I kept thinking how surprising life is. My cousin used to be the shy kid in their family. Seeing him now, running his own small business, made me feel proud of him. He didn't do it alone. He has support from sponsors from their church. I could tell that he was surrounded by the right people. It's a good reminder that when someone has good guidance, they can grow into things you never expect. His older brother is also supported by their church, who has a good profession already, and recently got married.
When we arrived, I instantly liked the place. The pizzeria is just a small native-style hut, but cozy and comfy. It has limited seats, so it can't accommodate a big group of people. But I must admit that the dining area is much bigger than my small snackhouse in the village. He's running his pizzeria with a business partner, who is also part of their church. You can tell the teamwork in how they manage the place. They are both focused and friendly.
We ordered Hawaiian pizza because that's what my little niece wanted. I let her choose, and she picked the one with hotdog and pineapple. The surprising part is that the pizza isn't a frozen one that is just cooked in the oven, like in other shops selling pizzas in town. Though it looked like a typical pizza sold in some shops at first glance, the dough is homemade even the sauce.
I could really tell the difference. It tastes fresher and better than those sold in other shops in the town. My cousin even mentioned that the hardest part of their work is preparing the dough.
Aside from pizzas, they also have shakes. And again, it reminded me of my small milktea house in the village because the flavor of their shakes is similar to our milk tea drinks, lol. We chose buko pandan and dark chocolate, and the shakes came with overloaded toppings.
My niece wasn't feeling 100% better yet that time, but I let her drink a small sip just to taste it. I saw that that tiny sip made her smile, which made me smile as well.
We sat there and ate slowly since there weren't many customers coming, just take-outs. That guy in white is my cousin, who's cooking the pizza, while the lady in white is his business partner, who's welcoming the customers and accepting the orders.
While we were sitting there, I caught myself thinking about my milktea house. I wished I had a spot in the town proper area, too, because obviously, the town proper has more prospective customers. My small snackhouse hasn't been doing well lately, and the weather is one of the reasons. The main reason is that there aren't many customers in the place.
And just this week, while wandering around the town, I found out that there are more newly opened snackhouses already. Unlike before, I found it hard to find a snackhouse in the town whenever I want to treat my siblings outside. They are like wild mushrooms that suddenly popped out in the corners. So, I can tell that it's also one of the main reasons why our small snackhouse in the village has fewer customers. Back then, some people from the proper area and other villages would go to our place just to buy our milktea and burgers. But it rarely happens nowadays. I guess I need to think for other kind of business to venture out.
The day ended with fresh air, a seaside walk, and warm comfort food made by a family. My niece felt better after being stuck indoors for days.
Thanks for your time.
Jane is a Filipina wanderer in a foreign land who finds comfort in nature and freedom in writing. She loves watching raw picturesque landscapes, listening to the symphony of nature, breathing in drops of sunshine, walking through scenic trails and cityscapes, tasting new culinary flavors, capturing pretty little things, venturing into hidden gems, and dancing with the flow of life.
Her new experiences, adventures, challenges, lessons, small successes, and joys are colorful paints that fill up her canvas of life. She hopes to see it beautifully painted while she can. Join her on her quest for self-discovery and wanderlust. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, drop a comment, reblog, and follow for more wonderful adventures.
