About

In this quiet patch of the internet, I try to stay honest.

My name is Ian. I’m a Filipino physician, writer, and immigrant currently rebuilding my life in Canada. Somewhere between medicine and storytelling, I found a habit of writing things down—sometimes to understand things better, sometimes simply to survive them.

I used to see patients every day. These days, my life looks different. I’m settling into a new country, preparing for the next steps of medical licensure, and learning how to rebuild a career that once felt settled.

In the meantime, I write.

Not because I have everything figured out, but because writing is how I slow down enough to notice what’s happening.

The Long Road Through Medicine

I studied Biology and Medicine at West Visayas State University in Iloilo City, eventually passing the Philippine Physician Licensure Examination in 2024.

Medicine shaped the way I see the world. It trained me to listen closely, to notice small details, and to understand that every person carries a story that isn’t immediately visible.

Even when I’m writing essays or reflections, that perspective stays with me.

I still believe storytelling has a place in healing.

Leaving Home

In 2025, I moved to Canada, hoping to continue the journey of becoming a physician in a new country.

Migration is strange.

You arrive somewhere new, but parts of you are still walking the streets you left behind. You rebuild routines, relearn how to belong, and discover that identity isn’t as fixed as you once thought.

Some of the writing here grew from that in-between space.

What You’ll Find on This Blog

This blog isn’t about a single topic. It’s a collection of the things that continue to shape my life.

Here you’ll find writing about:

  • Medicine and the international medical graduate journey

  • Life between the Philippines and Canada

  • Faith, doubt, and spiritual reflection

  • Music and culture, especially P-Pop and OPM

  • Short stories, poems, and creative essays

Some posts are practical. Others are reflective. A few are simply stories that needed somewhere to live.

Why I Write

I write because writing slows the world down enough for me to understand it.

It lets me revisit memories—but this time with enough distance to see them clearly.

It gives shape to things that are difficult to say out loud.

Sometimes writing becomes reflection.
Sometimes it becomes documentation.
Occasionally it’s just an attempt to make sense of something that refuses to make sense.

A Few Things About Me

A few small things that might help you understand the person behind the blog:

• I was born and raised in Iloilo City, Philippines.
• I studied Biology before entering medical school.
• I once thought writing would only be a side hobby, but it has stayed with me longer than I expected.
• Music—especially P-Pop and OPM—has become one of the ways I stay connected to home.
• I believe good stories can change how we see the world, even in small ways.

Why This Website Exists

I started writing long before I became a doctor.

Over time, writing became a way to document life as it changed—through school, medicine, faith, migration, and the strange spaces in between.

This website is simply where those thoughts gather.

Some people come here looking for practical insights about medicine or migration. Others come for stories, reflections, or music essays.

And sometimes someone just stumbles into a post that feels unexpectedly familiar.

If that happens, then the writing has done its work.

Connect

If you’d like to explore more, you can start with the Start Here page, which introduces the main sections of the blog.

You can also reach me through:

Wherever you came from, I’m glad you found your way here.

— Ian