If this is your first time here, welcome.
My name is Ian. I’m a Filipino physician, writer, and immigrant currently rebuilding my life in Canada. This website is where I write about the things that shape that journey—medicine, faith, culture, and the quiet work of becoming someone again in a new place.
Some posts here are practical.
Some are reflective.
Some are simply stories that insisted on being written.
If you’re not sure where to begin, this page will help you find your way.
What You’ll Find on This Blog
Medical Journey
This is where I write about the long road to becoming—and becoming again—a doctor.
It includes reflections on medical school, the Philippine Physician Licensure Examination, and the continuing journey of navigating medical licensure abroad as an international medical graduate (IMG). You’ll also find occasional health notes written with clarity and care.
If you’re a medical student, an exam taker, or another doctor walking a similar road, you might find something here that feels familiar.
Life Between Spaces
Leaving home and starting over in another country changes you in ways that are hard to explain.
This section holds stories about migration, homesickness, culture shock, small victories, and the strange feeling of living between two worlds. It’s about learning new routines while still carrying the old ones with you.
Sometimes it’s joyful.
Sometimes it’s heavy.
Most of the time, it’s just honest.
Faith & Reflection
Faith has never been simple for me.
These pieces explore belief, doubt, prayer, silence, and the complicated relationship many people have with religion. Some posts wrestle with difficult questions. Others simply sit quietly with Scripture or memory.
This space is for those who believe, those who are unsure, and those who are trying to find their way back.
Culture & Fandom
Music, stories, and fandom have always been part of how I understand the world.
Here you’ll find essays about P-Pop and OPM, artist features, song reflections, and occasional pieces about the shows and stories that shaped my imagination—from Kamen Rider to other corners of pop culture.
Sometimes fandom is just fun.
Sometimes it becomes a way of remembering where you came from.
Writing & Creativity
Some pieces don’t belong anywhere else.
This section holds my creative work: short stories, flash fiction, poetry, and reflective essays. Many of them are quiet, personal pieces that grew out of memory, grief, hope, or curiosity.
They are not always polished answers.
Sometimes they are simply attempts to understand something.
A Few Places You Might Start
If you’d like a few entry points into the blog, these are some pieces that capture what this space is about:
- Overcoming the Odds: Passing the Physician Licensure Examination
- Music and Memory: A Personal Archive
- The Journey of Faith
- Life Between Places
- Artist Profiles in P-Pop
These posts will give you a sense of the different paths this blog takes.
Why This Blog Exists
I started writing long before I became a doctor.
Writing has always been my way of thinking through things—whether it’s medicine, faith, migration, or the strange emotional landscapes that come with them.
This website is simply a place to gather those thoughts.
Some people come here for practical information.
Some come for stories.
Some just stumble into a post that feels strangely familiar.
If you find something here that speaks to you, then the writing has done its work.
If You’d Like to Know More
If you want to know more about my background and story, you can visit the About page.
And if you’d like to explore the blog further, the categories in the menu above will take you through the different parts of this space.
Wherever you start, I’m glad you’re here.