I’m studying again, well kinda (also back to occasional blogging)
Just a *little* personal news on my part (and not-so-humble-bragging): I was chosen one of fellow of the Executive Leadership Program organized by Asian American Journalists Association. This was made possible by a fellowship supported by Google. Yes it happened: I went from being an Iskolar ng Bayan to Iskolar ng Google -which explains the...
And this is how you make a dumpling from scratch…
Hong Kong is a foodie paradise and it’s very possible to pare down on food expenses by eating in the cafeteria or on one of those small noodle houses/dimsum places across my office. My problem is these eateries serve too much carbo and meat, with nary a vegetable. And the result of course is so...
After two years, The Gypsy Gals is up and about again
Hong Kong — I made a firm commitment to revive my blog by meeting up a web designer in one of those artsy indie cafes in Kowloon. That the meeting was held in one these third wave cafe is more than a part of my never ending quest for a good cup of brew. Rather, it’s...
DIY Spiritual Retreat
Text by Prime Sarmiento Photos courtesy of Aaron Chua/House of Kite Early this month, I spent a weekend in KL for a spiritual retreat. Or perhaps it is a magickal one? I don’t know. All I know is when I went there and experienced what I had to experience, I finally learned to let...
Solo journeys is not about loneliness
Lovers are not alone, and a real lover never destroys your aloneness. He will always be totally respectful toward your individuality, toward your aloneness. It is sacred. –Osho They said that no trip to India will be complete without getting diarrhea – which is what happened to me on my last day in Bangalore (also...
The Plant Quandary (or why sometimes a gypsy has to put down roots)
By Prime Sarmiento I always knew that I need to have some potted plants in my flat. I know that I’m no green thumb but my interest on natural skin care, traditional forms of healing and environmentalism have nudged me to grow some potted herbs and flowers in my balcony (and perhaps...
Between deadlines: Relishing the slow life as a Brunei expat
By Prime Sarmiento Note: Between Deadlines is a series of posts that I wrote, while literally chasing deadlines as a working journalist, last month when I joined Bootsnall's #Doyouindie travel writing challenge. Every day, for 30 days, Bootsnall emails a question (and challenge) which a participating travel blogger has to ponder on and write...
On a healing journey
Text and photos by Gypsy Prime Most people won’t equate traveling to Kuala Lumpur as a spiritual journey. The Malaysian capital is not exactly famous for its temples or spiritual retreats. Like most cities in ASEAN, one usually go to KL to shop and eat and perhaps after you’re done with the eating and...
Radical Change
Text and photos by Prime Sarmiento I celebrated my first Chinese New Year in a country which, despite its sizable ethnic Chinese population, has no Chinatown to speak of. Nevertheless, the first day of the CNY was declared a public holiday (not that I benefitted from it as I was on holiday duty). Most...
Notes from AWE 14: Why you need to follow your dreams
Text and photos by Prime Sarmiento Yes I did spend a long weekend in Kota Kinabalu, but don’t ask me about climbing Mt. Kinabalu, or taking photos of orangutans in a rainforest reserve or about the happenin’ clubs in this city. Apart from drinking wine and listening to some live music during a Halloween party...
Why I’m speaking at the AWE ‘14 (and why you should care about it)
Text and photos by Prime Sarmiento After going through some paper work over my work visa, I finally managed to get out of the newsroom in Brunei to spend a few days in Kota Kinabalu. This is my first time not only in KK but in Sabah. I initially had no...
This Gypsy Gal goes Nature Tripping
Text and photos by Prime Sarmiento I can’t believe that I woke up 6 am just for this. I can’t believe that after a looong night editing and closing pages, coming home by 2 am, and spending the next two hours watching YouTube videos, I still managed to shower and drag myself to a day tour...
Singapore 2014: Nostalgia
Text and photos by Gypsy Prime I don’t live here anymore. I am never sentimental about Singapore. It might be because despite living there for nearly five years, I never considered it as my home. I have always treated Singapore as a luxury hotel – a wonderful place to be in where everything is...
48 Hours: The Gypsy Gals Weekend Guide to Hanoi
Text and photos by Gypsy Prime The Vietnamese capital will always have a special place in my heart if only because living there for several months allowed me to reflect and realize what I really wanted to do with my life. But more than a place for introspection, I will always remember Hanoi for...