About

Welcome to my world where everything is always seen through rose-tinted glasses. Sometimes, the view gets fogged but always, I remain hopeful, choosing to live life with a heart full of sunshine while still being welcoming of the rain.

So why Thoughts, Tales, and Whatnot?

Thoughts. Random or thought over, these are my mantra in life. I am often described as pensive, and some go as far as label me a loner. To be honest, I’d rather be alone with my thoughts than be with someone who drains me with his/her incessant diatribe, drama, or loudness.

Tales. Mostly travel and random experiences that are worth writing about. I’m a careful planner but can be a daredevil so my travels always include a jaunt to an off the beaten path, or a memorable encounter with locals.

Whatnot. I used to have 2 blogs. Stressed in the City was my travel diary as well as the repository for my movies, music, TV shows, books, and product reviews. Melancholic Memoirs, meanwhile, hosted my poems, essays, and fictional writing. In order for me to cover everything and anything on this blog, I specifically added a Whatnot section.

Join me as I tackle life head on and create a world of words in the hopes of sharing whatever life lessons I have had from my experiences.

Updated on February 27, 2015

68 responses to “About”

ronawrites

Nov 29, 2012 at 3:25 pm

Hey 🙂 Thanks for checking out my blog. I really liked yours too 🙂

Reply
1. milai
  
  Nov 29, 2012 at 3:53 pm
  
  You’re welcome. And thank you too for the visit.
  
  Reply
Author Charmaine Gordon

Dec 3, 2012 at 4:47 am

Delightful, Milai. Don’t be a melancholy baby. Have fun, enjoy life and write. You do that so well. Thanks.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Dec 3, 2012 at 6:35 am
  
  Thank you so much for the kind words. 🙂
  
  Reply
Steve Manning

Dec 3, 2012 at 7:48 am

Hi Milai,
Thanks for dropping by my blog!
Yours is fantastic too – some really beautiful photos here.
Cheers,
Steve

Reply
1. milai
  
  Dec 3, 2012 at 8:50 am
  
  Hey Steve,
  
  Thanks for dropping by here. Loved your photos (’twas the jellyfish that first caught my attention). Keep ’em coming. 🙂
  
  Milai
  
  Reply
2ndhalfolife

Dec 5, 2012 at 3:56 am

Thanks for stopping by!

Reply
1. milai
  
  Dec 5, 2012 at 5:52 am
  
  You’re welcome. Thanks for dropping by my blog too. 🙂
  
  Reply
stampwizard

Dec 21, 2012 at 12:46 pm

Milai
Thanks for stopping by my blog too! I love your photographs! Haven’t checked out your whole blog yet..my next stop is the Crafts area and then the Travel. I love to travel to foreign places and see other cultures.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Dec 21, 2012 at 2:18 pm
  
  Thanks for dropping by mine too and for leaving your thoughts on some of my posts. You’re welcome to visit Cebu anytime. I’m so proud of my country and have been to most of its must-travel-to destinations that I am always the designated guide when entertaining friends and colleagues. 🙂
  
  Reply
marga t.

Dec 28, 2012 at 9:39 pm

Lovely collection of whatnots 🙂 I love switching gears from deep exploration of the self, to food, to wrapping paper! Thanks for the sharing!

Reply
melgallegos

Jan 19, 2013 at 3:01 pm

Hi,
you have great collections here. keep it up. and by the way, thanks for dropping by in my blogsite.

regards,
Mel

Reply
1. milai
  
  Jan 19, 2013 at 3:07 pm
  
  Thanks for dropping by my blog too. Love your shots and it’s always nice to meet a kababayan online. 🙂
  
  Reply
  1. melgallegos
    
    Jan 19, 2013 at 3:08 pm
    
    very much welcome 🙂 and, thank you also for appreciating. nice meeting you, too 🙂
  2. milai
    
    Jan 19, 2013 at 3:10 pm
    
    See you around. Happy shooting (pics, of course)! 🙂
  3. melgallegos
    
    Jan 19, 2013 at 3:13 pm
    
    same here…have a nice day 🙂
  4. milai
    
    Jan 19, 2013 at 3:15 pm
    
    At talagang nag chat tayo rito at peppered pa ng smileys. Ha ha. 🙂 Last reply na ‘to, promise. 🙂
  5. milai
    
    Jan 19, 2013 at 3:17 pm
    
    At talagang nag chat tayo rito at peppered pa ng smileys. Ha ha. Last reply na ‘to, promise. 🙂
Deb

Jan 19, 2013 at 3:10 pm

Thank you for stopping by my blog (www.htheblog.wordpress.com & http://www.islandhomeblog.wordpress.com). I am looking forward to reading through your and admiring some very tropical looking pictures!

Reply
1. milai
  
  Jan 19, 2013 at 3:13 pm
  
  You’re welcome. It’s always nice to roam the web and discover new things and meet people. Thanks for dropping by here too. 🙂
  
  Reply
loidabestdiscovery

Jan 19, 2013 at 7:16 pm

Thanks for dropping by. Your piece and pictures are really amazing.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Jan 20, 2013 at 8:26 am
  
  Thank you. Love reading your travel pieces as well.
  
  Reply
torchgirl2012Karen

Jan 27, 2013 at 9:48 pm

Enjoyed reading your blog, your photos are lovely.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Jan 27, 2013 at 10:01 pm
  
  Thank you. Your photos are too.
  
  Reply
Sophie Milan

Jan 29, 2013 at 7:19 pm

Another great Filipino blogger! 😉

Reply
1. milai
  
  Jan 30, 2013 at 8:38 am
  
  Thanks for the compliment. Your poems are awesome. 🙂
  
  Reply
  1. Sophie Milan
    
    Jan 30, 2013 at 4:53 pm
    
    Thanks you too!
oceanpassage

Mar 13, 2013 at 10:55 pm

Great photographs

Reply
1. milai
  
  Mar 14, 2013 at 10:49 am
  
  Thank you.
  
  Reply
Ruth Rainwater

Mar 14, 2013 at 9:02 am

Thank you for liking my Gratitude Journal! I love your pictures; so colorful!!

Reply
1. milai
  
  Mar 14, 2013 at 10:46 am
  
  Thanks for the visit. 🙂
  
  Reply
MichelleMarie AntellGourd

Apr 8, 2013 at 8:02 pm

I love all your photos but the one of the cherry blossom was spectacular. Very Cheerful.

Reply
1. milai
  
  May 8, 2013 at 6:49 pm
  
  Thank you so much for the inspiring words, and for visiting my blog.
  
  Reply
  1. MichelleMarie AntellGourd
    
    May 8, 2013 at 7:22 pm
    
    I love your photos and your blog.
Laurie Merritt Photography

May 5, 2013 at 4:36 am

Hello, Milai! What a pleasure meeting you. I didn’t see what you had before, but this site is definitely worth looking at. Thank you, as well, for visiting my site http://llmerritt.wordpress.com, and liking my post “Tulips”. Good luck going forward and I will see you again soon.

Reply
1. milai
  
  May 8, 2013 at 6:50 pm
  
  It’s nice meeting you here. I love your photos. Thank you too for visiting my blog, and for the kind comments. 🙂
  
  Reply
MichelleMarie Antell

Jul 5, 2013 at 1:47 am

Hello sweet friend. I have nominated you for the Sweet Blogger award, http://wp.me/p3mUBo-16V
.I normally do not send out these awards but someone dear to me seemed to think it is important so I want to honor their kindness in sending this to you. You can follow the rules or be like me and be a rule breaker. Today I want you to know you make a difference in my life! Thank you!

Reply
erbina barus

Aug 24, 2013 at 8:03 pm

Hi Milai, thank you for visited my blog and be my friend. nice to meet you.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Aug 26, 2013 at 10:31 pm
  
  Nice to meet you too, Erbina. 🙂 I liked going over your pics. Thanks for dropping by!
  
  Reply
Marryl All Write

Aug 28, 2013 at 6:46 pm

Thanks for dropping by! It’s great to know more Filipino bloggers.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Aug 31, 2013 at 1:33 pm
  
  Nice meeting you, Marryl. I found your blog while I was looking for craft suppliers in Cebu, and love the creativity in your posts.
  
  Reply
Uncle Spike

Sep 1, 2013 at 8:10 pm

Pure and simple, I like it. Thank you 🙂

Reply
1. milai
  
  Sep 2, 2013 at 7:40 pm
  
  Thank you. 🙂
  
  Reply
aliewsMuses

Jan 13, 2014 at 12:58 pm

Thank you so much for liking my photo post. I really like your photos on your blog.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Jan 16, 2014 at 9:48 pm
  
  Thank you so much for the kind words. Your photos are lovely too. And I love the quote that you shared in your new post.
  
  Thanks again.
  
  Reply
Cecile Acosta

Feb 26, 2014 at 5:38 pm

Hi, do you still have the contact no.of Mang talo who help you in your Sumilon Trip? Thanks alot!

Reply
1. milai
  
  Mar 9, 2014 at 9:03 pm
  
  Hi Cecile.
  
  Thanks for the visit.
  
  I was told that Nong Tallo is no longer into tour guiding.
  
  Oslob has changed so much since my visit in 2012 and 2013 (during this recent stay, there was no Nong Tallo to help me out and I became my friend’s guide). It’s more organized since the local government took the time to develop Oslob as a destination. You will have no problem going around the place.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Reply
VisitSiena

Apr 7, 2014 at 3:32 am

thank you for following my blog! happy that you like it 🙂 what an interesting blog you have ! for sure will be back here 🙂

Reply
oceanpassage

Apr 7, 2014 at 10:06 pm

Beautiful blog

Reply
1. milai
  
  Apr 8, 2014 at 10:39 pm
  
  Thank you.
  
  Reply
arlene

Aug 22, 2014 at 3:41 pm

Gosh, your blog about Batanes made my day. It’s my dream of a place, I hope someday I would be able to visit it too. Just followed you and it is really nice finding another Filipina blogger here at WP.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Aug 26, 2014 at 7:10 pm
  
  Hi Arlene,
  
  Thank you for following my blog.
  
  Batanes is truly beautiful! I hope you can visit it someday soon.
  
  I too am glad to meet a fellow Pinay here on WP who also loves nature and is into sharing her thoughts with the world.
  
  See you around! 🙂
  
  Reply
Couple’s Chronicle

Dec 2, 2014 at 7:29 pm

Your blog is cool. I just followed. I want to learn more from your thoughts.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Dec 6, 2014 at 6:25 am
  
  Thanks. I followed you back and look forward to seeing your posts about Cebu.
  
  Reply
  1. Couple’s Chronicle
    
    Dec 6, 2014 at 6:30 am
    
    Thanks for the follow Milai..
Another Sunrise, Another New Beginning | Thoughts, Tales, and Whatnot

Feb 28, 2015 at 11:25 pm

[…] About […]

Reply
ltg4dailywalk

Mar 12, 2015 at 9:55 pm

Thanks, Milai, for visiting my blog and following! Love your blog and look forward to sharing our respective journeys in words and images. All the best, luke

Reply
1. milai
  
  Mar 16, 2015 at 10:03 pm
  
  The pleasure is mine. Your posts are inspiring so I love going over them.
  
  Reply
basiga

Mar 25, 2015 at 11:30 pm

Hi Milai, Thanks for visiting my blog and the likes. I just revamped blogagaini.com with a new theme, and lost, well, not lost, but pages and posts are hidden. So I’m still in the creation process. Visit again. Being American-Cebuano, I love your Cebu posts. (✿ ♥‿♥)

Reply
1. milai
  
  Mar 27, 2015 at 8:00 pm
  
  I had the same problem when I tinkered with my blog’s settings.
  
  Thanks for dropping by. I just followed your blog. Your photos are amazing and your Missy looks so adorable! 🙂
  
  Reply
theginnydiaries

Apr 9, 2015 at 7:17 am

Hi darling, I just nominated you for an award. The details are on my blog. I love your profile and your blog is refreshing and unique.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Apr 12, 2015 at 7:28 pm
  
  Hi Ginny, that’s really sweet of you.
  
  So sorry for the late reply. It’s been a crazy week. Will work on my post and tag you. 🙂
  
  Reply
  1. theginnydiaries
    
    Apr 12, 2015 at 9:28 pm
    
    Np darling. And you’re very welcome.
Angeline M

Apr 21, 2015 at 10:42 am

Thanks for following my blog, Miai. So glad to meet you here and see your photography. Looking forward to more.

Reply
1. milai
  
  Apr 22, 2015 at 11:18 pm
  
  The pleasure is mine. Thank you too, Angeline.
  
  Reply
Stephen L. Tyler

Sep 15, 2015 at 7:23 pm

thanks for stopping by my blog…I hope to see more of your wanderings 😉

Reply
maiseefernandez

Nov 5, 2016 at 12:12 am

Are you from Cebu? You look familiar. ☺

Reply
1. milai
  
  Nov 27, 2016 at 3:24 pm
  
  Hi! I’m not really from Cebu, but I’ve been living here for 9 years now. 🙂 Thanks for the visit!
  
  Reply