You Don't Need To Know All The Answers

Some days you feel like you’ve got it together.

Your outfit hits just right, your hair falls in place like the universe conspired to make it behave, and for once, the world feels like it’s listening.

Other days? You stare at your reflection and wonder, “Is this really me?” The mirror feels unkind. Your skin duller, your eyes tired. You pick at flaws that no one else notices, and suddenly the day feels heavier.

You are human.

It’s okay to feel ugly some days, and cute the next. You’re not inconsistent—you’re alive.

We live in an age that demands brand consistency, even in our personalities. Social media has conditioned us to believe we should always know what we want, always radiate confidence, always glow. But here’s the quiet truth no one posts about: It’s okay to change your mind about the things you once chased with fire. That job, that person, that dream version of yourself. Sometimes, when you arrive where you thought you’d find joy, you discover a kind of emptiness instead.

That’s not failure. That’s evolution.

You may feel lonely even in a room full of laughter. You scroll through your phone looking for something—but you’re not sure what. You smile at stories, heart a few reels, but your spirit is still somewhere else. You wonder, "What’s wrong with me?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Loneliness isn’t always about being alone. Sometimes it’s about not being understood, even when surrounded.

You might feel lost when your purpose doesn’t look like what you imagined. Maybe you spent years chasing something only to realize it doesn’t fit the way it once did. And now you’re stuck in the gap between what you’ve outgrown and what hasn’t found you yet.

But the gap is where growth lives.

It’s the quiet valley between mountains. It’s where you soften, and wonder, and learn how to sit with yourself. It’s uncomfortable, yes. But necessary.

You are not a brand. You are not an algorithm. You are not a flawless stream of curated thoughts and aesthetically pleasing routines.

You are a person.

You get to feel beautiful on Monday and unsure of yourself by Thursday. You get to change your mind, lose your way, find it again, and be uncertain the whole time.

And that doesn’t make you broken.

That makes you real.

So next time you feel out of place in your own life, remember: even the moon has phases. Even the ocean rises and recedes. And you—like them—are allowed to be different every day.

Because you are human. And that’s the whole point.

-QTPodcast

Sa Gitna ng aking Pagkabalisa

 

In the welter of my own concerns,

I built a fortress — brick by worry,

roofed with late-night prayers

and ceilings that echoed only my voice.

I wore my struggle like a badge,

thinking mine was the only storm.

But the world — quiet,

kept weeping beside me

and I didn't even hear it.

The woman on the jeep beside me?

Nagmamadali hindi dahil late —

kundi may tatlong anak na walang gatas.

The tricycle driver?

Nakangiti, oo — pero may notice na pala sa bahay.

And me?

Too busy counting my own cracks

to notice someone else breaking.

Forgive me.

I forgot that pain doesn’t compete —

it coexists.

That everyone is fighting their own unseen war.

That someone’s silence

might be louder than my complaint.

So today, I slow down.

Not because I’m cured —

but because maybe, just maybe,

someone else

needs their pain

seen, too.

--billymac © 2025

One Day on the Train...

 

The sky wore dusk like a secret,
heavy with smoke exhaled by metal beasts inching through the city’s veins.
I held out my palm—
coins clinking,
one peso too few
for a ride that might've led me home.

Then—
a smile.
Yours.
Or was it just the memory of it?
Soft.
Brief.
Uninvited, but welcome.
It hovered in the air like incense in an old chapel,
fading slow,
but refusing to leave.

And there—
in the rattle of the rails,
the hush between stations,
I saw you again.

Not in flesh.
But in the space where dreams and strangers
sometimes wear the same face.

Some moments arrive like ghosts,
and leave like poetry.

--billymac © 2025

Bitin Ka Pa? SB19’s “Simula at Wakas” Is More Than a Concert — It’s a Cultural Reset

(from the POV of a freshly converted A'TIN) 

Bitin kaba?

Isang linggo na ang lumipas mula nung pumutok ang Philippine Arena sa sigawan, iyakan, at sayawan. Pero sa puso ng maraming A’TIN, parang kahapon lang ang lahat.

Hindi lang ito basta concert.

Para itong panaginip na hindi mo gustong matapos. Isang pambihirang pagsasama ng talento, kultura, at pagmamalaki. At kahit tapos na ang opening ng SB19’s Simula at Wakas World Tour, tayong lahat—oo, pati ikaw na ilang beses nang na-replay ang fancams—ay parang tinamaan ng magic bug.

Bakit nga ba?

1. Ang Simula: From Practice Room to Global Stage

Hindi overnight success ang SB19. Mula sa matinding training under ShowBT Philippines hanggang sa iconic “Go Up” dance practice na nag-viral noong 2019, pinatunayan nilang kaya ng Pinoy makipagsabayan sa global stage—at hindi kailangan kopyahin ang iba. Kaya kung may nagsasabi pa rin sa’yo na “K-pop copycat” sila, ipanood mo nalang ‘yung 5-minute performance nila sa Wish Bus. Walang halong hype—talent lang talaga.

2. MAHALIMA, Bias, Wreckers at Iba Pa: Fan Culture na May Puso

Kung A’TIN ka, alam mong hindi lang music ang inaalok ng SB19. May sariling language ang fandom—mula sa salitang “MAHALIMA” (pinagsamang "mahal" at "lima") hanggang sa kilig sa bias at pagkalito sa bias wrecker. May pa-sticker, may fan chants, may fan-made MV cuts—lahat para lang mas mailapit ang fans sa bawat himig at hakbang ng grupo.

Ito yung fandom na may sariling mundo, pero bukas sa lahat. At ang pinakamasarap sa lahat? Walang gatekeeping. Kumbaga, kahit bago ka pa lang, “kasama ka na.”

3. P-Pop Na May Laman: Local Beats, Global Feels

P-Pop is no longer just a genre—it's a movement. Sa bawat kanta ng SB19 tulad ng “Dungka!”, mararamdaman mo ang amoy ng kalsada, ang tunog ng tambay, at ang ugat ng pagka-Pinoy. Hindi lang ito about being “inspired by K-pop.” Ito’y pagsasalin ng sariling kwento sa musika. Kaya kung napapansin mong may K-pop aura pero may tadyang ng Tondo o Taguig, hindi ka nagkakamali.

4. Beyond Charts: Ambassadors of Modern Filipino Identity

SB19 topped Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales multiple times, pero ang mas importante—dala nila ang boses ng Pinoy sa world stage. Sila ang una, pero hindi sila dapat maging huli. Dahil bawat tagumpay nila ay paalala na pwede pala. Pwede pala tayo.

5. Simula at Wakas: Trilogy ng Tagumpay

From “Pagsibol” to “Pagtatag!” at ngayong “Simula at Wakas,” SB19’s discography is like a diary of growth. Self-written, self-managed, self-made. Under their own label, 1Z Entertainment, hawak nila ang direksyon ng kanilang art—isang bagay na bihirang makamit kahit ng mainstream acts.

6. Bakit Tayo Tumatambay Dito?

• Dahil ang fandom nila ay hindi lang hype—it’s healing.

• Dahil sa kanila, may kwento ang bawat “NO” na nalampasan nila.

• Dahil kung kaya nilang umangat mula sa ghosting at rejection, bakit hindi tayo?

  
  

7. Para Sa Lahat: Fandom Na Hindi Kailangan ng Prerequisite

Hindi mo kailangang alam ang birthdate ni Stell o favorite food ni Pablo para matawag na fan. Kung naluha ka sa “MAPA,” napasigaw sa “GENTO,” o napangiti sa bagong “Liham,” you’re part of the story. Dahil ang fandom na ito, hindi elitista. Masaya kami sa bawat bagong ka-ride or die.

—

Bakit nga ba hindi pa rin tayo maka-get over? Simple lang.

Kasi hindi lang sila artista—sila ay repleksyon ng bawat Pilipino na lumalaban para sa pangarap. Sila ang paalala na sa bawat “Simula,” may “Wakas,” pero sa bawat “Wakas,” may bagong Simula.

Kung natamaan ka rin ng magic bug ng SB19, share mo naman ang bias mo o favorite SB19 moment mo sa comments. Tayo-tayo na rin ang magkwento ng success story na ito.

#SB19SimulaAtWakas #ATINMagic #PPopRise #SB19WorldTour #MahalimaForever #PinoyPride

-QTPodcast

Review: OpenRun Pro2 (Shokz) Wireless Headset

(note: this review of the OpenRun Pro2 is based on a 5-month use of the device (quite extensive)

As a native airPods Pro user since December 2020 -- nothing comes close to the user-friendliness of airPods from Apple. We made a separate article about Airpods Pro. - and it's worth reading if you're looking from a fresh perspective of a not-so-die-hard-fan of the Apple ecosystem (just kidding on the die-hard fan).

Fast forward to 2024 - December, a special someone gifted us an OpenRun Pro2 (visit the unboxing video from our FB page if you want to see the visuals). Roughly 5 months of use - as our daily driver for work calls, and inconsistent runs, jogs, or walks - we would say the sweet-black-wireless-headset lived-up to its promise.

trivia: we were never aware that there's an OpenRun Pro2 - mainly used for athletes in the field of running and sports, not until our special person explained in detail that it's been in the market for quite a while.

Let's deep-dive on its pros and cons, by rating these several metrics or factors from the standpoint of a consumer like us (who are into health & fitness use of tech gadgets + as a corporate individual working 9-to-5):

1. User-friendliness - to scope this meter, let's talk about the intuitive use of the gadget without having to read the manual and the fine-print. Plus, the usability factor - is it seamless to use within different platforms? Is it annoying? Is there a feature that we wish it could've been improved more, or they could just have simply remove it because it's irritating and not user-friendly? Let's get on.

Connectivity:

iPhone/Macbook environment - easy peasy, yes! it's compatible to Apple devices - and yes, easy to connect via bluetooth toggle and pairing. Once it's paired - it gets automatically detected, you need not to set-up again the next time you use it on your device. It's limited to 3 devices (mixed of apple or non-apple device) for the auto-detect to work; if you have a 4th device, you have to switch off the "pairing" from one of the 3 devices in its Shokz app (downloadable via App Store or PlayStore) in order for the 4th device to be seamless in doing auto-detect feature.

Windows environment - same like Apple, it's also magic! Remember we mentioned that we use this wireless headset during workhours -- it's connected to our company laptop, and it just worked! Once the OpenRun Pro2 is ON, our work laptop auto-detects it and when we are doing calls via MS Teams, it just blends or pops up by default as my audio input/output. (Later, we'll talk about noise cancellation in "sound quality").

Android environment - no comment. (Hahahaha! we rarely use Android) Forgive us, Android friends pero wala po kaming masamang tinapay sa inyo - p e a c e!

Charging:

easy as 1, 2, 3! USB Type C - the package comes with an end-to-end USB Type C cable, you must have at least 25-watt usb head charger to charge the device. We don't know if the OpenRun Pro2 has this feature ala-style-of-Airpods where even for higher wattages of chargers - it can regulate its input. It seemed like it does -- because I tried charging it sometimes using the big brick charger of MacBook Pro because for the life of us, we often forget our normal iPhone Charger (45watts), so far it's still working! (To be safe - - please charge it with the applicable wattage and not the 65watts or more charger head).

Operability:

Like how intuitive can you find the volume triggers, lower/higher? Yes - that's also a quickie, I didn't read the how-to and our fingers just ran through the knobs and buttons - Presto! we got it running how to turn ON and OFF (long press), and increase/decrease the sound volume is also a breeze. What we love when you turn on and off the device - there's an audio prompt telling you if it's low, medium or high in battery! Sweet, right? 

If you're the tinker-belle type re equalizers and sound settings - you can manage it in the app (Shokz App). 

 

Longevity (How long can It last before you charge again):

This is our favorite feature of this rocka-babe, it just seems to not run out of juice! we shared earlier that we use this for work and fitness (like 9 to 11 hours work turned-on, plus, 1-2 hours workouts or walks or run) - and it just doesn't die. At the end of the day, it just tells -medium battery - so we usually re-charge it every 2-3 days.

And to be honest, we rarely use the airPods any longer! Nyahahaha! We got a new fave!

2. Sound Quality - for us, sound quality is relative. But let's define it based on layman's standards.

Loud Enough to deafen when volume is maxed?:

Nadah! This is the beauty of OpenRun Pro2, it won't hurt your eardrum and hearing health. (welp is there such as thing as hearing health? - yessir there is! we'll cover that in the future). Primarily because (according to their website) it's a bone-conduction technology. You can click the link later to know more about bc tech, but to give you an idea - buds are not plugged in to your earlobes' holes (much so to the usual earphones or headsets where the sound goes directly to your earholes which according to science - eventually that'll cost you hearing loss for excessive usage. Since it's the opposite for OpenRun Pro2, all the more that we are loving this handy gadget!

Lossless Music? Anyone...:

We can attest that listening to music is still good and impressive, but not that great if we are to compare it with airPods. Yes we can still differentiate the bass, treble, and synthesizers but the wow-effect is not there compared to the airPods! About lossless - we feel that it depends on the media.. like Spotify or Apple Music - friends are telling us that lossless in Apple Music is way better than Spotify espcially if it's matched with airPods/Beats/ or the airPods Pro Max.

Noise Cancellation:

Yes - we can vouch for this, that it's perfectly working during noisy background. We constantly spotcheck our team mates during MS Teams Meetings both at office or at home -- they are not hearing any background noise.

Another plus points for Shokz is the capability for us to hear our surroundings because of the bc (bone conduction) technology without losing focus on the music while running or podcast content while jogging/walking even if traffic or horns of passerby vehicles are on the go. The same is true during office meetings - we can feel someone's presence behind the scenes, approaching behind our back or calling us despite the focus in listening to the convo -- this again because of the bc technology.

3. Aesthetics - the wrap-around the head like a back-skull-band is really catchy. Not eye-candy but quite in-tune to fashion. As if you're a detective or spy-on-the-go, we're not downplaying it but it's cool!

Easy to wear?:

Yes - it's like a plug-and-play on the earl-headrest. On the fly in putting it on as well as removal. Overtime, you won't be able to feel you're wearing one. During our adoption stage - like one-week of use, it was kind of hurting a bit, possibly because the band wasn't fully adjusted. Eventually, it was nice-to-wear and there's a feeling of "Oh shoot! I forgot my OpenRun2" whenever you're on the move and psychologically you knew instantly that you aren't wearing one.

 

Necklace Fashion?:

We made that up! Hahaha, someone, a stranger commented while we were waling the pavements of Vermosa - "what is that on your neck?". We politely answered - "Oh, it's a neck massager with earphones! hahaha". And thus, a new friend gained.

4. Overall Feels - we would say, we highly recommend it! Whether your main purpose is for sports or training, or even daily driver for work meetings - - go grab one. We believe it cost around 12-14K Php - nevertheless it's worth it.

We would just throw it in our backpack -- and yet it's not easily broken, or at least it hasn't been damaged as of yet. The water resistant flavor is there but ofcourse - you can't use it for swimming or in the shower. Sometimes we use it when we sleep by adjusting the band on top of our head - still cosy as C!

We are Rating the product as 5 out of 5 stars!

Hope you enjoyed reading and picked-up some tips in this review! rate and give us your comments or experience too about OpenRun Pro2 by Shokz!

 

~billymacdeus' blog