Emarrah Sarreal is currently living
out her realization that there is no
such thing as “work-life balance”.
Accepting that work is a part of life
has given her so much peace and
clarity in setting boundaries and
prioritizing things. As a freelance
writer, she’s on a quest to find the
right level of sure-footedness to stay
sane in this fast-paced world.
Cesar G. Ramirez, Jr. teaches under
the Visual Communications and
History Tracks at the DLS-College
of Saint Benilde School of Design and
Arts. With every subject he teaches,
he finds importance in acquainting
students with the country’s rich built-
heritage. How has Manila suprised
you? In both positive and frustrating
ways. There is always something
new to see and experience in this
old city. But what excites me is the
potential its rich history offers in
inspiring new generations.
David Garcia is a mapmaker. He
likes making useful, meaningful,
and beautiful maps, which
can be downloaded for free in
mapmakerdavid.com. At present,
he is doing a PhD on geographic
information through a research
project funded by the New Zealand
Government. He graduated with
a BS Geography degree from the
University of the Philippines, with a
postgraduate diploma in urban and
regional planning while teaching
in the same university. In 2016, he
was awarded with a Chevening
Scholarship by the United Kingdom
to study an MSc in Geospatial
Analysis in University College
London (UCL). How has Manila
surprised you? Manila, in all its
chaos and woes, is still the refuge of
Filipinos fleeing crises and conflict
in the countryside. The metropolis
has to be planned, financed and
governed with that reality in mind.
Baked Zine is an independent, bi-
yearly online magazine created for and
by food obsessives. Their mission is to
create quality content while keeping
the magazine free to readers forever.
How has Manila surprised you? Even
with the passage of time, Manila today
remains the same Manila that our parents
knew and loved. Many of the places our
parents used to hang out in (and eat at!)
are still here today, and hopefully, will
still be there in the future for coming
generations to enjoy and preserve.
Natassja Velasco is an art director
at Seven A.D. On her spare time,
she does design work (specifically,
branding), travelling around the
globe on a budget, and collecting
photos, receipts, toys, and pretty
candy wrappers. How has Manila
surprised you? Manila surprises
me in two ways: it can either be
because I’m seeing something new, or
rediscovering something old.
Regine Velilla is a freelance art director
whose roster of clients include AirAsia,
AVA Consultancy, and more. She
currently serves as the art director of
Travel Now magazine and was formerly
junior art director of food magazine,
Appetite. Together with former
magazine colleagues Janelle Año and
Yllaine Sabenecio, they created Baked
Zine, a bi-yearly online food magazine.
How has Manila surprised you?
Manila is a special place for my parents,
so they used to bring us around the
city a lot when I was a kid. It’s been
a while since I visited, but I still feel
strangely at home even if everything
looked totally different from what I
remembered when I was younger.