
FINDING YOU
Anyone who has ever been travelling will remember the feeling of freedom. The sense of adventure. And the ability not to care. Looking...

NOT, NEVER, NEGATIVE
You may already know this, but I’m an actress. Or trying to be. I try not to talk about it non-stop because it’s not what I am. It’s what...

Control and Contentment
For too long I have blamed external sources for feelings of dissatisfaction, insecurity and unhappiness. Yet something occurred to me the...

SITTING STILL
I really love the idea of a bed day. You know, when you stay in bed all day watching films, eating crap and achieving nothing? Yet the...

WHAT'S IN A WORD?
I think everyone has a trigger word. A word that sets them off into a downward spiral of negativity. It's normally just a simple,...

SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS
I strongly believe that happiness makes you beautiful. Yet in the reverse, why does beauty make people unhappy? Anorexia, bulimia,...

PENNY PETROL
One the my main aims for this blog is to document local, little pieces of joy- like the plummeting petrol prices. I think the...

LONG TIME NO SPEAK!!
I want to apologise for the lack of posts since being home in the UK. As the saying goes 'life took over.' Although in this example it...

MOUNT ARAYAT
One of my highlights from the last 3 months was when I reached the summit of Mount Arayat. Arayat is an extinct stratovolcano rising to...

COMMUNITY FAREWELL
I think Elton John got it wrong when he penned the lyrics "sorry seems to be the hardest word", because "goodbye" is so much harder. ...

AN OPEN LETTER TO MY FILIPINO FAMILY
Dear The Messina Family, I cannot find the right words to express how grateful I am for the kindness and accommodation I received from...

A SUMMARY...
As part of my duties for the media team, I have been required to write a terminal report about the team's progress in the community. I...

RIVER RAFTING
Nueva Ecija may not be by the sea, but it still has its fair share of natural beauties. One of these is in Minalungao. After a two hour...

DISASTER DANCE-OFF!
As part of our DRRM awareness raising activities we were expected to run a youth camp. Straight-forward right? Except the kids of Cabiao...

SMALL TOWN SYNDROME
One of the downsides of volunteering in a close-knit community is that everyone knows your business. Cabiao always seems so much smaller...

AND FINALLY FOR THE FIESTA...
Do you remember me writing about being asked to be a beauty queen for the Santa Isabel fiesta? Well the role became a reality last...

26-HOUR ROAD TRIP
Do you treat travelling as an adventure or a chore? Is it an opportunity to see the world or a pointless waste time?... I am one of those...

I AM THE ALAN SUGAR OF T-SHIRT SALES
For all of you who don't know, Sir Alan sugar is a famous entrepreneur who worked his way up to the very top of British business. He...

PORRIDGE PARTY!
With Filipino Time in play, there is no point worrying about the hour on the clock. Instead, I notice the passing of time by the amount...

METRO MANILA
I have always been fascinated by cities. They are busy, overpowering and constantly in motion- working around the clock to keep up with...

COMFORTABLY UNCOMFORTABLE
I never thought I'd say this but after 8 weeks, the Philippines is starting to feel familiar. On Tuesday morning I had an 'OMG I'm in...

LET'S MAKE IT TO THE MIRAGE
Alternatively titled 'Walking to Walter Mart'... As I've previously mentioned, Sophia and I love to walk - and the community think...

A GRAVEYARD GATHERING
November 1st is a very important date in the Filipino calendar. Yet until very recently I was completely unaware of the occasion. I was...

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
For the past two weeks the team has been conducting community risk assessment workshops across Cabiao. This is the second phase in our...