Apr 18, 2013 Posted by Alex

One Year Later

One year ago today, I pressed publish on the most painful post I’ve ever written. I had been lost in what had grown to be an unhealthy relationship, and the horrific way that it ended pushed me into one of the darkest periods of my life. I was quite certain that the loss I felt was my soul was being ripped right out of me, and I didn’t see any end to the ocean of pain that I was in. It seemed... read more

Mar 11, 2013 Posted by Alex

Photo of the Week 91 — In Memory

Today, I was meant to post photos of my last week in Thailand — my last few blissful days in Railay followed by my last few hectic ones in Bangkok. Perhaps even a teaser of my arrival here in Manilla. That was before I got the news that my Grandma Elaine passed away while I was in transit. Now, the photo above is the only one that seems appropriate to post. I last saw my Grandma in December, right... read more

Mar 8, 2013 Posted by Alex

Only Twenty Three

Funny enough, I wrote this post title yesterday intending to write about an entirely different topic. One that I will revisit soon, I hope. But then it just seemed all too applicable to what happened since I woke up this morning… I didn’t get the job. I guess I should be more specific. Today, I had the humbling experience of finding out I didn’t get a job that I perhaps foolishly thought was a... read more

Nov 25, 2012 Posted by Alex

Eatcations + A Giveaway!

All I want to do is eat. Maybe it’s the food-centric Thanksgiving holiday, or maybe it’s just my undying love of a good meal. But lately I’m just obsessed with the idea of Eatcations. What, you’ve never heard of them? That’s perhaps because I made it up. Allow me to define. Eat•ca•tion – noun – 1. A trip or vacation in which the specific purpose is to eat the... read more

Nov 6, 2012 Posted by Alex

Happiness at Twenty Three

Recently, Facebook reminded me of a status I posted a few years back. “Alexandra Baackes is having non stop fun all the time and absolutely loving life.” At the time, I was dripping with sarcasm. Today, I could write that status in pretty non-ironic way. Today, on my twenty-third birthday, life is good. I might not make much money, but I love my job. I might not see them often enough, but my heart... read more

Aug 17, 2012 Posted by Alex

On Envy and Consumerism and Sunglasses

Usually I make an effort to put out pretty polished content with good stories, complete thoughts, and neat little endings. This will not be one of those posts. I’m just going to ramble here for a few hundred words about some personal observations and moral dilemmas, okay? It’s vaguely travel related, I swear. There was a comment in a my recent quotes post that really got me thinking. I wrote in... read more

Aug 11, 2012 Posted by Alex

Getting Back in Shape for Travel

Alternatively Titled, A Work in Progress Remember when I blogged about getting kind of fat while living as an expat? Who would have guessed that fifteen pounds would lead to one of my most popular posts! I’ve mentioned a few times that I initially dropped those pounds in the hardest/easiest way possible – the breakup diet. I had zero appetite and my stomach was doing all kinds of horrible things,... read more

Aug 9, 2012 Posted by Alex

All Kinds of Love: A Philadelphia Wedding

Once upon a time, on Caribbean islands far, far away, lived two amazingly awesome people who were totally perfect for each other — they just didn’t know it yet. Actually, they hadn’t even met. But that all changed one day when a girl took a ferry to a different Virgin Island than the one she lived on and developed a little crush on a boy she met there. After that the two of them made any... read more