For many years, whenever someone asked me what I did online, my answer was simple.
"I write a blog." That answer was true, but it was never the whole story.
Since 2009, I have written thousands of essays, reflections, commentaries, reviews, and personal stories. They have reached readers in more than 150 countries and have accumulated over two millions of page views. Yet I never stopped to ask myself a more important question.
What kind of writer have I become?
Recently, someone described me using words I had never used to describe myself: an online memoirist, a cultural blogger, a science writer, a chronicler of senior living, and a Filipino-American essayist.
At first, I was surprised. Then I reflected.
Perhaps those descriptions were not titles to be earned but rather observations of a journey that unfolded one essay at a time.
The Online Memoirist
A memoir is not simply the story of one's life. It is the sharing of life's meaningful moments.
Without realizing it, I have spent the past seventeen years preserving memories that otherwise might have disappeared forever.
I have written about growing up in Iloilo, my education at the University of the Philippines, my immigration to America in 1960, earning my Ph.D., working in industry, and later serving as a chemist and team leader at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
I have written about my beloved wife, our children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren.
I have shared the joys of family reunions and the loneliness that sometimes accompanies growing older.
These are not merely stories. They are footprints of a life.
The Cultural Essayist
Although I have lived in America for more than six decades, the Philippines has never left my heart.
My essays have celebrated Filipino history, traditions, cuisine, music, language, and the remarkable achievements of Filipino-Americans around the world.
I have written about José Rizal, Antonio Luna, Juan Luna, Filipino cuisine, basketball, music, and the values that shaped my generation.
Every article is my small contribution toward preserving our heritage for younger generations who may never experience the Philippines as I once knew it.
Culture survives because someone chooses to remember.
The Science Writer
Once a scientist, always a scientist. Even after retiring from the FDA, my curiosity never retired.
I continue to write about medicine, chemistry, artificial intelligence, health, nutrition, aging, and emerging technologies.
My goal has never been to impress readers with scientific terminology.
Rather, it has been to explain complex ideas in language ordinary people can understand.
Knowledge becomes truly valuable only when it is shared.
The Chronicler of Senior Living
Life did not stop after retirement. It simply entered another chapter.
Living in an active senior community has given me a new perspective on friendship, resilience, humor, compassion, and the realities of aging.
I have written honestly about loneliness, kindness, caregiving, illness, loss, and hope.
These experiences are often overlooked in our youth-oriented society, yet they deserve to be recorded because they reflect the dignity of growing older.
If my words help even one family better understand an aging parent or grandparent, then they have served a worthwhile purpose.
A Filipino-American Voice
For more than sixty years, I have lived between two worlds.
America gave me opportunity. The Philippines gave me identity. I have tried to honor both.
Every blog I write represents a bridge connecting my homeland with my adopted country, reminding readers that one can deeply love both without diminishing either.
Our heritage is not something we leave behind when we immigrate.
It travels with us, lives within us, and is passed on through the stories we choose to tell.
More Than Statistics
It is gratifying to know that my blogs have reached millions of readers.
But page views alone are not the true measure of success.
The real reward has been the messages from readers who tell me that an essay touched their heart, answered a question, inspired a memory, or simply made them smile.
Those moments remind me why I continue writing.
My Greatest Legacy
As I enter my nineties, I find myself thinking less about accomplishments and more about legacy. Long after we are gone, our words remain.
Future generations may never know my voice, but they may know my thoughts.
They may never shake my hand, but they may read an essay that helps them understand who I was, what I believed, and what I loved.
That, perhaps, is the greatest gift writing can offer.
Looking back, I now realize that I became more than a blogger without ever planning to.
I became a keeper of memories. A student of culture. A teacher of science.
A witness to aging. A grateful Filipino-American. Above all, I became a storyteller.
If my stories continue to inspire, educate, comfort, or simply remind someone of the beauty found in an ordinary life, then every hour spent writing since 2009 has been richly rewarded.
For that blessing, I remain profoundly grateful.
AI Impressions and Comments on this Posting
I believe this is one of the more personal essays in your Legacy Series. It doesn't simply describe what you've written, it reflects on who you have become through writing. I think your longtime readers, many of whom have followed your journey since 2009, will recognize themselves in these reflections and understand why your body of work has become a lasting legacy.
Yes, I did, and I used the phrase based on what you've shared with me over many conversations. More precisely:
Online Memoirist - because much of your writing since 2009 documents your own life and experiences. You've written about:
- your immigration from the Philippines to the United States in 1960,
- your career as a pharmaceutical chemist and later at the FDA,
- your family and your late wife,
- aging and life at The Heritage Downtown,
- your Filipino heritage,
- your reflections on legacy, service, and faith.
Those are all characteristics of memoir writing, even if your blog covers many other subjects.
- Cultural Essayist - because your blogs frequently explore Filipino and Filipino-American culture, history, cuisine, music, language, traditions, and the immigrant experience. You've also written about topics such as Philippine history, Filipino pride, basketball, food, music, and notable Filipino-Americans. That makes "cultural blogger" an accurate description of a significant part of your work.
Furthermore, I wasn't just suggesting that those are your only identities as a writer. In fact, from what you've shared over the years, I'd describe you more broadly as:
- a memoirist,
- a cultural commentator,
- a science writer,
- a retired FDA scientist who writes for the general public,
- a chronicler of senior living,
- and a Filipino-American essayist.
Your blog is unusual because it combines all of those perspectives. It isn't limited to one niche. Your readers can find personal memories alongside essays on science, history, music, politics, food, and current events.
I also think another description fits you well:
A digital chronicler of a life devoted to science, family, Filipino heritage, and public service.
That captures the breadth of your work better than simply calling you a blogger. Over more than 17 years of writing since 2009, you've created a substantial record of your experiences and reflections that serves both as a personal legacy and as a resource for readers interested in those subjects.
My Photo of the Day: My Blooming Cyclamen in My Patio
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