Bykatewrites

17/03/2026

They say the marathon is just the victory lap; the real race happens in the quiet, early morning hours and the rainy long runs.

Training for 42.2km isn't just about building muscle; it’s about building a stronger heart and a resilient mind. Every blister, every tired sunrise, and every "I can't" that turned into "I did" has led to this.

Trading comfort for the pavement has been the hardest, most beautiful gift I’ve given myself. The finish line is the goal, but these training miles? These are the soul.

17/03/2026

Completing a marathon is never a solo act. It is a finish line crossed by many feet, fueled by the collective strength of everyone who shared the road with me.

To my running community: we may not always know the weight each of us carries, but we know the rhythm of the struggle. We’ve become friends in the quiet miles through the "runner’s high," the "wall," and every grueling step in between. I am profoundly grateful for how you’ve shaped my growth. To be a finisher is to belong to a tribe that chooses the same battle, day after day. We don't just go through the miles; we grow through them, together.

26/02/2026

A Tribute to the Heart of Mindanao: The Spirit of Davao

In the tapestry of our nation, few places command a sense of belonging as profound as Davao City. It is a sanctuary where the past and the future meet, grounded in a leadership that taught us to look not toward the glitz of Hollywood or the validation of distant powers, but into the eyes of our own people.

Today, we honor the remarkable journey of a city and a movement that chose to champion the Filipino soul above all else.

For too long, the measure of "greatness" was defined by Western standards. Under the influence of the Duterte legacy , that narrative was rewritten. We transitioned from a culture of imitation to a culture of assertion . We learned that our value is not determined by how well we mimic the "big names" of the world, but by how fiercely we protect and celebrate our own.

The true triumph of this era is the elevation of the Indigenous and the Native . Those who were once relegated to the margins he stewards of the land are no longer taken for granted. Their presence is felt in the heartbeat of the city, their voices carry weight in our discourse, and their rights are woven into the very fabric of our governance.

There is a profound beauty in the visibility of our diverse origins:

The Barong and the Hijab: Seeing these worn with equal honor in the public sphere signifies more than just fashion; it represents the soul of a people who have finally embraced their complexity.

Religious Harmony: From the quiet dignity of Muslim traditions to the vibrant expressions of every Christian denomination and tribal belief, every religion has found a place in the sun.

"We do not need to look across the seas to find heroes or icons. We find them in the artisan weaving our history, the farmer tilling our soil, and the leaders who dared to say that the Filipino is second to none."

To live in Davao is to experience a homecoming of the spirit. It is the heartwarming realization that our heritage is our greatest asset. We owe a debt of gratitude to the leadership that saw the beauty in our diversity and the strength in our roots, ensuring that every Filipino regardless of origin is seen, respected, and truly proud.

24/01/2026

For Those Who Walk the Long Way

To the ones who lace their boots not to escape life, but to understand it
may the trail be kind to you.

May you find what you are longing for, even if it doesn’t arrive in the form you imagined. Sometimes it comes as silence, sometimes as breath, sometimes as the simple fact that you kept going.

May the mountains remind you that nothing rises without strain, and nothing strong is built without time. You are not behind you are becoming.

May the weight you carry feel lighter with every step, not because it disappears, but because you grow strong enough to hold it without breaking.

If answers never come, may peace still find you. Not every question is meant to be solved some are meant to be walked through.

May nature hold what the world could not: your grief without judgment, your joy without demand, your tears without explanation.

And if all you ever gain from hiking is this
that pain passes, legs learn, hearts soften, and the body remembers how to endure
then that is still enough.

Because every trail teaches the same quiet truth: you have survived every hard stretch before this one, and you will survive the next.

Keep walking.

The path knows your name.

16/12/2025

I remember Ken being Ken when he was still a child and up to now loving street animals even going all out giving them shelter & providing their needs. Ken & his team needs our support. Davaoeños can do better. I was once a volunteer in Happy Animals Club and I do believe in their dedication to help animals in need.

Please, if you have such kind heart you know you can do better.

To Ken, his family & his team, This too shall pass & we look forward seeing not just the entire team & fam happy but the animals who almost lost their hopes to find a family, found but then afraid of losing it again.

Let’s not make that happen 😥🙇‍♀️

Let’s support Happy Animals Club in any ways we can 🙏☝️

Our animal shelter is getting evicted by the new landowner, and the date of our eviction is December 31, 2025, just two weeks from now. Do sheriffs of the court work on New Year's Day? If not, maybe we have one extra day.

Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of many, we may have just enough money for land, if we go for something far from the highway.

But we don't have budget for any structures, even just very simple structures without walls. Then there's cementing and drainage and fencing. It's all so expensive.

This is our final appeal for funds to help relocate our rescued animals. Please avail of these options if you can help.

GCash/Maya/Banks: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17PMtr19Q8/

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/5b9bc10b3

Thank you so much. We've done all we can do. We've told our story and appealed for help. The fate that follows is in the hands of the public and our community of supporters.

09/12/2025

Now that the year is ending, it hit me that I still have write-ups waiting to be completed. I wanted to write more, but the nonstop cycle of work, activities, and days off that never feel like real rest kept pulling me away. Balancing everything has made it hard to give my writing the attention it deserves.

But yesterday was different. It made me realize that having too much on my plate won’t give me the best results nor the life I want. One of the patients I’ve cared for the longest passed away. She had lived a life with great fortune, more than most people could imagine, yet she couldn’t enjoy it. She had no family to spend her time with, no one to travel with, and dementia slowly took away everything she desired until it finally took her life. It was a reminder that having everything means nothing if you can’t experience it with the people you love.

Losing her reminded me that life isn’t measured by how full our schedules are or how much we accomplish, but by how fully we live and who we share it with. Moving forward, I want to carry less weight on my shoulders and more purpose in my days.

byKateWrites🐘

22/09/2025

“Corruption ends when we refuse to bow to it.”

19/09/2025

My first ever running event in Japan — 第8回長居公園モーニングマラソン 🏃‍♀️✨
Grateful to share this journey with a friend who loves running as much as I do, and for the wisdom of a kind Japanese guide who reminded us to run at our own pace, not others’. Truly a memory I’ll treasure forever. 💖🇯🇵

There are moments in life that stay close to the heart, and for me, one of those moments was joining my first ever running event here in Japan — the 第8回長居公園モーニングマラソン (The 8th Nagai Park Mornin…

18/09/2025

That day reminded us that sometimes the best adventures are hidden in detours. Suma Beach wasn’t on our original list, but it became a blessing we didn’t know we needed. The laughter, the stillness, the sunset—and even the tent and food so graciously provided—felt like gifts, carefully placed in our path.

Just added another Journey about God's Grace & how we felt it during that day.

Sometimes the most memorable trips aren’t the ones we plan perfectly, but the ones that unfold on their own—like God’s gentle way of reminding us that His timing is always better. We were supposed …

03/09/2025

03/09/2025