I'd like to pursue my online/studio yoga classes with Marky as my business partner. As a general rule, I work alone. But Marky is reliable, honest and easy to deal with. I'll worry about yoga and he'll take care of everything else. He'll be my go-to guy, videographer and marketing guy. Ideally, I'll negotiate the deals with the yoga studios and conduct the workshop.

(Dec 2024) This didn't work out. Marky and I were using different applications of accounting. We were not able to work it out. We're still friends - there was no dishonesty. Things just didn't work out.

2024 started out with me wanting to leave Siquijor for interaction and stimulation in a small city - one year in an isolated island living a monk's life was enough. I took 10 days in Jan-Feb to visit Bacolod, San Carlos, Toledo and Cebu City.

But I was also torn. In Lazi, Siquijor where I lived, I have 3 magical moments daily that I couldn't have in the city - sunrise yoga by the seawall (expansive alfresco setting, sea breeze, clean air and yoga space), Bolo Bolo Spring (for bike workout destination, dipping, water consumption and laundry rinsing) and sunset yoga by the seawall. These are the main take-aways not to mention eating fresh fish, drinking refreshing natural spring water for my water consumption, drinking pure tuba (fermented coconut sap), sourcing pure tableya (cacao tablet for sikwate drink), and cheap rent at P3k/month.

Lazi's seawall is always magical at sunrise and sunset

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at my daily natural spring bath

While in Cebu City, I went to Bantayan with Marky to explore the place for a possible long-term residency - Siquijor wasn't bad, but I was looking for a "WOW" factor. After 3 days, I set my eyes on it as a permanent place to grow roots. It called out, the energy was positive and I met people who resonated with me - Audrey, the 3 siters (Charmagne, Joy and Gina) and Leonidas. Upon coming back to Siquijor, I sold the heavy and bulky stuff (LPG, stove, water dispenser, lounge chair, etc.). I packed my 2 heavy/bulky luggage and tried loading them on my motorbike - yikes, it was an accident waiting to happen. Instead, I loaded it on the bus bound for Cebu City without me. Ivan, at Hostel 7 Cebu, picked them up for temporary storage. Before leaving Siquijor, I received an invite from Joan of Fox and the Firefly Cottages to be one of the teachers for the Bohol Yoga Festival. It was inconvenient while doing my move, but of course, I said Yes, thinking I'll head back to Cebu after the festival, get my stuff and begin a new chapter in my life in Bantayan Island. Wrong!

Bohol was supposed to be a 3-day seque for the Bohol Yoga Festival. After that, my plan was to continue to Cebu City, get my stuff and continue my journey to Bantayan Island to start a new chapter. Little did I know this festival was the genesis for a string of events that would keeps me in Bohol.

Bohol Yoga Festival
(Apr 20-22, 2024) This event was super fun and the participants liked my brand of yoga (Siddhi activation) and my brand of teaching it (lots of explainers). The feedback was positive. I met a lot of amazing people and shared insights and perspective with them - some of them were instrumental in my continued stay in Bohol - Joan, Jing, Kaye and Jen. Joan invited me to stay a little longer to join them for a chill fun dive in Panglao, c/o Brylle. That was a lot of fun too.

Sub-teacher at Jing Yoga and Wellness Studio
(April 23-28, 2024) At the festival, I reconnected with Jing, an acquiantance from my 2017 stint in Loboc. She attended my class and perhaps found it positive despite her question, "Why do you say Elon Mush has Siddhi?" She needed a substitute teacher while she was gone for a week - and invited me to teach her classes and stay at her place. Of course I said yes - to me, this was not Jing inviting me but divinity talking to me in a veiled language I now understand.

This episode allowed me to share my yoga, meet new people, make a little money, have a roof over my head and continue my stay in Bohol.

A few weeks later, Jing asked me again if I could sub for her and stay at her place. She changed the compensation ratio which I found discouraging. I said No. This is perhaps the only time I said No to a proposal. I was thinking instead that I would start Kat's project early on. But that didn't happen until May 27. In hindsight, I should have said yes - not for the money but for the opportunities that would have opened up. Now, those doors are closed.

After my teaching stint with nothing else on the horizon, I purchased my boat ticket and secured all documentation with the Coastguard for my trip to Cebu.

Kat's Community Project
(Apr 28 - May 19, 2024) At the festival, I met 2 lovely lawyers who also attended my classes - Kaye and Jen. I received an invite from them after the festival to join them in celebrating Kaye's sister's birthday dinner at the posh Oceanica Resort. That's how I met the celebrant, Kat. She has a powerful presence, a community leader, involved in local politics and can shake and move things. Food was delectable and the conversation fluid and engaging. When I went home, I thought that was the end of it.

Hours before boarding my boat bound for Cebu City, I received a message from Kat, "I just wanted to check sana if youre interested to stay a few more days in Bohol to discuss the possibility of building a community here." I stopped by and decided that my boat for Cebu can leave without me. Until I found a place in Taloto, I stayed at her AirBnB for a good 3 weeks - Apr 28 - May 19.

Kids'Yoga and Meditation
(May 27 - Jun 20) The initial project was to provide productive time for kids during their summer break. Art, academic lessons and yoga were offered 4 days/week. I handled the yoga part with kids from 7-12 years old, but others were younger and older. It was a challenge handling them - it was like herding cats. Just to get them engaged, I had to bedazzle them with magic, storytelling and juggling. At the end, I felt more like a glorified baby sitter than a yoga teacher.

Adult Yoga
(May 27 - Jun 21) Concurrent to the Kids Yoga was the Adult Yoga from M-F. Often, 2 would attend, but towards the end of the program, maybe 5 people would be there. Sometimes, no one would show up. It wasn't a best seller by any means, but it allowed me to practice the kind of yoga I'd like to share/teach. The participants gave a positive feedback which demands more yoga after the June 21 program termination.

Moving to Taloto
(May 19) After 22 days staying at Kat's place, I found a place in Taloto just 2 km away for P6k/mo - bedroom, kitchen/dinning and bathroom. For a location that is still considered 'town center', it wass reasonable. I've already seen a few places at that price and they were all a dump. Moving was like deja vu - buying the same things I already bought (and sold cheap) in Siquijor and paying full retail here (water container/dispenser, pillows, kitchen utensils, wifi from the neighbor, etc). But I ended up buying more - electric fan, mattress. The heat is unbearable so I had to use the existing aircon - thank God for this aircon. Without it, I would have been forced to buy a new unit.

Moving out of Bohol
At this point, I've decided to move out of Bohol as soon as a new promising destination comes up. This of course changes if something positive happens. What I'm looking for is a community of like-minded people. I can't seem to find that here. Hanging out with locals and talk about local politics isn't my game.

After LyFest, I stayed a few more days in Ormoc exploring the scene for a possible relocation from Tagbilaran - Tagbilaran's honeymoon being over. I asked for referrals, knocked on doors, asked store owners, checked Facebook and biked around neighborhoods. Decent rental units ranged from P8-12k...a little too rich for me in places that didn't really resonate.

I asked myself what my motivation was for moving to Ormoc in addition to the yoga community - none. Ormoc's infrastruction falls behind Tagbilaran. Without the community, there was nothing there for me. This was a sobering thought.

After extending 4 days, I decided to default back to Tagbilaran and await the next sign.

I don't trade Bitcoin and I don't know how. But Bitcoin has been on a steady rise and in late Feb, it surpassed its alltime high of PHP 3.2M. In mid March, it hit the PHP 4M mark - a new alltime high. Price stayed there for about a month before falling back to PHP 3.2M, still a decent level. I've only kept a few Satoshis as payment for yoga lessons. The amount wasn't meaningful, but with the rise of BTC and my consistent 'profit-taking' with every rise, I was able to travel, buy with a little less restriction and feel more at ease about the future (if I remain frugal, I can last a year without working). It paved the way for my move out of Siquijor to wherever life takes me in the Philippines. I still left some BTC in my wallet just in case it goes through the roof one day. I thought it would take a year or 2 for Bitcoin to bounce back, but in Sept 8, it started to spike from PHP 3.2M and continued rising to PHP 6M by December, an almost double in less than 3 months. I no longer have a substantial amount of BTC to make the windfall meaningful but it certainly feels good to see it come back to life.

Bitcoin hitting an alltime high of PHP 6M, Dec 16, 2024

Cebu
A milestone was conducting the Siddhi-Activation workshop in Cebu at Re:Fit Wellness Center. This was a first for me and gave promise for more workshops in the future.

Bohol
Shortly after that, I received an invite from Joan to teach a class at the Bohol Yoga Festival. I taught 2 classes of Siddhi-Activation which was a pleasant surprise to the yogis - it was new and my teaching style was different. During my Bohol stay, Joan invited me twice to teach a class at Fox - yoga for + size women and another beginner class. Siddhi-activation became the genesis of more invites to follow. At the event, Jing, owner of Jing Yoga and Wellness in Panglao, invited me to be a sub-teacher and a house-sitter while she goes on holidays for a week. After that, I was invited by Kat to teach kids yoga as part of her community outreach program. From a planned 3-day stay in Bohol, I decided to stay indefinitely. My Bantayan plan was essentially cancelled. I had Marky bring all my stuff from Cebu to Tagbilaran. In July, Mehul invited me to conduct an inspirational yoga talk with BCBP Kids.

For my private practice, I would default to the Old Airport area where walkers and joggers convene in the mornings and afternoons. I'd be the odd guy doing yoga. This is where the met the Walkers - a club of distinguished gentlemen + lady who would invite me from time to time in some of their events.

Up until mid-October, I would do my morning yoga at the old airport until it became a construction site. I found a suitable replacement at the CPG Park in the provincial capitol compound where I practiced Siddhi activatition daily and follow it up listening to some podcast (Joe Rogan, Eric/Bret Weinsteing, Jordan Peterson). The park could be challenging at times - lots of students practicing their dance routine, it might rain, or pools of water are left standing inviting Dengue. Still, I'm glad to have a place to practice.

For new learning, the Kundalini Yoga book is promising. I'm still reading it and it almost mirrors the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. I use AI to help me understand some passages. This method uses visualizations - this is something I'm getting a handle on.

Ormoc, Leyte
Oct 19, on an invite by Annie of Soulfulnest Yoga Ormoc, I went to Leyte to conduct a 2-hour Siddhi-Activation for the 4th year celebration of the Leyte Yoga Festival. Yogis always find my brand of yoga unique and powerful. I was offered a regular teaching job at their Sadhana Yoga Studio, but I could not find a suitable permanent place to stay. I had to go back to Tagbilaran.

Unlike Chiang Mai where there were many communities I could assimilate myself into, the Philippines had none. For the most part this year, I was literally TheLoneRider again. I tried developing a yoga community but that wasn't sustainable. I would attend the Bohol Toastmasters from time to time, but it was more like a spacefiller rather than a community I belong to. Still, there were a few people I met this year.

Old-Airport Walkers

The Old-Airport Walkers are a group of established elderly gentlemen + Atty. Heidi, who make a daily fast-paced walk along the Old Airport. Being the odd yoga guy, I was perhaps a curiosity to them. I would not make eye contact or say Hi because getting to know people there would mean a distraction. But I chanced on them at the sikwate place. That's how we got acquainted. They would invite me from time to time at some of their events - floating cottage, Vic's Mom's birthday, Tinampay's Xmas party and Tagay Ta gathering.

with the Old-Airport Walkers at Vic's soon-to-open resto in Panglao

Ormoc Yogis

I met the Ormoc Yogis at the Bohol Yoga Festival. I guess I made an impression on them to be invited as a guest yoga teacher to their 4th annual Leyte Yoga Festival (LyFest). It's almost an all-women group - lovely women at that. They were the community closest to what I was looking for. I even searched for a suitable place to relocate to Ormoc but nothing came out of it. I wasn't particularly close to anyone, but as a collective, they resonated. I enjoyed the few days I spent with them in Ormoc.

with the Ormoc Yogis at Lake Danao

Tagbilaran Yogis

The Tagbilaran Yogis were essentially led by one participant who convinced everyone to join the yoga class. She was Berlin - freediver, athlete and mountaineer. Everyone else was her colleague. They would schedule a yoga class twice or once a week at Kat's place. This is the same group I tried to form the Yoga Talk group with. It didn't develop to much of a community. At some point, it languished.

with the Tagbilaran Yogis at the first Yoga Talk

Kat Pioquinto

Kat
When I met Kat at Oceanica for her birthday, I didn't know I'd be entangled almost magically into her web and forfeit my plans to move to Bantayan Island and instead, find roots in Bohol. Just hours before boarding my boat for Cebu, she messaged me about staying a little longer, staying at her place and exploring at possibilities on the horizon. I ended up staying at her place for 3 weeks, doing Yoga Kids and Adult Yoga for her advocacy. There were still projects on the horizon...AI and Life Hacking through Yoga, etc.

my role with Kat was to be an enabler

Kat is a rare breed - beautiful, intelligent, radiant, forceful, results-oriented, self-motivated, and talks non-stop (her speech keeping up with her racing mind). She combines law (she's a UP Law graduate), politics (Chief of Staff of the governor), spiritual evolution (meditation, conscious awareness, life hacking) and single-parenting (technically married, but practically a single but very capable Mom).

Given our combined ability to manifest our desires, I am drawn to conclude that we manifested each other...at a time when the planets have aligned just waiting for that nudge to begin the domino-effect.

Kat blogs:

1. 2024: A Year in Review: Peoplescape Dec 31, 2024
2. Kat's Community Invite Apr 28 - May 19, 2024
3. Kat's Birthday at Oceanica April 24, 2024

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Bohol Festival Yogis

This event change the course of my life. I was enroute to relocate to Bantayan Island when Joan invited me to be a guest-teacher at the Bohol Yoga Festival at their Fox and Firefly resort. I met so many wonderful souls and had invites for teaching gigs after the event. I decided to forego Bantayan and instead, relocate to Tagbilaran. I'm still here as of this writing.

the Bohol Yoga Festival was a big 2-day event

CPG Park Zumba

I just met them late in the year, mid December. I've seen them often as we all do our thing at the CPG Park. But one time, I joined them on a skipping rope while they were doing their workout dance. It was fun. That's how I met them. One time, I conducted a free breathwork for them as a way of breaking the ice. Maybe I get to connect more with them this 2025. It's promising.

with the CPG Park Zumba dancers

NO Vote Buying Group

This was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. I went out for a leisurely bike ride and made a rest-stop at Baybay Taloto (2nd time for me). On another table was a group of distinguished elders. I noticed their t-shirt saying "Akong Boto Sagrado" (my vote is sacred). This immensely appealed to me. Vote-Buying in the Philippines has long been institutionalized and I have given up hope that things will ever improve. It has actually worsened. From the vote-buying, things have morphed to vote-selling. Yes, at this point, the voters themselves pressure politicians to buy their votes. This of course gives free-reign for the politicians to steal as much as they can from the public coffer - afterall, the voters have given their consent.

I approached the group, introduced myself and applauded them for their political conviction. They were equally pleased to meet me. That was the meeting, which happened late December. Perhaps things pick up in 2025 and I get to socialize or do collaborative projects with them.

with the NO Vote Buying Group at Baybay Taloto

Quirino Motorcycle Repair

Quirino owns a popular motorcycle repair shop. He was highly recommended to me by my landlord. It was a small shop and he had helpers too. I had 4 minor issues with my bike - seat lock, foot brake, side mirrors and front brake. They just needed adjustments. We were talking and there was rapport as they worked on my bike. When I asked for the bill, he simply said "PHP 100". That was such a steal. I wanted to let him know I appreciated the work he did and the price he charged. New Year's Eve, I stopped by his shop just to give him a cake. He didn't expect that and he was pleasantly surprised. I'd like to think it's a start of a wonderful friendship. When my bike breaks down, I just don't bring it to a mechanic, I bring it to a friend.

with the Quirino at his repair shop

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Quirino and his helper working on my bike

The last 3 years were forgiving in terms of means. Unlike the years before when my mind would constantly be racing, thinking where the next meal comes from, leaving me mentally exhausted and drained, 2024 was the best I had since 2004 in Canada (when I literally was carrying CAN$20,000 in my pocket for a month from the sale of the townhouse I used to share with my ex-wife. I digress, but I insisted to my Dad that I gift it back to him since it was his wedding gift to me - but the marriage failed, and I couldn't use the money for anything else in good conscience. He eventually accepted it and bought a Honda RAV4 SUV). 2024, with the surge in price of Bitcoin, I ended up having more money (without working for it). With this boon, I was able to make inter-island travel (without making hotel/resto deals), have rent-money for the full year, move to Bohol, and buy pricey things for my home - electric fan (this would have been unaffordable to me back in the day), small fridge, cast-iron stove, foldable chairs, etc. I could also eat in restos paying them full retail price (for years, I could only afford carinderia food - which I love).

All these things did not come unnoticed. Every single day I would feel my abundance and thank my benevolent universe for this blessing...every single day! I could just be filling my gas tank and burst into a gratitude mode for having the money to pay for gas. I really feel looked after....especially this year.

I'm not stopping here. I asked it for more money. I then received a message from Mike (reformed Triad gangster from Singapore) giving me all his Bitcoin Cash. Of course I declined - I'm not a big fan of free money. He insisted to the point of getting annoyed. I had to accept - but I'll just hold it until I find a way to stealthily gift it back to him. I wasn't rejecting the gift of my universe - just not this one.

In Sept, Bitcoin spiked again. I've already cashed-in most of my BTC, but with whatever I left in my wallet, this spike gave me a boon to pay 5 months rent - not bad.

While reading books about Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, I've stumbled upon a new way of learning that made it exciting, fun and even retain the information. I would summarize every chapter in the book in my own words to ensure I really understood what I read. I would also create a glossary where I learn new words to widen my vocabulary - nothing new here since it's my SOP. But I added a new sections:

1. Quotes/Expression - if an expression was used that sounded witty or exciting, I would add it. This immensely enriches my conversational ability to add these expressions. eg instead of saying, "I fucked it up", I would say, "I screwed it 6-ways to Sunday!"
2. Lessons learned - instead of ingesting only the play-by-play information, I also glean any lesson I could learn from it. Sometimes, the lessons are explained. I codify it into bite-size chunks
3. Extended Curiosity - the book might talk about taking the company public - IPO. I know IPO but not enough to talk about it. I would then ask ChatGPT or Gemini to tell me more about it - the process, the reasons to go public, the players, the downside, etc. This digression might take me a few days before I can go back to the book. At the end of it, I could extemporaneously talk about a company going public. I've done this for varied subjects - Quantum Field Theory, neurons, Particle Physics, generational categories, etc. I always come away intellectually enriched, finding bearing in the socialscape as much as the quantumscape.
4. What ifs? - I would ask A.I. some what-if questions. e.g. Microsoft became the market leader for selling its Windows OS to all IBM-clone computers. But what if Apple licensed its hardware architecture and Mac OS to the industry as well? Could it have become the industry standard? This kind of questioning exponentially broadened my understanding of the subject matter.
5. Adding pictures - for recurring names across the book, I add a picture of the person. This way, I see a face everytime I read the name. This gives the character more dimension and makes reading more engaging. Not just people, but anything essential to the story...like Elon's being cover of TIME.
6. Google Mapping - I customize a Google Map to show markers on essential places discussed. This way, I get a sense of the geography, the distance from each other and logistical challenges between places.

2024 Delivered
Altogether, 2024 delivered. It gave way for transformation and mobility. I had more spendable money with Bitcoin's rise. I moved out of Siquijor, established a new chapter in Bohol, did a few inter-island travels, and opened up my yoga to everyone.

Yes to Life
2024 was characterized by saying Yes to Life by following my instinct, the Aha Moments, looming opportunities, transcending my habitual doubt-talk, and simply being pro-active. When I felt the need to leave Siquijor, I ventured out to Negros Occidental, Cebu and Bantayan Island. While in Cebu, I negotiated with several yoga studio owners which culminated in the Siddhi-Activation Workshop. Having decided to move to Bantayan Island, I committed myself to the move and packed all my things and had them trans-shipped to Cebu even though I still had no place in Bantayan. In the middle of my move, I said Yes to Joan to teach a few yoga classes at the Bohol Yoga Festival (even though it was difficult while I was moving). When Jing invited me to teach at her studio for a week, I said Yes. When I was invited to Kat's birthday celebration, I said Yes. When I was invited by Joan to join the festival crew for a dive in Panglao, I said Yes. Hours before boarding the boat (having purchased my ticket and secured Coastguard clearance for my motorbike), I said Yes to Kat on her invite to stay a few more days and explore possibilities. When I found a suitable place to relocate out of Kat's house, I grabbed it, even though I could have continued staying at Kat's place more than a month more. When I saw that my new place was practically beside the VDT of Bohol University where I held a few talks 7 years ago, I acted on the situation by reaching out to VDT for possible synergies (nothing came out of it). When Kat broached the Regenesis Project for both of us, I said Yes (nothing came out of it). When I realized I had to spend more than my usual when I relocated, I said Yes to the increased expenses (double the rent from Siquijor, mattress, electric fan, etc.) even though it was already out of my comfort zone. When I realized that just 1.5 km away was Tubig Daku where I could do my morning yoga, I acted on it by spending my mornings there. When the Guirigay clan had a reunion (my granny is a Guirigay), even though I didn't know anyone, I reached out (I got the cold shoulder so I didn't pursue it).

To the extent I have a regret, it was when I said No to Jing's 2nd invite to have me teach her class. She changed the compensation ratio which wasn't too bad, but still, I said NO, thinking I would start Kat's program early on instead. But the program didn't start until May 27 - enough time for me to have done Jing's classes. I should have said Yes - not for the money but for the unseen opportunities. Now, those doors are closed. I'll never know what could have been.

I developed acute awareness when opportunities come knocking on my door. There is always an underlying counter self-talk or doubt, but being aware, I transcend it by saying Yes to life.

Next Destination
In the same way I started 2024 wanting to leave Siquijor, I will have to start 2025 looking for a next destination. I think Bohol has already served its purpose. After its initial spark, there wasn't really anything left to hold on to. When I left Thailand in 2022 to settle down in the Philippines, I thought it would be easy. More than 2 years now in the Philippines and I'm still in search of that place. Perhaps by January, I can do some backpacking - jump off from Ubay for Maasin, Leyte and take it from there. Maybe a place resonates.

• 2024: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2024
• 2023: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2023
• 2022: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2022
• 2021: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2021
• 2020: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2020
• 2019: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2019
• 2018: A Year In Review Dec 31, 2018
• 2017: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2017
• 2016: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2016
• 2015: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2015
• 2014: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2014
• 2013: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2013
• 2012: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2012
• 2010: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2010
• 2008: A Year in Review Dec 31, 2008
• 2003: A Year In Review Dec 31, 2003