A letter from Jul 19, 2026

High-low, Some stories don't begin with certainty. They begin with a single, ordinary click. Believe me or not, the night I pressed that Follow button, I wasn't expecting anything. If anything, I expected nothing at all. I've always believed life has a strange habit of surprising us when we stop asking it to. Still, I never imagined that one small action would quietly rewrite the rhythm of my days. I never told you why I followed you. Maybe you've tried solving the mystery with the 5W1H method lol. Maybe you've overthought it a hundred different ways. I'll probably keep the answer to myself. I think it's funnier that way. But looking back, it all feels like a series of impossible coincidences stitched together so perfectly that "coincidence" no longer feels like the right word. Maybe some people would simply call it destiny ;) Then came that first DM. Out of all the unexpected things life has thrown at me, that conversation remains one of my favorite plot twists. What started as an ordinary night became one of the memories I never knew I'd treasure. Somehow, my quiet, predictable days found color. Time felt lighter because there was someone to talk to. Maybe it's strange that I'm leaving these words here. Maybe one day I'll stop being the one trying to get your attention (Di na ako magpapapansin, last na this). Maybe life will carry us in different directions. You're probably busy chasing your dreams in college now, building a future that's waiting for you. I sincerely hope it's treating you kindly. And if this somehow becomes a letter you read years from now, I hope you're exactly where you've always dreamed of being. Maybe by then they'll be calling you Engineer Mat, or maybe you'll have a different title altogether. Whatever it is, I hope you wear it with the same humility you've always had. I may never truly know you. We may never spend a day hanging out or make memories outside our conversations. But even from a distance, I saw enough to know that you're the kind of person people are lucky to meet. You're rich in the things that can't be bought, kindness, sincerity, and the quiet way you make people feel seen. Those are worth far more than anything money could ever give. I don't know if you realize it, but you inspired me. I used to think the loudest lives were the happiest ones, always going out, always chasing the next adventure, living as if tomorrow didn't exist. Then I saw someone whose life seemed quieter, steadier, and at peace. It was different from mine, and maybe that's what made me so curious about you in the first place. No matter where life takes us, I'll always be one of the people silently rooting for your success. Maybe you won't know it, and maybe you never will. But somewhere out there, there will always be someone hoping that life is kind to you, celebrating your wins from afar, and believing that you'll become everything you've worked so hard to be. But before time carries this moment away, I just want to say this— Happy Birthday, Mat. Thank you for being one of life's most beautiful unexpected turns. P.S. I actually wrote this and meant to send it earlier. I just thought it would've been fun if you'd read it on your birthday. Hahaha.