I grew up in an era when weekly essay-writing and reaction papers were a staple of school life. Teachers routinely assigned us anywhere from 500 to 5,000 words—without the help of the internet, Grammarly, or even AI tools like ChatGPT didn't even exist yet. Back then, I honestly thought it was all a waste of time. I even suspected my teachers didn’t bother reading half of what we wrote. But over time, I realized there’s something about writing that verbal, visuals and movements simply can’t convey.

As I pursued a career in design, writing became one of my most valuable creative expression. I wasn't obsessed over technical precision, perfect grammar or correct spelling; instead, I focused on using writing to express myself in the rawest, most unfiltered way possible. Whether it was a poem, a reaction paper, feedback, copywriting, or a script, writing was my outlet—a medium to translate my thoughts into something tangible, especially when infused with emotion. Such, even more when writing love letters.

In 2022, I wrote an essay titled "To the Girl Who Still Reads Love Letters," a series of lovenotes to my imagined future girlfriend. At the time, I was dabbling in dating apps and there was a growing weary of the monotonous trend (posting selfies, hoping someone might find you attractive, if you have abs or sharing travel pics). Knowing that I wasn’t particularly 10/10 score and or worst, I'm really bad at flirting, I decided to get creative and stand out in the crowd. My “hack” was to post heartfelt and unconventional way of being romantic. All I wanted was to be genuine and fun, and, to my surprise, it kinda worked. I can’t say I became a dating app superstar, but I did manage to score a few swipes!I

What I learned from this experiment was that, most of the people in the dating apps are seeking for genuine connections. They don't really want to see photos, but actually glimpse of your life. The more genuine and vulnerable you are, the more you become attractive and likeable. I’m sharing these notes now because I think it's unique, romantic, and a refreshing change from the norm. Who knows? Maybe it will inspire other guys, espcecially bachelors to think outside the box (and fake profile pictures too). Shoutout to my idol Geloy Concepcion for the creative direction. Enjoy!