A gentle rant about stories and expectations in Manila

> Tiny progress is still progress.

That line sounds cheesy, but it got me through the part where stories stopped feeling new.

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the recipe for a while.

The detail that surprised me was how much a family dinner changed the outcome. Same plan, different setting, completely different energy.

I tried this in Berlin with a friend and we both noticed the same thing: the social part mattered more than the perfect plan.