#‎RoadTripperMonday‬ – a weekly feature of our very own Road Tripper.

Welcome to the last road tripper of July! Today, we will feature Archie Mariano, a writer, a book lover and one of the rare Star Wars fanatic! Haha! He joined us in one earlier road trips of the year. One of the things that struck us most is his reply to his 16 year old self…“Don’t err on the side of caution, instead throw it to the wind.” As they say, magic always happens outside of your comfort zone. 🙂

To know more about Archie, read more about him here —

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1. What do you do for a living?

I am currently the Communications Lead and Creative Writer of a food supplement distributor. I also do a bit of freelance copywriting every now and then.

2. What is one of your guilty pleasures?

Reading Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones fanfiction online. The weird thing is that I haven’t read a single HP book in my life, and I basically gave up on GOT after reading about the Red Wedding. As for Star Wars, I’m a certified Warsie. Yeah, sue me.

3. What is the title of the movie of your life?

Unabashedly Millennial. I know Millennials such as myself have been receiving a lot of flak for being idealistic and self-entitled, but I don’t really care. Someday, we’ll inherit the Earth and there is nothing those people can do to stop us. LOL JK. Millennial-bashing is so stale, every generation has its lows and highs, ours is just magnified so much because of the Internet. I mean, come on, you can’t really fault us for wanting a better deal once we graduate when all our lives we’ve been fed the bullshit that all it takes for a person to succeed is a college diploma, right?

4. If you could go back in time what would you tell your 16 year old self?

Leaps of faith are underrated. There will be instances in your life when you need to trust your gut instinct above all else, when you need to make a judgement call. Forget the permutations, the doubts, the questions, the possibilities for failure. Don’t err on the side of caution, instead throw it to the wind. Your worst frustrations in life will be those moments wherein you did not take a chance. And trust me, they’re coming real soon.

5. If you can be teleported anywhere around the world, where would it be and why?

Red Square in Russia. I’ve always wanted to go there, visit Lenin’s Tomb, see the onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral, and stare in awe at the spires of the Kremlin. Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been a Russophile. There’s something really fascinating about a country that was considered as the most backward among the great powers and then later on becoming a superpower at par with the United States.

6. Which celebrity would you go on a “one-night-only-date” with?

Emma Watson. A strong, independent, and smart woman that you can engage in a sensible conversation. The fact that she is a great actress is just a bonus.

7. You, unfortunately, have been condemned to die, but fortunately, you get to have any meal in the world before you go. What is your menu?

<LOL, I don’t think they’ll ever get me in the first place. I would’ve gone done swinging.>

My father’s adobo recipe. I got into a serious argument about this when I was in college, apparently, some barbarians cook adobo without sweet potatoes.

And perhaps a bottle or two of Red Horse.

8. If you could trade places with anyone right now, for a week, who would it be and why?

A cared-for baby. LOL, it would be fun to just eat, shit, and sleep for a week without school stuff, work deliverables, raket, and commuting to worry about.

Or perhaps God/Goddess/Supreme Being. I’d like to know how he/she/it deals with guilt.

9. What is the best present you ever received?

When my parents gave me a book about world geography when I was six years old. That book opened my eyes about the wonders of the world and made me fall in love with it.

10. If you could meet a famous or not so famous person, who would that be and why?

Richard Harris. He’s my favorite author and I’d like to know how he comes up with such great storylines.

11. How old should a person start traveling?

Alone? If he/she is already earning money, then, by all means.

Traveling brings out the inner cosmopolitan inside all of us, the tolerant that celebrates cultures and doesn’t deride them, the outgoing that revels in nature and doesn’t fear it, and the liberal that sees mankind as a large tapestry made beautiful by the billions of colors and life that dye it.

The sooner a person gets exposed to different cultures, sees a variety of picturesque sceneries, and hears different opinions and views, the better it will be for an imperfect society that wants to include everyone. Regardless of race, religion, beliefs, and ethnicity.

12. What is your best experience in traveling/living in the Philippines?

When I traveled alone to Zamboanga City, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan in 2016 for nine days. I stayed in a homestay that was bombed, boarded a ferry that was hijacked before, went to one of the sacred sites in Moro mysticism, visited the first ever mosque in the Philippines, and ate in a fastfood restaurant that was often bombed by terrorists. All in all, an eventful trip.

I met tons of wonderful people (imams, guides, drivers, vendors, fishermen, peddlers, government officials, etc.) and got them to pose for a portrait shot.

13. In one sentence, how would you like people to remember you?

He lived and died for his ideals.