Dating can be exciting, nerve-wracking, and—let’s be honest—a little weird. Especially when you’re trying to figure out if someone you just met might become someone who really matters. As a licensed mental health counselor who works with singles of all ages and relationship histories, one question keeps coming up: How do I make a real connection on a first date?

Walking through Barcelona—where every corner feels like a dream—you can’t miss Antoni Gaudí’s buildings. The architect’s creations look like they’ve been pulled straight from a fairy tale: wavy walls that make you seasick just looking at them, rooftops covered in what seems like dragon bones, staircases that feel like you’re climbing through the ribs of some giant sea creature.

When people imagine brainwashing, they often think of cult leaders or spy thrillers—not romantic partners. But in reality, brainwashing can happen in a relationship, and it doesn’t always look like shouting or bruises. Sometimes, it looks like charm. Like devotion. Like love.

We all want to feel special. That moment when someone tells you you’re amazing, that they’ve never felt this way before, or starts planning your future together—two weeks in—it can be thrilling. It feels like a rom-com. But what if that rush of affection isn’t love at all? What if it’s manipulation dressed up as magic?

As I stroked the stomach of a contented, free-roaming pig on an Iberian ham farm in Spain, I felt a strange mix of affection and unease. These animals were raised with extraordinary care—clean air, open pastures, even gentle handling by farmers who spoke of them with respect. Yet their ultimate purpose was clear: to become some of the world’s finest ham.

So many people are still talking about "Adolescence," the short Netflix series that opens with a shocking moment—police show up at Jamie Miller’s house and arrest him for the murder of a girl from his school, Katie Leonard. From the very start, you feel the panic, the disbelief, the unraveling of what seemed like a normal family life. What makes this show different is that it’s not just about whether Jamie did it . It’s about how a kid could even get to that point—and what happens to the people left behind.

Family means everything—no matter where you’re from. But the way we define family and the role it plays in our lives can look very different depending on the culture we grow up in. As someone raised both Filipina and American, I’ve experienced the beauty and complexity of living between two worlds.