WELCOME FROM THE CHIEF EDITOR
My name is Kaye, your Chief Editor
Hey there!
If you’re reading this, chances are you're a Manila-based go-getter juggling deadlines, add-to-carts, instapay transfers, coffee runs — all while enduring war-like commutes or drives to the office — and every now and then gets bugged by that omnipresent question: “Magre-resign na ba ako?”
Welcome to the very first newsletter of Work Life Manila (WLM) — your curated cheat sheet to working smart, living well, and making sense of city life as a young professional in the Philippines.
Every week, we’ll be sliding into your inbox with a mix of:
💼 Career tips that are crisp, punchy, and don’t sound like recycled LinkedIn posts
🧠 Mindset resets that don’t preach — they empower
🍜 Where-to-go and what-to-try recos for your next after-work or weekend escape
📈 Real talk about money, ambition, burnout, and glow-ups
✨ And the occasional meme because... we deserve.
This newsletter is built for you — the overachiever, the quietly ambitious, the quarter-life warrior. Whether you’re grinding in corporate, freelancing from cafés, or plotting your next big leap, we’re here to help you navigate it all — with clarity, confidence, and the occasional hugot. 🚀
I’m so glad you’re here.
Stay tuned,
Kaye Reyes
Editor & Writer, WLM
P.S. Got topics you want us to cover? A hot take you’re burning to share? Hit reply — we read every email 📩
TODAY’S WORKSPACE
Hello from Bonifacio Global City (BGC)
When we sat down for this first write-up, Kaye had just parked near a favorite BGC strolling spot, the Bonifacio High Street. We just had to try this newly-opened French cafe and restaurant, the first Philippines branch of Ladurée, hyped up all over social media in the few weeks since it opened. Inside its Salon de Thé, seeing Kaye’s laptop balanced on the shiny marble-inspired table, with signature latte and salted caramel macaron on the side, and the tickling buzz of diners reverberating across the room — it’s the kind of scene that’s part of a new restaurant’s charm.
Now, it’s just a regular Friday.
PERSONAL TOUCH
Chief Editor’s Current Favorites
Since this is our introductory newsletter, why not get to know a little something about Kaye, our chief editor & writer 👋
▶ On-repeat on-the-road playlist: Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack 👩🏻🎤 (Golden is still bangin’)
▶ Podcast on repeat: alternating between The Diary of a CEO / Call Her Daddy
▶ Current read: Factfulness by Hans Rosling
▶ Must-have gear: Jisulife + heavy-duty powerbank
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