It is with both joy and shame that I admit that my job as a lifestyle writer involves eating, a lot of eating. Sometimes gluttonous eating—like the time I tried 13 cronuts from 13 different places in a span of several hours or the time I ate at 11 restaurants in one day, all for the sake of journalism.

I was sent to Thailand just a couple of months after the 2004 tsunami. Hundreds of journalists from all over the world gathered there to witness the country’s rebuilding efforts. It was unforgettable—a lesson on the devastation of nature and the resilience of Thai people.

I am Inquirer’s Paris correspondent—I don’t mean the city, I mean Paris Hilton. I’ve covered two visits of the hotel heiress to the Philippines, tailing her at multiple events and writing stories, some of which have ended up on the front page. And as someone who spent way too much time watching “The Simple Life,” all I can say is “That’s hot.”