The Difference Is In The Dose - Toronto, Canada.

As a quick highlight: Filipino food is really bad for you (it’s loaded with sodium and sugar, both of which directly contribute to heart disease and diabetes). Comparatively speaking, alcohol is more poisonous for your body than cigarettes (yet, culturally — and through skillful marketing — we are led to believe that alcohol isn’t that bad). Why did I bring those two things up specifically? Because high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver are all extremely common within the Filipino community; all of which are directly related to diet and lifestyle. All of which are also: completely preventable.

Anonymity & Unlocked Doors - Toronto, Canada.

As a practicing photographer for over 10 years now (fun fact: Tara actually taught me how to shoot photography — Wab taught me how to shoot video), it never ceases to amaze me in regards to how much access and anonymity you can get just by holding a camera.

canada, torontoUrvil James VillaruelJune 19, 2025obc, events, event photography

Exploring the Ancient City of Cobá - Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.

Hands down, one of the best travel recommendations I’ve received — mark my words, one day Cobá will be more famous can Chichén Itzá!

Admittedly, upon visiting the famed Chichén Itzá site I was a bit taken aback by the level of commercialization at the site and it ultimately left me feeling disinterested in checking out the second ancient site on our list, Cobá.

Countries, travel, mexicoUrvil James VillaruelApril 8, 2025mexico, coba, traveller, travel photography, travel

Same Same, But Different - Chichén Itzá, Mexico.

Having been to a number of ancient sites now (from Angkor Wat, to Giza, to Machu Picchu), it’s become a fascinating pattern to me to see how commercial these supposed “spiritual” sites have become (if you’ve ever been to Angkor Wat, the vendors at Chichén Itzá are like that on steroids when it comes to getting you to buy souvenirs or grift you into spending more money than you initially intended).

Countries, mexicoUrvil James VillaruelApril 5, 2025mexico, travel photography, traveller

Our New Favourite Getaway - El Dorado Casitas Royale, Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Truth be told, Tara and I were a little incredulous about going to an all-inclusive before embarking on this trip. Spending most of our travel adventures in hostels, hotels, and Airbnbs, while mainly taking the time to explore outside meant we paid very little attention to “relaxing” when travelling. Not to mention, most of the people we knew who went to an all-inclusive didn’t speak very highly of their experiences…

Countries, mexico, travelUrvil James VillaruelMarch 23, 2025mexico, traveller, travel photography, travel

Revisiting My Favourite City - Las Vegas, NV, USA.

From the shows, to the venues, to the food, to the architecture, Las Vegas really shines in its ability to create cool stuff. Granted, I’m still a huge proponent of Asia when it comes to technological advancement, but what really sets Las Vegas apart from other Eastern technology-driven locations (like Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao, and Japan) is its central focus on entertainment consumption.

Don't Sleep On Halifax! - Halifax, NS, Canada.

For all you gamers out there, Halifax’s boardwalk kind of reminds me of Final Fantasy 8’s Balamb Town, and is loaded with many great spots to eat, with some of my top recommendations being: The Bicycle Thief and Dave’s Lobsters (home to easily the best Lobster Roll in Halifax—trust me, I tried a bunch!). Though, if you’re in for a bit of a drive, my other top two recommendations in Halifax would be The Canteen and The Knot Pub.

canadaUrvil James VillaruelOctober 16, 2024halifax, travel, travel photography

Petroglyphs Provincial Park - Woodview, ON, Canada.

Located roughly two-hours away from Toronto next to Peterborough in Woodview, Ontario, contains the largest collection of Petroglyphs in North America with carvings dating as far back as 6,000 years ago with newer carvings etched in as early as 600 years ago.

canadaUrvil James VillaruelJuly 15, 2024petroglyphs, travel, travel photography, traveller

Climate Social Innovation Labs (BC, ATL, ON) - Toronto, ON, Canada.

A project I’m pretty proud to have been a part of; in an industry traditionally divided, we were able to bring together over 60 outdoor organizations nationally across Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto to discuss building program resiliency as it relates to climate change.

Dr. Tara - Toronto, ON, Canada.

The world is lucky to have you, Dr. Tara, and you’re just getting started! Can’t wait to witness the difference you will be making in the future (and I secretly can’t wait to have one of my photographs be used in a future magazine article about you)!

Capturing Adonis - Vancouver, BC, Canada.

To think that those little made-up adventures were just over 10 years ago (that’s when I picked up my first camera, though Brentley has been shooting ever since early high school and has already been on international shoots without me—that’s why he’ll always be my senpai; aka “upperclassman”), it’s wild to imagine that what was once fantasy has now become reality.

Expectation vs. Reality - Austin, Texas, USA.

If you’re even a casual listener of the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, you’ll know that Joe’s been promoting Austin, Texas, pretty hard; with many guests also talking about how amazing the city is, even going so far as to move there themselves (most notably, Elon Musk with his new Tesla Gigafactory).

Views from the ‘Hilltop Lodge’ - Boracay, Philippines.

Though it’s still a work in progress, the vision is clearly there and the bottom-floor rooms are now built up enough to be used, along with the fourth floor rooftop balcony/event space. I’m now pretty stoked to help my dad further it along, even coming up with the name ‘Hilltop Lodge’!

Countries, photography, philippinesUrvil James VillaruelJune 26, 2023boracay, philippines, hilltop lodge

Pearls are in - Boracay, Philippines.

Interestingly enough, it turns out that pearls actually hold a strong cultural significance in the Philippines (the South Sea pearl even adorning the Philippines’ 1000-peso bill), with many women (and, more recently, men) sporting them as luxury items in place of other materials like gold and silver.

Definitely worth the wait, Boracay 2.0 - Boracay, Philippines.

Voted as one of the top islands to visit in the world by Condé Nast Traveler magazine and the Best Island in the World by Travel + Leisure magazine, Boracay has come a long way since I first visited in 2008.

Island Life is the life for me - Aklan, Philippines.

Though my work relies heavily on the digital world (I pretty much work remote and do a myriad of things online), and I’m deeply fascinated by technology, spending time in a place where things move at a much slower pace and people are more focused on what’s right in front of them versus what’s online is quite comforting.

Countries, philippinesUrvil James VillaruelJune 24, 2023aklan, philippines, islander, island life

Ancestral Fishpond antics - Aklan, Philippines.

I know I’ve written about fishermen and fishponds already, but the highlight I want to showcase here isn’t actually the the pond or fishermen, but the ingenuity of the Filipino people.

Two highly creative endeavours seen here are the three-story treehouse currently being built and designed by my Uncle Denis, along with the improvised rifle held by my uncle’s friend Michael.

philippinesUrvil James VillaruelJune 22, 2023philippines, portrait, portraits

Dogs not Babies - Ochando, Philippines.

A common trait that most immigrants possess when they first come to Canada is an aversion to treating animals like their kin; whereas, here, it’s become an increasingly common place practice to treat your “pet” like your “child”.

photography, philippinesUrvil James VillaruelJune 22, 2023dogs, ochando, philippines