Welcome to volume 4 of Apocalypse Spending, a series where I tell you what I spend my money on while the world is on fire.
In case you’re new here, apocalypse spending happens when we feel panic and doom about the world around us. Sometimes, we stock up on resources — some of my clients have stocked up on food, home goods… even guns. (I feel complicated about this one, but if it makes you feel safer right now, I get it.) And other times, we say “fuck it,” and book a trip to a gay nudist resort in Mexico, because what if things get worse and I don’t get a chance to check that off my bucket list?
This week’s apocalypse spending is rooted in necessity: Gas is nearing $7 per gallon in LA, and I am joining the surge of Angelenos who are taking the metro instead of driving.
Growing up in Manila, I spent hours on the school bus every day, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Mind you, this was a school bus without air conditioning and open-air windows with bars on it. As a kid, I used to watch black smoke billowing out of car exhaust pipes and think, “We are completely fucked. There’s no way the planet could survive this rate of pollution.”
When I moved to Brooklyn in my twenties, being car-free was a dream come true. Besides the environmental impact, there were other perks: I loved people-watching on the train. I loved the adrenaline rush of running down three flights of stairs to catch your train. I even loved taking naps on the train and intuitively waking up at the right stop.
I moved to LA six years ago, and I still hate driving. I’m excited to take the train again. I have more time to read and listen to audiobooks. I have returned to my love of people-watching. I’m walking a lot more and getting to see parts of LA that I haven’t noticed before.
The cost: Free. I signed up for the TAP Life Metro program. It gives you a free 90-day pass.
Regret meter: 1/10 — I love people watching, but I do not love people-smelling. I’m keeping some KN95 masks in my pocket moving forward!
Recent wins
🌟 Two of my clients deleted their payday loan apps! Apps like Cleo, Dave, and Money Lion have people in a cycle of high-interest debt, so this feels like a big win.
🧮 Four of my clients filed their taxes on time! Having a low-stress tax season is such a feat, so give them their flowers!
🏆 In July 2025, I wrote a story about Black queer entrepreneur, Jewel Thais-Williams. Jewel had just passed and my editor Michelle Zenarosa asked me to write a story about her legacy. That story is nominated for the Queer Beat Award for excellence in LGBTQ+ reporting by the LA Chapter of the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists. Honored to be nominated alongside Jireh Deng and Cerise Castle.
🎂 I didn’t really publicly celebrate it this year, but I’m really proud that I reached 6 years of sobriety from alcohol in January! I’ve survived my toddler sobriety years, y’all. Life is so sweet!
Media I’ve been consuming lately
💌 After getting laid off from Eater, a couple of writers got together and started a worker-owned media site called Ravenous. As of May 5, they’ve raised $97,244 during their paid member drive — super impressive!
🤳A TikToker named Hunter Peterson is crowdfunding to buy Spirit Airlines and own it collectively. Over $400 million have been pledged, and if it works out, I think it could be a great example of the solidarity economy at work. In the solidarity economy, there’s a principle that utilities should be owned and managed by the people using them – not an outside corporation that extracts from them. I’m on the edge of my seat to see how this plays out!
📺 Margo’s Got Money Troubles on Apple TV — It’s about a 19-year-old college student who gets pregnant and starts an OnlyFans to earn money to support herself and her kid.
🎶 This mix titled Hot coffee & slow mornings by COLORS
🎶 I recently switched from Spotify to Qobuz and their algorithm put me onto this album called Quiet! by Sparrow Sleeps – it’s lullaby renditions of Paramore songs.
🎶 The creator Saint Virgil makes weekly album recommendations, and she pointed out that Vampire Weekend’s sound was likely influenced by Congolese rumba musician Franco Luambo. Since then, I’ve been listening to his album called Mamou. Here’s a little snippet on YouTube.
📖 Martyr! a novel about a newly sober poet who is obsessed with martyrs, by Iranian-American poet Kaveh Akbar – no notes, very good read, especially during a train or bus ride 😉