Summer in Cebu does not really announce itself. It just sort of happens.
You notice it when courts start filling up earlier than usual, when plans that have been “next week” for a while suddenly push through, and when people decide, almost at the same time, that it’s time to go out again.
I got an early sense of that on the opening day of a new pickleball space called The Courts of Cebu. It was still on soft opening, so yes, there were a few rough edges. But you could already tell what it wanted to be. The courts were laid out for serious play. According to management, everything was designed with world-class standards in mind.
Pickleball, at this point, has settled into something more permanent. Not quite a trend anymore. More like a habit. Courts keep appearing. People keep showing up. And suddenly your week starts to revolve around game schedules you did not have a year ago.
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Around the same time, the newsroom had its own kind of full house.
The Sessionistas dropped by for SunStar’s “Press Play.” Ice, Nyoy, Juris and Princess — voices most of us grew up with — were just casually talking, laughing, waiting for their turn on camera.
They were easy to talk to. No airs. No effort to impress. Talent, when it’s real, doesn’t really need announcing. The whole episode is out on SunStar Cebu’s Facebook page.
The show is set for April at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
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And then, somewhere between errands, I found myself stepping into a newly relocated Longchamp space inside Rustan’s. Second level now. A bit more open. Less about shelves, more about space.
The Spring Summer 2026 collection was there, along with a handful of Cebu’s fashion content creators. The ice cream cart was out as well, adding to the summery vibe.
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Looking back, none of these were big moments. It was just an evening game, a studio visit, a quick stop at a store. But they all carried the same energy.
Things starting. Not fully finished. Not perfectly set. Still figuring themselves out.
A court settling into its rhythm. A performance before the stage lights. A space getting used to how people move through it.
And maybe that is the better way to begin a season. Not waiting for everything to line up, but simply showing up.