A Message for You, My Friend

Dear Reader,

First of all—my deepest thanks to you, my friend. Whether you stumbled upon it by chance or sought Choices out with purpose as you were drawn in by the title and cover or just needed a book to balance your wobbly coffee table, I am genuinely glad you’re here and much honored to have this moment with you and appreciating you for choosing to read this book. And because you do have lots of time, you delve into dimensions of Choices. With a world overflowing with stories, distractions, deadlines, and streaming services begging for your attention, the fact that you are holding Choices (or viewing it on a screen or listening to it through your headphones) means more than I can express and imagine. Out of all books in the world, you boldly picked this one.

Let’s be honest here—choices are everywhere, admit it or … no, just admit it. You don’t have the choice but to accept this low-key fact that life is basically a long series of decisions: coffee or tea, Netflix or sleep, pin a risky note about cupcake or throw your phone in Angkol’s face. Even writing this low-key book of mine is my decision, my choice. From the trivial quest (“Shall I hit the snooze again?”) to the most terrifying inquiries (“Should I quit my job, move across the world, and start fresh?”), our lives are shaped by every choice we make. Some of our choices are small; others are like, “Oops! I accidentally change the course of my life.” That is true, promise! Every single day, we’re writing our own story—and making the sum to our fullest totality. Sometimes, we draw our options with confidence; sometimes with doubts and hesitations. And, let’s face it, sometimes while eating snacks or roaming around the Facebook at 2:00 a.m. and hoping no one notices.

Choices are not just about the paths taken or forsaken, nor just about big turning points. It’s about the gray areas, messy, the in-between moments, unexpected, the courage it takes to live with uncertainty, often a hilarious process of trying to navigate life with the information we have—while wishing we had a bit more of a manual, or at least a decent Youtube tutorial. Indeed, it’s about you and me, and the choices we all carry.

This book is about choices—since, you know, that’s the title and all. It’s about the strange, beautiful, chaotic mess that happens in between. Choices was born from a simple yet powerful idea that every choice we make shapes the course of our lives. Some are small and quiet; others are loud and life-altering. Through the pages of Choices, I invite you to walk beside the character that grapples with the weight of his decisions, the hope of second chances, and the complexity of the human spirit.

As you read, you’ll meet a character who stumble, grow, laugh, and sometimes make absolutely terrible decisions—just like the rest of us. The character you’ll meet in these pages isn’t a superhero nor extraordinary. He’s not always wise. He doesn’t always say and see the right thing. Sometimes he makes decisions that’ll have you shaking your head. Other times, you might recognize pieces of yourself in him—in his struggles, his courage, his doubts, his quiet hopes.

That’s intentional.

In his journeys, you’ll find something that resonates with your own. Or at the very least, a few moments that make you smile, sigh, or mutter, “Well, that was a choice.” Because real life is a little like a choose-your-own-adventure book... except no one tells you which page to turn to, and you can’t peek ahead without spoiling the plot.

Throughout writing this, I often stopped to reflect on my own choices—the ones I’m proud of, the ones I regret, and the ones I still don’t fully understand. Maybe you’ve done the same. I’ve come to believe that even the choices we think were “wrong” still brought us to where we are. They shaped us. Taught us. Humbled us. Gave us stories to tell (and, occasionally, to laugh about later).

Writing this book reminded me how complex and human decision-making really is. We’re all doing our best with what we know, carrying the weight of the past while fumbling toward the future—and occasionally dropping it all in spectacular fashion.

This book isn’t here to give you answers. It’s here to walk beside you as you ask the questions. To sit with you in the uncertainty. To celebrate the bravery it takes just to make a choice, even when you're unsure of the outcome.

Whether you read this in one sitting, over a cup of tea every night, or in stolen moments on the bus—I hope it stays with you. I hope it makes you think. I hope it makes you feel. And maybe, just maybe, I hope it helps you feel a little more certain in your own uncertain journey.

I hope Choices offers you both entertainment and maybe, in a quiet way, a bit of perspective. Or at the very least, something better than doomscrolling. Thank you for letting these pages into your life.

With gratitude and every good wish,

Alexander Nartates y Zamora Locquiao