Television – The Diary of The Deranged Writer

30-Minute Warning XLIII

It’s been almost exactly a month since I wrote a Minute Warning post. So, what can I share here in under 30 minutes?

Firstly, I’ve been more than productive this week. Specifically, I’ve been running wild on design tasks for my day job, and I’m not technically a designer anymore. With those design tasks, I’m so over the moon that I got the inspiration I need to work on personal projects I’ve been neglecting for a long time. Pushing through those projects slowly but surely feels great.

Secondly, I’ve been listening to the new Foo Fighters single, “Your Favorite Toy,” since last night, and I’m floored because of the groovy, playful guitars and the stinging lyrics. As I write this, I’ve been listening to it for the 110th time. I’m looking forward to the new Foo Fighters album, Your Favorite Toy, which will be released on Friday, April 24, 2026. I definitely marked that date on my planner with the utmost importance; the highest-priority, do-not-do-anything-else-on-that-night kind of importance. (And expect the new single to be my Song of the Moment next week.)

Thirdly, I’m planning to meet two of my old friends tomorrow at a reunion party. I saw Ferdinand at my birthday dinner last year, and he never missed since I started inviting my closest friends over. Tomorrow will be a monumental moment because it will be the first time in years that we will have a chat in the flesh outside my birthday party. The other friend I’m meeting, Sim, is someone I bumped into at a mall last year after so many years, and since then, we have been exchanging words online more often. I’m stoked to see my buddies again tomorrow night, even for just a few hours!

What else? Oh, remember my last Minute Warning post, where I discussed the CM Punk/Finn Bálor bout for the World Heavyweight Championship on WWE Raw last month? Now they will have another world title match before February closes at Elimination Chamber. Honestly, I didn’t expect the second match to happen that soon, but I’m still bouncing off the walls because two of my favorite professional wrestlers are facing off again. However, sadly, at this point, I don’t think they will drop the title to Bálor on that night. The Judgment Day might turn on him, too… and that also means breaking the chains that have been holding Bálor for several years. I honestly like him more as a singles competitor or the leader of a badass faction like Bullet Club.

Good grief. I don’t think I’ve ever been this talkative on a Minute Warning post, no matter the time limit. Perhaps this is the residue of my productive feeling since this work week started… and being on cloud nine since Valentine’s Day. I mean, my past Valentine’s Days have been relatively quiet, but this year isn’t because I did a quietly brave thing, and then received warmth in return. That’s a lovely feeling after many years of being in the shadows.

Anyway, I have four minutes left, but I’m signing off for now while I enjoy a seasalt latte. See you in the next post, and have a happy weekend, everyone!

The Recently II

I have been working on a new Listen post dedicated to a new favorite song (clue: it’s a new Foo Fighters song), but I’m setting that love letter aside momentarily. Why? I’m also mentally preparing for the Seoul trip with my family. Sure, the essentials have been assembled, and my flight attire is ready. But recently (I mean, tonight), I need to psych myself up for the upcoming trip through music, and that means a lot of K-pop.

Oh, yes… that’s a clue to what I listened to recently. With that, I kick off the second edition of The Recently (the newest blog series on The Diary), where I share what things I did recently (e.g., what I listened to, what I read).

Anyway, are you ready?

10-Minute Warning CXC

What can I share in under ten minutes?

Firstly, I have been drinking (and enjoying) more hot tea than ever before. Maybe it’s because I enjoyed The Angel’s Cup (hot honey/citron/ginger tea) for a few weeks while I was sick. From liking both cold and hot/warm beverages to sticking with just cold drinks, now my mind and tongue are open again to drinking hot/warm drinks. Lovely. I just need to remind myself whenever I drink a hot/warm drink: sip it slowly and not chug it quickly like a madman.

What were the other teas I drank recently? Aside from The Angel’s Cup almost every day, I drank sencha green tea at a Japanese restaurant owned by one of our business clients last Thursday. When I learned that the restaurant serves sencha green tea, my preferred type of tea and the preferred drink of Harold Finch (a main character from my favorite show, Person of Interest, and one of my favorite characters of all time), I had to order one. I was the only one who drank hot tea that night, while the rest of my family had cold softdrinks and lemon iced tea. As for today, I also drank green tea while having a puto bumbong near the chapel.

I truly enjoy sipping on it and letting the tea warm my throat, stomach, and heart. I will definitely add it to my daily ritual moving forward. Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon: sweet.

I want to talk more about last Thursday because it was my Mother’s birthday, but my ten minutes are up. See you in the next post… and that will be tomorrow!

Header image: Luke Oslizlo of Unsplash. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.