30-Minute Warning XLII

Hello, Diary. What can I share here in under 30 minutes?

On the previous Minute Warning post, I wrote that many of my moments of 2025 have been happily memorable. After I wrote that post, I had more happy moments that happened in chilly Seoul. I had so many joyful moments there with my family… and there was a surreal yet happy point with someone. I have vaguely mentioned that on my previous Song of the Moment. Still, no Seoul trip details because I only have 30 minutes to write this post, Minute Warning posts don’t really have a proper flow, and, frankly speaking, I wanted to ramble on topics other than Seoul. For now.

Anyway, a few days after arriving home, there was a moment that led me to overthink with full force, and that spiked my anxiety levels. I wanted to elaborate on what was going on in my mind for people who were concerned for me… but I couldn’t. I had to deal with it alone. To solve this, I went to my safe space, sat in my favorite seat, drank some Earl Grey tea, and wrote more in my journal. Thankfully, that calmed me down, and I needed calm nerves for the next mission that would take place that weekend… a mission that would lead to happiness.

And then that calm turned into overexcitement, so I didn’t get proper sleep, and I ran on caffeine and adrenaline. But I completed my weekend mission, I accomplished everything on my checklist, and my heart and soul were on cloud nine after all that. (Though I admit that fragments of my heart and soul are still in Seoul because of someone.) Last weekend may be one of my happiest ones ever.

So, there… that’s why I have not been writing in The Diary lately: I was that happy recently. But don’t worry. The 2025 edition of 14 Days of The Deranged Writer will start this Saturday, November 22 (The Undertaker’s 35th anniversary, take note!), and I will blog for 14 days straight until December 5, my birthday. I’m pretty stoked about that!

And my 30 minutes are up. See you in the next post.

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Header image: Alexandro David of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

Updated November 19, 2025.

10-Minute Warning CXCI

I looked back at the past several months and moments of my 2025, and they have been so happily memorable. And you know what? I’m so glad I kept myself alive for those moments.

And 2025 is not over yet. I’m not over yet.

Ω


Header image: Abdullah Ghatasheh of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

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!

Ω


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