XVIII: Full Circle II (The Diary’s 2nd Anniversary)

2 years ago yesterday, I published my first post here on The Diary. And looking back at those 2 years… oh, man, I have been through a lot.

In my first year of blogging on The Diary, I promised myself to publish 13 posts per month and I will blog every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Thankfully, I reached my post goals and schedule mainly because of my Minute Warning series (where I write anything under time pressure under 10 to 30 minutes). And if I were to publish a longer post, I have a writing process that works. You can check my first-year retrospective on this post.

And today, in my second year of blogging at The Diary, I’m looking back and checking if my writing processes still work and if my blogging schedule still serves me well.

Continue reading XVIII: Full Circle II (The Diary’s 2nd Anniversary)

Song of the Moment LXX: Rise Against’s “Ready to Fall”

Since Monday, I have been listening more (again) to my second favorite band of all time, the American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. But today, because of an old draft, I decided to set aside Coheed and Cambria for a while and listen more to another favorite band since 2007, the American punk rock band Rise Against.

I started listening to Spotify’s “This is Rise Against” playlist, and it has been fun listening to my favorite songs from theirs (e.g. “State of the Union”, “Prayer of the Refugee”) to tracks I have heard a few times (e.g. “Broken Dreams, Inc.”, “House on Fire”). But what is disappointing is that the best Rise Against (in my opinion) is not on the playlist. What’s that song? It’s “Ready to Fall”, the lead single from the band’s fourth studio album The Sufferer & the Witness, and my all-time favorite song from them. And tonight, it’s my Song of the Moment.

I suddenly remember the summer of 2007 and my first term as a college freshman. Oh, the memories…

The music video of Rise Against’s “Ready to Fall”.

Happy Wednesday, everyone.

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This post’s header image is made by Adobe Photoshop 2025’s Generative Fill. Uploaded on February 22, 2025 at 12:18am.

30-Minute Warning XXXVIII

Well, what can I write here under 30 minutes?

First of all, I’m feeling a bit better than yesterday. I had a little mix-up at work, but I fixed it right away and eventually completed all of my tasks. And while I was working, I listened to my Song of the Moment, My Chemical Romance’s “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and then their first album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. As I’m typing this, I’m listening to MCR’s legendary album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.

Secondly, what are my weekend plans? Not much. Yes, I will go to Mass on Sunday. Yes, I will write more at home tomorrow and Sunday. And no, I’m not going out tomorrow. I looked back at my spending since December 2024 (a lot of them were spent on online shopping), and good grief… my savings account is hurting now. I need to be careful with how I spend my money in the coming months, especially since a subscription fee doubled and I need said subscription for work. Oh, I really need a second job soon—a part-time graphic design job, at least. Please wish me luck in my job hunting.

Speaking of weekend plans… Normally, on a Friday night, I would prepare a can/glass of Jack and Coke/Coke Zero (my favorite alcoholic drink), open my laptop, and start writing on my blog. But tonight, I’m just writing with no Jack and Coke Zero on my table. No, I’m not forgetting my drink. I just want to shake things up a little. But now I should get my drink.

(Gets an ice-cold Jack and Coke Zero from the refrigerator.)

Oh, and since I need to spend less money in the coming months and to take care of my health, I will start drinking 1 can of Jack and Coke Zero only per weekend. Also, my family gave me a box of 12 Jack and Coke Zeros as one of my Christmas gifts, so I don’t have to worry about supplies of my favorite drink for at least 3 months. The first can from the box has been in the refrigerator for a week, and now I’m drinking it. To my family, thank you so much and I love you so much.

That’s all I can share for today. Cheers to the weekend!

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