Bruno Mars – The Diary of The Deranged Writer

10-Minute Warning CXCVII

What can I talk about here in under ten minutes?

For the first time in 2026, I woke up at 8:00am. It’s earlier than I planned, and that’s a good thing. I hope to be able to continue this schedule in the coming weeks or even months. I’m not really a morning person, but I need to be that if I want to help out in the family business.

Earlier, I ran errands in Makati with my Mother and Father, then we bought some honey/citron/ginger tea, my afternoon drink that I call The Angel’s Cup. While I appreciate the orange black tea and honey lemon pomegranate tea, I’m looking forward to drinking the same tea I fell in love with in October 2025. We bought some four jars for good measure! Hell yes!

When it comes to music this week, I’ve been listening to two of my musical heroes. As usual, one of them is Dave Grohl, while the other one is Bruno Mars. Last week, Mr. Mars released a new single called “I Just Might”, and like everyone, I can’t stop listening to such a disco gem. Because of the latest hit, I’ve been also listening to all of his studio albums, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Unorthodox Jukebox, and 24K Magic. I’m so stoked for my musically gifted doppelgänger’s upcoming album, The Romantic (to be released on February 27, 2026)!

As for Mr. Grohl, in light of his birthday last Wednesday, “How Do You Do” (a part of the soundtrack for the 1997 black comedy movie Touch) is my Song of the Moment. It still is. With that, I’ve been listening to the music he’s a part of from Nirvana’s Nevermind and In Utero to all of his work for the Foo Fighters (my favorite band of all time). As usual, it has been a total pleasure looking back on all of his musical masterpieces with my ears.

Sorry, I’ve been rambling. Then again, this is a Minute Warning post. But still, sorry. My mind is so active like Dave Grohl when fueled with FRESH POTS, while my body is waving the white flag once again. Particularly, my left shoulder hurts like hell, and I don’t remember pulling a muscle on that body part. Not recently anyway. I’m getting really old. Fuck.

Anyway, my ten minutes are almost up. See you in the next post, and happy weekend to all!

Header image: Justin Vogt of Pixabay. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

Song of the Moment XCVII: Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”

Yes, you read the title right. And I promise you: there are no rickrolls here.

I definitely enjoyed listening to many Nine Inch Nails songs lately (notably “Every Day is Exactly the Same”, a previous Song of the Moment). But since last weekend, I needed to slowly step out of the darkness and enjoy more light. I enjoyed the light again by listening to upbeat songs ranging from “Walking on the Sun” by Smash Mouth to “Treasure” by Bruno Mars (my ultra-talented doppelgänger, according to many people).

But the most upbeat song that stood out for me is Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”, the most popular song not just in Mr. Astley’s catalog but also on the Internet. Many people have fallen into the rickroll trap, and I’m included on that list. But Internet history aside, I believe it’s one of the best pop songs ever, and I love the fact that the chorus is a written promise of total commitment. Who doesn’t want someone who will never give up on them? Those are the reasons it’s my Song of the Moment.

The music video of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”.

Oh, there’s another reason “Never Gonna Give You Up” is my Song of the Moment: Foo Fighters, my all-time favorite band, performed the song with Astley himself in 2017. Seriously, it happened! Please watch the video below. (And don’t worry, it’s a real live performance, not a rickroll. It’s more of a rickgrohl.)

Not a rickroll… Foo Fighters and Rick Astley really performed “Never Gonna Give You Up”.

See? As I promised, no rickrolls.

See you in the next post!

XXXVI: The Nocturnal’s Struggle of Waking Up Early / Notes to Self XVI

If you have been following The Diary lately, you should know that I’ve been making gradual changes in my life. One of those changes is waking up early for work—ideally at 8:00am. I did just that on most workdays after ToyCon 2025, and there were times I even woke up at 6:00am. (That’s a feat for a nocturnal person like me, and even my family is shocked by the fact that I woke up before they did.)

Now it’s beyond the middle of August 2025, and I admit that I haven’t really been waking up as early as 8am lately… and that’s fine.

(Buckle up because this is going to be a long post.)