heart – Page 4 – The Diary of The Deranged Writer

Song of the Moment CII: Piano Project’s “Hurt” (A Johnny Cash/Nine Inch Nails Cover)

Last November 19, at night, after enjoying a refreshingly hot Earl Grey tea while sitting in Oversight, I walked around the nearby business district, and I saw all the buildings and lamp posts decorated with Christmas lights. For the first time in years, I felt the Christmas spirit early. It must be because I have had a long streak of happy moments lately, and seeing those bright Christmas decorations and feeling the holiday cheer early is another win for me. At that moment, I felt like I had won 21 straight wins at WrestleMania like The Undertaker did.

Then, as I continued walking, I decided to listen to something I discovered on Spotify two weeks ago: Piano Project’s cover of “Hurt” (Johnny Cash’s cover of the Nine Inch Nails song).

Side note: Two mentions of the word “cover” in one sentence. Damn.

Piano Project’s cover of “Hurt”.

Anyway, I may have had many happy memories lately, but I admit there are still a few demons and ghosts left. But I decided to listen to the hauntingly beautiful piano cover of “Hurt” during my late-night stroll, not out of pain; I need to listen to “Hurt” to be calm and grounded.

I have experienced so many joyful moments lately, and it’s been a total pleasure looking back at them… but I don’t want to get stuck on cloud nine. If I do that, I might lose sight of reality, and if that happens, I wouldn’t be able to achieve my goals (long-term or short-term, present and future) and create more happy moments. Thanks to Piano Project’s cover of “Hurt”, that calmness was achieved, and I feel grounded on earth again. I walked around the district with “Hurt” on repeat, clearer eyes, a refueled soul, and a gleeful heart, and then I ended the hour of wandering with these words:

Onto the next mission.

And that is why Piano Project’s cover of Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt” is my Song of the Moment.

See you in the next post.

A part of 14 Days of The Deranged Writer (2025).

Header image: Jonathan Meyer of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

Updated on November 25, 2025.

Song of the Moment CI: Foo Fighters’ “Everlong (Acoustic)” (Again)

It’s been a few days since my family and I arrived home from the capital of South Korea. My body is waving the white flag, tired from all the constant walking. (But thank goodness the cold weather made the trek comforting. Also, for a day, I wore a cold-weather outfit inspired by John Reese’s winter attire from Person of Interest [long, black coat, gloves, the works], which made me feel spy-badass while walking around. For a day, I truly embody The Man in the Suit.)

And honestly, my heart and soul are still halfway from Seoul. (Hey, that rhymed.) Why? Well, exactly a month after experiencing a true happy point (the Foo Fighters show at the Singapore Grand Prix), I experienced another true happy point during the Seoul tour, and these two lines from Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” (the 11th song and second single from The Colour and the Shape) perfectly describe it.

If everything could ever feel this real forever
If anything could ever be this good again

My hero, Dave Grohl, performs the acoustic version of Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” at the Save Our Stages Fest (2020).

I will tell you the full story once I fully recover and finish the other drafts I’m working on. But for now, I’m glad I’m feeling this real and this good again.

See you in the next post.

Updated on November 9, 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!

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