Tag: iced tea

XLI: The Return of Light in December 1

Since 2019, December 1 has become a haunting day. It reminded me of a ghost from a failed relationship, and I easily see ghosts through specific dates, photographs, and even songs. For a few years, I had to endure the pain of seeing those ghosts, especially on December 1.

In 2022, I took it upon myself to make December 1 a less sad day. Not happy; less sad. I kept myself busy. I greeted an uncle who is also a December 1 celebrant. I numbed myself with alcohol. I kept myself busy some more. And in doing all of those things, somehow they work, even if I still see that particular ghost.

But today, December 1, 2025, many happy moments have happened. At midnight, I was sharing laughs with an online friend (once again) about the most ridiculously unhinged professional wrestler of all time, “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner. This morning, I woke up early, and I had some lovely FRESH POTS that energized my body and soul. I was able to accomplish the work tasks that I could do before I went running errands. After those errands, I had a fresh haircut and a satisfying massage. And now I’m having my thirst-quenching iced tea at my favorite cafe. I will absolutely have dinner here as well.

But the happiest part of the day? It’s talking to my new friend. It feels nice getting to know more about a gentle, kind soul.

It’s 6:00pm as I type this entry, but thanks to all those moments today, for the first time in years, I can declare that December 1 is a happy day. In fact, December 1, 2025, is the happiest December 1 of my life. Yes, the ghosts are still there, but they don’t haunt me anymore. The light I have been feeling lately outweighs the dark.

Four more days to go before my birthday, December 5!

Ω

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

Header image: Marta Dzedyshko 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.

30-Minute Warning XL

It’s been a while since I had a 30-Minute Warning post, and I’m already drunk from an upgraded version of The Devil’s Cup, The Devil’s Float. And I quote “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, “What do you wanna talk about?”

Firstly, I want to talk about my recent trips to Satchmi, my favorite cafe. The past few weeks, I tasted my beloved affogato plus a different drink. I drank their house blend iced tea (my second go-to drink) and their iced chocolate, and both are refreshingly sweet. I might order the iced chocolate more often if I need a break from their caffeinated drinks.

I also tried their seasonal drinks (if I may call it that), a raspberry mocha latte and a sakura matcha. Both piqued my curiosity, so I tried them. (Not all in one night though.) The raspberry mocha latte is… let’s just say, interesting. (Sorry, I’m terrible at describing my food and drink experiences down to the tiniest detail. I should work on that.) Anyway, as for the sakura matcha, I’m not much of a matcha drinker, but… imagine a transparent cup with matcha on top and a sakura pink liquid below. Lovely, right? And the greater thing is that it tastes just as lovely. I applaud the barista who made this!

Speaking of pink, after so many visits to the nearest Converse store, I saw a pair of pink Chuck Taylors, and they’re also on sale! Yes, I know, I’m a man who covers himself in monochrome, but I also mentioned in the post “XVII: The Deranged Writers’ Favorite Outfits of The Undertaker” (my most-viewed Diary post so far), that “I love a pop of color on any dominantly dark or light design”. There’s nothing wrong with color in my life every once in a while, and I also need to update my wardrobe. Also, I collected Chuck Taylors before, but now the only Chuck Taylor pair I have is all black (which I adore). I want a new pair.

Crap, my 30 minutes are almost up, and I want to enjoy The Devil’s Float more, so I’m ending this post now. See you in the next post, and have a nice weekend, everyone!

Ω

Header image: Aidan Carney of Pexels.

Updated on August 28, 2025 at 1:52pm. Edits were made since I updated an old post’s title mentioned in this post.