Monday – The Diary of The Deranged Writer

Song of the Moment CIII: Richard Sanderson’s “Reality”

Last Monday, while I was doing my Monday ritual at Satchmi, I heard this dreamy Beatles-like song. Because I was drained from all the writing/planning, and seeking temporary calm, I had to stop writing, stop drinking my favorite affogato, and then hear the lyrics.

Then, these words pull at my heartstrings because they remind me of a new friend:

Met you by surprise
I didn’t realize
That my life would change
Forever

At that moment, I had to pull out my phone, open the Shazam app, and place my phone near the cafe’s speaker like I was force-cloning a phone ala John Reese of Person of Interest.

After further research, I finally learned the title, the artist, and where the song was featured. It’s “Reality” by Richard Sanderson (which was composed by Vladimir Cosma for the 1980 French teenage romantic comedy film La Boum). Thanks to modern technology and to my favorite cafe for playing the song, I found a new favorite love song, a theme song about my new friend, and my Song of the Moment.

Richard Sanderson’s “Reality”.

This deserves a special Listen post, but for now, let me listen to it on repeat and just dream.

See you in the next post.

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

Header image: Dzenina Lukac of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

30-Minute Warning XLI

All right. What can I write here in under 30 minutes?

Today is so hectic (in a good way). The moment I woke up and went downstairs, I was greeted with a few paperwork. It’s not a pile, but damn. What a way to start my Monday. But I didn’t tackle it right away because I wanted to start the week right, and this week is going to be an important one. I proceeded with my early rituals, and then I started working calmly yet methodically. I was able to finish them an hour after lunch. Good job, self!

Wait. Why did I say that this week is important? That’s because I’m going to see my all-time favorite band, Foo Fighters, live for the second time this week. With that, I need to prepare the essentials before the flight, and I did so after finishing today’s workload. I bought the toiletries, so that’s done with. And since I checked the week’s rainy forecast, I need a raincoat and a small, water-repellent bag… but I didn’t buy either. Not yet. I hope I can assemble the essentials before the actual flight. Nope, not the day before the flight. Nope. I’m not going to do that.

Oh, there’s also the trip to Seoul with my family at the end of October, but I’m not worrying about that yet. Frankly, I’m not that excited about the trip. Yet. But what I’m excited about is wearing layered clothing while walking around a cool country. I will even wear my full Deranged Writer uniform and a sleek, cool attire inspired by one of my favorite television characters, Person of Interest’s John Reese. I’m really stoked for that!

What else? It’s not my birthday yet (December 5), but I’m already working on something that will make my birthday dinner truly special. I couldn’t write about that for now, but I hope it becomes true.

Crap. I’m running out of things to say, but my 30 minutes are not up yet. I can do this.

Oh! I’m already starting to psych myself for the Foo Fighters show this week with a playlist based on the recent setlists from Setlist.fm. One of the things I noticed from those setlists is that they started their shows with “Enough Space”, an exciting gem from The Colour and the Shape. I already blogged about that as a Song of the Moment. Another thing I also noticed is that they played so many tracks from the first Foo Fighters album, which I love. I counted six from that album. I also counted four tracks from Wasting Light, three from There Is Nothing Left to Lose, four from One by One, only two from Medicine at Midnight, only one from In Your Honor, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, and Concrete and Gold each, and four from The Colour and the Shape…

And there you go. Now my 30 minutes are truly up. See you in the next post!

Header image: Eric Mclean of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

10-Minute Warning CLXXXII

All right. Before I do my Monday night ritual, what can I share here under 10 minutes?

After following a seven-to-eight-hour sleep schedule for the past few weeks, I slept at 11pm, and then I woke up at 9am. That’s a few hours later than I wanted to.

But I have to say: it was the most satisfying ten-hour sleep since my therapist, Dr. M, prescribed me to sleep that long. That’s in 2019.

I quote my therapist, Dr. M, “Sleep is medicine.” She’s right. Yes, I have been sleeping seven to eight hours lately (sometimes I go for six, which is not recommended) because I want a few extra hours for activities like work, writing, enjoying my other hobbies, and spending time with my loved ones. But last night, I fell asleep after watching Person of Interest’s Season 1 episode “Witness” (I’m doing my annual Person of Interest marathon again), my body did a forced maintenance without warning, and I didn’t wake up to my alarms. And when I woke up, I was so energized, and I did so just in time for work. Thank goodness for that beauty sleep, and for being able to do work from home.

Moving forward, I will sleep for seven to eight hours usually, but I will sleep for ten hours whenever I can.

And oh… how was work today? I have never been this productive at work in weeks. Sleep is medicine indeed.

Anyway, my 10 minutes are not up yet, but I’m going to end it here to prepare for my Monday ritual. See you in the next post, and have a nice week ahead!