Nine Inch Nails – The Diary of The Deranged Writer

20-Minute Warning II

Start time: 5:58pm.

So, what can I share in under 20 minutes?

Firstly, I believe there’s a special circle of hell for those who use phone or laptop speakers in public. I encountered such a sinner early on the way to Oversight, and it was incredibly annoying because I could still hear the video call even with my earphones on full volume. (I was listening to an aggressive industrial rock song, “Starfuckers, Inc.” by Nine Inch Nails. Unbelievable.) Also, from the looks on everyone’s faces during the call, I knew that I was not the only one who was annoyed.

Moving on, September is drawing near, and some of the things needed for my December plan are already cleared out. But last weekend, I had a moment of doubt because a crucial part of the plan depends on timing. I already have a plan B just in case the timing isn’t feasible, but honestly, I would love for plan A to continue because it’s… sincere.

What the hell am I talking about? That’s the point of the December plan.

Anyway, I also started a new diet today because I want to lose weight in time for an upcoming family trip. I’ve been eating with such gusto (primarily because of a recent rough patch), and my stomach feels (and looks) fuller. I hate it. I’m not the most conventionally handsome devil in the world, so I try to control what I can: physical fitness and wearing good clothes. I hope the new diet gets rid of my beer belly before vacation time.

And now my time is almost up. See you in the next post.

End time: 6:15pm.

Header image: Sandeep Singh.

Song of the Moment CXXII: The New Regime’s “Tap Dancing in a Minefield”

Last June 10, 2026, during a Foo Fighters show on the Take Cover Tour, my favorite band of all time started introducing each member (well, other than the mighty Dave Grohl) by performing songs from their bands and side projects.

Song of the Moment CXXI: Nine Inch Nails’ “Wish”

Since the last few days of May, the newest favorite song from Foo Fighters (my favorite band), “Child Actor,” has been my constant soundtrack. I even swore last June 1 that it would be the only song I’d listen to.

But the next day, I had to break that oath because I saw a glimpse of hope. While it couldn’t light up the dark room I’m currently in the way I wanted to, it’s still a source of light. Then I remembered something an old friend told me: “Focus on the glimpses of hope.” So, I started taking better care of myself, stopped punishing myself by listening to only one song, and went back to something familiar: my daily playlist.

Aside from the Foos songs I truly loved, the song I listened to the most recently is “Wish,” my favorite song from industrial rock legends Nine Inch Nails. It’s perhaps the only aggressively loud song that could appropriately scream my recent disappointments and exasperations. Yes, I’ve been doing my best to focus on the smallest lights, but that doesn’t mean I can’t yell through the dark. I need that kind of catharsis, and for the past several weeks, “Wish” has given that.

The music video of Nine Inch Nails’ “Wish.”

How disappointed and exasperated am I? To quote the chorus:

Wish there was something real
Wish there was something true
Wish there was something real
In this world full of you

And that is why “Wish” by Nine Inch Nails is my Song of the Moment.

See you in the next post.

Header image: Adnan Bayot of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2026.