walking – Page 2 – 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.

Song of the Moment C: Foo Fighters’ “Run”

I’ve had many right-song-at-the-right-time moments lately, from hearing Saya’s “Natsu Shigure” during a rainy walk to my favorite cafe last June to hearing the opening theme of Person of Interest (my all-time favorite show) when I typed the exact title during a recent online conversation. As a music fan, I truly love those perfectly-timed moments.

Today, I finally recovered from two weeks of muscle pain and coughing. (Violently coughing at night is not a good experience at all. And I can really feel the aging now. Damn.) Thanks to resting, drinking The Angel’s Cup (which is basically hot honey/citron/ginger tea), and listening more to mellow music, now I’m feeling great physically, and I went back just in time for work. The first thing I did upon my return: open my laptop, open my Spotify app, and look for my favorite songs list (which consists of songs from various genres and music acts). I was curious if the universe and Spotify would deliver at least one perfectly-timed song, so I hit shuffle again.