weekend – The Diary of The Deranged Writer

30-Minute Warning XLII

Hello, Diary. What can I share here in under 30 minutes?

On the previous Minute Warning post, I wrote that many of my moments of 2025 have been happily memorable. After I wrote that post, I had more happy moments that happened in chilly Seoul. I had so many joyful moments there with my family… and there was a surreal yet happy point with someone. I have vaguely mentioned that on my previous Song of the Moment. Still, no Seoul trip details because I only have 30 minutes to write this post, Minute Warning posts don’t really have a proper flow, and, frankly speaking, I wanted to ramble on topics other than Seoul. For now.

Anyway, a few days after arriving home, there was a moment that led me to overthink with full force, and that spiked my anxiety levels. I wanted to elaborate on what was going on in my mind for people who were concerned for me… but I couldn’t. I had to deal with it alone. To solve this, I went to my safe space, sat in my favorite seat, drank some Earl Grey tea, and wrote more in my journal. Thankfully, that calmed me down, and I needed calm nerves for the next mission that would take place that weekend… a mission that would lead to happiness.

And then that calm turned into overexcitement, so I didn’t get proper sleep, and I ran on caffeine and adrenaline. But I completed my weekend mission, I accomplished everything on my checklist, and my heart and soul were on cloud nine after all that. (Though I admit that fragments of my heart and soul are still in Seoul because of someone.) Last weekend may be one of my happiest ones ever.

So, there… that’s why I have not been writing in The Diary lately: I was that happy recently. But don’t worry. The 2025 edition of 14 Days of The Deranged Writer will start this Saturday, November 22 (The Undertaker’s 35th anniversary, take note!), and I will blog for 14 days straight until December 5, my birthday. I’m pretty stoked about that!

And my 30 minutes are up. See you in the next post.

Header image: Alexandro David of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

Updated November 19, 2025.

Song of the Moment XCVII: Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”

Yes, you read the title right. And I promise you: there are no rickrolls here.

I definitely enjoyed listening to many Nine Inch Nails songs lately (notably “Every Day is Exactly the Same”, a previous Song of the Moment). But since last weekend, I needed to slowly step out of the darkness and enjoy more light. I enjoyed the light again by listening to upbeat songs ranging from “Walking on the Sun” by Smash Mouth to “Treasure” by Bruno Mars (my ultra-talented doppelgänger, according to many people).

But the most upbeat song that stood out for me is Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”, the most popular song not just in Mr. Astley’s catalog but also on the Internet. Many people have fallen into the rickroll trap, and I’m included on that list. But Internet history aside, I believe it’s one of the best pop songs ever, and I love the fact that the chorus is a written promise of total commitment. Who doesn’t want someone who will never give up on them? Those are the reasons it’s my Song of the Moment.

The music video of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”.

Oh, there’s another reason “Never Gonna Give You Up” is my Song of the Moment: Foo Fighters, my all-time favorite band, performed the song with Astley himself in 2017. Seriously, it happened! Please watch the video below. (And don’t worry, it’s a real live performance, not a rickroll. It’s more of a rickgrohl.)

Not a rickroll… Foo Fighters and Rick Astley really performed “Never Gonna Give You Up”.

See? As I promised, no rickrolls.

See you in the next post!

Song of the Moment XCI: New Radicals’ “Someday We’ll Know” (Again)

Many things happened yesterday. I took the train to Makati and met my parents there. We did an ocular in the south. We tried an interesting Filipino restaurant near the ocular site. We had a nice afternoon coffee at the nearest mall. I watched Superman for the second time (alone, this time), and that made me appreciate DC Studios’ first movie even more. And then I dueled with my cousins on a game of Uno. (Just one round.)

What are the things that tied it all together? I was with my loved ones, and it was raining all day long. Also, I had to power through all the events even if I only had 5 hours of sleep.

Now, the continuous rain, the lack of sleep, and yesterday’s events led me to have a mellow mind and heart tonight, with a celebratory Devil’s Cup on hand. It has been a month and a few days since I felt this way, and tonight, I’m fine with it.

And remember when I said that my Spotify has been playing the right soundtrack at the right time recently? The universe and the app did it again tonight, and this time, it played something that reminds me of an old friend and a bittersweet moment. It’s “Someday We’ll Know” by New Radicals, a previous Song of the Moment.

The music video of “Someday We’ll Know” by New Radicals.

What a perfect mellow song for tonight.

Happy weekend, everyone.

Header image: Chris Kane of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.