Tag: writing

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!

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10-Minute Warning CLXXX

OK. What can I write here under 10 minutes?

Firstly, let me say how happy I am because I have been on a writing roll lately—at least in my actual journal. I found ways to make the memory-logging process more enjoyable and efficient, and they allowed me to catch up on earlier entries. I am totally over the moon. I could share my journal-writing process someday.

And because I’m so happy and inspired to write more, I might join my Younger Brother in his work time at the nearest cafe tonight. I have a site visit tomorrow with my boss (who also happened to be my Father), but tonight I could use some chillaxing and writing at a cool cafe, and then go home early.

But what about The Diary? Don’t worry. More posts are coming soon, and I might even go past my three-post-per-week rule this week.

Secondly, I’m tempted to sound off about a work permit… but my 10 minutes are almost up. See you in the next post.

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XXVII: Just One Jack & Coke Zero

Since last weekend, it felt like a season finale and a season premiere. My heart feels like it has been healed like never before, and I want to make a few changes in my life slowly but surely.

One of those changes is this… moving forward, instead of drinking at least one Jack & Coke Zero on the rocks every Friday or Saturday night (depending on whether I have extra work), I will just drink one Jack & Coke Zero on the rocks every Friday or Saturday night. Just one.

For the past years, I have been drinking my favorite cocktail to numb myself and then wake up the next day feeling groggy. Tonight, I’m savoring every sip from that one glass to celebrate the small victories every weekend.

For example, what are this week’s small victories? Well, firstly, I finished most of my work on time. When I couldn’t finish a task, I told my bosses directly instead of keeping it to myself. I stopped myself from buying things impulsively. I made time to write more in my offline journal, but I also found a way to make the process more efficient. Also, for the first time in a long while, I blogged three times this week. (And this post is this week’s post number 3. Yes!)

And most importantly, I’m drinking because I’m still here. I’m still fighting. That’s a victory already.

Just one ice-cold glass of Jack & Coke Zero per week is all I need from now on.

Mark my f’n words,

The Deranged Writer

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Header image: Ron Lach of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.

Published on June 21, 2025 at 11:50pm. Minor edits were made at 11:54pm.