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How to NOT succumb to Bad Vibes

This week has been particularly weird, in an emotional sense. I don’t know if it’s the mix of quitting rice for the 2nd week and going towards a low-carb high-fat diet that’s messing with my system, happenings that either piss me off, or make me want to cry. These are the usual highs and lows of everyday and worklife and (the lack of) adulting that’s always messing with me. So how do I deal?

I compiled a list of things that I usually do or indulge in so that I don’t fall into the deep well of emotional negativity, a.k.a the O.A. life, or as how our close-minded relatives refer to bouts of unwarranted sadness.

  1. Playing SimCity Buildit. Secret’s out, I’ve been playing this game since late 2014 and have not stopped since. There’s something about mindlessly building a city, fulfilling city needs, and playing a virtual God that really made me commit to this one. With the introduction of groups and social trading (of goods) I’ve also become part of a small community of players that I talk to each day.
  2. The good old K-drama. In addition to being a feast on the eyes, it just takes you to a good place. It’s another realm of first world goodness mixed with familiar values that just draws you in. This year alone I’ve gone through 4 of them. It’s all in my life log.
  3. Window shopping online, clicking “add to cart” on all my wants with the satisfaction of the act of being a consumeristic hoe, then closing the whole window and never looking back. Sometimes I do succumb to the Buy Now button but still call it a victory because I could have done worse (I KNOW THIS IS THE WORST LOGIC OK). Thanks but no thanks, Glossier.
  4. My dog Koko contributes to a huge part of a stress-free life. I don’t know what I’d do without her quirks and smarts that I still find so amusing a year into her arrival to our household.
  5. Filling up my bullet journal in the attempts to make my life seem so adult and organized.
  6. Buying things spontaneously when I’m at the mall. I hate this, but it’s in this list.
  7. Mango Cheese Snow in Snow Shack never fails to lift up my spirits.
  8. Terrace House that made me buy a VPN subscription ffs so I could keep up with episodes in Japan. Also I’ve been hanging out a lot in the Terrace House subreddit it might be a little unhealthy.
  9. Dreaming about upcoming travels that have been planned, and the euphoria I feel when my money goes to something that’s totally millenial—travel.
  10. Reading astrology-related things, the best entertainment value there is.

As much as I’d love to just write and write about things that make me happy, I’ve decided to keeping it to a minimum of a recent 10 so that next time I find more weird things that satisfy my vibes channel. I didn’t even mention cliche ones like, going to the beach, hanging out with [insert name here], etc etc. What’s the point of me writing this when it’s just things the entire population likes to do?

Tonsillectomy: A 2 Year Reflection

In July of 2015 I made the decision to finally have my tonsils out. I remember it was an emotionally tough time but I figured it was for the best. Throughout that year I had been severely hit with bouts of tonsilitis that were even more frequent than usual (I used to get it at least once every 2 months), and I realized it didn’t feel right anymore. I may have been used to getting it, but never those that limited my day to day activities or even be admitted to the hospital!

To cut the story short, here I am 2 years later, tonsil free and couldn’t have been more thankful and relieved that I made that decision.

I still get the remnants of mental reflex though. Whenever I eat or drink something sweet I always try to feel my tonsils in case they flare up or swell. I don’t think I’ll truly ever get over that. Something 27 years of habitual actions can never fix.

To this day it is one of the best possible decisions I have ever made in my life. No more tonsillitis, no more flared up throat. The post-op pain that lasted for nearly a month was worth a lifetime of no more agony, I can say. Haha. Happy 2 years to my free throat!

Tonsillectomy: A 2 Year Reflection

In July of 2015 I made the decision to finally have my tonsils out. I remember it was an emotionally tough time but I figured it was for the best. Throughout that year I had been severely hit with bouts of tonsilitis that were even more frequent than usual (I used to get it at least once every 2 months), and I realized it didn’t feel right anymore. I may have been used to getting it, but never those that limited my day to day activities or even be admitted to the hospital!

To cut the story short, here I am 2 years later, tonsil free and couldn’t have been more thankful and relieved that I made that decision.

I still get the remnants of mental reflex though. Whenever I eat or drink something sweet I always try to feel my tonsils in case they flare up or swell. I don’t think I’ll truly ever get over that. Something 27 years of habitual actions can never fix.

To this day it is one of the best possible decisions I have ever made in my life. No more tonsillitis, no more flared up throat. The post-op pain that lasted for nearly a month was worth a lifetime of no more agony, I can say. Haha. Happy 2 years to my free throat!

RIP, Chester Bennington

“Who care if one more light goes out? I do.”

Waking up to read about the passing of Chester, and his methods moreso, was such a shock to me and to many people who grew up in the same music generation as me. What a huge loss and tragedy to his family, his 6 children, his bandmates, and the music industry as a whole. In my case, it also contributes to a portion of an end of the mainstream nu metal music era, one which I loved and influenced by as I was growing up.

Liking Linkin Park considered to be such a “revolution” to kids my age because we’d been depending on Korn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Kittie (in my case because I was looking for a female-centered heavy metal band at the time) and similar bands who spewed out bad words after bad words with especially nonsensical lyrics to 11/12 year olds. Their lyrics, on the other hand, were heartfelt and full of emotion, angst, meaning, and that resonated with a whole lot when were were pubescent and angry at the world.

“I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real. I wanna let go of the pain I’ve felt so long. Erase all the pain till it’s gone. I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real. I wanna find something I’ve wanted all along, somewhere I belong.”

Hybrid Theory, Meteora, and Collision Course with Jay-z were huge parts of my life. I had all these albums whether bought, or given by guy friends because they knew how much I liked Linkin Park. I had posters of Rob Bourdon in my room, I memorized the lyrics to In The End and sang it out loud any chance I could get whether alone or with friends, and cried to My December when I first heard it because I couldn’t believe a rock band could do such a slow and melodious song.

My guy friends and I would let MTV play in the background while we were hanging out outside or doing our own thing, and once Linkin Park’s One Step Closer music video would come on TV we would run inside and headbang to it together. I may have forgotten who my guy friends were at the time, but I will never remember that moment.

“Crawling in my skin, these wounds they will not heal. Fear is how I fall, confusing what is real.”

I realized I have more to say about Linkin Park than about Chester himself, but you see Chester WAS and IS Linkin Park. He was the voice, the brand, one that made Linkin Park the way it is. Even with countless side projects, family matters, and personal issues to deal with, he never left Linkin Park. From what I’ve read over the years, he was always a good person from respectfully greeting fans positively, being a nice friend among his peers, his bandmates, and people in the industry.

It really is a sad moment and ultimately relates to mental health. Chester went through a lot growing up and had his share of downs in life. I continue to hope that nobody ever has to result to suicide no matter how loud the inner demons scream and egg you on. RIP, Chester Bennington. Thank you for being a part of my life.

“Memories consume, like opening the wound I’m picking me apart again. You all assume I’m safe here in my room, unless I try to start again. I don’t want to be the one the battles always choose, coz inside I realize that I’m the one confused. I don’t know what’s worth fighting for or why I have to scream. I don’t know why I instigate. I don’t know how I got this way, I know it’s not alright. So I’m breaking the habits tonight.”

Saying Hello to Inner Demons

I’m not sure what’s causing this inner terror that’s bothering me right now but I don’t like it at all. It’s making me lose my subconsciousness and depriving me of being grateful for the little things, which I always try and focus on daily for my mental health. I can’t even enjoy a single K-drama without revisits of this annoying mental clutch.

I’ve been so focused on my new job and the unknowingly jarring difference of now getting into the hang of an office life vs the remote life that I lived for a year and a half. That was good for my mental and professional reset after having been in a toxic environment for a while, before the lone wolf life took a toll on me again. This time however, the demons in my head seem to be self-inflicting and I’m not a big fan. I’m always beating myself up for losing control of my and letting anxiety win again. By writing this I hope I at least feel a little better.

A part of me wants to just stay home and wallow in all of the negativity but the other side of me is also urging me to get my ass up and recharge with my friends (update: I went out and saw friends! I’m so glad I did). I haven’t really had a proper hangout or seen my friends since my birthday season. My social life has sort of taken a backseat and I think it may be one of the attributes to feeling this way. I don’t know maaan, maybe this is PMS, but that’s also questionable because my PCOS is acting up again.


As I read what I wrote the morning after, I now admittedly feel better. I went out to dinner with my girlfriends, I upped my magnesium dosage last night before I went to bed, and I didn’t watch a K-drama after 12 midnight because I love myself. I realize it’s always going to be about self-love. But there are times when things get shitty and when they do, they really do. I’m happy I got to recharge last night because honestly, that was all I needed. The cycle may start again, but I will work on myself again. The seas may not be always be calm, but you can always choose to get through the waves to cross the other side.