#Jenicole?

[acemdzsfan]

JC: You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy. Nicole: I would be happy if you ate, stayed hydrated and got a reasonable amount of sleep. JC: I said within reason, Nicole. How about I murder that guy? Nicole: So murder is in reason but proper self care isn't? JC: Well, duh. What kind of question is that?

[anysuuchwandrs]

Why Thursdays are my time machine to 2011

There's something special about Thursdays. While many see it as just another day leading up to the weekend, for me, it's a portal to the past. It's the day when I can indulge in a little nostalgia trip through my high school Spotify playlist.

As I hit play and let the familiar tunes wash over me, I'm transported back to 2011, a time when life seemed simpler, and every moment was tinged with excitement and possibility. The songs on this playlist are more than just music; they're the soundtrack to my teenage years, filled with laughter, friendship, and young love.

Listening to these songs, I can't help but smile as memories come flooding back. I remember hanging out in Jenicole, eating our favorite chocolate moist cake, watching Thursday night's movie at home with friends while doing our Physics project, our Saturday NSTP clean-up drive, and the refreshments of ice buko in the canteen. And of course, there are the moments spent with that special someone, feeling butterflies in my stomach and believing that anything was possible.

But as much as I cherish these memories, there's a bittersweetness to them now. They serve as a reminder of a time that has passed, never to return. As I navigate the responsibilities and challenges of adulthood, those carefree days feel like a distant dream, preserved only in my mind and in the melodies of my playlist.

Yet, there's comfort in knowing that I can revisit those moments whenever I choose. On Thursdays, I carve out time to immerse myself in the nostalgia, to relive the highs and lows of my youth through the songs that defined it. It's a reminder that no matter how far I stray from those days, they will always be a part of me, shaping who I am and guiding me forward.

So here's to Thursdays, the day I set aside to reminisce about my past and embrace the memories that still bring a smile to my face. And though I may be a world away from 2011, even thousands of miles away from my hometown, the music remains a constant companion, reminding me of the younger me and the joy my past brought to me.

[anysuuchwandrs]

Work from home day 1:

I’ve decided to start writing here to make my diary digital and accessible. This pandemic made us work from home, and this is the first time in anyone’s lifetime to experience this pandemic. I couldn’t even imagine that the start of the year 2020 will be as catastrophic as this.

I’ve eaten tortang talong earlier this morning and I find myself reminiscing my life about 13 years ago. I remember our MAPEH teacher from 6th grade made us cook tortang talong for the first time. I remember not liking the taste - it was weird I thought I’d love it. I also remember making the pineapple jam sandwich spread! It was one of the best! Our canteen back then used to sell pineapple bread for 3 pesos and that alone can suffice our hungry stomach especially if we only have 10pesos baon on our pockets. I remember the time where I used to drench my shoes into a black jubos just so our school security guard would allow me to enter the school premises. We don’t have enough money to buy myself a new pair of black shoes, or even a new school bag. My school uniform used to be hand-me downs from my sister or my cousins who no longer study there. I remember feeling happy that I had 5 pesos on my pocket to buy myself choco-moist cake at Jenicole Bakeshop. It used to be a bliss. I love the fact that I get to enjoy life genuinely because of all the little things we used to have, and how contented we were only having enough. 

I love that we get to enjoy and experience the fresh sea breeze and the night sky full of silver glitters! 

Biking in an empty street, hearing all the crickets chirping as you feel the night air into your face. 

I also love it when it’s holidays; I get to taste mom and dad’s specialty which we can only get to taste once a year. I used to help them do the household chores before Christmas Eve mass starts at 8pm. I remember feeling excited wearing my new set of clothes and shoes.. and I’d always look forward to seeing the church packed with a lot of familiar people sitting on each and every aisle. I’d see my first love sitting in the front, beaming his brightest smile at me. Then midnight came, we all get together to pray as a family and we eat all the food in the table altogether in that dilapidated house we somehow still called home.

That was a good 13 years back, and I wonder what might’ve happened today. It’s no longer the same, and it’s making me sad. I went back to my hometown a year ago, and I felt like a stranger to my own home. It felt suffocating, and I feel un-welcomed. The night air and the sea breeze were no longer the same, and the night sky no longer had those familiar silver glitters. Nothing familiar to the night sky I used to love in Malita. All that was left was a night sky full of red-colored dust. Pollution has reached the skies, and the people were no longer familiar. All the people were more into social media and technologies, and they no longer appreciate what life is outside our smartphones and laptops. It’s no longer the same Malita I once knew, the hometown I once called home.

What’s my point of reminiscing? I was just being reminded that the time is changing. And when you see a lot of things going on this world, you can’t help but be reminded of the little things you used to appreciate back when you were younger. I wish we can all be young and experience all those things again.

It’s sad, but here we are. Literally here we are into our new normal.