#like fruitella he says

[subtle-as-an-earthquake]

We're both a bit fruity, aren't we? 🍍

[purplesurveys]

575

Coffee mugs, teacups, or water bottles? I’m not crazy about liquid-holding stuff, but I’d go with water bottles if I had to pick. Bubblegum or cotton candy? As in, those two as flavors? Bubblegum. How did your elementary school teachers describe you? I wouldn’t know but I wouldn’t be surprised if they found me unremarkable. I never recited, got average grades at the first half of grade school, and never really made an effort for the teachers to recognize me. I didn’t start taking stuff seriously till the second half of elementary. Do you prefer to drink soda from cans, bottles or cups? I prefer to pass on the soda. Earbuds or headphones? Earphones.

Movies or TV? Movie, definitely. Favorite smell in the summer? THE BEACH!!!!!!!!! And seafood being grilled at beachside, yummmmm. Game you were best at in P.E./gym? Table tennis. What do you have for breakfast on an average day? On an average day, I skip breakfast. But when my dad is home, he always makes me eat something, and usually that’s fried eggs and hotdogs with white bread. Sometimes he’ll fry rice and pair it with leftovers from last night. Name of your favorite playlist? Right now, it’s a playlist I titled ‘things I wish I said’ and it’s dedicated to Nacho. Lanyard or key ring? My key ring is attached to my lanyard, so that I never forget both my ID and my keys when leaving for school. Favorite non-chocolate candy? Fruitella. Or anything that’s chewy and fruit-flavored (which is still weird to me, considering I hate fruits). Favorite book you had to read for school? Dekada ‘70 and Without Seeing the Dawn. Most comfortable position to sit in? Improperly.

Most frequently worn pair of shoes? I think it’s my pair of Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, but not sure. I don’t keep count. Ideal weather? This question is on like 1 out of 5 surveys, ugh. I like bleak and cold weather. Pencils or pens? Pens. Obsession from childhood? The TV shows Hi-5 and Spongebob. And pogs. Favorite crystal? I don’t think I have any. Favorite activity to do in warm weather? Sulk and complain. Unless I’m at the beach. Favorite activity to do in cold weather? Sleeeeeeeeeeep in, take surveys, and stay in bed wrapped in a blanket. Five songs to describe you? I’m not feeling like anything right now, so I don’t think any of them would be able to describe me. Best way for someone to bond with you? Have samgyupsal with me :) Top 5 favorite Vines? “Come to Del Taco! They have fre...free sh...FREE SHAVACADO” “There’s only one things worse than a rapist – boom” “A child!” “No–” “T-T-T-T-T-T-T-TARGET” “Has anyone ever told you you look like Beyonce?” “...No they usually tell me I look like Shalisa” “Who the fuck is that?” “ME” “Ahhhh, stop, I coulda dropped my croissant” Ads you have stuck in your head? None of them because fuck them all. Average time you fall asleep? 10-11 PM. Sometimes a little later than 11. What is the first meme you remember seeing? Oh man I hopped on that train pretty early. I reached the very first batch of meme comics that came from 9GAG, e.g. the Y U NO guy, the FFFFFFUUUUU– guy, Forever Alone, Bad Luck Brian, the original trollface etc. Suitcase, duffel bag, or backpack? Backpack. I don’t use the other two. Lemonade or tea? Lemonade. Last person you texted? Gabie, I think. I didn’t talk to anybody all day because depression hit bad today, so I can’t remember all that well. Jacket pockets or pants pockets? Jackets, they’re usually more spacious. Favorite type of jacket? Windbreakers or hoodies. Favorite scent for soap? I don’t have a preference, soap should just smell nice for me lmao. Sci-fi, fantasy, or superheroes? Honestly, none of these but if I had to go with one, I’d pick sci-fi. What clothes do you sleep in? Thin and short ones, because I like feeling more cold than warm. Favorite type of cheese? FETA!!!!!!!!!!! What saying or quote do you live by? I don’t like relying on quotes. What are you currently stressed about? Right now, nothing. I’m just feeling down in general. Favorite font? I use Proxima Nova for all my reviewers and school notes, because to me it looks pleasant. It’s actually the default font that my org uses to maintain our branding, and since I’ve worked on a lot of documents for the org, the habit of using Proxima just carried over to my irl files and I ended up liking it. What did you learn from your first job? Proofread every single goddamn thing you write 10, 15 times. From internship. I thought I was decent until my emails were bombarded with copy edits. Favorite fairy tale? None. Favorite tradition? Like, in general? My elementary/high school has a tradition of extending recess break and giving away either free ice cream or slices of our homemade tarts for the feast day of the Assumption of Mary. It’s always one of the most exciting times of the school year. Talent you're proud of having? Reading people. It’s more of a skill than talent, but still. If you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? I hate questions like this that force me to be creative, so I’ll pass. If you were an anime character, what genre of anime would it be? No thanks. Character you relate to? Monica Geller. Favorite website from your childhood? Y8, probably. And YouTube. Any scars? [trigger warning: self harm] One on my eyebrow, another on one of my toes, and I still have my scars from when I cut myself a few weeks back. Favorite flower? I like any except anthurium. Any good luck charms? Not really. Least favorite flavor of food or drink? Rootbeer/cola and buko. Left or right handed? Right. Least favorite pattern? I dunno if I have a least favorite one... I don’t really pay attention. Worst subject in school? Like, my least favorite among the ones I’m currently taking? Probably layout class. Favorite weird flavor combo? This isn’t a flavor but I’m willing to have mayo with a bunch of other food. When did you lose your first tooth? I was either in Kinder 2 or in Prep, so I was 5-6. Favorite potato food? French fries. Gas station coffee or grocery store sushi? I’ll take the sushi. The gas stations here look so filthy. Earth tones or jewel tones? Earth tones. Do you call them fireflies or lightning bugs? Fireflies. PC or console gaming? Consoles. I’ve never played on PC before. Writing or drawing? Writing. Podcasts or talk radio? Barbie or Polly Pocket? Fairy tales or mythology? I hate both. Cookies or cupcakes? Your greatest fear? Being humiliated in front of a crowd and losing my loved ones are two big ones. Your greatest wish? To have a lot of money later on in life haha. Who would you put before everyone else? G. Lamps, overhead lights, fairy lights, or sunlight? Overhead. Nicknames? Robyn, Byn, Reben, Rolayn. Favorite season? The season where it rains all day and it generally gets slightly colder. We don’t really have a name for it other than the wet season. Favorite app on your phone? Twitter. What is your desktop background? It’s one of the default Apple backgrounds but I picked the landscape that has a pinkish hue. How many phone numbers do you have memorized? Four. Favorite historical era? I like all of them but in terms of social history, probably the Victorian era and the 1900s-1950s. There are some very interesting anecdotes about the way they used to live in terms of cuisine, sanitation, education, etc.

[islandpcosjourney]

Day 17 (spring clean!)

16th March 2022

When you have focus, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. If you don’t know my story and why I’m juicing, I’ll let you know quickly now.

Lockdown…… well we all know what a nightmare that was! For me it meant constant headaches and eating rubbish. I fully hold my hands up to eating really badly while I was at home all the time. Some good things came out of it though because the enforced time at home made me finally perfect the technique to make good homemade mayonnaise, spend loads of quality time with my husband and my dog, and make me realise the good things in life I was missing by being the way I was!

Headaches……… I would suffer from headaches quite regularly, but nothing like this on a daily basis. I was convinced it was the extra screen time. I was in denial!

Tinnitus…… For the first time in my life I developed a ringing in my right ear. I had heard it on & off before but only ever queried it on a Sunday, when really there wouldn’t be anyone anywhere near us using the strimmer on a Sunday! Whenever I had heard this ringing, that’s what I thought it was – strimming!

Recipe books……. Kevin had piled loads of recipe books in the landing upstairs (I don’t remember why, probably something DIY related and he needed weight to weigh something down, who knows) and when I was moving them all back to their shelves, I saw Jason Vale’s Turbo Charge Yourself book and was instantly reminded of that first juice I ever had and how it tasted. A taste memory is a wonderful thing.

First mainland trip……… Once we were released from lockdown and I was able to travel south to see my Mum & brother, I decided that this week would be a good one to “detox”, away from all the usual temptations.

Big Juice Challenge……. Jason just happened to be promoting a “juice along with Jason” week where he would challenge the public to follow his 28-day Super Juice Me! plan for 7 days, I suppose to hook you into it and maybe continue for the rest of the 28 days? I knew 7 would be a challenge in itself and I watched all of his daily videos, wrote comments, got shout outs from him, followed it to the letter (except when I would have evening soups when my mum & brother were eating their dinner) and came back home 8 days later, 8lbs lighter – hooked! However on that 8th day once I got home late that night, I did dig into a packet of French fries, but I’m convinced to this day that it was only because there was just 2 packets remaining in the cupboard and I was very dehydrated having been wearing a mask for hours on the ferry and living in fear of taking it off even for a quick sip – remember those days? So I ended up missing my final juice of the day and by the time I got off the ferry, it was warm and it wasn’t appetising (the early days before I got flasks and made sure ice was in them!) If they hadn’t been lurking there where I saw them when I got home, I wouldn’t have had anything except juice that day, of that I am sure. To this day I make sure the cupboards are clear of anything “open” that I would potentially touch, if I slipped! Say like an open packet of pitta breads in the freezer or open cheese in the fridge etc. If food has remained unopened, I am uninterested in it during my 28-day cleanses. It’s all psychology with me!

Result……... the most important point after my first 7-day challenge was that my headaches disappeared completely. I had way more energy but I still had tinnitus. I carried on juicing most days after that but I wasn’t being as strict as I had been on the “challenge”, for instance I would allow myself the occasional treat if I wanted it – a square of chocolate or a couple of fruitella sweets. I found that rationing treats this way, made me look forward to them more and it wasn’t affecting the overall energy I had created.

Long term…….. 6 months later I’d lost a total of 33lbs, not through following a “diet” but by using juice in my everyday life, incorporating into whatever else I was fancying eating with Kevin. My headaches were still non-existent, my energy levels hitting the roof, NO MORE TINNITUS (took a little longer to get rid of that particular symptom compared to the headaches) but then when my menstrual cycle restored on Boxing Day 2020, my health “experiment” was complete. From putting my faith in Jason’s plan, watching hours and hours of various documentaries on juicing and the raw food revolution, my beliefs in the health benefits of this lifestyle were finally proving to be true. 4 years without a cycle & 4 years without medications, allowing my body to heal itself just wasn’t enough. There had to be this major shift in the nutrition flooding my body. This was the change it needed to reboot, restart working properly again. And this is the main reason why I do a cleanse twice a year now. To service my body, like a car would get annually. I know that in 6 months you can either do amazing beneficial things to your body or you can sabotage and damage it. I don’t ever plan to damage mine again like it was but when I’ve had an indulgent Christmas for instance, I know I can choose to reset and reboot like it never happened. It’s a way of maintaining all of the good foundation work I served my body in 2020, and I can’t believe that we’re in 2022 now and approaching the 2 year anniversary of my decision to change my life.

As a celebration of that, Kevin and I have booked a local seafood restaurant which is very popular down in the beautiful location of Uig. It overlooks a beach and you just see miles of peaceful serenity. I still have a lot of work to do to reach that 104lb goal that I set myself back in July 2020. I initially set it for a year (what was I thinking?!) but now 2 years is even looking a bit unmanageable, unless I really focus. If I focus, with visualisation techniques and short term achievable goals, I think I can manage it, but it does mean losing around 2lbs a week from now on. That’s a healthy amount, 1-2lbs a week, but I’m pretty sure I’ll end up doing another 28-day challenge when Kevin is away again in May – just for good measure. It helps me focus and It’s a good habit to spend most of the time juicing while he’s away. I know many people find they eat worse and more when their partner is away (what they can’t see, can’t hurt them, right? 😂) but I find the opposite. When Kevin is home, we want to eat good food together. We like our food. He cooks a lot of the time due to me juicing each day anyway so I’ve got out of the regular habit of cooking but I still enjoy it at the weekend and It’s so much nicer to cook when someone else is going to eat with you. I really don’t like putting in the effort to cook for myself. Juicing is easy and controllable. Cooking, I’d end up making my regular portions for 2 or more and just eat it all 🤦🏻‍♀️

[martinlawless]

Team LDN - Brother UK, Crit Series 1

‘Hog Hill’ Redbridge Cycle Centre Ilford, Essex Saturday 1 May 2021

First crit in well over a year. In my last crit, I got a puncture from a rogue safety pin and crashed out. I’ve been keen since to rebuild confidence. Here we are at Hog Hill in this Team LDN multi-crit event. It was a carnival-like atmosphere with a lot of young (or am I just getting old?) strong looking riders who all seem up for a good time.

Something seems to have changed in the shortish time since I’ve been to something like this. Everyone is looks very fit and cool. There also seems to be a strong ladies presence and I’d say more diversity than ever. This is a really good sign for cycling and racing.

In preparation, I dug up my old race bag. I found lots of kit I thought I’d lost as it was buried under the bed for over a year. It was a good opportunity to clear it out and refresh everything. What’s in my kitbag? Basically, everything but the kitchen sink. I would have put the kitchen sink in, but the sharp edges would cut the bag…

• Raceday kit (race suit)

• Helmet

• Shades, mitts, HRM - all placed inside the helmet.

• Shoes

• Spare jersey, bibs, shoes, socks, gloves, mitts, shades, bidon - in case of forgetting something.

• Spare helmet and a track pump stay in the car permanently.

• Baby wipes, gels, energy powder mix, chamois cream, ibuprofen gel, haribo, Deep Heat, Start Oil, loo roll.

• Safety pins, cash, cable ties, spare hanger, spare bar end plugs (no bar end plugs: no race).

• Hex keys, pliers, wrench, torque key set, spare tyre, spare inner tubes, small pump.

• Phone energy bank, phone cables, identity card, deodorant.

It’s a big bag. Though that’s good: not the sort of thing some low-life is going to quietly stuff up their jumper and walk off with.

The bike is race ready. The Cervelo S2 now into its 12th year. It’s a racing machine. Battered and bruised, but all in all in fantastic condition. The gears are suffering and don’t seem to stay true for long. I find out in warming up that there’s a rubbing sound when in the top gears. But I won’t fettle now. Last minute fettling is a very dangerous game to play. Along with pumping up your tyres just before the race. Pump your tyres up way in advance.

I rate my wheels super highly for racing: Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLs. Aluminium wheels with carbon flanges. Absolutely bombproof and fast and will take a battering. These are 12 years old too. Straight as a die.

I go into the race at 100psi on brand new GP5000s. Dave is at 80psi. Read all the data and debates on the interweb about tyre pressure - and then go with your hunch.

What to eat when racing near 4pm? Tricky. I say go light all day. Muesli for breakfast. One of those ‘City Kitchen’ Tesco microwave meals for lunch and I’ll be on the side hungry til near the start when a petrol station americano, half a banana, half a blueberry muffin and a few strawberry Fruitella sweets will get you to the line. It’s short race - you won’t bonk. Caffeine gel a few minutes before the start too, of course.

The drive over to Hog Hill is awful. There’s no great way to there from where I live. But I get the radio on and zone out. I arrive and see Jenny beaming having just finished her race. She has to ride the E123 which includes a rider fresh from Liege-Bastogne-Liege that indicates the standard. I park up and get my number. I get there just in time to see Brendan set off in the 4th Cat race. It’s his first crit. On reflection, not the best one to recommend as it’s a hard course and the field is looking like a group of thoroughbred hipsters. Sure enough, super strong Brendan becomes detached from the bunch on the second climb of the Hoggenberg. But he digs in and plays to his TT strength to keep the others off his back. Rolling in 20th. I’d say that’s mission accomplished for a first crit. Well done.

The view to central London from Hog Hill is amazing. Meanwhile down the side to where the course is looks lush. I feel old again, as I remember when you could see the entire circuit from the cafe at the top. Now it’s all trees!

I kit up and pin up. The CC Ashwell pro race suit is superb, but if it lasts a year I’ll be surprised. It’s very delicate. Worth it though. I feel fast in it. Lucozade Sport in the bottle. Wahoo Elemnt Bolt on. I’d buy a new one as the battery is fading. But they’ve sold out around the world.

I’m parked on a slope and warming up on the rollers is too tough. They are not allowing rollers near the cafe/HQ, so I mooch up and down the main road and adjacent cemetery. But that’s all a bit horrible so I simply loll around the HQ until we’re allowed on the course for 15 minutes before the race start. It’s a bit fresh, and windy, but not too bad.

It’s a 30 rider race, but there a few last-minute no-shows. Our Chris is nearly one of them, having been stuck in traffic. He makes it - just. There are three Ashwell in the mix, with Dave here too. I predict Craig from Nuun Sigma will win. In the mix with Simon from Beds Road RT and friend Daryl from CC London. As it turns out: I correctly predict the top three.

We’re off. Dave is a bullet and takes the front beautifully. The Hog Hill circuit is fast, hard and technical in different measures at different times. We go around the ‘classic’ way to hit the hill hard. The first corner is very technical. It drops, swoops and kicks up. It would be good to come here again and again until finding the perfect line. Then it soon drops massively for a gentle than a tight right turn. When the bunch wasn’t close to me, I found it hard to find the right line and pace here. We’re skittling along at 40mph. You have to plan your line way, way ahead. Along the flat it’s soon a gentle right and a tight left turn. This is sort of OK as the pace is deadened from the previous bend. But there’s a chance of pedal striking. Then it’s a gentle saunter to the base of the climb.

The Hoggenberg begins easily enough, then tilts for I’ll guess 30 metres, then is a sharp lift on its bend before continuing steadily for the end of the lap.

This race would see us face the hill nine times. I am OK in the bunch, but can feel I’m going to find most of the course tough on the technical sections. I decide I’ll settle in nearer the back while I suss out the course at speed. At the bottom, the bunch feel it important to hug the right side of the lap. But it’s only a gentle cross wind here and I happily take the left position here all the way up the hill, where I actually get shade from the northerly.

I find the hill OK as compared with the others. I am just off the front of the best guys as we crest the hill. I then fall back a bit more on the technical twists. But I make up ground on the descent and flat sections. I repeat this every time. Around half way I feel a bit sick and like I’ve burned all my matches. But I sort of get over that. I think the body is remembering the shock of real life road racing. But also, the undulating intensity of the effort is unsettling. I hear the cheers of Jenny and Brendan by the side and it motivates me to push on.

I suddenly notice the 2 laps to go board and am reminded this is a short race. Chris goes for it and pings off the front. It’s early, but he’s got amazing power and you never know. It’s sort of stretching out at the front with Craig, Simon and Daryl working smartly with his CC London buddies. Daryl moans that the race is over too soon. I half-disagree as I’m in the red, but can also feel the longer this is going on, I get the feeling my competition is suffering more than me.

It’s the last climb to the finish. I don’t really know how to play my full-tilt to be optimal but am keen not to blow up beforehand. It’s fairly steady at first then full-gas. I keep a clean line slightly out of the main thrust. Chris blows up having taken too many watts in the wind for too long. Chapeau though: as it was a podium move and on another day could have been very different. We get past and I dig in. We’re spread out and I can see I have clear space on the guy behind me, so I’m steady over the line. I’m 11th and happy with that. Chris and Dave just behind. I saw one ‘near miss’ between two riders and heard one coming-together group “Woah!” moment. But other than that, we’re all safe and well.

It’s a good vibe afterwards. I take my time packing up and grab a coffee and cake. I see the end of the last E12 Men’s race which looks really tough and then set off. I try Apple iPhone directions home and it takes me back a much nicer way through Epping Forest and back to lasagne and Tour of Romandie highlights at home.

Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/5224672022

Some images © trixstix photography

[imagine-the-absolute-beard-quest]

Sunday 22nd October - 17 weeks on Testosterone.

So I think I've decided to do updates on Saturdays or Sundays depends if I'm busy on the Saturday then updates will be done sundays!

This is mainly because I get up at 5.15am and work 7am-3pm Monday to Friday and I like to relax in the afternoons when I finish which when I relax I forget to do anything especially these updates 😂

Updates;

• I got my letter finally! The GIC endocrinologist confirmed my trough levels are low. His words to be exact "I note that the trough testosterone level was low at 5.6. This compares to our target 8-12nMol/L. I would recommend Daniel decreases the interval between Sustanon injections by one week. This will change from 4 weeks to 3 weeks between injections that is important"

I kept saying the past 2 months at least I felt my levels weren't right and my blood results proved that so I'm guessing you really can trust your body instincts!

• my voice is lowering back to how it was a couple weeks back which means to me personally it's more comfortable and reassuring for me to talk again especially in public as before there was a worry it might be too high to pass but that was just how my voice made me feel personally. It probably wasn't that high but compared to what it was prior to my levels dropping low in the last week before the injection it definitely felt and sounded high!

• I feel like the chin peach fuzz is getting more fuzzy and I'm debating on darkening them with some mascara or something (mom won't mind me borrowing that purely for transition reasons😂) so I can hopefully show a picture of how much fuzz is actually coming through now!

• my weight has been crazy I just don't understand it! Since starting work my healthy balanced diet has gone wayyy out the window...but...im actually maintaining/losing weight.

Just to give an idea for you yesterday's food intake:

- Crunchy nut cereal and a cup of coffee.

- Belvita biscuits.

- chorizo pasty

- strawberry glazed doughnut

- Full block of Cadbury Oreo chocolate

- Half a packet of cadbury medley

- 5 biscuits

- Fruitella sweets

- Pringles

- Curry with naan bread

- cappucino and a mocha

- Pepsi max.

You can tell I now snack a lot!! And it's all junk xD but my weight has been it's lowest it's been in 2 years! I just don't understand how it's happening to be fair but on the bright side besides definite sugar overload it's actually helping with my weight obsession. I'm not counting calories 24/7 and I only weigh myself once sometimes twice a day and even then I don't do it every day compared to a month ago I was weighing myself up to 6 times a day every day!

• still stealth at work and decided to have a social media clearout! My colleague who I get on very well with was asking me about my other half what she looked like etc. And she said she was beautiful and I jokingly say next you'll be saying I'm lucky to have someone so beautiful and her reply was no Daniel you are a good looking lad ! And honestly this made me smile a lot because I don't think I've ever really been told that by someone I still barely know outside of work but she has a son called Daniel so I'm guessing that's where are current bond has started and also we share the same amount of love for elephants and both love Olives and both drive Vauxhalls 😂 basically me and (K) have a fair bit in common. It will be sad when she leaves mid November as she's got a new job lined up next month.

• another work note - My boss kindly and funnily informed me most of the department's on our office floor have noticed me around and asked him what my name was as they all kept referring to me as mini Brett or Brett's twin. Me and Brett have similar jobs and work in the same department and look quite similar! People have mistaken me for him and called me Brett a couple times and honestly this doesn't bother me because he is cis male and I'm a transmale if I'm being mistaken for a cis male then that gives me a lot of confidence I am passing well !

• still haven't noticed any changes with fat redistribution or muscle. To be honest I think my muscle mass has gone down a little but only in my arms as I do take measurements occassionally. I'm not sure whether that could be because I don't eat meat as much or whether my levels have dropped recently or even the fact I haven't really done any strength exercises in a month!

• acne has calmed down for now but I've started to wash my face every morning with a bar of soap and facial scrub every time I have a shower compared to before when I used a facial scrub every night before bed and every morning if I had time in the mornings as well that is.

Finally a side note

• my mom a couple days ago was surprised to find out I use male toilets in public and I was also surprised that she thought I didn't. I've been biblically out for over 2 years and now being on Testosterone it's even more permanent than before the way she reacted to me using male toilets was almost as if being transgender is part time and only stops when I need to pee!

Final update! My gc2b nude binder finally arrived I won it in a competition 3 months ago, I emailed to see how long postage takes and they admitted they forgot to send it but I didn't mind as I can be pretty patient besides I won't it and didn't pay anything towards it so I didn't have much to complain over the wait really! I will post comparison between my old one (underworks) and the new one (gc2b)

That's all the updates for now!

I will put up a voice comparison video hopefully later today! Have a wonderful Sunday on this fine Autumn day! (Fyi Autumn is my favourite season!)

Thanks for listening (reading!)

Daniel 😊 x

(1st and 2nd pic: Underworks. 3rd and 4th pic: GC2B) and 5th pic of my face and my new haircut!

[storiesforz]

080419, Monday.

Dearest Z,

Today, I had to wake up pretty damn early again to get ourselves to the Birmingham airport in time for our flight to Dublin, Ireland. It’s a mystery how my body hasn’t given up with the constant commuting. Lol. I feel like 4 days since Friday, and we’ve been on the tube or a train or a plane for excessive amount of hours. Haha. Haven’t actually had a feel of a “holiday” per se.

Anyway, after we got ourselves ready and got an Uber booked, I carried the bag down little brother’s teeny tiny steps in the house all the way to the car. Got in, buckled tight and off we headed to the airport — which took us approximately 40 minutes. The drive was a pretty straightforward one. No jam, no hassle. Upon reaching the airport (since we’ve already checked in), we only needed to drop the bags at the baggage drop area for Ryan Air. I felt pretty hungry, and there was Cafe Nero there but decided against it to check for the food stores upstairs prior to the departure lounge and I am thankful we did because there was Frank & Benny’s — like an Italian breakfast bar sorta thing. I ordered myself an avocado with smoked salmon served on a bagel with a glass of orange juice. Pretty good I must say, albeit a bit much. Kinda hoped I ordered some “fries” or something of that equivalent. After breakfast, we headed through the departure lounge and security aaaand had to wait for our gate to be announced.

Didn’t really look around much other than buying myself a packet of fruitella to munch on. Standard snacking! Hehe. So when the time came and the gate was being prepped and we lined up to go through the gate — guess what? IT GOT DELAAAAAYED, by like an hour. And we weren’t told until like half an hour later, so we kinda stood there and did nothing. Annoying, really. But casting that aside, once inside it was a pretty standard flight. No food, no drinks, just an hour plus of flying to Dublin!

Landing and getting out of the airport again wasn’t much of a fuss. Got straaaaaight out but I wasn’t looking forward to the transfer from airport to hotel because I reckon it would take a good 45 minutes or so.

Reached the hotel and thankfully, it looked amazing although slightly small. Quite modern, kinda like the interior of the design and material used for it. I settled in, took some pictures, and took a video for you to see the place and then kinda chilled indoors. We thought of going out for a walk but little brother was so tired that he actually slept through the day and since mom was taking pity on him given he’s been lacking rest decided we’ll just stay in.

That’s when I kicked out my samyang and hot milo and dived into it. Was quite hungry, I must admit. After I’ve cleaned my bowl out, I decided to YouTube whilst texting you and ended up knocking myself straight to dreamland.

Managed to pray Zohor & Asr’ but missed Maghreb & Isya’. Dammit. I am missing you loads. Wishing we could cuddle comfortably together. Can’t wait for our little getaway. You’re a star.

Warmest of Love,

Z.

[purplesurveys]

1067

JANUARY 2020

Where did you go on new year’s?: I believe we only stayed home and had a big dinner with family. We’re usually home during the New Year since our rooftop already offers a fantastic view of the fireworks around the city and in Manila, and also because my dad usually isn’t home on December 31st/January 1st.

Who kissed you on new year’s? I didn’t kiss anyone when 2020 hit. Gab and I always celebrated holidays and spent weekends separately...in retrospect, both already should’ve served as a bit of a red flag for me.

Did you have a New Year’s Resolution this year? I didn’t. I thought I had it together. Oh well.

Does it snow where you live? It never snows here.

Do you like hot chocolate? It’s comforting and I order it a lot, but as I’ve said before I don’t like hot drinks haha. No restaurant or coffee shop serves lukewarm chocolate, so I usually just get an order of hot chocolate and then wait for it to considerably cool down.

Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? I’ve never been to New York and they don’t show that program here.

Is January anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.) My dad’s birthday is on the 31st. I also always remember my aunt and uncle’s wedding anniversary on the 11th since theirs has so far been the only wedding of an immediate family member that I’ve attended, and so I remember the preparations and the actual event being really hectic but fun.

FEBRUARY 2020

Were you single? No. I was in a happy, committed relationship at the time.

Who was your Valentine? My girlfriend at the time was, but I remember we agreed to make Valentine’s a little lowkey last year because we were both low on savings at the time. Still, she got me a street food bouquet and I got her a pretty flower bouquet in return. I think we also had an Italian dinner somewhere between Valentine’s Day and our anniversary.

When you were little did you buy Valentine’s for the whole class? No. I don’t see the point.

Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not? I really don’t care about this in general. It’s not a thing we follow here.

What did you receive for Valentine’s day? Like I said, Gab went to my favorite street food stall and she manually made a bouquet herself, fancy paper and ribbons and all. The ~bouquet had chicken isaw, pork isaw, barbecue, Betamax, and Walkman in it, which are my favorites.

What did you give for Valentine’s Day? A big bouquet. She was shooting for a school requirement that day and was at her best friend’s house, so I spoke with that friend in secret so I can plan out a surprise visit and hand her the flowers.

Is February anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.) I used to look forward to February because it was mine and my ex’s anniversary. I’m not threatened by the date this year and I will just make plans for myself. Or I can also ask Angela to hang out with me. Idk yet, but what matters to me right now is that I’m no longer sad about it.

MARCH 2020

Are you Irish? Not one drop of it in me.

Do you like corned beef and cabbage? I haven’t tried these together but I will sometimes eat my samgyupsal with cabbage, so I doubt this combo would be bad.

What did you do for St Patrick’s Day? We don’t celebrate that here.

Are you happy when winter is pretty much over? We also don’t have winter.

Is March anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.) My late grandpa celebrated his birthday on the 11th. March will also forever be burned in my brain as the month that 2020 ended for me.

APRIL 2020

Do you like the rain? Love it. Rain makes me feel calm and peaceful.

Did you play an April fool’s joke on anyone this year? I don’t think so. I just enjoy watching prank videos on social media sometimes, but I don’t pull them myself nor is there anyone who pulls them on me.

Do you get tons of candy for Easter? That’s not really tradition here. Most families will just go to church on Easter Sunday, and only families with young kids will have Easter egg hunting games.

Do you celebrate 4/20? Nope. I celebrate the day afterwards, which is my birthday haha.

Do you love the month of April? I do get a childlike excitement for it every year because I always get excited for my birthday, no matter how small my plans may be for it in a given year. The only thing I hate about April is the weather, because this is when it starts to get unbearably hot in the country. Is April anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.) My birthday, my parents’ anniversary, my brother’s birthday (at least I was excited for it until I stopped talking to him). April is also usually Wrestlemania month, and something I will always look forward to regardless of how detached I’ve gotten from pro wrestling.

MAY 2020

What is your favorite flower? Roses and peonies. Sunflowers make me feel hopeful, but I wouldn’t say they’re my favorite.

Finish the phrase “April showers…”: I don’t know.

Do you celebrate May 16th: National Piercing Day? That’s a day? I always remember May 16 as being Katreen’s birthday lol. Anyway, no I definitely do not celebrate it. I don’t even have piercings beyond my earlobes.

Is May anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.) It’s my favorite cousin’s birthday. May also marks the end of the school calendar, so back in college I had always looked forward to the 3rd or 4th week of May. In 2020, Andi and I also wrapped up our thesis in May.

JUNE 2020

What year did/will you graduate from high school? I graduated in 2016. Happier, simpler times.

Did you do anything fun during this Month? I learned how to use iMovie so I can make a surprise birthday video for Gab, where I collated video greetings from her closest friends and also asked them to put photos they have with her in a Google Drive. That was exciting to learn and make, even though my efforts ultimately went to waste. We also got Cooper last June!!!!! when he was still a small small tiny bean of a pup, and I could still carry him with one hand.

Have a favorite baseball team? I don’t even know how baseball works.

Is June anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.) Yeah used to be her birthday but I obvs can’t celebrate it with her anymore. Otherwise, pretty uneventful month overall.

JULY 2020

What did you do on the 4th of July? We don’t celebrate that here. This used to be the date of our Independence Day back when US still had a much tighter grip on us, but I believe a former President shifted it to a different date (the one we have now) to serve as a sign of our independence from that country.

Did you go to the fireworks? We don’t have fireworks on July 4th, nor do we have fireworks on our own Independence Day.

Did you blast the A/C all day? I wanted to but was not in the place to, given that I did not earn my own money yet to help with the bills.

Is July anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.) Last year, my college graduation was held in July.

AUGUST 2020

Did you have a sunburn? No. No reason for me to get one considering I stayed at home from March to September, except for the time I went to the doctor in May.

Did you go to the pool a lot? I didn’t, but my parents did blow up the inflatable pool that we keep and placed it on the rooftop so that we can cool down. Summer this year was unforgivable.

Did you go out of town? I don’t believe we did in August.

Is August anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.) My university-wide graduation. My school has quite a large population so we get two grads - a more intimate one with our own college where we can be called one by one to go up the stage; and a larger, more general, university-wide grad, where the university higher-ups and a chosen summa cum laude student make speeches and there are multiple music/dance performances.

SEPTEMBER 2020

Are you attending college/school? Not anymore.

Do you like fall better than summer? We don’t get fall.

What happened this month? Man you had 8 other months to ask this, why pick my worst month?? Lmao. September was the month of the quick deterioration of my relationship and its eventual breakup, my first job interview (that I got ghosted by), Nacho’s first death anniversary, opening my first bank account, and the start of my internship.

Is September anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.): Angela’s birthday, my mom’s birthday, Nina’s birthday.

OCTOBER 2020

Whats your favorite candy? Fruitella. I got soooooo many Fruitella packs from my relatives this Christmas because that was what I put on my wishlist hahahahaha.

What was your favorite thing(s)about this month? October was terrible. The only thing that kept me alive was my internship and the people in it, our Halloween party, and Good Mythical Morning. But in general, September through the first half of December 2020 is a period I would like to bury permanently.

What are you planning to be for Halloween? I don’t have plans for Halloween 2021 yet.

Are you going to be trick or treating? Nope.

Is October anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.): I don’t think so.

NOVEMBER 2020

Whose house do you go to for Thanksgiving? Sigh. I don’t care for Thanksgiving.

What are you going thankful for this year?: Too early to tell, but on the second day of the new year, so far, I’m thankful for the positive people around me, the kindness and patience they extend to me, and myself for powering through and living to see 2021.

Do you love stuffing? No but I’d like to try it.

Anything exciting happen this month? Again, November was still shitty times for me.

Is November anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.): I got employed and started my first real job.

DECEMBER 2020

Do you celebrate Christmas? Yeah, but it clashes with my non-belief so it’s something I’m still figuring out.

Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? No.

Get anything special last year? I got one too many bottles of soju and packs of Fruitella, hahah. I also got the wooden portable table that I’ve been eyeing for a while.

What do you love most about December? THE HOLIDAY WORK BREAK ZZZZZzzzzzz I can’t believe it’ll be over soon :( I’m not yet ready to go back to work ugh.

Is December anything special to you? (Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacations, etc.): Two of my aunts’ birthdays, my godson’s birthday, my grandma’s birthday, and get-togethers with different sides of my family.