From a chilly 10 degree morning to a sweltering (1) 21 degrees. It was so hot that doing chores felt like swimming through water. This is why I can never live in the tropics again.
I
Our barely one-year old (cheapish) washing machine broke. I had to hand-wash clothes in the old tub and had the vague feeling that the detergent was not meant for such a process. But I don’t live in a country where washing-machines are as common as TV sets and where I can go into a supermarket to buy special detergent meant for soaking and manual washing. I didn’t dawdle long- you just focus on two areas, the arm-pits and the crotch. Not that there’s anything nasty there. I change my clothes and underwear everyday still and I hardly sweat. The water was freezing and I discovered that while I can lift 30kg dumbbells I hardly had the strength to squeeze water out of the clothes.
My hands looked plump and bloated after, and I remember the hands of our old lavenderas back in Pangasinan, how worn and red they were. And the loads they did good Lord - denim, blankets and towels. And by the time the clothes were dry as they often did quicker in the tropics, it was mid-afternoon and the lavandera would be folding and sorting the clothes. I remember getting breads and sweets and Coke at the store, and we would eat and exchange gossip as we waited for my mother to arrive so they could be paid. I miss those days; no washing machine can surpass human hands.
II
We set up the Christmas tree today. Two years ago, we bought a cheaper one at Kmart, and it was black pine which we thought was chic. But part of me wasn’t convinced because I could see through its paltry 600 plus tips and it really bothered me. So last year I bit the bullet and bought a 3,000 tip, $700 (we got it 50% off so paid only $350) tree and I was finally satisfied. Christmas is one of the last things where you cut corners and compromised, which is kinda stupid because after the 25th has come and gone, it dawns on you that sentiment really has nothing to do with logic and reality. But I realised that this feeling is universal. Aucklanders- or so the media claims- are about to revolt that Christmas this year was going to be cancelled; and mistakenly by the government, and not by a virus that is lurking in all corners of the city. But from what I have seen, there is really nothing special about the way Kiwis celebrate Christmas- the food is crap, the gifts have a $20 cap and everyone gets drunk and pissed by Boxing Day. But habit and sentiment is all part of the tradition, isn’t it? Anyhow, I’m ready and prepared- 99% of all gifts have been bought and sorted, and an emergency menu has been worked out.
A broken washing machine and Covid are not the end of the world; but an ugly Christmas tree can be super annoying.
Because that’s life.
It rains when it shouldn't.
You get a spot of sunshine for your run and it’s too humid that when you get home, you fall into a fitful nap.
You have a fitful dream you can’t remember when you wake up, but leaves you too tired to do anything but scroll through stupid TikTok vids.
Work is relentless and you can’t help but be relentless (even when you’re on leave) because you’re super fucking competitive and the winner has to be you.
Everyone decides to jump the government just because it had a bad week, half of which is not even its fault and you feel like wishing these useless people to just drop dead but you can’t because you’re being Twitter good, even if that and all the Facebook/Instagram policing will not change the fact that people are nasty (like you are when you choose to).
You can’t get fireworks even if it's Guy Fawke’s Day because the regulations get tighter and tighter and I just don’t get it. You want to allow marijuana use but ban fireworks?
I’ve completed a week’s worth of ‘brisk’ walking, just under 2kms and 12 minutes.
Normally, I would think of a million excuses, but lately, in this pandemic, when it seems that you have all the time in the world, you get a sense that it’s a lie. You do it now, or it’s all lost, simple as that. Sometimes I feel great after and sometimes, it’s the same. But I guess, that’s what you call an investment; the cumulative rewards are in the end. Or so you hope.
But then, what else is there to do? It’s definitely more positive that agonising over Christmas; that you’re aching to watch Dune at the movies; that a restaurant meal would be nice; or go on a bus ride at 4pm; or sauntering into the supermarket. But it’s not your job to be angry at the bigger picture of why you can’t do these things. Leave that to the stupid politicians (FUCK YOU Judith Collins, FUCK YOU David Seymour) because that’s what they’re paid for.
Your job is you, and it’s not an easy one.
But thank God for small victories- studies have shown that exercise no matter how small, makes a difference- and I thought, hmmm, maybe I will reward myself.
But no I didn’t- this is just online window shopping- but who knows? You’re investing in yourself remember and that shouldn’t be a wasted purchase.
I’ve been wearing athleisurewear since 2006 even before the term was coined. But the fabrics that Lululemon uses is unforgivingly honest- you need to be really fit to wear them with confidence
The innovative 3D-texture helps you feel your way around the mat and stay centred in poses without looking down; $145
Another pair of shoes because why not? The Nike Free Run Trail combines orange airy mesh with soft Thunder Blue suede for a lightweight feel you can easily style. A bootie-like construction keeps the silhouette sleek and low profile, while a Cinnabar foam midsole provides unbelievable comfort.
A stainless steel flask with a hidden matcha whisk! Load up with matcha and milk and shake it, baby!
Coz you need the real thing, $54
Turmeric and matcha serve up a sip that's filled to the brim with good intentions. Grassy fresh matcha, earthy turmeric and sweet cinnamon combine to see you in fabulously fine form.
Radiance-enhancing moisture, the Golden Ray drops are here to make you glow. Made from 100% sustainably sourced natural ingredients, these drops are perfect for all skin types. boosts collagen, improves elasticity, plumps-up suppleness, and blurs fine lines.
This natural energy booster is here to be your best friend, helping you to perk up throughout your day. Cordyceps is perfect for athletes, gym bunnies and people who live their life in the fast lane.
Obsessed with collagen even if I still have to see any dramatic effects. Collagen is a product you should definitely have in your daily routine by now! With so many benefits such as reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, firming and plumping the skin, promoting nail and hair growth and so many more, it's an easy yes!
Love yourself with The Beauty Chefs' new favorite product, Immune Food. Helping to provide you with a happy and healthy immune system. This Berry Banana flavoured blend uses the power of mushrooms which was used for centuries in Chinese healing traditions. The Beauty Chef never disappoints, this will be the perfect addition to your everyday routine.
“That is when it happened. A soft white glow gathered on his chest, over the place where his heart must be. The glow became a cord, reaching out through the air. The cord approached me. I rowed and struggled. But I was held fast. I felt the light encircle my neck, link me to his heart. It didn’t hurt. It bound us together. I don’t know if he felt it too – I like to think he did. Then he brought me home to this nice warm house where I can sleep all the time and get stroked. I don’t even have to look at the outside world if I don’t want to! The windows are all boarded up. Ted made me an indoor cat and I’ve never had to worry about anything since. This is our house which is just for us, and no one else is allowed in. Apart from Night-time, of course, and the green boys and Lauren. I could do without some of them, to be honest. I”
― Catriona Ward, The Last House on Needless Street
I thought it was Wednesday I guess because I had a full Monday. Full-on work-day; did a 2km brisk walk under 10 minutes; did yoga before bed. Over-achieving doesn't equate to some sort of time-travel. You wake up to a new day where you’re expected to do the same thing all over again.
And you ask yourself- will it really make a difference? If I spent the day doing the opposite, what would be the consequences of that? I started doing collagen supplements a couple of weeks back (I think I’ve mentioned this before) and every morning, I try to spot any tell-tale signs of its effects. So far, all I see is the same face- it’s a good face for sure, but that’s not what you want to see.
We all want something dramatically momentous to happen, but the universe doesn't seem to work that way.
Is it really Korean? Who knows, suddenly it’s everywhere, but it’s certainly not KFC. It doesn't have that off-the-assembly-line taste.
And it’s deceptively more than you think it is- this is how much we got today for dinner but hardly made a dent with it, which means, we’re having it again for dinner Sunday night.
I reward myself with three things- tech, nice clothes and food.
Since I really need to think about retirement, I’ve put a sensible brake on the 1st two and as for the third, it’s kind of tricky, very tricky. In the Philippines, you can eat cheap, and it’s healthier. A bit of rice, heaps of vegetables and fish. I could live on that with pork barbecue and lechon once a month.
But eating healthy in New Zealand is expensive. You can count with your ten fingers, how many vegetables there are at any given time and even less in winter when your best bet is frozen. Seafood is not a staple and more of a luxury unless you were willing to rent a boat or go on a charter to catch your ow which is ridiculous. I love salmon but it’s not something you can eat every day and I’ve seen the price go up and up and up since 2008.
I avoid processed carbs, sugars and some fats (!), so essentially, my diet has come to consist of nothing but espresso in the morning; there was a couple of weeks at the start of this year’s lockdown when I had an oat-meal run, but I got sick of that; I would have the occasional bread, but would pick those fancy sprouted variants; for lunch, the previous night’s left-overs if there’s any would do; more coffee during the day and then dinner which is normally a protein and some carbs like rice or vegetables. I think I average less than 2,000 calories a day.
It’s a bit more than that during the weekend where I do have a proper lunch (sushi or a meal called Katsubi which is like sumo wrestler food but with more meats and veggies and less or no carbs; and then for dinner we rotate around chicken (baked chicken wings or air-fried), pork (belly) or beef roasts. And snacks! I love what they call crisps (potato chips) which I’ve started to lessen and ice-cream- I’m not completely lactose-intolerant and can finish off a whole container.
And because I don’t get enough vegetables, I’ve taken to taking fibre supplements along with four other supplements which I’ve been taking for the better part of 15-20 years.
But I’m hungry..I’m a hungry man…
How many can you personally tick off?
1. Eat fresh ingredients grown nearby
2. Eat a wide variety of vegetables
3. Eat until 80% full
4. Eat home-cooked family dinners
5. Embrace complex carbohydrates
6. Consider a plant-based diet
7. Substitute meat with fish
8. Try not to eat just before bed
9. Let yourself feel hunger
10. Eat dark chocolate
11. Make more PB&Js (peant butter & jelly)
12. Eat more beans
13. Eat more nuts
14. Cook with olive oil instead of butter
15. Put a cap on fun foods
16. Eat slowly
17. Drink more water
18. Drink red wine at 5:00 p.m.
19. Drink tea every day
20. Coffee is also a good idea
21. Try the Mediterranean Diet
22. Let food be
23. Stop drinking cow’s milk
24. Know it’s never too late
25. Stick to your dietary changes
26. Sleep more than seven hours a night
27. Practice yoga
27. Meditate for 15 minutes a day
28. Schedule an annual physical
29. Start strength training
30. Move every day
31. Optimize your workplace
32. Keep an active sex life
33. Hang from a bar for one minute a day
34. Turn the volume down
35. Breathe through your nose
36. Relax your jaw
37. Exercise in the cold
38. Get off the toilet
39. Use sunscreen
40. Take power naps
41. Pick up HIIT
42. Learn to play again
43. Worry less about weight loss
44. Screen for cancer regularly
45. Make sure to floss once a day
46. Practice sleep hygiene
47. Start running
48. Get into swimming
49. Forget the six-pack
50. Ask for help
51. Don’t ride a motorcycle
52. Don’t take up BASE jumping
53. Don’t eat processed foods
54. Don’t take hard drugs
55. Don’t ingest tobacco
56. Don’t smoke e-cigarettes
57. Don’t binge drink
58. Don’t eat hot dogs
59. Don’t have unprotected sex
60. Don’t drive under impairment
61. Don’t live in the middle of nowhere
62. Don’t blindly pop OTC pills
63. Don’t overeat
64. Don’t eat more protein than you need
65. Don’t stay in a stressful job
66. Don’t hold a grudge
67. Don’t blame your genes
68. Don’t sit around all day
69. Don’t doomscroll
70. Don’t binge-watch Netflix
71. Don’t binge on screentime
72. Don’t play American football
73. Don’t fool around in National Parks
74. Don’t mess with firearms
75. Don’t ignore air quality
76. Check your household products
77. Live with a purpose
78. Manage negative thought loops
79. Have a plan after retirement
80. Pick up “forest bathing”
81. Settle down near a body of water
82. Play board games
83. Join a team
84. Tell the truth
85. Listen to live music twice a month
86. Take colder showers
87. Read before bed
88. Keep a journal
89. Embrace behavioral activation
90. Avoid social jetlag
91. Learn a language
92. Show up to events
93. Maintain friendships
94. Make time to travel
95. Visit museums
96. Find your spiritual side
97. Change your mind
98. Have a family
99. Summon some empathy
100. Celebrate aging: Not just in the birthday cake sense. Those who approach aging with a positive outlook end up aging easier than others. Proactively acknowledge what’s to come instead of fretting about the wrinkles under your eyes. Maybe you’ll make it to 100. Maybe you won’t. But your absolute best chance comes from living your best life along the way.
(You can read the full article here)
Nothing makes you feel older than losing your teeth.
You can regenerate your skin (to a certain extent), you can start building even better muscles at way past your 40s, you can be slim forever (well, I am), but if your teeth are fucked, that’s it. Having fake teeth put in don’t count. I realised this yesterday when the dentist told me I needed to get an impacted wisdom tooth removed. I’ve been putting off going to the dentist for the longest time because I just couldn’t get over the cost of care in this country- and yet, here I am mulling whether to get a new pair of Yeezy’s.
So take heed, stop drinking coke with real sugar, quit smoking and book a dental clean ASAP. You can’t keep using your teeth until they’re manky like my bakeware which I threw out today (all of them save for a few, still good, far from manky spring-form pans) when a whole new set arrived today, bought from the Labour Weekend sale at Briscoes.
Didn't feel compelled to wake up early today as I’ve done most of the bigger chores the day before.
The weather forecast is overcast and some rain; staying-in-bed-weather
When I was younger, I spent the most part of the weekend in bed reading.
I should seriously read something more than the news (even if it’s the New York Times). Reality I’m beginning to think, is deadening to the soul.
I don’t feel the same way for movies though.
I’ve started on organising gifts; the budget seems to be growing bigger every year
How do you scale down on gifts though without looking like you’re watching your budget
But it’s my fault, to not have stuck to a budget and now you’re stuck there though I’m sure they won’t mind.
Saw someone in their car today smoking a real cigarette! Now that’s a sight you rarely see.
In New York just after morning recess, school-children at a Manhattan school start screaming as their noses start to bleed simultaneously as if a tap had been opened.
In Japan, a rocket carrying the country’s first astronauts launches into space. Reaching the thermosphere, the astronauts see something they hadn’t seen before. Within minutes, something rips into their ship as easily as if it were made of cardboard, hurling all of them into cold, dead space.
In Oklahoma, a soon to retire small-town police chief spends his last day wishing he had a bigger legacy to leave behind until an ordinary call leads to something possibly extraordinary- a mysterious crop circle and two missing townsfolk.
In the Philippines, members of an old powerful, and corrupt political family prepare to attend their formal return to power. Thirty-five years after they were ousted in a populist bloodless coup, they have regained the presidency using the same cunning & manipulation they have always used. On the way to the inauguration, on the same stretch of highway that was the scene of their defeat three decades ago, their entire convoy of vehicles along with their military escorts is suddenly hurled into the air, as if by an invisible giant hand. The vehicles fall back to earth and onto the confused crowds of their supporters lining the highway.
Invasion is an American science fiction television series created by Simon Kinberg and David Weil. It premiered on Apple TV+ on October 22, 2021.
Cookie Pies by the The Goods Baking
Fuck Microsoft Team meetings
Wednesdays are my second favourite days after Fridays.
It means if you’ve made it half-way, then you’re nearly there (to Fridays). On Wednesdays, you can also see what’s ahead of you, in the week ahead, a little bit more clearly. I usually take stock of our meals and because we just have one main meal a day, it’s important to know what those meals are.
Not the same proteins on consecutive days; should be chicken, something not chicken, possibly chicken.
Try to get vegetables every other day (ugh) if you can. In winter, this is next to impossible. Personally, I take fibre and other supplements to augment a lack of greens.
A dish can only be repeated once every fortnight (I have a wide repertoire)
Save the ‘bad’ dishes for the weekends (pork belly, baked chicken wings, baking etc.).
Try to lessen food-waste (I’ve been doing well on this front).
Personally, I don’t go for starchy, carbohydrate-rich meals (sure I do rice a couple of days a week, but I limit my intake to just over a cup) so I rarely do pasta (esp pasta bakes ugh), but I remember buying 500grams of Wagyu mince (it’s not that great really) and a pack of spaghetti (perhaps, the one pasta I never regret cooking) so spaghetti it is.
We had leftover cheese and jalapeño kransky sausages, so I had these along with the beef for a take on Filipino spaghetti, but not really, because there’s nothing I hate more than sweet spaghetti. I also didn’t use any pasta sauce, just used the last couple of tomatoes we had in the crisper ($14 for 6!), peeled and de-seeded.
That’s Wednesday done!
My 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro
I have to admit that more than anything, the aspirational quality of Apple products is what’s hooked me into its ecosystem all these years. Though some of its products for me have lost that specific lustre- the iPhone for one, expensive as it is, has become so pedestrian that it’s become just another phone (among many). Though I wouldn't switch to Android in a million years- and I have tried at least twice- because the system is manically tedious.
I call myself a sort of Apple geek and yet probably don’t know half of every iPhone iteration’s functionalities or use any of its shortcuts and this is precisely why I like it because it leaves you alone. Save for the system updates which most of the time it does automatically anyway, it leaves you plenty of room to make choices if you want to use these features or not. Non-Apple users accuse you of being locked into an ecosystem without realising that this is what every other company wants (even Android).
I’ve ‘locked’ myself in and I like it- not that I have any choice at this point. I have files and photos all the way back from 2011 when iCloud was first launched; currently over 40,000 images would you believe- going through them, I had months on end where I took a photo every single day. I’ve had every iPhone that came out save for the 1st one and the minor models (the SE and the XRs).
I’ve been an Apple Watch user since it 1st came out; bought the 2nd gen when the 1st one broke, and gifted myself last Christmas with the 6th generation in stainless steel for a dressier look. It’s always on my wrist, the 1st thing I put on after showering, and the last thing I take off before I go to bed. It has kept me fit and updated on news, Covid-alerts, iMessages, because I have a confirmed case of FOMO.
I had the 1st generation iPad and currently have the (old) 2nd generation 10.5 inch iPad Pro; I’ve been obsessing with getting the M1 chip powered iPad Pros, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my old one to justify a nearly $3,000 upgrade. These damn things never break.
I’ve ever only bought one iMac- which is now being used by Chini- and fortunate that because I use it for work (the 27-inch ones), I get to keep them after the end of the three-year upgrade cycle which means I’ve had two since.
And Macbooks…I remember my very 1st MacBook which was the 2006 matte black version. I split the cost of it with my sister Binky- her half was her gift to me- and her sister-in-law hand-carried it to the Philippines from the US. To this day, I remember and continually look for its distinct smell- this crisply sharp plasticky smell.
When I moved to New Zealand, it became a bit easier to acquire them. I knew the tech suppliers well from my 1st job for a publication company, and my next two MacBooks- 2009 and 2012 15-inchers in the iconic aluminum unibody with the lit Apple logo cut-out- were actually leases that I got from them at cost.
But as I’ve said, aspirational products can actually make you better. I learned to create new forms of content, I moved on to a new job that offered an accelerated path upwards if I was willing to go beyond what I already knew. I learned video, high-end graphics and 3D rendering. I brought it everywhere with me and my workflow was and is always melded with my personal schedule (because my idea of relaxation also meant being online or editing a photo). So when the fourth-generation MacBook Pro with the (pointless) Touch bar came out in 2016, I was able to buy it outright -didn’t even use a credit-card.
I was happy with it until Apple dropped without warning, the 16-inch model in late 2019 which I currently have. When you’re not expecting something, the impact of it on you is greater and I didn’t think twice about getting it. But the same issues are there- the battery doesn’t really last (it’s almost always plugged) and there’s still a struggle doing just baseline graphic work such as 3D renders or Adobe Premiere. These are the issues that the new MacBook Pros with the M1 Pro and Max chips are supposed to address.
But more than the technical aspects, it’s about learning new stuff! Logic Pro! XCode! Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve! I’ll probably never get to first base on some of this stuff, but the whole point of life is in trying and evolving- to aspire, remember?
Don’t ever be that basic bitch.
However, the price is not basic- prices for the 16-inch, M1 Pro chip starts at $4299 while the M1 Max version starts at (gasp) $6049.