The website of my favorite singer announced that she’s going to release a new song next month and hold a live show next year!
She’s a not only a singer but also a producer and a back musician. I’ve thought that I couldn’t enjoy her new songs anymore because she might have no time to make her own songs.
When I’m feeling down, her songs always give me emotional support. That’s why my children were named after one of her songs.
Next year I’ll be busy, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go to her live show. But the news made me happy.

I stayed at home most of the day today because of the typhoon. I went out for a while to pick up my takeout and go to the gym.

The rain and wind were getting stronger as midnight approached. I hope the typhoon won’t cause any damage and that my loved ones will stay safe

I'm tired, I'm angry, I'm exhausted, I'm depressed. Fortunately weekend is starting. I want to sleep a lot and to read a book. I should clean my flat but I'm not sure if I'll do it. Maybe a meeting with my friends tonight will improve my mood. Sometimes I think that life really sucks...

A5 is my favorite size for notebooks. Most of the time, I don't have much space available, so I don't want something that takes too much space. At the same time, I don't want something that is so small that I have to constantly change the page. A5 is the best middle ground for me. However, I like to use a notebook in a similar size as the book that is paired with, so I use B5 ones as well. One advantage that B5 ones have over A5 ones is that there are more options. Unfortunately, there aren’t many options for A5 ones.

Lately, I have been practicing speaking in English than before and noticed that I do not like my voice or accent. It is odd because I have also been recording myself talking in English and thought I had got used to it already, but it might have to do with my pronunciation not being 100% correct.

Despite awkwardness or cringing at my own accent or voice or both, I keep practicing. I am not expecting to get a new accent because I am not practicing for that matter; rather, I care about getting across my message without repeating myself.

When I wasn’t prepared for an exam, I used to give it up. I used to give up on reviewing my notes, and I didn’t even do my best during the exam. It was because I was disappointed in myself.
Now, I have changed. Even if I know I can’t review all the chapters, I still try to look over all of them. It’s better to get a B than a C. Before, I thought getting a C was somehow better than aiming for an A and failing.

For me, it's wearing shoes inside the house, which seems pretty common in some Western countries.

In my country, we usually take off our shoes before entering a home, so seeing people wearing shoes indoors, especially on the bed, feels a little strange to me.

What about you guys? Are there any culture differences that surprised you?

Last week, I heard about the French manifestations happening all over their country where the students were demanding better education conditions to their president. Apparently, some school's buildings are falling apart, among other things.

In general, I think manifestations are necessary to society because it's one way that people can voice their discomfort and concerns to the government. With the hopes of being heard to reach a consensus between the parts.

On the other hand, I am against violence actions where people break into local business, or when they set public infrastructure on fire as it mostly harms their own people instead of the government. However, I guess they might resort to that to get a faster response from the government.

In conclusion, I consider education is one of the most important investments a government can aspire to make nowadays to combat a lot of the societal issues we face today.

Article: 3 Meditations to Sleep Better

Work was stressful yesterday. I wonder if I would have been able to wind down more easily if I'd already developed a meditation habit.

The article introduced three types of meditation. I want to try mindfulness meditation tonight. If counting to 10 distracts me, I'll try guided meditation instead.

I'm fond of nature. I miss connecting with the smeel of the rain touching the soil. I also miss sitting on a rock just to contemplate ants and observing their movements. I lost the feeling of a freshly made coffee. Thunders are other natural events I enjoy listening. It's beautiful to sense how they travel long distances. Every grain of sand is unique. Every tree grows its own way up. I feel overwhelmed, yet grateful.

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Thanks for reading and take care.

Rubber grips on pens sometimes melt and get sticky. It’s the primary reason why I prefer pens without such a grip. In my experience, they’re often the reason why I have to get rid of pens.

Two years ago, I took a picture of the ocean landscape.

I was taking a break in a lovely spot nobody could see from the road. I had wheeled my bike along a small trail through the bushes. I had stopped near a bench and sat there for a moment.

The ocean, the rocks, the wild vegetation and, in the distance, the whiteness of the city where I was staying at the time. I remember how peaceful it was. I felt immersed in the landscape. It was hot but not too much, and nobody passed. So, I stayed there for a long while.

Then I tried to capture the view. It's been my desktop wallpaper ever since.

Today, it's a unique jigsaw puzzle as well. I love it.

It had been two weeks since I last saw the Malaysian girl. I wanted to see her so badly that I finally got up my courage to ask her out this afternoon.

“Are you going to move your stuff from your old place to your new place tonight? If not, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?” I asked.

She replied, “Sure, we can have dinner tonight.”

You can’t imagine how excited I was when I got her reply. It just reminded me of a quote from The Little Prince, “If you come at four in the afternoon, I’ll begin to be happy by three.”

I'm once again struggling to come up with something I can eat for dinner. Yesterday, I had tofu which I had coated in bread crumbs. It was crispy and delicious, but preparing it myself is kind of a hassle. I don't know if I'm patient enough today.

Day off

My child and I took a walk before the sun set.
We walked in the park for a while and enjoyed autumn. We picked up some acorns, looked at the leaves on the maple trees, and played by stomping dead leaves.
This summer, because of the intense heat and humidity, I thought I’d never have such a fun again. So today's walk became a truly unforgettable time for me.
But climate change will take <this happiness away> away the happiness like this from us in a few years. Damn

I’ve been practicing my conversational French every day for a week now. It was only not possible to do it last Monday because I got really busy, but it’s okay. These lessons I’ve been taking are group lessons and I was surprised by the fact that it seems like most French students are women. It’s been just one week but so far I’ve only had one male classmate.

Yesterday, I was supposed to have a class but it never took place. I messaged the teacher and he replied, saying that it was at 20:30 instead of 19:00 as the student platform outlines on the schedule. I replied, asking if that's the case, why can't I see any recording (the classes are online)? Upon rereading his last message, I realized I hadn't read that he meant 20:30 every Monday.

I rechecked the schedule outlined on the student platform and read Wednesday 19:00. I sent another message telling him to ignore my last message about yesterday's recording, but reminded him that the student platform shows the class is supposed to be every Wednesday at 19:00. That's what I had signed up for.

Sigh.

Good evening everyone!

Last week, my family adopted a new female siamese kitten because the owner was moving out of her apartment and supposedly she couldn't keep it. So, the owner asked her neighbor if she knew someone who could take care of her and said neighbor called us immediately to see if we could take it since we had adopted another siamese cat from said neighbor, and we gladly accepted as we love animals.

For the record, we have another two young cats: one male siamese, and a male chunky orange one. So, now we have 3 cats in our house and I think they are getting along well for now as I have spotted them playing hide and seek.

I went to McDonald's and had the Big Arch.

It was a really big burger, but it wasn't quite for me.

I think it was just average.

The price was higher than other burgers, and it had trick patties, Still, I'm glad I tried it once.

I feel my swimming is improving in class. I am swimming faster and faster, and I am applying my instructor’s tips well to my movements. I still sink a bit when I rotate my arms, but patient practice will solve it.

Halloween! This special time of the year filled with skeletons, carved pumpkins, hanging bats and spiders (and batman-dogs). My favorite decorations are hanging ghosts, the simpler, the better in my opinion. There's also the black cat, and the witch hat. I love watching kids and people enjoying themselves on this month. The same for horror fans like me; this year has been terrific!

Films like Obsession, definitely came out of the blue for the good of the genre and movies in general. Then came Backrooms, Hokum, Leviticus, just to name a few. I hope these works and its creators keep going, those guys are very talented an passionate for filmmaking. Thankfully, art will continue to inspire us, as long as we wonder.

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Hello everybody! This was my bit for today. Make cookies and be happy. Thanks for reading and take care.

Today is my office day. I work in a firm as interns student. I come to the office two days each week. The college who I work with is very nice to me. He had today the whole day meetings, but he still came to eat lunch with me in the canteen. We had very delicious foods today. But I didn't have much appetite. I have currently broke up with my ex. Two weeks past, but I still feel not very good. I sleep not well. I try to make me busier to not have time and energy to think too much. The breaking up is actually my choice, but I'm still sad.