Of speeding tickets and music habits

It’s been a long day.

I left the house a few minutes before 7:30. My goal was to be at the new work site by 8 am, and according to Google I still had enough wiggle room to get there right on schedule. I was cruising through 118 taking my sweet-ass time when I sensed a bright, white flash — a speeding ticket!

I couldn’t understand why I got flashed. I was only going a little above 60 — definitely under 65 — so, what did I do wrong? Maybe this was a 50 road, I told myself, but I wasn’t even a block away when I saw another flash. Wait — was I ticketed twice? Was there another hidden camera? Why would they set up two speeding flags so close to each other anyway?

Ugh. I got my first speeding ticket(s) and I wasn’t even rushing. Ah well, another lesson learned.

When I got to the site at 8, I realized that all the equipment I was supposed to inspect were busted. They weren’t completely broken so I had to do some troubleshooting on top of doing the inspections. One equipment in particular sucked all the energy out of me. It wouldn’t cooperate juskulord, but I was just as stubborn. Eventually I solved the issue and made the system run with no glitches. I was annoyed as much as I was proud; grit does pay off sometimes.

I skipped lunch to do more work. I ended up still having loads of shit to do, but I hope tomorrow would go a little smoother. Today was just straight-up draining with all the tech issues happening in all the projects. I was exhausted and I was starving. I shouldn’t even be writing this post but alas, here we are.

Initially I only wanted to do this music habits tag that I found on The Wordy Habitat. Brevity has no place for the tired writer’s mind though, so I got a little too chatty in the intro. Earning a living is damn stressful, isn’t it? Paychecks go as soon as they come, and lucky if you even earn a livable wage.

Hay buhay. At least I have music to temper all the madness.

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Do you download songs or stream on apps like Spotify, Wink?

I stream on Spotify and on YouTube. I also save songs on Spotify, one of the few apps that I think is worth the premium price.

What’s your current favourite song?

SINO by Unique

Last song you listened to?

Fingertips by Pinkrush

Who are your all-time favourite artists?

Joni Mitchell, Eraserheads, Lorde, Dixie Chicks, etc.

Have you been to any concerts?

Yes, but I still prefer small shows in bars. I’ve never gone to either in a long time though.

Do you play any instruments?

I can play the guitar, but only at a very basic level. And because I can play the guitar, I’m arrogant enough to believe that I can also tackle the ukulele — I just haven’t tried it yet, haha.

Do you play your songs on shuffle or choose a playlist?

I do both. This depends on many factors, which could be easily simplified to one thing: my mood. Currently I am listening to BP Valenzuela’s “happy ross day” playlist on Spotify.

Name one song that you always skip when it comes up on shuffle.

Recently, Cartoon Heroes by Aqua. I can’t un-save it though — I still enjoy an Aqua LSS every now and then.

Do you prefer playing songs on speaker or listening in ear/headphones?

I use earphones, mostly. I also prefer Bluetooth headphones over wired ones.

Is there any popularly liked song that you don’t like?

Cardi B’s.

Where do you usually find new music?

I use the Song Radio feature on Spotify and those related videos on YouTube. I also follow friends on Spotify and I discover new music through their playlists or through the Friend Activity tab. And sometimes I just ask people for new music, as in: “Penge naman bagong kanta!”

Do you like songs based on tunes/beats or lyrics?

Man, it’s hard to tell. Some songs I like because of how they sound, and some I only get to appreciate because of the words. I listen to Korean Pop, for example, but I don’t understand Korean. I’m sure if I could speak Korean I would be as critical of these K-Pop hits the same way that I am critical of, say, Cueshe. I also was indifferent about the entire In The Aeroplane Over the Sea album until Kora told me that many of the songs were about Anne Frank. Now one of my favorite existentialist lines come from Neutral Milk Hotel: “how strange it is to be anything at all.”

Name one song that you think everyone should listen to.

Right now? This is Love (Feels Alright) by Camera Obscura.

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The featured image was taken on a summer afternoon. The roads are busier now and the leaves are not green but yellow — it’s officially autumn in this part of the world.