april, may, june 2023

noms

My camera reel for the second quarter of 2023 is pretty much just a gallery of food photos. I went with my friends K and C to a Korean fried chicken place, the same place where I heard Itzy’s “Boys Like You” for the first time. I also went with them to an Indian fast food place, a dessert place, and a Vietnamese place. I eat out with either K and C, or just K, and sometimes all three of us with S. Oh, and one time I went for boozy brunch with G and E and we all ordered a bottle of prosecco each and I blacked out. Fun times.

rainy summer

I got caught in the rain one night on my home from work. I didn’t mind getting drenched, but it started hailing and the little icy pellets were a little too annoying to deal with. I took shelter at a church or, more precisely, outside a church under the gothic arches. If only my life were a romcom, hey? A meet-cute at a church during a rainy summer day would’ve been nice.

comics

I went to an independent comic book convention one Saturday afternoon just for funsies.

avocado

I was bored one night and drew an avocado using soft pastels.

stickers

I bought some stickers from the local comic con and, as a non-sticker collector, non-merch-having person, I have no idea where to stick these on.

clay

I started going to pottery classes in June (or was it May?). I do wheel throwing, and one of the most difficult skills to learn for a beginner is centering the clay on the wheel. The instructor told me that I needed to put more water on the wheel so I don’t get scratches on my hands, so I started putting more water but I always squeezed the sponge while the clay was spinning. Hench, the splash marks on my legs.

past lives

I watched Celine Song’s Past Lives in the theater. Sad, sad shit. I remember driving home after watching the film and telling K that I’m still thinking about it, the film, and he was like, woah really? Was it because Nora’s experience resonated with you so strongly? Not really, I told him. It’s not like I left a childhood sweetheart back in the Philippines. So what is it then?, he asked. I dunno, I told him. Good film, good film.

I also went to a wedding last quarter, which I already wrote about in previous posts, and I went to a number of dental visits too to have my teeth cleaned and my aligners checked. Oh, and of course I did a lot of climbing. I still panic every time I climb a high route, but I’m slowly getting better.

In May, I started using a table top calendar to jot down the stuff that I do each day. I do this mostly to convince myself to do something. Most days I climb, some days I do errands, and there are also one or two odd days when I go to a park with a friend or watch a jazz dance performance.

I write this lookback (hah!) now that July is almost over. Half the year has passed—damn. Half of 2023 is done, and in a few months I will turn another year older. I wish I had the literary prowess to come up with some insightful existential shit, but I got nothing tonight. Life is pretty solid despite its flaws, I told L the other day. Maybe solid is good enough. Maybe good enough, is good enough.

sure. wait. what?