sure. wait. what?

September 7

I spent the first few days of September touring an unfamiliar city where everyone was bilingual. The most notable experience was going to a Timmies and ordering an iced capp because it’s the only item on the menu I could recognize. I don’t even like iced capp. 

In the same Timmies, an old Chinese grandma with tattooed eyebrows and silicone-filled lips cut me in line. The Caucasian grandma behind me said something in French, and when she realized that I didn’t understand a word, she made hand gestures telling me to walk forward, like a human shoo-shoo-ing a dog, so nobody cuts us off again. 

After getting my iced capp — which was blegh by the way — I found a seat in the far corner of the store. The Caucasian grandma sat a few seats next to me a few minutes later.

I waited for L to finish doing the deux in the washroom (which was why we were in Timmies to begin with). After he finished, he asked if I was ready to go eat elsewhere. “Or did you want to eat here?” he said. 

“Ew no,” I said. 

I felt bad as soon as I realized that I was within earshot of the Caucasian grandma who at that point was quietly munching on her sandwich. Of course she understood English. I hope she didn’t feel bad though that I thought eating at Timmies was “ew.” Sorry, manang. 

It’s been a few days since that happened, and I still feel a slight pull in my chest every time I remember it. Again — sorry, manang. 

September 9

Spent most of yesterday reading Project Hail Mary. What a fun, fun read. It’s my kind of feel-good sci-fi. Good stuff. 

Today I decided to spend $85 on new bras. All my bras are either ill-fitting or worn out, so I think it’s time to get new boob holders. Goodbye, 85 bucks. Until next time.  

September 15

Clearly I suck at writing daily logs. I sometimes write in my actual notebook on days when I don’t write here, but meh. Who cares. Nobody’s checking. 

Anyways, busy morning today. Rushed out of the house so I can get to the office in time for a 9am meeting. An important email got buried because of notification messages from a document that I started writing — man, I don’t really need to share all the details, do I?  

September 18

I got home late last night after visiting a nearby town. I also had salmon from Joey’s Fish Shack for the first time yesterday. During dinner, I was asked if the Philippines had great fish and chips. “Not really,” I said, “but actually I’m not sure. Maybe?” 

Do we have good fish and chips? Fish and chips is basically fried breaded fish, boneless of course, and paired with fries. It doesn’t even sound Filipino to me.

September 20

I woke up with a dry mouth. Dry and itchy. The grooves on my tongue feel like they have doubled their size overnight. My lips were dry yesterday, but I thought it was just due to not drinking enough water. Today feels different. I have not had swollen lips like, ever.

Is this an allergic reaction to something? What did I eat? Ugh. 

September 22

I went to the doctor a couple days ago and found out that I have an infection. Some form of bacteria have colonized my mouth and throat causing inflammation and dryness. My lips were swollen like a pair of seedless grapes stacked atop each other. Talking and eating hurt, and the antibiotics didn’t kick in until this morning. The corners of my mouth are still torn and wounded, but the lips are no longer on the verge of bursting. Looking forward to climbing again once this mouth sitch is over, and maybe finishing Three Body Problem over the weekend. 

September 25

I went over-budget again this month. The goal was to spend less than $1,000 on “wants”, but I have already shelled more than twice that amount, and the month isn’t over yet. Pfft. 

I spent big on food this month, like most months, but this month is a bit different because I visited my parents’ and bought the entire family dinner and treats. I guess that’s forgivable. What’s not forgivable are my unnecessary expenses on take-out food. I need to restore to the early-2023 version of myself and start cooking again. Ugh. Living do be expensive. 

Featured photo from Pixabay