sure. wait. what?

APRIL WAS blah. Blah, blah, blabbity blah.

At first I chalked it up to a particularly rough phase in my menstrual cycle, but the inexplicable malaise stuck around long after the hormones should have settled.

Anyway, looking back now, April was not bad at all. I got to visit Toronto for the first time, and I also explored parts of my city that I rarely see. Not too shabby.

Money

Tier	Target (% of salary)	Invested (% of salary)
Tier A	30	–
Tier B	20	–
Tier C	10	3

Not a lot of movement here. Next!

Fitness

Exercise Days	6
Walk	4
Swim	1
Run	1

Not a lot of movement here either.

I don’t know whether the lack of exercise was the cause or the symptom of my low-ass mood in April (among other things, of course). Maybe both, depending on the day.

I signed up for three swim classes at a new pool, but I only showed up once. The pool didn’t have lanes, which I thought was fine because I assumed there would be a dedicated area for the class, but nope. I couldn’t even do a front crawl for more than 20 meters because there were shrieking kids everywhere. Definitely not worth it.

As for walking, the weather was still wishy-washy so I didn’t go outside a lot. I also only counted the walks that I did on purpose and not the ones that were tied to my daily obligations — like walking to the train station, for example — even if I exceeded my watch’s step goal that day.

In an attempt to end the month on a good note, I signed up for an evening barre class on April 30. Unfortunately I forgot how busy the city could get on a bright, sunny night, so I wasn’t able to find parking in time. I ended up going for a run instead, so that’s still a win.

Social

Remember my punk-rock friend MM? So there was one day in April when MM woke up with an intense craving for bread. Yes, bread. Yes, the carb-y kind.

That fine Saturday evening, she dragged our other friend M all the way to my doorstep. She brought European cheese and butter, while M showed up with syrup and balsamic glaze. I ordered scones and sourdough from a bakery that MM was oddly obsessed with, and together we taste-tested different combinations of cheese, butter, and spices. Random, eh?

On a different Saturday evening, another friend called me on the phone asking if I was free. 

“Yep, just about to be home — why?” I asked back. 

“You’re still down to go to Costco?” 

Ah, yes. This friend just broke up with her partner, so she no longer gets access to her ex’s Costco membership.

“Of course!” I told her. 

She showed up at my house a few minutes later, and off to Costco we went.

I wasn’t planning on buying anything, but hey — it’s Costco. My friend gladly helped me lug all my impulse purchases back into the house afterward, and we played Link City before she merrily went on her way back home.

Other than these random hang-outs, not much socializing happened in April. I think May will be a lot busier, especially now that the weather is getting warmer.

Hobbies

Get this: I didn’t finish a single book in April. I told ya. I was out of sorts. 

I still read books to pass the time; I just didn’t finish any of them. I also watched two movies, one of which was The Drama (2026, dir. Kristoffer Borgli). It was okay. My favorite part were the paintings in the couple’s apartment. 

I don’t consider travelling my hobby but I did travel to Toronto in April.

Also, as mentioned, I explored my city by visiting a neighborhood I’ve never visited before and by going to markets with niche stores.

Hmm, what else is worth mentioning?

Looking Ahead

Spring better be real this time, y’all.

My co-worker is right though: “All bets are off until May long.” All the sun and warmth we’ve been getting could still give way to snow and gloom before Victoria Day comes around.

The good thing is I can now feel the blah-ness of April starting to wear off. I’m back to working out regularly, and I even went to the climbing gym just a couple days ago. Hopefully the momentum keeps going, and my heart starts to feel more joy in the coming days.

Cheers, y’all. I wish us all good vibes in May.