The cumulonimbus clutter in my head finally cleared up in August. My body felt a lot lighter, my steps extra sprightlier. Life, for the most part, was gucci once again.
Money
This category has been relegated to the lowest division of my priorities. I’ll try – heavy emphasis on the word try – to make up for it next year.
| Tier | Target (% of salary) | Invested (% of salary) |
| Tier A | 30 | – |
| Tier B | 20 | – |
| Tier C | 10 | 5 |
Fitness
This one’s still in the top league. And because I have time today, I’ll share a few stories.
| Exercise Days | 24 |
| Swim | 8 |
| Walk | 6 |
| Lift | 6 |
| Run | 1 |
| Boxing | 1 |
| Climb | 1 |
| Bike | 1 |
I went biking with L one Friday after work. Our plan that evening was to follow the river path downtown and stop for dinner at a rustic bar right along the trail.
As we were approaching the bar, we passed a rather lively gathering. I’m talking food stalls, a stage, people chilling on picnic mats, people walking around with drinks and street food in hand, that sort of jig.
The moment we got to the bar, L and I looked at each other and were like, Did you notice that thing back there? Yes! With the crowd and the food and stuff? Yes! Do you wanna go check that out instead? Yes!
So we biked back to that area and we discovered two events happening that night. One was an Asian food festival with typical festival fare like skewered meats and burgers and sugary desserts; the other was a free summer event that featured a lineup of stand-up comedians.
It was one of my favorite bike rides ever, not only because of the events we chanced upon, but also because L chose a route that was tailored to my preferences: no public roads, minimal pedestrian traffic, sky-high trees, and a glassy river. Lovely!
Another time, L and I went bouldering with two of our friends. L brought his new video camera to the gym with him, and while messing around with the camera’s features, he discovered the “Slow Motion” mode.
L ended up filming us falling off the wall in slow-mo, making our quote failures unquote look way more dramatic (and cinematic lol) than they actually were in real time.
That bouldering session also happened on a Friday evening, so we had the rest of the night to kill. We all headed back to L’s and my place to chill and chat, then we went out again at around 10pm, just in time for happy hour at a casual bar. One-dollar oysters and $10 burgers were definitely a steal.
Looking back, I guess August was a month when I worked out with other people more often than usual. I went boxing with L and another group of friends, and I even made a few new friends at the swimming pool.
Note to self: invite people to do things more often. Also: say yes more often.
Social
August was another “social” month, but it was a lot more laidback compared to the hubbub of July. Case in point: my favorite hang-out of the month was a cozy backyard movie night hosted by MM and her partner.
We watched Shrek 2 under the stars while eating popcorn and drinking beer and sniffing the earthy scent of katol that warded off the bugs and mosquitoes. Disney+ and chill (outdoors version).
Hobbies
I read Mãn by Kim Thúy, translated from French to English by Sheila Fleischman. I loved the lyricism of the prose and how it reads like poetry, both in style and in length. A crucial conflict plagues the main character toward the end, but I haven’t figured out what to make of it yet. I might read the book again at another time to resolve my own uncertainty.
Also in August, I attended a flower arrangement class over lunch break at work. The class was hosted by our office building, and my coworker convinced me to join her. Random, but low-key fun.
Looking Ahead
Autumn officially begins in September, which means everyone with a thriving vegetable garden must now make something out of their harvest: tomatoes turn into salsa, cucumbers get pickled.
I didn’t grow veggies this year, but I do have family and friends who did – and lucky for me, I get to enjoy some of the fruits of their overflowing gardens.
So, in September, I am looking forward to eating more veggies grown by the people I love. Weeee!
Have a happy and fruitful September, everyone!
sure. wait. what? 
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