Originally posted in Substack, February 17, 2026
I’m writing this using the Substack app on my grayscale phone at 11:54 P.M., Manila Time. How weirdly normal it is to include that timezone…occupational hazard. Is the grayscale phone becoming weirdly normal, too? I have mine set to “Less Phone” mode.
Staggering fireworks are resounding at this time because of the upcoming Chinese New Year.
My sister and I did some cleaning at our house. She cleaned my fan, so it’s giving me cool air now that summer is coming. I’m loving the smell of my freshly changed bedsheet and pillow cases.
You see, I’m sharing with you some random stuff as I notice it. It’s good to notice things. For a daydreamer like me, my mind tends to float around. Doom scrolling never helped. So, I’m trying to incorporate little habits to ground me in the present.
Move a little. Put away my phone. Look up at the sky. Visit my mini garden and brush the leaves with my hand. Breathe deeply. Annoy my sister. Just little things to break my routine.
I’ve read somewhere that time passes by fast when we do the same thing over and over again -- so much so that our mind can’t find any new memory to pin, and our day becomes a blur. Now that is scary. I wouldn’t want that.
Actually, I was supposed to tell you what I’ve been writing here. But anyway… The fireworks have stopped. Going to sleep now. Goodnight! 😴