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French Hobbies Secrets

Life Updates | What’s the Point of Learning French + TikTok Talks + Meal Schedules

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1.

After learning French on and off for almost 3 years, ramdam ko na talaga yung improvement ko. Ramdam kong tumaas ng ilang levels yung confidence ko na magsalita in French (yung confidence level lang yung tumaas, not my actual speaking skills). But accompanying this sense of pride is doubt. Napatanong ako sa sarili ko, and a few moments later, kay ChatGPT:

Ano bang point ng pagaaral ko ng French kung hindi ko naman sya ginagamit in real life?

Wala akong French-speaking person na kilala, hindi ko sya kelangan sa trabaho, hindi naman ako magta-travel sa France anytime soon. Ginagawa ko lang ‘to for mere pleasure and fun. I’m learning this language for the sake of learning this language. What is the point??

ChatGPT says:

  • Fun is actually a great reason to learn. If you enjoy the challenge, that’s reason enough.
  • You’ll never know when it might come in handy—travel, meeting new people, unexpected career opportunities.
  • Even if you never need it, you’re training your brain, developing patience, and gaining a new way to see the world, which is cool on its own.
  • Not everything needs a practical purpose (this!)

And with that, I shall continue on.

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Family Insights Secrets

Thursday Letter #6 | Pain vs Suffering

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(a low energy) Hello,

Nung nakita ko yung suka ni Walnut na may pink and light yellow green material, tumingin ako dun sa bulaklak na bigay ni Kenneth nung Valentine’s Day at nakita kong may punit yung isang petal nung lily. Dun ko lang naisip i-search kung toxic ba ang lilies sa mga pusa.

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Money Diaries Secrets

What I Spend in a Week | Household “Essentials”

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First, my best buy and bye-bye of the week:

Best Buy

This $10.37 paper blinds. As in papel lang talaga sya, but it does the job. Wala pa kaming pambili nung blinds na gusto namin kaya ito muna pansamantagal. Natuwa ako dito kasi dumilim yung office ko somehow. Nakakairita kasing tumambay dito pag tanghali tapos sobrang liwanag. Mas nasa mood akong gawin yung mga gagawin ko pag madilim. Pansin ko na noon na mas ganado akong magsulat pag madaling araw at gabi. Mas relaxing lang. Kaya lagi akong niloloko ni Kenneth na vampire.

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Books Hobbies Journaling Secrets

Annotating Books

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I’m currently enjoying Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Hindi ko na ita-try i-explain kung tungkol san yung book at kung bakit sya maganda, kasi hindi ako magaling mag-pitch ng libro. Pero ang gusto kong topic ay kung pano ko sya ina-annotate.

Naaalala ko yung mga times na bawal na bawal sakin magkaron ng crease yung spine ng libro. Hindi rin sya pwedeng masulatan. Pag aksidenteng natupi yung cover o isa sa mga pages, parang katapusan na ng mundo. I’m sure sobrang daming nakaka-relate sa inyo. The book had to remain pristine and unchanged. The only change was one that remains invisible: that it’s been read.

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Life Secrets

Life Updates | Sarap Buhay + My Celebrity Crush + Back on TikTok

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1.

Sobrang nakakatipid kami sa food these past few weeks kasi ang dami naming free meal kits. It’s a food box subscription wherein pipili ka ng recipes for that week, tapos ipapadala nila sayo yung ingredients and the recipe cards. Since bago ang address namin, considered kami as ‘new customers’ at meron kaming free first box. Eh since may apat na meal kit services dito sa Canada (that I know of), may libre kaming apat na boxes! Hays I never want this to end. Sobrang laking tulong nya sa food gastos namin.

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Insights Secrets

Atheist Problems

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Life Secrets

Thursday Letter #5 | TikTok and Sunsets

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Hellooo. I’m out of sorts lately. Siguro dahil hindi ako naaarawan. O dahil magkakaron na ko. I talked about kung gano ako ka-inlove dito sa bagong bahay namin. Pero kung meron akong isang hindi gusto, yun ay yung position nya. Kasi hindi ako nakakakita ng sunset at sunrise, unlike sa lumang apartment namin na sagana akong makakita ng orange sky. Kaya siguro nung lumabas kami nung isang araw at nakakita ako ng sunset, muntik na kong maiyak sa tuwa.

🥹

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Money Diaries Secrets

How Much We Spent in 2024

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This was the year we purchased a home, and naturally, we spent a lot. I remember feeling proud seeing that significant amount of money in our bank account—only to have it gone in a matter of days because we had to put it straight into the deposit. Nevertheless, after living in this house for three weeks now, I do feel that it was worth it. Lahat ng mga nagsasabing, “Iba kapag may sarili na kayong bahay” or “It’s nice to have a place you can call your own”—ngayon ko lang sila naiintindihan. Iba nga. And I love and savor this feeling. Kakaiba yung comfort na binibigay nya. Sabi ko kay Kenneth nung minsan, “Sobrang proud ko sa bahay natin.”

Just like before, I’ll start with a snapshot of our average monthly spending for 2024, then show the numbers after. I already know na yung ‘food’ category ang makakakuha ng largest share of the pie (excluding savings and investments). Pakiramdam ko may something wrong na mas mataas pa yung nagagastos namin sa pagkain kesa sa rent at bills. Parang kelangan talagang may magbago. Hays. Ang hirap kasi talagang labanan ng impulse. Tapos samahan mo pa ng katamaran? Wala na. Limot na ang pagtitipid.

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Hobbies Journaling Secrets

My 2024 Planner Review

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2023, 2024, 2025

I started using Hobonichi as my planner in 2023. There are different Hobonichi planner variations, but I like the flexibility of the ‘day-free’ because 90% are just blank pages. I have the freedom to do whatever layout I want and skip some weeks, but it’s not too unstructured given that it still has the calendar and yearly pages. It worked well enough for me last year, which is why I’m using it again this year.

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Life Secrets

Life Updates | Diaz Mansion + Pause Button + Joy to the World

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1.

We’re finally out of the Airbnb and settling into our new home. Kahit medyo matindi pa yung amoy ng pintura the first few days at wala kaming kagamit-gamit, being here brought us comfort. It immediately felt like home 😌 Dati hindi ko pa ina-acknowledge yung notion of buying a house. After reading some articles about renting vs buying, sabi ko kay Kenneth noon mag-rent na lang kami forever. Mas nakikita ko yung bahay as a liability, rather than an investment. Pero nung na-sense ko kay Kenneth na gusto nya talaga, I welcomed the idea. At ngayong tumitira na kami dito, I’m thankful for Kenneth’s insistence. Sobrang excited namin about anything house related. Every new thing na nadadagdag sa bahay, big or small, nakakakilig.

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