winter 25’ update, 2.17.25

it’s extremely cold these days. the ice froze overnight on the sequoia so i drove the lexus into the office. usually in the morning i can scrape it off, but it was too solid to do so. then when i got off and walked bagel, it had to be single degrees with the windchill. even layered up it was freezing. i might not enjoy in the moment, but i’m finding things to be grateful for and one thing i’ve come to appreciate is a lot of the snow in the yard and the neighbor’s yard has frozen over in this wavy texture. it looks like a unique quilt or even a blanket. it had me thinking of how fun it would be to make textured snow or ice sculptures. anyways, i’m trying to embrace what comes to me these days.

even if it is the weather.

-ratha, 7:11pm, 2.17.25

fast food cheats, 2.16.25

one of my new years resolutions was to slow down on fast food. i’ve done a pretty good job thus far (i think) but i was craving a double cheesy from burger king tonight. i hadn’t eaten all day so i stopped by the bk in wilmington. i ate in the restaurant with a double cheese, fries, and an 8-piece nugget. i miss eating inside fast-food restaurants. it brings me back to being a kid with my parents and siblings enjoying a night out. those were special times. it kind of sucks that everything happens once in this life, but perhaps it’s a cycle we don’t understand. regardless, dining in brings me as close to those moments as i can be. once i finished my meal, i went to playa bowl and got a smoothie. the smoothie was actually really good so i’ll have to come back and try one of their bowls.

i almost want to come back to burger king again tomorrow, but i have to stick to the new years script.

-ratha, 8:17pm, 2.16.25

parts of the process, 2.15.25

it seems everything i’ve been recording since december has been ass lmao. i don’t know what it is, but it’s driving me insane. i gotta lock-in on the recording levels because i know they’re off, so that’s a start, but everything else is a mystery to me. i don’t know if it’s winter and it’s because my sinuses are acting up, though they act up year-round, but it’s frustrating. i keep telling myself not to give up despite the discouragement, but still it’s not a good place to be creatively. i have to remind myself that this is the toughest part of the journey. once i begin gaining traction, i’ll have audio engineers with me figuring it out, plus i’ll be more experienced in recording. those days can’t get here quick enough, though i shouldn’t be wishing away my journey.

we’ll get things right soon enough.

-ratha, 11:03pm, 2.15.25

$$$4u, 2.14.25

i just got out the shower after the studio and i’m listening to drake and party’s new album. it’s too good. tell them other guys and everybody who switched up to stay over there because we are good on this side. one guy is backed by the industry moving off of hate and jealousy, the other consistently proves how much he loves music. it’s so awesome when your favorite artist puts out a lot of music. i can’t wait to be in a position to do that for the world. so far, i like gimme a hug, raining in houston, and crying in chanel.

i look forward to finding more favorites the more i listen.

-ratha, 1:45am, 2.14.25

on genius, 2.13.25

they say when you have kids, you have to wear many hats. though i don’t have any children, with bagel i’ve learned this up front. i’m his chiropractor, his chef, his masseuse, and even his doctor for homemade remedies. when you’re an artist, it’s the same. you have to be your own advocate for damn near everything. i was lucky enough to google my name one day and see a knowledge panel from google. that means that people are searching for my name to an extent that triggered google to give me one, if i am understanding things correctly. in order to give myself more seo in terms of traffic, i got my lyrics on genius tonight. i’ll have to do the same for musicxmatch and the dsps i also have to take new photos for my spotify and apple music as well as make a press kit. there are a few more things i need to do, but one step at a time.

but being on genius is pretty neat in the meantime.

-ratha, 11:43pm, 2.13.25

new crocs, 2.12.25

they have some new crocs based off the echo platform. i think the echo platform is the most comfy of all the crocs platforms and they came out with a new mule-like model. i gotta order a pair after i get a discount code, because those would be nice to go to the yym and run errands in.

-ratha, 7:55pm, 2.12.25

interviews, 2.11.25

i had an interview for a higher position at work today. all weekend i was anxious, even today, until i sat down and they began asking questions. for whatever reason, the nerves went out the window. i had prepared a 30 minute scientific presentation, but it ended up being an hour long. i think that’s a good thing. there were a few questions i fumbled on, but i tried my best so i can live with that. going through the interview process feels like i’m giving up on my dreams slightly. this 9-5 slowly wears down on your creative aspirations over time like a river does stone and i’m in deep waters swimming upstream.

i hope i don’t drown.

-ratha, 8:11pm, 2.11.25

views from my room, 2.10.25

the views outside my window are beautiful some nights. i take it for granted many times because the blinds are always down, but tonight it feels like a movie. polar express comes to mind for some reason. i caught myself staring at all the scenery under the moonlight. it feels like a page out of a children’s book, like a painting of some sort.

it’s as calming as it is inspiring.

-ratha, 10:22pm, 2.10.25

shoveling sundays, 2.9.25

even though we have people that plow our driveway, we still have to shovel whatever snows afterwards. the snow from last night was nice and light, but as it begins to melt, it gets heavier and heavier. i shoveled the deck and the driveway with my dad. it wasn’t much snow but still took a while due to the weight. then when i let bagel out, it was too tall for him to use the bathroom so i shoveled a section of the backyard. more than the heavy snow, the snow from last week was frozen beneath so it was even more difficult to shovel lol. whatever the case, it was for bagel so it was worth it.

the ironic part?

when i let him out after i shoveled the backyard for him, he ran past the clear section and used the bathroom by the trees in the back smh.

-ratha, 5:24pm, 2.9.25

ayce hibachi, 2.8.25

i took a break from working on my interview presentation to get some food tonight. i hadn’t eaten all day, so i pulled up to an all you can eat sushi/hibachi joint. the restaurant was tucked away in the back of a small strip mall on the second floor. the food was actually incredible, especially the hibachi. i had teriyaki chicken, a scorpion roll, and a snow mountain roll. for round two, i had hibachi chicken and french fries. the hibachi was delicious, especially with the yum yum sauce. as i was leaving, i was thinking when i could come back.

that’s how you know it was good lol.

-ratha, 8:22pm, 2.8.25