8:57, 4.17.25

lent is officially over today. i ran my last mile in 8:57, which was my best time for this year’s lent. i celebrated with two packs of jelly beans then went to eat at sweetgreen. i was talking to chan and he told me to keep running. maybe not every day, but maybe twice a week. that’s the same thing t said and she always gives great advice so i think i will run a mile twice a week. sundays and wednesdays sound like good days to me, although when it’s actually happening i can tell you they won’t sound as pleasant.

happy holy thursday to all who celebrate and a congratulations to those who were disciplined enough to get through lent.

-ratha, 10:01pm, 4.17.25

a regular 2025 wednesday, 4.16.25

the commute to work was long today as was work itself. the bright spot is during lunch, schuni brough jennifer and i to a haitian spot in malden. i think he said his mom knows the owner if i remembered correctly. as i was ordering the spareribs, the waitress asked me if i wanted mild or spicy. i told her mild because i don’t eat spicy. she looked at me and said how are you a man when you can’t tolerate hot food lmaooooo. that made me laugh because i’ve been trying to get into spicy, but i’m just not there yet. when the ribs came out, they were amazing. not only that, but the salad was also great, too. it was a fantastic spot and i’ll have to come back with my brother again. tonight, when i got home, i told bagel i was about lay down for 5 minutes. 5 minutes turned into 2 hours. by the time i got up, it was 7:45pm. i took him on a walk, then fed him. afterwards, i ran my mile. i was super hungry and was thinking of sweet greens but i remembered having a conversation with someone who worked there and she said they changed store hours to close at 9pm instead of 10pm. i went to target to pick up some candles, floss, cheetos, and a can of chunky’s. i came home and finished the dark knight while eating. tremendous movie. it might be my favorite movie along with the godfather, but we’ll see if that’s recency bias.

i’m about to shower and call it a night because i have to work a bit earlier tomorrow, so i will see you guys then.

-ratha, 11:35pm, 4.16.25

split skies, 4.15.25

when i got home, mom was cleaning out the garage as i think we’re going to put another mini freezer by the fridge out there. they said it was supposed to rain today so i was surprised it was sunny. i took bagel on a walk and on our second round, the clouds began moving in. it was a fascinating sight to see. half of the sky was auspicious, the other was ominous. as we made our way back home, it began raining. it surprises me when it begins to rain sometimes because it’ll come on so quick. one minute everything is worry-free and sunny, the next you have to weather the storm. i guess that’s life.

oh and before i forget happy khmer new years for anyone who celebrates.

eat a beef skewer or two for me.

-ratha, 8:09pm, 4.15.25

the dark knight, 4.14.25

the dark knight is one of the most complete movies ever (thus far). the shots are cinematic, the actors fit their roles perfectly, but most importantly, the writing is simply top tier. it takes me me a couple days to a week to finish a movie, so this maybe a premature judgement on the film, but i can’t help but to think i’ll rate it even higher when i do finish it. the scene where bruce goes to the apartment during the funeral service and finds soldiers stripped of their uniforms, tied and duck taped to a column, then the camera flashes to the joker dressed as a soldier as he pulls his gun is one of the greatest scenes i’ve seen in a feature film. it’s everything put together, but the writing is perfection. i’m looking forward to finishing it.

though when a movie is this good, you kind of hope it never ends.

-ratha, 9:01pm, 4.14.25

sunday combos, 4.13.25

the sweetgreens then richardson’s combo is becoming one of my favorites. the drive from lynnfield to middleton is not too bad as it’s enough time to get into a podcast or listen to beats. i got the milkway (as always) and sat in my car to eat. i was watching netflix and then halfway through a cop pulls up in front of me and leaves his headlights on. i was blinded, so i stopped watching and put on a dateline podcast episode. maybe it was for the better because when i picked up my phone, it was heating up pretty good. i finished my cup then headed home.

it was a bit rainy with some windchill today, but at least the sun is out longer than it was a month ago.

-ratha, 6:11pm, 4.13.25

cyber security, 4.12.25

i literally am at odds with social media. my reddit account got hacked, then banned a few weeks ago. i had to log on to change my password to get my account back. today, as i’m on tiktok, the same thing happens. i had to log on and change my password because my account was at risk. i don’t use public wifi, nor do i save my passwords to my phone or my computer. i definitely feel like i’m being targeted, smh.

-ratha, 10:24am, 4.12.25

steak tips, 4.11.25

after taking a nap, i woke up super hungry. i was craving a hot dog so i googled places. i came across a place in lynn called the lazy dog. i read through the reviews and several mentioned their steak tips. when i looked at the street view, i was nervous because there wasn’t any parking. still, i decided to pull up. turns out, there was a parking lot in the back. i walked up to what i thought was the front and they had a sign saying the front was in the back so i walked in the back that was the front, and it definitely was the back of the restaurant lol. i got sat and browsed the menu. i ordered the steak tips with fries, baked beans, along with a hot dog. all i can say is the reviews weren’t lying about the steak tips. they were the best i’ve had by far. the baked beans were great, and the fries were super fresh. what was even better was the ambiance. it felt like i was in the 80’s or 90’s. i love places that transport you back in time. at one point, the interior aesthetic was new, then it became old, then it transformed into nostalgia. that’s the life cycle of a lot of material things in life, actually. places like the lazy dog make life feel cinematic, not to mention the food was incredible.

as i was leaving, a guy asked if i wanted to play musical trivia. i had to decline because i was packing up to go home, but i’ll definitely have to be come back.

-ratha, 11:37pm, 4.11.25

7 more days, 4.10.25

7 more days of lent. these mile a days are getting a little tiresome. it’s starting to wear on me but that’s because i don’t feel i have enough time to stretch how i want to. usually, i run the mile after work, then after lifting, then after a mile walk with bagel. i’m usually on an empty stomach as well, so i’m sure that isn’t helping. still, i feel good persevering. i was talking to t and she told me i should continue running a mile twice a week. i think that’s a good idea. especially since i’ve been running a mile a day, twice a week sounds like a walk in the park.

plus it’ll give me time to properly stretch so we’ll be headed for some pr’s.

-ratha, 7:11pm, 4.10.25

within inches, 4.9.25

i did it again (unintentionally). i was parking at work and had to back up into a cramped spot because there weren’t any by the columns. when i got out, i knew i was close to the car behind me, but didn’t realize exactly how close until i checked. it wasn’t as close as it was a week ago at danver’s, but it was still pretty damn close. no back up camera, no problem (again).

i need to stop doing this because just looking at the picture is giving me so much anxiety.

-ratha, 9:23am, 4.9.25

jury duty, 4.8.25

i had jury duty in framingham this morning. it makes no sense because everybody in my household has woburn and framingham is dumb far away, especially in the morning. i needed to be there at 8:30am. i left my house at 7:08am and didn’t get there until 8:28am. i was nervous i was going to be late and couldn’t find a parking spot like last time, but it all worked out. in terms of jury duty, i was torn in between if i wanted to be selected or not. people say it’s a bore, but if i had a compelling case, i wouldn’t have minded. i went through security and sat in a room with about 15-20 other jurors. we were told the framingham courthouse does things differently as there is only one court there. in other places like woburn, they have multiple rooms with multiple cases going on all day. we were shown a video and roll was called. we waited another 40 or so minutes before the judge himself came in. he said there was good news and bad news, depending on what we were looking forward to. they had 4 cases that day. two got rescheduled, one had a witness who didn’t show up, and the last took a plea deal. he said the last case he thought was going to trial for indecent liberties and assault, but last second they took the plea. the decision was made for all of us jurors and we were sent home having done our civic duty. i sat in the car and wrote a little before heading to natick mall to walk around and grab lunch at cheesecake.

i’m good for the next 3 years, but the hope is i won’t be living in massachusetts by then.

-ratha, 2:48pm, 4.8.25