watching the preakness, 5.17.25

the preakness was a phenomenal race. journalism was the favorite and the whole time i’m thinking he’s not even going to place. the horses turned the final corner and he got sandwiched in between two horses but somehow made it out and ended up winning! that was exhilarating. what’s crazy is he placed 2nd in the kentucky, so we were a few seconds from staring a possible triple crown winner down this year. i walked downstairs afterwards and told my mom that horse racing might be my new favorite sport. well, nothing can top football, but horse racing is up there.

next month it’s the belmont so let’s see if he can win 2 of 3.

-ratha, 8:34pm, 5.17.25

productive weekends, 5.16.25

i cleared this weekend’s schedule because i need to get a lot of things done. i have to finalize the tracklist for staying over, leaving early. i have to finish up the next single for it, mohegan sunrises, then send it off. i have to send off the plush designs for the promotion and spotify canvas as well. the sequoia needs an oil change, so i’ll do that tomorrow. then i have to work on new ways to present my rdl365 writings. i also have to revisit some poetry i’ve written for social media and get started on mapping out my next book that i hope to be published in february of 2026.

these weekends are a break from my 9-5 but they’re an opportunity for working my way out of one.

i’m writing this in good spirits and with a sense of hope for my creative endeavors.

-ratha, 4:26pm, 5.16.25

a day early, 5.15.25

before my 10am meeting, i went to smartlabs for a drink and my badge didn’t scan. they took the access away a day early which ironically was the lunch day, smh.

what a good run it was, you’ll be missed.

shame it had to come to an end.

-ratha, 4:34pm, 5.15.24

access denied, 5.14.25

i think it’s due to budget cut reasons, though i’m not sure, but they took away my smartlabs access today. smartlabs was one of the only things (perhaps the only thing) i enjoyed about this job. just when i think this place couldn’t get any worse, the bar falls below hell. i need to find a way out because until then, this is what i’ll have to deal with.

i don’t know when that is but one thing is for sure, when i’m out this rat race, i will not be looking back.

-ratha, 11:58am, 5.14.25

talking with ming, 5.13.25

my uncle, grandma, and auntie are in town. i love it when we have family over because we always have a full house. everyone is cooking, eating, laughing, it’s a good time. i ended up going to the gym but when i got back, only my auntie was around. she was in the kitchen putting a few things away. i asked where everyone was at and she said they all went to the casino, but she stayed back. we ended up sitting in the living room talking about life. she mentioned a few times how time flies, and it really does. i know i write about it a lot, but i haven’t heard someone older than me say it to me in a long time. it resonated with me even more when she said it because we were talking about memories with ta and all the family vacations we used to take. the same memories i have as a kid, she has from her 20’s and 30’s. isn’t that crazy to think about?

i don’t know, maybe it’s just me but this life truly is passing us by at a speed unjust to our memories.

-ratha, 10:54pm, 5.13.25

papa gino mirages, 5.12.25

they shut down papa ginos in north reading a year or two ago. i was craving their chicken strips so i went to the closest one in tewksbury. as i’m driving there, i pass another dandilyons. i was unaware they had multiple locations, but as tempted as i was to stop by for some milky way, i passed because i knew that would spoil my appetite. when i pulled into the parking lot, i thought it was closed. not closed for the day but permanently shut down. i looked inside and it seemed nobody was there. everything was still, almost as if it was abandoned. i looked the location up on google and maps. they said it was open. i looked closer and i saw someone move so i walked in. when i walked in, the counter to order food was tucked to the right behind the tables, which was where everybody was at. i ordered the chicken fingers basket along with a slice of cheese pizza. it was a great meal and i had missed ken’s honey mustard as it reminded me of middle school and cookout. what was even better was after i rushed home, the carolina hurricanes got playoff win over the capitals, but because i rushed home, i didn’t stop by dandilyons for some milkyway smh.
i guess in life you gotta take the wins with the losses.

or so they say.

-ratha, 10:44pm, 5.12.25

strawberry recommendations, 5.11.25

there are strawberries they sell at costco which are even better than driscolls. i threw the packaging away, but i’ll have to go and get some more because they’re some of the best i’ve ever had. it makes me think that if they’re this good, i wonder how good the fruit in japan is. apparently, they sell premium fresh fruit, which can cost up to a few hundred dollars depending on the fruit. until i get to japan, i’ll have to settle for costco.

-ratha, 3:17pm, 5.11.25

maxing out, 5.10.25

reminder to myself to get hbo max as i think i have some bandwidth to finally watch the wire and the sopranos.

-ratha, 3:24pm, 5.10.25

delaying gratification, 5.9.25

we don’t delay gratification enough, and that’s a prominent issue in my life. when everything is readily available, very rarely are we ever fulfilled. for example, my habit of eating out has watered down not only my health, but my enjoyment of doing so. growing up, eating out used to be reserved for special occasions. those occasions would make the food taste like gold. not literally, but you get the point. like anything in life, there are both pros and cons. delaying gratification for me is more about gratitude than it is enjoyment, though both are welcomed guests during the process. today, it was a long day at work (plus it was friday) so i thought about skipping my workout to go home and eat galbi. instead, i forced myself to hit the gym after work. the first 30 minutes were difficult, but the final 40 minutes weren’t so bad. when i got home, i cut open two avocados and warmed up a plate of galbi. it was one of the best meals i’ve had in weeks, honestly. it feels good and i feel like i’m gaining more than i’m losing by delaying gratification.

the goal is to turn this personal challenge into a habit, so let’s revisit this by the end of the year.

-ratha, 8:01pm, 5.9.25

pope leo, 5.8.25

in historical news today, a new pope has been elected. his real name is robert prevost, but he will go by pope leo. he’s the first american-born pope in history. he’s from chicago. i think that’s pretty neat. they say there are 1.4 billion catholics in the world and what an amazing time (both good and bad) it is for them at the moment. i pray for all of them and hope they’re doing okay as it’s only been a few weeks since pope francis made his transition.

-ratha, 7:44pm, 5.8.25