Genius (read "dumbass") me did something amazing(ly stupid) today. i went to get groceries this afternoon, and that included some frozen stuff. upon reaching home, i dutifully put them in the freezer, but didn't realize that the freezer door didn't close properly. took me about 4 hours to discover it! thankfully, most of the stuff is vacuum-packed, which should mitigate the damage somewhat. the only things i'm worried about are the 2 packs of frozen oysters. i polished 1 off earlier, and it seemed ok. next one soon, i guess.

it's been a...sub-optimal past few days, with 2 bright spots. first was dinner with my chemistry friend on sunday. he updated me about some significant changes in his life, and i hope they work out for him. we ate at carnivore, as planned, and the food was good. i especially liked this beef stew thing they had, as well as the picanha (rump cap) steak which was served by the roving meat people. i'm proud to say that i didn't overeat! although i kind of wish i had the stomach capacity i did in my 20s. we then had more conversation over drinks, and i updated him on the whole relationship thing too. drinking tea (chagee) at 9+ at night was definitely not the right move though...i didn't sleep until about 3am.

that led to me feeling tired on monday, which was when bright spot #2 came in. had lunch and a drink with gym guy, and we agreed to go for a massage later that night. he brought me to his regular place at fu lu shou complex (my first time in there despite passing by more times than i can count). the therapist was not bad, although i don't have very many points of reference! i also opted to add on cupping therapy, and my back now has several red and purple circles. i find it quite interesting, that different areas will turn different colours. it's supposed to be linked to what's wrong with your body, but i don't have much knowledge in that regard. kind of want to do it more often.

other news: ministerial salary increment. i have strong opinions on that. but so as not to bore you, i'll just say that i don't think their shameless money grab is justified. their increment alone is more than what some people make in 10 years. the mental gymnastics they go through to reconcile "we need high pay to attract top talent" and "serving as a politician shouldn't be about the money". i wish i had the power to change something, but with the amount of power/ability i have now, the best i could possible do is change my country of residence. well...i'm just hoping that (best case) change to a different party in power happens while i'm still alive, or (2) the current ruling party only runs singapore down into the ground after i'm dead.

i've reached a kind of equilibrium as far as interpersonal relations go. recently, i saw one guy in his 20s(?) who resorted to making adult content when he was financially strapped during COVID. today, he seems to be doing well - having a watch collection, apparently making 6 or 7 figures, seeing clients (of what variety, i don't know). strangely, i don't feel envious. i guess it's because i don't have the looks/body or the courage to do what he did. can't blame people for using their natural gifts, right? like i'm using my scientific brain for work. i might have taken a different path if i looked like him. fun to imagine alternative lives!

-random thought of the day: Scratchy throat and sinuses from the haze!-