Have I ever mentioned that growing up, my hero was Mr Bean? I was obsessed with him.
I wanted to live in the same hideous apartment, and own the same stupid yellow Mini when I became an adult 😂

When he launched his book, Mr Bean's Diary, I made sure to buy it with whatever savings I had. I even copied his handwriting at some point.

I found the diary again recently, after a trip back to my childhood home. I'm reading one entry per day. It makes me laugh and puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day! 😆

Speaking of humour, Dad forwarded this clickbaity-titled article "Doctor's orders: Eat ice cream, and other tips for a long and healthy life". But its core message is to build social relationships and do more of what makes you happy (in moderation, of course).

I replied telling them to watch lots of funny movies, too. It'll help them both heal faster, laughter being the best medicine and all that. (Got zero response btw, but that's nothing new). I read about it in The Secret's "The Secret to Health" chapter. I'm reminded that I, too, should start consuming more funny things. (Killing Eve is very funny, btw)

In a PANTS podcast (also very funny), Kate talked about how we all love our parents, but somehow we grow up not being able to live with them anymore. Every time her mother visits, for example, she breaks something and it's always Kate's fault. I'm like "OMFG gurrrrl, SAME!" My Mum once switched off the mains to two chest freezers I had at home. They were used to store goods for the bakery business I had. Everything melted and went bad. She has never apologised nor admitted it was her doing.

I've always been very conflicted about my relationship with my folks.
Then one day I came across GT's growth plan. What struck me was "Make peace with mum". And I was like, wow, we are all the same, you know? I think about this every few weeks.

Which brings me back to this tweet about how we should keep writing, because we never know who might read it.
I never told GT how much his post helped me feel less alone about mother-son relationships.
So if you're reading this Gosha - thank you my man. 🙏

On parenting parents, my bestie MA's parents had a short stint at a hospice when she and her siblings were all working abroad. She's moved them back home now, and quit her job to take care of them full-time.

I was my parents' sole caregiver for two months last year. My folks were hinting for me to stay on longer. It sounds selfish (and "unfilial" in Asian context), but I can't be like MA. If you've already lived a fabulous life, maybe you'll think it's okay to slow down in your mid-40s and take care of things at home. The thing is I never really got to live. I was trapped in a situation I didn't ask for for decades, which I only broke out of recently. So now it's time for me to finally live. Really live.

I'm not sure why I'm talking about any of this at all. Perhaps it's a way for me to learn about me, after having suppressed my Self™ for so long. It's easier to write when there's no pressure on whether it's going to get any engagement, or to reply to replies. On that note, though, the comments system I talked about last October* is on its way; so very soon you can tell me to keep going or STFU. 

*Note to self: Build a search system so I (and maybe you, too) can find old posts more easily.

And maybe build a tagging/taxonomy system? 
But nah, my mind and posts are all over the place so it'll be of no use.

I'm happy with today's work output. I've got a big client project to finish, so naturally Maker School and side projects are deprioritised -- but not neglected. They get smaller time boxes. Doing a short 30 minutes of a MS tutorial here, and 1 hour of a side project there lets me feel I'm making progress. Progress is important for daily wellbeing. 

Regarding Maker School - I decided I need to finish all the Make.com and n8n tutorials before starting on the daily activities. It would make me feel more secure when pitching my services. I know I don't need to know everything, but I need to know enough. You know that recurring nightmare where you show up for a Maths exam but you have no clue what's going on because you mysteriously missed half a year of classes? You never had that dream? Lucky you. But yeah, I haven't had one in awhile, and I don't want it to come back.