Week 14: High, Low, Buffalo
3/29/2026 - 4/4/2026
High
- Last Sunday was the kickoff event for Manila Sound and Benny Boy Brewery – my first time all around. It's a Filipino collective of artists and vendors that come together for a Sunday fun day, filled with music, food, and overall good vibes. It felt like being at the cookout with all my Pinoy people. Although half of the group I tried to assemble ended up flaking last-minute (a very real phenomenon in LA, unfortunately), the company I was with ended up being such a good time. We danced, we sang, we watched the Knicks lose, and we rounded off the night at Dollar Hits – a popular Filipino spot where you get to order skewered foods and cook it to your liking on open charcoal grills in a parking lot. Love my kultura.
- My husband was able to snag tickets to the Wednesday Ye show at Sofi Stadium, and at first I thought it was some sick April Fool's joke. The last time I saw him perform live was at his Saint Pablo Tour at Madison Square Garden, 10 years ago. Although driving down to Inglewood took nearly 2 hours, the show was worth the effort. Sofi Stadium and the entertainment district of Inglewood (it's right down the block from the Forum) is a crazy sight to behold – the venue is massive. I know people have their reservations about Ye, and I'm not going to pretend like he hasn't said and done damaging, problematic things during his unmedicated years. But his music, life, and career have such a sentimental and lasting impact on my own, that being a fan despite it all is one of the hills I'm willing to die on. Argue with your mama.
- Friday night was a cute date night, which also happened to be our 4 year proposal anniversary. We enjoyed a glass of wine at a nearby wine bar while waiting for our table at Uovo – he had the arrabiatta, while I sunk my teeth into the classic bolognese. We ended the night with scoops of Van Leeuween ice cream, bellies full and hearts filled to the brim. Every day feels like magic when you get to do it together with your best friend.
Low
- Donald Trump and his entire administration are still in positions of power to commit unchecked war crimes. The algorithmic feed still has a strong grip on a lot of my peers. Everything is behind a paywall. The fact that this is the "normal" pace of life these days. Heavy sigh
Buffalo
- For context, we have some friends here in the city who are also New York natives. Coming from a highly-commutable city to a car-obsessed culture like LA, factored in with the increasing cost of living (gas prices? heLLO?), we understand the necessary compromises of being a one car household. D & J have 2 daughters – their eldest just started high school, and the other coming up on her first birthday in a couple of months. D works overnight shifts, which leaves J with a lot of morning mommy duties, including getting herself to work. D reached out to us to see how we can help alleviate her mornings by dropping off M to the bus stop – what would be a 25-30 minute walk is a 5 minute (honestly, less) car ride. So I help out by driving M twice during the weekdays – I feel good knowing I get to contribute to her safety, and that I get to help out a working mom. When I agreed to this arrangement the only thing I asked was for open communication, which has been just okay on their end. There were a few slip ups, things that weren't communicated ahead of time, but I try to give people grace – I'm not a parent, so I understand things can fall through the cracks. It turns out that last week was M's spring break, and I didn't find out until after I'd sent my routine morning text: "Good morning, heading out in 5". I get a response from D saying "She's on spring break this week, we're out of town, sorry I didn't tell you sooner". Usually I let things like this roll off my back, but this pissed me off because the week prior, I saw D when I dropped off his spare key (he locked himself out of his apartment). Even moreso, there was a whole ass weekend between the key drop off and me reaching out that morning where you could've given me the heads up that I'm off duty for the upcoming week. It made me feel a number of things, and my husband suggested I just stop doing them the favor – but as satisfying as that can be, it doesn't address the root issue: D's poor communication. Common courtesy. Decency?!?! So I had to reach out and gather him, respectfully. Because if I don't call out the behavior, nothing changes. Going forward, I set clear boundaries where if I don't hear an update for the following week's bus drop off schedule, I'm going to assume that I'm not needed. And that's on teaching people how you want to be treated.