Today, we’re officially halfway through 2026.
Personally, looking back at the first half of my year, it was different compared to almost the whole of 2025.
January
The year started pretty well with our family’s Media Noche and warm messages from loved ones. A few days later, everyone went back to work.
I made my daily rituals simpler, and if I couldn’t do them on time, no pressure. Rituals are supposed to ground me, not pressure me.
Started reading Pachinko (a historical novel by Min Jin Lee). A good friend recommended it to me, and I’m glad I found a copy after searching in a few bookstores.
Tried other affogatos in the metro. Satchmi’s affogato is still my favorite, but it’s fun trying new stuff. Also, I really love affogato, okay?
Finally unboxed and assembled my Blokees Deadpool figure. It was tricky at first, but assembling it for a few hours was worth it when I fun posing the finished figure!
Oh, by the way, I surprisingly met Karlo (a fellow Foo Fighters fan who also runs Foo Fighters PH with me) in person at a Starbucks Reserve. I also saw a Jet, a college mate I haven’t seen in years. Seeing both of them in the same month made me smile.
Salady, a salad chain from South Korea, opened its first branch in the Philippines. I tried their Mexican wrap, and while I thought their serving were fine, it tasted good!
February
Joined my dad to check on a project in Laguna twice. It’s amihan season, so when we checked the site, the wind was colder than usual. I wished this weather would last forever.
Went to a high school reunion to meet two of my good friends from that era, Marco and Bosing. I only stayed for a few hours, but it was great seeing them and other familiar faces in a place where my appreciation for literature, visual arts, and design started.
What happened on Valentine’s Day?
I gave someone a gift. That’s all I have to say about that.
My favorite band, Foo Fighters, announced the release date of their newest album, Your Favorite Toy (which was in April). They also dropped a song of the same title, and it was a total banger! The loud Foos are back, baybeh!
March
I’ve been coughing a lot this month. That sucked.
Had my first legit hangout of the year with my friends, Clang and her husband Jobet, at Satchmi! I’m really an introvert, but I love talking to my good friends for hours.
I also remember staying at Satchmi almost the entire day. That was the first time I did that, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last.
My younger bros and cousins were surprised that I rode my first Angkas ride (at midnight)! Honestly, I only did that because it was cheaper, but when I rode that very motorcycle, I understood why riders love what they do (notably, the thrill and the air I felt during the ride).
Now if only I knew how to ride a bike…
For me, there are two important dates this month:
- March 24 – the birthday of my favorite professional wrestler, The Undertaker.
- March 25 – the anniversary of the death of Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters’ longest-running drummer.
I celebrated the first, and I commemorated the second. I honestly cannot miss both.
April
Went to my first Visita Iglesia with my mom and younger brother, Jay! Even if it was hot outside, visiting and praying at the churches was comforting for all of us. I hope we can do this again next year in Manila!
Had my first halo-halo and hobing fixes this month because it was so freakin’ hot outside! I remembered being pissed that day, so I had to cool off with both desserts from the Philippines and Korea.
Celebrated the first birthday in our family calendar: Kuya Mark’s! We had an amazing buffet dinner at a hotel in BGC, and I felt really bloated after that.
Happiest birthday, kuya! I’m really glad you’re my kuya.
My mood was really low in the last several days of April, and one of the things that made me power through that was the new Foo Fighters album, Your Favorite Toy. I know that my favorite band never delivers a bad song, but I was really surprised that two of their newest songs, “Asking for a Friend” and “Child Actor”, shook up my top 20.
Nice one, Foos! Thank you for the rockin’ new album!
May
Celebrated Lolo Roel’s birthday near his gravesite with his family and my parents. I couldn’t thank Lolo Roel and his family enough for taking care of me when I was young. I wish I could’ve seen him one more time before he passed.
Happiest birthday in heaven, Lolo.
Went bowling and on a sudden trip to cool Tagaytay with my younger bros and cousins! My body was sore after all that, but it was worth it because I spent time with loved ones and we had a lovely bulalo and drinks at Starbucks Reserve Hiraya (probably the most amazing-looking Starbucks in the Philippines).
Also, it was my first time bowling that night, and most of my bowls were strikes! My brothers and cousins couldn’t believe it, and neither could I! Maybe I should have proper bowling lessons or something.
My favorite show, Person of Interest, is now on Netflix Philippines! That’s 10 years of waiting after the show ended, and now I can rewatch it for the nth time… this time on my phone and smart TV!
Since the show’s debut on Netflix, I recommended it to others, including a cousin and a tita who were curious about it. I also learned that another tita and tito have already seen the show, and the fanboy in me was happy!
My family and I had a lovely post-Mother’s Day meal at Mamou Prime in The Podium. That was our second time dining there, and their steaks were amazing like the first time! Looks like we found our favorite steakhouse.
Happiest Mother’s Day to our beautiful and amazing mom! We love you very much, and you deserve all the joys in life.
The last several days of May sucked, and it ended like that.
June
People have noticed that I’ve been feeling down, so they have been sending me warm messages and feeding me good food—sashimi, burgers, tonkatsu, the works. To everyone who fed me and cheered me up, thank you.
Had my second hangout with my good friends, Clang, Jobet, and a visiting Hannah! It was only for a few hours, but it was comforting and heartwarming to share stories with them over coffee… and then suddenly singing karaoke! I hope the next meetup is sooner.
Speaking of coffee…
I realized I stopped trying different affogatos, so I started over on that during my hangout with friends. I thought of restarting that project to keep me going through the heaviness lately, and, well… I love affogato. Why stop doing what I love?
On Father’s Day, my parents watched a badminton exhibition game with the legendary Lin Dan at Opus Mall. So, my family and I celebrated Father’s Day days later at a different Mamou branch in Uptown BGC. Yeah, Mamou is definitely our favorite steakhouse. Amazing food, as usual.
Happiest Father’s Day to our young-looking and hardworking dad! We love you very much, kahit ang corny ng jokes mo madalas!
I noticed that since June started, when people have offered food, I gladly accepted it, but I also started eating more than usual again. That usually happens to me when I’m really depressed, and yeah, that’s how I’ve been feeling lately. I’ve also been working, writing, and trying to get through the heaviness, but it’s still there.
July 1
It was a stressful day at work, and I capped off the first half of 2026 with writing and having a drink at Starbucks Reserve until closing time. Honestly, I was so stressed that I almost didn’t write in my journal system that day, and I hated that.
And that’s what happened during the first half of 2026.
There were a lot of positives on paper, but honestly, the recent heaviness outweighs them all. A little part of me wants to be hopeful for better things, but I’m too tired to even hope. We’ll see, though. The second half just started anyway.
Header image courtesy of Amir Salehi.
Ian Pasicolan 