’25 resolutions + review: the Year of Recursion

The solution to the problem of living is found in solving the problems of everyday living.

me, making stuff up

Some events in 2025 that make for good stories

  • Graduated!
  • Stopped posting on Instagram. The decision is boring… the LORE is not.
    • I did so for a bunch of uninspiring reasons. One may be mildly interesting: I realised I possessed a decent (if in desperate need of preservation) degree of sexual appeal that could be better directed elsewhere.
    • Doing so set me up for a huge dopamine hit. Later in the year, a close friend shared — hold on tight to the following — that her friend had asked about me, telling her what they heard about me from someone else… who had heard about me from someone else (II).
      • …I mean, what a thrill. Almost as satisfying as getting 500 views on a single story!
      • Cooley articulated it best: a person’s self-image depends on how they imagine others view them(self). So what happens when you deny onlookers an open window into your life? You become a figment of their imagination.
    • My withholding information is still an attempt to curate an image (performance is inescapable). But it’s an image that leaves the audience free to create their own story about me. And within these spaces of doubt, I am free.
    • In short: everyone can say anything about me. You just won’t hear about me from me…
      • …but you can always come here for the tea.
  • Sailed on a private yacht. Just once. Not mine.
  • Got served papers. To no avail, unfortunately… for them.
  • Received a Belated “apology” text. There’s only one thing I can’t believe about this saga and that is how accurate I was. I am a PSYCHIC bro. The feeling is INDESCRIBABLE.
  • Made a few friends, lost more. Decided it was okay. Kept some close.
events got me feelin like this ngl

Onto the goal review…


Originally published 11/4/25

These are not very SMART goals but I downloaded a habit tracker on Notion so I think it will be OK

Body gonna body babyyyy

Partial complete

  • Finish 47 pilates classes (very specific) [review comment: completed 35]

Did not do

  • Bulk and cut (4 and 4 weeks?)
    • Get to BFT 2x a week
  • New piercing? Huhu… where indeed…
  • More hee hee ha ha tattoos that I should really plan ahead for
    • the struggle [I actually got as far as paying a deposit. But the artist only sent me the design literally FOUR (4) hours before the tattoo session (despite my earlier prompting). And it was ugly — like throw the baby out, man, ‘cuz this is iredeemable. I asked for a Sisyphus tattoo, not to be punished like him]
    • luigi (cf above: the duality of woman)

Exercises I didn’t aim for but completed

  • 20 runs tracked
  • Got a Minotaur tattoo instead

Category comment: This is NOT a good category (judging my past self already). It is all over the place. But I give myself a score of 60% for maintaining my activity level from last year through trying new forms of exercise, as above, so below

Hobbies to convince others I have a personality

  • Complete a basic structured dance class [make that two]
  • Get noob diving cert
  • Get a tarot card reading [so accurate, like… i think it told me i am a loser]

Did not do

  • Relearn swimming for diving
  • 200k on blog!!!!!!!! [ehh. I wrote a lot of emo stuff instead that I didn’t publicise. Did you catch them? Because they’re GONE now! Hahahahahaha]
    • Reflections on grad school??????
    • Analyses on my ultimate life tracker??????
    • Purge blog, retag all posts, standardise categories/tags
  • Streaming
    • I want to play Lethal Company but everyone around me is a coward
  • Hit balls

Category comment: It is less important to convince others I am fun than it is to have fun on my own terms. Most importantly, however, is having enough money to afford the fun. Speaking of which,

Alternatives to being a kept woman

  • Secure employment
    • Apply for 50 (FIFTY) jobs
  • Long-term planning for finances (expenditure, investment %s…)

Category comment: Honestly, I’m better off being a kept woman

Love & Belongingness is a stage in the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

  • Graduation + family photoshoot
  • Monumental
  • Masquerade as prey [hang awn… what if I am…]

Partial complete

  • Attend 10 random social gatherings [clocked 6]
  • Volunteer >25x this year [~15 times]

Maximising neuroplasticity

  • Pass JLPT N4 [the results won’t be announced until Jan 2026, but I know I confirm pass]
    • Duolingo 800 days [abandoned]

Partial complete

  • Crash course in stock market [got annihilated by perps, which is not even stocks, and have NO edge]
  • Read 15 books [made it to 5. Post-graduation de-intellectualisation is real]

Not done

  • Take a writing class!!!
  • Learn to braid hair, one, then two

Final comment: In 2025, I believe I stepped forward in the nebulous thing called life. I should have — and by all rights I did. All that to find myself where I began. I think I achieved some big things. But I feel I didn’t do many things at all, if anything. I’m not where I want to be and it makes me terribly unhappy. And yet I look around where I am and I’m happy. I’m desperate to be somewhere else and also desperate to hold onto the here and now.

I find myself hoping that the solution to life is found in the acts of everyday living, because it would imply that happiness can be found in these goals, or at least in the process of striving towards them… but even if that were true I doubt it would be a liberating knowledge.

The time will pass anyway.

’24 resolutions + review

2024 is over (I mourn the unhinged girl I left behind)… so it is time for an accountability report.

I’m embarrassed that the “incompletes” list is longer than the “completed” one, but maybe life is supposed to be like that — one’s gotta want more to do more. Besides, I completed the most important thing I set out to do: my thesis. (Were you expecting “finding a man”, huh??? Were you???)

Learning point: many of the incompletes are moving targets that cannot be satisfactorily completed once and for all (e.g. cleaning my room, which I DID, okay) — subsequent iterations should be worded with more concrete outcomes. I have no excuses for the concrete ones I didn’t do, though.

So… I’m leaving the incompletes up in hopes of embarrassing myself so much that I’ll do them in 2025. Though not everything, I’ll carry some over to my 2025 resolutions list. The new year’s always a good time to rethink our priorities regarding the kind of lives we want to live. I can be sure that my true self is reflected in the things I did, but not necessarily in the things I didn’t.

2024 was awesome, especially in the middle. It was exhilarating to just exist. I’ll miss those days.

I hope 2025 will be just as magical.


Originally published 24/2/24

COMPLETED
*bolded: stuff i really enjoyed

Struck out = done [completed date, comment]

Setting myself up for Success

  • Finish and submit thesis
  • Financial reconsolidation [Nov]
    • Clear debts
    • Emergency fund
    • Try side hustles: tutoring
  • Duolingo [streak: 468/500 goal, I accept my persistence]

“Hobbies”

  • 100k on blog [Jun] | 120k on blog [Nov]
  • Finish 12 books [my read of the year is Antifragile]
  • Commit to pilates [53 classes in 2024 – not bad if I say so myself!]
  • Post 12 iconic reels (once a month) [exceeded and wiped, except for crowning glory]
    • Purge social media pages following (what you follow shapes what you are)
  • Hyperoptimised partner-search project on dating apps [Jul: bonus comment — in time, you only remember the good ones]

Unhinged, Silly things

  • Tongue piercing [Feb: I love the way it hurts a little]
  • MORE tattoos [self-expression is an expensive hobby]
    • Devils dancing [May]
    • Gladiator gal [Jun]
  • Engage with the woo-woo by visiting a numerologist [he said I wouldn’t find someone this year, but then again I’ve never listened to a man]
  • Attend 5 concerts/musicals [total: 8]
    • Li Ronghao’s Free Soul (rating: 5/5☆)
    • Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton (4☆)
    • Hacken Lee’s 《弦续李克勤》 (5☆)
    • Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism (4☆)
    • Jazz
      • Alina Ramirez Trio (3.5☆)
      • MAD LABS 3.0 (3.5☆)
      • Jazz @ The InterContinental (4☆)
      • Seeds and Flowers (3☆)
  • Travel [total: 6]
    • Bali
    • Batam
    • JB
    • Genting
    • Tasmania
    • New Zealand [SKYDIVED!!!]

Cleansing and organising

  • Purge problematic men [Jun: so true babe]
  • Elimination load exercise [Dec]
    • Eliminate non-value adding activities
    • Consolidate all ongoing commitments
  • Deactivate Motion and transfer data to Notion

INCOMPLETES

Cleaning and organising, but the boring kind

  • Spring cleaning
    • Work area [?]
    • Bookshelf and misc items area
    • Purge wardrobe and replace with babygirl vibes
      • Wear every single piece of clothing I own (shirt, shorts, socks, sleepwear)
      • Compile clothes and donate
  • Get chair professionally cleaned
  • Clean mahjong tiles + buy new excellent quality playing cards for good shuffle
  • Clean up electronic devices/files
    • Clean up phone
      • Apps
      • Chats
    • MacBook and Google Drive files
      • Clean up photos
      • Organise Notion completely
        • Transfer all notes from phone to Notion
  • Clear candy
  • Purge blog, retag all posts, standardise categories/tags

Projects

  • Sleep by 4am every night, wake up by 11am every morning (+/-1h) – 80% of the year [I don’t have to crunch any numbers to know that 80% definitely was not attained]
  • Make Monumental happen (by Dec 2024) [70%]
    • Data transcription
    • Data analysis
    • Build programme
    • Run programme
    • Execute events
  • Write blog posts [oof… what happened to My Passion…]
    • Reflections on grad school
    • Tips from a TA
    • Analyses on my Ultimate Life Tracker
  • Volunteer weekly [8 sessions total… shame]
  • Balance bonds and stocks portfolio
  • Apply for 50 overseas jobs/education
  • Side hustles
    • Write for an online platform?
  • Learn R coding / other data presentation software

Hobbies

  • Dance classes [I went for 1 class, at least – we’ll get there]
  • Improve Japanese to N3 level
    • Register for intensive group classes after graduation
  • Get better at pool [# practice sessions logged: 5?]
    • Master cuing action (hit balls accurately top, middle, bottom)
    • Pot balls faster and more accurately
  • Piercings cont
    • Navel piercing?
    • Industrial piercing??
  • Tattoos cont
    • One to commemorate thesis/graduation (“the struggle”, feminised)
    • Dopamine/serotonin pair
  • Stream on Twitch 4 fun
    • Yakuza 0
    • JSRF, 100% (xemu)
    • Chained Together, with friends
  • Visit a psychic
  • Go to Lisdoonvarna, Ireland for matchmaking festival [note: maybe someday…]
  • Go to 10 social gatherings to meet new people [count: <5??? loser]
  • Open Water diving cert […someday I’ll see a shark]

gwynethtyt.com is 5!

Oh my god!

Since the inception of this blog, I have written over 130 posts.

Here is a collection of my favourites, categorised by year, which I feel best captures her spirit.


2019: the big bang era
[26 posts]

11/6: hello, losers

  • The post that started it all. Reading this again makes me laugh because it demonstrates my point that people fundamentally don’t change. I mean, look at these iconic quotes from 2019 me:
    • “I enjoy oversharing about my life to the discomfort of others, though I should really know better. Either way, you’ll get my irrelevant opinions on all sorts of issues.”
    • “If you think I don’t have any [haters], you’d be surprised — I am so popular it pains me. I can’t even sin in good conscience anymore.”

3/8: my NTU URECA experience: a review

  • This post was the first example of what I would become most well-known for among my juniors — reviews and advice relating to my academic pursuits. And my wit, of course.

5/11: meta on oversharing

  • One of my purer self-expressions at the time related to the paradox of online authenticity — a recurring issue in my life. The dilemma in summary: being “real” online necessitates sharing negative experiences and potentially controversial opinions because that’s real life. However, doing so could lead to adverse consequences, mainly: (1) it might not be good for your reputation in a hypercurated online environment and (2) your disclosure could be weaponised against you.
    • (1) is more rooted in insecurity than anything else, but (2) is a real concern. Someone reported me to my superiors when I was a student leader because I allegedly made an inflammatory comment online.
    • The only thing I learned from that affair then, unfortunately for the instigator, is that some people have such uninteresting lives that they can only spend it attempting (and failing) to drag others down. But I’ll admit that the experience helped me learn to criticise in a way that convinces audiences while the targets can’t do jackshit to me. (-:
  • I only resolved the dilemma after going through therapy: now, I share whatever I want without concern for others’ opinions. The value that I create and the way I treat others is testament enough to my character. If you can’t see it, that’s on you and not me x

2020: the liberal feminist (ironic) era
[16 posts]

8/1: penis envy

  • Self-explanatory. Interesting in the sense that men do not only represent an outlet of emotional and sexual fulfilment for me (god, if only I could choose otherwise), but because the concept of manhood defined my psychic development as a woman. Freud would be proud.

12/3: my time at mcgill: a mid-term review

  • Went to McGill University in Montreal, Canada to expand liberal brain.

24/3: carte blanche

  • Still relevant. Will always be. My lover must understand this.

8/5: virgin crisis

  • A chauvinist triggered me to write this. The post is noteworthy because it demonstrated my propensity for conflict and polemics. I’m more selective with my battles now because I’m better able to distinguish what’s worth my time.
  • But my desire and ability to put men in their place will never die.
  • Trivia: named after a popular shoujo manga I read when I was younger.

14/8: reflections of a “student leader”

  • Babygirl does politics, and gets her way (you’re welcome to read and decide for yourself if I did).

2021: the pareto principle era
[11 posts]

1/6: gwyn’s guide to NTU psych modules (or: PSYCCESS)

  • This is the post I am most well-known for. I wrote it because it is what I would have wanted to read as a junior. The support I received motivated me to keep writing; it might be part of the reason I am still posting today.

22/12: gwyn reviews: the NTU counselling centre

  • This post marked a breakthrough for me because it was the first time I actively sought help for my depressive symptoms. It was formative in terms of my journey as a mental health advocate.
  • Trivia: did you guys know I got into trouble for this series (the mental health logs), because someone didn’t like what I said and reported it to someone with authority over me? I got away again, of course (see the pattern here?), because 1) I can and 2) people are delusional to think that they can police my non-political opinions in our fair and free society.

2022: the lowkey era
[8 posts]

28/6: geneva, a girl, and a reckoning

  • I went to Switzerland, Geneva, and got to meet my research idol. I will never forget my time there. Their melted cheese fondue was pretty good, too.

6/7: on sleeping (with) disorders

  • I have had a long troubled history of insomnia since I was an adolescent (it’s gotten a lot better in 2024, though). I paid doctors hundreds of dollars to confirm what I already knew. Speaking from experience: if you have a sleep issue, also get your mental health checked out — the two are inextricable from one another.

2023: the comeback era
[3 posts]

4/10: confessions of an ex-NTUSU exco

  • More political commentary. The feelings I experienced when I posted this and when I saw the response to it solidified my commitment to write until I die.

5/12: 25

  • To celebrate the end of my first quarter of life. Also to celebrate something I had neglected for a long time: myself.

@ominous_cloud_of_smoke / instagram

2024: the generative babygirl era
[60+ posts(!), so far]

26/2: discipline and punish

  • Marked another transformation where I realised I didn’t have to play by the rules anymore.

31/3: to my dearest

  • Tl;dr I realised my friends loved me immensely, perhaps more than any man ever loved me.

12/4: golden age

  • More thoughts on freedom following discipline and punish.

17/4: gwyn’s lay theory of relationships series

  • Being single and encountering a bunch of men made me have Many Thoughts about the nature of love, dating, and marriage. So where better to organise all these thoughts creatively than here?
  • I would like to thank the men who inspired me because, hell, I was compulsively putting out banger after banger LOL. Sublimation is real, and I have lived it.

10/5: how to counteract love bombers

  • Sums up my philosophy towards relationships: if they really wanted right, they would. I will accept nothing less.

16/5: the little things

  • I just like how soft this post is. I wrote it with the wind on my face and the rain pouring in the background.

1/6: the no man june logs

  • Embarked on this because I love self-improvement projects and gamifying my life. It’s not working out great because I clearly have impulsivity issues, but I’d be damned if I wasn’t having fun.

7/6: gwyn’s theory of interpersonal interest series

  • Another banger of a series (a little bit of disclosure: I was lovesick. I might still be. But I wouldn’t worry, because it’ll all work out in the end.)

That was a sweet trip down memory lane. Happy 5th birthday, my darling blog! I love you.

gwyn’s theory of interpersonal interest, #1

In this series: #1 | #1.5

I was recently invited to give a TED talk (where TED stands for Topical Extended Discussion here) by a clown. Of course, I have risen to the challenge.

I began with the intent to capture obsession but got sidetracked into operationalising interpersonal interest instead. Oh well, still a worthy contribution to society.

A brief primer on terms used in psychometrics (the art of measurement in psychology). Since I have repeated this to my students ad nauseam, I might as well lecture my fans too.

  • A concept/construct: the phenomenon you want to understand. Usually a “big idea” that needs further definition and explanation. In this case, interpersonal interest.
    • What does it mean to be interested in someone?
    • What are the characteristics that comprise interest? What are the central elements it must have, such that if they were not present, the concept would no longer be “interest”?
  • Operationalisation: to make a concept measurable. What are the observable signs of interest?
    • We must be able to see and measure these markers. For example, if thinking about someone is a sign of interest, we should be able to measure it somehow.
      • Example: count the number of times you think about that person in a day or the percentage of time you spend thinking about someone compared to others.
    • Things that are not measurable are psychometrically (and scientifically) worthless.
      • Example: the “energy vibrations” I send out to the universe when I am cursing men to dream about me. HAH

mrw I received this TED talk offer

Interpersonal interest: how much you’re interested in someone or vice versa. Contextualised to social media since that’s my panopticon playground and main site of research.

Now, the Checklist

Signs, in order of increasing intensity (0/absence = least interested, 5 = most interested). Checking off a sign higher on the list indicates that the lower signs have already been met.

  1. Watching your stories.
    • The more stories you watch and the more you regularly check for updates, the stronger the interest. (If your defense is “I’m just scrolling”… don’t you have better things to do?)
  2. Visiting your public platforms unprompted.
    • The preceding suggests they are taking the initiative to visit your profile (or blog, hehehe) without an external stimulus i.e. the action stems from an internal desire. Quite telling behaviour, if you ask me (I adore men who are obsessed with me).
    • Unprompted access to your profile is trickier to measure, but you can make logical deductions (my favourite activity). I wish I knew who read my blog, but it doesn’t matter because I delude myself into thinking that everyone reads it anyway. Delulu~ is the solulu~
  3. Texting.
    • Obviously. The more frequent and initiated, the stronger the interest.
    • A step up from the above because it means that at least one party has initiated contact, hence manifesting the interest. But see the section below on power asymmetry.
    • By the way, DMs on Instagram are like a 2.5. We’re not really friends until we have each other’s numbers (and I’m not just saying this because it means you can then PayNow me).
  4. Meeting in person.
    • Kind of an inevitability following 3 if the relationship is worth anything — see comments below.
  5. Putting aside your ego for them.
    • Best illustrated with a negative example — persistence in effort despite being rejected. Imagine one of your best friends said one day that they wanted to end the relationship. If you would fly down to their place and cry at their doorstep begging them to take you back, that’s a 5.
    • Because it means you’re down so bad you’d put your pride down for another shot, even when the odds are against you. The relinquishing of pride, given its fundamental importance to one’s self-esteem, is the greatest compliment you can confer upon another.
    • We love that; I do. I’ve done it before, and I’ll always have a soft spot for those who’ve tried it with me.

Some comments

  • Before you rate them, you must pre-categorise people into romantic OR platonic interest.
    • If you can’t decide, default to platonic (if you have to think twice, you don’t like them enough — don’t waste their time!)
    • Being interested platonically does not necessarily mean I am interested romantically (fine: the “friendzone”). BUT if I am interested romantically, I am probably also interested platonically. So romantic is a sub-category of platonic.
  • 3 (texting) and 4 (meeting in person) are the most intimately connected signs. The jump from 2 to 3 and 4 to 5 is comparatively large. Not that a relationship can’t be solid if it’s based entirely on text exchanges (the modern equivalent of a pen pal), but unless you have some extenuating circumstance (e.g. live on the other side of the world), there is no reason to not meet.
    • I detest 3.5 romantic prospects the most — those who linger in texting limbo but do not entertain further contact. They’re playing you, sis! You are a backup plan. DROP them like a hot potato, stat.
  • Only consider people 3 and above to be potential friends, 4 for lovers.
    • The 2s either have no courage or do not care enough about you to pursue a relationship. Neither is your problem. Your time should be spent cultivating 3s, 4s, and 5s.
    • They’ve said that they love you over text but can’t seem to find the time to meet? They are asking for a small loan of $20,000, too? They are a LOVE SCAMMER.
  • If you meet a 5 and you feel 5 towards them too — keep them in your life as far as possible.
mrw cornering people i like

On power asymmetries

And now, class, a fun activity:

  • Identify someone you’re interested in.
  • Rate your level of interest in them.
  • THEN, rate — based on their past behaviour — their level of interest in you. Only look at what they’ve done: do not assume, do not infer their intentions.

Use the following formula to determine the interest asymmetry score:
[their interest in me] – [my interest in them].

Examples (may or may not be taken from my past experience):

  • Someone acts like a 2 to me [their interest in me]. I act like a 0 to them [my interest in them]. 2 – 0 = +2.
  • Someone acts like a 0 to me. I act like a 5 to them. 0 – 5 = -5.

A positive score indicates that you have more power in deciding how the relationship will develop presently. A negative score indicates the power is in their favour. Higher scores = greater magnitude of asymmetry.

Any asymmetry calls for an attempt at rebalancing.

  • If you have more power (+): decide if their effort is worth matching.
    • If yes, match it.
    • If not, let them down easy. That’s the least you can do for them. (Except for players. Drag them to hell, babes.)
  • If you have less power (-): decide if they are worth your time and investment.
    • If yes and you want more, COMMUNICATE YOUR DESIRES.
    • If not, off you go for greener pastures, sweaty! We have no time for low-effort relationships.

That being said, you never know how someone might respond to you in the end. (People might really be watching my stories simply because they are interested in observing hypomania in the wild, or because I’m super hot, and NOT because I’m a complex person with deep feelings and thoughts and great music taste. Sigh)

And the scorecard now does not mean it will always be the same; people and contexts change. In particular, based on my past experience, the power dynamics in intense relationships (another favourite of mine) are always fluctuating. Is that stable? No. But is that fun? Absolutely.

Finally, we manifest that we will only settle for 5-5s.

Well, class is dismissed; I hope you enjoyed it. My DMs are always open to new ideas! x

kiss

the little things

  • a silly gift
  • minds in total sync
  • the moment before i fall asleep beside you
  • forehead and nose kisses
  • asking for nothing in return
  • a long hug, after a long time / the sound of your heartbeat
  • forgetting, being reminded, and always being forgiven
  • the gentleness of the rain, the wind on my face
  • a passing thought scrawled on post-it notes
  • dancing badly, singing off-key
  • lazy basking in the morning sun
  • hearing the belly laughter of my dearest
  • inside jokes, a knowing look
  • knowing i’m safe with you
  • knowing i’m unconditionally accepted
  • “i’m coming home soon — you want food?”
  • a whispered “good night”, a peck on the cheek
  • riding pillion after midnight
  • messing up my makeup, and accepting it
  • listening to my friends’ swashbuckling lore
  • aggressive, irrepressible journaling / blogging
  • “i read your blog recently”
  • books that make me think, poems that make me feel
  • candid photos of my friends that embarrass them (i’ll print them in time)
  • pictures in which we’re genuinely happy
  • warm showers and baths
  • the gentle lilt of my grandparents’ voices when giving me advice
  • our shoulders or limbs brushing against each other naturally
  • watching you sleep like a child
  • keeping a secret, just between you and me
  • the split second of vulnerability with a stranger
  • tracing the lines of your jaw with my thumb
  • combing your hair through my fingers
  • head pats, a smitten gaze
  • your scent
  • aimless walks, so we can be together a while longer
  • kindness — freely given, eagerly received
  • promises fulfilled
  • living like heaven doesn’t exist
  • realising everything will be alright
  • letting go
  • the inevitability of love

how to counteract love bombers

The spiritual sequel to How to Lovebomb. Obviously, written as a joke — or is it? (cocks head)

The Thingamajig Strategy (by love bomber):
(Accidentally) leave something smol behind at their place.

How/why it works (for the love bomber): A physical object reminds them of you. It creates an excuse to initiate contact, passing the responsibility to do so to them as in a delicate cha-cha routine.

Counterstrategy (for the lovebombed person): Throw the thing away — unless it’s a wallet. If so, retrieve the money and then throw it away. If they really needed it back, they’d ask. If they really wanted to see you again, they would initiate.

how you’ll sleep after getting rid of things that don’t spark you joy

The Casper Strategy:
Ghost them on chat but watch their stories obsessively. Don’t forget to like the stories where they’re super cute or you think allude to you.

How/why it works: Ghosting someone traps them in self-doubt preoccupied with what they did wrong, even though the problem stems from your inability to communicate like an adult. Kick them while they’re down by liking their stories on Instagram regularly, which bumps you to the top of the viewer list so they can’t ignore you even if they want to. It’s all power play, my friends, a perverse one once deconstructed.

(Effective for chronically online people who primarily rely on Instagram as a source of validation. But not effective for those who have a horde of fans to account to if they make questionable decisions.)

Counterstrategy: DON’T block them from watching your stories; no, enjoy the attention! DO block their stories from your feed, so you live in their mind collecting rent while you pay none. Then, go on to live your best life, whether you post about it online or not. Remember that YOU are the bourgeois and THEY are the proletariat.

this could be us but u ghosted me.

The Reincarnation Strategy:
Reappear in their life by DMing them out of nowhere after a prolonged period of presumed death.

This strategy has two variations, each inversely proportional to the confidence or sympathy you wish to leverage. (Neither matters.)

  • Confidence route: provide no accompanying reason at all: simply audaciously announce that you desire to see them again.
  • Sympathy route: supplement the request with an explanation that you have been through some trööma that regrettably caused you to be unable to, again, communicate beyond the level of a three-year-old.

Pick the first variant if you’re insecure and the second if you’re manipulative. This strategy creates a virtuous loop with the ghosting one. You meet, die, reincarnate, and then die again! It’s an absolutely infallible combo. I recommend it 10/10 for clowns.

How/why it works: It throws the recipient off-guard by making them wonder if you have been thinking of them all this while. If they’re so over their head that they forget that you could have contacted them any time in between but chose not to until it was convenient for you (because they are ultimately a substitute), it could seem kind of romantic. In a world where we convince ourselves we don’t owe each other anything, it’s easy to confuse any casual act for affection. Lover beware!

Counterstrategy: Laugh in their face and move on. If you give in, oh well — we all have to binge on fast food occasionally because what is life without sin and a little indiscretion, even if you get a stomachache later. Just don’t make it a habit.

this photo isn’t even thematically related anymore. it’s just funny

The Promising Strategy:
Make promises you have zero intentions of following through with.

Why/how it works: Empty promises lead to expectations, and the most powerful longing always concerns things that could have happened but never did. It’s inverted regret — a nostalgia for something that could’ve been, which could have been anything.

Counterstrategy: This one involves a radical change in your philosophy but will transform your life so drastically you’ll never look back. Hold on tight.

The principle: no intention is real until demonstrated in action.

There are NO exceptions to this. NONE. Intentions mean absolute jackshit until they are realised. Whatever form they take on before realisation does not matter. It might as well not exist. It never existed. (TIL I’m materialistic without the -ic.)

If they believed you were worth it (immaterial), they would show you (material). If they claim to miss you (immaterial), they will meet you (material).

We can go further. A text telling you they miss you means nothing if they do not schedule a date to see you again. A kiss means nothing if the relationship is never defined (a “situationship”) and you are not cuffed — made “material” through accountability to others or bound by a physical contract.

We can argue that a text and a kiss are material since they occur in reality. But that is irrelevant because it is overshadowed by the immaterial intention behind the action that we project onto those we so desperately wish would love us.

The intention means nothing, even if they imply it, especially if you infer it.

Realise that we can never accurately capture the meaning of the present moment — the full picture only emerges in hindsight when the future has happened so that we can contextualise the past with it. You can immerse yourself in the now and feel it all, but that still doesn’t imbue it with any meaning outside your feelings. For an intention to be real, it must be manifested.

The past, present, and future cannot be considered separately in determining what is real and meaningful. Hell, even if it was real, it might not have meant anything. Maybe this is the logic that my pragmatic fans follow — did you really love them if you were never serious about them?

Naturally, you could argue that an intention could be real and meaningful, just that the person seems to be acting differently because you are mistaken about their intention. For example, if you’re only interested in sex, you only do booty calls. That’s perfectly congruent and reasonable if both parties are on board.

But the whole reason games exist is that people struggle to be upfront with what they want — worse if they do not know what they actually want. Then, everyone is in for a ride, and all intentions can go to die.

We can only establish if someone is sincere about you through the two elements of continuity and consistency. In other words, action and commitment, over and over, like the sea waves crashing into the shore for eternity, until death do us part.

—you will find someone who will love you, who sees you as a person, who is attracted to you; who will choose you, and continuously choose you.

my bestie (if everyone had a love like this there would be no divorces)

In short, words are just words (suddenly, I realise what my love language is not). You telling me I’m your favourite or that you respect me means nothing. I don’t care. You either prove it, or none of it matters — saying it is just performativity. You don’t have to say anything; I already know.

Intentions alone mean nothing. Promises mean nothing.


Perhaps even this blog post has meant nothing. But I hope it is at least marginally useful for my fans in helping them sieve out people who deserve them and people who don’t. God willing, considering how much time I’ve wasted on playing games, I might as well help people save some of theirs.

Know your worth, and the rest will follow. Whatever you give, you will receive in turn, good and bad.

– x, baby g, who loves you always (and has hopefully demonstrated it)

Bonus:

we accept the love we think we deserve.

my other bestie (quoting the Perks of Being a Wallflower)

gwyn’s ultimate guide to milk tea in Singapore

I drink a lot of milk tea. When I say “a lot”, I mean that across the 108 days that I’ve tracked my beverage intake so far, I drank milk tea on 57 of those days. Yes, diabetes is hurtling towards me at lightspeed (I have a will in my blog drafts). Anyway,

LATER: Will make an excel sheet to organise the list below.

Rating system:

1/5 = disgusting, didn’t finish
2/5 = blargh will not drink again, struggled to finish
3/5 = OK, fine, might not buy again
4/5 = mm mm good will keep it on my roster
5/5 = all-time fav, unforgettable, fantastic, scrumptious, magnificent, top-tier,

Standard order/quirks:

  • 70% sugar, less pearl, normal ice.
  • If no black/golden pearl, no topping (white pearl does NOT cut it!)
  • I drink only milk tea, specifically jasmine/green milk tea. I stand by the belief that a milk tea brand can be judged exclusively by how good its green milk tea is. I will die on this (diabetic) hill.
    • I like sweet, flowery, and milky stuff.
    • If it has peach, I am already there.

Now for the brands, arranged in some general order of preference. Limited Edition = LTD

Chagee (now Amps Tea, and then Chagee again, it’s all over the place) – their drinks make me wanna dance like it’s Saturday night. They don’t have black/golden pearls, but I love their teas as much without.

  • Osmanthus Oolong Latte: 4/5 – I could drink a litre of this and still beg for more
  • White Peach Oolong Latte: 5/5 – I could hook this up directly to my body like an IV drip and still beg for more
  • Jasmine Green Tea Latte: 4/5 – one of the better jasmine milk teas on this entire list, sweet and flowery
  • Seasons Oolong Tea Latte: 3/5 – decent but pales in comparison to the others from this brand
  • Camelia Latte: to try – my friend recommended it

Nuobei Tea – the Sinicised version of Chagee/Amps Tea, if that was possible

  • Peach Oolong Tea Latte: 5/5
  • Jasmine Green Tea Latte: 5/5
  • Green Grape-Lychee Green Tea: 4/5

No. 17 tea – makes diabetes seem like an afterthought

  • Jade Green Milk Tea: 5/5 – when I tried this I knew that no matter where this brand goes I will follow like a devoted dog crawling on the floor, begging, whining
  • Snow Peach Oolong Milk Tea: 4/5 – AUGH (trembling) so good
  • Snow Peach Oolong Latte: 4/5 – love this, but realised jade green milk tea was superior (and milkier, despite this being a milk latte)
  • Peach Yakult Green Tea: 3/5 – fixed sugar level, too sweet, and that’s coming from ME
  • Peach Milk Cap: 3/5 – eh not as good as the others
  • Roasted Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Tea: 3/5 – ok ok only I am at a loss for words because it really isn’t all that. If I wanted a good brown sugar milk tea I still think of Tiger Sugar (where are you baby)

Koi – the longest-standing pioneer. 50% is often better with their LTD/experimental drinks

  • Green Milk Tea: 4/5 – can’t go wrong with this OG King, but loses out to No. 17 / Amps’s equivalents overall
  • Peach Green Milk Tea: 4/5 – 50% is perfect
  • Honey Milk Tea: 3/5 – decent alternative for people who want something in between green milk tea and “traditional” milk tea, basically, people who cannot make up their mind
  • Vanilla (Green) Milk Tea: 4/5 – tastes like (yummy) flowers will get this once in a while for kicks
  • Vanilla Four Seasons Milk Tea: 4/5 – dials back the flowery for the tea. I recommend getting one vanilla GMT and FSMT with your friend and sharing it. Milk tea together just tastes better!
  • Peach Four Seasons Milk Tea (LTD): 3/5 – too sweet(!), strange
  • Peach Oolong Milk Tea (LTD): 2/5 – another peach but somehow I don’t like it… everything tastes wrong in an artificial way
  • Lychee Milk Tea (LTD): 3/5 – fragrant but too sweet; can’t taste the tea
  • Peanut Butter Milk Tea (LTD): rare 1/5 – what were they thinking
    • My brother, the peanut butter connoisseur: “The peanut butter is Skippy but mixed with milk tea tastes like Shitty” he’s right
  • Mango Four Seasons Milk Tea (LTD), 50%: 3/5 – the verdict that my friend and I submit is that Koi wants to be experimental, but they’re better off sticking to the classics. This one tastes like mango sago, but where is the tea? Also, we got 50% but it was sweeter than my 100% sugar White Peach Oolong Latte from Amps. How do they determine their sugar levels? My gut feeling about men is more accurate.
  • Yakult Green Tea: 4/5 – if I was on a milk ban, this would be a good alternative
  • Lychee Black Tea (LTD): 3/5 – Again, I only drank this because I was on a milk tea ban. It will not happen again. But it was alright.

3Seasonstea

  • Peach Oolong Milk Tea: 5/5 – Sumptuous stuff — I was drinking it exclusively for weeks at one point while hammering out my thesis. Their sugar is light but lingers on the tongue (a sweetener, maybe?) My custom order, breaking from the usual: more sugar, milk cap/foam, crystal jelly instead of black pearl.

LiHo – I’d say I’m too good for them, but I drank it weekly at school anyway

  • Jasmine Light Milk Tea Cloud (LTD?): 4/5 – I actually LOVE the cloud concept and there’s this wonderful lingering taste but WHY IS IT NOT SWEET??? I ASKED FOR A 100%!!! Still think about this one sometimes though.
  • Gardenia Light Milk Tea Cloud (LTD?): 4/5 – I ASKED FOR A 100% AND I HAD TO ASK FOR MORE!!! I HAD TO ASK FOR MORE!!! Would drink again with extra sugar though.
  • Green Milk Tea: 3/5 – Not that great, but it’s the only drink I’ll accept pudding topping for
  • Money Money Light Milk Tea Cloud (LTD?): 4/5 – Glutinous rice-based. Not bad at all my friend treated me to this and then I downed 75% of it (we were supposed to share) sorry HW hope you like the necklace though ❤

AtTea – naming a whole milk tea brand after yourself is such a power move

  • Jasmine Milk Tea: 3.5/5 – lovely in a subtle way, but not enough to become a regular rotation
  • Pink Meteor 945 (50%): 3/5 – My friend got this, of course — I’m not that adventurous. Has pomegranate and guava in it? A nice drink to share, but not to drink alone.

iTea – your friendly neighbourhood bbt store

  • Green Milk Tea: 4/5 – light on tea but great on milky taste + bonus point for their insane value of $2.50 (free pearls!!!). Literally the only thing I drink at iTea like I have FILLED their loyalty cards with this alone

PlayMade — strong USP with their pearls, but their tea quality is unremarkable

  • Osmanthus Oolong Latte (w Cactus Pearl): 3.5/5 – my guilty pleasure, but starting to pale in comparison with the other brands
  • White Grape Milk Tea (w White Grape Pearl) (LTD): 4/5 – a big dopamine hit. The white grape pearls are a BOP. Better at 50%; it’s saccharine sweet
  • White Peach Oolong Milk Tea (w White Peach Pearl) (LTD): 3/5 – taste encapsulates my evaluation of PlayMade – I’m excited about what it could be until I actually try it…

Each A Cup – your friendly neighbourhood bbt store, II

  • Jasmine Milk Tea: 4/5 – This one tastes like meeting an old friend… time passes, you meet new people, and you forget about them gradually, but when you encounter them again, you remember why you loved them

Gong Cha — credits to this for being the only brand where you can taste some semblance of actual tea in their milk teas

  • Pearl Milk Tea: 3/5 – my daddy’s favourite. You can actually taste the tea in this one!
  • Peach Oolong Milk Tea: 4/5 – honestly, not bad at all. It’s milky, sweet, and has the aftertaste of tea.

Chi Cha San Chen — interestingly, low on the list (I’m not a tea purist)

  • Osmanthus Oolong Tea + Mousse/Cream, 100%: 3/5 – nothing wrong with it, there’s just better (milk) teas out there
  • Osmanthus Oolong Tea + Mango: 3/5 – I feel like you could order this from your Kopitiam aunty and she would grin and say “ok 美女” and it would cost $2? LOL
  • Osmanthus Oolong Tea + Passionfruit (50%): 3/5 – as sweet as the mango version because of the syrup they use. Review same as above

HeyTea — the closest thing to milk teas from Shanghai (those are really good btw)

  • Pure Aqua Green Jasmine Milk Tea (DISCONTINUED): 5/5 – absolute perfection. I remember the first time I drank this — I was irreversibly altered. They literally lost a customer (me) for discontinuing this. I strolled into an outlet one fine day, delirious with anticipation. I nearly screamed when they told me it was gone, and I walked out. I have never bought from them again. Let me know when they put it back on the menu, though.

Milksha (COLLAPSED) — goodbye

  • Wheat Milk Tea: 2/5 — YUCKS!! That is all
  • Green Milk Latte: 3/5 — Ehhh this score was foreshadowing that it would close down

how to lovebomb a girl

categorised into the 5 love languages, but it doesn’t actually matter — only intention combined with action means anything, and everything else can be ignored (including what you say).

you’re welcome. if this helps you land someone, just send me a wedding invite telling me i don’t have to pay for the angpao.

gifts

  • buying her stuff. a little trinket will do; it doesn’t have to be expensive. it’s not the item but the concept of i thought about you on a random day at a random moment (because i’m thinking of you all the time) and so i bought this for you. accept my love? please don’t buy her a bikini — it’s not about you, and your taste is probably NOT it anyway !!
  • sending her a Spotify playlist of songs that you think encapsulate her aura (there is nothing more intriguing than finding out what people think about you in the looking-glass self sense)
  • sending her $1000 without notice (great way to make her text you first)
  • bringing her to Sephora/Lululemon and telling her “my treat”
  • compiling a list of all her likes, dislikes, things to remember, but never let her see it (-;

physical touch

  • holding her by the chin, eye contact, and calling her “my princess” NO LAUGHING !!!
  • kissing her eyebrow, nose tip, and jaw, but not on the lips until she kisses you first
  • kabedon (i will not elaborate)
  • holding her finger in public (i.e. you should always be standing by her side and not in front).
  • by extension, appropriate PDAing; touch her hair or lean on her shoulder whatever idc DO SOMETHING
  • hugging her protectively in front of your friends casually while everyone is having fun or involved in an activity like playing mahjong. not to draw attention, but because it’s the most natural thing in the world…

acts of service/validation

  • taking photos of her when she’s not looking
  • taking photos of her whenever she wants you to (read: all the time)
  • posting pictures of her on your Instagram if you think she’ll like it (i had an era where i put a boyfriend as my dp and everyone thought i was a handsome man)
  • helping her carry her stuff without her asking. she has a baby pink handbag smaller than your face? real men rock that shit !
  • letting her win the competitive games you play together, then telling her how amazing she is

words of affirmation

  • introducing her to your friends as “my babygirl” at social events (who cares if it’s cringe, it’s your world and others are just living in it). my brother has a good opener — when he shares pictures of his girlfriend he always asks “pretty right?” the answer is yes king always !!
  • sending physical postcards to her when u go overseas. you don’t even have to write much, just like “i miss you” or “met a clown and thought of U” or “saw a waterfall, but yours is better”. remember to indicate the date so she can collect them ❤
  • aggressively liking her ig stories and commenting on her posts like Yoo Teo does to his wife. this has a dual function of telling her you are obsessed with her and also asserting your dominance as a partner to the audience – all very sexy in evolutionary terms
  • when she yaps about something, dropping your phone, paying attention, and practicing active listening (e.g. “really? wow! you’re so funny! i didn’t know that… what did you do next? and what did they say? that’s so crazy… i wish i was there. that’s why i love you, sweetheart”)

quality time (these are just date ideas that i wanna do, might as well right)

  • lying in bed and reading your journal entries to one another (you read yours, she reads hers) – nothing is more intimate than this
  • picnic date where you play chess together and debate strategies over prosciutto and cheese
  • watching a movie/drama together and taking a shot when something stupid happens. explain the joke. then mess around… of course
  • staring into each others’ eyes in silence for four minutes (legend has it people fall in love like this)

invert and you can do the same to a guy

caveat emptor

  • you should be dating her, not stalking her
  • she should like you back… and not as a friend

final note: if you think you’re being love-bombed, read this. the difference between a love bomber and someone who actually loves you is that the former is in it only for the thrill, while the latter does it because YOU deserve it. again, everything comes down to intentionality…

now get to it with your bae, sweetheart

– x, from a girl who loves the thrill ❤

2024’s ins and outs

ins

  • “if it’s not a hard yes, it’s a no”
  • biting the bullet and doing it
  • the fancy version of manifestation, the WOOP method
  • a master’s degree
  • jazz
  • divine babygirl energy
  • pilates & dance
  • (by the grace of god) a regulated sleep cycle
  • accountability buddies / operant conditioning
  • marie kondo-esque purge cycles

outs

  • sarcastic people
  • theses
  • existential dread (Nietzsche exempted)
  • assault
  • revenge bedtime procrastination (e.g. this post)
  • social clocks
  • cowardice